Made Fit TV - Health & Fitness Entertainment

Cardiovascular exercise is only as good as you make it. If you're not having fun - okay, or at least a little fun - then maybe it's time you switched up your methods. There is not "cookie cutter" way to increase your endurance, so find one that works for you. Cycling, or "spinning", is a good alternative to the typical cardio methods that involve you being on your feet. Over-use is one of the most common causes of injury, and cycling can help decrease those odds by working your heart, legs, and core in a lower impact way. But, you have to do it correctly and have a goal in order to get the greatest benefits from this overlooked type of exercise. In this week's Made Fit TV episode, I show you how to set up your bike to get the maximum results from your ride. I also show you some creative workouts to do on the bike to keep you from getting bored. And, because I want you to give this a good chance, I also have a workout for you that you can upload from this post, print off, and take with you to follow along! Happy cycling!

As cliche as it may sound, breakfast is the most important meal of the day. But why? When you sleep, even though your body is maintaining a lower heart rate, your body is fasting. If we're lucky, we typically get 8 hours of sleep. So, that's ten hours or more your body goes without eating food! And, I say ten hours because we don't eat right before bed, I would hope! So, breakfast is crucial in kick-starting your metabolism for the rest of the day. And you don't want to just eat anything. Sorry, no sticky buns! You must eat protein, some healthy carbs and fat. The perfect meal that I always recommend involves eggs, every time. In this week's episode of Made Fit TV, we join a Detroit-based professional meal service, Gourmet Everyday, in showing you a great breakfast omelet recipe. The company's owner, Michelle Kobernick, shares with us her "Rule of Three's", key to making your meal the best tasting and the healthiest!

Another year, another chance to let yourself down, right? NO! Like I showed you in Episode 78, the best way to succeed in a new year is to commit to a New "LIFE" Resolution. A few challenging exercise moves for the total body is a great way to start... and a set of dumbbells! Over a year ago, I showed you a "Starter Workout for Beginners". This provided good tips and exercises for you to kick off your program if you're just getting back into it for the first time in a long time, or for the first time ever. Now, in this week's Made Fit TV podcast, I provide you with a Part 2 to that episode. It has more movements to jump-start your exercise program with good form and intensity!

The confetti has fallen, the champagne bottles have emptied, and the ball has dropped. A new year comes this new-found purpose in people in the form of a "New Year's Resolution." We toss that phrase around every year, but do we really know what it means? Speaking for the majority, no. There are many definitions for the word resolution, but the core of the word is action. And when it comes down to acting on a New Year's Resolution, everyone has an excuse not to follow through. As opposed to looking at the New Year as something that sets you up for failure, set yourself up to be a better a you! In this week's Made Fit TV episode, it's all about how you are going to achieve a New LIFE Resolution in 2010. I give you three tips you can use to keep you looking forward and putting your health and well-being first. It involves focusing on the right things, committing to that focus, and educating yourself on what works for you and what doesn't. THANK YOU for a great year in 2009 with Made Fit TV! See you in 2010!

Whether you're in maintenance mode or still trucking along to your fitness goals, the Holidays are a time for a moderate - I said MODERATE! - indulgence. And who are we kidding? It's not just one day of treats we're talking... we are faced with several days of celebration through the month of December filled with waist-expanding food. The cheese ball is definitely one of them! In this week's Made Fit TV episode, I show you a delicious, super-healthy, virtually fat-free cheese ball recipe. It's modified in a way that it will still satisfy your appetite, without making you feel like one giant cheese ball yourself! Perfect for pacing your appetite during the marathon of Holiday meals. Check it out below. Healthy Cheese Ball Ingredients: 16 oz fat-free cream cheese, 1/2 cup grated parmesan cheese, 8 oz fat-free feta cheese, 9 oz frozen spinach, 2 whole english (seedless) cucumbers 1.Thaw and drain the spinach and set it off to the side 2. In a bowl, Soften the cream cheese 3. Stir in the feta cheese until it is blended with the cream cheese (if it is in a block, chop into crumbles with a fork) 4. Mix in the paremesan cheese until blended with the cream cheese mixture 5. Add the spinach and mix until blended 6. When mixed, mold into a ball in the bowl and place on wax paper and shape it into a ball 7. Place the ball on a dish, chop up cucmber into 1"-2" slices and serve Nutrition Information: 26 calories, .5g fat, 1.5g carbs, 1g sugar, 3.5g protein Servings: Approximately 42 Serving size: 2 tablespoons

**Be sure to watch this episode all the way through to find out how you can WIN a FREE "Teava" rejuvenate face mask or a "Made Fit TV" fitness gift set! - Giveaway ENDS DECEMBER 23rd, 2009** The holiday season provides opportunities to give and receive objects of our deepest desires... Or, socks from grandma - whichever! In any case, giving gifts can start to feel more like a chore when you just don't know what to get someone (or when what they want is way too pricey!) For the Holidays, instead of grabbing a gift card or racking your brain over the blue or black sweater, try shopping for the gift that keeps on giving (and the gift that everyone wants): Health! You may be thinking "But Jenny, you already provide us with the gift of your health and fitness knowledge and advice through your videos!" I know, I know. But for the people who aren't die hard fans of Made Fit TV like you just yet, you can ease them into a healthy living - one gift at a time! In this week's "Made Fit TV" episode, I give you some affordable gift ideas that your loved one's will like and be able to use as they begin their health and fitness journey. As mentioned above, be sure to listen in on how you can win some great stocking stuffers! Consider it an early Holiday gift from me!

The "Holiday Season" provides a huge reason for people to stick to their health and fitness program. The last thing you want is extra weight to have to chip away at for your New Year's Resolution goal, right? To keep you from falling of a wagon (and crashing into a barn!) over the holidays, you need to be aware of what you're eating - and what it takes to burn it off! In this weeks Made Fit TV episode, I give you an eye-opener about your favorite Christmas treats. From egg nog to candy canes, I show you what a portion is, how many calories in that portion, and what you would have to do to burn off the calories you ate. So before you eat all of Santa's cookies your kids put out, you may want to watch this and reconsider!

Can you believe that calf implants are the newest trend in plastic surgeons offices?!? We go from wanting bigger breasts, smaller waists, thinner thighs, and plumper lips to, now... big calves. It's a craze with the fella's and a curse for the ladies. So, what gives? Well, the size of your calves are probably 80% determined by not your workout - but genetics. Some people have huge melons as calves and never worked out a day in their life; while some others have the skinniest calves and have played football for 20 years. A lot of times, we're just a product of our natural body type. (If you want an idea of what body type you may be, check out Episode 66 "Is Your Body Type Working Against You".) In this week's Made Fit TV episode, I show you some killer exercises for your calves to at least give them the benefit of the doubt in building them up to become stronger, perform better, and hopefully get bigger! Just know that you can't shrink any muscles through exercise. The only way muscles can atrophy is by doing nothing! So, if you're doing nothing and still have big calves, then you are the envy of many guys out there, I'm sure!

The Holidays are not the only time people can struggle with a binge meal - we struggle with it all year 'round! Birthdays and events every-other-weekend make for repetitive speed bumps in the quest for our optimum physiques. But the problem does not only lie in the food we eat at those events - it lies in our attitude toward food itself. Food is for nourishment, for growth, repair, and sustainability. When we purposely avoid food the day of (or days leading up to) a "bad" meal, we train our metabolism to temporarily slow down. This is a natural reaction our body makes to save energy: Low calories in equals low calories out. The when we "save up" for that bad meal, our bodies respond to the calorie-deprivation by storing the bad stuff. The more frequently this happens, the more likely it will add up as excess fat. It's all very simple. I know. You're thinking that it's not easy to think like that when you're faced with that giant piece of cake you haven't had in months! That's why in this week's Made Fit TV episode, I explain why it's good to eat when you want to be a little naughty with your nutrition. I show you certain foods that work for your body (and not against it), allowing you to have your cake and eat it, too!

Thanksgiving kicks off my favorite time of the year! To me, it's like a "pre-Christimas" with family, good food, and warm decor - I love it! But for many, the food can be both a blessing and a curse! As a health and fitness professional, I have to always be the one to see the silver lining in every situation to keep people motivated, healthy, and happy. It can be so easy to give in to temptation and not only "fall off the wagon"... but go flying off the wagon and crashing into a barn! It is a common assumption that the average person gains about 5 pounds following the Holidays. Do you want to spend the extra effort in losing that Holiday weight just to break even to where you were before you gained it? Didn't think so. Now, one day of binging won't turn you into Shrek. But if you don't already lead a healthy and fit lifestyle, it could be the beginning of a slippery slope. In this week's Made Fit TV video, I provide a quick recipe that can eliminate some extra sugar from that favorite side dish cranberry sauce. I provide that recipe below, along with a bonus recipe: Mashed Cauliflower! It's a great alternative to buttery, fatty mashed potatoes, and may even taste better! Low-Sugar Cranberry Sauce Ingredients: 12oz bag of cranberries, juice and zest of one orange, 1/2 cup of splenda 1. Empty the cranberries in a sauce pan with 1/2 cup of water on medium heat (may need to sit longer if frozen) 2. Stir frequently as they berries start to cook down and crack open 3. When most of the berries have softened, add in the orange zest and juice, allowing to simmer on a lower heat 4. After 3 minutes, add the splenda or any other sugar substitute of your choice 5. Allow to simmer for another 5 minutes, turn off stove and cool Servings = 6 Servings size = 1/2 cup Nutrition information: 32 calories, 0 fat, 8.5g carbs, 2.5g fiber, 4g sugar, 0 protein Mashed Cauliflower Ingredients: 1 cauliflower head, 1 garlic clove, 1 can chicken broth, fat-free cream cheese, fat-free sour cream, salt, pepper 1. Cut up the cauliflower removing the stems 2. Bring a can of chicken broth or 2 cups of water with a bouillon cube to a boil 3. Gently place the cauliflower into the broth and lower the heat to medium, cooking the cauliflower for about 5 minutes 4. Chop up one garlic clove into minced pieces 5. Strain the cauliflower, but DO NOT rinse, and put it in a food processor 6. Add the garlic, 2 tbsp of both the cream cheese and sour cream, and 1 tsp of both salt and pepper to the cauliflower 7. Pulse every few seconds and scrap the bowl to get all of the cauliflower mixed until it is a thicker, yet mashed potato, consistency 8. Don't over-mix unless you like them smoother Servings = 3 cups One serving = 1 cup Nutrition information: 42 calories, 1g fat, 7g carbs, 2g fiber, 3g sugar, 3.5g protein

I answer many viewer and client questions and comments through Made Fit TV, Facebook, Twitter, and many other video websites. I love giving advice and helping people not just reach their health and fitness goals, but help them find the right path to getting there. The most popular question I receive that people want to know is "How can I get rid of my flabby stomach, thighs, and butt?" It's such a brief question with a not-so-brief answer. Now, just because the answer isn't brief doesn't mean it isn't simple. In this week's episode of Made Fit TV, I answer the question of how to firm up your trouble areas with 5 tips. These tips are the blueprint of living a healthy and fit lifestyle - minus the flab! In addition, see if you can live up to the challenge that I pose for you at the end of the video. I know you can do it... but, do you?

The back is such an important area of our bodies that gets the most used, abused, and ignored. It is literally the core of our bodies - and when it's out of whack, we're left virtually useless! Of course, we need every muscle group for our body to function to its fullest capabilities. But, our cervical, thoracic, and lumbar regions must be properly conditioned and stretched to prevent back pain, poor posture, and injuries to the spine and muscles surrounding it. In this week's Made Fit TV episode, I show you some killer back moves that will strengthen and shred your upper and lower back. The benefits of training your back not only include less pain and strength, but sexy muscle tone and less back fat! Key check-points when training back: 1. Keep your head facing forward 2. Avoid rounding your back by sticking your chest out 3. Keep your lower back straight by sticking your butt out 4. Lift by contracting your back muscles - NOT your arms

From business trips to vacations, everyone travels. But traveling is more than just a few days away from home. Restaurant food day and night, sitting on planes or cars for hours, and lounging on the beach can really expand the waistline! Over the weekend, Chris and I visited our good friends, Tony and Bony, in Chicago. The trip included a total of 10 hours sitting on a bus and larger-than-life meals. Sure, we walked a lot, but sometimes walking isn't enough. In order to keep yourself from tipping the scale when you return home, you have to somewhat keep your healthy nutrition and exercise a priority while away. Preparing your foods and working out in your hotel gym would be ideal - but you're on vacation! Instead, select healthy options at restaurants, avoid snacking on junk foods, and get your exercise in your own hotel room. I show you a quick and easy workout you can do while away in this week's Made Fit TV episode so you can have a Bon Voyage without a belly full of bon bon's!

Halloween is the time for tricks and treats. But the treats play a nasty trick on our waistlines, so the real trick is to keep that from happening so we can still enjoy out treats. Still following? What I'm trying to say is don't let this Halloween get the best of you! For many, it could be downhill from here until January because the Holiday Season is just right around the corner. So, for this weeks Made Fit TV episode, I show you a way to fit exercise into this fun time of year... using pumpkins. Before you carve those pumpkins, puree them, and bake them into a sweet pumpkin pie that you can gorge yourself on in a day, make that pumpkin work for you. Use it as an inexpensive piece of workout equipment. Check out this weeks video to see how!

Fall is the season that kicks off my favorite time of year. I absolutely love Halloween, the leaves, the decorations, and... the FOOD! And I'm not just talking about the candy (a little in moderation is alright). I'm talking about the made-from-scratch, homemade baked goods that fill your home with delicious aromas. As you already know, I always like to modify recipes to make them as healthy - yet still tasty - as possible. To celebrate the season and it's staple foods, I show you how to make Fat-Free Pumpkin Bread in this week's Made Fit TV episode. Pumpkin is definitely a superfood packed with fiber, B-vitamins, and a number of other important elements. It's also great for digestion - which makes me a huge fan! Check out this week's video and print out the recipe and nutrition facts below. This pumpkin bread can be a simple treat to make for your upcoming holiday events. Fat-Free Pumpkin Bread Ingredients: 1 1/2 cups whole wheat flour, 1 1/4 tsp. baking powder, 1 tsp salt, 1 tsp cinnamon, 1 tbsp. pumpkin spice (nutmeg, cloves), 1 whole egg, 1/2 cup agave nectar, 1/2 cup low-fat milk, 1 cup canned pumpkin puree Bake Time: approx. 60 minutes Makes 12 servings 1. Pre-heat oven to 350 degrees 2. Combine and mix dry ingredients in a separate bowl 3. In another bowl, blend wet ingredients with a mixer 4. Slowly combine the dry and wet ingredients together; alternate mixing and scraping the sides of the bowl so the mixture is blended - Don't over mix 5. Spray a loaf pan with non-stick spray 6. Pour mixture into pan 7. Place into oven and set time for 50-55 minutes 8. Check with toothpick; if still soft in the center, allow to bake for 5-10 more minutes, for a total bake time of an hour 9. When done, allow loaf to cool for 10 minutes before placing on a plate; wait 20 minutes before slicing Nutrition Facts: 120 calories, .5g fat, 23g carbohydrates, 13g sugar, 3g fiber, 3g protein