Fall is in full swing and Halloween is already here! From candy corn, to caramel covered apples, make sure that you don’t add a costume size this year! See below for the DASH Fitness guide to a healthy Halloween and choose your treats wisely this holiday!
For the Chocolate Lovers:
3 Musketeers (3 mini bars have only 24 calories!) York Peppermint pattie (one regular size pattie has only 140 calories and 2.5 grams of fat)…and if you get the minis you can have more than one!
Tootsie rolls (at 26 calories each, you are looking at less than 150 calories for 5 pieces) Hershey’s kisses (3 kisses have only 67 calories and 4 grams of fat) Fruity/Chewy Candy Lovers:
Candy Corn (one of my favorite festive candy options, they have only 64 calories and 0 grams of fat for 10 pieces) … that’s not spooky at all!
Twizzlers (4 twizzlers are only 160 calories and 0.5 grams of fat)
Gummi Bears (both low in sodium and low in calories, these fun sized gummies are only 150 calories and 0 grams of fat for a serving size of 17 gummi bears)
Lemonheads (at only 50 calories and 0 grams of fat for 10 pieces, you’ll satisfy your sweet tooth without sacrificing your waistline)
Dum Dum lollipops (at only 20 calories per sucker and 0 gram of fat, you can enjoy all the flavors!) Peeps pumpkins (with only 16 calories and 0 grams of fat per peep, enjoy all six in the package and still consume less than 100 calories!
So there it is - proof that you don't have to skip the candy bowl this Halloween season! Just make sure that you limit your portions by allowing yourself only a couple of pieces of sweet treats and leave the rest of the candy eating to the all the kiddos!
Only have 30 minutes for the gym, so you are tempted to jump on the elliptical for theentire time?....think again ladies, because new research proves thatincorporating BOTH cardio and strength moves into your workout isthe best way to maximize your total calorie burn and give you a sculpted bod like Jennifer Aniston (can you believe she is in her 40s and still looks that good?!) Confused? Here is the 411 behind the science… We all know that to initially burn calories, you should choose a cardio activity such as running, cycling, swimming, etc. From a very basic standpoint, this is correct. According to studies conducted, calorie for calorie, cardio has a slight advantage with the average woman burning about 10-12 minutes during an aerobic activity compared to 8 to 10 calories while doing resistance training. Not surprising why so many woman are addicted to cardio machines…
Here is the real curveball …while you might burn slightly more calories doing a cardiovascular activity, you will definitely burn more calories AFTER you are finished resistance training. Why? Resistance training has delayed benefits that kick in once you have finished your workout session. In fact, the real calorie burn happens post workout as your body goes into a metabolic spike while it rebuilds your muscles. In other words, you are looking at scorching 25% more calories post resistance training, on top of the calories you burned during your workout (and if you lift heavier weights and take no longer than 30 sec breaks in between your sets, you can increase that percentage significantly!). Yes ma’am, I’ll take that any day!
But wait, there is MORE! The delayed benefits of resistance training don’t stop at additional calorie burn. Studies have shown that for every pound of muscle you build, you’ll burn an extra 120 calories per day (even when you are sitting around and watching TV). Do the math on that, and it comes out to about 10 pounds of fat you are losing per year (without changing a single thing in your diet or workout routine!).
I’ve got your attention now…
Beyond calorie and fat burn, combining resistance training with aerobic activities can lead to other health benefits as well. According to a 2005 study in the European Journal of Sports Science, “by incorporating just 15 minutes of aerobic activity into your workout routine 2-3 days per week, you can reduce anxiety significantly. Ramp it up to 3-5 days a week and you can cut fatigue by nearly 50%.”
Last but certainly not least, by combining your cardio and strength training together, you’ll look better naked (yes, I said it). This is due directly from the fact that while you are resistance training, blood rushes to your muscles, making them swell and appear more toned. Calorie burn + a toned muscles = recipe for a HOT BOD! Enough said.
So next time you are thinking of foregoing the weights and going straight to the elliptical machine or treadmill (you all know who you are, “cardio queens”), make sure to allocate enough time (15 minutes at least) to incorporate some basic strength moves (try to work every major muscle group at least once). TRUST ME, you’ll thank me later when you are standing in front of the mirror admiring your “oh so sculpted” figure. Jennifer Aniston, who?
We all know the feeling...you leave a restaurant after a huge meal, and all you want to do is change from your tight jeans and get into your most comfortable pair of sweat pants as you wallow in self pity about how much you just overate.
As a personal trainer and nutrition consultant, I get a lot of questions regarding portion sizes from my clients. How much should I be eating to feel satisfied and full, without crossing over that thin line of overeating?
Unfortunately the answer is a bit complicated, with multiple factors playing into the battle. Luckily, I have solutions to ALL of them...
Problem #1: Plate size - The average dinner plate is 2-3 times larger than it was at the turn of the century. This means that even though you might only fill half of your plate at each meal, you are still likely to overeat.
Solution: Use smaller plates for meals - studies show that people who eat off smaller dinner plates versus larger ones eat less overall, even when finishing their whole plate. Not sure what size is appropriate? Think of the size of a salad or appetizer plate, and fill it only ONCE!
Problem #2: Eating three meals a day - Believe it or not, most people still abide by the three meals a day habit. This is a huge pitfall in the battle against overeating, so DON'T DO IT! If you only allow yourself three meals a day, you are likely to overeat at ALL of them!
Solution: Eat 5-6 small meals throughout the day (approximately 300-350 calories each). This is the best way to avoid overeating at your "main meals" because your body never gets to a starving point. In fact, if your body is continuously processing food, it becomes even more efficient at burning calories...so go ahead and CHEW on that for a while!
Problem #3: We drink our calories - In today's society, we have not only decided to eat ourselves sick, but we have fooled ourselves into thinking that our morning venti mocha frappuccino doesn't count towards our daily food intake. Hate to break it to you ladies, but calories are calories, whether they go down in food or liquid form. In fact, did you know that the average American is consuming up to 500 more calories per day just in their drinks. If that's not eye-opening, I don't know what is!
Solution: Switch your sugary coffee drinks or sodas to lower calorie options such as vitamin water zero, sparkling water with lemon or lime, or try one of the many crystal lite flavors (peach tea is my personal fav). If you are a coffee lover like me, use skim milk and some truvia all natural sweetener in your coffee instead of highly caloric creamers. And for crying out loud, stop ordering the fatty mocha fraps each morning (the average starbucks venti drink ranges from 300 to over 1,000 calories per drink) Yikes!
To sum it all up, whether you are eating on monster size plates or drinking your calories in your morning cup of java, you always need to be aware of your portion sizes. As a helpful and quick reference to use anytime you are unsure of how much you should be eating, make a fist with your hand and eat at most two of those fists at each meal, and one of those fists for each of your snacks throughout the day.
For some additional "food for thought" and other useful tricks that I have learned over the years to help avoid overeating at meals, try one of these methods:
1. Drink a full glass of water 10-15 minutes before any meal.
2. Put your fork down and/or take a sip of water after each bite of food (this will help slow down the entire eating process).
3. When you start to feel full, put your napkin over your entire plate and push it away from you. Or if you are at a restaurant, ask the waiter to box up half your meal before you even start eating.
4. ALWAYS wait 20 minutes before going back for seconds or ordering dessert. It takes the average person's stomach 20 minutes to register that it is full, and unfortunately most people eat the majority of their meals in less than 20 minutes. So give your body a chance to let you know if it is full before stuffing it with more food than it can handle!
There is certainly a reason that the word "DESSERT" = "STRESSED" spelled backwards. The two often go hand in hand, much to the detriment of our waistlines. As a dessert connoisseur myself, I ALWAYS order dessert after my meals. From chocolate cake, to key lime or apple pie, I love them ALL! Because of my insane sweet tooth, I have struggled over the years, constantly trying to find light desserts that will satisfy my dessert craving without packing on the extra pounds.
Low and behold, once I started digging around, I found a wide variety of light desserts out there. Here are some of my favorites:
1. Skinny Cow light desserts are amazing - from crunchy cookie clusters, to chocolate fudge brownie low fat icecream, you can find a ton of low fat and low calorie skinny cow dessert options.
2. Dove dark chocolate squares - for all your chocolate lovers, these are absolute perfection. Not to mention, dark chocolate is packed with antioxidants and can satisfy any chocolate craving. Limit to 2-3 small squares
3. Jello pudding cups - These little deLiteful pudding cups are perfectly proportioned and have sugar free and fat free options. At only 60 calories per cup, and lots of flavors including Boston creme pie, and chocolate and vanilla swirl, they are a light, yet very satisfying dessert option.
4. Fruit of your choice dipped in dark chocolate sauce or light whipped cream. Fruit is naturally sweet and is a great dessert option anytime. Dip in some light whipped cream and you'll be in heaven.
5. Low fat frozen yogurt pops - here is an interesting concept that I found on a light dessert website - freeze your favorite yogurt flavor and eat it as a frozen yogurt Popsicle. I can't wait to try this one!
6. Not really a Popsicle fan? Try making a low cal icecream sandwich by adding frozen yogurt or fruit sorbet between two small vanilla snap cookies. This little dessert is a crunchy AND sweet deLite that will have you grinning ear to ear!
7. Last but not least, you can always follow a heavy dinner or meal with a cup of decaf tea or coffee. Coffee and hot tea can help cut the craving for dessert, and with only 5 calories in the average cup of black coffee and tea, you won't be worried about compromising your waistline with your after dinner treat!
So next time you reach for that sugary (and highly caloric) cookie or brownie, try one of these deLITEful desserts instead! I guarantee you will never look at desserts the same way!
One of the most frequently asked questions I hear as a trainer is "what do I eat before and after a workout?" or "how long should I wait before and after my workout to eat?"...
This is an important question because the answer directly effects your ability to maximize your workouts.
To keep it simple, remember these easy guidelines:
If you eat a heavy meal, wait 4 hours before working out
If you eat a light meal, wait 2 hours before working out
If you eat a small snack, wait 1 hour before working out
The timing of eating before a workout is extremely important because your body's number one priority is to digest your food so that it can fuel your body. That means that as soon as you eat your meal, your body jumps into action, and immediately starts digesting the food in your stomach. If you do not wait long enough to workout after eating a big meal, your body will still be focused on processing your food instead of sending much needed blood to the other parts of your body (like your legs and arms). Without that blood supply, you will not be able to maximize your resistance training in any of your other muscles, and you are essentially cheating yourself out of your maximum potential for that workout. The same applies for doing any sort of cardio after eating, so make sure to wait the appropriate time before jumping on that treadmill!
Now that we have the timing guidelines down, let's move on to what to eat prior to your workout. Since your body's main energy source is gained through the breakdown of carbohydrates (because carb cells provide more energy than both fat and protein cells), you should eat foods that are high in complex carbs (NOT simple carbs that are basically sugar in disguise). Some of my favorite complex carb options include eating oatmeal, whole grain breads, crackers or pasta, or a nutrition bar (be careful and check the sugar amount on all "workout" bars...some of them can have as much as a regular candy bar!) Always choose a bar that has 5 or less grams of sugar (Think Thin bars are my personal favs - find them at any whole foods store.)
If you prefer to sweat in the AM, listen up! Do NOT skip a meal before your morning workout because it is just as bad for you body as working out on a full stomach. Why? Your body craves fuel when you wake up and you can not maximize your workout without any energy (fuel) in your body. Think of it like a car running on empty...when you run out of gas, your car stops completely!
So next time you are thinking of foregoing your breakfast before your AM sweat session, grab a light snack such as a slice of whole grain toast or a small cup of yogurt with berries at least an 1 hour before your workout. Other options include whole grain cereals, oatmeal, or a fresh fruit smoothie. Avoid high fiber foods prior to a workout such as bran cereals because excess fiber in your body can sometimes lead to stomach cramping.
Onward we go...
So you have just finished your kick butt workout and you are famished. Instead of reaching for a high carb meal like pasta, grill some chicken and pair it with some veggies. Or whip up a lean turkey sandwich with tomatoes, lettuce, and avocado slices. Studies show that the best combination for a post workout meal is protein paired with healthy fats (such as an avocado). You can even toss up a protein packed salad by adding chicken or turkey slices to a bed of lettuce with some yummy veggies, and an olive oil based balsamic dressing drizzled atop (olive oil has tons of healthy fats). Not a salad fan? Eggs are a great post-workout choice because they are packed with both protein and healthy fats. And, with an endless amount of ways to prepare eggs, you can constantly change up your post workout meal.
Most importantly, make sure to rehydrate your body after each workout. The recommended amount of water to drink post workout depends on the number of pounds of water weight you lost during your workout. So step on a scale and for each pound lost, drink at least 8 oz of water.
So there you have it, a simple guide to fueling your body correctly to maximize your workout every time. Personally, I'm working up a sweat just reading back over this...and that only means one thing - time to go hit the gym. Good thing I fueled up my body appropriately today!
In the thick of a heat advisory (aka BEYOND HOT) summer, I have decided to dedicate a whole blog post to the importance of staying hydrated each day. Yes, you have probably heard all of this before, but listen UP, this summer takes the cake when it comes to heat waves, and it is extremely important, for both your overall health and bikini body to get enough water all day long.
Experts suggest that the average person should consume at least 64 ounces of water a day. That’s eight cups of water. Since it can be hard to measure out such an obscure amount, think of it in terms of larger containers such as the tall bottle of Smart Water or Ozarka bottles. In other words, that means the average person should be drinking at least 2-3 large bottles of water each day (add an additional large bottle of 30+ ounces of water on days that you workout). Wow! That’s A LOT, you say…well, brace yourself, because the amount listed above is just for maintaining your current weight. If you are trying to lose weight, you need to be drinking EVEN MORE! What?! Let me explain…
Drinking enough water each day can help your metabolism burn calories 3% faster. Since your metabolism plays such a big role when you are trying to lose weight, it is extremely important to give your body what it needs in order for it to work the way you want. In fact, if you are not getting the correct amount of water each day, you are actually making it harder for yourself to lose weight! Just some food for thought…
Another reason to drink enough water each day is linked directly to the amount of processed foods we consume on a daily basis. Processed foods are high in sodium, added sugars, and fat, all of which will dehydrate you.In today’s day and age, we are constantly on the run, often times grabbing snacks on the go (which are usually packaged and highly processed. These processed foods, (yes, even your so called “healthy granola bar”) will dehydrate you throughout the day which can make you feel lethargic, and many times “constantly hungry”. These feelings are your body’s way of telling you to reach for a big glass of water. Unfortunately, we usually mistake this dehydration for hunger and instead of hydrating, we start eating again. There again, another reason that being dehydrated will counter-act your weight loss efforts.
To avoid this cycle, try to incorporate more water in your diet through food. Melons, cucumber, tomatoes, and zucchini are all great produce that have high water contents. While these do not replace the benefits of drinking water directly, they help to provide some hydration along with other vital vitamins and minerals that are needed in your diet each day.
Now, listen up DASHERS, because this is arguably the most important fact I have mentioned about staying hydrated. If you are regular coffee drinker or consume more than one alcoholic drink per week (and don’t worry, I include myself in this category as well, so don’t be shy) you should be drinking even more water than the recommended amount above. This is because, coffee and alcohol, as well as sodas, and juice drinks, act as diuretics and will dehydrate your body. So as a general rule of thumb, you should be drinking an 8 oz glass of water (standard glass size) for EVERY diuretic drink you consume.
Well, there it is … the 411 on staying hydrated this summer. And, just so you have absolutely no excuse to be dehydrated, I have listed some water substitutes and/or modifications that can give you a break from your plain jane tap water:
Try pairing sparkling water with summer fruits (melons, oranges, strawberries, etc.) It is quite refreshing and the fruit adds natural flavor… yum! Not a sparkling water lover? Add summer fruits or even some lemons or limes to plain water and you have an instant flavor kick
Add a splash of cranberry juice to sparkling water, squeeze some limes in and enjoy a snazzy summer cocktail (sans alcoholic)
Try Crystal Light - As my roommate would attest to, I am a huge fan of crystal light flavors because they can disguise any type of plain tap water. And with on the go travel packets in a variety of flavors, you can easily keep a couple packets in your car and add to any bottle of water
Another one of my favorite summer water substitutes is iced green tea. Add a couple green tea packets to any pitcher of water, pour over ice, and throw some strawberries or melon in and sip on a very refreshing and hydrating summer drink…(umbrella in drink is optional)
If you are not a green tea fan, try the same process with black tea, and try adding some berries instead (I recently had blueberry iced tea, and it was absolutely delicious!)
I will occasionally recommend that some of my clients drink a Vitamin Water Zero or a low calorie Gatorade before and/or after their workouts in lieu of water so that their bodies can get the necessary electrolyte balance needed to perform optimally. Don’t make this a habit or start using it instead of water at other times of the day, because these types of drinks will not keep you hydrated throughout the day. But occasionally, it can be a nice substitute to water before/after a workout.
To sum it all up, on days when your car thermometer reads 108 (like mine did yesterday) remember the importance of staying hydrated and the benefits it will have on your overall health. So raise your glasses (hopefully filled to the brim with refreshing water after reading this) and let’s cheers to keeping our bodies HYDRATED and HAPPY this summer!
Fall is in full swing and Halloween is already here! From candy corn, to caramel covered apples, make sure that you don’t add a costume size this year! See below for the DASH Fitness guide to a healthy Halloween and choose your treats wisely this holiday!
