Happy Thanksgiving!!

Yes it is Thanksgiving !! We all are thankful for all the the things we have in our lives whether it is life, money, family, material possessions and such.  It’s also a time synonymous for traveling, family gatherings, and lots of EATING!  There will be an abundance of food today; Turkey, stuffing, mac n cheese, gravy, mash potatoes, pies, ice cream, greens, desserts, rice, ham, etc so we must remember just one guideline in our journey for a healthy lifestyle:  PORTION Control!! With portion control you can enjoy the festivity of eating whatever you want by avoiding being gluttonous.  Small amounts of each food item should be taken which would create one big meal.  Eat till you’re satisfied but try to avoid the feeling of being stuffed.  After eating you should embark on a low level activity such as walking.

*One day of eating won’t unravel your whole workout routine, (Don’t worry or have guilty feelings just ENJOY) get back in it the day after.

HAPPY THANKSGIVING !!

EAT Breakfast!

Breakfast is often the meal most missed by people when they wake up. There are a list of excuses to the reasons why people typically skip the most important meal of the day. Now unless it is a medical then your excuse is INVALID! Here are just some of the excuses: “I’m not a morning person”, “I’m always in a hurry when I wake up”, “I feel nauseated when I do eat breakfast”, and “I hate breakfast foods”. All of these excuses are counter productive in your fitness journey. You need to form a habit of waking up at an early enough time that will allow you to eat a healthy meal of your CHOICE routinely everyday.

The Benefits of Eating Breakfast:

1. It gives you energy and jump starts your day!! You’ve been asleep for approximately 8 hrs so this is much needed.
2. If you wait till lunch before ingesting something to eat, then your body goes into starvation mode. Basically in starvation mode, when food is eaten your body holds on to it and all of the calories instead of utilizing it for energy/nutrients. *This is one of the most counter productive measures in your weight-loss journey.
3. People also tend to eat more by lunch time because of the amount of hunger that they have. Typically their food choice is often skewed into unhealthy choices/portions.

Food choices for breakfast are best when they are something filling and not just empty calories. You want to eat items such as whole grain bagels/bread/muffin, oatmeal, eggs, 2%-fat free milk, bran cereal, fruit, yogurt, and etc

Foods such as sugary cereal, donuts/pastries, candy bars, sausage egg bacon and cheese biscuits, soda, non-100% juice drinks, and etc. These foods aren’t energy dense and have a high amount of calories, meaning that in a short amount of time you will feel the hunger again. Rule of Thumb: It’s better to eat a bad breakfast than no breakfast at all. One option is to mix bad breakfast items with healthy choices as a transfer into healthy food choices!  Another option is to eat small healthy snacks at the start of your day approximately 1-2 hours apart if you have stomach troubles from breakfast.

via WebMD Mayo Clinic About Article Base Nutrition

Stress ÷Exercise = Health

This basic mathematical equation is one of the keys to stress relief. “Stress ÷Exercise = Health” Exercise aids in stress management in various ways.  Some people quickly take medication in order for them to deal with stress and depression but that often comes with side effects.  The best way to approach the problem is NATURALLY in which there are pros with no cons!  It is my belief that only a very few amount of people actually need to take stress/depression medication.  There are great benefits attributed to fitness mentally, physiologically, and physically.

• As life’s frustrations tend to build up throughout the day and week, working out gives you a form of outlet.  You are able to turn negative emotions into something positive for you.
• Stress wears the body down by making you feel tired and you have a loss of energy.  Getting into a fitness routine naturally gives you a boost of energy and a clear mind to sort out your stressors.
• Exercise t gives you a huge boost in CONFIDENCE! As you look in the mirror and notice the changes that YOU accomplished, then you gain a sense of self confidence that you can tackle anything thrown at you in the world.
• Most importantly, exercise gives you a “me time” that separates you from the annoyances of the world and a chance to reconnect with yourself and unwind.
• Also you can exercise with your friends as a sense of support, bonding, and motivation.
• Naturally exercise decreases the amount of stress hormones (cortisol) and increases the amount of “feel good” hormones (endorphins) which automatically brightens your mood.
• Lastly exercising speeds up blood flow to the brain which allows you to be more alert and think faster since it would be working at optimum condition.

Food Calorie Mystery?

There is a huge cloud of mystery surrounding the concept of “calories”. Typically the first two things notice don the nutritional label of food packaging are the caloric value and the total fat amount. People are often confused whether to count calories or monitor their fat intake. Both are IMPORTANT, but you don’t want to avoid certain types of fats such as Omega 3 fats often found in fish since they are beneficial to overall health. In regards to calories we need a certain amount to gives us energy needed for our body to function properly and efficiently. A “calorie is nothing more than a unit of energy that is available in food amongst other things. The BIGGEST reason why we should monitor our calorie intake is because we need to burn more calories per day than the amount that we take in.

*Explanation: Eat 3000 calories – Burn 2,500 calories = 500 calorie surplus!!

(1lb = 3500 calories)

Over a 7 day period this 500 calorie surplus per day equates to you gaining ONE pound. So to lose 1lb you would have to do the opposite and create a deficit of 500 calories per day in order to lose 1lb a week. (These equations are done without regards to exercise as it will burn calories at a faster rate)

Eat 3000 calories – Burn 3,500 calories = 500 calorie deficit (1lb weight loss! per week)

The caloric needs of each individual is different depending on the person’s age, weight, metabolism, and activity level.  No one human is alike so each nutritional plan should be geared only towards that individual.  To get a basic idea of your caloric need CLICK HERE and input your information and it will give you a generalization to how many calories needed to maintain or lose weight.

**BE WEARY** of low fat, no fat, reduced fat foods as they tend to be high in calories!

BASIC Home Workout #1

Warm-Up:
50 Jumping Jacks
30 High Knees
30 Arm Circles

Arms:
3x 10 Bicep curls w/resistance bands or dumbbells
2x 10 Push-Ups (Build yourself up till you can reach this)
2x 10 Tricep Dips

Legs
2x 15 Basic Squats (Have any sort of weights in hand for added resistance)
2x 15 Basic Lunges (same applies)

Core/Abs
2x 20 Standing Crunches
2x 20 Bicycle kicks
2x 10 Reverse crunches
2x 10sec Plank

 

Workout Section

Fitness Myths Debunked!! pt.1

A great deal of misinformation is being passed around like wildfire in regards to health and fitness. The phrase “Knowledge is Power” is a key statement that applies to all walks of life.  The goal of this segment is to debunk the validity of these myths so that you can workout the right way and not believe in “old wives tales”

Doing crunches or using an “ab machine” will give me a six-pack.

Wrong! It’ll strengthen the abdominal muscles underneath the layer of fat but to shed that layer cardio such as running, cycling, ellipticals, etc is needed.

Running on a treadmill puts less stress on your knees than running on asphalt or pavement

Wrong! Whether you’re on asphalt or a treadmill, your body weight force is still impacting your knee joint.  To reduce the stress, a varied workout is needed in which ellipticals or cycling comes into utilization.

Swimming is a great weight loss activity

Swimming aids in increased lung capacity and muscle tone, but in regards to weight loss it fails (unless you are swimming for hours a day).  This is so because the buoyancy of the water supports your body while swimming so you are not working as hard as if you ran and etc.

If you’re not working up a sweat, you’re not working hard enough.

A significant amount of calories can by burned by walking long distances.  Also some people don’t sweat as much but that shouldn’t discredit the amount of work they are doing.

Machines are a safer way to exercise because you’re doing it right every time.

You are doing it right if the machine is adjusted CORRECTLY according to your body specifications and if you’re not injuring your self by trying to lift a weight that is above your range.

When it comes to working out, you’ve got to feel some pain if you’re going to gain any benefits.

To feel some soreness is normal but you should NEVER workout out till you feel pain!  If you do feel pain you either have an injury or you are performing the exercises wrong.  Also try to have a day or two of rest if you experience pain and just workout another body part/section, and if the pain escalates then seek medical attention.

Lifting heavy weights make women bulk up.

To bulk up the hormone testosterone is needed and women typically just don’t produce enough of it to bulk up from lifting weights.  Some people might “appear” to bulk up because they gain muscle faster than losing fat but when they shed the fat then they are back to their slim appearance.

via Web MD Yahoo Health