Fitness Tip of the Week: Eating Healthy on Super Bowl Sunday

Nutritionist and author Ellie Krieger lives in a world of food where there is no fear or guilt, only joy and balance. No ingredient is ever off limits because food is celebrated, not demonized.

Today, Super Bowl Sunday--a day on which eating is an essential part of the recreational ritual--we might do well to adopt her philosophy. As long as we eat in moderation and keep a balance in our choices, we can enjoy the celebratory fare.

One of the dishes I'm serving is white bean chili. It's healthy and wonderfully filling on Super Bowl Sunday, and it tastes just as good on cold winter nights. Here's the recipe: brown 2 onions in a small amount of oil. When the onions are soft and nearly done, add 1 teaspoon cumin, 1 teaspoon chili powder, 1 teaspoon oregano and 1 teaspoon chipotle. In a large pot, combine 5 cans white beans, 2 cups diced green chilis, 4 cans chicken broth, 3 cups cooked chicken and the browned onion. Mix the soup and simmer for 15-20 minutes until flavors blend. About 15 minutes before serving, add a half-teaspoon of red pepper flakes.

A couple of notes: If any of these seasonings are spicier than you or your guests can handle, you can reduce or omit them. To save time, use leftover chicken or canned chicken for the meat. You can also substitute turkey. To thicken the chili, remove a cup of the chili, run it through a blender and return to the pot, or simply add 1/2 cup of dried potato flakes. Enjoy the soup and game. Whether you're a fan of Indianapolis or New Orleans, may the team you are rooting for win! And if you were too busy to read this message until after Sunday, you can still use the recipe during the week.

Featured Member: Bevyboop

The winter time makes us susceptible to the blues and blahs. Playful exercise is a powerful antidote, one that Bevyboop regularly employs. She writes:

"Bicycling is not only great exercise, it's my fun and play time. When the weather is good, my brother and I bike 2 to 3 times a week. Sometimes more! Here in Portland, Oregon, a lot of people bike all year round. I don't, but I try! I don't mind the cool weather as long as I'm dressed for it. We even bike in the rain. Why not? It's only water. The weather changes here so quickly, you can get soaked in a minute and by the time you finish riding, you're dry again. It's great fun."

Whenever I encounter people who tell me they hate to exercise, I know their idea of exercise involves engaging in an activity that is boring or painful, or maybe one that requires iron discipline or membership in a gym. That's when I encourage them to think back to their childhood and remember playful times. What did they enjoy then? The seeds of our present happiness are sewn during these early years. Some of us need only go back to our roots, like Bevyboop's joy in bike riding, to discover the ways we can have fun today. I am convinced that while our bodies may get older, the child inside lives on.

To acknowledge Bevyboop for reminding us to have fun, I am sending her an autographed copy of From Fat to Fit: Turn Yourself into a Weapon of Mass Reduction. As she points out, although it's tempting to hibernate, we need to counter the winter doldrums with more (not less) fun time spent exercising.

Resolution Challenge 2010 Club: Last Week's Winner MaureenClaire

We have only two weeks left of our eight week follow-through-on-your-resolutions campaign. Are you continuing? If you are new to our club, you can still begin this week simply by posting a resolution.

Resolutions need to be specific, measurable and anchored in time. Here are examples:

--I will get 8 hours of sleep 6 out of 7 nights a week.
--I will exercise 60 minutes each day 6 days a week unless I am injured or sick.
--I will eat 3 servings of fruit each day.

You can post one or more resolutions. You may resolve to modify an existing habit (such as replacing a nightly bowl of ice cream 6 out of 7 days a week with a serving of fruit). Or you may resolve to eliminate an existing habit (such as giving up sugared drinks 7 out of 7 days a week).

Each week, one person will be selected from the names of those who made, kept and reported their resolution, and this person will receive a prize. Weekly prizes will vary and include one or more of the following: CDs of "Skinny Songs," Fat 2 Fit coffee mugs, T-shirts and autographed copies of From Fat to Fit: Turn Yourself into a Weapon of Mass Reduction.  Last week's winner was MaureenClaire.

A Few Reminders

Removing Notifications: The Fat 2 Fit group is very popular. If you are receiving more notifications than you like, you can change your notifications under the settings tool by following these instructions:

1. Go to your profile page.
2. Click on the "Settings" button under your profile picture.
3. Scroll down to "Notifications," where you'll find a list of actions. Check the boxes to indicate when you'd like to be contacted and whether you'd like to be notified by e-mail or via your AARP.org Message Center. Or both!
4. If you do not wish to receive any notifications, be sure all the boxes are unchecked. (That is, they should not have a check mark indicated.)

Collect Your Messages: Next time you take a break, go to the AARP site and log in. After you have successfully logged in, you will see a welcome notice in the upper right-hand corner of your screen. Underneath the welcome, you will see "Messages." Click on the word to find your messages from individuals and also notices of postings in the group forum. You can also compose and send messages. Some of you have reported difficulty in locating messages, so feel free to ask for help.

Next Week's Featured Member: Next week, I'll pick another member to lift up to our community. Who will it be? Maybe you?

Have a great week.

Coach Carole