LA Food Trucks

Last weekend we were at the LA Times Festival of Books. The dining options included several 'Gourmet Food Trucks'. Needless to add, but the crowds were much bigger at the food trucks than at the book stalls. Well you can't read on an empty stomach!

10 Workout Secrets From the Pros

10 Workout Secrets From the Pros

Experts and successful exercisers reveal the top tips and tricks they use to get the most from their fitness routines.

 

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By Carol Sorgen
WebMD Feature

Reviewed by Michael W. Smith, MD

Getting and staying fit can be a challenge. For many of us, it's hard just to get up off the couch. So what's the secret of people who have managed to make exercise a way of life?

1. Be Consistent

Chase Squires is the first to admit that he's no fitness expert. But he is a guy who used to weigh 205 pounds, more than was healthy for his 5'4" frame. "In my vacation pictures in 2002, I looked like the Stay Puft Marshmallow Man at the beach," says the 42-year-old Colorado resident. Squires decided enough was enough, cut out fatty food, and started walking on a treadmill. The pounds came off and soon he was running marathons -- not fast, but in the race. He ran his first 50-mile race in October 2003 and completed his first 100-miler a year later. Since then, he's completed several 100-mile, 50-mile, and 50k races.

His secret? "I'm not fast, but I'm consistent," says Squires, who says consistency is his best tip for maintaining a successful fitness regimen.

"It all started with 20 minutes on a treadmill," he says. "The difference between my success and others who have struggled is that I did it every single day. No exercise program in the world works if you don't do it consistently."

2. Follow an Effective Exercise Routine

The American Council on Exercise (ACE) recently surveyed 1,000 ACE-certified personal trainers about the best techniques to get fit. Their top three suggestions:

·         Strength training. Even 20 minutes a day twice a week will help tone the entire body.

·         Interval training. "In its most basic form, interval training might involve walking for two minutes, running for two, and alternating this pattern throughout the duration of a workout," says Cedric Bryant, PhD, FACSM, chief science officer for ACE. "It is an extremely time-efficient and productive way to exercise."

·         Increased cardio/aerobic exercise. Bryant suggests accumulating 60 minutes or more a day of low- to moderate-intensity physical activity, such as walking, running, or dancing.

3. Set Realistic Goals

"Don't strive for perfection or an improbable goal that can't be met," says Kara Thompson, spokesperson for the International Health Racquet and Sportsclub Association (IHRSA). "Focus instead on increasing healthy behaviors."

In other words, don't worry if you can't run a 5K just yet. Make it a habit to walk 15 minutes a day, and add time, distance, and intensity from there.

4. Use the Buddy System

Find a friend or relative whom you like and trust who also wants to establish a healthier lifestyle, suggests Thompson. "Encourage one another. Exercise together. Use this as an opportunity to enjoy one another's company and to strengthen the relationship."

5. Make Your Plan Fit Your Life

Too busy to get to the gym? Tennis star Martina Navratilova, health and fitness ambassador for the AARP, knows a thing or two about being busy and staying fit.

Make your plan fit your life, she advises in an article on the AARP web site. "You don't need fancy exercise gear and gyms to get fit."

If you've got floor space, try simple floor exercises to target areas such as the hips and buttocks, legs and thighs, and chest and arms (like push-ups, squats, and lunges). Aim for 10-12 repetitions of each exercise, adding more reps and intensity as you build strength.

6. Be Happy

Be sure to pick an activity you actually enjoy doing, suggests Los Angeles celebrity trainer Sebastien Lagree.

"If you hate weights, don't go to the gym. You can lose weight and get in shape with any type of training or activity," he says.

And choose something that is convenient. Rock climbing may be a great workout, but if you live in a city, it's not something you'll be doing every day.

7. Watch the Clock

Your body clock, that is. Try to work out at the time you have the most energy, suggests Jason Theodosakis, MD, exercise physiologist at the University of Arizona College of Medicine. If you're a morning person, schedule your fitness activities early in the day; if you perk up as the day goes along, plan your activities in the afternoon or evening.

"Working out while you have the most energy will yield the best results," Theodosakis says.

8. Call In the Pros

Especially if you're first getting started, Theodosakis suggests having a professional assessment to determine what types of exercise you need most.

"For some people, attention to flexibility or to balance and agility, may be more important than resistance training or aerobics," he says. "By getting a professional assessment, you can determine your weakest links and focus on them. This will improve your overall fitness balance."

9. Get Inspired

"Fitness is a state of mind," says fitness professional and life coach Allan Fine of Calgary, Alberta, Canada. One of Fine's tricks to get and stay motivated is to read blogs or web sites that show him how others have been successful. "Who inspires you?" he asks.

10. Be Patient

Finally, remember that even if you follow all these tips, there will be ups and downs, setbacks and victories, advises Navratilova. Just be patient, and don't give up, she says on the AARP web site: "Hang in there, and you'll see solid results."

Further Reading:

·Slideshow: 7 Risky Exercises and Better Bets

·What is a kettlebell workout?

·Weight Lifting and Strength Training Tips for Teens

·Gym Smarts: Upper Body (Chest)

·Gym Smarts: Obliques and Lower Abs

·Turn Flab Abs Into Fab Abs Overnight

·Tips For Setting Up a Home Gym

·See All Gym Workouts Topics

 

Tactics to Eat Less at the Buffet Table

Tactics to Eat Less at the Buffet Table

Study reveals how people stay in control when faced with endless portions, many choices

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WebMD News from HealthDay

By Brenda Goodman

HealthDay Reporter

FRIDAY, April 19 (HealthDay News) -- Few situations can trip up someone who is watching their weight like an all-you-can-eat buffet.

But a new research letter published in the April issue of the American Journal of Preventive Medicine suggests two strategies that may help dieters survive a smorgasbord: Picking up a smaller plate and circling the buffet before choosing what to eat.

Buffets have two things that raise nutritionists' eyebrows -- unlimited portions and tons of choices. Both can crank up the calorie count of a meal.

"Research shows that when faced with a variety of food at one sitting, people tend to eat more. It is the temptation of wanting to try a variety of foods that makes it particularly hard not to overeat at a buffet," says Rachel Begun, a registered dietitian and spokeswoman for the Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics. She was not involved with the new study.

Still, some people don't overeat at buffets, and that made study author Brian Wansink, director of the food and brand lab at Cornell University in Ithaca, N.Y., wonder how they restrain themselves.

"People often say that the only way not to overeat at a buffet is not to go to a buffet," said Wansink, a psychologist who studies the environmental cues linked to overeating. "But there are a ton of people at buffets who are really skinny. We wondered: What is it that skinny people do at buffets that heavy people don't?"

Wansink deployed a team of 30 trained observers who painstakingly collected information about the eating habits of more than 300 people who visited 22 all-you-can-eat Chinese buffet restaurants in six states.

Tucked away in corners where they could watch unobtrusively, the observers checked 103 different things about the way people behaved around the buffet. They logged information about whom diners were with and where they sat -- close or far from the buffet, in a table or booth, facing toward or away from the buffet. Observers also noted what kind of utensils diners used -- forks or chopsticks -- whether they placed a napkin in their laps, and even how many times they chewed a single mouthful of food.

They also were taught to estimate a person's body-mass index, or BMI, on sight. Body-mass index is the ratio of a person's weight to their height, and doctors use it to gauge whether a person is overweight.

The results of the study revealed key differences in how thinner and heavier people approached a buffet.

"Skinny people are more likely to scout out the food. They're more likely to look at the different alternatives before they pounce on something," Wansink said. "Heavy people just tend to pick up a plate and look at each item and say, 'Do I want it? Yes or no.'"

In other words, Wansink said, thin people tend to ask themselves which dishes they most want out of all the choices offered, while heavier people ask themselves whether they want each food, one at a time.

Thin people also were about seven times more likely to pick smaller plates if they were available than those who were heavy.

Those behaviors also appeared to help people eat less. People who scouted the buffet first and used a smaller plate also made fewer trips to the buffet, whatever their weight.

There were other key differences in how thinner and heavier people acted, Wansink said. Thin people sat about 16 feet farther away from the buffet, on average, than bigger people. They also chewed their food a little longer -- about 15 chews per mouthful for those who were normal weight compared with 12 chews for those who were overweight.

Those behaviors weren't associated with taking fewer trips to the buffet, but researchers think they may be habits that help thinner people regulate their weight.

"The interesting thing was that almost all of these changes were unconscious to the person making them," Wansink said. "They essentially become habits over time."

A nutrition expert who was not involved in the study praised the research, but questioned whether these strategies might really be powerful enough help.

"As with all of Wansink's observations, these are insightful and useful," said Dr. David Katz, director of the Yale University Prevention Research Center, in New Haven, Conn. "But in some ways, they are like looking for the reasons why some people got wet sooner than others when the Titanic went down. The bigger issue was: The ship was sinking, and everyone was in the same boat."

Katz said the best advice for dieters might be to avoid a buffet's temptations in the first place. "By all means, survey the scene and choose a small plate," he said. "But, better yet, avoid the all-you-can-eat buffet altogether."

Weekend Brunch

Here is what I made for Brunch last Saturday!

 

 

 

EGGS – ‘CAPRESE STYLE’

 

Ingredients:

For 2 people:

Eggs 4

Onion (white) 1 large – finely chopped

Cherry tomatoes 10-12 - chopped

Shredded Low-Fat Mozzarella cheese

Chopped fresh Chives, Oregano and Basil – 1/3 cup

Kosher Salt

Fresh ground Pepper

Olive Oil

Method:

In a flat non-stick frying pan (12”) heat 2 tablespoons of olive oil on medium heat. Add the onions and sauté till transparent – about 2-3 minutes. Add the tomatoes, salt and pepper and sauté till cooked – about 4-5 minutes. Make 4 ‘openings’ in the mix in the pan and drop in 1 cracked egg in each. Cook on medium heat for 2 minutes, then cover and cook for another 1 minute till the eggs are almost set. Top with the cheese, cover and cook for another minute.

Turn off the heat, top with the fresh herbs and serve with toasted whole-grain bread.

TO DRINK OR NOT TO DRINK – THAT IS THE QUESTION!

 

FROM WEBMD

 

Skinny Sipping: Drink Pounds Away

Many of us watch what we eat but not what we drink when on a diet. That’s a mistake. The average American gets a fifth of daily calories from beverages. Choosing the right drinks can tweak your metabolism, curb your appetite, and reduce your total calorie count. Which drinks are spoilers and which are helpers on the path to weight

 

Spoiler: Soda

Every time you chug a bottle of soda, you’re consuming hundreds of empty calories. Switching to diet soft drinks is an obvious way to cut calories, but the research is mixed on whether this switch results in weight loss. Some studies show a short-term benefit. Others find diet soda drinkers gain weight. If your calorie intake exceeds what you burn off, just switching to diet soda may not do the trick.

Helper: Water

Replacing carbonated soft drinks with water will cut hundreds of calories per day, and the benefits don’t stop there. Drinking two glasses of water before a meal may encourage the stomach to feel full more quickly, so you don’t eat as much. In addition, new research suggests drinking plenty of water may have a positive effect on your metabolism.

Jury’s Out: Fruit Juice

Juice can have as many calories as soda, but it has far more to offer in the way of nutrients. This presents a dilemma -- you want the vitamins and antioxidants without all the extra sugar. The safest bet: Look for 100% fruit juice. Steer clear of juice drinks that have added sweeteners. Look for the percent of real juice, noted on the nutritional label. You can also slash calories by drinking water with a tiny bit of juice added.

Helper: Vegetable Juice

Vegetable juice is every bit as nutritious as fruit juice with about half the calories but a lot more sodium. One cup of tomato juice has 41 calories, compared to 122 calories for orange juice. Choosing juice with pulp provides some fiber, too, which may help control hunger.

Jury’s Out: Smoothies

Blend a banana, strawberries, and blueberries into a frothy smoothie, and you’ve got a delicious arsenal of disease-fighting vitamins and minerals. The homemade variety is best when you’re counting calories, because you can control the ingredients -- skim milk and fresh or frozen fruit are all you need. Restaurant smoothies may contain ice cream, honey, or other sweeteners that boost the calorie count sky-high.

Jury’s Out: Low-Fat Milk

Eating calcium-rich foods may do a body good, and it may help you lose weight. Some recent studies suggest that drinking higher amounts of milk or eating other dairy foods can help with weight loss. For the best all-around benefits, stick to skim or low-fat milk, yogurt, and cheese

Spoiler: Energy Drinks

Most sports and energy drinks are calorie bombs like soda. They may have more added nutrients, but you can find the same vitamins and minerals in low-calorie foods. People who are serious about losing weight should stay hydrated with water rather than sports drinks unless they need additional nutrients after excessive sweating and exercise.

Helper: Black Coffee

When you need a shot of caffeine, coffee is a better choice than soda or energy drinks. Black coffee is calorie-free and rich in antioxidants. Studies have shown that consuming moderate amounts of coffee (about 3 to 4 cups a day) may improve mood and concentration, and reduce the risk of type 2 diabetes and several types of cancer

Spoiler: Fancy Coffee

Once you add heavy cream, flavored syrups, and/or a snowcap of whipped cream, that innocent mug of black coffee becomes a minefield of fat and sugar. Specialty coffees can contain up to 570 calories per cup -- possibly more than an entire meal! If you don’t like your coffee black, add a little skim milk and artificial sweetener to keep the calorie count low.

Helper: Green Tea

Green tea is another excellent choice when you’re looking for a little boost. Not only is it calorie-free, some research suggests green tea extract may stimulate weight loss. It's not clear exactly how it aids weight loss, though caffeine and micronutrients called catechins may each play a role. The benefit appears to last only a few hours, so it may help to drink green tea at least twice a day.

Spoiler: Coolers

Coolers may sound light and airy, but they are heavy on calories. A 12-ounce cooler containing wine can have 190 calories and 22 grams of carbs. The same size hard lemonade or bottled alcoholic "ice" can have as much as 315 calories. Regular wine is not exactly a diet drink, with 100 calories in a 5-ounce glass. A low-calorie alternative is a wine spritzer: mix a dash of wine with some sparkling water.

Spoiler: Cocktails

A shot of hard liquor has fewer calories than wine or wine coolers, but once you mix in soda or cream, watch out… An 8-ounce white Russian made with light cream has 715 calories. A less fattening option is to mix rum or vodka with diet soda.

Helper: Light Beer

OK, beer is not really going to help you lose weight. But if you’re out with friends and want to share a pitcher, light beer is the way to go. A 12 oz serving has about 100 calories, compared to 150 calories for regular beer.

HIKING IN LOS ANGELES

Unlike what most of us think, hiking in LA is not limited to the Santa Monica and San Gabriel Mountains or Griffith Park. Almost every neighborhood has its own ‘trail’. Get a copy of the spectacular book  ‘The Hidden Staircases of Los Angeles’ and you’ll know what I mean and you could literally spend the next several years walking on these historic and forgotten stairs that crisscross the city and are filled with stories of a bygone era.

Last weekend we hiked in the beautiful and peaceful ‘Ernest Debs Regional Park’ which is just a few miles north of the hustle and bustle of downtown LA, but a world away from the concrete skyscrapers. Exit on Via Marisol off the I-110 and park at Hermon Park, and walk on the well-marked trails (no chance of getting lost here) to the top of the hill, past a pagoda, to a small lake with ducks and killer views of downtown.

The roundtrip hike is about 3.5 miles and should take about an hour. The day we went was cool but hazy and so I could not take a good picture of downtown. But here is a picture of the lake named: ‘Peanut Lake’.

All about Bowls!

 

The humble ‘chicken or beef bowl’ has been growing in popularity, so much so that in LA, the bowl rivals burgers, pizzas and tacos as the ‘fast food’ of choice. So let me talk a little about the various ‘bowls’ available from the popular chains, to help you make a better choice, before you grab the next one.

 

Yoshinoya is at least partly responsible for the current craze and here are their numbers: (without the sauce)

Beef Bowl:

Small-685 cals, 27 g fat, 81 g carb

Large- 970 cals, 38 g fat, 116 g carb

Chicken Bowl:

Small- 610 cals, 12 g fat, 94 g carb

Large- 910 cals, 17 g fat, 140 g carb

Shrimp Bowl:

Grilled, Small-505 cals, 3 g fat, 96 g carb

Teriyaki Sauce: 130 cals, 30 g carb

Seafood Sauce: 130 cals, 30 g carb

El Pollo Loco:

Original Pollo Bowl-690 cals, 10 g fat, 106 g carb

Ultimata Pollo Bowl- 1050 cals, 34 g fat, 110 g carb

Jack in the Box:

Chicken Bowl-690 cals, 6 g fat, 133 g carb

 

Pei Wei:

Chicken Teriyaki Bowl-1120 cals, 26 g fat, 160 g carb

Shrimp Teriyaki Bowl-1060 cals, 24 g fat, 160 g carb

PF Chang’s:

Sesame Chicken-1070 cals, 30 g fat, 152 g carb

Shrimp w/ Lobster sauce-680 cals, 20 g fat, 90 g carb

Wahoo’s Fish Taco:

Blackened Chicken Bowl-860 cals, 15 g fat, 127 g carb

Charboiled Fish Bowl-930 cals, 22 g fat, 127 g carb

 

REMEMBER MOST WOMEN NEED A TOTAL DAILY CALORIE INTAKE OF 1300 CALORIES!