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Interval Training
March 8th, 2010I’ve said it before (A LOT), surprising your body is THE BEST way to see results. If you have been doing the same thing at the gym for months on end, you’ve probably stopped seeing results. This means it’s time to switch it up! It’s not enough to get on the elliptical or treadmill and just do the same thing over and over again. Your body gets used to the work and starts to anticipate it and prepare for it. You want to keep those muscles guessing so that they have to work to keep up with you! A great way to so this is with Interval Training.
Interval training is great because:
- Burn maximum calories.
- Work harder for shorter period.
- Train your heart to be better and stronger.
- Turn your metabolism into a fire burning machine!
**Before you start attempting intervals, you should be able to hold a steady heart rate of around 75% – 80% for 20 minutes.
Triple Three’s
This is a great 21 minute workout with a warm up and cool down. You can do this on a Stationary Bike, Elliptical or Treadmill.
Interval Run
| Moderate | RPE | Advanced | RPE | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1. | Warm up 3 minutes | 2 | Warm up 3 minutes | 3.5 |
| 2. | Warm up 2 minutes | 5 | Warm up 2 minutes | 6 |
| 3. | Run 2 minutes | 6 | Sprint 2 minutes | 8 |
| 4. | Walk 2 minutes | 4 | Jog 2 minutes | 6 |
| 5. | Repeat steps 2 & 3 two more times | Repeat steps 2 & 3 two more times | ||
| 6. | Run 1 minute | 7 | Run 1 minute | 9 |
| 7. | Walk 1 miunte | 4 | Jog 1 minute | 6 |
| 8. | Repeat steps 6 & 7 two more times | Repeat steps 6 & 7 two more times | ||
| 9. | Run 30 seconds | 8 | Run 30 Seconds | 10 |
| 10. | Walk 30 seconds | 4 | Walk 30 Seconds | 6 |
| 11. | Repeat steps 9 & 10 two more times | Repeat steps 9 & 10 two more times | ||
| 12. | COOL DOWN | COOL DOWN |
* RPE- Rate of Persevere Exertion.
If 0 is lying in bed.
5 is a brisk speed walk/ light jog but you can carry a LIGHT conversation.
6- Jog.
7- Saying things like, yup, no, o.k and stop talking to me.
8 – You won’t be talking to anyone!
10 is as fast as you can go / or as hard as you can push yourself on a resistance level.
Low Fat Cheesecake
March 5th, 2010If you haven’t found this recipe on the IntoFit blog yet, I wanted to remind you it exists. Very rarely do I put baking or recipes for sweets on the site. It’s not that I don’t want to, it’s simply becuase if I’m baking it- then that means I’m eating it too!- I try not to bake a big batch of something in my house too often to save me from myself. But this is one of my all time favorite light desserts! It’s so easy to make – and it’s presentable enough and delicious enough to bring to someones house ! But also easy enough that you can make it in 30 seconds and enjoy it at home!
Cheese Cake Minus The Cake
- Fresh Fruit (I use strawberries or blueberries)
- 4 ounces light cream cheese
- ½ tsp lemon juice
- ¼ cup powdered sugar
- ½ tsp vanilla extract
- Graham cracker crumbs
1. In a bowl whip: cream cheese, sugar, lemon juice and vanilla.
2. Top with graham cracker crumbs.
3. Serve as a dip for your fruit!
OR
a) Pour individual bowls of berries and dollop your cream cheese mixture on top. Sprinkle with graham crackercrumbs.
OR
b) Scoop out the tops of your strawberries and fill them with your cream cheese mixture. Sprinkle with a touch of graham cracker crumbs. These make little strawberry cheesecake bites!
Nutritional Information 1/10th of dip
| Calories | Carbohydrates | Protein | Fat | Fiber |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 38.2 | 3.4 | 1.2 | 21. | 0 |
2nd Annual Passover Challenge
March 3rd, 2010I’m so excited for the Second Annual Passover Challenge.
Last year was a blast! O.K, fine maybe blast is not the right word- but Team Passover Challenge reported the following benefits:
- Weight Loss.
- Better Sleep.
- More Energy.
- Improvement in Skin.
YOU DO NOT HAVE TO BE JEWISH TO PARTICIPATE IN THIS CHALLENGE!
Many thousands of years ago, the Jews fled Egypt, they did not have time for their bread to rise – blah, blah, blah for 8 days once a year, Jewish people only eat unleavened bread – or something called Matzo.
The challenge is basically this- instead of replacing bread with Matzo (and horrible oil filled baked goods)- scrap all bread products for 8 days! Your bowels will thank you. For 8 days (Jew or not) let’s put the toaster away, seal up the rice, leave the potatoes in the crisper and eat lots of fruit, veggies and lean proteins!
THE PASSOVER CHALLENGE RULES
- No white stuff (bread, rice, potatoes, pasta)
- No Brown stuff (yup even the whole wheat bread, brown rice and whole wheat pastas are out)
- Stick to Lean proteins like eggs, fish, chicken, lean beef, turkey and lean pork (for those that eat it)
- Fill up on vegetables, low fat dairy products and fresh fruits!
- Try as best as you can to avoid anything processed – if you have to open a box to eat it- avoid it.
I’m not going to lie- it’s a tough challenge. One you should be mentally prepared for if your going to take it on. But it’s only 8 days! You have your whole life to eat bread, pasta and potatoes. For 8 days, give your body a break! It will thank you – that I can promise!
We’ll start on March 30th and end on April 7th. Let me know if you want in!!!!
10 Healthy Lunch Ideas
March 2nd, 2010Last but not least we are stocking our refrigerators and cupboards with healthy foods for lunch. For a refresher or to help you build a grocery list CLICK HERE for breakfast ideas , CLICK HERE for dinner ideas and CLICK HERE for snack ideas.
Whether you take lunch with you to work or make lunch at home, here are some great ideas to get you through the week.
1. Whatever you have for dinner, make enough so that you have left overs for lunch. This is the best way to ensure you have a healthy, filling lunch! From stir fry’s, to fish, to lean red meat to healthy stews – everything can be packed into a lunch bag!
2. Make a Sandwich! Everyone is still a little terrified of bread that they forget how healthy and delicious a sandwich can be. Make it your own way to ensure your getting a nutritious and delicious sandwich. Here are some of my favs :
*I make all my sandwiches with Ezekiel Sprouted Grain Bread*
- Turkey (Nitrate free) with a Laughing Cow Light cheese and tomato slices.
- Peanut butter (1 tbsp) with 1/2 a banana
- Grilled Cheese with 1 ounce of cheese
- Tuna salad made with plain yogurt and mustard instead of mayo ( I like to throw in fresh chopped apples and a splash of balsamic vinegar)
- Pizza Muffin – Ezekiel English Muffin (or whole wheat English muffin) with tomato sauce and 1 ounce of cheese (split into two)
- Breakfast For Lunch Sandwich! 1 egg and 2 whites (cooked), 1 slice of Canadian back bacon, and 1/2 ounce of cheddar cheese
* I will either have a home made vegetable soup with my sandwich, some fresh cut veggies or a salad to help fill me up*
3. Grill a bunch of chicken breasts at the beginning of the week so you have them and can just toss them on a salad for an easy lunch! 
4. Use your chicken breasts to make wraps. Click the following recipe titles for a bunch of different wrap ideas!
Don’t forget to use a whole grain wrap!
5. Make a batch of Turkey Burgers at the beginning of the week so you have them to toss on a salad or eat in a whole grain bun!
6. Make a batch of Quinoa! CLICK HERE for one way to make it- but you can do anything you want to it!
7. Omelets are great for lunch if you work from home or even on the weekend.
8. Pick up a cooked rotisserie chicken from the supermarket and use the chicken for salads, wraps or even a quesadilla! CLICK HERE for a recipe!
9. Make a batch of turkey chili at the beginning of the week and bring one serving of it with you to work to warm up!
10. Make a big Quiche at the beginning of the week and take 2 slices with you to work along with a soup or a salad. CLICK HERE for my favorite crust-less quiche recipe!
As you can see, there is a plethora of lunch ideas out there. Sometimes you just have to be reminded that they exist. If you have any more ideas please feel free to send them in!
A MUST SEE!
February 25th, 2010Very rarely do I come across something that I want to pass on to everyone I know! A dear friend of my husbands passed along this video and after I watched it, I wanted to call everyone I knew. This is especially amazing if you have kids in school or know kids growing up in the education system!
Just to give you a heads up, it’s a long one – 20 minutes – but it’s WAY worth it!!! Have your afternoon tea or take your afternoon break and WATCH THIS! Come one, when do I EVER advise you to sit on your butt and watch T.V 
Feel free to let me know your thoughts!
The Best Breakfast Cereals
February 23rd, 2010The following are my number one picks for cereals. All high in fiber, low in sugar and as few ingredients as possible. You’ll notice that all of these cereals are made with REAL food. Hard to find in a cereal box these days!
Bite Sized Shredded Wheat - Whole Grain Wheat.
*Come on! This is an amazing cereal with ONE ingredient! How rare!
Kashi Whole Grain Cereal Puffs - Kashi Seven Whole Grain & sesame ( Hard red wheat, brown rice, whole grain oats, triticale barley, try, buckwheat, sesame seeds)
*All food, no sugar. Try adding 1/4 cup of Grape Nuts or Original All Bran to add some fiber!
Weetabix : Whole Wheat, Barley Malt Extract, Sugar, Salt, Iron, Niacin, Thiamine Hydrochloride.
* Yes, there is sugar in there- but it’s not corn syrup and it’s not some chemical like Aspartam or Sucralose. Plus your only getting 2 grams of sugar in one serving!
Smart Bran – Organic wheat bran, organic oat fiber, organic evaporated cane juice, organic psyllium seed husk, organic barley malt extract, organic oat bran, organic whole oat flour, sea salt.
Grape Nuts – Whole grain wheat flour, wheat flour, malted barley four, salt, dried yeast, soy lecithin. *Enriched with the following vitamin and minerals- iron, vitamin B6, zinc to name a few
Original Kashi Go Lean - Soy Grits, Kashi Seven Whole Grain & sesame ( Hard red wheat, brown rice, whole grain oats, triticale barley, try, buckwheat, sesame seeds), evaporated cane juice, corn meal, corn flour, soy protein, wheat bran , oar fiber, corn bran, honey, evaporated cane juice, natural flavors, calcium carbonate, salt, annattoo color.
* 13 grams of protein and 10 grams of fiber in one bowl! Wow! And no chemicals or corn syrup to boot!
All Bran Original (The sticks) – Wheat bran, sugar, malt (corn flour, malted barley), salt, vitamins (thiamine hydrochloride, pyridoxine hydrochloride, folic acid, d-calcium pantothenate), iron.
| Type | Serving Size | Caloires | Carbs | Protien | Fat | Fiber | Sugar |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Bite Sized Shredded Wheat | 1 cup | 160 | 37 | 5 | 1 | 6 | 0 |
| Kashi Whole Grain 7 Cereal Puffs | 1 cup | 70 | 15 | 2 | .5 | 1 | 0 |
| Weetabix | 2 biscuts | 130 | 28 | 4 | 1 | 4 | 2 |
| Smart Bran | 2/3 cup | 90 | 24 | 3 | 1 | 13 | 6 |
| Grape Nuts | 1/2 cup | 200 | 48 | 6 | 1 | 7 | 4 |
| Original Kashi Go Lean | 1 cup | 140 | 30 | 13 | 1 | 10 | 6 |
| All Bran Original (The sticks) | 1/2 cup | 90 | 27 | 4 | 1 | 12 | 7 |
Have a Sandwich, Get a Workout at the same time?
February 18th, 2010Who knew that Sandwiches and working out would go hand and hand! These are great little routines to help the time move fast, and allow you to get a strength and cardio workout in one shot.
Pick one exercise from each section to form a complete sandwich. Make one Sandwich and then make a whole new and different one! Try making 3 Sandwiches the first time you do this. If you think you can handle a few more, add them in on your next workout!
Step one: The bottom piece of the bread.
This will be an exercise that is always timed. Here are a few examples:
- 1 to 2 minute sprint on the treadmill.
- 60- 90 seconds of jump rope.
- 2 minutes of jumping jax.
Step Two: Your piece of meat. This consists of 2 weight baring exercises. Here are a few examples:
- 10 – 12 bicep curls followed by 10 – 12 squats. Repeat 2 more times.
- 10 – 12 Chest Presses followed by 10 – 12 Dead lifts. Repeat 2 more times.
- 10 – 12 Bent over Rows follow by 10 – 12 Lunges. Repeat 2 more times.
Step Three: The top slice of bread. This is another timed exercise, but it does not have to be a cardiovascular one.
- 60 seconds of plank or side plank
- 60 seconds of push ups
- 90 seconds of crunches
- 60 Second Squat and Hold
Rest to bring your heart rate down before you have another sandwich!
Healthy Dinner Ideas
February 17th, 2010We are still stocking our refrigerator and freezer with ideas to help us get through the week sticking to a healthy lifestyle. I’m talking about dinners before lunches because when you have a healthy dinner, lunch the next day is crazy easy to prepare! Left overs! Here is how I get ready for my week. I stock up on all sorts of lean protein from the grocery store and freeze it in my freezer.
In my freezer you will find:
- Boneless, Skinless Chicken breast
- Turkey Scallopini
- Turkey Breast (bone in)
- Lean ground Turkey
- Lean ground beef
- Salmon
- Trout
- Sole
- Shrimp
- Tilapia
- Ezekiel 4:9 English Muffins or Ezekiel 4 :9 Bread
- Frozen vegetable stir fry
- Other Frozen Vegetables
And whatever else looks good at the store. I fill my freezer with these things so I am never at a loss as to what to make for dinner. I always defrost something the night before so I have to use it the next day.
You can pair lean protein with salad, quinoa, vegetables and even soups. This blog is filled with easy to do recipes. Check out the recipe section and scroll through to see if anything peeks your interest. And as I said, whatever I have for dinner I always try to make extra so I don’t have to think about lunch the next day.
In my refrigerator you will always find:
- Eggs
- Lettuce
- Tomato
- Cucumber
- Zucchini
- Sweet Potatoes
- Spaghetti Squash
- Avocado
- Home Made Salad Dressing
- Garlic
- Lemon
- Cheese (Feta, Cheddar, Parmesan)
- Asparagus/Green Beans or Broccoli
- Cooked Quinoa ( I make a batch at the beginning of the week so that I have easy access to it for meals)
- Cooked Brown Rice (Same idea as the Quinoa)
- Natural Peanut Butter
In my Cupoard I always have:
- Couple cans of Tuna or Salmon
- Uncooked Quinoa and Brown Rice
- Almond Meal
- A can of Diced or stewed tomato
- A couple cans of Marinara Sauce (if you read my post 2 days ago you know which one!)
- Barley
- Beans ( Chickpeas, Black Beans, Kidney Beans)
- Olive Oil
- Low Sodium Soy Sauce
Here are 7 dinner ideas:
- Turkey Burgers on Salad or on an Ezekiel English Muffin (You can serve both with cheese and Avocado!)
- Spaghetti Squash and Meat Sauce
- Salmon and Green beans
- Turkey Schnitzel with Asparagus
- Crust-less Quiche and Quinoa Salad
- Shrimp Stir Fry
- Tuna Sambal
How to Form Complete Proteins
February 16th, 2010I get asked this all the time : What is a complete protein and how do you form one?
In order for your body to get the full benefits of protein you need to consume a complete one. A complete protein is made up of 20 amino acids. 10 – 12 of which your body can produce (called non-essential amino acids) and 8 – 10 of which your body can not produce (essential amino acids). You must get these essential amino acids from the foods you eat. Here’s how!
- Generally, animal protein contains all essential amino acids.
Not into eating meat and still want a protein based meal ?
- Proteins in plant foods (except soy) usually do not contain all essential amino acids, making them incomplete proteins. However you can combine foods with incomplete proteins to make a complete one.
Here is the list of foods that together form complete proteins:
- Grains with Nuts/Seeds. * Rice with Sesame Seeds
- Nuts/Seeds with Legumes. * Sesame Seeds and Peanut Butter
- Legumes and Grains. * Peanut Butter Sandwich / Rice and beans
- Grains and Milk Products. * Cereal and Milk / Fettuccine Alfredo
- Milk Products and Legumes. * Cream soup with beans in it!
- These foods do not need to be combined in the same meal, just throughout the same day.
- Quinoa is a grain that by itself forms a complete protein
- Ezekiel Bread 4: 9 is a sprouted grain bread that by itself forms a complete protein.
- It’s important to note that a peanut is considered a Legume, an Almond or Cashew is a nut.
Resources : American Diabetes Association http://www.diabetes.org/ Diet for a Small Planet, Ballantrine Books (1992) N.Y http://www.smallplanet.org/home/
Dealing With Valentines Day Candy
February 12th, 2010For whatever reason, we seem to celebrate any and all holidays with food. And not just food- junk food. It’s Valentines day! A day to 
celebrate love of every kind and we show our affection by giving each other chocolate. Does this really make any sense ? Whether it makes sense to me or not- it’s going to happen! You will inevitably be staring some sort of candy in the face this February 14th.
And I can sit here and write all the ways and reasons you should say NO thank-you to this chocolate or cinnamon heart – I can write 10 suggestions of other things to buy your loved one including flowers, a massage or a pedicure. But the reality is- we are all going to have to cross paths with the stuff. It’s unavoidable. All I ask is that you have it in moderation. Try to stick to one or two treats! Make sure to ask yourself if it’s truly worth it before you pop it in your mouth. And don’t use the day as an excuse to go over board.
One tiny little ball of chocolate it usually around 100 calories (that’s just under 1/2 a chocolate bar) so if you have two chocolates that’s about 1 whole bar. Would you sit and eat 3 chocolate bars in a row ? Then don’t allow yourself to easily pop 6 of these things!
They are deceiving!
And remember – after the big day- throw any left over candy in the garbage. Don’t bring it into the office to taunt others (including yourself) with it. It’s way better in the garbage then on your thighs !!!
