Fall Series #2 -- work on your arms!

• Sit in armless chair. Keep feet flat and even with shoulders.
  

· Hold hand weights at sides, arms straight, palms facing toward your body.

· Slowly bend one elbow, lifting weight toward chest. Be sure to rotate palm to face shoulder while lifting weight.

· Hold position for 1 second. Slowly lower arm to starting position.

· Repeat with other arm. Alternate until you have repeated the exercise 8 to 15 times on each side.

· Rest. Then do another set of 8 to 15 alternating repetitions.

Pumpkin Pie

Hi everyone!

So, fall is definitely here. Let the parties and calories begin! This time of year can be stressful from a health perspective--particularly if you're in the middle of a strict regime or just trying to stay at a healthy weight. You don't want to blow all your hard work, but at the same time, you want to enjoy the holidays. Consider this post the launch of a little "mini-series" I'll be doing on how to stay looking good withOUT depriving yourself of everything good and festive.

To kick it off, I'm including a yummy looking pie recipe that I found at http://www.suite101.com/

Check it out and stay tuned for more updates between now and the end of the year!

Pumpkin Pie Ingredients

• 2 9-inch unbaked pie shells


• 2 standard (398 ml) cans pumpkin


• 6 large eggs (equivalent to 7 medium eggs or 8 small)


• 1 cup skim milk


• 1 cup raw organic cane sugar or natural, unrefined Demerara sugar


• 4 teaspoons cinnamon


• 1 teaspoon ginger


• 1 teaspoon cloves


• ¼ teaspoon nutmeg


• ¼ teaspoon salt

Pumpkin Pie Directions

Preheat oven to 425 Fahrenheit (218 Celsius). If pie shells have just come out of the freezer, warm them in the oven for a couple of minutes, just until warm to the touch.

Beat eggs lightly with a whisk. Add all other ingredients and beat until smooth. Pour into pie shells.

Bake 15 minutes and then reduce temperature to 350 Fahrenheit (176 Celsius) and bake for another 45-60 minutes. Test for doneness with toothpick starting at approximately 45 minutes after lowering the oven temperature, and every 5 minutes thereafter. The toothpick should come out clean or nearly clean when the pies are done

Pumpkin Pie Health Benefits

Pumpkin isn’t just tasty, it also provides a number of health benefits. Pumpkin contains dietary fiber, antioxidant vitamins including C and A, Omega-3 fatty acids, folate, potassium, and manganese, all at just 79 calories per cup. As such, pumpkin is a great choice for healthy cooking and baking.