>Planning a vacation this summer? Good for you!
Vacation is very important for your mental well-being. Relax and enjoy yourself, but don’t sabotage your health and fitness while you are away. It’s easy to throw caution to the wind and return from your trip with an extra 2-5 pounds.


Here are some ways you can minimize the impact of your vacation:


o Keep healthy snacks handy in the car This will keep you out of the drive-thru lane. Having a pocket guide such as “Eat This, Not That” can be very helpful when you must eat on the run.


o Limit your alcohol consumption There are a lot of empty calories in alcohol. It also reduces your inhibitions to eat junk food AND makes you feel hungrier.


o Plan some physical activities Hiking, biking and swimming are great ways to get you moving. . If you have kids, keep them moving too. A study conducted by Ohio State University found that 5- and 6-year-olds gained more weight over the summer than during the school year, so shut off the TV and do something active with them!


Want to lose weight this summer?
Focus on eating well and staying active every day. Keep this in mind:

>June 1: We had lots of interest in a whitewater expedition but it turned out that everyone had other activities planned for this weekend. We took the opportunity to try a new river and use our bikes to shuttle our car. Look for a quiet water expedition later this summer. Click on the map to make it LARGE. (The blue line is the river and the green is our biking shuttle route.) Ryan & I took inflatable canoes down a section of the Pike River in Marinette County about 1 1/2 hours North of Green Bay in Amberg, WI. The inflateable Seyvlors are great because they are nearly impossible to flip over and they bounce off rocks and each other like bumper boats.

>

>What? Orienteering If you like maps and enjoy walking in the woods this expedition is for you. The short course is approximately 2-3 km. Join Ryan Jennings, 2005 State Orienteering Champ for one of his favorite activities! When? Saturday, May 3 Arrive as early as 11:30 am for a lesson. Begin the course anytime between noon and 1 pm. Where? Glacial Blue (near West Bend) Hwy 41 south to West Bend, exit Hwy 33 east. Go north on Hwy. 45 about 2 miles, then exit on Hwy D. Go about 1 mile west(left) on Hwy D to Wildwood Rd. Go a short distance south on Wildwood Rd.(left) to Beaver Dam Road. Go 1 mile east(left) on Beaver Dam Road to the park, which is on the north side of Beaver Dam Road and just west and alongside of Hwy 45. Watch for signs which look just like the markers. Who? xo fitness clients & friends are invited but please RSVP. The Badger Orienteering event is open to the public. What to bring? Dress in layers according to forecast; compass, water bottle & snacks.BE PREPARED FOR THORNY BUSHES/PRICKLY ASH…this means no shorts even if it is 80 degrees! Cost? $10 registration fee payable to Badger Orienteering at the event. Lessons available: Ryan will give you direction to help you get started with your map and compass beginning at about 11:30 am RSVP to attend or find out more: email ryan@xofitness.com or call (920) 339-0630

>Shopping at the farmers market, maintaining a home garden, or participating in a Community Shared Agriculture (commonly referred to as a CSA) are wonderful ways to support a local food system.

Find out more at: http://www.farmfresheastwi.org/
Local Farmer’s Markets:

DePere Festival Foods Farmers Market
1001 Main Avenue
Tuesdays, 7 am-Noon; Begins July 13

De Pere Farmers Market
144 N. Wisconsin St. (Seroogy’s Parking Lot)
Thursdays, 7 am-Noon; Begins July 8

Green Bay East Festival Foods
3534 Steffen Ct.
Wednesdays, 7am-Noon; Begins July 14

Green Bay West Festival Foods
2250 West Mason Street
Mondays, 7am-Noon; Begins July 12

City of Green Bay Farmers Market
Downtown parking lot bordered by Monroe/Cherry/Pine/Quincy
Saturdays, 7am-Noon; Begins June 5

Farmers Market on Broadway
Downtown Green Bay on Broadway
Wednesdays, 3pm-8pm; Begins June 2

CSAs
Over the last 20 years, Community Supported Agriculture (CSA) has become a popular way for consumers to buy local, seasonal food directly from a farmer. Here are the basics: a farmer offers a certain number of “shares” to the public. Typically the share consists of a box of vegetables, but other farm products may be included.

I was able to locate one CSA farm in our area:
http://www.kellnerbackacregarden.com/

>Let’s list the growing list of benefits of Omega 3’s as noted in “You On a Diet” by doctors Michael F. Roizen and Mehmet C. Oz (Go buy this book today, it’s both illuminating and entertaining!). Omega 3’s:

• Act as an anti-inflammatory
• Improve arterial function & clear cholesterol
• Improve blood cholesterol composition (raise HDL’s & lower LDL’s)
• Improve brain function
• Improve desire (you know what I mean and no, I’m not making it up!)
• Antidepressant function (studied in pregnant women but likely applicable to everyone)

In addition to the above (and mentioned in our August 2008 xo fitnews), a study published in the April 2006 edition of Surgical Neurology strongly indicated that supplementing Omega 3’s can actually reduce neck and back pain. Many of the study participants actually discontinued using NSAIDS (anti-inflammatory drugs) to manage their neck and back pain. Roizen and Oz advise either eating (3) four ounce servings per week of fish (usually deep sea fish like salmon or tuna), eating an ounce of walnuts a day, or taking a 2000mg fish oil tablet daily. Other popular sources of Omega threes are avocados, almonds and other nuts, pumpkin seeds, flax seeds and flax seed oil, as well as dark leafy greens like kale, spinach and broccoli. Olive oil and canola oil are good sources and I honestly can’t think why a person would have any other oil in their house. Recently, many products have also come onto the market featuring Omega 3’s. Look for whole grain breads and even tortillas with flax seed, not to mention margerines, eggs and pastas (like Barilla plus). The final word on Omega 3’s is not that you want to ADD them to your diet…you want to REPLACE poor sources (corn oil) with good sources (olive or canola oil).

> Nutrition Suggestion #1: Eat ONLY whole foods (whenever possible)! If your grandparents wouldn’t recognize it or it’s ingredients, don’t put it in your mouth! Nobody’s perfect, so follow the 80/20 rule: 80% of the time, eat whole foods. The rest of the time, eat things that are as whole as possible. Your assignment: Take a look at the foods in your home. If they have more than 6 ingredients it’s probably a food product, despite all the healthy labeling. If you don’t want to eat it THROW IT OUT! It’s way easier than trying to burn off the calories. The next time you are at the store… · Look at the labels: Is it FOOD? · Skip the cracker & cookie aisle: There’s zero FOOD there. · Skip the liquid calorie aisle of juices and soft drinks (not FOOD!) · FOOD never uses any of the following words: hydrogenated high fructose · FOOD usually has: an expiration date little or no colorful packaging few health claims Brief Disclaimer: xo fitness, LLC and employees do not claim to be dieticians and cannot render specific nutrition advice related to a medical condition or provide detailed nutritional analysis. Individuals seeking these services should see a registered dietician. The information provided here is intended to reflect healthy eating habits as promoted by the USDA’s ‘My Food Pyramid’.

>The Great Grocery Smackdown – Magazine – The Atlantic

>Ingredients• 1 1/2 cups frozen blanched shelled edamame (green soybeans)
• 2 1/2 cups peeled baking potato, cut into 2-inch pieces (about 2 pounds)
• 7 oz. fat-free, less-sodium vegetable or chicken broth
• 1/4 cup warm 2% reduced-fat milk
• 1 tablespoon olive oil
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• pinch white pepper

Preparation
1. Place edamame in a large saucepan. Cover with water to 2 inches above edamame, and bring to a boil. Cook 8-10 minutes or until soft. Drain edamame, and set aside.

2. Place potatoes and broth in a large saucepan; add enough water to cover potatoes. Bring to a boil. Reduce heat; simmer 15 minutes or until tender. Drain in a colander over a bowl, reserving 1/2 cup cooking liquid.


3. Place edamame in a food processor; process 1 minute or until finely chopped. With food processor on, slowly pour reserved cooking liquid through food chute; process until smooth.


4. Place edamame mixture, potato mixture, milk, oil, salt, and pepper in a large bowl, and mash with a potato masher to desired consistency.

Yield: 4 servings (serving size: 1 cup)


Good Luck!! Enjoy your potatoes!
xo-Karin

www.xofitness.com

>How do you pronounce it?

ĕd’ə-mä’mā

Where do you buy it?
You can find it in with all the other frozen vegetables.
Also available in the produce department when in season.

How do you prepare it?
1. Boil whole bean pods in salted water for about 8 minutes
2. Then place in ice water to blanch and re-salt to taste.


If it is in the pod, squeeze with your fingers and pop the beans right out of their shells and into your mouth. My kids LOVE to shell them and eat them…honest!


What’s it’s nutritional value?
Here’s what you’ll find in a half-cup serving of shelled edamame:


• 120 calories
• 9 grams fiber
• 2.5 grams fat
• 11 grams protein
• 13 grams carbohydrate