BUS 449a Off-topic: Allrecipes.com

1. Headquarters: Seattle, WA
2. 8+ million registered members, 5+ million e-mail subscriptions, 30 million unique visitors, 23 countries, an average of 135 million recipe pageviews.
3. The site is available in: English, Spanish, Portugese, Chinese, French, German, Indian, Italian, Japanese, Korean, Dutch, Polish, Russian
4. The purpose of the website is to create a huge database of recipes, shared by the users. Visitors can either contribute to the content of it or choose to just browse, depending on the membership they select.
5. The website generates revenue through advertising and Go Pro paid accounts.
6. The website is very useful as it provides the users with an enormous database of recipes. What I like the most about it is the searching option to look for recipes by ingredients.
7. The website is extremely developed. It offers different functions like providing a Menu Planner, videos of food preparation, blogs and so on, so I don't think it needs any radical improvement at the moment.

This is a very useful site, and even though it's not on the subject that much, it actually provides with some really good healthy suggestions for your diet. So, as long as you are patient to search for some delicious and nutritious meals, it will be very helpful for you! Dig in!

BUS 449a Let's squat!

Hello, fellow fruit-lovers! If you think I'm already losing it, you've probably missed to read my last post about which exotic fruits to add to your diet. But I know you'll have plenty of time to read it after you learn some things about squats.
Squats are very important part of your work-out for several major reasons. First, this exercise is very practical as most of us squat on a daily basis to perform real world tasks. In order not to let a simple squat cause you pain or injuries, doing this exercise will make your body more stable to such daily activities. Secondly, squats help you burn fat. As you perform squats, you gain more muscle mass, and the more muscle mass you have the more calories you lose. Lastly, squats build up your entire body as it engages all muscles of your body, not just the legs but back, abs and chest, as well.
   How to perform a squat properly? Easy. Start with a simple warm-up and don't forget to stretch your legs. Put your feet at a shoulder width, toes slightly pointing out. This is a posture that is natural to the body. Keep your back straight, otherwise you may injure yourself. Lower down, as you bend your knees, hips and ankles until you reach a 90-degree angle. Never stop breathing - inhale as you go down, exhale as you go up. In order to engage your arms, as well, you may put them in front of your body as you lower for the squat, bent at the elbows, hands gathered at the level of the chin. Let them down as you rise. Suck your belly button in, to tighten up your abs, as well.
Source: Check this video for performing safe squats

BUS 449a Healthy means fit!

Hello, dear friends!
My first post this week is about some exotic decisions when it comes to choosing what types of fruit to add to your diet. Fruits are extremely healthy (duuh) and the best snack you could hope for. However, if bananas and apples have lost their taste for you as you consume them every day, there are options available!
My first suggestion for you is avocado. Yes, I know it contains a good amount of calories, but all you need is a quarter of a piece per day. Avocados are a very good source of fiber, non-saturated fats, vitamin B, K and B6 and potassium. The best option is to add it to your salad, as its taste is quite bland. What I do is mash it up with a little bit of honey to make it sweeter. (Always go for honey instead of white sugar!)
Pomegranate is another good choice when it comes to picking fruits. This fruit also contains a lot of fiber, it lower the cholesterol level in your system and attacks the fats that tend to be stored in your belly! Sounds good!

Looks good, as well:)

And tastes good!
The last fruit I will recommend is grapefruit. Yes, it is pretty bitter. BUT, it is considered one of the foods with negative calories. Got your attention? Well, that's not true. But, don't stop reading now. Grapefruit only contains about 74 calories per serving and is believed to help the liver break the fat down. Nice, huh?
So, what's your favorite fruit? I would love to see your choice in the comments below:)) And don't forget - fruit is healthy, healthy is fit!

BUS 449a Crunch it!

Hello, dear fitness lovers!
Have you been drinking plenty of water? Well, if you haven't, now is not a good time either, since this post will be about abdominal exercise and you don't want to do that on a full stomach.
I can't tell you how to get a lovely 6-pack in a week, but I will try to help, you and me both, better understand the concept of doing abs and lose that belly fat, none of us likes.
First, let's consider the difference between a crunch and a sit-up. The crunch puts all the pressure on your abdominal muscles, whereas the sit-up exercises other muscles, as well, such as the lower-back, the neck, the chest, even the legs muscles in some cases. In order to do a crunch properly, lie down on a rag and bend your legs at the knees keeping your feet at a distance equal to your shoulders width. Then put your hands at your ears, without pushing your head forward, and raise only your shoulders and head without unnecessary flexing at the neck . Try to keep your lower back on the ground, which will ensure that your abdominal muscles are contracted at all times. Don't forget to breathe - exhale as you go up and inhale as you go down.
If you hook up your legs somewhere to do a sit-up, the pressure will be divided between the legs and the abs muscles. So, this choice is up to you. Place your hands again at your ears, and unlike for the crunches, slightly flex your neck forward. Use your abdominal muscles to lift your body up until you reach a position where you're almost sitting, and then go back down. Keep breathing in the same way as mentioned above. Try not to fully relax as you go down so that your abs are contracted at all times. Make sure, you don't have any back problems, in order not to injure yourself by doing sit-ups.
For best results, perform both exercises in 3-4 groups of 20-30 repetitions each. Try to do them at least 2-3 times a week, if you wanna see that 6-pack peeking out from that belly! :)) Don't forget to increase the number at least once a week so that you can get better results in time! Sit up, crunch, enjoy! :)))
Source: http://www.bcliving.ca/health/which-abdominal-exercise-is-better-crunches-or-sit-ups

BUS 449a Drink it up!

Hello, gymaniacs!
Have you been running?! I hope so. I have and my legs are begging for some rest:)
This post won't be about workout, so don't you worry. It won't be about food, either. It's about something pretty simple and pure that you can do everyday without any efforts.
How much water do you drink per day? Maybe now's a good time to think about this. Water could be really beneficial for you and make your lifestyle much healthier.

That's my boy!

Drinking more water speeds up your metabolism. When your body is dehydrated, it starts conserving energy and therefore slows down its processes because the organs need to be properly hydrated to work fast and efficiently.  Once your metabolism has been increased by drinking more water, though, the weight-losing mission seems much easier for those of you who want to lose a few kilos. However, drinking water is just another step to being healthier and keeping your body fresh.
Water also cleans up the toxins in your body. It's the most natural way of cleaning your kidneys and bowel and helping them eliminate any waste of what you've been taking throughout the day.
How does water help me? Well, I take as much as 5 liters of water per day. So, my friends have probably seen me carrying around a big bottle of water every day. (And rushing to the bathrooms about 35 times a day.) That's one of my ways to stay fit and full. Every time I feel like having some extra food or something that wouldn't be very healthy for me, I drink water. I've had problems with kidney stones in the past, so that's one more reason to try to take as much water as possible. Whenever I feel like drinking juice or something that will just bring extra sugar and extra calories to my body that I don't need - I drink water. It's healthy, it's clean, it's tasty:)) Well, yeah I know it doesn't exactly taste like beer or wine, but remember - there is no hangover after overdosing with water!!! Drink it up! Cheers:)

BUS 449a The more you run, the more you run!

Hello, fellow fitnessers!
Did you work out this week? Well, it's Sunday and if you haven't you might as well go now at least for a run before it's too late. Not so fast, though, as I've got some useful tips to share on running which I've come to on my own as well as some information I found online.
In my opinion, it is very important to feel physically and mentally ready to go for a run. If you don't like it, please, don't go for it. It's just not worth it being miserable just so you don't feel that guilty for being lazy. 15 minutes of running per week won't do it for you, though. Go for some other sport or a walk in the park with friends as often as possible and it will be more effective for you.
To be physically ready is another matter. If you haven't worked out recently, you feel out of shape or you have some health issues, you might wanna start with something easier. As a big fan of work&travel programs I come back every summer with some extra kilos. (I'm sure girls can relate to this:) ) As a result of the gained weight I have a really hard time running because my knees hurt.What you can do in similar situations, is go for long walks with fast pace, or as I did - go on the cross trainer first. The tension on the knees is lower, but you are still pretty active and you sweat a lot.
Once you feel ready for a run, don't push yourself too much at first, because the pain next day will be unbearable. Try to run regularly, at least twice a week and keep record of your results because that will motivate you to push yourself a little harder each time.
The posture while running is very important so that you can run properly, without causing any injuries to your body. This is a pretty good, educational and short video which shows some of the most common mistakes while running.
Well, it is kinda late now for you to go for a run, but tomorrow is Monday, so you can start your week with a morning run around the block or a nice long walk in the park. I'd love to see your opinion on the topic, so keep running, don't forget to comment, and stay fit! :)

BUS 449a Good morning!

Good morning, everybody! Well, it is kinda late but don't give up on reading as the topic for this post is breakfast, and sooner or later the morning will knock on your windows:)
When I want to start my day feeling fresh and energized I always have breakfast. Well, after the first coffee, of course.

...There it is, coffee, milk, no sugar, yummy

After a few minutes of waking up with this cup of pure joy, I make my breakfast. Well, honestly it is different every day, but the one I will show you today is a very healthy idea to start yours. I learned it from an ex-roommate (oops) and I am sure she will recognize it as she is in the class, as well:)) So, partial copyrights to Darina:)
Anyway, what you will need for this breakfast is milk...

...oatmeal, wheat seeds, barley seeds (any seeds that sound healthy enough), and a piece of fruit

The proportions are totally up to you, but you will feel how much to put from everything in the cup eventually. Mix the seeds and pour some milk on top. Heat it up in the microwave for 3-4 minutes. The seeds will expand in the warm milk. Then you can slice the banana (apple, pear, and you can add honey if you wanna make it sweeter).

There it is

Yup, I know, it doesn't look quite good, but it is GOOD for you:))
I hope at least one of you will try it and share an opinion (I'm ready to take it whatever it is, but don't forget it's the ex-roommate's recipe:))) )
I will be more than happy to hear about your healthy breakfast. Or healthy lunch. Or dinner. There's gotta be at least a snack...