Eating locally and seasonally: farmers' markets

Have you ever noticed that fruit and veggies just taste better when they're in season? Or that they taste better purchased from that little road stand than at the grocery store? For the last few summers I've started a habit of binging on fresh, ripe peaches from May-July when I go to our local farmer's market (If you're in Atlanta, Pearson Farm peaches are the best I've ever eaten and apparently they will deliver out of state!). The produce in both of the examples above have three things going for them: (1) there is significantly less time between it being picked and it getting to you (as compared to the supermarket) so they retain more nutrients, (2) it is grown in its appropriate conditions (opposed to year round greenhouses, etc.) since you are buying food in season, and (3) it is picked when it is ripe rather than being picked early and either ripened in transit or ripened on demand for retail stores.

According to Wikipedia, there were 5,274 farmers' markets in 2009, up from 4,385 in 2006 and 1,755 in 1994. I'm assuming those numbers have only kept increasing in the last four years. If you live near a major city, I'd guess there is a farmer's market somewhere nearby. I'm not big on networking, but a lot of people like to talk to the farmers and ask them questions about their produce and how the farmers themselves like to prepare it. From my experience, these farmers are some of the nicest down-home people you'll come across these days and they are passionate and knowledgeable about what they do. Personally, I like to admire all of the colors and varieties of produce and people watch.

If you're interested in finding a farmers' market or CSA near you, you might want to visit http://www.localharvest.org/ as a starting point. You can put in your zip code or city and search for farms, markets, CSAs, etc. Many of the markets in my area have good websites of their own that list the farmers that are attending that day (or regularly) as well as charts to show what produce is in season in your area at different times of the year. Some also have email signups so you can get a notification each week as to which vendors will be attending and any special events, like local musicians or fundraising events, that are happening. This is a really great way to teach your kids (or remind yourself) where the food you eat actually comes from. It's also nice to get out of the house and walk around in the sunshine (hopefully) and enjoy the sights and smells. Winning all around!

Unconscious eating

Do you snack while you're watching tv (hello March Madness, I'm looking at you)?

Do you browse through websites or scroll facebook while you're eating lunch or dinner?

Do you "have to" have a snack before bed (or at 3pm or after lunch) because for some reason you've decided that you "have to"?

Do you regularly open a bag of girl scout cookies or chips and look down 20 minutes later only to realize you've nearly eaten the whole thing? (please tell me this isn't just me)

Do you open a soda, gatorade, energy drink or other form of liquid calories and finish it in record time because you're sipping it without thinking? (P.S. If you're that thirsty, you should probably drink more water)

Do you eat while driving in the car?

For a lot of people, myself included, a significant amount of calories are consumed unconsciously. I will open a granola bar and then, in what seems like 2 seconds, I reach down for another bite and, not only is the thing gone, but I'm left unsatisfied and 100 calories "fuller". A big part of making yourself and your diet healthier is being honest with yourself about what you eat and drink. I've always been afraid of doing a food journal because it makes me feel guilty about what I am putting in my mouth, even though I try to incorporate many healthy and whole food options into my diet. In a lot of ways, it's really about taking a good look at what you're eating and drinking and more importantly, how much.

There is a 24 hours news station here in Atlanta that I often listen to on my drive to and from work (while I'm eating my aforementioned granola bar in the car) and I recently heard them mention a study that claimed that "distracted" eaters consume up to 50% more calories than "attentive" eaters. Up to 50% more just from not paying attention! That's crazy to me, and at the same time it makes total sense. This article from Fox News addresses this claim so I think this is what they were referring to. They say that "distracted eaters do not pay close attention to food and are not as aware of how much they have eaten." Duh, right?

These were the results. They totally make sense, but I found them fascinating.

On average, eating while distracted increased the amount eaten by about 10 percent, compared to not being distracted. But it also increased the amount a person ate at a later meal by more than 25 percent.

In contrast, enhancing memories of food consumed at an earlier meal reduced the amount consumed at a subsequent meal by about 10 percent.

Enhancing awareness of the food being consumed at the current meal did not, however, change how much people ate at that meal.

Source: http://www.foxnews.com/health/2013/03/18/distracted-eaters-likely-to-take-in-more-calories/#ixzz2OfFkgesS

So here's the good news from what I understand of the results: thinking about what you ate earlier in the day can actually make you eat about 10% less at your next meal. That's pretty cool, and I think worth a try if you're looking to decrease your calories. And while you're at it, put down the book, turn off the tv and the computer, and savor the pleasure that is eating. :D

It's the little things: Music that pumps me up

I know everyone prefers different kinds of music, but here are some jams that you can't help but dance around to or sing along with. I usually just use my old school rap pandora station through my smart phone when I'm working out or else listen to the eclectic mix of music that plays at the gym, which includes everything from oldies (like tequila) to current hits (hello pitbull!). When I finally get around to putting together a work out playlist, these will definitely be on there. My guess is that these songs will be more what ladies would like, but there are definitely some dude songs here too. I had so much fun looking these up and listening to them on youtube!

Disclaimer: some of these have language or lyrics that won't work for everyone.

Ying Yang Twins: shake
Ludacris: how low
Ludacris: number one spot (I had forgotten how awesome this song is until I started "researching" for this post)
Missy Elliot: get your freak on
Black Eyed Peas: let's get it started
Justin Timberlake: sexy back
LMFAO: sexy and i know it
Chris Brown ft. Lil Wayne and Busta Rhymes: look at me now
Nicki Minaj: super bass
Kanye West: stronger
Psy: gangnam style
MC Hammer: u can't touch this (does anyone else always think of the family guy diplomat episode when they hear this song?)
Michael Jackson: bad
Michael Jackson: scream
Michael Jackson: beat it
Eminem ft. Rhianna: love the way you lie
Survivor: eye of the tiger (just try not to feel like rocky working out or running to this)
Ram Jam (or recently redone by Spiderbait): black betty
System of a Down: b.y.o.b.
Rammstein: du hast
Volbeat: a warrior's call
Volbeat: still counting
Volbeat: heaven nor hell (can you tell this is one of my new favorite bands? :P) 
White Rabbits: percussion gun (this one of my favorite songs from a lesser known band)
Pitbull: i know you want me
Jay-Z and Alicia Keys: empire state of mind
Metallica: enter sandman
Fort Minor: remember the name
Dr. Dre ft. Snoop Dogg: still d.r.e.
Busta Rhymes: touch it
Spice Girls: spice up your life (yea, I went there :D)
Far East Movement ft.The Cataracs and Dev: like a g6
The Strokes: reptilia
Rage Against the Machine: killing in the name of
Modest Mouse: dashboard
Skillet: monster
Avenged Sevenfold: beast and the harlot (one of my favorites from my guitar hero playing days, haha)

What songs/groups do you like to listen to to get you pumped up? I'd love to add some more to my list!

A little inspiration

Here's a little inspiration for your mid week :) Happy hump day!

Essential Exercises: Superman variations

These are great to throw into your floor ab workout to give your abs a break. I'm a big fan of circuit training in the sense of using your "break" between sets to work a different or complementary muscle group. Then you take a "break" from that one and go back to the  first exercise since now that muscle group is sufficiently rested. I actually like to do four different exercises in circuit. For example, I would do a set each of squats, push ups, calf raises and then planks, and do that twice without any rest between each set. That way, I rested my legs during the arm exercises and rested my arms during the leg exercises, and I didn't waste any time.

Anyway, today I bring you, supermans!

I'm not talking about this guy, but these are inspired by his flying style. How can wearing an outfit that tight be comfortable? And if that blue thing is a one piece, how does he go to the bathroom? Bet you never thought if that, eh?

Below is an example of what I'm talking about and there are a few different versions I think you should try. If you're doing core exercises of any sort (i.e. crunches), you need to make sure to work your lower back in addition to your abs in order to stay balanced. Fortunately, a lot of full body exercises like squats, deadlifts, pull-ups, etc. work your abs as well as your back, but it doesn't hurt to add in a few of these too. Like I mentioned above, I like to rollover and do these when my abs get too tired if I'm doing crunches or other floor work. By the time I'm done, my abs have recovered and I can do another set.

Note: I recommend keeping you head looking at least slight downward, staying in line with your body and not looking up like in the photo. Source

General movement:

Lay on your stomach with your arms straight out in front. You want to keep your arms and legs straight and your feet pointed during the entire exercise. From here, you raise your arms and legs simultaneously and bring them down together, stopping just above the ground. Keep going and don't let your arms and legs stop and rest at the bottom. Make sure you moving intentionally and using your muscles rather than just kind of flopping your arms and legs up and down. This general movement isn't shown above, but take the legs of A and the arms of B and put them together. You want to engage your glutes, abs and shoulder blades, although these will mainly use your back. I also suggest keeping your head in line with your body rather than looking up or straight ahead like in the photo above. I usually keep my ears basically between my arms. For all of these, I generally do sets of 25.

Variation A: Lower body only

Keeping your upper body still, raise your feet and legs up and down. Really try to keep your upper body from moving and isolate your movement to your lower back and down. I usually have my forehead on the floor/mat when I do these and I keep my chest and arms against the ground.

Variation B: Upper body only

Same idea as A except opposite. You keep your lower body in place and work your upper body by raising and lower it. Make sure you keep your arms straight. It's easy to cheat and bend your arms, but this actually makes the exercise easier and you

Variation C: Supermans

In this variation you lift alternate arms and legs. So you'd lift your right arm and left leg, then put those down and lift your left arm and right leg.

Variation D: Flutterkicks

I call these flutterkicks. There is not a picture for these, but the general idea is like A (lifting your lower body only), but you lift one leg at a time. These are quick so you'll probably find yourself doing about twice as many as any of the other variations.