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Showing posts from January 1, 2010

Day #6: Planning the composition of you diet

So, now that you understand what you are eating (carbs, protein and/or fat) and are beginning to make healthy swaps to include more nutrient-dense, wuality foods in your diet, it is time to figure out a good range of calories that your body needs on a daily basis. As a general rule, I recommend that athletes (or anyone exercising on a daily basis) add 100-150 calories to your recommended total calories, per hour of daily exercise. I recommend prioritizing a 3:1 (or 2:1) Carbohydrate to Protein snack immediately after workouts (within 30-45 min) as a way to add in your extra 100-150 calories as opposed to adding those extra calories to meals. If you workout for 2 hours on Monday and consume 2000 calories on a daily basis, I recommend adding in 200-300 calories to your diet through a post-workout Carb:Protein snack and then having a balanced meal (350-500 calories) rather than stuffing down a 800 calorie meal. If you workout for 4 hours on Saturday, I recommend having your extra 400-60

Day #5: Understanding Macronutrients

Your diet is probably comprised of macronutrients. Carbohydrates, protein and fat all contain calories and provide energy. Now, within those macronutrients, you will find micronutrients which are known vitamins and minerals. Macronutrients are needed in large quantities whereas micronutrients are needed in small quantities. Macronutrients will give you energy whereas micronutrients will aid in energy-yielding reactions. If you choose a wide selection of healthy macronutrients, it is likely that you will receive a variety of micronutrients....which is a great thing for the health of your body. Before you determine the percentage of each of the 3 macronutrients that will support your lifestyle, it is important to understand what each macronutrient provides to your body. Carbohydrates provides 4 calories per gram. Protein provides 4 calories per gram. Fat provides 9 calories per gram. Alcohol (although not a macronutrient) provides 7 calories per gram. According to the USDA, here are the

Day #4: Understanding nutrition

Where do I begin? I will keep this as simple as possible. While it may be easy to count up your total calories, the variety of foods in the grocery may leave you confused and overwhelmed. So many "healthy" foods...or are they? Low-fat, fat-free, low-sodium, no sugar added...the list goes on. Then there is the issue of serving sizes. What food is a deck of cards? Is it a tennis ball or a golf ball for a serving of fruit? What finger do I use to measure an ounce of cheese? Why don't fruits and veggies have food labels on them? What's the difference between the USDA organic symbol and a product that says organic? What is natural product? What is the difference between whole wheat and whole grain? Why are 5 of the first 7 ingredients in Campbell's cream of mushroom soup from oil? Water, Mushrooms, Vegetable Oil, Corn Oil, Cottonseed Oil, Canola Oil, Soybean Oil, Modified Food Starch, Wheat Flour, Cream- Milk - Less than 2%, Salt- Less than 2%, Dried Whey- Milk - Less

Day #3: Goal setting

Already, you can tell that my whole mission for the month of January is to open your eyes to reality that is health and fitness. You are not eating "healthy" just to lose weight. There is so much more to choosing an apple over a doughnut than just for the reason that doughnuts are fattening, bad for you and they will cause your butt to turn to fat (likely those are your words and not mine). If you asked a healthy individual, who has maintained his/her healthy weight for the past 6 months, if he/she would instantly gain weight eating a doughnut, it is likely that he/she would say "of course not". Now, that person may feel that the doughnut is a trigger for other unhealthy choices but it is likely that the reality of eating 1 doughnut will not make your jeans suddenly "tight". People don't just maintain (or lose weight) by one day cutting back on calories and exercising a lot. People who live a healthy and active lifestyle look and feel a certain way bec

Day #2: Know your numbers

As a parent, you probably insist that your children know by-heart, 3 very important numbers: Home phone number Address Emergency cell phone number As an adult, it is very important that you know your numbers as well. What are your numbers? Blood Pressure Cholesterol BMI Resting heart rate Blood sugar The purpose of this change is to get to know your numbers. Since we are starting fresh with a new year, it is time to call the doctor for the recommended yearly visit and start understanding why you are choosing to live a healthy and active lifestyle. While you may be starting a diet in order to fit into your college or pre-pregnancy jeans, it is more important that you are eating healthy and exercising in order to control your cholesterol levels or prevent a rise in BMI. While not all numbers can be found at home (ex. blood sugar), it is important that on a yearly-basis, you recognize that your body is going to change as you age. The best way to maintain weight is to know your weight. The

Cherry Almond Bread

I love cherries. I'll be honest, Maraschino canned cherries are my "candy" of choice... but I never buy them. I only indulge in them around Thanksgiving when Maraschino cherries are a must on my fruit pizza. I also enjoy fresh cherries. Come to think of it, I probably like fresh cherries a bit better than the canned version because they are much more satisfying and "real" tasting. Nutrition facts of Maraschino cherries: 10 cherries 83 calories 19.4 g sugar 10.5 mg potassium Nutrition facts of fresh cherries: 10 cherries 50 calories 10.5 g sugar 182 mg potassium Here are some fun facts about cherries that I found on the internet: *Cherries are part of the Rosaceae family. Other fruits in this family include almonds, apricots, plums and peaches. *Cherries are easily perishable and rarely ripen after harvest. Cherries will remain fresh in the refrigerator for at least 2 days. Always refrigerate fresh cherries right when you purchase them. *Red cherries contain mela

Mandarin orange muffins w/ sweet glaze

I am so excited about my mini-muffin pan. I got it at Wal-mart a few weeks ago. As if my normal-sized muffins got me excited with my creations, everything seems more scrumptious when it is bite-sized. I guess these would be termed "healthy" since I didn't go overboard with the sugar and butter. Even with my buttery-sweet topping, I hope you enjoy this healthy treat. Enjoy my latest creation. *I have to be honest...I think these are the best muffins I have made to-date. :) Mandarin Orange Muffins 1 can mandarin oranges 1 cup all purpose flour 1/4 cup oats 1 3/4 tsp. baking powder 1/4 tsp. nutmeg 1/4 tsp. allspice 3 tbsp brown sugar 1 tbsp Smart Balance butter 1 egg 1/3 cup milk *preheat oven to 350-degrees. 1. Mix together flour, oats, baking powder, nutmeg and allspice. 2. Add butter and brown sugar to flour mixture and mix well. 3. In a separate bowl, lightly scramble egg with milk and add to flour mixture. 4. Drain oranges into a bowl while discarding juices. 5. Grab a

Day 1: Get walking

Welcome to the New Year. In order to get you going slowly, I am going to make this change simple. But I will ask that you think about this change on a daily basis, for the rest of your life. As you know, small changes make a big difference and with this change...you will feel the difference. Current ACSM recommendations for exercise are that the average adult should get in 150-250 min. of moderate intensity exercise per week (or at least 30 min of exercise, at least 5 days per week) and that an obese individual should aim for 150 min. of moderate intensity exercise per week an average of 200-300 min of exercise per week is needed for weight loss. If you are an athlete, you are doing just that...and more I am sure. But, please read on. If you are getting into exercise for the first time, getting back into a routine, or just fed up with the way you look because it is "another year", I am not suggesting that you go right into exercise with that "high intensity burns the mos