aprilsmithfitness.com

Crock Pot Black Bean Soup with Turkey Kielbasa

2 cans of Black Beans drained and rinsed

1 to 1.5 cups of carrots, celery and onion chopped fine

Garlic- chopped. I used 4 cloves

1 Bay leaf

Cumin to taste

fat free chicken broth

Turkey Kielbasa- sliced into thin rounds

Add everything but the kielbasa to the crock pot. Cover with chicken broth. Add more broth if you want it to be thinner, less for a thicker soup. Allow to simmer on low all day. Use an immersion blender (easiest method) to puree soup or remove about half of it and puree in the blender. Then add back to the crock pot.

Add the sliced kielbasa during the last 30 to 45 minutes of cooking.

Serve with toasted whole grain bread or pita. Skip the butter or margarine. 

If you live in Virginia then you probably woke up to a lot of white stuff on the ground. We have not had this much snow in a long time! My kids are thrilled and were trying to pull me out of bed at 7 am. I did manage to sleep another hour and get my coffee in before we headed out into it.

I’m always looking for alternative ways (than going to the gym) to get a workout in and the snow provided just that. I talked with a couple of my clients and it seems several of our local gyms are closed today. So what can we do outside to burn calories and fat when there’s 5 to 6 inches of snow on the ground?

If you have kids and are home with them today then getting moving is pretty easy. Sledding, making a snow man, rolling down the hills and just plain trying to keep up with them will burn mega calories. Don’t just stand there camera in hand though, you have to move!

If you don’t have kids and got to take the day off then shovel your drive way and maybe even help out a neighbor to keep your heart rate up. One hour of steady shoveling will burn approximately 300 to 500 calories, same as if you were on a cardio machine. And a lot more interesting if you want my opinion.

The cool thing about snow is that you tend to go out several times to play in it during the day and have the opportunity to burn more calories every time you go outside. Take advantage of the fun and commit to being outside 2 to 3 times today.

This afternoon we took a family walk and everyone went sledding. Since I think my gym is closed and I can’t go this afternoon I wore my heart rate monitor to make sure I was working hard enough. All the walking, running and sledding provided a great workout. I plan to head down stairs to my workout studio for weight training later this afternoon.

Don’t forget to monitor your calories, all that extra exercise is great but if you drink too much hot chocolate with whipped cream then all your hard work will go to waste. I filled my crock pot with the fixin’s for black bean soup this morning. I wanted to cook something filling that would warm us up, was low calorie and full of nutrition. I’ll post the recipe here for anyone who is interested.

Happy snow day, I hope you had as much fun and I did!

I know you’re probably busy, so I’ll keep this brief.

The entire Best Year Ever team is excited about this
evening’s event, and certain you are too. Because
you’re going to get clarity and rock-solid action plans
for really making 2009 your healthiest, most rewarding
year ever.

We’ve got ‘knock-your-socks-off’ speakers just itching
to share what they know with you and help you make 2009
your best year ever. Each one of them was hand-picked
by me because of their exceptional credentials and
reputation here in Stafford & Fredericksburg.

You don’t want to miss a word - because, simply put, we
are all leaders in our respective fields and committed
to giving you not only an entertaining evening, but an
evening jam-packed with great instruction, advice and
step-by-step plans of action you can begin using
immediately.

Here are the details once again, just in case

Event Name: How To Make 2009 Your Healthiest and Best Year Ever!

Charitable Cause: Habitat for Humanity

Cost: Free (with $10 donation to Habitat for Humanity at the door
when you arrive)

Date: February 5th!

Time: 6 p.m.

Location: Fredericksburg Hospitality House Conference Center

Landmark: In Central Park across the street from Outback

Dress: Comfortable and casual (this will be FUN!)

NOTE: Please bring your checkbook or ten dollars in
cash per person to make your charitable donation. A
representative from Habitat for Humanity will be at the
door to provide you with a receipt for your taxes.

To your best year ever,

April Smith
Fusion Health & Fitness
april@aprilsmithfitness.com
540-295-5456

P.S. If you have any last minute questions or need any
help at all, just call my office at 540-295-5456.

P.P.S. And don’t forget, we’re giving away over $3,000
in prizes that you can win.

On Thursday I recorded my first ever radio show on health, fitness and wellness and it was live!

I had a blast and have received some good feedback from the listeners. I can’t wait to do it again.

My next show will air on January 22nd and I am honored to host Terry Diebold. Terry is a licenced marriage and family therapist and runs the Center for Family Counseling here in Fredericksburg. Visit her website at www.centerforfamilycounseling.com

She’s also the author of the new book The Myth of Self Esteem
www.terrydiebold.com It can be purchased locally at The Griffin Bookstore & Coffee Bar in downtown Fredericksburg www.thegriffinbookshopcoffeebar.com If you have not visited it yet you should! It’s super cool and they have a great reading room upstairs.

Hello, Happy New Year and welcome to my new Blog. I’ve waited a long time to have an avenue to speak about health and fitness and I’m excited to get started. I have a lot to share!
You can look forward to lots of recipes, videos and comments from me about what’s happening in the fitness arena around Fredericksburg, Spotty & Stafford and across the country.

We’re super busy around here at Fusion Health & Fitness. It’s January and all of Fredericksburg is focused on Making 2009 Their Healthiest & Best Year Ever. We are here to help!

I’m watching Biggest Loser as I write this & laughing as the trainers are screaming at America to put the bowl of ice cream down as they watch the show. Biggest Loser seriously inspires me as a fitness professional and as a person.

I believe that people do better (in life & in everything else) when they feel better. Being healthy makes you feel great. When you feel great you act in a different way in the world. You are a better mom or dad, partner,sister, brother, employee or employer. You are more creative and look forward to waking up in the morning.
My challenge for you is to Make 2009 Your Healthiest & Best Year Ever so you can capitalize on the “feel good” feelings.

January is a big month for us at Fusion. The most exciting event this this week is my premire on local RADIO!!!!!

I will host a new health, fitness & wellness radio show on NewsTalk 1230WFVA AM at 9AM starting this Thursday, January 8th. Feel free to listen & call in to ask questions. You can hear my promo for the show on my website www.aprilsmithfitness.com Just press the little arrow button on the front page.

This week we’ll be discussing the Top 10 Reasons People Fail and My 5 Keys to Transforming Your Body In Record Time!”

I’ve got to get back to the Biggest Loser, but I will talk with you again soon.