If you want lifelong health and fitness, a healthy diet is KEY. So here are 3 quick & easy rules for staying on the wagon and staying healthy…

#1. Eat five to six times a day - It’s a myth that you shouldn’t snack between meals. The fact is snacking keeps your energy levels high and prevents you from over eating at main meals. Always mix a lean protein with a good carb for optimal results!

#2. Eat Like Clockwork – Try to eat at the same time every day so your body gets into a routine, and works with you toward health & fitness.

#3. Build Out a Meal Plan – With a meal plan you know what to eat and when so you can stock up at the grocery store and never be left short at dinner. This means no excuses for fast food.

And there you have it. Maintaining a healthy diet is literally as easy as 1, 2, 3!

Do you have any helpful tips for maintaining a healthy diet? Please share! Just post your comments down below.

Have a great day!

Tweet This Post

How To Sleep Like a Baby

Sleep is crucial for your health, well being and quality of life.

Yet, if you’re like so many millions of Americans, you’re simply not getting enough… That’s dangerous because it effects your mood, health and day to day performance.

With that in mind, here’s how to sleep like a baby every single night – boosting your energy, health and quality of life…

1. Go to bed and get up at the same time every day. Your biological clock likes routine, and is very sensitive to change. So make sure you pick times and stick to them. Now the only catch is you can’t sleep in on the weekends… But what’s the point in sleeping in and missing half of the weekend you’ve looked so forward to all week anyway? Get up early on Saturday for a change and enjoy the best part of the day.

2. Be more active and workout! Instead of lying in your bed for an hour every night trying to sleep, wasting time, spend that hour working out during the day instead. You’ll burn away all that excess energy that keeps you awake, get in great shape and not have to spend the night tossing and turning anymore. Warning: Don’t work out close to bed time though, because you can wake your body up even more.

3. Don’t take sleeping pills. It scares me how drugged up the nation can be sometimes. I strongly disagree with taking sleeping pills. The key is to learn how to fall into a relaxing, natural sleep. By taking pills your body never learns that, and becomes drug dependent. This makes it even harder to fall asleep when you come off the pills.

4. Avoid coffee, tea or soft drinks in the evening.  Anything with caffeine in it is going to keep you awake longer than you need to be. Cut consumption AT LEAST 3 hours before bedtime.

5. Keep your bedroom temperature cool and consistent. I think everyone can relate to long, sweaty, summer nights… The warmer it is the harder it is for your body to “shut down” and get into sleep mode. There’s no exact temperature I can recommend, just try experimenting and find what works best for you.

Sleeping really is a health essential so USE these tips and make sure you’re getting enough!

What’s the biggest challenge you face with getting enough sleep? Drop us a line down below and we’ll try and address the most common issues in a future post!

Tweet This Post

Tweet This Post

Tweet This Post

Tweet This Post

1. Almonds: high in protein, good for building muscle and fighting off cravings and hunger
2. Black Beans: great for burning fat, regulating digestion, and an excellent source of protein, fiber, and iron.
3. Spinach: rich in magnesium and vitamin A, C, E and K. Besides fighting obesity, spinach helps protect against heart disease, stroke, and colon cancer.
4. Blueberries: full of antioxidants and great source of soluble fiber which helps you feel full.
5. Oatmeal: low in fat, good source of fiber. Oatmeal is also low in sodium and cholesterol.
6. Eggs: packed full of protein, iron and vitamins A, D, E, and B12. Eggs help promote the loss of body fat and stabilize blood sugar levels.
7. Sweet Potatoes: high in fiber, complex carbohydrates, protein and vitamins. When eaten with the skin, sweet potatoes have more fiber than oatmeal!
8. Peanut Butter: packed with protein and heart healthy fats,  peanut butter helps build muscle while burning fat. It is high in calories though, so watch your intake!
9. Extra Virgin Olive Oil: helps burn fat while keeping your cholesterol in check.  Substitute salad dressing with a tablespoon or 2 of extra virgin olive oil.
10. Lean Turkey: helps build muscle and boosts your immune system. An excellent choice for boosting your metabolism and speeding up your body’s ability release fat! 
    
11. Whey Protein: helps build muscle and burn fat. Add to your favorite post workout smoothie to accelerate your fat loss.    
    
12. Low Fat Yogurt: great for strengthening your bones, providing ‘good bacteria’ in your digestive system, and helps to speed up fat burning.

Eat supportively at each meal by combining a lean protein, a starchy carbohydrate, and fibrous carbohydrate for maximum fat loss!

Tweet This Post

“A goal that is casually set and lightly taken will be freely abandoned at the first obstacle.”
-Zig Ziglar

The new year is here! Let’s talk turkey, (no pun intended ) We all know that every year you or someone you know tells you “this is the year, THIS TIME I’m gonna lose weight..for real!” The scenario is the same, people sign up for gym memberships, go once or twice, maybe lose a couple pounds, but by February-March there is no sign of the passion and drive that was there in January, and they quit going to the gym and stop working out. Why is that? Chances are that they did not set what is known as a “S.M.A.R.T.” goal. Here’s what that means:

The S stands for specific. A specific goal has a much greater chance of being accomplished than a general goal. How do you know if your goal is specific enough? it should answer the six “W” questions:

*Who:      Who is involved?
*What:     What do I want to accomplish?
*Where:    Identify a location.
*When:     Establish a time frame.
*Which:    Identify requirements and constraints.
*Why:      Specific reasons, purpose or benefits of accomplishing the goal.

The M stands for measurable. How will you know when you’ve reached your goal? When you’ve lost ‘x’ number of lbs, or fit in a particular size jean? Be specific and establish what will dictate that you have indeed reached your goal! When you measure your progress, you are more likely to stay on track, reach your target dates, and experience the exhilaration of the wonderful “unsolicited compliment” from friends and family! You’ll be amazed how inspired you become when you first hear “have you lost weight?”, or “have you been working out- you look great!”  Those 4-8 little words pack quite a punch of motivation and will spur you on to continued efforts required to reach your goal!

The A stands for attainable.  When you identify goals that are most important to you, you begin to figure out ways you can make them come true. You develop the attitudes, abilities, skills, and financial capacity to reach them. You begin seeing previously overlooked opportunities to bring yourself closer to the achievement of your goals.

The R stands for realistic. What’s realistic? A goal that represents an objective that you are both willing and able to work toward. Don’t overwhelm yourself with a goal that seems too daunting at first. For instance, if you need to lose 50lbs and that just seems absolutely impossible to you, break that big goal into 5 smaller goals of 10 lb increments. Remember that saying…”the journey of a thousand miles begins with the first step!”

The T stands for timely. your goal should come with a deadline. Without a deadline there is no sense of urgency and your goal more than likely will not be reached. If you want to lose 10lbs, when do you want to lose it by? Set a date, devise your plan, and work toward it!

So let’s hear it folks. What’s your “SMART” fitness goal for 2009? Please post your answers down below and let’s start talking!

Tweet This Post

If you’re tired of doing regular old push ups, try raising the bar
on this classic bodyweight exercise by incorporating a BOSU trainer.
If you dont have a BOSU at your gym you can pick one up at your local
sporting good sore. They run about $100, but they last forever.
(Ive had a few of mine for almost 10 years now).  Here’s the rule of
thumb to go by: The further away your leg and foot goes from your body,
the more challenging the push up becomes. You’ll see… Beginning
and advanced progressions are demonstrated.

If you have any questions, feel free to call us at 216-373-7654, or email us!

Tweet This Post

Tweet This Post

Tweet This Post