Health & Fitness: The Recipe for "Whole Fitness"
By Ashley Aragona on July 05, 2012 from Health & Fitness via Connect-Bridgeport.com
I had originally planned to write a 4th of July blog about a healthy alternative to a summer picnic menu, but with the current condition in our state, I feel that writing a blog about only healthy ways to grill meat seems quite empty.
So go on superhero’s of fitness and show that a healthy and fit individual isn’t just about looking good, but about being able to step in and help others around us, whether it’s as simple as spreading educational tips about how to eat clean, or helping in a State of Emergency, we are all just trying to be the best version of ourselves that we can and by doing that, hopefully we can spread a little good to others around us.
Even though this is a health and fitness blog, the truth is, there is more to health and fitness than just what workouts you complete daily and what food you put into your body. Being healthy and fit, (to me) is allowing yourself to be the best version of you that you can be. You can be the leanest or most clean eating person in the world, but if you don’t have a healthy mind, and soul, then what are you really accomplishing? To me, health and fitness is a whole body practice, which includes, body, mind, soul and heart....
Heart; which leads me to my next rant. I am proud to live in a state that has heart. Heart for our state, heart for our country and heart for our neighbors.
My point here? It’s in times like these that being “fit” really means something. It means being healthy and able to step in and help someone else in need. The result of all of the hours spent in the gym lifting weights and doing cardio will really help out your neighbor who has tree limbs all over their yard. Now, don’t get me wrong I’m not saying that all the fitness people need to go and do something dangerous, (please don’t) but I am saying that we can all take this time and look at what we can do to help.
It’s kind of ironic because in my last blog I referenced a “fitness superhero” and said we were all spreading the word of how to be a better, healthier person, I guess this is just an extension of that.
So go on superhero’s of fitness and show that a healthy and fit individual isn’t just about looking good, but about being able to step in and help others around us, whether it’s as simple as spreading educational tips about how to eat clean, or helping in a State of Emergency, we are all just trying to be the best version of ourselves that we can and by doing that, hopefully we can spread a little good to others around us.
Finally, because I know we will all get through this, I have included my original post, just cut down from all my explaining of a healthy and delicious summer recipe. I hope you enjoy it and wish you all nothing but happiness and health.
Balsamic Marinated Pork Chops and Grilled Peaches -Courtesy of Clean Eating Mag
INGREDIENTS:
- 1/3 cup balsamic vinegar
- 1/3 cup extra-virgin olive oil
- 3 tbsp honey
- 1 tbsp fresh rosemary, chopped
- 4 5-oz lean boneless pork chops, trimmed of visible fat
- Olive oil cooking spray (optional)
- Sea salt and fresh ground black pepper, to taste
- 4 peaches, halved and pitted
- Fresh thyme leaves for garnish
- In a small bowl, whisk together vinegar, oil, honey and rosemary. Reserve 2 tbsp and add the rest to a 1-gallon zip-top bag. Add pork to bag and refrigerate for 1 hour, turning occasionally.
- Preheat grill with cooking spray and heat to medium-high. Remove pork from fridge, discard marinating liquid and season pork with salt and pepper. Grill until pork is opaque throughout and feels firm to the touch, or until internal temperature reaches 160°F on an instant-read thermometer, about 5 to 6 minutes per side.
- Meanwhile, grill peaches over medium heat until tender and juicy, 3 to 5 minutes. Transfer to a plate, season with pepper and brush with reserved 2 tbsp marinade. To serve, place a pork chop on each of 4 plates and top with 2 peach halves. Garnish with thyme leaves.
Nutrients per serving (5 oz pork chop, 1 peach, 2 tbsp marinade): Calories: 310, Total Fat: 10 g, Sat. Fat: 3 g, Carbs: 23 g, Fiber: 1 g, Sugars: 21 g, Protein: 31 g, Sodium: 125 mg, Cholesterol: 95 mg
Nutritional Bonus:
One luscious summer peach adds 1 g of fiber to this low-cal, high-protein meal, plus its natural sugars satisfy your sweet tooth the clean-eating way. While all sugars are processed in a similar way inside the body, it is the added benefit of fiber, vitamins, minerals and antioxidants that makes the natural sugars in fruit far superior to the refined version in many packaged foods.
Until Next Time, Yours In health and Fitness,
Ashley
