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 Bonnie, 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!

Hey everyone! On October 26th, I was on the Fox 2 news here in Detroit, Michigan showing off The Pumpkin Workout I showed you last week. It had to be condensed down to 3 minutes but I thought you might like to see it! Thanks again to Fox 2 Detroit and Kam Carman for letting me share health and fitness info to more people!

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 soda, 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