Which Cleveland Park Eatery Offers Your Healthy Favorites??

You, our City Fitness Gym blog readers, have responded. Your favorite Cleveland Park restaurants that offer health favorites are:

• Indique (25%)
• Spices (25%)
• California Tortilla, Dino's, Fresh Med, Nam Viet and Sala Thai were not far behind!

Walk for Epilepsy Research Saturday March 29

Although we know you LOVE City Fitness and Cleveland Park, it is a great time of year to get downtown. Walk with the Epilepsy Foundation this weekend to help raise money for research. The route goes from the mall around the Washington monument on 17th street and back to the mall. From there, you can see the cherry blossoms when they bloom. Some of the details are below, but click above or on the links within the text for more info. This year's Walk is slightly over 2 miles. Click here to see the Walk route. There are many exciting events happening in Washington D.C. on Saturday March 29^th. Be sure to arrive early to take part in the Pre-Walk rally which begins at 8:15 a.m. We encourage participants to use Metro to reach the Walk site. Metro opens at 7 a.m. on the weekend. Please visit http://www.wmata.com/ for rail and bus schedule information. The main stage will be located at 3^rd Street and Madison Drive, you can use either Archives Navy Memorial station (7^th and Pennsylvania Avenue) or Smithsonian station (12^th and Jefferson Drive) to reach the site. Be sure to look for our Walk volunteers in the orange shirts if you need help.

American Diabetes Alert Day - March 25

Diabetes can be caused by genetics and/or by lifestyle. Eating poorly, family history, being sedentary, obesity, age, body type, high blood pressure, high cholesterol and certain ethnic ancestries all increase the risk of developing type 2. Come on over to City Fitness and get your workout routine back on schedule to help lower your risk. Need a new program to get fired up? Talk to one of the trainers and ask to schedule an appointment for some new ideas. Check out the Diabetes Alert Day Website to take a risk test and read up on more ways to help reduce your risk later in life.

Vote for City Fitness Gym!

The Washington City Paper is holding their "Best of D.C." contest. Log onto their website, and vote for your favorites in the neighborhood (and of course all over the city). Don't forget to put City Fitness Gym on the list as your favorite gym! www.washingtoncitypaper.com

Represent City Fitness Gym at the Race for Hope

City Fitness Gym member Steve Higgins passed away last summer from brain cancer. For several years, Team FCB (look it up on the web site below for the translation) has walked together in support, and now in memory, of Steve. If you cannot walk, please consider donating.

(From a message from Steve's wife Tara)

Hello friends - Just as Steve would have wanted, Team FCB will be in action on May 4, 2008...what helps most is doing things that I know Steve would want me to do and that he'd be proud of -- things that would bring a smile to his face just as they bring a smile to mine. As anyone who knew Steve knows, he loved this race and he loved Team FCB (and he loved telling people what FCB means.) Please plan to join Team FCB on race day, and, of course, please spread the word and invite newcomers. It will be a celebration of Steve's life and of his dedication to fighting brain cancer. All the best, Tara

Click here to visit my personal page. If the text above does not appear as a clickable link, you can visit the web address: http://www.braintumorsociety.org/site/TR/Events/08_Race_For_Hope?px=1042222&pg=personal&fr_id=1230&et=LQCeoaNeMxTh-A3dG2eSzA..&s_tafId=1150

Click here to view the team page for Team FCB If the text above does not appear as a clickable link, you can visit the web address: http://www.braintumorsociety.org/site/TR/Events/08_Race_For_Hope?team_id=13920&pg=team&fr_id=1230&et=QTRy7v2OHJv7HbLD5bndkQ..&s_tafId=1150

World Water Day

The international observance of World Water Day is an initiative that grew out of the 1992 United Nations Conference on Environment and Development (UNCED) in Rio de Janeiro. March 22 is World Water Day. From www.water.org: Water – the most basic element on earth. Without water, human life doesn’t exist. And without safe water, neither does good health. For most of us, it’s a short walk to the faucet in the kitchen, or bottled water in the refrigerator. But for more than a billion people – about one in six people on earth – getting safe water each day is no easy task. Women and children around the world walk 200 million hours every day for water – water that often comes from a polluted source.

The effects of unclean water are devastating. Every 15 seconds, a child dies from a water-borne disease, the leading cause of death and illness in the world. Lack of access to safe water leads to a perpetual cycle of disease, death and lost productivity.

March 22, has been designated World Water Day – an international day of observance and action to draw attention to the plight of those without access to safe drinking water. On this important date, WaterPartners celebrates its progress and renews its commitment to achieving its vision – the day when everyone in the world can take a safe drink of water.

There is a walk in Arlington, VA this Saturday, March 22. Interested in getting outside? Check this site for more info: www.worldwaterday.net

Corned Beef & Cabbage Recipe

• 4 lb corned brisket of beef
• 3 large carrots, cut into large chunks
• 6 to 8 small onions
• 1 teaspoon dry English mustard
• large sprig fresh thyme and some parsley stalks, tied together
• 1 cabbage
• salt and freshly ground pepper

Put the brisket into a saucepan with the carrots, onions, mustard and the herbs. Cover with cold water, and bring gently to a boil. Simmer, covered, for 2 hours. Discard the outer leaves of the cabbage, cut in quarters and add to the pot. Cook for a further 1 to 2 hours or until the meat and vegetables are soft and tender.

Serve the corned beef in slices, surrounded by the vegetables and cooking liquid. Serve with potatoes (or sweet potatoes, although less traditional) and freshly made mustard.

Recipe Ideas - Healthy Substitutions

Are you always on the lookout for ways to make your regular recipes more healthy? Check out the Mayo clinics site on healthy substitutions. Lower calorie, salt or fat intake with these simple ideas.

National Nutrition Month

Eatright.org is the website for the American Dietetic Association. You can look up Food & Nutrition info, read articles and research publications, and learn more about the current nutrition research that's out there. Spring is a perfect time to think about changing your eating patterns to develop a healthier you. During the month of March we'll make some suggestions including recipes and healthy eating ideas...try something new!

Recipe - Roasted Brussel Sprouts with Fennel

Alex Lofgren is our staff "foodie" and he has contributed a favorite healthy recipe to celebrate National Nutrition Month. Take if from the rest of the staff - he always makes the best stuff!! Ingredients:

1. 1 lbs. brussel sprouts (washed and quartered)
2. 1 med. sized fennel bulb (thinly sliced)
3. 1 med. onion (medium diced)
4. 2 Tbs. olive oil
5. 2 Tbs. fresh thyme
6. zest of one orange
7. juice of one orange
8. salt & pepper

In a large skillet, heat 2 Tbs. of olive oil over med-high heat. Add onion and saute until translucent. Add brussel sprouts and fennel. Season with salt & pepper. Roast in pan until slightly browned. (12-15 minutes) Add juice of orange and let reduce for 1 minute. Add thyme and orange zest. Ready to serve! Great side dish for chicken or fish. Serves 4.