You can smell summer in the air—the warm breezes, the fragrant flowers, and even the aroma of sunblock

July 13, 2009

"I owe a lot of my success to my support group online. I feel accountable to the friends I've met on the threads—it's strange that I feel so compelled to be so honest with my Best Life friends, when I often can't be that way with myself. I'm an emotional eater and in the beginning, I would come online and talk about my feelings instead of feeding them. I've come to realize that I have to do this for myself—but I don't have to do it alone, and my Best Life friends have helped me enormously."

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By Sidra Forman, Best Life chef

You can smell summer in the air—the warm breezes, the fragrant flowers, and even the aroma of sunblock. But my favorite summer scent is the smoky smell of barbecue.

In my opinion, grilling is one of the best ways to cook. First, you can't beat the time factor: Virtually no planning or prep is required. And more importantly, it's so easy to create healthful meals because barbecuing adds flavor to foods without having to use a lot of fat. In fact, you can even enjoy the classics (like steaks and hamburgers), and still keep your calories in check. Use these tips to create a healthy, tasty meal on the barbecue. Get ready to fire up the grill!

Make a better burger. Use lean beef (95 percent), or try a buffalo burger with naturally lean ground buffalo meat, a turkey burger or a veggie burger.

Choose a slim steak. Lean cuts, such as a T-bone, sirloin and flank steak, are your best bet. These are great on the grill especially if they are marinated for about 15 minutes and not overcooked. Again, Buffalo steaks are a good choice because they're naturally lean.

Grill your veggies. Throw corn on the cob right on the grill instead of boiling it for a more intense roasted flavor. Or feel free to experiment: Just about any other veggie works, including sweet peppers, onions, fennel, summer squash, whole leaves of hearty greens such as kale, or wedges of cabbage or radicchio.

Enjoy chicken stripped. Be sure to remove the skin (it's loaded with saturated fat), and marinate before cooking to keep chicken moist and flavorful.

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Want a flatter, firmer middle? We thought so. While you can't spot reduce, you can tone your core muscles with these exercises. Begin with 10 to 15 reps of the moves below, building to 20 to 25.

Hip Bridge
• Lie on your back with your feet flat on the floor and your knees bent.
• Lift your hips up as far as you comfortably can or to a point where a straight line could be drawn from your shoulders, through your hips, to your knees. Hold for 15 to 60 seconds. Return to start; repeat.
Make it harder: Lift into the bridge position; extend one leg at the knee until your leg is straight with your foot flexed. Hold for 15 to 60 seconds. Return to start; repeat on other side.

Superman
• Lie on the floor on your stomach with your arms extended forward and your legs flat behind you.
• Lift up one arm while simultaneously lifting the opposite. Hold for 3 to 5 seconds.
• Return to start; repeat with opposite arm and leg.
Make it harder: Lift both arms and legs at the same time; hold for 15 to 60 seconds.