The saying goes 'an apple a day keeps the doctor away' and it's not a far off statement. Apples are the perfect snack for anyone and everyone. You wont find too many people who don't like apples after all they're an American classic. They're used in a many different recipes with more varieties than you could possibly sample in one day. My personal favorites are gala and golden delicious. I've heard that eating an apple in the morning will give you more energy then drinking a cup of coffee, weather that's true or not I couldn't tell you. I could go on and on about apples but I'd rather share the facts, why apples are so great.

• Apples contain both insoluble and soluble fiber. One medium (5 ounces) unpeeled apple provides over 3 grams of fiber, more than 10% of the daily fiber intake recommended by experts. Even without its peel, a medium apple provides 2.7 grams of fiber.
• A type of pigment in apples that helps provide their color, flavonoids have been extensively researched and found to help prevent heart disease.
• Apples derive almost all of their natural sweetness from fructose, a simple sugar, but one which is broken down slowly, especially when combined with apples' hefty dose of fiber, thus helping to keep blood sugar levels stable.
• The total antioxidant activity of 100 grams of whole apple (with the peel) was found to be equivalent to the antioxidant effect of about 1500 mg of vitamin C.
• To learn more health benefits of apples CLICK HERE!

I found a tasty recipe in Delicious living Magazine for Apple Raspberry, and Spinach Salad

INGREDIENTS:

Dressing

• 2 1/2 tbs extra virgin olive oil
• 1 1/2 tbs rice vinegar
• 1 tbs lime juice
• 1/2 tbs agave nectar or honey
• 1 tsp Dijon mustard salt and freshly ground black pepper

Salad

• 3 cups spinach
• 5 cups mache (lambs lettuce)
• 1 sweet-tart red apple (such as gala or Braeburn), cored and sliced
• 3/4 cup fresh raspberries
• 2 tbs crumbled goat cheese
• 2-3 tbs toasted chopped pecans

DIRECTIONS: Mix all dressing ingredients together in a small bowl. In a large salad bowl, combine spinach, mache, apple, raspberries, goat cheese, and pecans. Drizzle with about three-fourths of the dressing and toss gently.

Reese tightens her abs during a workout with her personal trainer on Thursday.

To do this crunch: Balance between your sitting bones and tail bone with legs lifted. Bend the right knee and touch with your left hand while lifting your right arm. Then switch by straightening the right knee and bending the left knee. Touch your right hand to your left knee while your left arm lifts etc... I'd suggest doing 3 sets of 20 with 60 second breaks between each set.  

SOURCE: PEOPLE

The High School Musical Star Vanessa Hudgen's was photographed leaving her gym rockin' a cutsie pink Ed Hardy cap. Madonna has also been known to wear the popular vintage tattoo designs while working up a sweat.

Vanessa's hat is available HERE for $55.

As for me, I'm in love with my EH cap, it's perfect for those bad hair lounge wear kind of days!

When one study suggests something is bad for us and another suggests the same thing is good for us we become confused. Should I drink coffee or should I not? CNN's story Making sense of conflicting nutrition information sorts it all out.

Vitamin D

• The good news: A short stroll in the sun supplies enough vitamin D to maintain healthy bones; emerging research points to strong anti-cancer benefits, too.
• The potential risk: Exposure to sunlight causes skin cancer.
• What you should do: "The most powerful source of vitamin D is the sun," Hollis says. Make the most of it. Protect your face, ears, neck, and the backs of hands each day with a moisturizer that contains a sun-protection factor (SPF) of 15 or higher. These spots are where skin cancers usually develop first. But on days when you aren't going to spend much time in the sun, leave spf off legs and arms to let them manufacture vitamin D. In just 10 minutes, a light-skinned person produces 10,000 to 20,000 IU vitamin D. Because skin pigments can interfere with vitamin D synthesis, darker-skinned people produce it more slowly. If you have dark skin or live or work where you are seldom exposed to sunlight, talk to your doctor about supplementing your intake of vitamin D. Hollis recommends choosing a supplement that contains vitamin D3, also known as cholecalciferol; it's the vitamin's most readily absorbable form.

Coffee

• The good news: Caffeine, obtained most frequently from coffee in a typical American diet, may reduce the risk of developing Parkinson's disease. An antioxidant in coffee may also help protect against diabetes.
• The potential risk: Caffeine may cause bone loss, which increases the risk for osteoporosis.
• What you should do: "Considering all of the evidence we've accumulated in the last 10 years, coffee is more healthful than harmful," Hu says. Like all things, caffeine -- and coffee --are probably best in moderation; have one cup, maybe two per day. You may also benefit from the brew's antioxidants; coffee is the top source of antioxidants in an American diet.

Omega-3s

• The good news: Eating fish rich in omega-3s may improve your heart health.
• The potential risk: Some types of fish contain high levels of mercury, a toxin.
• What you should do: If you're not a woman of childbearing age, consume two 6-ounce servings of fatty fish per week. "To sacrifice the benefits for a risk that doesn't pertain to you is cheating yourself," Cohen says. Stick with species that are low in mercury but high in omega-3s -- salmon, canned light tuna, pollock, flounder, sole, herring, shrimp, and sardines.

SOURCE: CNN

These days it seems like every one practices yoga. Natalie Portman was pictured heading to yoga.