10 Easy Ways to Eat More Vegetables Every Day  

Reader Intelligence Report

The love of vegetables can be deceptive. Even though I adore Brussels sprouts, and kale and I should have made it legal years ago, I recently realized with a jolt of surprise that I don't eat nearly the amount of vegetables this love affair would suggest. Something didn't add up. To help me (and you) out, here are the top 10 tips from our readers on packing more vegetables into real-life meals and cooking. See, I dream of greens, but when I'm running out the door, it's so much easier to grab a granola bar. A pot of pasta is quicker than roasting a mess of turnips. Eggplant demands the tender loving touch of time, which I've denied it far too often, while beets shrink quietly in a dark corner. But I do love those bright, crisp, flavorful vegetables, packed with nutrients and sunshine, even in their knobbled winter forms. I wanted to make this thing official. I was ready to commit.
So I turned to the readers for some advice and encouragement in getting my five servings of vegetables a day. As usual, our magnificent readers came through with dozens of comments and tips on packing vegetables into into real-life cooking. Breakfast, lunch, dinner, and snacks — look out! Here are our readers' top 10 tips to help you shack up with vegetables every hour of the day.

10 Easy Ways to Eat More Vegetables Every Day

1. Join a CSA or have a box of vegetables delivered every week - If a box of vegetables shows up at your door every so often, you'll be that much more likely to eat them. As reader Vlecomte says, "I didn't want to waste food, so I had to find a way to use everything. And it forced me to be more creative in my cooking!"
2. Put your vegetables on the top shelf of the fridge - Hunky heads of cauliflower and broccoli shouldn't get pushed to the back of the fridge or stuck out of sight in the suspiciously-named "crisper" drawer; put them right up front, where you'll see and remember them. Reader Emmi calls this a proven method, saying, "Stuff that is hidden away is ignored by fridge-goers." Indeed!
3. Prepare a whole week's worth of vegetables over the weekend - This may go against the usual idea of eating vegetables picked up during the day and eaten as fresh possible. But it's a lot more realistic for most of us and our busy schedules. Many readers were totally inspired by this video from Tamar Adler, showing how she preps her vegetables. This means washing, trimming, chopping, and even roasting or freezing — anything that makes it easy to grab a lunch of vegetables on the go. "If I can grab and cook," says reader Kariwk, I am much more likely to add veggies to stuff."
4. Ask yourself: What's my idea of irresistible vegetables? - This may sound like vague or obvious advice, but really take a moment to think about the question. What kinds of vegetables are most appealing and irresistible? Do you fall over for creamy cauliflower soup? Roasted Brussels sprouts? Indulge as frequently as you want. NY2Midmo is inspiring on this topic: "I suggest finding ways to love vegetables! For me that has meant changing my preparation - I have recently fallen in love with roasting veggies. I enjoyed Brussels sprouts for the first time in my life by roasting, and had roasted broccoli for lunch the other day."
5. Add (or double!) the vegetables in your nightly meals - There aren't many weeknight meals that wouldn't be made better with a handful of kale or spinach. Pizza? Top with broccoli florets. Risotto? See: handful of kale. Pasta? That's easy — roasted carrots, beets, cabbage. See how many different vegetables you can pack in to what you're already cooking, which is made extra-easy when you've followed the advice above (get them delivered, roast or cook them ahead of time). Littlebluehen was just the first of many readers to advise this: "Take the everyday meals you already make and add one more vegetable - pasta sauce, mac and cheese, rice pilaf, risotto, etc. can all stand peas or zucchini or carrots or greens."
6. Eat vegetables for breakfast - Lots of breakfast dishes are better with vegetables. Think of omelets, frittatas, even toast with kale and an egg. "I prep some cooked greens in a three or four serving size," says LGHEZ, "and keep them in a plastic zip bag so I can microwave a serving to eat with an egg for breakfast." Smart!
7. Drink your veggies! - Another breakfast idea is to juice your carrots, greens, and beets. Or throw them into a green smoothie "Smoothies!! I make a Green Smoothie every morning. LOTS of greens (spinach, mache, kale, etc.) with a piece of two of fruit like apples or berries and 2 cups of water. If you do NOTHING else, do this. It's so great for you and gives you a TON of vitamins and good stuff." 
8. Eat a salad at every meal - I buy bags of pre-washed greens and arugula for easy, fast salads. I also keep a jar of homemade salad dressing in the fridge, which helps a lot. And salads aren't just for dinner or lunch; I am a big fan of salad with breakfast, whether it's a true breakfast salad or a simple pile of arugula next to a cheese omelet. "We also always have a salad, maybe with cucumber/green beans/apple/pear." Yum! 
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10. Substitute raw vegetables for crackers, pita, tortillas, and other breads - I eat a lot of baba ghanoush and other dips, and while I don't practice low-carb eating, I do find that a big container of cut-up bell pepper and cucumber is fresher and better for me than a box of pita chips. I also really liked this idea  "Use leafy greens as wraps for tacos, sandwiches, etc. instead of tortillas or pita. Collards and lacinato kale work particularly well for this."
11. Don't forget frozen vegetables! - While we may idealize that box of fresh, leafy greens straight from the farm, don't overlook the humble frozen veggie. They are often frozen right at the farm, picked at their peak, and personally I think that certain vegetables (peas especially) taste great from the freezer. And they are always good for soups, scrambles, and pasta — how many times have I realized I could dump a whole bag of frozen spinach into soup? Ta-da! "I keep several bags of frozen veggies (spinach, artichoke hearts, etc.) in the freezer for those nights/weeks when I just haven't made it to the store/market so I can mix some veggies in with pantry staples (rice, pasta, quinoa, etc.)

Long Island Cares Food Drive

Hi everyone! We recently received a letter from the Long Island Cares Harry Chapin Food Bank regarding a food drive we held around Thanksgiving time organized by our lovely Alexandria. To learn more about this great organization or to make a donation visit http://www.licares.org

Top 10 Mistakes You Make on the Elliptical Trainer

via Fitsugar.com


By Lisa Hoehn, Prevention



As the weather drops, more and more people head straight to one machine in their gym — the elliptical trainer. According to a 2008 report from the International Health, Racquet, and Sportsclub Association, the number of users of elliptical trainers in health clubs grew sevenfold from 1997 to 2007. And while you may be proud of yourself for making it to the gym and doing some cardio, taking a lackadaisical approach to your elliptical workout and casually spinning your legs while reading a magazine or watching TV isn't going to blast away those holiday cookies. Here, 10 mistakes you frequently make on the elliptical and how to fix them so you maximize calorie burn while adding fun to your ho-hum routine.

1. You’re too lazy to enter your information.
Most machines are calibrated for a 150-pound person — but personalizing your stats will help you get a more accurate calorie read. Aim to burn around 100 calories per 10 minutes, says Jennifer Cassetty, an exercise physiologist.

2. Your resistance is zero.
You might feel like a million bucks spinning at a mile a minute, but without resistance, you’re not going to see results, says Röbynn Europe, a personal trainer at Chelsea Piers in New York City. Make sure that you’re using enough resistance to push and pull through the stride. Then continue at a moderate pace until you feel like you’ve done all you can do. "You shouldn’t feel like you have even five minutes left in you when you step off," she says.

3. You're a sloucher.
Standing up straight helps to lengthen your abs, giving you a chance to engage your core and even work your upper body muscles, Cassetty says. Certified personal trainer Neal I. Pire, MA, CSCS, president of Inspire Training Systems in New Jersey, recommends hopping on a machine with an upper body component so you can engage even more muscles — and blast more fat. Can't find a machine that lets you pump your arms? Let go: some research suggests that leaning on machine armrests during exercise reduces calorie burning.

4. Your machine sounds like it’s going to take off.
If you can hear the purr of the machine while you’re exercising, it means that you’re going too fast without enough resistance — which means you're not getting the most calorie burn out of your time, Cassetty says. Keeping a steady, moderate pace at a resistance that forces you to use your muscles will get, and keep, your heart rate up.
Learn four more fitness mistakes after the break.

5. You don't change directions.
Going backwards doesn’t just stop you from getting bored, it also changes which large muscle groups are working hardest, according to Europe. While moving forward fatigues your quads, backwards puts emphasis on your hamstrings and glutes. To max out the effect, sit back slightly, keeping your knees at a 90-degree angle as you stride.

6. You haven't changed your workout in months.
Intervals are a great way to break up the monotony of the machine and boost your calorie burn, says Europe. You can do this in one of two ways: leave the resistance steady and change your pace (fast for one minute, moderate for four) or maintain your speed and change your resistance (challenging resistance for one minute, moderate for four).


7. You spin until you can’t feel your feet.
One of the most common elliptical mistakes is putting too much pressure on your toes, which can make your feet go numb and cut your workout short. Instead sit back into your heels, which allows large muscle groups to work harder and gives you the stamina to go for longer, according to Cassetty.

8. You don’t work your upper half.
Incorporate the moving handles two days a week to put your upper body to work, and hang onto the stable handles on the others, says Cassetty. When you’re working your arms and legs, try intervals — focus on your arms for one minute, then pump your legs for four, and repeat through your workout.

9. You spin your way up a hill.
Some models have a ramp incline, similar to a treadmill. But, unlike a treadmill, a large incline won’t increase the difficulty — instead it's easier for your legs to push and pull through the stride.

10. You’re an elliptical junkie.
As tempting as it may be to shoot straight to the elliptical every time you enter the gym, you should never be using one machine exclusively, says Europe. Supplement your routine with weight training and other cardio equipment, such as the rower. Making sure you incorporate a variety of workouts keeps your body from getting used to a single movement and also continues to help you build muscle mass — which, in turn, will keep your metabolism boosted.

30 Things to Stop Doing to Yourself in the New Year

by Marc and Angel Hack

As Maria Robinson once said, “Nobody can go back and start a new beginning, but anyone can start today and make a new ending.”  Nothing could be closer to the truth.  But before you can begin this process of transformation you have to stop doing the things that have been holding you back.

Here are some ideas to get you started:

1. Stop spending time with the wrong people. – Life is too short to spend time with people who suck the happiness out of you.  If someone wants you in their life, they’ll make room for you.  You shouldn’t have to fight for a spot.  Never, ever insist yourself to someone who continuously overlooks your worth.  And remember, it’s not the people that stand by your side when you’re at your best, but the ones who stand beside you when you’re at your worst that are your true friends.

2. Stop running from your problems. – Face them head on.  No, it won’t be easy.  There is no person in the world capable of flawlessly handling every punch thrown at them.  We aren’t supposed to be able to instantly solve problems.  That’s not how we’re made.  In fact, we’re made to get upset, sad, hurt, stumble and fall.  Because that’s the whole purpose of living – to face problems, learn, adapt, and solve them over the course of time.  This is what ultimately molds us into the person we become.

3. Stop lying to yourself. – You can lie to anyone else in the world, but you can’t lie to yourself.  Our lives improve only when we take chances, and the first and most difficult chance we can take is to be honest with ourselves.

4. Stop putting your own needs on the back burner. – The most painful thing is losing yourself in the process of loving someone too much, and forgetting that you are special too.  Yes, help others; but help yourself too.  If there was ever a moment to follow your passion and do something that matters to you, that moment is now.

5. Stop trying to be someone you’re not. – One of the greatest challenges in life is being yourself in a world that’s trying to make you like everyone else.  Someone will always be prettier, someone will always be smarter, someone will always be younger, but they will never be you.  Don’t change so people will like you.  Be yourself and the right people will love the real you.

6. Stop trying to hold onto the past. – You can’t start the next chapter of your life if you keep re-reading your last one.

7. Stop being scared to make a mistake. – Doing something and getting it wrong is at least ten times more productive than doing nothing.  Every success has a trail of failures behind it, and every failure is leading towards success.  You end up regretting the things you did NOT do far more than the things you did.

8. Stop berating yourself for old mistakes. – We may love the wrong person and cry about the wrong things, but no matter how things go wrong, one thing is for sure, mistakes help us find the person and things that are right for us.  We all make mistakes, have struggles, and even regret things in our past.  But you are not your mistakes, you are not your struggles, and you are here NOW with the power to shape your day and your future.  Every single thing that has ever happened in your life is preparing you for a moment that is yet to come.

9. Stop trying to buy happiness. – Many of the things we desire are expensive.  But the truth is, the things that really satisfy us are totally free – love, laughter and working on our passions.

10. Stop exclusively looking to others for happiness. – If you’re not happy with who you are on the inside, you won’t be happy in a long-term relationship with anyone else either.  You have to create stability in your own life first before you can share it with someone else.  

11. Stop being idle. – Don’t think too much or you’ll create a problem that wasn’t even there in the first place.  Evaluate situations and take decisive action.  You cannot change what you refuse to confront.  Making progress involves risk.  Period!  You can’t make it to second base with your foot on first.

12. Stop thinking you’re not ready. – Nobody ever feels 100% ready when an opportunity arises.  Because most great opportunities in life force us to grow beyond our comfort zones, which means we won’t feel totally comfortable at first.

13. Stop getting involved in relationships for the wrong reasons. – Relationships must be chosen wisely.  It’s better to be alone than to be in bad company.  There’s no need to rush.  If something is meant to be, it will happen – in the right time, with the right person, and for the best reason. Fall in love when you’re ready, not when you’re lonely.

14. Stop rejecting new relationships just because old ones didn’t work. – In life you’ll realize that there is a purpose for everyone you meet.  Some will test you, some will use you and some will teach you.  But most importantly, some will bring out the best in you.

15. Stop trying to compete against everyone else. – Don’t worry about what others doing better than you.  Concentrate on beating your own records every day.  Success is a battle between YOU and YOURSELF only.

16. Stop being jealous of others. – Jealousy is the art of counting someone else’s blessings instead of your own.  Ask yourself this:  “What’s something I have that everyone wants?”

17. Stop complaining and feeling sorry for yourself. – Life’s curveballs are thrown for a reason – to shift your path in a direction that is meant for you.  You may not see or understand everything the moment it happens, and it may be tough.  But reflect back on those negative curveballs thrown at you in the past.  You’ll often see that eventually they led you to a better place, person, state of mind, or situation.  So smile!  Let everyone know that today you are a lot stronger than you were yesterday, and you will be.

18. Stop holding grudges. – Don’t live your life with hate in your heart.  You will end up hurting yourself more than the people you hate.  Forgiveness is not saying, “What you did to me is okay.”  It is saying, “I’m not going to let what you did to me ruin my happiness forever.”  Forgiveness is the answer… let go, find peace, liberate yourself!  And remember, forgiveness is not just for other people, it’s for you too.  If you must, forgive yourself, move on and try to do better next time.

19. Stop letting others bring you down to their level. – Refuse to lower your standards to accommodate those who refuse to raise theirs.

20. Stop wasting time explaining yourself to others. – Your friends don’t need it and your enemies won’t believe it anyway.  Just do what you know in your heart is right.

21. Stop doing the same things over and over without taking a break. – The time to take a deep breath is when you don’t have time for it.  If you keep doing what you’re doing, you’ll keep getting what you’re getting.  Sometimes you need to distance yourself to see things clearly.

22. Stop overlooking the beauty of small moments. – Enjoy the little things, because one day you may look back and discover they were the big things.  The best portion of your life will be the small, nameless moments you spend smiling with someone who matters to you.

23. Stop trying to make things perfect. – The real world doesn’t reward perfectionists; it rewards people who get things done. 

24. Stop following the path of least resistance. – Life is not easy, especially when you plan on achieving something worthwhile.  Don’t take the easy way out.  Do something extraordinary.

25. Stop acting like everything is fine if it isn’t. – It’s okay to fall apart for a little while.  You don’t always have to pretend to be strong, and there is no need to constantly prove that everything is going well.  You shouldn’t be concerned with what other people are thinking either – cry if you need to – it’s healthy to shed your tears.  The sooner you do, the sooner you will be able to smile again.

26. Stop blaming others for your troubles. – The extent to which you can achieve your dreams depends on the extent to which you take responsibility for your life.  When you blame others for what you’re going through, you deny responsibility – you give others power over that part of your life.

27. Stop trying to be everything to everyone. – Doing so is impossible, and trying will only burn you out.  But making one person smile CAN change the world.  Maybe not the whole world, but their world.  So narrow your focus.

28. Stop worrying so much. – Worry will not strip tomorrow of its burdens, it will strip today of its joy.  One way to check if something is worth mulling over is to ask yourself this question: “Will this matter in one year’s time?  Three years?  Five years?”  If not, then it’s not worth worrying about.

29. Stop focusing on what you don’t want to happen. – Focus on what you do want to happen.  Positive thinking is at the forefront of every great success story.  If you awake every morning with the thought that something wonderful will happen in your life today, and you pay close attention, you’ll often find that you’re right.

30. Stop being ungrateful. – No matter how good or bad you have it, wake up each day thankful for your life.  Someone somewhere else is desperately fighting for theirs.  Instead of thinking about what you’re missing, try thinking about what you have that everyone else is missing.

Food For Memory: 5 Foods That Age Your Brain

Food For Memory:  5 Foods That Age Your Brain

By: Dr. Mehmet Oz

A healthy diet is about more than keeping yourself fit and free of heart disease, wrinkles and impotence (yes, all are related to food!). It's about preserving your memory, too.

For instance, eating high amounts of saturated fat -- more than four grams in an hour -- can raise the levels of bad cholesterol in your blood, which can stick to your arteries, and, even worse, turn on inflammatory genes that result in those wrinkles, poor orgasm quality, and you got it, that gunk in your brain that makes your memory be less than it is now.

The same arterial plaque buildup from this saturated fat -- we call it a food felon -- that leads to heart disease is a major culprit for vascular dementia -- when the brain neurons become inflamed or don't get enough oxygen and blood flow. Inflammation and lack of oxygen (resulting from that donut or sugary soda) result in accelerated memory loss.

This gives serious meaning to the phrase "eating to forget."

Poor food choices cause poor cognitive functioning: The eight southern states in America that make up the "Stroke Belt" also have higher incidences of obesity and and greater chance of dementia. Of course, many factors are at play when it comes to developing dementia, but lifestyle factors like a high saturated fat diet (from four-legged animal fat, two-legged animal skin, palm and coconut oil), coupled with little physical activity, are certainly big contributors to memory problems as well as wrinkles, orgasm decay and heart attacks.

A recent study of healthy adults and adults with mild cognitive impairment tested out the effects of two diets. One was the "high diet," which was high in saturated fat (at least 25 percent of the diet) and simple carbohydrates (glycemic index greater than 70). The other was a "low diet," which was low in saturated fat (less than 7 percent of the diet) with a fewer simple carbs (glycemic index less than 55).

Not surprisingly, the low (low in the food felons) diet improved or made the levels of three important markers of health better for you.

Firstly, this diet was associated with decreased plasma lipids (read: less bad cholesterol). Secondly, the low diet was linked with lower insulin levels. Current research is looking at an optimal insulin dose to help cognitive functioning in people with mild cognitive impairment and Alzheimer's disease.

Lastly, the low in food felons diet lowered CSF F2-isoprostane concentrations, which is a fancy way of saying it lessened the biomarkers of free radical injury, a signal of oxidative damage to, or damaging inflammation in, your central nervous system (the brain and spinal cord).

What does this all mean for the bigger picture? After just one month of the low saturated fat/low carbs diet, "visual memory" improved for healthy adults and adults with cognitive impairment. This was a small study of 49 subjects, but the implications have big promise for your enjoyment of life and brain functioning!

Starting today, what can you do? Look out for the five food felons, which are guaranteed to age your brain and body. We like to kick the felons totally out, but truth be told, the felons don't have to be exiled from your diet -- they just have to be put under very close watch.

1.  Trans Fat - Look out for "partially hydrogenated vegetable oils." Trans fat alters metabolic processes and hardens your arteries. How much to have? Zilch!

2.  Saturated Fat - Leads to the buildup of fatty tissue on the inner linings of your arteries and turns on inflammatory genes. How much to have? No more than 4 grams per hour. 

3.  Added Sugar - Excess sugar causes the proteins in your body to function improperly, aging your arterial system. How much to have? Main dishes and desserts should contain no more than 4 grams of added sugar per serving. Side dishes should contain no more than 2 grams of added sugars per serving. Total should be less than 4 grams added sugar per hour. 

4.  Syrups - All syrups. Not just that high-fructose corn syrup (HFCS) -- the man-made sugar that does the same things as sugar -- all syrups, like all added sugars increase the risk of dysfunctional proteins, obesity and metabolic syndrome. Be wary of maple and malt syrups, as well. How much to have? Stay away! In total, you want to keep you added sugar count to less than 24 grams, or 6 teaspoons per day, and less than (when combined with added sugars) 4 grams of added sugar an hour. 

5.  Any Grain But 100% Whole Grain - Whole grains contain a lot of fiber, which helps preventing arterial aging. How much to have? Nada. Never have any -- why age unnecessarily? Why forget what your ideal hunk looked like? Anytime you can swap simple carbohydrates for complex carbs with 100 percent whole grain, go ahead!

How to De-stress Your Day

Carrying anxiety from the office raises the risk of numerous health problems, including high blood pressure, a weakened immune system, headaches, depression and insomnia.  

 Here are some easy tips from psychologists to help you unwind after a long day or week at work:

Listen to music in your car.   Favorite tunes will help you relax as you transition from office to home.

Don’t just flop on the couch.   Exercise, spend time outside and interact with family and friends to boost production of feel-good hormones.   Or if you can, relax by reading, taking a hot shower or engaging in a favorite hobby.

Think positively.   When you reflect on your day, focus on at least one good thing that happened.

Don’t bring work home.   Sometimes it’s unavoidable, but the more you separate work and home, the easier time you’ll have relaxing there.

Communicate.   If you’ve had an especially tough day, share that with your spouse and children.

Set boundaries.   For example, you might tell your boss that you turn your cell phone and computer off after a certain time each night (if you can).

Don’t rely on substances.   Too much alcohol actually increases anxiety levels—and puts you at risk for dependence—and the nicotine in cigarettes is a powerful stimulant.

Eat if you’re hungry.   Low blood sugar causes anxiety and irritability.   But stick to nutritious foods, because bingeing on unhealthy treats will only make you lethargic.

Realize your limits.   If there’s nothing you can do about a work problem at home, tell yourself that fretting is a waste of time.

Take time off.   Use your vacation days, take mini-breaks during the day, delegate responsibility and learn to say no if you’re swamped.   None of this is easy, but otherwise your work—and health—will suffer. 

Warehouse sale this Saturday, come on down!

This Saturday, January 7th, we will be hosting our warehouse sale from 10am-4pm at our facilities in Bethpage, NY. It is a once a year event you will not want to miss. Please come down to receive the lowest pricing you will get from us all year. For more information, check out the flyer below and for even more additional details contact us by email at sales@fitnessplus.com or call us at 516-346-4370.

Hope to see you all there!