which melon do you prefer?

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Make Mine Melon!

By Denis Faye There's nothing bad about melons. They're yummy, they're super good for you, and they're one of the most social foods around. No self-respecting summer picnic would be complete without a big ol' watermelon. In fact, Americans purchase 3 billion pounds of the big green yum-balls annually. Everything else on the checkered tablecloth might be a nutritional nightmare, but nestled between the ambrosia and the macaroni salad you'll always find those big slices of sweet pink vitamin C-packed goodness, secretly supplying hungry partygoers with an abundance of vitamins, minerals, and carotenoids.

In truth, I probably don't need to explain why you should be eating everyone's favorite summer fruit, 'cause you're gonna eat it either way, but we're all food nerds here, right? So let's take moment and learn a little more about melons.
Melonology 101You can buy melons in the grocery store year-round, but they're in season in America in the summer, so save your consumption for that season, and make sure you buy local. There are a couple of reasons to do this. First, once a piece of fruit is picked, it starts to lose nutrients, so not only do melons shipped from Central America tend to be mealier in texture, they're also less nutritious. Second, imported melons are more expensive.
You can store a melon at room temperature for a few days. Refrigerating it will help the nutrients last longer, but you lose flavor, particularly with cantaloupes. Once you've cut it open, all bets are off. Seal that melon and store it in the fridge. It should last about a week.
And even though you're probably not going to eat the rind, give your melon a good washing before cutting it up, so you can avoid any dirt, residues, or pesticides (if it's not organic) that might get into the flesh when you cut it.
While the watermelon is arguably the rock star of the melon world, having recently been rated the second healthiest fruit around by the Center for Science in the Public Interest (behind guava), it's just one of dozens of melon varieties. Let's discuss a few.
WatermelonActually, the watermelon is the only melon that's not a member of the Cucumis genus. It's a member of the genus Citrullus, which totally matters, right? Anyway, why did the CSPI go nuts for watermelons? They're loaded with vitamins and minerals, including vitamins C, A, B6, and B1, as well as potassium and magnesium. More importantly, they're loaded with carotenoids, pigments existing in plants that give them their vibrant colors. Carotenoids also have beneficial effects on those who eat them, including protecting cell walls from free radicals, improving your immune system, and helping to maintain reproductive health.
One of the most prominent carotenoids in watermelon is cardiovascular-system-enhancing lycopene, which is usually associated with tomatoes, even though watermelon contains a much higher concentration by volume.
Haters sometimes criticize the watermelon for its lack of fiber. While this is true, it's fairly irrelevant. This fruit is incredibly water- and nutrient-dense, meaning you get a lot of vitamins and minerals for very few calories. One cup, which works out to about a pound of fruit, is only 49 calories.
Furthermore, I defy you to show me anyone who's ever gotten fat from eating watermelon.
Picking a good watermelon is easy. As is the case with all melons, once it's been plucked from the vine, it stops ripening, so don't buy it hoping it'll improve. According to The World's Healthiest Foods by George Mateljan, there are two tricks to identifying a ripe watermelon. First, the "ground spot," where it rested in the dirt, should be yellow. If it's green or white, it's probably not ready. Seedless watermelons sometimes don't have ground spots, so this doesn't apply to them. Second, give it a thump. If it responds with a dull thud, that's good. It if sounds hollow, put it back.
On a final note, if you're concerned about the genetic modification factor when it comes to seedless watermelon varieties, don't be. They're hybrids, meaning they're a cross between two types of melon. No genes are manipulated in the making of this summer treat.
Cantaloupe My grandmother used to say, "Cantaloupe—'cause we're already married!"
Bwahahahahaha! [Wipes tear from eye.]
Okay, now that I've gotten that out of my system, let's talk about the fruit the CSPI ranked as the eighth healthiest fruit. The cantaloupe, as we know it, is actually a muskmelon. Real cantaloupes are grown in France and rarely make it to the states. Whatever you want to call them, they're packed with vitamins C, A, B3, B6, and B9, as well as potassium. Unlike watermelons, they have a little fiber, a little over 1 gram for a 56-calorie, 1-cup serving.
They're also a good source of carotenoids, particularly beta-carotene, which you'll also find in carrots. Are you seeing the pattern here? Remember how I said carotenoids are pigments? Cantaloupes and carrots are both orange. Watermelons and tomatoes, with their lycopene, are both red.
Cool, huh?
Cantaloupes stop ripening when picked, but unlike watermelons, the tap test should sound hollow. They should have a subtle, fruity smell. If a cantaloupe smells too strong, it's probably overripe. Also, the side opposite the stem should be slightly soft. Other than that, there should be no bruises or odd spots.
The only real downside to cantaloupe—and it's a weird one—is that people with latex allergies sometimes react poorly to them, so look out for that. Who knew?
Honeydew Although they're still yummy, honeydew melons fare poorly from a nutritional standpoint when compared to their pink and orange brethren. That 1 cup of cubes has 61 calories and 1 gram of fiber, but the vitamin C is only about half that of cantaloupe, and there are also much lower amounts of other micronutrients, although there's still a pretty good amount of potassium.
The carotenoid that gives honeydew its green hue is zeaxanthin, which promotes eye health. You'll find even more impressive amounts of zeaxanthin in almost all leafy greens.
You determine whether a honeydew's ripe the same way you find a good cantaloupe. Hollow tap, fruity smell, and no soft spots.
Casaba Although it's less well known, I thought I'd mention the casaba, because of the special role it plays in the melon world. While nowhere near as nutritionally dense as the melons we've discussed previously, the casaba still features a nice little hit of vitamins C and B6, plus some potassium. Casabas also tend to have slightly more protein and fiber and less sugar than other melons, which gives them less of a glycemic load. In other words, they might be considered a "low-carb" fruit.
Though not as flavorful as some other melons, casabas have a long shelf life, which is convenient. The ripeness smell test doesn't really apply here, as they have no aroma, so look for color instead. The outer skin on a ripe casaba will be bright yellow.
Which melon is right for you? The answer? Any of them. However, if after reading all this, you're stuck as to which melon to pick for your next BBQ, I have an idea: Buy one of each! Chop them up, mix them up, and you have a colorful, nutrient-rich fruit salad that'll kick that picnic into overdrive. With any luck, Cousin Millie and Grandma Bertie will finally get the message that you don't need mayo and refined sugar to make food delicious.

Avoid Summer Weight Gain

8 Ways to Avoid Summer Weight Gain

By G.D. Rossen As the summer vacation season approaches and millions of people start planning trips, among the most popular ways the recreation-starved choose to spend their hard-earned vacation time and harder-earned cash is on cruise ships or at all-inclusive tropical resorts. The cruise industry alone saw more than 10 million passengers depart from U.S. ports last year, while tropical über-resorts with names like Sandals^®, Breezes, and Couples beckon with enticing promises of warm sands and days of leisure. (We won't touch on what Hedonism Resorts^® beckons with.) What these vacation destinations all have in common is cocoon-like protection in a safe, microcosmic version of the locale you're visiting, committed to relaxation and fun. But they share something else too. As all-inclusive vacations, they offer near-continuous access to all the food you can eat, which makes them appeal to instincts honed by our famine-fearing ancestors—instincts that tell us that if there's food available, it's time to chow down. Cruise ships in particular have gained notoriety as being fat factories on the seas. Like the average American waistline, every year, the ships grow larger and larger, adding more and more dining rooms and buffets, each enticing travelers to gorge as they lounge in the tropical sunshine.

And while in this era of shrinking paychecks and cost-conscious consuming the idea of all-inclusive vacations sounds like a smart vacation shopper's dream come true, this all-you-can-consume kind of vacation carries with it risks for the health-minded vacationer. So if your goal is to keep from overindulging while at an all-inclusive resort or on a cruise, and you can't depend solely on your willpower to keep you on the straight and narrow, here are eight ways you can enjoy your vacation to the fullest without derailing your healthy eating and exercise plan.

1. The opposite of mountain climbing (or beware the buffet). Mountain climbers have been known to explain their passionate need to tackle a given peak by saying "because it's there"; vacationers at an all-inclusive often defend their face-first dives into mountainous buffets with the same motto. Just because something is there doesn't mean you have to have it. That said, we're all human, and something that seems "free" or "paid for" is enticing and alluring . . . especially when it's bathed in cream, salt, sugar, cheese, etc. So when mealtime rolls around and a buffet sprawls before you like pirate booty waiting to be plundered, make sure you start with the salad. That's right, a simple green salad, and while you're at it, try light dressing or no dressing at all. Salad fills up space in your stomach while it provides you with vitamins and roughage, the latter of which is noticeably lacking in many buffet-style foods. Just remember, the more salad you eat (at, say, 50 calories for a cup and a half of salad without dressing, or 100 calories for a cup and a half with low-fat balsamic vinaigrette), the less room you'll have for starchy, fatty, salty Fettuccine Alfredo (which can weigh in at 700 calories per serving and up—often way up). The result is that in addition to keeping your arteries clearer, you're gonna feel a lot better in your swimsuit when you're lounging on the Lido deck.

2. Be the captain of your table. While cruise ships and all-inclusive resorts have embraced the "more is better" philosophy, offering sometimes a dozen restaurant options to their captive diners, the tourism industry has also been among the most responsive to working "heart-healthy" and lower-calorie options into their menus. You just have to use them. Vegetarian choices are usually available at every meal, as are sugar-free desserts and low-salt options. On cruises in particular, many ship kitchens pride themselves on accommodating guests' special dietary requests. And since both cruise ships and beachside resorts boast waterfront settings and nautical themes, fish dishes are virtually always available on the menu, which can make for healthier dining choices, especially when grilled.
3. Beware the pink parasols. Okay, let's not go overboard. If you drink alcohol, your vacation most likely won't be the time you choose to cut it out of your diet. But the amount of calories in some alcoholic drinks can be truly astounding. Daiquiris, margaritas, mai tais—resort favorites all—generally carry high-calorie loads, and basically any drink sweetened with syrups or sugar is getting into Candyland as far as calorie count goes. Also, alcohol has that special ability to lower your resistance, impeding your better judgment. The bottom line is that drinking can make you consume a surplus of empty calories, both directly (the alcohol itself) and indirectly (the poolside French fries or grande platter of nachos you order when the alcohol obliterates your resolve). So before you find yourself paddling over toward the swim-up bar (because hey, how cool is that, having a swim-up bar?), have a strategy in place. Maybe your strategy will involve using low-cal mixers (i.e., rum and Diet Coke^®) or alternating between an alcoholic drink and a nonalcoholic low-cal or no-cal drink (i.e., sparkling water on ice with some lemon or lime). Or if a cold beer is more to your liking, enjoy a light beer instead.

4. Then again, it is vacation! So eat . . . then hit the gym. Sure there's temptation on vacation. That's why it's a vacation. And you don't want to be so mindful of your menu that you don't have fun. (After all, would you go to Switzerland and not try the chocolate, or visit New Orleans and not have beignets?) So if you embrace the dining options to their fullest, or feel you're deserving of your vacation drinks (especially since someone else is driving [the ship]), you should also embrace the many, many exercise options that are available. Fully outfitted gyms are de rigueur in all major resorts and ships, and the hour you spend on an elliptical machine could see you burn off 600 calories. The hardest part is incorporating the workout regimen you embrace at home to this new environment where hedonism is encouraged and rewarded. (Few gyms are emptier than those on cruise ships.) So here are a few exercise options.
5. Exercise easy . . . Opportunities for easy, "I've got a hangover and can't get too out of breath"-type exercise are plentiful at resorts and on cruise ships. Sure, they may not be challenging enough to be featured on the cover of an outdoorsy-lifestyle magazine, but remember that embracing the many slower-paced vacation-style exercise options around you is better than not moving at all. For instance, you might want to take a morning walk before camping out on the nearest chaise lounge for the day. Walking on an even surface at 3 miles per hour will consume around 220 calories an hour, and even a modest (or stumbling) 2-mile-per-hour walk burns around 170 calories. So the paths around the resort, or even off-property if that's both safe and viable, provide for strolls that let you enjoy the warmth, soak in the atmosphere, and not atrophy on a poolside lounge chair. Likewise, most cruise ships boast tracks around the upper decks where passengers can walk or jog to their heart's delight (jogging can burn 360 calories and up an hour). Even the much-maligned game of shuffleboard can burn 150 or 200 calories an hour. Yes, it's a ridiculous pastime. Yes, it is associated with Miami Beach in the 1970s. But the idea is to move, rather than only bake in the sun while downing nachos and beers.

6. Or exercise hard core . . . Rock-climbing walls are now present on many ships and at some resorts, and provide an extremely calorie-intensive workout due to the intense physical demands of clinging to a faux-rock face with feet and fingers (burning as much as 100 calories in a brief 10-minute climb). Never rappelled down a climbing wall before? No problem. Whether you have or not, if your resort has a rock wall, they have staff on hand to teach you how to use it, generally offering courses geared for climbers of different experience levels. Climbing walls involve intense use of muscles and balance, and you'll certainly feel it the next day. Likewise, many cruise ships, when they pull into port, offer challenging onshore athletic activities, like kayaking, which can burn 340 or more calories per hour.
7. Sleep with the fish—or just exercise with them. Nowhere are water sports more readily available than at beachside resorts and on cruise ships. Snorkeling burns around 350 calories an hour, and provides a calming view of the world you may not normally get. Surfing is another activity that's perfect to try on your resort-bound vacation (some megaships also offer surf pools or surf parks to let passengers surf while still on board), and surfing can burn 200 calories an hour. Of course, swimming is one of the most effective exercises around, and swimming around ocean or pool for an hour could easily burn 400 calories or more.

8. Dancing (does the limbo count)? Yes, cruise ships and resorts are romantic places where music fills the warm night air, so embrace the music and dance! Dancing is one of the best forms of cardio exercise, so whether you prefer to slow dance in the moonlight (a gentle waltz burns 120 calories or more an hour) or party down to some disco (while burning more than 270 calories an hour), rest assured that what you're doing is good for you. Dancing also has the distinction of being one of the more enjoyable forms of exercise—just one of the reasons that Hip Hop Abs^® and Turbo Jam^® have helped so many people improve their health and conditioning. The point with all these exercise options is to move, and whenever possible, to embrace the concept of Muscle Confusion^™, which forms the basis of the P90X^® fitness regimen. Keeping your body moving in a variety of ways, continually forcing it to adapt, results in effective muscle toning and fat-burning.

Insanity Fit Test

So today my mom, Jamie and I did the fit test for Insanity to see really how out of shape we were.  Well it didnt take long before we all knew it.  Man it was sad.  The fit test is 8 moves that last a long minute.  I know it doesnt sound bad but it is. 



The moves were a lot of up and down, jumping and then pushups and keeping your core tight.  I could feel all my fat bouncing around.  YUCK!!!  Shaun T kept saying dig deep.  Man i didnt feel like i could dig any deeper. LOL.  But I will be doing it again tomorrow. I wanted to quit and go back to TurboFire.  But after talking to my girls and them believing in me i said i would push deeper and keep going.  So Kadie, Stephanie  be ready for me to not be happy with you..I love you!!! Don't forget that.!  But will be hateing you at the same time!

I will be posting my post workout videos to my youtube channel.

Just Eat This: A Diet for Weight Loss

Just Eat This: A Diet for Weight Loss
Steve Edwards
The initial stages of a weight loss program are the most difficult. Since I eat fairly healthy most of the time, my first step is to enact a few rules that still allow me to eat but that point my eating in the direction I want it to be going. As long as you're exercising, you don't need to vastly reduce your calories unless you're on some type of time-induced crash program. Slow and steady is generally more doable, more fun, and healthier.

For all of my diet programs I follow the same general guidelines, so make sure to read Just Eat This to learn about them.

Steve's diet for weight loss in the initial stages

In my world, it's always easier to add exercise than to take food away, so when I need to shed some weight I begin each day with a 30-minute to three-hour cardio workout. It's usually biking or running but can be something like yoga. The point is to enhance fat mobilization—your body's ability to burn stored fat. I always do this workout on an empty stomach, but for anything over an hour and a half, I'll begin consuming a sports drink that is mainly carbs along with some protein (4:1 ratio) after 30 minutes of exercise. I make sure to drink water all day long. I drink a glass when I wake up and keep going. Most people are chronically dehydrated.

My supplement regimen varies depending on the type of training I'm doing. The harder I train, the more supplements I take. The only constants are vitamins, like ActiVit®, and an omega supplement, usually fish oil. Beyond that, it varies from nothing when I'm in a maintenance cycle to packs of stuff every few hours when I'm doing ultra stuff.

I also don't eat the same things every day. This is just an example of the types of foods and the timing.

Morning: Post-workout snack—this is approximately 4 parts carbs to 1 part protein with a little fat. I tend to try making this more natural, like a protein shake, but P90X® Peak Recovery Formula would also work well. However, if I'm not working out too hard and don't need maximum glycogen replenishment, I'll opt for a more traditional breakfast that follows an approximate 4:1 ratio. This is generally a bowl of whole grain cereal with a piece of fruit. It will absorb slower than the recovery drink, but if my glycogen stores aren't completely drained, that's okay.

A little while later: Coffee, black.

Morning snack: Nothing, but I usually advise eating a snack in this slot, like a piece of fruit or a protein shake. More on this later.

Lunch: Whole-bean and rice burrito with loads of salsa made from all-natural ingredients. I use a lot of salsa, probably 4 ounces for a 12 to 16-ounce burrito.

Note: Lunch might be late. I go for long periods in the morning without eating. As a writer, I work on momentum and don't like to be interrupted when I'm in the zone. My body works well for long periods without food, a tactic that certainly doesn't work for many people.

Afternoon snack: I do my hard training in the afternoon when I can. If it's long training, then I'll eat during it (a bar of some kind). If it's short, I'll just eat afterward. That meal is another post-exercise drink. I tend to use Recovery Formula after the harder workout because it has sugar and works faster.

An hour or two later, dinner: Some type of lean meat, fish, or high-protein veggie thing (like a burrito), with some veggies and a salad. When I'm trying to lose weight and training, I give myself what I call "all-you-can-eat veggies." No dressing, just veggies. But I can use balsamic vinaigrette on my salad and dip the veggies in whole-grain mustard.

Dessert: A beer or glass of red wine. I'm not much of a dessert person but I will eat it on occasion. While trying to lose weight, I'd rather have a drink, which helps me relax, which isn't always easy when you are undereating and training hard.

Late night snack: Herbal tea.

Questions you might be asking yourself

Is this enough calories? I didn't give amounts of food, but that varies based on feeling. Especially when training, my body tells me when it's hungry. I'll feed it, but when losing weight I try never feeling full. I try following a "leave the table when you're 80 percent full" rule.

Is it too many calories? The only time I get very tight with regards to calories is when I have a fair amount of weight to lose. Usually, I'm within 10 pounds of my goal. If it's more, I'll start on feeling and then restrict calories for up to three or four weeks. I don't like to restrict calories longer than this because it can hinder my metabolism. And I always zigzag my calories so that I don't go into "starvation mode."

Is it too many carbs? It's actually low on carbs for the amount of exercise I'm doing. When I'm really cranking along, I'll eat triple the carbs and triple the calories. This is my version of a low-carb diet.

Do you drink with your meals? I try not to. Maybe a few sips of water or wine. But drinking with food interferes with the digestive process and should be minimized. I'll often drink a glass of water a bit before a meal. This helps fill my stomach so that I'm less hungry and I rarely feel the need to "wash down" my meal.

How long do you do it? Like I said, I'm usually within that last hurrah or my target weight. This means that I usually don't have to stay strict for more than a few weeks at a time. More than a month on a diet like this and my body fat percentage begins to get dangerously low.

P90X is to hard for me!!!!

Isn't that the point... If you are heavy or overwieght or obese and you feel nasty and ugly do you expect it to be easy to loose all the weight?  I mean come on.  Think about it.  If it were easy then everyone would be smoking hot... not just the ones that workout every day and eat right...that woud be nice wouldn't it?

Here is some advice from a great individual.. Tony Horton. 

You Are Going To Die!

The title of this blog is much more than a means to grab your attention. With the start of a new year it's typical for many people to establish new disciplines (temporarily), but the new year is also a reminder that time is flying at light speed, literally. With every passing nanosecond we all get a little closer to death. You know, that thing that happens to everyone. Your final day on earth, rigermortous sets in, the end. It seems to me that quite a lot of people meander through life as if death isn't coming. We act as if we have all the time in the world. We wait, hesitate, procrastinate and blow-off life altering opportunities all the time. Our goals, ideas and aspirations are put on hold for some ideal moment in the distant future. We dillydally and waist our precious time on a mishmash of nonsensical meaningless crap that consumes years of our lives. Why and for what? Most often it's because we're scared. Scared to live at our full potential. Why take the risk when you think we're going to live forever? I'm here to tell you that your life on this earth is precious and shorter than you think. Turning 50 this year proved that to me. I swear it feels like I was in high school ten minutes ago. Turns out that was over 30 years ago! As we get older change can become more daunting with every passing day. You don't have to be at midlife for this to be true. Teenagers get just as stuck as people in their 50s and 60s. I've seen people give up and thrown in the towel at all ages. We've all been an eyewitness to the tragedies of misguided lives. The hope and optimism of childhood gives way to despair and disappointment with one bad experience after another. It's the saddest thing in the world. Maybe you know what I'm talking about.



Is there hope for the fallen? Can we turn it around after years of wasting time, procrastinating, plenty of hardship and waiting for the right moment that never comes? Hell yes! The good news is that you can have the life you dreamed of as a kid without meds and therapy. Step one is moving. Turns out that it doesn't really matter how you move. What matters is that you do. Step two involves eating healthy food. Whole food that feeds the body, spirit and especially the mind. The garbage this country eats most of the time is killing us. Junk food and fast food (AKA food porn) does NOT fuel our desire to grow, learn and change. It keeps us in a state of flux and despair. If you have problems, procrastinate and feel stuck in general, odds are you're overweight, out of shape and eat junk. The deck is stacked against you if you're overweight and out of shape. Your brain can't function to solve problems properly if your feeding your mouth tons of sugar and grease. If you like a life of quite desperation then continue to spend endless hours sitting and laying around. If procrastination, sadness, depression, low self esteem and a state of malaise fits your lifestyle then continue to eat candy, cupcakes, high fructose corn syrup, fried food, saturated fats, soda pop, processed carbs, hot dogs and tons of cheese on your pepperoni pizza. Nobody gets away with making lame choices in this world. Sooner or later (turns out later comes sooner than you thought) your bad behavior will ruin your life.



Good behavior can and will save your life. Good behavior will give you the opportunity to turn misery into joy and happiness. In the end it's joy and happiness we seek. Authentic joy and happiness comes from treating ourselves and others with respect and civility. Adult toys (cars, homes, jewelry, etc), prestige, money and looks are usually a means to short term pleasures. These things feed the ego. The ego isn't real. It's your desire to create a false you to present to the world. Nothing but smoke and mirrors to make you feel better than someone else. Yuck! What is good behavior? You know exactly what it is by now. It's a matter of whether you want to practice it consistently or not. The more disciplined you are the less problems you'll have. Honestly! For real! Life will still come at you at a million miles an hour and the issues in your life will still exist, but when you exercise and eat right you create the brain chemistry of a person who can deal with issues, problems and challenges productively and happily. Other variables like proper sleep and stress management skills play a roll as well, but the foundation of "the good life" comes from the two things that make you a joyous happy human being. Exercise and healthy food. Period. The clock is ticking and your death is inevitable, so while your here why not take the first steps toward a better life. Get off the fence, ask for help, start moving, eat your veggies, enjoy the journey, enjoy the power of right now, push play and experience the life you desire and deserve.