INGREDIENTS
1 can (8 ¼ ounces) sliced peaches in 100% fruit juice, drained
1 can (8 ounces) pineapple tidbits in 100% juice, drained
½ cup red or green bell pepper, chopped
½ teaspoon cinnamon
4 (10-inch) whole wheat tortillas
½ cup chunky peanut butter 3 cups lettuce (deeper-green
variety), shredded
DIRECTIONS
1. In a medium bowl, combine peaches, pineapple, bell pepper and cinnamon.
2. Warm the tortillas.
3. Spread 2 tablespoons of peanut butter on one side of each tortilla, leaving room on the edges.
4. Spoon equal portions of the peach mixture over peanut butter, then top with lettuce.
5. Fold the side and bottom edges of each tortilla toward the middle over the filling, then roll so
the tortilla covers the filling.
CHEF’S NOTES
Mix the drained juices with your breakfast juice if you like.
To make them more pliable before wrapping, warm tortillas. 10 to 15 seconds on high heat in the microwave, 3 to 5 minutes at 350ºF in aluminum foil in
the oven, and 15 seconds per side over medium-high on the stove top.
Amount Per Serving
Calories 430 Calories from Fat 130
Total Fat 15g Saturated Fat 2.5g Trans Fat 0g
Cholesterol 0mg
Sodium 600mg
Total Carbohydrate 64g Dietary Fiber 8g
For a fabulous website to help you with your vacation planning use Recreation.gov. This site even has special helps built in to reserve hard-to-get camping and cabins in popular locations. It is intuitive and provides so many resources to the average traveler that would take multiple trips to the web to find.
It’s almost that time of year where tomatoes and zucchini will be so plentiful, we’ll be showing up to work and they’ll be on the give-away tables. I am so excited, as I have missed the bounteous harvest living elsewhere in … Continue reading →
This past week I noticed a Facebook posting from a friend back in Fort Collins, Colorado. This busy mother of six young children was a participant in something called a “mudder”, or an obstacle course run over some miles involving mud and all manner of climbs, scrambles, crawls and so forth. Pictures were included. Apparently she and her husband trade off in child-care and do these occasionally, otherwise doing more mundane lower-intensity work-outs. During this big challenge experience, you could see the joy in her face lighting up all in her vicinity.
Tough Mudder Gudkov Facebook0017a.jpg – Wikipedia Commons
If you are feeling adventurous and wanting to ramp up your work-outs, perhaps it is time to participate in an event that brings on the “tion” – inspiration, perspiration, respiration and expectation for a fun time. Below are links to upcoming events in the area such as mudders, triathlons, and so forth. I hope you enjoy the journey you embark on.
Suggestions for Overcoming Physical Activity Barriers
Lack of time
Identify available time slots. Monitor your daily activities for one week. Identify at least three 30-minute time slots you could use for physical activity.
Add physical activity to your daily routine. For example, walk or ride your bike to work or shopping, organize school activities around physical activity, walk the dog, exercise while you watch TV, park farther away from your destination, etc.
Select activities requiring minimal time, such as walking, jogging, or stairclimbing.
Social influence
Explain your interest in physical activity to friends and family. Ask them to support your efforts.
Invite friends and family members to exercise with you. Plan social activities involving exercise.
Develop new friendships with physically active people. Join a group, such as the YMCA or a hiking club.
Lack of energy
Schedule physical activity for times in the day or week when you feel energetic.
Convince yourself that if you give it a chance, physical activity will increase your energy level; then, try it.
Lack of motivation
Plan ahead. Make physical activity a regular part of your daily or weekly schedule and write it on your calendar.
Invite a friend to exercise with you on a regular basis and write it on both your calendars.
Join an exercise group or class.
Fear of injury
Learn how to warm up and cool down to prevent injury.
Learn how to exercise appropriately considering your age, fitness level, skill level, and health status.
Choose activities involving minimum risk.
Lack of skill
Select activities requiring no new skills, such as walking, climbing stairs, or jogging.
Take a class to develop new skills.
Lack of resources
Select activities that require minimal facilities or equipment, such as walking, jogging, jumping rope, or calisthenics.
Identify inexpensive, convenient resources available in your community (community education programs, park and recreation programs, worksite programs, etc.).
Weather conditions
Develop a set of regular activities that are always available regardless of weather (indoor cycling, aerobic dance, indoor swimming, calisthenics, stair climbing, rope skipping, mall walking, dancing, gymnasium games, etc.)
Travel
Put a jump rope in your suitcase and jump rope.
Walk the halls and climb the stairs in hotels.
Stay in places with swimming pools or exercise facilities.
Join the YMCA or YWCA (ask about reciprocal membership agreement).
Visit the local shopping mall and walk for half an hour or more.
Bring your mp3 player your favorite aerobic exercise music.
Family obligations
Trade babysitting time with a friend, neighbor, or family member who also has small children.
Exercise with the kids-go for a walk together, play tag or other running games, get an aerobic dance or exercise tape for kids (there are several on the market) and exercise together. You can spend time together and still get your exercise.
Jump rope, do calisthenics, ride a stationary bicycle, or use other home gymnasium equipment while the kids are busy playing or sleeping.
Try to exercise when the kids are not around (e.g., during school hours or their nap time).
Retirement years
Look upon your retirement as an opportunity to become more active instead of less. Spend more time gardening, walking the dog, and playing with your grandchildren. Children with short legs and grandparents with slower gaits are often great walking partners.
Learn a new skill you’ve always been interested in, such as ballroom dancing, square dancing, or swimming.
Now that you have the time, make regular physical activity a part of every day. Go for a walk every morning or every evening before dinner. Treat yourself to an exercycle and ride every day while reading a favorite book or magazine.
Content in the “Personal Barriers” section was taken from Promoting Physical Activity: A Guide for Community Action (USDHHS, 1999).
Once we get revved up to run it’s tempting to shoot out the door at top speed. But heading out of the gates at full speed—without a proper warm-up—is a recipe for disaster, and injury.
Follow this three-step method to warm up wisely.
1. Walk. Walk gently for three to five minutes. Lots of people write off walking. But it’s actually the ideal low-intensity activity to ease your body out of sitting mode and into workout mode. The motion of walking takes the muscles, tendons, and joints through a range of motion that’s similar to what it will go through in running, explains exercisephysiologist Janet Hamilton, coach of Running Strong. This not only brings up the temperature of the muscles and the core, but it enhances the blood flow to all the muscles you’ll need for running and sends your brain the message that it’s time to go. Walking is especially helpful for runners who are coming back after an injury.
2. Add strides. Do five to six 100-meter strides. Strides (also called “pick-ups”) flood the muscles with blood, recruit your fast-twitch muscle fibers, and help your body transition from walking to running mode. Here’s how to do them:
Jog easy for at least two minutes—preferably more.
Gradually accelerate over the course of 60 to 100 meters, then gradually decelerate.
After each stride, walk around and shake out your legs for 90 seconds.
Then stride back in the opposite direction.
Strides should not be timed, and the exact distance of each stride is not critical.
3. Do dynamic stretches. Static stretching, where you hold a muscle in an elongated, fixed position for 30 seconds or more, is now discouraged pre-run, as it’s been linked to injury. But dynamic stretching, which uses controlled leg movements to improve range of motion, loosens up muscles and increases heart rate, body temperature, and blood flow to help you run more efficiently.
Try this routine, which targets the muscles used for running. Start slowly, focusing on form; as the moves get easier, pick up speed. Use small movements for the first few reps, and increase the range of motion as you go.
Skipping Try skipping for 25 to 50 meters, gradually increasing the height and range of each skip as you go.
Side step/shuffle Step to the side, 10 to 20 meters to the right, then 10 to 20 meters to the left. You can do it walking and gradually progressing to a jog. As your muscles start to warm up, you can build the intensity so that you’re trying to cover as much ground as possible with as few steps as possible.
Weave step (also known as “the grapevine”) Step your right foot to the right, then step your left food behind your right foot. Keep repeating this for 10 to 20 meters to the right, then repeat the cycle to the left. Keep alternating between right and left. Like the side step/shuffle, you can start by walking, then ramp up the intensity to a jog, trying to move as quickly as possible.
Backward jogging Start with 50-meter segments.
Hacky-Sack Lift up your left leg, bending your knee so it points out. Tap the inside of your left foot with your right hand without bending forward. Repeat 10 times on each side. This stimulates the balance you’re going to need when you start running.
Toy soldier Keeping your back and knees straight, walk forward, lifting your legs straight out in front and flexing your toes. Advance this by adding a skipping motion. Do 10 reps on each side.
Canoeing and kayaking in Indiana rivers, streams and lakes can provide endless hours of fun, relaxation and exercise. You can get lots of information, trips and help from The Hoosier Canoe and Kayak Club and Indiana Outfitters, an online outdoor recreation guide.
Eric and Cara Stallsmith, with Indiana Outfitters, have created a Indiana rivers site, that provides a list of good rivers in Indiana, outfitters and descriptions of put-ins and take-outs. Here are some suggestions for canoeing and kayaking trips, with much information from the Stallsmiths and photos from Hoosier Canoe and Kayak Club members.
EAGLE CREEK RESERVOIR
The marina offers guided evening paddle trips on Wednesdays from 6 to 8 p.m. Call the marina at at (317) 327-7130 to register.
WHITE RIVER WEST FORK
The banks of the White River West Fork near Martinsville are lined with woods of sycamore, river birch and oaks, and you may see Canada geese, cranes, ducks, fox and herons. A great trip is from Waverly to Henderson’s Ford Bridge.
SUGAR CREEK
Sugar Creek provides a plethora of canoeing and kayaking opportunities from north of Crawfordsville to Shades State Park and Turkey Run State Park and beyond. Several different outfitters provide shuttles and equipment for this creek. These are especially good trips for beginners and families with children.
WILDCAT CREEK
Wildcat Creek from above Kokomo to the Wabash River at Lafayette provides interesting canoeing and kayaking experiences. The website provides information about access points, trip lengths and descriptions.
Garry Hill operates the Wildcat Guardians, an association of people dedicated to improving the health and beauty of Wildcat Creek in north central Indiana. He holds the Indiana Paddler’s Rendezvous each summer, a three-day camping and paddling trip on the Wildcat that draw some 100 paddlers.
FALL CREEK
Fall Creek in Indianapolis has several access points. It can go form being an easy to challenging river, depending on the water flow. You can access the creek at Pendleton for trips down to Geist Reservoir. The Hoosier Canoe and Kayak Club held a moving water clinic in May 2009 on “killer falls” on Fall Creek, where Garry Hill and others are maneuvering some whitewater upstream from the Shadeland-465 bridges.
Much of the joys of river trips come from what you can see and experience on the river banks — everything from herons to turtles and eye-catching woods.
EEL RIVER
The Eel River is scenic and runs from near Fort Wayne to Logansport, where it joins the Wabash River.
DRIFTWOOD RIVER
Driftwood River flows from the confluence of the Big Blue River and Sugar Creek to the east fork of the White River at Columbus. It winds through farmland with wood strips bordering both banks along most of its 16-mile length.
BLUE RIVER
A jewel in southern Indiana, Blue River flows through one of the most scenic, diverse and interesting areas of the state. You can experience extensive forests, numerous caves, rural farmland and historical attractions. The river starts in Washington County and a portion of its path to the Ohio River forms the boundary between Harrison and Crawford counties. The limestone walls along the river are usually covered by trees and shrubs.
CATARACT FALLS
Sometimes you can get a special scenic treat on a paddling trip, like Cataract Falls in Cloverdale, Owen County, only a little more than an hour from Indianapolis. Two sets of falls on Mill Creek create a cascade that drops 86 feet, the largest waterfall in Indiana.
There is boat access to the lower falls from the Cunot public access site on Cagles Mills Lake. It’s about a 3.6 mile trip, but there are no outfitters here. You can also hike from the lower falls to the upper falls before heading back.
BIG PINE CREEK
Indiana’s only section of real whitewater paddling can be found on Big Pine Creek, located about 20 miles west of Lafayette. Spring rains and meltwater in April and May can turn Big Pine Creek into a series of whitewater rapids. But during much of the summer and dry periods it has insufficient water levels for good paddling.
The 51-mile creek features beautiful cliffs, wildlife and options for several different lengths of trips from the Rainsville Bridge to Twin Bridges and from Twin Bridges to Attica. Indiana Outfitters provides more information about public access sites and the river. But there are no outfitters for this river.
LAKE MONROE
The vast Lake Monroe, south of Bloomington, offers some unique paddling with your own canoes or kayaks. During high water in 2008 Hoosier Canoe and Kayakers Club members were able to paddle among the trees.
The club’s Seat Kayak Fleet organizes paddling trips and training for touring and sea kayaks. It also organizes overnight trips on Indiana lakes, as well as Lake Michigan and Lake Erie.
SALT CREEK
A lesser-known paddling treasure in Brown County is the Salt Creek tributary to Lake Monroe. You can bring your own canoe or kayak or rent a kayak or canoe from the Brown County Wilderness Canoe Rental. It’s located four miles from Story. This is a wonderful, scenic trip.
You can explore nameless tributaries with beaver lodges or paddle all the way to Lake Monroe. There’s a good chance to see cranes, wild turkeys, coyotes and perhaps a bald eagle. Drive right to the canoe launch and paddle back to the site. A map of all the tributaries is furnished to all canoers and guided tours are available for an additional fee.
Grilling and six packs go together! Throwing the right foods on the grill will help you gain muscle mass and definition when used in combination with a cardio and weight training regimen. Jim White, RDN, a spokesperson for the Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics, gives his best tips on how to fire up your six pack when you heat up your grill.
1. Mind the Meat
Lean meats give you the protein you need to build muscle without too much of the fat that makes you pile on the pounds. Put the kibosh on fattier meats like 85% lean ground beef, porterhouse steak and T-bone steak. Instead, White suggests boneless, skinless chicken breasts, 96% lean ground beef, bison, buffalo, flank steak, sirloin steak, pork tenderloin and any kind of fish. Delicate fish can fall apart on the grill, so you may want to invest in a grill basket. Vegetarian? Try black bean burgers or grilled tofu.
2. Boost Flavor
Too much oil and sugar add calories you don’t need. So how do you add flavor to your lean meats without drenching them in oil-, sugar- and sodium-laden marinades? Try dry rubs, says White — just rub them into the meat and grill. Look for low-sodium spice blends you can sprinkle on meat, and use hot sauce and cayenne pepper to add a kick. If you opt for a store-bought marinade, look for a low-sodium one with under 5 grams of sugar per serving, White says.
3. Go Green
Move over meat, and make room for grilled veggies that will help fill you up without too many six pack-obscuring calories. Brush them with just a little olive oil — you do need a little healthy fat in your diet — and slap them on the grill right next to the meat, or thread them onto kebabs. White recommends trying zucchini, yellow squash, asparagus, broccoli, sweet potato or corn on the cob.
4. Sweet Success
The perfect ending to your abs-ripping BBQ? Grilled fruit. Slice pineapple into rounds or split peaches, nectarines or plums in half and remove the stone, grilling until tender. To make dessert even sweeter without going overboard on fat and calories, White adds a special ingredient: a chocolate-hazelnut spread warmed with a little milk to make a sauce that you can drizzle over the fruit.
