I stopped reading fitness magazines years ago. I got sick of seeing ridiculously thin stick figured bodies portraying the picture of ‘fit and healthy’ on the covers. Now we are in the celebrity airbrushing phase. Airbrushing is a fact of life when it comes to selling fashion magazines. I get that. But it really irks me when they apply it to the fitness genre. Here are a couple examples…
Really, SHAPE?? We all know the Duffster is actually more of a chubster….
Trust me, I am not busting on Lizzie Maguire’s bod here. She looks perfectly fine but NOTHING like the magazine cover. These obvious deceptions make me not trust anything the magazine has to offer. Here’s another one for you…
Hmmm. Not real interested in reading how Jennifer Love Hewitt keeps the weight off. While SHAPE magazine is a repeat offender my latest gripe is with Women’s Health. I have come to really like this magazine. It is full of a wide variety of tips ranging from nutrition to fitness to beauty. Unfortunately, the interview with cover girl cutie, Julianne Hough was extremely disappointing.
Here are Julianne’s ‘Nutrition Tips’:
1. “Don’t blow off breakfast. Even if it is just three bites.” Uh, okay. Breakfast is unacceptable to miss but three freaking bites DOES NOT constitute a breakfast! That one really got to me.
2. “Have cereal for a snack. Honey-Nut Cheerios is my treat. Or, for a late-night snack, I’ll have Raisin Bran.” I had to take lots of deep breaths after reading that quote. Granted, this ballroom darling is only 22 years old and dances all day for a living. She can get away with eating sugar-filled cereal to tide her over between meals. Good for her. Shame on Women’s Health for actually trying to sell me her ‘nutrition’ tips. This part of the interview should have been cut out.
Okay, I am done with my tirade. Sorry, I’m in a bit of a mood today.
Written by Lea Barlow •
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I have not had a treat so decadent in quite some time. But frankly, this week I deserve it. Besides working out every day (sometimes twice) for the past 2 weeks I also had a painful deep cleaning done on my teeth yesterday. You may wonder what that has to do with indulging myself this weekend and I will tell you – nothing. I’m just hungry. Enjoy!
Ingredients
- 1 1/2 cups graham cracker crumbs (about 15 whole crackers ground in processor)
- 1/2 cup all purpose flour
- 2 1/2 teaspoons baking powder
- 1/2 cup (1 stick) unsalted butter, room temperature
- 3/4 cups sugar
- 2 large eggs
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 3/4 cup whole milk
- 8 ounces bittersweet chocolate (do not exceed 61% cacao), chopped
- 1/2 cup (scant) heavy whipping cream
- 3/4 cup plus one 7-ounce jar marshmallow creme
- Nonstick vegetable oil spray
- 12 1-inch pieces broken graham crackers (for garnish)
*Special equipment: Apple corer
Preparation
Preheat oven to 350°F. Line 12 standard muffin cups with paper liners. Whisk graham crumbs, flour, baking powder, and pinch of salt in medium bowl. Beat butter and sugar in large bowl until light and fluffy. Add eggs 1 at a time, beating to blend between additions. Beat in vanilla. Add graham-cracker mixture in 3 additions alternately with milk in 2 additions, beginning and ending with graham-cracker mixture. Divide batter among muffin cups.
Bake cupcakes until tester inserted into center come out clean, about 22 minutes. Transfer cupcakes to rack; cool completely.
Place chocolate in medium bowl. Bring cream just to boil in small saucepan; pour over chocolate. Let stand 1 minute; stir until smooth. Cool ganache until lukewarm.
Push apple corer about 1 inch into top of each cupcake; remove cake, forming hole. Spoon 3/4 cup marshmallow creme into resealable plastic bag, pushing into 1 bottom corner. Cut 1/2 inch off corner. Pipe into holes in cupcakes. Spread 2 teaspoons ganache over each cupcake. DO AHEAD Can be made 8 hours ahead. Let stand at room temperature.
Preheat broiler. Coar rimmed baking sheet with nonstick spray. Spoon dollops of marshmallow creme on sheet. Broil until slightly charred, 1 to 2 minutes. Spoon dollop of charred cremem over each cupcake; garnish with crumbled of graham crackers, chocolate chips or a mini Hershey’s bar. Whatever you wish. Makes 12 delectable cupcakes.
*Happy Friday – now go get your bake on!*
Written by Lea Barlow •
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UPDATE: Congrats to reader Debora McNicholas! Here’s what she had to say…
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Written by Lea Barlow •
73 Comments
Over the weekend we were at great-grandma’s house to celebrate her 85th birthday. The kids find everything in her home completely fascinating. She actually has 20-something year old Happy Meal toys still in their wrappers. I love going there as well to look through old pictures and hear her stories of years past. On this last visit, I stumbled across an old workout book she had next to her TV. “Flatten Your Stomach in 7 Days – Guaranteed!” was an obvious must-read for me. Here are a few of the flat belly moves from 1983 you may want to try. It is guaranteed after all.
Get you blood flowing with The Invigorator. Time to throw in that Olivia Newton John cassette for some added motivation.
Who says working out can’t be fun?!
Now it’s time to feel the burn…
Um, I actually still do this exercise.
Because Super Lifts (I) was just way too easy…
I wonder where I can find this outfit?
Whoa, girl. Be careful not to fall over. Ab work can be dangerous.
Thank goodness it’s finally time to cool down.
What a workout. Now off to watch some General Hospital…
Written by Lea Barlow •
1 Comment
