Winter Weight: the Scourge!

Winter!! a time for family, holidays, cold weather, and most important (to some) EATING! Winter time is when people gain a couple of pounds without even realizing it like a fast roller coaster finishing while your mind is still on take off.  There are a couple of reasons for this weight gain.  First is of course the holidays starting with Halloween (crazy amounts of candy), Thanksgiving (juicy turkey with mac and cheese, pumpkin pies and leftovers), Christmas (Ham and family dinner),  New Years (alcohol).  As you can see things happen pretty fast!  THen we have the cold weather (Burrrr), makes you want to cuddle under the covers with comfort food, a nice movie and a warm body next to you.  Also your body adapts to the coldness by holding on to the fat it already has to keep you warm (makes it harder to lose weight)

Here are a couple of tips from various sites:
1. Practice Smart Snacking - Trail mix, whole grain crackers, low fat cottage cheese, etc.

2. NEVER  go into a party hungry! – this will tend to make you overeat and you’re subject to what menu items that they offer

3. Liquid Calories - they tend to have a high amount of calories that can be consumed in a short amount of time.  It also has a faster rate of being converted into fat.

4. Go outside for some SUN - Get some sun even if its cold outside (you’d be surprised how fast you warm up when you workout in the cold)

5.  Eat more Protein and Fiber -  Keeps you full longer and longer energy.  Watch those carbs! ( muffins, cakes, pastries)

6.  Go to the Grocery store  - Stock up on items in your cupboard before hand, That way, you’ll be able to create a quick and nutritious evening meal at short notice. You’ll save money and avoid the temptation to order a high-calorie takeaway.

7.  Wear FITTED clothes -  we are constantly wearing baggy jackets, sweaters, and layers upon layers!  It’s easy to feel good about our bodies and lose sight on the reality of the shape of our bodies.  Wear fitted clothes and regularly weigh yourselves to keep that focus.

Of course ENJOY! and LIVE a little it is the holidays still, just don’t go overboard you won’t want to regret it in spring when it’s beach season.

Ask Men, NHS UK, EatingWell.com, WebMD, Fit Sugar, ThatsFit.com

Surgery (No Excuses)

Toast2Fitness has been my heart and a great resource in which I utilized to share my passion for fitness unto the world.  Although there is no excuse as to why this site has not been avidly updated, I will make an attempt to give one.  Imagine a fashion designer that cannot make it to fashion shows or a florist that can’t be in a garden, or even a mechanic that is unable to work on cars (One thing that these people have in common is that they’re removed from their passion!).  Since high school I have been dealing with a knee injury and already had surgery once that has prevented me from properly exercising at a certain level of exertion.  Fitness events, training sessions, and etc has been missed because I would be home tending to my knee.  My motivation to help others was severely diminished since i couldn’t even help myself.  At times I could barely get out of bed without a severe knee pain occurring.  Over the past year plus I have been meeting with a team of Doctors which all came to the same conclusion, if I don’t get this surgery now then I would need a total knee replacement surgery by age 30!  Even though I worked through the pain at times just off the strength of my passion to help others reach their fitness goal, it’s about time that I helped myself now so that I could further help you in the FUTURE and beyond!

Basically to keep a LONGGGG story short, I have finally had the surgery needed to correct this nuisance! It is approximately a 6 week period before I can even walk!  Even though it will be tough,  I believe in modern medicine and its technical advances since my first surgery.

Salad Guidelines!

Salads are one of the most versatile and dynamic foods that we have to eat.  No two salads are ever alike!  The amount of customizations that one can do to a salad to make it to their liking is unlimited.  But with this being said one can take a seemingly healthy salad and make it worst that eating a triple quarter pound sandwich with large fries, large soda and two apple pies.  These are some basic guidelines to consider when creating/choosing your masterpiece

Make it COLORFUL !!! Add yellow and red bell peppers, green cucumbers, blue cabbage, orange carrots, red tomatoes and etc.

Greener leaves are better for you as they contain more nutrients (Romaine lettuce and Spinach leaves etc.)

Salad should leave you full, but not heavy

Chew each bite slowly (pertains to all foods) It gives your body time to recognize when you’re full.

Be weary of how much dressing that you use

Salad dressing can take a seemingly healthy salad and turn it horrible with unhealthy calories I.e ranch (a lite vinegrette oil is better)

Add grains and nuts (almonds, sunflower seeds, flax seeds etc) for protein and healthy fats

BE WEARY!! of adding alot of bacon, chicken, beef, cheese, dressing, croutons and raisins.

Who called Charley??

As I ran in Deanna Jefferson’s Warrior Workout, I along with a few others felt an intense cramping pain in various parts of our  muscles! This is what we call a Charley Horse (Muscle spasm).  Basically we experience an INTENSE involuntary muscle cramp in which a painful contraction occurs. g.   The most prone sites are in your lower body, but no muscle is off-limits (including your arms, chest, and abdominal).  One of the absolutely worst times to get them is when resting or sleeping

Reasons why we might get a Charley Horse:

• Insufficient stretching
• Dehydration
• Imbalanced electrolyte level (potassium, sodium, chloride, calcium, and phosphate)
• Overused/Injured muscle
• Irritated nerve (Dr. visit REQUIRED)
• Exercising in the heat (even though you can get it in the cold also)

Possible Treatments:

Stretch It OUT!

I admit, I have been accused of this act of foolishness numerous times; I DON’T STRETCH! Alot of people downplay the importance of stretching due to lack and or misinformation.  It is definitely a vital part to your fitness and over all well being.  There are numerous benefits to stretching such as:

• Better flexibility and range of motion
• Improved circulation
• Stress Relief
• Better Posture
• Improved muscle Coordination

It is often mistaken that you should stretch BEFORE a workout but that is a myth!.  Now I’m not saying that you should start a workout with your muscles cold because you should perform a low intensity dynamic WARM-UP. Low intensity warm-ups include jogging, jumping jacks, jump rope, light weight workouts such as curls.  This “warms” your muscles there by preventing the chances of injury.

If you Stretch before an exercise it can actually increase your chances of injury.  Compare your muscles to a rubber band, if you stretch it out before use then its intended purpose is limited since it isn’t as strong as before the stretch, right? USA Today

A great benefit to post workout stretching is the reduction of DOMS (Delayed Onset Muscle Soreness), basically it’s the feeling of extreme soreness in your muscles the morning after, approximately.  Stretching improves CIRCULATION, which aids in the removal of waste by products of muscle tissue breakdown (lactic acid…etc).  This greatly improves recovery time so that you can get on to your next workout!

For a list of Stretches and how to perform each one correctly check out ———–>Sports Injury Clinic Stretches

Also check the links below for more information. ProjectSwole.com has great information on Isometric Stretching!

USA Today, Physical Therapy, SPorts Medicine, Project Swole

ToastGlance: RunWashington.com

Everybody has different motivating factors!  There is no mystery in that.  One of the greatest motivators is to strive for something higher than the level you are now, so why not decide to train for a marathon or even a short race?

www.RunWashington.com has that exact motivation waiting for you.  It is a site that has numerous races scheduled to happen in the DMV area and even Florida.  It has a list of races, a calendar, and you can even register for the race in an easy hassle free application.  Training/Racing in a marathon has the positive attribute of the group support that you receive to keep you going (there are NO losers)

For the variety of races (5k, 10k, 20k, etc…) there’s a section dedicated to resources in which you can get gear, facilities and trails that you can train at to prepare for your race.  A training section is also available that advises you on nutrition and workouts needed to prevent injury and increase performance.

This site is definitely worthwhile your time to check whether you are getting ready for a race now or later!

SO check it out ——–>Run Washington

A very TOASTY Christmas!

MERRY CHRISTMAS!! From Toast2Fitness to YOU!

It has been a great year and am thankful for a lot.  Your health has been a gift to me and can’t ask for more.

Remember these tips as you eat Christmas dinner and you’ll prevent the famous Santa Belly:

1. Eat in portions.
2. Limit the amount of cookies and sweets (don’t neglect)
3. Still find time to workout before or the day after (NO EXCUSES)
4. DOn’t drink the whole gallon of egg nog alone; see Liquid Calorie AttaCk!
5. Most importantly have fun…..don’t forget it’s a lifestyle change so no days off.

Are you exercising under the right Personality?!

Have you ever tried working out according to someone else schedule but find out that you can’t keep it up?!  Well the D.C Express wrote an article on choosing the RIGHT workout plan to match-up with your personality.  Going along with the wrong one will leave you bored and unmotivated (causing you to fall off faster than a motorcyclist going 100mph down a rocky road)

The Aesthete- Thrives on the artistry of sports and exercises so a mirror is much needed during workouts to constantly readjust their form if needed.  (A little vanity included too)

The Thrill-Seeker- You need more of an adrenaline flow, so include running on stadium  steps and/or plyometrics at various heights.  Linear workouts might not work for you so include sports such as mountain climbing and such.

The Social Activist- Being in the gym alone is your major downfall, so create a buddy system in which you and a friend agree exercise together.  Also you can participate in gym classes or start a fitness group!

Liquid Calorie AttaCk!

As you’re thinking more on the healthier side of the spectrum, you constantly hear from various people/media telling to give up the sodas, juices, and etc.  Alot of people try to, but do you know WHY you should in the first place? This is because your body handles foods vs liquids in two different ways.  The way it digests and processes both determines how the nutrients are used and how the CALORIES affects you!  Another factor to the liquid calorie attack involves the amount we drink per day.

Most people might not know that the liquid version of a product is not created equally compared to the solid version. i.e an apple vs. apple juice. There is a thermic effect when you eat solid foods, meaning that your body uses energy (calories) to break down the food and nutrients.  When you drink, your stomach’s pyloric sphincter doesn’t close so ALL the calories are readily absorbed without any true breakdown from the stomachs enzymes since the brain doesn’t register it as FOOD.  Also the denser the food (such as quality protein) the greater the thermic effect.  As the saying goes “You have to eat food to lose weight”

FitTech: GymyGym Exercise Office Chair

The Fitness industry is creating ways that people can’t have any more excuses for not working out.  WHO hasn’t heard the basic excuse “I’m behind a desk 8-10 hrs a day, there’s no time to workout!”

Well PROBLEM solved with the GymyGym Exercise chair, as stated by the website “The World’s First Ergonomic
Exercise Chair”.  It has 16 core exercises that will engage the arms, chest, legs, back, torso, shoulders, and glutes.  The chair utilizes resistance bands placed in precise areas for maximum benefit.