My biggest pet peeve is the excuses that everyone comes up with to NOT exercise. Having no time is probably one of the biggest. Do you realize that working out for even 10-20 minutes can make a world of difference?

Even in just 10 minutes, you will absolutely benefit by elevating your heart rate. This may not get you bikini-ready, but it is enough to your metabolism, especially when compared to the alternative of couch potato or desk surfer mode.

If you know that you're going to have a busy day, try to plan ahead. Perhaps you are too busy to cool down and shower so you can still plan to elevate your heart rate without too much sweat. Try walking briskly throughout the day... to work, to lunch, to a meeting, wherever you can. Remember to take the stairs instead of the elevator whenever you can too.

This may require a little planning to make sure your footwear can handle the extra movement. Otherwise, it will do wonders for your body, mind and soul.

Being too tired is also a poor excuse especially to fit in just 10-20 minutes. Quite often, a short burst of exercise will boost energy and make you feel more awake and acute to complete errands, work, etc. Often after 10-20 minutes, you might even feel like you can do a few more. Give it a try. What's 10 minutes? It's for a good cause - YOU!

All the best in health and fitness!

- Coach Jenn

of PersonalFitCoach.com and Team Beachbody

Featured Weekly on Pink Lemonade Online Magazine

Do you remember the movie Dangerous Liaisons? There's a character in that film I will never forget. Glenn Close spends the whole length of the movie trying to get what she wants, and being aggressive about it. She avenges herself after the man she loves uses her and leaves her, she manipulates people and situations around what she personally needs, and she thinks only about herself. In other words, she behaves just like a man would. But in the movie, the consequences and the message are clear: if women ruthlessly go for what they want, they get what they deserve when it all ends in disaster. Ungrateful bitches.

Ah, what's with all the male bashing? Well, I don't think it particularly is male bashing. It is, however, a passionate comment on a 2,000-year-old inequity that cannot be denied. When men act as if it's their right to do whatever they want to do in order to achieve their goals, they are praised for their fearlessness, for their ability to focus on their objectives and not be swayed. When a woman does the same, however, she's bashed for not being ladylike, for bringing shame upon herself, for not being grateful enough.

Do I think that women should just fight back and act selfishly all the time? Of course not. In fact, why not put a stop to the whole silly game altogether? It's reckless, and it's unnecessary. If we stop and take a look at the situation, we could see that it's actually a lot easier to take a more healthy and less jealous approach toward achieving what we want, and promoting ourselves so that we can get those things.

Manipulation and deceit is hardly the way forward. We all know that the universe has plenty for everyone, and that it's not as cut-throat as we make it out to be. In fact, the more, the merrier! The more we promote ourselves in the right way and start accepting the self promotion of others, the sooner we can reach a stage where self promotion won't be a shameful act, and doesn't have to end in disaster.

Here are a few tips on how you can promote yourself without fearing how others will perceive it, or worrying that you will offend the very people you need in order to succeed.

1.   Remember that no matter what you do, there are going to be some people who like you, and some who don't. That sounds depressing on the surface, but really it gives you the freedom to self promote without fear. Once you have accepted that some people will dislike you even if you just sit there quietly, then you can get over the fear of not being liked, and get out there and do something for yourself! Remember, the reactions people have toward you are not personal - people take their own happiness or fear or security or insecurity, and they project those feelings onto you.

2.   On the subject of projection, remember that it applies to you, too. If you think that women promoting themselves is a shameful thing, ask where that belief comes from? What if you told yourself a different story, that celebrating yourself is an act of love, that self-promotion helps heal your insecurities? The stories you tell yourself become the truth for you, so what you believe about yourself is very important.

3.   Experimentation is important. If you think you can't bring yourself to self-promote, just try it! Baby steps at first. It may feel uncomfortable or downright wrong, but just stick with it. I think you'll find the world will continue to turn, and you'll still be on it. You are the source of these insecurities, but if you turn around and face them, you can start to heal them, and then you will be the source of your confidence, instead. So shine a light on that shadow, and watch the shadows fade away!

To go further with Maryanne's brand of self-inquiry, check out her 4-DVD series, Thrive, on sale now for $25.99!

- Maryanne


by Maryanne Comaroto of Maryanne Live

Featured Weekly on Pink Lemonade Online Magazine

Debblie Siebers is one of my favorite trainers when it comes to fitness advice. She is probably most famous for her Slim-in-6 program, but her sensible advice is something that I often come back to time and time again. Recently, Debbie wrote a great tip about the importance of emotional well being in addition to physical fitness. Here is what she had to say:

Remember that your goal isn't just about achieving physical fitness; it is about developing emotional fitness. You can lose all the weight you want, but unless you have resolved and confronted your emotional issues, you will never truly be satisfied or content with yourself.

Try this: make a list of all the things you must do in order to be healthy—not a list of all the things you want out of life. Then list all the obstacles that are keeping you from achieving those things. Once it's down on paper, it will keep you more aware and more accountable to yourself. After all, you can't change unless you truly understand how you want to change.

This is something that I could not agree with more. When I am not feeling emotionally fit, my physical fitness suffers and vice-versa. If you ever watch The Biggest Loser, you have probably noticed that these folks have large emotional issues that have lead them to gain weight. It is only when they deal with this emotional issues that they can truly conquer their physical fitness.

Emotional fitness is the ability to deal with life’s challenges in a positive way. It means taking control over your choices and actions, having the inner strength to be who you want to be. Give this some significant thought over the coming week. Follow Debbie's advice and write down your goals. Let us know how it goes

All the best in health and fitness,

- Coach Jenn

of PersonalFitCoach.com and Team Beachbody

Featured Weekly on Pink Lemonade Online Magazine

Well, I do have a minivan, but that is more of a function of my family size than our athletic choices. I have been doing soccer mom duty for several years now (I also played as a kid and worked as a referee in highschool). My experiences as a referee and a mom have helped me see the good, the bad and the ugly of kids’ soccer. Do you want to fall into the good category? Here are my tips for achieving a passing grade in Soccer Mom 101 (or baseball mom, hockey mom, football mom, etc)


-  Learn about the basic rules of the game (Not so you can criticize the coaches, referees or other officials!!! This is so you can reinforce the skills they are learning…and really so you know what is going on in the game).

-  Arrive on time to games and practices. Your child will miss out on playing time and valuable learning time in practice if you arrive late.

-  Let the coach coach and the referee ref. Your job is to support the team, cheer for them and buoy them up. Let their coaches tell them what to do and the officials make the decisions on the field. Arguing calls made on the field of a seven year old’s soccer game really only makes you look silly. Referees and coaches are usually volunteer positions (or pay terribly) and you wouldn’t have a game if they didn’t give their time.

-  Kids LOVE their after game snack. If it is your turn to bring snack and you can’t make the game, please call your coach or another parent to make arrangements to switch. I have seen teary eyed children walking off of a soccer field, not because they lost the game or because they didn’t score a goal, but because they didn’t get a snack. They work hard and the snack is their reward for a job well done.

-  Please send your child to practice with their own water and ball (or other equipment). While some leagues provide these items for each team, but many do not. It is difficult to run drills without enough equipment for each child. Hydration is also extremely important and every child should have water for rehydrating during practice, especially as the weather warms.

-  Don’t yell at your child or any other child because of their performance on the field!!! When learning something new, mistakes are bound to happened (honestly, I make mistakes daily, who doesn’t?) and to belittle a child because of their performance on the field. This leads to frustration, and often will result in a child giving up the sport all together. Keep all comments uplifting. You CAN make suggestions for improving their performance, but please make sure to do it without criticism.


The suggestions above, while mentioning Soccer specifically, can apply to all recreational sports. Keep it fun and you will be an A+ Soccer Mom (minivan or not!).

- Christine

Posted by Christine of Sticky Fingerprints

Featured weekly on Pink Lemonade Online Magazine



Need to brush up on your soccer knowledge?  Kerrie's book can help you learn the in's and out's of the game.

The 2010 Trek Women Triathlon Series, with races planned in eight markets across the United States, is coming to the Shadow Cliffs Recreation Area in Pleasanton, CA on June 27th. The Trek Women Triathlon Series joins the Danskin Triathlon Series, another Xxtra Mile property, as the only major women’s triathlon events created by women, run by women, exclusively for women.


Maggie Sullivan, Trek Series Director and president of The Xxtra Mile has been an integral force in women’s triathlons, and at the forefront of creating opportunities for women in the sport of triathlon since the first Danskin event in 1990. The Philadelphia Inquirer recognized Sullivan as the “The Grande Dame of Women’s Triathlons.”

“For the Trek Women Triathlon Series, I am privileged to be part of a team of talented professionals who collectively have delivered outstanding triathlon experiences to hundreds of thousands of women throughout the country for the past 20 years,” said Sullivan. “We are building on our collective experience and are committed to making the entire Race experience meaningful and memorable. We know how to deliver what women want.”

Legendary Triathlon Hall of Famer and Ironman Master’s world record holder, Sally Edwards will again serve as Chief Inspiration Officer for this second year of the Trek Women Triathlon Series.

“My role will be to help women find what it takes to participate in this type of activity,” explains Edwards. “I’m thrilled to be part of Maggie’s team in helping women exceed their own expectations.”

Race Registration in East Bay Now Open

The 1st Race will be held on June 27th in East Bay, CA with race distances consisting of: ½ mile swim, 12.5 mile bicycle ride, and 3.1 mile run/walk. Participants are encouraged to go to http://www.trekwomenstriathlonseries.com/ for registration as soon as possible, as space is limited. For further information, call toll free at 1-877-221-9665 or send us your questions at info@trekwomenstriathlon.com.


A Race That Fits Every Women’s Comfort and Experience Level

The Trek Women Triathlon Series will feature an unprecedented seven official entry categories including: Age Groups (separated by five-year increments), Mixed Age Group (so you can do the race with family and friends), Athena (150lbs +), Women in Uniform (military or government), Physically Challenged, Elite and Relay as part of a continuing effort to provide the best possible race experience for all women. Selected cities within the Series will also include "youth focused" triathlons.


It’s About Giving Back

The Trek Women Triathlon Series is dedicated to providing women with every opportunity to support themselves and their individual causes. 100% of the money from the Series’ Participant Pledge Program is donated to The Breast Cancer Research Foundation and The National Association of Team Survivor. The Xxtra Mile has also launched “I Want to Tri for My Cause.” Through this promotion, the Series contributes a portion of registrant fees to the charity of choice for any group of women – from six to fifty-nine participants.

The National Association of Team Survivor is a non-profit 501(c)3 organization for women who have a present or past diagnosis of cancer. Team Survivor provides women with free group exercise, health education classes and support programs. The Trek Women Triathlon Series and Team Survivor allow women in the program to train, receive complimentary race registration for their first triathlon and benefit from special race day support.


In addition, the Trek Women Triathlon Series is reaching out and supporting women who have recently lost their jobs.

“The unemployment rate in this country is now over 7%,” says Sullivan. “There are many women who really need support from other women as they struggle to reassess their lives and their careers, or just get by. That is why we have allocated 7% of our entries at each Race, for those women who have lost their jobs…this year they race for free.”


2010 Race Dates & Venues

While additional races are expected to be added to the schedule in coming years, the 2010 schedules for the Trek Women Triathlon Series are as follows:

2010 Trek Women Triathlon Series*

East Bay, Northern California (Pleasanton) – June 27th

RexPlex/Pleasant Prairie, WI (Chicagoland)– July 11th

Monroe, MI – July 18th

Columbus, OH – July 25th

Orlando, FL – September 5th

Seattle, WA – September 19th

Austin, TX – October 3rd

Palm Springs, CA – October 10th


Charitable Partners

The Xxtra Mile is proud to continue its partnerships with both The Breast Cancer Research Foundation (BCRF) and The National Association of Team Survivor (NATS).

BCRF was founded in 1992 by the Lauder family. It is one of the Nation’s highest ranked charitable groups.

NATS is a non-profit 501(c)3 organization for women who have a present or past diagnosis of cancer, provides women with free group exercise, health education classes and support programs.

The Xxtra Mile provides members of Team Survivor competing in their first triathlon with complimentary registration at either the Trek Women or Danskin event. Members of Team Survivor are also honored at each Race, and stand together at the starting line, with the support of the thousands of other Race competitors.

100% of money raised through the Participant Pledge Program goes directly to the BCRF and NATS.


About The Xxtra Mile LLC

The Xxtra Mile was formed in 2008 to provide a platform to deliver high quality, life-changing, women only active lifestyle events. The Xxtra Mile’s properties include The Trek Women Triathlon Series, The Danskin Triathlon Series, The Holiday Half Marathon Series™, a multi-distance, all female running series, Team Future™, a mentoring program for young women, and Braids™, a think tank for women’s and girl’s active lifestyle initiatives. Each of these properties has as its sole focus, women helping other women.

For further information on the Trek Women Triathlon Series, go to http://www.trekwomenstriathlonseries.com/ or call 877-221-9665 (toll free).

Forty percent of Americans say they are cooking at home more often, as a result of the current economic situation, according to a new survey by the American Institute for Cancer Research (AICR).

Cooking at home is the latest, and possibly smartest, thing to be doing in light of the economy, nationwide healthy eating habits and the interest in creating more family together time. Cooking at home means that there are no mystery ingredients and you can serve yourself customized, high quality products.

By incorporating fewer preservatives, less fat and less salt into your menus, you can help your family feel healthier.  You can also save money by stocking your refrigerator, pantry and cupboard, rather than paying tips to waiters.

The key to success in the kitchen is to learn how to cook what's on hand, maximize the menu as much as possible and use leftovers wisely. One perfectly versatile staple to have in your pantry is DOLE canned fruit, which can be used in appetizers, main dishes, salads, desserts, and even beverages. As fat-free, saturated fat-free and cholesterol-free ingredients, mandarin oranges, pineapple and tropical fruit make the perfect ingredients for tasty and affordable meals.

For your next meal, try the recipes found at www.DoleCookOff.com. And if you discover you have a knack for mixing pantry staples, consider entering the Dole California Cook-Off recipe contest (through April 30) for a chance to win a four day getaway to Los Angeles to compete for cash and a chance to have your recipe printed on thousands of DOLE canned fruit or juice labels. The DOLE California Cook Off will be held at the Epicurean School of Culinary Arts on June 26 and judged by celebrity chef Ben Ford.

To add a fresh, new recipe to your menu arsenal, try this easy and tasty dish, created by Chef Ford, combining canned DOLE crushed pineapple and shrimp with just a hint of spice to make a lighter, curry-inspired meal.

Shrimp Curry with Pineapple-Ginger Rice
Makes: four servings


Ingredients:

1-1/4 cups long grain rice

1-2/3 cups water

1-1/2 tablespoons fresh ginger, peeled and grated

1 teaspoon kosher salt, divided

1 can (8 ounces) DOLE Crushed Pineapple, drained

1 tablespoon chopped fresh basil

2 teaspoons chopped fresh mint

1 large onion, quartered

1 (2-inch long) piece fresh ginger, peeled

1/2 teaspoon sugar

1/4 cup vegetable oil

1-1/2 teaspoons curry powder

1 to 2 fresh serrano chiles, halved lengthwise

1 cup chicken broth

1 can (14 ounces) coconut milk

1 tablespoon fresh lime juice

1 pound medium to large shrimp, peeled and de-veined



Directions:

Rinse rice several times in cold water, in large bowl until water is clear. Drain in colander. Combine water, rice, ginger and 1/2 teaspoon salt in large sauce pan over medium-high heat to boiling. Reduce heat, cook, covered for 15 minutes or until rice is tender. Remove from heat; let stand covered for five minutes. Stir in crushed pineapple, basil and mint. Keep warm.

Place onion and ginger in food processor container; cover and pulse until finely chopped. Cook onion mixture, remaining salt and sugar in hot oil in large skillet over medium-high heat, stirring frequently until onion begins to brown, about five minutes. Stir in curry powder and chiles, cook, stirring frequently about two minutes. Stir in broth, coconut milk and lime juice, simmer for five to eight minutes stirring occasionally until thickened. Stir in shrimp and simmer, stirring occasionally, about three minutes or until shrimp turns pink. Serve shrimp curry with a scoop of rice. Garnish rice with broiled or grilled pineapple slice, if desired.

Courtesy of ARAcontent

This weekend is bound to turn into candy overload for many families. Yep, pretty baskets filled with jelly beans, chocolate bunnies and brightly colored eggs are soon to make their appearance in homes around the country this weekend. It is a time that parents both anticipate and dread at the same time. We can’t wait to see the smiles on our children’s faces as they discover their treasures, but the candy rush that follows fills us with fear.

What can we do to avoid the candy rush without losing the excitement and fun that surrounds Easter Celebrations? I have a few suggestions to help tame the sugar rush:

Use your influence with Mr. EB (wink, wink) and talk him into including more non-candy items in your child’s Easter basket. Some fun items could be:

• Crayons
• Bouncy Balls
• Jump Rope
• Small dolls or action figures
• Matchbox Cars

Most super centers like Wal Mart or Target have dollar toy sections filled with items perfect for including in and Easter basket.

• Limit how much candy they can consume. Sure it sounds mean, but let them know that they can pick a few items to eat right away, but that they need to save the rest for later. This not only tames the sugar rush, but they learn to save. They will have candy for later in the week (and there will be more for parents to snitch on occasion… that is the perk to having kids at the holidays right?).
• If you are too slow on the uptake and the kids gorge themselves on all of their candy before you can slow ‘em down, give them room to run! Send them outside to burn off their sugar induced energy rush. You can organize an egg hunt, egg and spoon races, three legged races, or many other fun games to burn off all of those sugary calories! If the weather doesn’t co-operate, turn on some fun music and dance!

Wishing you a wonderful Easter weekend filled with family , fun and chocolate :)

- Christine

Posted by Christine of Sticky Fingerprints

Featured weekly on Pink Lemonade Online Magazine