Over at Does This Blog Make Us Look Fat?, they are traveling into the future and playing mind games. It’s all about pretending to be at your weight/fitness goal. Why on earth would you do that? Find out here!

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Have your exercise habits changed in this down economy? A new poll finds more people are downsizing their workouts because of the recession. A couple of interesting things from the poll – sales of fitness equipment are down for the first time in 20 years, health club memberships decreased a little, and some regular exercisers are working out less.

Here are 7 popular food and fitness products during this recession.

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The answer, from a new study – it depends. Researchers stress not all weight-loss podcasts are equal, and caution that the programs should be engaging and offer sound diet and exercise advice or they won’t have much benefit. More on the most effective types of podcasts for weight loss here.

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In honor of Diabetes Awareness Month, enjoy this zesty and easy Mexican meal from the American Diabetes Association.

Makes: 6 servings
Serving size: 1 enchilada
Preparation time: 15 minutes
Cooking time: 35 minutes

Ingredients
1 lb. boneless, skinless chicken breasts, cut into cubes
1 tsp. olive oil
Juice of 1 lime
1 tsp. chili powder
2 scallions, minced
Salt and pepper to taste
1 tsp. olive oil
1 (15-oz.) can black beans, drained and rinsed
6 (6-inch) whole-wheat tortillas
2/3 cup reduced-fat shredded Mexican cheese blend or Monterey Jack cheese, divided
Cooking spray
1½ cups canned enchilada sauce

Preparation
1. In a medium bowl, combine the chicken with the olive oil, lime juice, chili powder, scallions, salt, and pepper. Cover and marinate in the refrigerator for at least 1 hour and up to 24 hours.
2. Preheat the oven to 375°F. Remove the chicken from the marinade and discard any excess. Heat the olive oil in a nonstick skillet over medium heat. Add the chicken and sauté for 7 to 8 minutes until chicken is cooked through. Remove the chicken to a bowl and add the black beans.
3. Divide the chicken-and-bean filling among six tortillas. Top each with 1 Tbsp. of the cheese. Roll up each tortilla and place seam-side down in a baking dish coated with cooking spray. Pour the sauce over the enchiladas and bake, covered, for about 20 minutes. Add the remaining cheese and bake, uncovered, for 5 minutes until cheese melts.

Nutrition facts
Starch exchanges 1.5
Vegetable exchanges 1
Lean meat exchanges 3
Fat exchanges 0.5
Amount per serving
Calories 305
Calories From Fat 80
Total Fat 9 g
Saturated Fat 2.4 g
Trans Fat 0 g
Cholesterol 55 mg
Sodium 585 mg (without added salt)
Total Carbohydrate 30 g
Dietary Fiber 6 g
Sugars 4 g
Protein 26 g

[Recipe reprinted with permission]

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As some of you may now, I started FatFighterTV after I had covered the obesity epidemic for years and saw its effects on so many people, especially children. I interviewed families with kids who were not even teenagers yet who had developed type 2 diabetes because of their weight.

So, I’m thrilled to see Diabetes Act Now – an interactive site raising awareness about the risks of the disease. One of the first things you’ll see when you visit are these sobering statistics – 2 out of 3 people with diabetes die of a heart attack or stroke. 2 out of 3!

The American Diabetes Association launched the site to help answer questions about type 1 and type 2 diabetes, and to show patients easy ways to help reduce and prevent complications like heart attack and stroke.

Diabetes Act Now features:

• A personal dashboard to track your progress and choose action plans.

• A library of videos to help you make easy lifestyle changes to improve your diabetes numbers.

• An interactive widget with diabetes-related content and resources that you can access directly on your personal desktop.

There’s also a Spanish version of the site, Diabetes Actua Ya and a Twitter account

November is Diabetes Awareness Month… so help me spread the word about the risks of the disease and this important site!

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Congrats to FatFighterTV member – Tom – for winning last week’s giveaway for the Vitalicious Super Sampler Pack. Enjoy!

Thanks again, Vitalicious!

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Addicted to Twitter? Hooked on Facebook? Can’t get enough of your favorite websites? It seems there are so many more reasons to stay online these days… which means you’re doing a lot of sitting. By the end of the day it’s easy to feel tense, sore, and sedentary. But since this is just so unhealthy, check out this list of how to get fit while you’re online – exercises to get your heart rate up, help you tone up and de-stress. All at the comfort of your desk… or close by.  

1.Cyber Squats – Who says you have to sit when you’re online? Set your chair aside for a few minutes and instead do squats as you cruise around the Web. I’m squatting as I write this post – ouch!  Try these shotgun squats

2. RSS Raises – As you’re sitting at your desk, straighten your knees and lift your legs out in front of you. Do this as you catch up on your favorite blogs on your RSS reader. What the heck is RSS?

3. 10 Minute Move it! Break #1 – Alternate jogging in place with jumping jacks – do a minute of each and repeat five times.

4. Twitter Tummy Tone – Tighten your abs for 30 seconds and then release. Do this as you tweet. Tweet me here!

5. Social Squeezes – Tighten your glutes for 30 seconds and then release. (Good thing noone can see you at this social, right?) Repeat as you Stumble, Digg, or Friend on Facebook.

6. 10 Minute Move it! Break #2 – Grab a step stool and climb up and down – get creative if you like and alternate knee lifts at the top of the step. Or how ’bout a creative housecleaning workout break?

7. Inbox Incline – While you’re sitting with your feet on the floor, raise your heels so you are on the balls of your feet and lower them. Make sure you can feel it in your calves. Do this as you read and reply to your emails.

8. 10 Minute Move it! Break #3 – Do walking lunges around the house or office. Want to make it more challenging? Add some weights and do bicep curls at the same time. Or try some of Fitness Model, Jamie Eason’s plyometrics moves.

9. Blogger Breather – Grab a quick minute to just close your eyes and focus on your breath. Count to 10 as you slowly inhale through your nose, thinking positive thoughts. Exhale through your mouth, again counting to 10. This time release all the tension and stress out of your body. Repeat if you have a few more seconds.

10. Sign Off Stretches – Your shoulders can get pretty tense when you sit at a computer too long. So loosen them up throughout the day with Shoulder Shrugs – with your head at your chest, shrug your shoulders up and down. Repeat. Again. And again.

Do these exercises throughout the day to avoid becoming a computer potato!

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Two people may have died after eating bad beef. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention says 28 people have gotten sick from ground beef that may be contaminated with E. coli.

Fairbank Farms recalled 545,699 pounds of fresh ground beef Friday because of the possible link. The company says customers who have the recalled meat should return it to their grocery stores for a full refund. Stores include:  ACME, BJ’s, Ford Brothers, Giant Food Stores, Price Chopper, Shaw’s, and Trader Joe’s.

Go here for a complete list of the products recalled.

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Brrr… just looking at this picture makes me shiver! I’ll be the first to admit that I am a big WINTER WIMP. When the weather is cold and dreary, I avoid going outside unless I absolutely have to. So, what about exercise? I might make it to the gym, but that would mean going outside to get in my car. Honestly, in the winter I am much more likely to workout with an exercise DVD in my warm home. I thought some of you might feel the same, so…  

Welcome to FatFighterTV’s Winter Workouts (indoors) giveaway series. Over the next few months, we will be giving away DVDs twice a month so you can keep working out without stepping out into the cold.

[Disclosure: I received a complimentary sample of these products. My policy is to only post giveaways about products I honestly like, or those I think FatFighterTV members would enjoy.]

ExerciseTV is kicking things off with these two DVDs:

Powerade Zero: Less Is More Workout Series – This is a 30 minute calorie burning workout. It’s cardio for your entire body, including pushups, core training, jump steps, and more! See a preview clip here.

Jillian Michaels 30 Day Shred DVD – This workout from “The Biggest Loser” trainer, Jillian Michaels, is based on Jillian’s 3-2-1 Strength/Cardio/Ab training circuit: Three minutes of strength, two minutes of cardio and one minute of ab work. See a preview clip here.

One winner will get both DVDs. I thought it would be fun to get to know a little more about where all of you live. So, head down to the comments and tell me where you are, and the time and temperature there as you’re reading this.

I am in Columbus, Ohio… it’s now 10 pm and it’s 40 degrees – not too cold YET!

See you in the comments!

Contest runs through midnight EST this Friday, November 6, you have to have a U.S. mailing address to enter, and we will use random.org to pick the winner.

[Photo Credit: stock.xchng]

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Rebecca from Does This Blog Make Us Look Fat? is bitter and has written an open letter to Heidi Klum about it. See what’s got her all worked up here. Enjoy her little rant… and your weekend. Happy Halloween!

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