Posts Tagged ‘healthy’

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Interval Training

Monday, March 8th, 2010

I’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.

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10 Healthy Lunch Ideas

Tuesday, March 2nd, 2010

Last 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! IMG_0227

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!

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The Best Breakfast Cereals

Tuesday, February 23rd, 2010

The 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!images-1

Bite Sized Shredded Wheat - Whole Grain Wheat.

*Come on! This is an amazing cereal with ONE ingredient! How rare!

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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_original_en

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!

NP-SmartBran-US

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.

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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

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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!

ServeImage

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

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Great, Active, Valentines Day Date!

Wednesday, February 10th, 2010

Whether you have a Valentine or not – Valentines Day should be about loving your heart! Not hurting it!

Normally we celebrate with a box of chocolates and an extravagant meal. Maybe this is the year to switch it up! Instead of putting junk food into your mouth (which will only hurt your heart)- why not do something good for your heart!

The other night, myself and my husband went ice skating! I have not been ice skating since I was 7 years old. I was terrified to step on the ice!!! I could not believe I was such a scared-y cat. But once I got on and got moving I was better (a little anyway!). As I shimmied along I watch children whizz by me in wonderment! “! How did they get so good!? Why can’t I live with no fear?!!” But then I remembered, it takes practice! You only get good at something if you do it. I can’t magically be a good skater just because I’m now an adult. I have to get on the ice again if I want to get better.

IMG_4786

It really was a great night! I worked muscles I have not worked in a long time! I got a great abdominal workout from all the balance work, not to mention the workout my ankles got! And I got to spend quality time with my husband (laughing at myself mind you- but at least I was laughing!)

If you live in the Toronto area, you should pop by Nathan Philips Square Skating Rink.  It’s so much fun! They have Top 40 blasting, disco lights and hot drinks! They’ve made it feel like an old school roller rink (You can rent anything from skates, to hats and mittens to helmets!). If you don’t live in the Toronto area – find your local indoor or outdoor rink – rent some skates and get on the ice!

This is a great activity to do alone, with a friend/loved one or with your entire family this valentines day.

Treat your heart to love & health and not to chocolate this valentines day!

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Something To Think About

Friday, February 5th, 2010

A while back I read a very interesting interview with the New York Times best selling author Michael Pollan who had just written a new book titled In Defense of Food: An Eater’s Manifesto. Now, whether or not you agree with all he has to say- it’s still a very interesting and informed point of view. But what struck me most about this interview was how he closed it.

He said, and I quote:
“I think, that the rule to end all rules should simply be, don’t eat anything you’ve ever seen advertised on TV.”

images
Since that time, he has released a documentary titled “FOOD INC” – a must see! As well as a new book titled “Food Rules” where he has rules like:
  • Don’t eat anything your great grandmother would not recognize as food. For example- Yogurt tubes
  • Eat all the junk food you want, as long as you make it yourself. – He reminds you what a pain in the butt it is to make cakes and things like french fries. So when you do spend the time to make something – it’s a real treat.

He stresses the cost of food versus the cost of heath-care. How when his parents were growing up, they spent twice as much on food than they did on health care. Now that we live in a society of processed, cheap and mass produced food  – we  spend double on health care and 1/2 as much on food.

What we put into our bodies REALLY does effect our health. Wouldn’t you rather spend the money on feeding yourself yummy, wholesome food then on medication for diabetes and high cholesterol???

Let’s go back to his original challenge – ‘Don’t eat anything you’ve seen advertised on T.V.” A challenging (all be it a tough one to follow.) And I’m sure even he has his moments- you can’t be 100% good 100% of the time. In fact, he was eating a basket of fried something or other while he was being interviewed. But if you can try to accomplish something like this 80% of the time, your way better off then either never doing it or only trying 10 or 20%  of the time!

Try to keep this in the back of your head the next time you go grocery shopping. Best way to accomplish this is to shop the perimeter of the store. This is where majority of the fresh food lives. Or check out local farmer’s markets. You’re pretty much guaranteed to find fresh, local organic fruits, vegetables and protein!
P.S – If you have not done so already- go out and rent FOOD INC. It’s a real eye opener into what we are putting into our bodies everyday.
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Heathy Breakfast Ideas

Monday, January 18th, 2010
At the end of 2009 we talked about cleaning out your refrigerator, cupboards, car and purse.  If you have not done this already, now is a great time to throw away all the processed, salt ridden, trans-fat hidden foods in your house. CLICK HERE for a list of what to toss.
I promised I would give you some ideas as to what to fill your cupboards and refrigerator with. Let’s start with breakfast. I’ll hit snacks, lunches, dinners and your purse/car in the next few days. Keep these lists handy and use them to help you grocery shop :-) Even put them on your refrigerator door so that you can use them as a reference when you are deciding what to have in the morning. The key here is to have healthy (yummy) things readily available to grab in the morning on your way out the door. This way you don’t have the option of grabbing a high sugar processed cereal bar – or even worse, noting at all.
  1. Skim or 1% milk.
  2. 1% Chocolate milk
  3. Yogurt – I personally would choose a Greek Style Non Fat Plain Yogurt- but if you hate plain yogurt, pick one that you like.
  4. Eggs.
  5. Cheese.
  6. Cottage cheese.
  7. Fresh fruit like apples, bananas, berries, grapefruit, kiwi’s and pineapple.
  8. Oatmeal.
  9. High Fiber, low sugar cereals like Weetabix and Bite Sized Shredded Wheat
  10. Whole grain or sprouted wheat bread.
  11. Natural peanut butter, almond butter or cashew butter.
  12. Pea-meal Bacon.

10 healthy breakfast ideas you can make with this list:

  • Fresh Fruit Plate.
  • Cottage Cheese and Berries.
  • Yogurt and berries.
  • Toast with Peanut (or other nut butter) and a glass of 1/4 cup chocolate milk – 3/4 cup skim milk.
  • Breakfast sandwich with pea-meal and eggs. – Great to go!
  • Cereal. With or without fresh berries.
  • Banana dipped in Peanut butter with a glass of milk. (add 1/4 chocolate milk to this for a delicious chocolate peanut butter banana breakfast)
  • Oatmeal. You can add banana to sweeten it up. I have a client who puts 1 tbsp of natural peanut butter in her oatmeal!
  • Scrambled, poached, soft boiled or sunny side up eggs and toast.
  • Cheese Toast.
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Salad in Seconds

Friday, January 15th, 2010

So often I hear the complaint that salad takes too much time to preare. And if you don’t have dressing in the house, then forget it. We’ll I think I solved that problem today. This is the easiest, yummiest salad and it takes seconds. Here is what you do:

IMG_1608

  1. Open a bag of lettuce. I like to use the “American Style” type for this salad. You know, it’s got Iceberg lettuce in it with cabbage and carrot slices.
  2. Cut up some Feta and sprinkle it on. If you have tomatoes in your house, great!
  3. Pour a little sprinkle of olive oil, a big squirt of lemon juice and a dash of dried oregano on your salad.
  4. VOILA!

*Nutritional Information. 2 cups salad. 1/2 tsp olive oil. 1 ounce regular Feta.

Calories Carbohydrates Protein Fat Fiber
115 1.2 4 8.3 1

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Top 10 Fitness Tips That Really Work!

Friday, January 8th, 2010

Try these top 10 fitness tips to step it up in 2010 -  burn maximum calories while building strength, endurance and stability.

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  1. Interval Training. Intervals allow you to burn maximum calories in a shorter amount of time. CLICK HERE to learn how to add simple intervals into your routine.
  2. Step it up on your favorite cardiovascular machine. CLICK HERE to read about how to maximize your time on the elliptical machine so that you’re not wasting your time. CLICK HERE to watch a video of proper form.  CLICK HERE to find out how to maximize your time on the stationary bike.
  3. Add an element of stability and balance to your workout. From doing bicep curls on one leg to preforming exercises on a BOSU Ball – adding instability will increase core strength, ankle strength, strength in in the muscles that surround your spine, help with done density and burn extra calories. CLICK HERE and you’ll learn 8 new exercises targeted at balance and stability.
  4. Think TOTAL BODY exercises. Total body = total calories! CLICK HERE for a great total body circuit.
  5. Think Glutes. Your butt is made up of the biggest muscle in your body. The bigger the muscle you work the more calories you are going to burn. Things like squats are great for working those muscles!
  6. When in doubt- add a jump! Plyometric exercises (fast powerful movements) are a great way to get your heart rate up and build strength at the same time. Things like squat jumps, runners starts, side skater , toe taps , square dance and bur-pies are all great exercises.
  7. Body Weight exercises are great. As you lose weight the exercises get easier :-) Great motivation to keep you going. Things like push ups, step ups and plank . Check out my series on exercises you can do with your own body weight. CLICK HERE.
  8. Try a class at the gym you’ve never tried before like boot-camp, spinning or kettle bells.
  9. Jump Rope. This is great because you don’t need a gym membership to reap the rewards of the  best cardiovascular exercise out there. CLICK HERE to ready why jump rope is so good for you and why it can burn more calories than running.
  10. Sleep. CLICK HERE to find out why if you need sleep, you should listen to your body.

HAPPY WORKING OUT!!!

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5 Tips for a Healthy 2010

Monday, January 4th, 2010

I always find that people kinda go crazy right after the New Year. They try to convince themselves that they are going to eat 100% perfectly and exercise everyday. That nothing or no one can stop them. Well it sure sounds great! And I know it’s with the best of intentions that we make these promises to ourselves. The problem is, when you miss one of these impossible targets – people tend to get mad at themselves and start a vicious cycle. Here are some tips to help you avoid over promising yourself things that you can not live up to.

  1. Set attainable fitness goals. Try aiming for 2 or 3 times a week instead of 5. Once you’ve got that down, add another day.
  2. Give yourself barriers you can live with. Maybe “I will be healthy 80% of the time.” or ” I will only go out for dinner/ order in dinner – once a week.”
  3. Base your weight loss goals on a pair of pants and not a number on a scale. Instead of torturing yourself with a number on the scale each morning try this : Find a pair of pants in your closet that will fit if you lose 10 pounds. In 8 weeks, check in to see if your 10lb pants fit. If they do- find another pair of pants and do the same thing until you reach your final destination pants :-)
  4. Be realistic about how much you can take on. Work busy and stressful ? Life at home busy and stressful ? Decide what you can realistically do and aim for that. Maybe make a schedule with your spouse so you know when you can get to the gym and how dinner is actually going to get made every night.
  5. Make this about long term health and not a short term quick fix. You have to eat and exercise in a way that you can keep doing for life. Once you stop – you will gain the weight back so it has to be something you can live with. Don’t think of this change as a six week experiment or an 8 week fix. It’s a life long goal.
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10 Holiday Health and Fitness Tips

Wednesday, December 30th, 2009

COUNTDOWN TO NEW YEARS TIP #10

Forget about New Years resolutions, start NOW.

Clean out your kitchen so that when the clock strikes midnight you’re already in a health and fitness state of mind.

1. Empty out your refrigerator and freezer.

  • Old jam jars, juices, sauces and dips.
  • The chocolate bar (s) in the side of your door.
  • The Pillsbury cookie dough.
  • Old bread, buns, muffins and other frozen baking.
  • Preservative filled frozen foods (if it’s not a frozen vegetable or frozen fruit – Toss it!)
  • Ice creams
  • Waffles, toaster strudels and other such ‘breakfast’ boxed foods.

Don’t leave tempting food in your fridge or freezer. Either give it away, toss it or bring it to your New Years party to unload it.

2. Empty your cupboards.

  • Old Crackers.
  • Chips.
  • Sugar Cereals.
  • “Healthy” cereal and snack bars.
  • Treats like licorice, chocolates and jubjubes.
  • Anything that doesn’t really classify as food.

3. Empty your purse, your car and anywhere else you may find a hidden stash of junk. Including your secret junk food drawer.

4. Swear off sweet flavored gum, body creams that make you smell like a bake shop, lip balms that make you want to eat them and car fresheners that smell like cherry Koo-laid. These are all little triggers that can hinder your best efforts – you want to set yourself up for success, not put barriers in your way.

We’ll talk in the new year as to what to fill your cupboards and refrigerator with!

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