A Healthier BBQ

Main Courses-

½ Rack Ribs- 550cals, 37g fat. Chicken w/Skin- 450 cals, 36g fat. Chicken w/o skin- 330 cals, 15g fat. Grilled Filet (6 oz.)- 400 cals, 20g fat. Plank Salmon- 260 cals, 15g fat. BBQ Chicken Breast- 180 cals, 3g fat. Chicken Kabob- 140 cals, 6g fat. Cheeseburger- 470 cals, 23g fat. Hamburger- 330 cals, 16g fat. Turkey Burger- 300 cals, 11g fat. Hot Dog- 260 cals, 15g fat.

Sides-

Mac n Cheese- 400 cals, 3g fat. Potato Salad- 200 cals, 13g fat. Cole Slaw- 160 cals, 11g fat. Chips (2 oz.)- 300 cals, 20g fat. Grilled Clams (10)- 140 cals, 2g fat. Corn on the Cob- 120 cals, 2g fat. Fruit Salad- 100 cals, 0g fat. Grilled shrimp (8)- 50 cals, 0g fat. Grilled Pineapples- 50 cals, 0g fat.

Drink Choices-

Frozen Margarita- 325 cals.  Gin and Tonic- 200 cals.  Margarita on rocks- 170 cals.  Beer- 105-175 cals.  Light Beer- 55-85 cals.  Soda (12 oz.)- 150 calories.

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Smart Starbucks and Steakhouse Choices

Starbucks Choices
• Peppermint Choc Mocha- 520cals, 20g fat
• Pumpkin Frappuccino- 420cals, 13g fat
• Flavored Latte- 360clas, 16g fat
• Latte- 220cals, 15g fat
• Coffee w/cream and sugar 180 calories
• Cappuccino- 120cals, 4g fat
• Coffee w/sugar 90 calories
• Coffee w/cream 90 calories
• Coffee w/whole milk 60 calories
• Coffee w/skim milk 30-50 calories

Order a coffee with cream and sugar every work day?  Add 900 calories per week to your diet.  That is over 13 pounds in one year.

Enjoy a cappuccino every day instead, and you save 300 calories per week, and cut 4 pounds per year from the above diet.

Go to coffee with skim milk and Splenda?  Now you are only adding 250 calories per week, and under 4 pounds per year in coffee weight.

Enjoy a flavored frappucino or latte once per week?  That could add up to 26,000 calories, and another 7.5 pounds per year.

Just your coffee could account for 20 pounds of caloric intake annually!

Steakhouse Choices
• Caesars Salad- 800cals
• Chopped Salad, 320cals
• Spinach Salad, 170cals Read more

Love handles? Triceps jiggle? Saddle bags? These are all areas I am constantly asked: How can I make this go away?

The answer is simple:  You need to work harder than you currently are.  Whatever effort you are putting into your diet and exercise right now is producing what you see in the mirror right now.  Is it fair?  Maybe not.  You may be outworking everyone you know, and still don’t see the results you think you deserve.  However, that is the hand you have been dealt.  So what can be done?  The first thing you need to do is take serious stock in how much of a priority changing is.  Whether it is aesthetic related, health related, performance related, or other, you need to look inward and decide how important this change is.  Can you honestly tell yourself that looking good in a bikini, or lowering your blood pressure is more important than enjoying a dinner at Capital Grille unimpeded?  Which is a higher priority for you long term?  If looking and feeling healthier is truly a priority, then it should be easy to go online, plan your meal ahead of time, skip the calamari, and limit yourself to one glass of wine.  If looking and feeling healthier is only a wish, then the odds are much lower that you will show up knowing what the healthy entrees are, and with the resolve to skip dessert.  Once you prioritize, it becomes easier to make decisions when presented with options.  Should I stop for pizza on the way home, or take the time to make something healthy?  Which is your priority: ease and time to relax in front of the TV, or losing the weight needed?  Should I wake up early to make time for the gym, or sleep in?  What is your priority? 
Once you have prioritized, you need to make a plan.  Your plan should have a concrete goal, a concrete time frame, and be reasonable.  “I want to drop a few pounds” is a good goal.  “I want to go down two dress sizes by Thanksgiving” is a more concrete goal.  Your goal should be specific to what you want to accomplish and what you have prioritized as making you a happier, healthier person.  It should also be realistic.  Do not set a goal of running a marathon in 3 weeks if you aren’t a runner!  This plan should break down the entire time you are looking to work towards your personal goal.  Therefore, there is never any questioning yourself.  You prioritize a goal, plan for it, then execute the plan.  All that’s left is the hard work! Read more

Stretch for Better Health Fast

If you are reading this, you probably are already somewhat active.  Maybe you run, or go to the gym and hit the weights, or take an aerobic or spin class.  But most of us slack off when it comes to an equally important aspect to our workout: stretching.
Why stretch?  Increased flexibility will make every day activities easier, resulting in less soreness.  Stretching increases circulation to the area, improving healing, recovery, and the removal of soreness-inducing waste.  Better flexibility allows for easier good posture, which makes for less sore backs by the end of the day.  Stretching will also enhance your coordination and range of motion while exercising, allowing you to do more and exhibit proper form, making your workouts more effective. Read more

Make your Abdominal Workout count!

Every time I go to the gym, I see countless people working on their abs.  They hit the mats to do their “daily crunches.”  But does this work?  For most people, it does not.  The following are some points to remember when trying to flatten that stomach!
• Move slowly.  Rushing through a set of crunches doesn’t really do all that much except lead to back pain.  Instead, focus on slowing down each rep to about 5-8 seconds per rep, and holding the rep at its most difficult point.  This will engage the proper muscles, help avoid injury, and lead to the correct muscle fatigue.
• Target each abdominal group with every workout.  Instead of just using the crunch machine that you love and finishing up on the crunch board each workout, focus on all the core muscles to get a complete workout.  For some, this means having a variety of ab exercises to cycle through every few weeks.  For some, it means sticking to the same exercises that you know cover your bases.  So, shoot for the obliques (sides) back, front, and even hips when training your midsection.
• Treat your abs like every other muscle group.  Develop a program that incorporates a progressive principal, ensuring muscle gains as well.  Also, incorporate exercises that fatigue you in 60 seconds or less.  Anything that goes longer will not adequately address the goal of fatiguing the muscle group.  Similarly, you would not grab 3 pound dumbbells and do 100 curls every day for your biceps! Read more

Train Like an Athlete

Many of us don’t look at ourselves as athletes, and therefore, don’t feel we should train with the same intensity.  But why is this?  Let’s look first at what attributes an athlete-in-training must have.
These attributes can be applied to anyone in any capacity.  Instead of training for your sport of choice, your focus becomes your health goal.  So while an Olympic runner may be looking at beating a 2 hour and 5 minute marathon time, your focus may be on fitting into clothes that are two sizes smaller.  The singular focus of an athlete can be applied in the same way.  Great athletes’ singular focus to achieve results is what sets them apart from the rest of the pack.  This is what gets them up to run at 4:30 in the morning in January.  Once you have that focus on a goal, will your drive to succeed surpass the other people you see everyday at the gym?  We are all built roughly the same, but only those with a drive to succeed at their personal goals attain them.  Finally, athletes love their sport, and love working at winning.  Do you truly want to win?  If you do, your enjoyment at achieving that smaller waistline will overcome your desire for a slice of cheesecake.
I will always believe that the mental aspect of exercise is the most important.  Part of training like an athlete is thinking and feeling like one.  To do this, we need to incorporate an athlete’s workout.  Read more

Quick Tips:

Work out smart, not blindly and automatically harder and more often. How many “gym rats” do you see constantly at the gym, yet never seem to make any progress physically? Know your goal, plan for it, and stick to it!
There is no such thing as a maintenance work out. You should always have a clear plan to focus on and a resulting sense of accomplishment at the end of each work out. Accordingly, you will always be progressing in some way.
Before you stretch an injured area, know which way you should be stretching. A stretch is meant to elongate the muscle; however this means the opposing muscle may be contracted. For instance, stretch your back out if it is sore, but certain abdominal stretches may be putting your back at risk.
Choose your future outcome over instant gratification. Focus on your future outcome, working through the steps it will take to achieve it, and it will override your need for instant gratification.

Quick Tips

This month’s fitness challenge: Add 5 minutes to your normal cardio routine. Go up either in speed or in incline if you are indoors. Add one rep to each set during your strength training workouts and add at least 5 pounds to each exercise. Before you know it, these will seem easy and you will have to do it again!
Trying to lose those last few pounds? The first few? Stuck at a plateau? Try to go perfect for 7-10 days. Keep a diet journal, and eat absolutely perfect. Know what your intake needs to be, and avoid all other foods. Additionally, make sure your workouts are as intense as they should and need to be for those 7-10 days.
Going out for a big high calorie dinner? Don’t starve yourself all day so you can splurge. This will just lead to out-of-control ordering. Instead, eat several small, healthy, low-cal snacks throughout the day to keep you somewhat satisfied. Then enjoy at night!
Your body is most efficient when it can concentrate on a singular goal. So if you are looking for moderate gains and overall health, you should balance your workouts. If you are looking to add muscle, you should focus mainly on strength training and let cardio training take a back seat. Looking to shed weight? Stick to cardio for a while.  Your diet should match up accordingly.

Alcohol Eats Away at Muscle Mass

 If increasing muscle mass is one of your goals, then think twice before you go out for a night of heavy drinking. Consuming alcohol in large quantities has a direct effect on your metabolism, causing fat to be stored instead of being utilized as an energy source. Alcohol contains seven “empty” calories per gram, meaning that these calories don’t provide you with any of the essential nutrients you need to build that muscle mass you desire.

Effects of Excessive Alcohol Consumption on Your Body
Muscles—Reduces blood flow to the muscles, causing weakness and deterioration
Hormones—Reduces testosterone in your blood and increases conversion of testosterone to estrogen, causing increased fat depositing and fluid retention
Liver—Creates imbalances that can cause hypoglycemia (low blood sugar), fatty liver and hyperlipidemia (build-up of fats in the bloodstream)
Brain—Cuts off the supply of oxygen to the brain, resulting in a “blackout” caused by a lack of oxygen supply to the brain that can kill tens of thousands of brain cells

Effects of Excessive Alcohol Consumption on Physical Performance
Alcohol is a known depressant that suppresses the brain’s ability to function. Even though you may feel a “high” after several cocktails, the truth is that your reaction time, accuracy, balance, hand-eye coordination and endurance all decrease dramatically. Furthermore, the after-effects of a night of excessive drinking can be detrimental to your fitness goals. Alcohol is a diuretic that may result in dehydration. This dehydration is known to decrease physical performance, so that previous night of drinking will continue to affect you the following day.

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Abdominal Workouts: Frequency, Intensity, and Duration

Over the past 15 years, there has been countless advice on how to “properly” train your abdominals, or core.  There isn’t a fitness magazine out there that doesn’t publish a different abdominal workout each and every issue.  Opinions and research may change over time, but there are a few things you should look at before you alter your workout with each Fitness Magazine you read!
First of all, it is important to know what your overall fitness and health goal is before designing a strength program for any body part, especially the mid-section.  For overall fitness, it is smartest to treat your abdominal muscles as you would any other muscle group.  The tried and true guidelines for most exercise programs is to work specific muscles to fatigue within a 30-60 second set time limit (intensity and duration,) while giving the worked muscle group at least 24-48 hours of rest (frequency) before working it again.  The amount of sets you do in a given workout (frequency again) can vary from as little as 4 sets to up to 12 for the average workout.  The science behind these theories is sound.  While exercising, pushing your body significantly past the 60 second mark without fatigue generally incorporates aerobic energy, thereby not stressing the muscles most efficiently.  And rest is necessary so that your body can properly rebuild the muscle fibers that you have broken down.  Additionally, you want to be at 100% energy levels for your next workout!

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• Tip of the Month

  May 2012

  A Healthier BBQ

  Main Courses-

  ½ Rack Ribs- 550cals, 37g fat. Chicken w/Skin- 450 cals, 36g fat. Chicken w/o skin- 330 cals, 15g fat. Grilled Filet (6 oz.)- 400 cals, 20g fat. Plank Salmon- 260 cals, 15g fat. BBQ Chicken Breast- 180 cals, 3g fat. Chicken Kabob- 140 cals, 6g fat. Cheeseburger- 470 cals, 23g fat. Hamburger- 330 cals, 16g fat. Turkey Burger- 300 cals, 11g fat. Hot Dog- 260 cals, 15g fat.

  Sides-

  Mac n Cheese- 400 cals, 3g fat. Potato Salad- 200 cals, 13g fat. Cole Slaw- 160 cals, 11g fat. Chips (2 oz.)- 300 cals, 20g fat. Grilled Clams (10)- 140 cals, 2g fat. Corn on the Cob- 120 cals, 2g fat. Fruit Salad- 100 cals, 0g fat. Grilled shrimp (8)- 50 cals, 0g fat. Grilled Pineapples- 50 cals, 0g fat.

  Drink Choices-

  Frozen Margarita- 325 cals.  Gin and Tonic- 200 cals.  Margarita on rocks- 170 cals.  Beer- 105-175 cals.  Light Beer- 55-85 cals.  Soda (12 oz.)- 150 calories.

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  click here to read past tips

• Recipe of the Month

  May 2012

  Banana Raisin French Toast

  Nutrition Per serving:

  Calories: 318. Carbohydrates: 58g. Fat: 5g. Protein: 13g.

  INGREDIENTS:

  1 ripe banana, peeled

  2 teaspoons frozen orange-juice concentrate

  4 slices cinnamon-raisin bread

  2 large egg whites

  1/4 cup nonfat milk

  1/4 cup nonfat or low-fat plain yogurt

  1 1/2 tablespoon maple syrup, or honey

  1 teaspoon butter, divided

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