Smokers. They are quite the pariahs these days. Banned from smoking indoors they huddle in rain and snow to catch a fix, ignoring the looks of disgust and disdain from non-smokers. If you are a smoker you may find yourself labeled as "damaged goods" by a prospective partner, and you may have to pay more for your life insurance. People seem to feel comfortable and justified in displaying their disapproval of smokers, especially now that we now know the dangers of second hand smoke, or "passive smoking". The smoker inhales filtered smoke, but a non smoker is actually inhaling an unfiltered mix of poisons. Not only is the habit killing smokers it's killing us.

What makes smokers willing to carry such a fierce addiction for 20, 30, or 40 years; go to bed with a pack of smokes nearby, ready to go for the middle of the night fix and ready to go first thing in the morning, or willingly give up the ability to run, to ride a bike, to climb a flight of stairs without gasping for air. It's almost certain that most heavy smokers will endure a painful future of cancer, emphysema and/or heart disease. According to the American Cancer Society, smoking kills more Americans than car accidents, suicides, AIDS, drugs and alcohol, and homicides combined. That's just frightening. But speak to addiction counselors, therapists, or anyone who has tried to quit a cigarette habit and they will tell you that nicotine is genuinely one of the hardest addictions to break.

I usually use this "What Are They Thinking?" section to share the secrets of our Team of Experts by analyzing examples of how they use their knowledge to help members at www.PlusOneActive.com achieve results. Plus One values results. It is very important to our Company that you achieve success.

To succeed, many of our members want to lose weight. As simple as it sounds one of the most effective ways to achieve and maintain your weight loss goals is to simplify the phrase; "Watch what you eat".

Really? Sounds like the simplest piece of advice for weight control as there are many research studies that show diets just do not work. They succeed in getting weight off but rarely keep the weight off. Losing and gaining weight in a cyclical fashion is also proving to be detrimental to your health and makes it increasing more difficult to lose weight with each successive cycle. So what are the best ways to watch what you eat?

Keep Track
Self-monitoring means to observing and recording some aspects of your behavior, such as caloric intake, number of servings from fruits and vegetables, exercise adherence, and fluid intake. You can also record direct outcomes of these behaviors, such as weight, waist size, body fat composition or BMI. Self-monitoring of

Chicken Piccatta

1 - 12oz can artichoke hearts chopped (packed in water, not oil)
4 - 4oz chicken breasts
1/2 - cup capers
1/2 - cup lemon juice
2 tsp.- minced garlic
1/4 - cup flour
2 Tbsp. - olive oil
1 package sliced mushrooms
3 tbsp. parmesan cheese
2 tbsp. of fresh parsley

Coat chicken with flour. In a large skillet, cook garlic and oil over moderate heat, stirring constantly, until garlic is pale gold. Add chicken and brown 2-3 minutes on each side.

Add lemon juice, artichokes, capers and mushrooms. Simmer, covered, for about 30-35 minutes. Turn and baste the chicken occasionally. Cook until chicken juices run clear.

Plus One Health Management provides design, development and consultancy for fitness centers and luxury spas throughout the US. As a leading company for world class design and development solutions, we provide innovative and cost-effective services that are tailored specifically to each client's needs. For the past 20 years, Plus One has successfully designed and managed some of the top organization's fitness facilities and spas. We have worked extensively with architecture and design firms throughout the world in all aspects of the planning and design process for fitness, spas and wellness centers. With Plus One you will experience unparalleled expertise in developing a state-of-the-art fitness and spa facility. Our clients include Fortune 500 companies, luxury properties, financial service firms, law partnerships, publishers, pharmaceutical companies, community centers, and hospitals.

When I was 12, my mom bought me a brand new, matching, two-piece sweat suit, for gym class. It was green. A white stripe ran down the arms and legs. And, when I wore it, because I was so skinny, everyone called me "green bean". The next day class had a rope climbing contest. Where such a skill fits into life, I'll never know. But there I was, my enflamed hands trying to hang onto the rope. My bony arms, shaking, fatigued even before I began. My spindly legs swinging wildly. I tugged and I pulled. Kids chanted "green bean, green bean!" Suddenly my sweat pants gave me a wedgie. I reached back to pry it loose. I had only climbed as high as my tip-toes, as if on Pointe... a green 12 year old boy, in gym class, on Pointe... when I slipped and crashed to the floor. The class roared. Somehow I tore a hole in the crotch. A new chant: "Split pea, split pea!"

Don't try this at home! Better yet, don't let your kids try this at school!

The moral to the story? What do you do if your kid stinks at sports? For starters, don't make 'em climb a rope! If it's not in them, no amount of urging or encouraging or insisting is going to make them any better. Or any less humiliated.

For years there's been an on-going debate regarding Nature vs. Nurture - the relative importance of an individual's innate qualities ("Nature") versus personal experiences ("Nurture") in determining or causing individual differences in physical and behavioral traits. Face it, some kids are good at some things while others excel at others.

Fitness is not about a lifetime of sports or specific activities. It's simply about movement.

The American Heart Association (AHA) recommends that children and adolescents participate in at least 60 minutes of moderate to vigorous physical activity every day. "Find activities that not only suit them, but ones that can keep them moving". Of course, it's not necessary to get out a stopwatch or put a chart on the refrigerator. The goal, says AHA, is to simply "promote physical activity in as many ways as possible".