Blog Posts by SparkPeople.com

Make the most of your slow cooker.
By Chef Meg Galvin, Healthy Cooking Expert at SparkPeople
You have just had a long hard day at work or school and thoughts of what to make for dinner overwhelm your brain. Suddenly you remember: "I put a stew in the slow cooker this morning. WooHoo!" As you enter your kitchen, you can smell the savory delight and hear the bubbling sound of juices. Dinner is ready.

To be a good slow cooker you first need to understand the equipment and just how that crock traps all the flavors and creates an amazing stew, soup, or even dessert. The crock pot simmers food for an extended period of time. Depending on the recipe, the dish may be ready in 4 hours or 10. Most slow cookers have three temperature settings: low, high, or keep warm. On average, most cookers run at 180 degrees F for low and 250 degrees F for high. A word of caution: Several studies have found that these numbers can vary as much as 40 degrees either way. Just remember that even if you're in a rush, you need to check the internal

What can kids teach you about exercise? Plenty!

By Mike Kramer for SparkPeople

The answers to fitness success aren't in the bookstore. You won't find them in the latest government research labs. Forget about talk radio, late night TV, or a magazine rack full of scantily clad cover models.

You'll uncover information and data there, for sure. You'll find plenty of opinions, ideas and "proven techniques" too. But the REAL answers - the stuff you can use every day - can be found anytime at your local playground.

Everything you need to know about fitness and exercise, you can learn from kids.

Have you ever watched a child completely engrossed in a project? They have the magical ability to be serious about what they're doing without taking it too seriously. You can do the same with your exercise program. You can live every day with more focus, and every week with more motivation.

Here's what every child knows that you may have forgotten. See if you can apply some of these lessons to your daily program:

These exercises are extremely effective for women!

By Nicole Nichols, Managing Editor and Fitness Expert at SparkPeople

There's dinner to make, homework to help with, and so many other tasks on your to-do list! Who has time to spend hours in the gym? Ever wonder if the exercises you're doing are going to give you the best results for your body? Well look no further! These three moves offer body benefits--and they don't require a gym membership or fancy equipment. Make them part of your fitness routine on a regular basis and you'll be looking and feeling better in no time.

#1 Exercise for Women: Squats

Why they're effective: Squats are the go-to move for everyone who strength trains because they engage more muscles than any other move. Squats work the thighs (quads, hamstrings, outer thighs), glutes, and core (abdominals and the muscles that support your spine). You don't need any equipment to perform squats, but always have the option of adding dumbbells and/or a stability ball to add challenge. Perform 1-3 sets of

Indulge any pregnancy craving with these nutritious tips.

By Sarah Haan, Registered Dietitian

There are roughly 270 days between conception and your introduction to your little bundle of joy. Strap in for the ride and be prepared to flip your life upside-down for this mini guy or girl. Your to-do list is packed: pick up prenatal vitamins, paint the baby's room, delegate a friend to plan the baby shower and pick out a health care provider. Sometimes meal planning is the last thing on your mind.

A little time spent in this department can go a long way. You know you have to eat more, and eat well, but you're definitely not eating for another person. You require only an extra 300 calories a day while your infant is growing (and bump that to 600 extra calories if you breastfeed).

The amount of weight you actually need to gain during pregnancy depends on your current weight.

So you've got a grasp on healthy weight gain. Let's talk about the fun part: food! Your 300 calories can really come from anything--candy, soda, french

Fitness trends come and go--how can you tell whether they're legit or a gimmick?

By Jennipher Walters for SparkPeople

Fitness infomercials promise a lot: dramatic weight-loss, big results, a six pack in 30 days! But unfortunately, most of them do not deliver on those promises. When those ads are so intriguing and believable, how do you know which new products deliver and which ones leave much to be desired?

To separate the real fitness tools from the get-fit-quick scams, just ask yourself the 10 questions below. If you answer, "yes" even one of them, save your money: It probably won't give you the results it promises!

10 Must-Ask Questions before You Buy Another Exercise Product

1. Does it sound too good to be true?
If it does, it probably is. The people behind these products and ads really are marketing geniuses. In a matter of seconds, they harness your attention. Within minutes, you believe that you can have the body of a fitness model in just minutes a day, too. But we all know that isn't realistic. Looking like a fitness spokesperson

Between the start line and the finish line, set medium-term goals to achieve success.

By Joe Downie for SparkPeople

So often we daydream and think of some far-off goal that we would like to achieve. "I want to play the guitar in a band," "I want to run a marathon", "I want to be better at my job," etc. It's not difficult at that point to break it down into short-term goals… practice some chords in the evening, run on the weekends, or arrive an hour earlier at work. You get in a groove and suddenly you're on the way to reaching that long-term goal.

However, there are so many other goals where that groove is tougher to find once you get started. You begin to feel overwhelmed as you think about the long journey ahead.

This is where medium-term goals and a reward system can really make a difference. A good medium-term goal can keep the "fire" burning. For the examples above you might set a medium-term goal to play 5 of your favorite songs very well, or to run a half marathon, or create one new idea that will help your co-workers. Some may take longer

Is it time to break up with the scale?

By Jason Anderson, for SparkPeople

It cannot talk yet it speaks to you. Some days it makes you giddy with delight. Other days it puts you into a deep depression. It judges you on a superficial level. The thought of it is enough to worry even the most optimistic person. What am I talking about? The notorious bathroom scale.

What is with this obsession we have with the scale? For most people, the scale can be an adversary or an ally, depending on the day. We often hate what it says or argue with it, but we still feel the desire to use it. When used properly and taken for what it is, it can actually be a very useful tool for weight management. But for many, the scale does more than measure the total weight of all your various parts. It somehow defines who you are as a person. And sadly, it can determine your own self-worth. We read way too much into this single-purposed tool.

Here are four signs that you might put too much weight on weighing in:

1. You constantly

Heart disease is the #1 killer of women, but it can be managed and sometimes prevented.

By Birdie Varnedore, M.D., SparkPeople.com Resident Medical Expert and Member

Happy American Heart Month!

February's best-known day is Valentine's Day, and what with all the heart-shaped things associated with that occasion, it is the perfect month to highlight heart health and share with you what you can do to protect your most precious asset. Your heart will be there for you during all of your life's adventures, but heart disease is a big threat to all of us! Heart disease is America's number one cause of death.

According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention:

• 1 in 3 deaths in the US is from heart disease and stroke
• That's equal to 2,200 deaths per day.
• 2 million heart attacks and strokes occur each year
• 80,000,000 adults are affected by heart disease
• Heart disease & stroke cost the nation $444 billion/year in health care costs and lost economic productivity.

How can you start taking care of your heart? By being mindful of