What's for dinner? Ask Google.

Monday is recipe of the week day here on the blog. But what happens in real life when you're trying to get inspired to make something for dinner and can't think of anything? Right. That's what happened to me today. Luckily, I have some things to fall back on. One of them is my computer where I have iGoogle as the default home page in my browser. iGoogle allows users to choose which "Gadgets" to display within its frame, including news, weather, stocks, sports, and recipes! I love looking for recipes online, but I love it even better when a good recipe greets me when I turn on my computer. One of my iGoogle gadgets is "The World's Healthiest Foods," which each week features a healthy food. This week's "healthiest food" is lamb, and there on my iGoogle page is a recipe for 10-minute Rosemary Lamb Chops. Yum!

To get started, go to igoogle.com. If you don't have a Google account or an iGoogle page, you can click on the Get Started link. Once you've created a page, you can click the "Add stuff" link on the upper right part of the page and find interesting "gadgets" to add to your page and they'll be there everytime you go to this page.

So what am I making for dinner tonight? I thought I'd save the lamb chops for the weekend when we can relax and really enjoy them, but tonight I'm going to try these Southwestern Turkeyburgers. I love anything with avocado in it, and it's under 350 calories, so it's sure to be a winner. Bon appetit!

Fitness and Technology Update: Podcasts!

Did you ever wish you could have a fitness coach in your pocket, or even better, right in your ear, telling you what to do? Well, you can. If you have an iPod or other device that plays MP3 files, you should check out podcasts. Podcasts are recorded programs and you can find one for just about any interest you might have. I download podcasts of my favorite NPR shows such as This American Life and Radiolab. But lately I've been letting my iPod guide me through my Pilates and Yoga practice.

Admittedly, using an audio podcast is probably not the best introduction to a new fitness program. To learn Yoga or any other technique, you probably want to start with classes, or at the very least, a DVD program. You need to learn proper technique by watching and doing, and ideally, getting corrections from a real instructor before doing any kind of exercise. I've been taking Yoga and Pilates for years, so I feel very comfortable, for example, when a voice in my ear prompts me to get in to the "plank" pose, or instructs me to do "the hundred." However, I don't always feel motivated or organized enough to put all those poses and exercises together to form a routine. That's when I pick up my iPod and get to work. I love this set of under-30 minute routines by Phoebe Kelly. Phoebe has a very successful practice in New York, especially with private clients whose complaint was only that they couldn't meet with her as much as they wanted. Her answer to them was this set of podcasts to keep them limber in between her visits. Her gentle (but firm!) voice flows through each exercise, reminding you when to breathe and other helpful hints. You might find it helpful to perform the exercises in front of a mirror so you can relate what she's saying to what your body is doing. I always feel strengthened, lengthened, and relaxed after doing these routines!

The website that hosts Phoebe Kelly's Pilates and Yoga podcasts has a plethora of exercise options. Do you have a stationary bike sitting idle in your house? Get that thing spinning by checking out one of the cycling  podcasts. Going out for a walk and you want to stay focused on your fitness? There are a ton of podcasts to keep your arms and legs swinging. The podcasts in iAmplify are reasonably priced, from $2.95, and there is no membership required.

You can find podcasts easily if you have iTunes. In iTunes, click the Store link, and use Search to find the type of exercise you're interested in (eg Strength training).  Then click the "Podcasts" link to filter your results to show only podcasts (rather than music or movies, etc) for that topic. Note that there are also video podcasts here; this would be great if you have an iPad or computer in your exercise space. Best of all, most of these podcasts are free. Once you subscribe to a podcast, depending on how you have iTunes set up, each time a new podcast is created, it will automatically download to your computer. Then you just sync them to your iPod or other device and it's all yours.

Podcasts are becoming a regular feature on some websites as well. Try using whatever search engine you like to find one. For example, I typed "workout podcast" into Google, and look what I found.

So don't just lie on your couch plugged in to your iPod! Find a podcast and start moving today.

Healthy for the planet=healthy for us ALL

So it's Thursday and I've completely missed my regular Monday-Wednesday columns. I'll write my fitness column (usually on Tuesdays) tomorrow. In honor of Earth month, I'm going to try to stay on track and feature earth-friendly practices on "random Thursdays". After all, if the planet we're living on is healthier, wouldn't you think it would be good for the beings that live on it?

There's a new kid in town. Haulin' Glass is offering a service that I've wanted since I moved from the DC area to Berkeley Springs: recycling pickup. When I first moved here in 2000, there wasn't any recycling at all. However, within a few years, we were able to gather up our recyclables and haul them to our closest school on a Saturday every month. Then a couple of years ago, the Charles Biggs recycling center opened on 522S, and we're able to bring them there anytime they're opened. That was a bit more convenient, but still, the recycling has a tendency to pile up on the weekends when we're not able to get there when they're open.  I recently discovered Haulin Glass on Facebook and, much to my delight, read that they were offering pickup service! I subscribed, and got in touch with Ashley Jones and got to ask her a few questions.


How has response been so far? We've been receiving really great feedback from residents and the community in general. Most of it is along the lines of "it's about time!" We gave a presentation to the town council and they are totally on board, Morgan Sanitation supports the idea, various publications and media avenues (such as yours) have offered free publicity. It's just been really great knowing that so many Berkeley Springians are happy to have this service and are as passionate as we are about doing some good.
What made you decide to offer this service? Just like many of our customers, our recyclables kept piling up and eventually took over the basement. Who knew it would be such a hassle to get them to the center? One day I (Ashley) called Adam and said, let's just start picking up recycling, there has got to be more people like us out there! Within a few weeks we sorted out details, advertised, and hoped people would respond. Thankfully they did.
Have you had a business like this before? Never. This was entirely new to us. I knew a bit about starting a business but that's where our experience ended. Needless to say it's been quite the learning experience, but a surprisingly smooth one.
Where are you from? Adam is from a little southern West Virginia town called Fraziers Bottom. Although I haven't always lived in Berkeley Springs, I've been here for most of my life and claim it as my hometown.
What's your background? I knew this question would get asked. One facebook friend sent us a message that simply said "who are you?" I'll admit I wanted that stuff to stay in the background, but realized it's good for people to be able to know the people behind the business. I - Ashley Jones - have been in Berkeley Springs most of my life and graduated from BSHS in 2006. Although I moved around a bit, I ended up attending Shepherd and graduating with a business degree in December 2010 and decided to stay in Berkeley. I currently take care of Haulin' Glass and work for Mountain View Solar & Wind here in Berkeley Springs. My boyfriend, Adam Keeling moved here in 2006 when he was offered the job of kindergarten teacher at Pleasant View Elementary School, where he continues to work today. He's the face of the company and does all of the collecting. He's a super friendly guy so if you see him emptying your bins feel free to start a conversation, I promise you'll be entertained. We have no kids, just a little dog named Belle.
Anything else you want to tell the people?: I really want to stress that our goal is to encourage recycling by making it easier. It's amazing to see how much trash can be saved from the landfill and reused in an unbelievable amount of ways. Although we do have a few guidelines, we want to work with anyone who is willing to work with us. Need different sized bins than what we offer? We'll work around that. Do you really want to recycle but can't afford our prices? Let us know. Wish we would do this instead of that? Tell us about it. We're absolutely open to suggestions, because you probably know as much about this business as we do, and may have some better ideas. We're aware that the relationship between collector and customer is a negative one, if you will. What makes things easier for the customer makes it harder for the collector and vice verse, so we're constantly looking for ways to find the best balance between the two.

I think it's great that these young people have found it in their guts and heart to start this business. You can get in touch with them via their website or give them a call at 304-258-6351 for more information.

Healthy hint of the week: Make the natural choice

Artificial dyes are in the news again. You've probably seen the pictures of the child's handwriting before and after he stopped eating foods with artificial colors by now (and by the way. How's this for irony: the news video linked above included an ad for Pillsbury Toaster Strudels. Yep, they have Red 40, Blue 1, Yellow 5.)
The FDA has decided not to ban these artificial colors, citing lack of evidence that there is a link between the dyes and hyperactivity in children. So it's up to us to decide whether or not to buy foods containing them.
I prefer not to purchase foods with artificial ingredients. Why would I want to eat something manufactured, when the real thing is so delicious, usually cheaper, and really, not that hard to prepare? I mean, am I really going to spend $2.99 on a 9 oz packet of Welch's "Fruit Snacks" which contain corn syrup, sugar, modified corn starch, natural and artificial flavors, carnauba wax, red 40, yellow 5 and blue 1 when I can just buy the grapes for $2 a pound? It doesn't make economical sense, or healthy sense.
My rule at home is, if it's got more than 6 ingredients and I can't pronounce at least one of them, it stays on the grocery shelf for some other sucker.
Here's what's in my house right now for snacking:

• bananas
• apples
• oranges
• Nature's Choice (Martin's brand of "natural" and organic foods) tortilla chips, pretzels, and microwave popcorn
• OK, I'll admit to the two boxes of Girl Scout cookies in the freezer.
• Almonds (my favorite cheat food)

Now and then I absolutely crave those orange Doritos. And as far as I'm concerned, now and then is when those things should be eaten. I'm not going to be a nut about it. But I'm not going to fill up my grocery cart with boxes of "food" instead of bags of good, juicy produce, healthy cuts of meat and fish, and beans and rice. If you don't like to cook, or are too busy, there are plenty of books and online resources for easy to make recipes. I like the rule for grocery shopping: shop the outer aisles for the majority of your food (dairy, produce, meat) and skip entirely the snack aisle. And I pretty much stick to my 6 ingredient rule.

So that's my rant for the day! See you at the grocery store!

Random post of the week: Our patients are Royalty!

Dr. Hahn may think he's the King of Wellness, but our patients are the real Royals. Enjoy this picture of one of our wonderful patients, Herman Parks getting the royal treatment at one of his visits. We have a crown to fit you!