Eating Smart When Eating Out

I know, it's hard to avoid the urge to eat out! It's not even as if we always want to eat out, but sometimes there really is JUST NO TIME! Here are some easy tips to make your eating out experience a little healthier, a little happier, and best of all, a little less guilt ridden! Because, as I always say, eating food should be enjoyable, and we shouldn't feel bad just because life doesn't always give us time or resources to make a yummy home meal.

 First of All: The Basics
 1. Walk! If leaving from home or the office or school, pick a place that is at least a 5 minute brisk walk. Worried about the 5th period bell ringing before you get back? That's even more reason to pick up the pace and get your exercise on.
 2. Walk with friends. This is a great time to catch with friends and family, and gives you time to digest your food properly.
3. Walk up instead of drive up. So you have to drive, that's okay. But at least get out of the car and walk inside, it probably takes just as much time to wait in the drive through, and at least this options gets your heart rate up a bit.

  Right-Size Your Serving Sizes Becoming sensible about serving sizes is an important way to maintain a healthy weight and it’s good for your wallet too. Instead of a large entrée, order an appetizer and a leafy green salad or choose two appetizers for a meal. Start with a small serving like a cup of soup, a junior burger or a small order of fries. If you are still hungry, order something else.


Indulge your inner child: Order a kid’s meal at a fast-food restaurant. Many now offer a choice of low-fat milk and fruits or vegetables instead of fries. Savor your steak twice as much. Eat half at the restaurant, then take the other half home to enjoy sliced onto a green salad or as a sandwich on whole-grain bread.


Ask for a to-go box as soon as your meal is served. Put half your food into the container for a second meal. That’s two meals for the price of one.


Sharing is Caring: Share from start to finish. Order one appetizer for the whole table and then order one dessert with multiple forks. Sometimes, just a bite or two is perfect. Share an entrée. You can ask your server to split the meal in the kitchen or divide it up yourselves at the table. Hope this helps!!

Yoga, Anywhere, Anytime!

I know you've thought it, you've probably even said it....."I just don't have time to exercise!"  And you're not alone, running from home, to school, to work; there's homework to do, there's chores, dinner, the list never ends.  How are you supposed to make time to exercise, or even just slow down for a bit and stretch?  Here at P.H.A.T. Detectives, we have tried to come up with an easy way you can practice Yoga, anywhere!  Most people think Yoga is about stretching, which is one component, but it is also about creating balance in body and developing more strength and flexibility, which of course has great physical benefits.
Here is a slideshow detailing various yoga poses you can do anywhere!  The P.H.A.T. Detective used downtown Oakland as our backdrop, with awesome results!  (By the way, you can go directly to the site read more details about how to perform these poses, plus check out some other great shots from the team!)


Created with Admarket's flickrSLiDR.

Just for the Ladies

 Hello reader's, i hope all is well. Today I wanted to talk to you folks about Breast cancer. This disease affects over 12% of the women in the United States. Shockingly men have 1 in 1,000 chances of getting the disease. Breast cancer related deaths are higher than any other cancer, besides lung cancer. Breast cancer is a cancer that starts in the tissues of the breast. There are two main types of breast cancer: Ductal carcinoma starts in the tubes that move milk from the breast to the nipple. This is the more common of the two types of breast cancer; second we have Lobular carcinoma which starts in the parts of the breast were milk is produced. Here are some helpful tipsthat may be helpful in preventing or discovering breast cancer.

Step 1: Begin by looking at your breasts in the mirror with your shoulders straight and your arms on your hips.

   Here's what you should look for:
• Breasts that are their usual size, shape, and color
• Breasts that are evenly shaped without visible distortion or swelling

   If you see any of the following changes, bring them to your doctor's attention:
• Dimpling, puckering, or bulging of the skin
• A nipple that has changed position or an inverted nipple (pushed inward instead of sticking out)
 • Redness, soreness, rash, or swelling Step 2: Now, raise your arms and look for the same changes.

Step 3: While you're at the mirror, look for any signs of fluid coming out of one or both nipples (this could be a watery, milky, or yellow fluid or blood).

Step 4: Next, feel your breasts while lying down, using your right hand to feel your left breast and then your left hand to feel your right breast. Use a firm, smooth touch with the first few finger pads of your hand, keeping the fingers flat and together. Use a circular motion, about the size of a quarter. Cover the entire breast from top to bottom, side to side — from your collarbone to the top of your abdomen, and from your armpit to your cleavage. Follow a pattern to be sure that you cover the whole breast. You can begin at the nipple, moving in larger and larger circles until you reach the outer edge of the breast. You can also move your fingers up and down vertically, in rows, as if you were mowing a lawn. This up-and-down approach seems to work best for most women. Be sure to feel all the tissue from the front to the back of your breasts: for the skin and tissue just beneath, use light pressure; use medium pressure for tissue in the middle of your breasts; use firm pressure for the deep tissue in the back. When you've reached the deep tissue, you should be able to feel down to your ribcage.

 Step 5: Finally, feel your breasts while you are standing or sitting. Many women find that the easiest way to feel their breasts is when their skin is wet and slippery, so they like to do this step in the shower. Cover your entire breast, using the same hand movements described in Step 4.


  I hope these tips help,

Yohan Callen

Don't Be Jealous Of My Lunch

Source: sweet-station.com via Lily on Pinterest

For whatever reason, pulling out a brown paper bag at lunch time is basically the same as wearing last year's flares and saying that MySpace is your favorite social network. You know what? I'm rebelling. What's wrong with bringing your own lunch? Everyday, Monday through Friday, I'm pledging to bring in my own lunch, that took only about 5 minutes to make, and ahemmmm is HEALTHIER and CHEAPER than the processed slob they serve at Jack in the Box and McDonald's. Cause that food ain't food! And I also don't need to be made fun of because of a bootsy brown bag. I'm GREEN! I love all my cute lunch gear, and guess what? It's re-usable. Everyone morning it's a major decision whether I will pack my lunch in the lunchbox that looks like sandwich or my owl lunch bag. What will I pack? Here's my run down for next week: Monday: Comfort at it's best: PB & J made with whole grain bread and natural peanut butter and no sugar added jelly. I'll have it with some baked veggie chips and probably an apple. Tuesday: Pita bread wedges, hummus, carrot sticks, and some trail mix Wednesday: I'm thinking I'll make a wrap with whole wheat tortilla, roasted turkey lunch meat, thinly sliced lettuce, tomatoes, and a little cream cheese (just to hold it together!) Thursday: A small container of yogurt, whole wheat crackers (like Wheat Thins) a little egg salad, cherry tomatoes, and dried cranberries Friday: All about treats today! Apple slices with some nutella (not too much, I know I said this would be healthy), Sweet potato chips, and mozzarella and tomato sandwich YUMMY!