Quinoa pronounced Keenwan is a grain found in South America. It contains more quality protein than any other grain. Some versions of Quinoa has more than 20% protein. This funny looking, bubbly grain isn’t just a healthy complete protein, it’s very tasty!

Quinoa Facts:

Great Source of  Nutrients
Besides being a high quality protein,  it also provides starch, sugars, oil, fiber, minerals, and  vitamins.

Easily Digested & Tasty
Quinoa has a unique look and texture, but best of all it’s easy to digest.

Easy to Prepare
A whole-grain dish of  quinoa takes just 15 minutes.

Versatile
You can substitute Quinoa for just about any other grain. It’s awesome on its own or a great addition to a soup or salad.

Family Friendly!
Quinoa is an excellent source of nutrition for infants and children.

Check out this recipe for Quinoa – vegetable soup http://allrecipes.com/Recipe/Quinoa-Vegetable-Soup/Detail.aspx

Are you one of those people who absolutely hates the thought of working out? Would you rather go to the dentist than pick up a weight? You’re not alone, many people see working out as a chore, but it doesn’t have to be that way…. 

Change your thinking and you’ll change your life! The first thing we must do is change they way we view exercise. Exercise doesn’t have to mean an hour on a boring treadmill. Exercise can come in many forms. For example: Do you like the outdoors? There are a million things you can do right now that would count as exercise, but won’t feel like exercise. Yes, exercise can be things you enjoy doing! Like hiking, playing frisbee,  riding a bike, and taking the dog for a walk or jog.  The list could go on and on.

Another way for finding random acts of fitness would be taking the stairs instead of the elevator or escalator. Going for a walk during your lunch hour. Anything that gets you up and moving is better than nothing at all. Once you find yourself making these small changes and adding random acts of fitness into your daily routine an incredible  thing will happen…. You will find yourself feeling better and wanting to move more! The more you move, the more you’ll want to move and the fitter you will become. So go on, close your computer and go find a random act of fitness.

Is age really just a number? Do we really get better with age, like a fine wine? With turning 40 (this week), these are all things I have been asking myself…. I have spent many quiet moments contemplating this thought….  I’ve heard all of the horror stories of how your metabolism  comes to a screeching holt once you hit 40 and how everything hurts more… and it takes longer to recover. Call it a mid-life crisis if you want, but I have decided that I’m not going down without a fight! I’m going to break the stereotype of aging. 

I am one of those crazy people that believes  we can get better (if not at least sustain our level of fitness) as we get older. And I can tell you for a fact my drive and passion for life is at an ALL TIME HIGH. It’s like someone has turned the gas up to high! As I count down my last few days of “thirty something” I have regained my lust for life.  I find myself wanting to workout harder, live longer and experience more. I’m no longer scared to try things that used to scare me. I love the feeling of being “uncomfortable.” The feeling is one of knowing you are alive….  Why not rule the world now? That’s what turning 40 is doing for me… I’ve learned to love to exercise and compete again. I’ve found my passion to push myself beyond my fears and self inflicted negativity about what I perceive is possible. I can do and achieve anything! Maybe I feel this way because I know my days are numbered… let’s face it I’m not getting any younger. But, I can tell you this I’m going to spend my next 40 years living like there is no tomorrow. 

With 40 also come my becoming a grand parent. Yes, Grandparent!  This spring I will become a grandparent of a little boy.  With this comes my desire to be a beacon of hope for all women turning the corner of their life. Come on… being older and having grandkids doesn’t mean that we have to hang up our running shoes and replace them with a rocking chair. My new goal in life is to BLAST through all of the stereotypes of what “being older” and what a “grandma” looks like. So with this I’m embracing my new season. I’m going to the the fittest, sexiest, full of life 40 year old grandmother you’ve ever seen!  Just watch me!

There is so much miss-information out there about health & fitness. It’s hard to know what’s the truth and what’s  a myth. Here are my top fitness myth picks.

1. Muscle turns into fat. This is simply not true. Muscle and fat are two totally different tissues it is impossible for one to turn into the other. You can get fatter if you stop working out because you’re not moving burning calories. The more lean muscle tissue you have the more calories you will burn at rest. So yes, you will get “fat” and out of shape if you stop exercising… So don’t STOP!
2. Women will get big muscles if they workout. Women and men were not created equally when it comes to a hormone called “testosterone.”  Testosterone, is what causes men to gain muscle more rapidly than women. Yes, women do have testosterone to, but not nearly enough for their bodies to respond like that of a man. You may ask what about those huge bodybuilder women, well…. they train really, really hard with extremely heavy weight and some (I’m not saying all), but some take testosterone illegally to gain muscle size. 
3. No pain, no gain! Exercise does not have to be painful in order to be effective. As a matter of fact there shouldn’t be any pain while working out! Pain is your bodies signal that something is wrong. You should feel some discomfort at times when exercising, but NEVER pain!!!
4. You can spot reduce. Umm… if that was true I would like so off of my back side please! It is physically impossible to spot reduce. When you lose weight you will lose it from some areas quicker than others. But you can dial in a switch and make that choice, the universe has decided it for you. Now, what you can do is make an area firmer and stronger. With this new lean muscle tissue than yes your metabolism will go up and thus your body fat will go down (but where your body decides, not you). 
5. If I workout I can eat whatever I want! Wow… if only that was true. Calories in, energy out… It is a fact of science that you must burn more calories than you consume in order to lower or maintain your weight. So, if you eat more calories than you’re burning during your exercise program… um… girls you’re going to gain weight!

Regional Walking & Biking Forum

The Nashville Area MPO is conducting a survey to obtain a better understanding of the walking and bicycling needs in the greater Nashville Region. The survey asks questions about current walking and bicycling habits as well as improvements that could be made to make these modes more appealing, safe and enjoyable. The MPO seeks to gather input not just from those who already walk and bicycle but also those who do not. These answers will help to assess what the region is already doing to address walking and bicycling needs and what improvements could be made to encourage more people to use these modes.

This survey data will be used to help plan for future bicycle and pedestrian facilities such as greenways, bike lanes and sidewalks. We’re counting on you to share with us what you would like to see in your area!

Click here to take the survey.

Get Up and Move!

10-Minute Routine: Butt Toning Exercises By Deirdre Uria

What is the one part of your body that you are just not happy with? Some women are at odds with their stomachs and for others it is their thighs, however, majority of women are not pleased with their rear ends. No matter what your trouble area is, you don’t need to fret any longer. With just 10 minutes a day, our routines – each focusing on a different area of your body—can help you get started on a tone up plan that will have you feeling healthier and looking your best.    Click here to read more….

Has becoming fit and/or excercise changed your life for the positive? We would love for you to share your story with us. Share your inspiration with other women and you might be featured in Amy’s next book.

 

My name is Amy Cotta, I’m the mother of six beautiful, crazy children; this is my journey…..

 

Some might say that I’m going through a mid-life crises. But, I like to think it’s not a crisis, it’s an awakening.

Last spring while watching TV with my family a “women’s only” triathlon came on. It was the Iron Girl in Las Vegas. I sat on the couch like an excited child watching Santa’s Elves making toys! I felt pride for the women competing, I felt their joy and I was inspired by their stories. I thought to myself, “I want to do that…. I want to compete in that race!” I half jokingly told my husband, “that’s what I’m going to do for my 40th birthday!” I immediately went online to check out the 2009 race details. To my dismay, the race promoters decided NOT to do the sprint distance, only the Olympic (they have since added the sprint back in). I panicked…. to say the least! My husband’s first reaction was to remind me that a 1.5K swim is a LONG way, and I couldn’t swim!!  He then went on to remind me that I hated running and can’t go more than a forth of a mile without severe IT Band pain…. A little background: before coming to join the triathlon swim class, I could barely put my face in the water let alone swim! I had complete and utter fear of the water! Before starting the group I could only swim to save my life… and not much more…. The thought of learning to swim and doing it with a group of “swimmers” was VERY intimidating…! 

Before joining the Excel Tri group, I went back and forth in my head about doing the Iron Girl… “Can I actually endure the pain of the training?” “Can I find the time to train….?” “Can I overcome my fear of the water?” “Will I ever be able to swim that far?” These thoughts consumed me until one day when a single phone call changed my life forever. My mother told me my cousin was diagnosed with a rare and extreme form of cancer.  The cancer had spread throughout her entire body. Even though she had just been diagnosed she was only given two weeks to live. My mom then continued to tell me how another family member was diagnosed with breast cancer. She’s a young mother who’s only 19….! How could a nineteen year old have breast cancer? I couldn’t wrap my brain around what I was told. How could this be?! Why?! We had just lost another female family member to cancer just 6 months earlier. At this point I have lost count of how many family members we’ve lost to cancer. I was devastated!  (My cousin made it past the two weeks, she stayed with us almost a month before she passed. The other young girl is still fighting the breast cancer.)

Later that night while in the shower I broke down crying, I started thinking, “I’m so lucky that I’m healthy and my children are healthy. At that moment the words  “get uncomfortable” came into my head. At that moment I realized how stupid I had been; I was allowing fear to keep me from going outside of my comfort zone. I was living in fear of trying something new. I needed to get uncomfortable! Everyday thousands of people are going through the fight of their lives. I knew no pain or fear that I could experience would ever amount to that felt by those with cancer.  At that moment I knew I had to do the race! I couldn’t let fear stand in my way…. I had to learn to swim, I had to learn to run without pain. I had never felt so passionately about anything in my life! I jump out of the shower and announced to my family that mama was going to do an olympic distance triathlon! I had to do it for my family and for all those people suffering! I had to do whatever I could to raise money and awareness for cancer research. I realize I am only one person, but that’s all it takes. One person to care, one person to help bring awareness, one person to help raise money for research. If we are all “ONE” then at some point the tides have to change and no ONE will ever die from cancer again!

So my journey is a story of  “ONE” — it’s “ONE” about getting uncomfortable; to put my fears aside and do something that I once thought was impossible. It’s “ONE” to help save the life of someone I don’t know; to save the life of a family member. My journey is “ONE” to make sure my kids live long, cancer free lives. I know that no matter how uncomfortable I may become along my journey  it will be worth every second! Lance  Armstrong once said after his cancer recovery that he loved the pain he felt while on the bike; it reminded him that he’s still alive. On Saturday January 24th 2009 I ran the first 6 miles of my 39 year old life. On Sunday January 25th 2009 during the T30 I swam the first 1,000 meters of my life! I didn’t break any land speed records at 29:30 but I did it… I swam! 

My name is Amy Cotta, this is my journey to get uncomfortable, finish the 2009 Las Vegas Iron Girl and raise money for cancer research.

Would you please join me in my journey and raise money and awareness for the Susan G. Komen Foundation? Currently, I have a team of four ladies doing the race and raising money. If you would like to become part of TRI PINK please contact me at amycotta@comcast.net or make your donation at www.komendonations.org/goto/TriPink The goal of TEAM TRI PINK is to raise $8,000.00 please share our story with a friend. All donations are tax deductible. 

When it comes to finding time to exercise are you short on time, but long on excuses? Is a lack of time the reason you don’t workout? Did you know the average person watches three hours of television per day?

If you’ve answered yes, to the questions above then I have your answer!
The Oprah Workout is the  GET OFF THE COUCH AND EXERCISE DURING THE COMMERCIALS workout….!

The concept is very simple have fun watching your favorite show and then when it goes to commercial break – GET up and move – Exercise!

Here is a sample of a workout during a 30 minute television program. 

 

• 1st break: run in place
• 2nd break: 10 push ups/ 10 squats / 10 crunches / use remaining time to run in place
• 3rd break: 10 triceps dips (off of chair) 10 alternating lunges / 10 crunches / use remaining time to run in place

If you happen to be watching a one-hour program or if the program you are watching has more breaks, cycle back through the above workout list. Remember to have fun! Working out can be enjoyable. 

Let’s here how you liked the workout or come up with your own!