You have no idea how much I wanted to write "Simple Stuffed Selery" but search engines and all that.
Anyway, this isn't much of a recipe, but then I'm not much of a cook. I did a quick search on "stuffed celery" after making mine, and found there are many variations, pretty much all of them more complex than this one. But hey, whatever works.
When mingling at a party (or bash), I try to avoid talking about macronutrients. Despite my obvious passion for the subject, chances are people's eyes would glaze over (though they still would prefer it to me talking about cats). Yet you already know a fair amount about macronutrients: carbohydrates ("carbs"), protein, and fat. These help define the types of foods we eat to provide energy for the body.
There are other purposes for macronutrients, such as providing the necessary components for body growth and repair, but the primary purpose of proteins, fats, and carbohydrates (especially fats and carbs) is to provide energy. Energy for the body is measured in calories. While vitamins and minerals (micronutrients) are required in small quantities, macronutrients are needed in large supplies. Our bodies use lots of energy every day (even when we're not particularly active) and we get that energy from food.
We here in North America (and an increasing percentage of the planet) eat too fast. We eat on the run, on the road, at work, in front of the TV...anywhere we can. And we do it fast. The result? We eat more and enjoy it less. And that doesn't just sound bad, it is bad.
When hitting the road (not literally, of course), it's always a good idea to plan ahead to take advantage of the activity opportunities of your destination. For example, many hotels have fitness centers (of widely varying quality), a beach trip can feature lots of water activities (swimming, snorkeling, bodyboarding, wind surfing, etc.), and a trip to the San Francisco Bay Area can (and should) include hiking and biking and, of course, hill sprints.
Maybe you remember rope climbing from PE (or "Gym Class") in school. Maybe you did some as a kid just for fun, or as part of fitness training as an adult. It's good exercise, and can be good fun, too.
But what if you want to climb indoors and don't have a high ceiling? Or what if your upper body strength relative to your weight isn't so good? Never fear, a modification is here!
In the classic movie Star Wars Episode IV: A New Hope (you know, the first one), Luke is getting schooled in the ways of The Force by Jedi master Yoda when Yoda tells him to use The Force to levitate his X-Wing fighter out of a swamp. Luke is skeptical, to say the least, and tells Yoda, "Alright, I'll give it a try." Yoda's response is a classic within a classic: "Try not. Do. Or do not. There is no try." (Luke gives it a shot but fails.)
High Intensity Interval Training (HIIT) is a proven way to develop your conditioning. They're also excellent for fat-burning. And one of the best exercises for doing both is hill sprints.
Now, for those of you who think sprinting up a hill is too much for you, let's use our own definition of "sprint" here. While it's normally considered to be running at (or near) full speed, we'll consider it to be moving at (or near) your full speed. So a "sprint" might be a fast walk for some people; that's OK. The important part is the intensity, which must, obviously, be high. So moving at (or near) full speed uphill for a short time constitutes a hill sprint. See? I knew you could do it!
