I’m trying to steer clear of depressing news these days and simply focus on the entertaining, informative, educational, inspiring and humorous bits that are out there. I mean, there are so many out there. And as busy as our lives get, sometimes it’s nice to just take 5 minutes and get perspective. That’s why today’s post is a “Tuesday Tank” post!

Here are a few things I’ve recently enjoyed around the web, from the too-silly to the must-have to the “hmm.”

Today’s Tank:

~What the bleep’s so bad about gluten?

So I eat gluten most of the time and some of the time I don’t. So why should we all care if we don’t have celiac disease? How much do you think you know about the stuff? I guarantee you’ll know more after reading this article.

“We put a plug of gluten in Coke and it foamed for a while, then became a glob that sat there for weeks,’’ Jones said. “It didn’t disintegrate into slime and mush. It just stayed there.’’ He took the plug out of my hands and slapped it on the lab counter. Nothing happened. “The stuff is simply indestructible,’’ he said. – Stephen Jones, a molecular cytogeneticist and the lab’s director. Barber, in his recent book “The Third Plate,”

Yikes! If Coke can’t touch it, what’s our stomach doing with it? Too crazy.

P.S. Don’t go overboard and jump on the gluten-free train all at once – gluten-free doesn’t necessarily mean it’s healthy!

~ Oh man, I think I just peed a little!

I know, I know, this is so dumb. But I couldn’t quit reading and giggling. Quite annoying, I’m sure, to my husband who was trying to relax for a second on the couch. But come on, laugh a little with The 85 Funniest Tweets of All Time. Seriously, your happy meter needs fed.

~ Fabletics

I’m a Birchbox lover and Stitchfix newbie. So what’s with the Fabletics fever? One: Kate Hudson. Whatever she does works, sooooo, maybe I should follow suit? Two: $25 for your first workout outfit, sports bra included. My birthday’s coming up…

~ Stop Freaking Out About Your Kids!

I can’t decide if this woman is on to something or just drunk. I think a little bit of both? But her point is a good one. Listen to this quick bit (scroll to minute 14:20 in the podcast) where Daisy Waugh, author of “The Kids Will Be Fine” explains how existing opinions about child-rearing are “setting parents up to feel like failures.”  So is this a good time to convince parents that our kids won’t starve? Seriously, it’s ok to be hangry sometimes. Their bodies will not eat themselves.

~ Hey, calorie counters! This one’s for you and it’s actually kinda cool.

I loathe counting calories but I know some of my clients just can’t stop. Whichever camp you roast your marshmallows in, this smoothie calorie chart is actually pretty dang slick! So the spinach-pear-banana-greek-yogurt smoothie I made this morning had about 369 calories in it. Neato!

~ Mulled jalapeno wine. Yeah it’s kind of a thing around here.

I think I missed my calling as a bartender. Too bad places around here aren’t crying out for a 30-something mom of two who lives in exercise clothes. If they tried this mulled jalapeno wine recipe I just created with, yep you guess it – our Mild Jalapeno Wine – they might re-think their star mixologist. See this post for the recipe!

~ Homemade gift ideas – I need ’em!

Every year I make my clients something. I mean, something that hopefully isn’t crap. Last year it was homemade vanilla extract. The year before that it was sugared cranberries (so good!), this year I’ve got nuthin’. HELP! I don’t think they’ll appreciate a baggie full of Ibuprofen and a flat of bottled water. I’m a real-world personal trainer but I’m not a jerk.

Thanks for scrolling!