Finding the Right Exercise Routine for You

So, you’ve decided to get more active this year. Maybe you’re a couch potato trying to take the first steps to get in shape, or maybe you’re active but want to try something new.  Here are some popular exercise options to try:

Exergames
Motion-sensor gaming innovations like the Nintendo Wii and Xbox Kinect have unleashed a wave of game-based exercise programs.

Pros: The games are relatively inexpensive compared to gym membership, can be used at home, and automatically track your progress.

Cons: The workouts are generally mild to moderate (good for beginners but you may soon outgrow them) and sometimes repetitive.

Joining a gym
Today’s gyms offer a great range of exercise machines, classes, and environments.

Pros: You’re paying for it, so you’re more motivated to use it. Most gyms offer a good variety of programs for different fitness levels, personal training, and gyms exist that are targeted to serious athletes, beginners, and women.

Cons: Gyms can be costly and it can be hard to make the time in your day to go there. Some beginners may feel intimidated or self-conscious working out in front of other people.

Heading outside
Many people prefer to get their exercise in the great outdoors. Fresh air, natural beauty, and freedom can be great motivators.

Pros: You can make your own exercise routine and work outdoor activity into your daily schedule. Exercising outside with friends can be appealing and provide motivation.

Cons: If you’re going solo, it can be tough to stay motivated and structured. You are at the mercy of the elements.

Fill The Tank: Four Ways To Save On Gas

With gas prices not getting any cheaper, there are more reasons than ever to try to reduce your fuel consumption. Thankfully, there are a number of easy and efficient ways to use less gas every time you drive. Here are four simple tips for cutting your gas usage:

Be careful when you brake. Every time you use your brake pedal in your car, you’re wasting some of the energy that you used to speed the car up. For optimum efficiency, you want to maintain a consistent speed. Instead of accelerating and braking constantly, manage your speed and don't over-accelerate.

One of the easiest ways to reduce the amount of fuel that you need to run your car is simply by reducing the amount of weight you’re carrying. If you have junk in your trunk, emptying it can lead to fuel savings.

There are a number of excellent free smartphone apps to help you find good gas prices. One of the most useful is Gas Buddy, which locates gas stations in your area and sorts them by price so you can get the best deal.

Investing in a new hybrid car will reduce your fuel costs. The cars are still a little expensive, but owners rave about their drastically cheaper gas bills. You will still be filling the tank on occasion, but if you drive frequently, the money you save on gas will make the car a worthwhile investment.

Happy Friday!

We hope everyone enjoys their weekend and stays warm!

Office Work: Four Ways To Exercise At Your Desk

In this modern world, it’s harder than ever to find time to exercise. But we need to, for a number of reasons. Regular physical exercise is essential in keeping your body in peak condition. Thankfully, there are a number of easy exercises that you can do at your desk throughout the day to stretch, tone, and strengthen your muscles. Here are four favorites:

• Get a grip exerciser and keep it at your desk. Working on your grip can strengthen your hand and wrist muscles, which will help prevent repetitive stress injury. It’s also great for relieving tension.
• A great exercise to do in your office chair that works your whole core is to brace your arms on your armrests and try to lift yourself off of the chair. Ten repetitions of this will leave your whole body feeling engaged.
• Desk push-ups are a great strength training exercise. Plant both hands on the edge of your desk and walk backwards into a plank position, then perform angled push-ups as normal. Make sure your desk is stable enough to support your weight first, though!
• Stretches are vital in keeping fit. When sitting, raise both hands over your head and extend your back as far as it can go. After ten seconds, try to raise one hand higher than the other. Then switch hands.

Keep It Fresh: Five Ways To Preserve Produce

There’s nothing more frustrating than buying some delicious-looking produce and taking it home, only to find it spoiling before you can eat it. With fruits and vegetables coming to our grocery stores from all over the world, it’s difficult to know how long something will stay fresh after you bring it home. Here are five quick tips that will help you keep your produce fresh longer:

• Buy local. The absolute best way to know how fresh fruit or vegetables are is to know when they were picked, and you’re not going to get that when your apples are coming from Chile. The longer an item has to travel, the less fresh it is. Buying from local farmer’s markets and CSAs is the absolute best way to get the freshest produce.
• Examine produce carefully in the store. Most fruits and vegetables have visual cues that you can use to see how fresh they are. Pick produce that doesn’t have wrinkles or yellow spots and is firm to the touch. It’s better to buy fruit that is unripe and let it ripen at home, as there are several ways to speed that process up.
• Store your fruits and vegetables in airtight containers. The less environmental impact your home has on your produce the better. Airtight containers help prevent bacteria from speeding the process of spoilage.
• If you have carrots that have gone floppy, you can reconstitute them by putting them in an ice water bath for several hours before preparing them. This works for several other root vegetables as well.
• If you’re not going to use the vegetables for a bit, many do very well in the freezer in an airtight container.

Keep Up: Five Essential Tech Blogs

If you want to stay abreast of the latest developments in the world of technology – developments that have a very real impact on how we live our lives – there’s no better way to do so than by bookmarking these tech blogs. Updated regularly with the latest news, opinions and more, these are must-reads.

-          Gizmodo. Notorious for getting their hands on an Apple iPhone 4 before it hit the market and leaking its technical specifications, Gizmodo is one of the biggest players in the tech game, with amazing access and funny writers.

-          ZDNet. One of the longest-running tech resources on the Web, ZDNet was founded in 1991 on the CompuServe service and has grown to be an essential depository of reviews and product information.

-          Mashable. While other blogs focus on the technology that makes the online world possible, Mashable is all about the culture that has grown up around it. A complete social media guide, Mashable is a must for anybody who needs to understand the new world of socialization.

-          TechCrunch. The second-largest blog network in the world, TechCrunch has expanded massively since debuting in 2005. With divisions to focus on mobile devices, security and more, there’s something here for everyone.

-          GigaOM. Some of the most incisive minds in the blogosphere write for Om Malik’s new venture, which has its eye on the future of technology as it develops.

Work Out: Using Social Networking For Job Hunting

Now more than ever, your social connections mean a lot when it comes to finding employment. In a recession, you need to use as many tools as possible to get a job. Several websites have become popular for people to post their credentials, assemble references, and apply for positions. Two of the most popular are Linkedin.com and Indeed.com.

Linkedin.com works like many other social networking websites – you build a profile and then connect up to other people that you are acquainted with. However, the focus here is on your work experience. In your profile, you list the companies you have worked for and your positions, and this profile is visible to companies you apply with.

Linkedin has become a vital part of modern business, and there's no excuse to not use it. Profiles are free and they provide an excellent way to keep in touch with former employers in case you need them for references.

Indeed.com works in a similar fashion – you can use the site to explore available jobs all over the world, and employers post there regularly. Prospective workers can create a profile with a posted resume, and when employers post a job they can be referred automatically to qualified applicants already in the system.

Good luck!

Warm the Hearth: Five Fall Comfort Foods

With the weather getting a little cooler, the time is right to sit inside and enjoy some classic comfort foods. One great thing about the season is that a wide variety of harvest produce is available to make good food. Here are some comfort classics that never fail to satisfy.

-        Meatloaf is in many ways the quintessential comfort food. Autumn evenings are a great time to bring one of these out of the oven. Spice it up by using a mixture of ground beef, lamb, and pork to give it texture and new depth of flavor. If you really want to get fancy, try making your own ketchup.

-        The squash harvest is just beginning as the leaves fall, and one of the best things to do with squashes is to roast them. Cut an acorn squash in half, scoop out the seeds, and brush the sides with olive oil. Salt and pepper it and place in the oven until it’s fork-tender.

-        Scalloped potatoes are also a great way to use the bounty of spuds that come out of the ground about now. Thinly-sliced and delicious, these casserole-baked potatoes are an incredible mixture of creamy and crispy.

-        Chicken soup is one of the all-time classic comfort foods. Make your own stock by roasting chicken bones in the oven before boiling with carrots, onions and celery. From there, add dumplings, meatballs, noodles, or whatever you like.

-        Another great use of fall foods is to make pumpkin ravioli. The smooth and creamy flavor of the squash goes great with walnuts and goat cheese. Boil, toss in a simple butter sauce, and enjoy!

Cooking with Fall Vegetables

The fall months are harvest time, both for sturdy winter squashes and root vegetables, and for traditional spring crops that can be replanted as the weather cools. Enjoy the last hurrah of the planting season with these fall favorites.

Pumpkin – The quintessential fall vegetable, pumpkin can be used in a traditional pie, pumpkin bread or roll. Or try it in a Thai-style curry!

Delicata Squash – Delicata squash does not keep well, so enjoy this seasonal treat while you can! Try it in a creamy soup or roasted with butter, lime juice, and a hint of cayenne.

Cabbage – Another traditional vegetable to “put up” for winter, cabbage is surprisingly versatile in slaws of all stripes, slow cooked for hours with beer, apples, and kielbasa, or stir-fried with Indian seasonings.

Parsnips – Parsnips have a smooth sweetness that tastes like nothing else. Ramp up the sweetness by roasting parsnips with a drizzle of oil or boil and mash with butter and cream  for a perfect complement to roasted chicken.

Peas – Once you’ve had in-season peas, you’ll have a hard time going back to frozen. Fresh peas are so sweet and delicious that all they really need is a quick steaming, some salt and pepper, and maybe a dab of butter for a fabulous side dish. Or try fresh pea puree soup with mint and lemon.

What To Do With Pumpkins?

Most people think of pumpkin as a pretty useless squash. Either you carve a face in it for Halloween and leave it to rot on your porch or you buy it in a can to make pumpkin pies on Thanksgiving. But this gourd is actually a remarkably versatile foodstuff if prepared correctly. Here are some recipe ideas.

-        Pumpkin makes a great substitute for zucchini or carrots in breads and muffins. The earthy sweetness of the squash adds a lot to the flavor. Use a cheese grater to roughly grate the meat of the pumpkin and mix it into your dough.

-        The seeds of the pumpkin are actually very high in important nutrients and make a great, healthy snack. Known as “pepitas” when roasted, it’s simple to prepare them yourself. Separate them from the pulp, wash them and dry them thoroughly. Then toss them in oil, salt, and pepper and bake them until they shine.

-        While you can roast most squash to good effect, pumpkin’s flavor can be overpowering if served in large doses. The best way to use it in a main dish is sparingly. One good way to do so is to roast it and blend it with goat cheese, then use the mixture to stuff ravioli.

-        Pumpkin also works well as a base for Mexican sauces – again, roast and puree it before mixing it with garlic, jalapeno, salt, and pepper. It’s great over enchiladas or paired with spicy sausage.

-        Coffee lovers rave over pumpkin spice lattes – using two teaspoons of pumpkin puree, lightly sweetened, as well as vanilla extract and pumpkin pie spice, you can give any beverage a warm, comforting autumn flavor.

Next Page »