3 Foods NOT to eat if you are trying to lose weight!

May 20th, 2009
· by admin · Filed Under: Fitness · Nutrition · weight loss

Everyone knows that if you are trying to lose weight, it probably isn’t the best idea to include cake, ice cream, or flavored coffees as regular staples in your diet. Some may say these foods are “bad”, high in fat, sugar, and calories…but just how “bad” are they? Let’s take a look at a few common examples…

Cake example: The Cheesecake Factory Chris’ Outrageous Chocolate Cake
A description including “layers of moist chocolate cake, chewy brownie, toasted coconut pecan filling, and creamy chocolate chip coconut cheesecake” sounds very tempting to my taste buds, how about yours? I’m not one to normally pass up a good piece of cake…BUT, at 1380 calories, 32 teaspoons of sugar, 33 grams of saturated fat and 5 grams of trans fat…I might have to forego this delectable slice of coma inducing pleasure, in exchange for being able to button up my jeans the next day!

Ice Cream example: Cold Stone Creamery’s Gotta Have it Founder’s Favorite
If you are trying to GAIN weight, I highly recommend making this your favorite ice cream too. Founder’s Favorite has 12 ounces of ice cream (that’s an actual 3 servings in case you were wondering!), pecans, brownie pieces, fudge, and caramel. Sound good? Sure…if you need an extra 1600 calories and 42 grams of saturated fat around your midsection!

Flavored Coffee example: Starbucks Venti (20 oz.) Caffè Mocha

This isnt just your average cup of jo. The Venti Caffè Mocha packs an amazing 410 calories (that can easily be an entire meal’s worth of calories), 42 grams of sugar, 17 grams of fat, and is topped off with a nice big cloud of whipped cream.

Now, before the cake, ice cream, and flavored coffee police come after me, I do have suggestions for those of you who just can’t live without your favorite treats.

1. Take human bites! Chew your food and enjoy what you are consuming. Shoveling it all in will lead to overeating and can also incur a not so pleasant stomach ache.

2. Order the ’short’ (if you’re at Starbuck’s), small, or regular serving size of whatever it is you are about to eat. In today’s world of “would you like to super-size that for only 25 cents more”– the last thing we need is a super-sized waistline. Save the quarter, get the smaller serving size, and save your life!

3. Expose your tongue to new flavors, textures, and fiber! Believe it or not, you can actually develop a craving for fruits and veggies. Fruits and veggies tend to be higher in fiber which will also make you feel content and full. Full is good, fat is not – eat your fruits and veggies!

What are some of your favorite “not so good for you” foods? Post your answers in the comments section below and we’ll try our best to give alternatives, or solutions so that you CAN “have your cake and eat it too!” :-)

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5 ways to burn MORE fat in LESS time!

April 22nd, 2009
· by admin · Filed Under: Fitness · Nutrition · bootcamps

Looking for easy ways to blast away stubborn fat? Incorporate the following tips into your daily routine and watch fat melt away!
1. Do your cardio work first thing in the morning, before you eat breakfast. Your sugar levels are naturally lower 
    in  the morning and your body will turn to using fat as your fuel source.
2. Eat breakfast. The digestive process helps to kickstart your metabolism for the day and turns on the fat
    burning furnace!
3. Rev up your workouts with high intensity interval training. By incorporating high intensity intervals
    into your workout, you will burn more fat and boost your metabolism.
4. Eat a little protein with each meal. Your body has to work harder to break proteins. Since it is working
    harder, more calories are burned in the process and metabolism is boosted.
5. Have a snack in between meals. By eating every 3 hours or so, you keep your body from metabolically
    slowing down. Keeping your blood sugar levels stable throughout the day insures that you are allowing
    your body to release fat, all day long!

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What’s the deal with cholesterol anyway?

March 12th, 2009
· by admin · Filed Under: Nutrition

You’ve probably heard somewhere along the road that cholesterol is bad, and that you need to keep your
levels down…but do you really know “what’s what” when it come to your
cholesterol levels, diet, and health?
Here’s the skinny:You have 2 types of cholesterol in your body: HDL and LDL cholesterol. Think of HDL as the good kind of cholesterol, and LDL as the kind that’s not so good.

Contributing factors to a rise in your LDL levels typically include:
eating foods that are high in saturated fat
leading a sedentary, or exercise free lifestyle
you can also inherit high cholesterol levels if it runs in your family

3 easy ways to improve your HDL levels include:
resistance training and adding a little muscle mass to your body. Notice I didnt say you had to turn into a bodybuilder, just add a little bit of muscle!

eat fish! Compared to lean meat and chicken, those who eat fish have shown a 26% increase in HDL2, a protective form of HDL.

Eat Macadamia nuts! Who knew, right? Australian scientists have found that replacing 15% of your daily caloric intake with 12-16 macadamia nuts a day can increase HDL levels by up to 8%!

Have you ever had to lower your LDL levels? How did you do it? We want to hear about it! Just post your “cholesterol lowering success stories” down below for your chance to win a random drawing for a complimentary 30 minute personal training session at Fitness Edge in Lakewood!

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Looking for your six pack? Check out these 12 Belly-Flattening Foods!

February 4th, 2009
· by admin · Filed Under: Nutrition

  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!

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Three healthy snack alternatives that melt away stubborn fat!

October 13th, 2008
· by admin · Filed Under: Nutrition · Uncategorized


I know I need to have healthy snacks, I just don’t know what to eat…”

Sound familiar? Try any of these 3 quick and easy snacks guaranteed to ‘hit the spot’, all while providing beneficial nutrients like fiber, protein, and healthy monounsaturated fats!

1. Popcorn: As long as you don’t drown your popcorn in butter and salt, this is a great low calorie, low fat snack.

2. Almonds: A handful a day can keep the doctor (and heart disease) away! More and more studies are coming out stating the benefits of consuming healthy fats, like almonds.

3. Low fat yogurt: An 8 ounce cup of low fat yougurt typically contains about 2-3 grams of fat and around 150 calories. Compare that to about the twice as many calories (sometimes more, depending on the kind), found in a cup of ice cream!

Remember to pay attention to portion sizes as well, calories are calories regardless of where they come from and if you consume more calories than you are burning you will probably not be too happy with how your clothes begin to fit (or “not fit!”)

Have a great day!

Marty

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The quickest way to boost metabolism and melt ugly fat!

September 25th, 2008
· by admin · Filed Under: Fitness · Nutrition

Quick and easy 60 second breakfast offers solution if you’re pressed for time!

If you’re like a lot of my clients, oen of the biggest excuses for nto eating breakfast is “I dont have time in the morning”, or “I’m always running late, so I just grab whatever’s available and run out the door.” Here is a quick and easy ‘on the go’ meal (from Men’s Health) that takes all of about 60 seconds to prepare, is high in protein and fiber, and will definitely start you off on the right foot in the morning. Enjoy!

1 medium apple
1/2 pint fat-free milk
1 bran vita muffin (these are available at your local grocery store, go to vitalicious.com for a supplier near you)
1 pack skippy squeeze stix peanut butter

Slice the apple, grab the milk, peanut butter, and muffin, and go! Squeeze the peanut butter on to your apple slices as you eat.

Mixing fibrous carbohydrates with protein is an easy way to keep your blood sugar levels stable and maximize your body’s ability to burn fat! 

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Are you getting the results you want from your workout program?

September 18th, 2008
· by admin · Filed Under: Fitness

Time to lose the muffin top!
 
Nicki Bootcamp testimonialOver the course of the last ten years, I have slowly been introduced to what I can only call “modern day anatomy” for women. It’s sad, yet comical, that I know exactly what part of the body women are talking about when I hear the following terms: 
 
1. Cankles
2. Knee fat
3. Saddlebags
4. Pooch
5. Shelf
6. Muffin top
7. Love handles
8. Back fat
9. Grandma arms
10. Turkey gobbler
 
What’s the best way to minimize or eliminate any of the aforementioned terms? Apply the concepts of SYNERGY:
1. Eat Supportively: This simply means to always mix a protein with a carb to minimize blood sugar spikes and stabilize your body’s blood sugar levels, thus allowing your body to release fat all day long.
2. Perform moderate amounts of aerobic activity: 30-60 minutes of your favorite cardio activity 3 days a week will do the trick.
3. Start challenging the muscles in your body by asking them to do “a little bit more than what they’re used to doing.” All this means is that you need to do some sort of resistance training at intensities that are ‘challenging,but do-able.’
Put those three concepts to work simultaneously and you will achieve incredible results!
Have a great day!
Marty

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