Summer Boot Camp is starting this week at Lower City Park in Iowa City. Get a friend registered and get a discount on your registration!

5:45-6:35 am
OR
6:45- 7:35 am (if there is enough interest)

Please bring: water, a mat or towel, and dress in layers. It is still cool out that early, but you will warm up quickly. Also, many boot campers who have participated outside in the past report wearing gloves of some sort help keep the hands from getting scratched up.

The website registration is available if you want to register on-line with a credit card or you can come to class with a check/cash.

Prices:
$240 for newbies (40 workouts/8 wks)
$210 for returning veterans from the March boot camp (40 workouts/8 wks)
$135 for (20 workouts/4 weeks)

Let me know if you have any questions!
Can’t wait to see you !

It's ALL about YOU in 2011!

What a crazy, calorie filled, stressful but fun and exciting week we just had. It's hard to believe this is the last week of 2010!

This is the week where we sit back and take a long look at 2010 to see where we have succeeded and where we have fallen short. Most American people decided a year ago that 2010 was going to be the year they were going to get healthy and maintain that good health. Most of those people said it but did not DO it!

Now a year later, the same self-promise is being made again. The difference for 2011 is YOU are going to DO it and Habit 4 Health is going to help you accomplish that self-promised success!

Amy, one of many successful boot campers, gives advice to those of you who want to succeed, 'The best thing about this boot camp class is that they teach you that you are strong. You are stronger both physically and mentally than you ever thought you were---and you CAN do it! (click here to see what other boot campers have to say!)

Our 'Kick Start Healthy Habits' Fitness Boot Camp is ready for YOU in 2011! Click here to register today!

Back to Iowa City Robert E. Lee Recreation Center
Begins Jan. 3rd at 5:45 - 6:35am
Mon - Fri 8 weeks.
Instructed by Randi Burt

Still in North Liberty North Liberty Recreation Center
Begins Jan. 3rd 6:00 - 6:50am
Mon-Fri. 8 weeks.
Instructed by Riley Barth

**NEW** Boomer Boot Camp Robert E. Lee Recreation Center
Begins Jan. 4th 9:30 - 10:30am
Tues/Thurs. 8 weeks.
Instructed by Randi Burt

**NEW**Energy 4 Future Youth Boot Camp
Robert E. Lee Recreation Center
Begins Jan. 4th 5:45 - 6:45pm
Tues/Thurs. 8 weeks.
Instructed by Randi Burt

Click here for complete program details.

Healthy Holiday Eating - Tips for Remaking Favorite Recipes

We are incredibly thankful for you! This is a challenging time of year to make healthy choices. But healthy holiday eating is possible. We thought it would be helpful to share some tips for making favorite recipes healthier. With these tips, you can cut sugar, salt and fat by half:

1. Cut sugar. add flavor. When making pumpkin pie or eggnog, reduce the amount of sugar by half and enhance 'sweetness' by adding a bit more vanilla, nutmeg, or cinnamon. If recipes call for sugary toppings like frosting, jams, and syrup, use fresh fruit instead.

2. Shake the salt out. You can reduce salt by half in most recipes too. Also go easy on salty condiments such as pickles, catsup, mustard, and soy sauce. Instead offer cucumber slices, fresh tomato, or fruit salsas. Or try lower sodium version of mustard and soy sauce. The cheese platter - yikes all that salt and fat. Better to skip it. Instead opt for fresh fruits and veggies. And instead of serving cured ham, try a fresh pork loin roast with herbs.

3. Trim the fat. In baked goods you can cut fat by about half and replace it with unsweetened applesauce or mashed banana. Instead of full fat condensed milk, use condensed skim in pumpkin pie and eggnog. For gravy, heat fat free low sodium broth (or drippings with the fat removed); mix four into cold skim milk and pour slowly into broth, stir until thickened and season to your liking.

Do you have any healthy holiday eating tips? How about suggesting healthy hor d'oeuvres, sides, and entrees? What has you stumped? Visit our blog or facebook page to help each other make over our traditional holiday recipes!

Green Beans, Walnuts, & Cranberry Vinaigrette

The Go Red for Women annual luncheon Friday was an amazing day full of energy, success, motivation, and heart disease awareness. I'm always amazed by women who have the courage to share their health struggles with others.

I encourage you to visit their webpage often for tips to create and maintain heart healthy!

Our heart healthy lunch was sponsored by Hy-Vee and they had a great healthy eating booth display with samples. Here's one of my favorites!

Green Beans with Toasted Walnuts and Dried-Cranberry Vinaigrette

Walnuts and walnut oil contains heart healthy omega 3 fats. Cranberries are a source of pectin - a soluble fiber that helps to lower cholesterol. Enjoy this great make-ahead side dish for the holidays, in lieu of a less healthy green bean casserole!

1/3 Cup walnut oil

1/3 Cup minced shallots

3 Tablespoons plus 2 teaspoons Sherry wine vinegar

2 Tablespoons chipped fresh mint

1 teaspoon coarse kosher salt

1 teaspoon sugar

1/2 teaspoon black pepper plus additional for sprinkling

1/3 Cup Dried Cranberries chopped

1 1/2 pounds trimmed slender green beans

1/2 Cup walnuts, toasted, chopped

1. Whisk oil, shallots, vinegar, mint, salt, sugar and 1/2 teaspoon pepper in small bowl. Mix in dried cranberries. Set aside.

DO AHEAD vinaigrette can be made 1 day ahead. Cover; chill. Bring to room temperature; rewhisk before using.

2. Fill large bowl with water and ice; set aside. Cook green beans in large pot of boiling salted water until crisp-tender, 3 to 4 minutes. Drain Immediately transfer to bowl with ice water. cool. drain.

DO AHEAD can be made 1 day ahead. Wrap in paper towels; enclose in resealable plastic bag and chill. Let stand at room temperature 1 hour before continuing.

3. Toss green beans, walnuts, and vinaigrette in large bowl.

DO AHEAD can be made 2 hours ahead. Let stand at room temperature. Transfer to platter and serve

Optional: You may add 1 Tablespoon Dijon mustard to vinaigrette in step 1 if desired. You can also garnish with crumbled goat cheese (step 3). Goat cheese is lower in calories and fat compared to most other types of cheese.

Crunchy Apple Coleslaw

Crunchy Apple Coleslaw

1/2 Cup Light Salad Dressing or Miracle Whip
1 Cup Plain Yogurt
1/2 teaspoon ground ginger
2 teaspoons lemon juice
2 Granny Smith apples. Peeled, cored, & diced
1- 16oz. bag coleslaw mix
2/3 Cup raisins
1/4 green onion
1/3 Cup sunflower seeds

Stir together the first 4 ingredients. Stir in apples. Add remaining ingredients. Cover and chill until serving time.

Last Week to Wear PINK!

October is breast cancer awareness week. Wear PINK to promote awareness for the second most common form of cancer in women.

To become active in breast cancer awareness please support Habit 4 Health boot campers Deanna Miller and Patty Frantz via facebook. Both do a lot of fundraising for the Susan G. Komen 3 day 60 mile walk in Phoenix November 12-14th.

Early detection is imperative. Annual mammograms for women over the age of 40, annual clinical breast exams, and monthly self breast exams are all ways to detect breast cancer early.

According to the American Cancer Society...

• Estimated 192,000 new case of invasive breast cancer are expected to be diagnosed in the United States this year.


• Approximately 40,000 women died from breast cancer in 2009 alone.


• Approximately 1,910 new cases of invasive breast cancer was diagnosed among men in the United States in 2009.


• Today 2.5 million breast cancer survivors are living in the United States

What is breast cancer?

• Breast Cancer is a malignant tumor that grows in one or both breasts and usually develops in ducts or lobules (milk producing area of the breast).

Two main categories of breast cancer:

• Noninvasive cancers: confined to the ducts or lobules and does not spread to surrounding tissues.


• Invasive cancers: penetrates through normal breast tissue and invades surrounding tissues.

Stages of breast cancer:

• Stage 0: early stage confined to ducts or the lobules.


• Stage 1: early stage of invasive breast cancer. Cancer cells have not spread beyond breast and tumor is no more than 2 centimeters across.


• Stage 2 is one of the following:

-tumor in breast is no more than 2 centimeters across. Cancer has spread to lymph nodes under the arm.

-tumor is between 2 and 5 centimeters and may have spread to lymph nodes under arm

-tumor is larger than 5 centimeters and has not spread to lymph nodes under the arm

• Stage 3: may be a large tumor, but cancer has not spread beyond breast and nearby lymph nodes. It is locally advanced cancer.

-Stage 3A is one of the following:

~tumor is in breast and is 5 centimeters. Cancer has spread to underarm lymph nodes.

~tumor is more than 5 centimeters and has spread to underarm lymph nodes

-Stage 3B is one of the following:

~tumor has grown into chest wall or the skin of the breast.

~tumor cancer has spread to lymph nodes behind breastbone.

-Stage 3C: tumor of any size and has spread to lymph nodes behind breast bone and underarm or has spread to lymph nodes under or above collarbone.

-Stage 4: distant metastatic cancer and has spread.

Resources:

National Breast Cancer Awareness Month

American Cancer Society

Center for Disease Control and Prevention: Breast Cancer

National Cancer Institute

Candidates View on Your Important Issues

Election Day is November 2nd and the candidates love Johnson County! During our meet and greet sessions, we've been given a lot of resources we'd like to pass on to you!

D = Democrat

R = Republican

L = Libertarian

I = Independent

Iowa Governor

Chet Culver (D) Campaign Site

Terry Branstad (R) Campaign Site

Eric Cooper (L) Campaign Site

Jonathan Narcisse (I) Campaign Site

Lieutenant Governor

Patty Judge (D) Campaign Site

Nick Weltha (L) Campaign Site

Secretary of State

Mike Mauro (D) Campaign Site

Matt Schultz (R) Campaign Site

Jake Porter (L) Campaign Site

Attorney General

Tom Miller (D) Campaign Site

Brenna Findley (R) Campaign Site

State Auditor:

Dave Vaudt (R) Campaign Site

State Treasurer

Mike Fitzgerald (D) Campaign Site

Dave Jamison (R) Campaign Site

Secretary of Agriculture

Bill Northey (R) Campaign Site

Francis Thicke (D) Campaign Site

This is also a retention election for Iowa judges. To learn more about each of them click here.

U.S. Senators

Chuck Grassley (R) Campaign Site

Roxanne Conlin (D) Campaign Site

John Hiderscheit (L) Campaign Site

U.S. Congress

District #1

Bruce Braley (D) Campaign Site

Ben Lange (R) Campaign Site

Rob Petsche (L) Campaign Site

District #2

Dave Loebsack (D) Campaign Site

Mariannette Miller-Meeks (R) Campaign Site

Gary Sicard (L) Campaign Site

District #3

Leonard Boswell (D) Campaign Site

Brad Zaun (R) Campaign Site

District #4

Tom Latham (R) Campaign Site

Bill Maske (D) Campaign Site

District #5

Steve King (R) Campaign Site

Matt Campbell (D) Campaign Site