Real Life

Health & Fitness Tips for Summer

June 1, 2012 By Lisa Leave a Comment

June is here and the temperatures are rising! That means fun in the sun, extra light in the evenings, cookouts, and other seasonal activities. We’re heading to the beach in 2 weeks and I’m really looking forward to it. While summer means additional fun, there are things you need to keep in mind! So to help you enjoy your summer and keep it healthy and safe, here are some health and fitness tips for the season.

Sunshine

It’s certainly true that there are healthful benefits to getting some sunlight exposure. Your body needs the sun to make vitamin D, and to get adequate levels you need to be exposed for at least 15 minutes without sunscreen. There are lots of mixed views of sunscreen. I think this video about nutrition and sunlight is worth watching. I typically burn easily, however, I’ve recently been watching my nutritional intake and I spent 3 days in the sun this weekend without getting sunburned! If your nutrition is not up to par, you’ll want to make sure to wear sunscreen.

Produce

Summer is the time for fresh garden produce. These healthful foods are said to be most nutritious when they are in season, so stock up at your local farmer’s market. You also might consider freezing or preserving some of summer’s bounty. It’s a great boost to your health to load up on fresh produce. After all, fruits and vegetables not only taste yummy but they can also help to prevent cancer and will help keep your heart healthy as well!

Get Active

Now is a wonderful time to get into physical activities like hiking, biking, swimming, and pretty much any outdoor game or sport. Keeping fit is more important these days than ever, with more and more opportunities arising to sit in front of a screen. Take advantage of summer’s warm temperatures and evening light to get out and get physically active.

My family has a tradition of family jogs during the spring and summer months. We do Couch to 5K as a family and I usually reward the girls at the end of the time if they can run 30 minutes without stopping!

Heat

Another health and safety tip that bears mentioning is heat. Depending on your location, summer can get dangerously hot. Be aware of the signs of heat stroke:

* Copious or increased sweating
* Paleness, loss of color in the face
* Headache
* Feelings of dizziness, light-headedness, or feeling faint
* Nausea or vomiting
* Muscle cramps

Always get to an air-conditioned room or car as soon as possible if any of these symptoms are present. When you are outside, have access to shade so that you don’t get overheated.

Hydration

In the summer, you’ll need to have a drink of water handy much more often than in the cooler months. In fact, it’s a good idea to take water along when you are doing anything in the summer, from running errands to hiking. Staying hydrated helps ward off heat exhaustion and keeps your body in balance. If you’re going for a long hike or bike ride, you may want to pick up a Camelbak HydroBak 50 oz Hydration Pack. I love my Camelbak!

So head on outside, soak up some rays, play with your kids, and enjoy your summer!

What’s your favorite summer activity?

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Finding Clothes That Fit & Flatter {Part 2}

May 3, 2012 By Lisa 35 Comments

If you really want to find clothes that fit and flatter, you’re going to need to come to grips with your body shape. I’m not saying you should spend time staring at yourself in the mirror and obsessing over the fact that you may not be as thin as other women or that you may not be as tall as you’d like to be. You need to spend some time looking at yourself in the mirror and evaluating the shape of your body.

Believe me, I understand that looking at yourself in the mirror may be the last thing you want to do, but if you want to find clothes that are going to be flattering, you need to suck it up (not suck it in) and take a good look in the mirror.

Every woman, no matter what her size or shape, has a body part that they like. Whether it’s thin ankles, a graceful neckline, long legs, shapely calves, nice shoulders, a defined waistline or something else, you need to figure out which part of your body you want to highlight. Then you’ll create a focal point around that area.

I highly recommend spending some time looking in the mirror before you head to the store. There’s nothing worse than cramped dressing rooms with unflattering lighting when you’re trying to focus on your best features!

Once you’ve determined what your shape is and what body part your want to accentuate, you’ll be able to more easily figure out what is flattering to you.

Do you know what your best feature is?

I have great calves and ankles, so whenever possible, I try to show them off make them the focal point of my outfits. I look for dresses and skirts that camouflage my trouble spots (tummy and hips) and accentuate my calves and ankles! See what I mean?

What’s your favorite body feature? If you’re not sure, go take a look in the mirror and then come back and leave me a comment…

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S’mores Ice Cream Pie

April 24, 2012 By Lisa 1 Comment

Khrystyna's blowing bubbles — The birthday girl blowing bubbles today!

Today is my daughter’s 14th birthday! While some moms make fancy-schmancy birthday cakes, I whipped up a birthday pie for my daughter.

This is one of those recipes that I invented a few years ago when I told my girls I’d make them a special ice cream dessert. I didn’t feel like running to the store and since it was right after Halloween, we had lots of candy laying around. The first time I made this I used Hershey’s kisses and snack size Hershey’s bars. It was such a huge hit, that my daughter requests it every year for her birthday.

While it might not look like a million bucks, this pie is to-die-for! Seriously, it’s a little piece of heaven in your mouth! Best of all, it’s so easy to make.

Here’s what you’ll need:

Vanilla Ice Cream
Hershey’s Bars
Marshmallow Fluff
Graham Cracker Pie Crust

You can also use mini marshmallows and additional graham crackers if you have some laying around.

1. Unwrap your Hershey’s Bars and chop into small pieces. (I used 3 regular size Hershey’s bars.)

2. Mix ice cream, marshmallow fluff, and chocolate pieces together. I don’t typically measure. I used less than a half gallon of ice cream, about half of a big jar of Marshmallow Fluff and 3 Hershey’s bars.(I used my KitchenAid to do this.)

3. Pour ice cream mix into graham cracker pie crust.

4. You can garnish this pie with chocolate shavings, marshmallows, graham cracker crumbs, chocolate syrup or whatever else your hear desires.

Voila! You have a super easy S’mores Ice Cream Pie!

This post will be linked to Mouthwatering Monday, Made by You Monday, Tasty Tuesday, Tuesdays at the Table, Tempt My Tummy Tuesday, 33 Shades of Green, Works for Me Wednesday, What I Whipped Up Wednesday, I’m Lovin’ It, Sweet Tooth Friday, Foodie Friday and Show and Tell Saturday.

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Enough With the Flabby, Let’s Get to the Fashionista

April 22, 2012 By Lisa Leave a Comment

Most of my posts in the last 2 months have been focused on weight loss, but I think it’s time to start talking more about fashion. More specifically…Plus Size Fashion!

In the past 5 years, my weight and size has been all over the map. I’ve worn everything from a 12 to a 24. While it’s much easier to find cute clothes when you’re a size 12, it’s possible to look like a million bucks at any size.

When I started Flabby Fashionista, that was something I wanted to convey and so from here on out, I’ll be regularly posting tips and tricks for finding great plus size fashion, deals on plus size fashion, pics of myself and what I’m wearing, and other fun plus size fashion finds.

Let me know if there’s something else you’d like to see!

Source: macys.com via Lisa on Pinterest

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Crabby Asparagus Frittata {Tasty Tuesday}

April 3, 2012 By Lisa Leave a Comment

Eggs are one of my favorite foods. They’re a great source of protein and they’re tasty too. Plus, they work with most diets. If you’re eating low fat, use the whites only. If you’re eating low carb, eggs are perfect without doing much of anything!

Here’s a super tasty recipe that you can adapt to work with pretty much any diet plan. Depending on the type of diet you’re following, you can choose regular or low-fat cheeses. Also, be sure to check any sort of seasonings you use to make sure the ingredients fit your diet. As for the eggs, if you are eliminating egg yolks from your diet, egg whites works perfectly fine, as well. You’ll need 16 egg whites to equal 8 whole eggs.

1 cup fresh asparagus, cut small
1 cup fresh mushrooms, sliced thin
1/2 cup green onions, chopped small
1/2 cup red bell pepper, cleaned and cut into thin strips
1/2 cup flaked crab meat
8 eggs
1/4 cup water
1 tsp dried Italian seasoning (or other mixed seasoning)
1/2 cup shredded mozzarella cheese
1 Tbsp grated fresh Parmesan cheese

Preheat oven to 375 degrees. Spray or rub oil into a 10 inch oven-proof skillet.

Put skillet on stovetop burner set to medium-high heat. When skillet gets hot, add asparagus, mushrooms, onions and bell pepper and cook until just tender but still somewhat crisp. This will take about 4 or 5 minutes. Remove from heat.

Add the crab meat and stir to combine ingredients.

In a separate bowl, beat the eggs, water, and Italian seasoning until mixture is well blended, then stir in the mozzarella cheese.

Pour this mixture over the crab and veggies in the skillet, just shaking the skillet a little to combine; do not stir.
Put skillet back on stovetop over medium heat and cook just until eggs set up around the edges, about 5 to 6 minutes, then sprinkle with the Parmesan cheese.

Bake in 375 degree oven until top is lightly browned, eggs are completely set, about 8 to 10 minutes.
Remove from oven and let sit at room temperature for 3 to 5 minutes, then serve by cutting into wedges.

Serves 4 to 6 people depending on whether this is served as a dinner, breakfast, or lunch, and whether or not you’re serving with sides.

Photo Credit: Pixabay

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