No joke, cancer sucks.

But, the good news is some cancer is preventable.

According to the American Cancer Society, about half of all cancer deaths could be prevented if people maintained a healthy weight through diet and regular exercise; avoided tobacco products; and got recommended cancer screening tests.

So today I challenge you to Choose You.

Choose You is a movement started by the good people at the American Cancer Society and together we are asking you to stop for a second and reflect on your diet, fitness, and lifestyle choices. Is there room for improvement? If there is, what are you going to do to clean up that room?

Answer that simple question in comments section below and be entered in the drawing to WIN a Choose You gift bag just like the one they sent me by the American Cancer Society containing:

• A Choose You water bottle
• A Choose You  t-shirt
• Neutrogena Sunblock
• A $10 Walgreens gift card (I bought a big bag of heart-healthy Wonderful Pistachios with my gift card!)
• A Swarovski Crystal Choose You pin

I want you to Choose You and live a long, healthy and happy life full of Fitness & Spice.

Now I really must go suck back some more water before I hit the gym to blow off some steam!

Apparently I am not the only one who thinks pistachios are wonderful! I want to thank all of you who gave us some wonderful ideas on how to use pistachios last week. You can bet I’m going to be topping salads with a few nuts and making pistachio ice cream this week (I’ll tell you all about the ice cream, I promise!)  I wonder what, Donna Bush, the winner of the case of Wonderful Pistachios will do with all of her pistachios?

For those of you were wondering why pistachios were once dyed red, I learned from April at Wonderful Pistachios that was, “Old school harvest practices. Pistachios used to fall on the ground and stain. Red dye hid the stains and looked pretty.”

Now they have fancy equipment so that’s no longer an issue. Take a look at how pistachios are harvested in this quick video…

Now I really must get crackin’ I’m dying to whip up a batch of protein pistachio ice cream…even if they no longer GO RED!

In celebration of World Pistachio Day I thought you might want to impress your friends with some fascinating facts about this delicious little nut.

7 Critical Things You Should Know About the Pistachio

• Pistachios contain only 3-4 calories per nut
• Pistachios are the lowest calorie, lowest fat nut
• Pistachios have more than 30 different vitamins, minerals, and beneficial phytonutrients
• Pistachios are HEART HEALTHY!

“Scientific evidence suggests, but does not prove, that eating 1.5 ounces per day of most nuts, such as pistachios, as part of a diet low in saturated fat and cholesterol, may reduce the risk of heart disease.” – Food & Drug Administration

• California is the leading producer of pistachios worldwide
• In China, the pistachio is known as the “happy nut” because they look like they’re smiling
• I love pistachios and so does…

Want to WIN A CASE of Wonderful Pistachios? So do I! To enter the drawing tell us something you think is Wonderful about pistachios in the comment section. The winner will be announced on Sunday, February 28th.

Now I really must go crack myself up some more.