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3 Easy Ways to Kick the Sugar Habit

August 26, 2010 in Nutrition by admin | No comments

sugar

Sugar is hard to avoid, and because of this, most people are hooked.  Whether you crave chocolate when you are stressed, or simply get hungry when you know you shouldn’t be, sugar affects your body

Sugar, which can either come in the form of traditional sweets or processed carbohydrates, enters the blood stream quickly and burns off just as fast, leaving your body craving more.  This affects your blood sugar, which can cause energy spikes and crashes, and unnecessary cravings.  The goal is to eliminate as much sugar from your diet as possible to keep your blood sugar regulated and your body running even and steady.

Here are 3 easy ways to kick your sugar habit:

Ditch the obvious sweets first: cookies, candy, soda, chocolate, ice cream, flavored yogurts, etc. If it tastes sweet, and isn’t sugar-free, there is sugar in it and you need to stay away from it.  The bonus to this is that most of these foods are also high in calories and fat, so steering clear will help your diet all the way around.

Replace them with natural sweets: head to the store stock up on tons of fresh and frozen fruit. You can also buy locally made honey, stevia, and agave syrup to get feed your sweet tooth naturally, which doesn’t spike your blood sugar as drastically as processed sugar.

Load up on protein: Protein is your best friend when trying to shake sugar.  Protein squashes hunger and helps defend against sugar cravings. Instead of having steak with every meal, go for low-fat protein sources, like Greek yogurt, egg whites, chicken, fish beans and raw nuts.

Try these steps consistently, and pay attention to the changes in your energy levels and cravings.  If you are consistent, and stick with it, soon sugar will no longer be on your radar.

Kelly Turner is a Seattle area ACE Certified Personal Trainer, health and fitness writer for DietsinReview.com. To contact Kelly with any questions, you can email her at kellycturner@hotmail.com.

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Draw Motivation From Anywhere

August 24, 2010 in Motivation by admin | No comments

family guyThis might sound really stupid, but last night’s episode of Family Guy convinced me to go ahead and get my workout in.

I know, right?  But I was sitting there watching the show, killing time before dinner. I don’t even remember what the episode was about, but Peter, the morbidly obese bafoon of a dad walked into the kitchen, bragging about how he went to the gym. Brian, the sophisticated talking dog, made an observation that he only went one time, for 15 minutes.

Peter replied, “yeah, but I’m 15 minutes stronger.”

I don’t know why, but it struck a cord with me, and I immediately hopped on the treadmill. I thought, “Dang it, he’s right. Every minute counts.”

It doesn’t only count towards fitness, either.  Every minute you workout gets you closer to your goals, but every extra calorie you consume gets you one calorie further away from your goal.  One the flip side, every calorie you slash (within reason) will get you closer.

Remember Peter’s words next time you want ‘just one’ cookie.

Where is the weirdest place you’ve gotten motivation?

Kelly Turner is a Seattle area ACE Certified Personal Trainer, health and fitness writer for DietsinReview.com. To contact Kelly with any questions, you can email her at kellycturner@hotmail.com.

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Host a Workplace Salad Potluck

August 19, 2010 in Motivation, Nutrition by admin | No comments

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The key to successful weight loss is to have a strong support system around you.  Your home is yours, and you control what you do or do not keep in the house.  Most people eat more meals at work than in their home, however, which means your workplace needs to be a healthy food haven , as well.

How can you do this when it seems there is nothing but candy bowls, vending machines and take out?

Chances are, many people in your office are also looking to shape up, and fed up with the lack of healthy food.  They aren’t doing anything about it, so it’s up to you to set the example.  Try a workplace salad pot luck.

Send out a mass email, place a poster on the bulletin board, or use work of mouth to let everyone know that once a week, you will be hosting a workplace salad potluck.  Encourage everyone to bring their favorite healthy salads and sides to swap and share with coworkers for a healthy, low calorie, and fun lunch.

Sound boring? Forget the plain old garden salad.  Try these for delicious variety:

  • Cold couscous salad with veggies and feta
  • Fruit salad with plain  yogurt and nuts for topping
  • Whole wheat pasta salad with veggies and low fat Italian dressing
  • Broccoli salad with dried cherries, almonds and greek yogurt dressing
  • Tuna or salmon salad made with curry powder
  • Spinach salad with hard boiled egg whites and grilled chicken
  • A plate of fresh cut veggies and hummus for dipping

To keep calories low, always use yogurt instead of mayo (I SWEAR you won’t tell the difference) and to mix it up a little, one week have everyone bring 1 unique salad ingredient to make a salad bar.  Try grilled chicken, raisins, nuts, sunflower seeds, baby corn, cottage cheese- the possibilities are endless!

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Prep Your Office Space For Success

August 13, 2010 in Uncategorized by admin | No comments

cubicle

The majority of Americans spend most of their time at work.  More specifically, at a desk in front of the computer.  If you don’t plan, this desk can be your recipe for weight gain and a sedentary lifestyle.  BUT! With a little planning, you can turn your home away from home into a well-stocked, piece of health and fitness equipment.

  • Stock your drawers with green tea, gum to curb mindless eating.
  • Invest in a minifridge, and fill it with lowfat yogurts, bottled water and fresh cut veggies.
  • Put a sticky note on your computer monitor to remind yourself to get up every hour and take a walk around the office.
  • Put a jar on your desk.  Whenever you feel like getting up and grabbing a candy bar from the vending machine, take that dollar and put it in the jar.  When it’s full, use it to buy yourself a nice reward.
  • Replace your normal desk chair with a stability ball chair.  It’s more fun to bounce while you work, plus the instability will work your core.
  • Stash resistance bands or light dumbbells somewhere on or near your desk.  Take some time everyday to get in some strength training moves.
  • Replace the candy in your bowl with fresh fruit.

Kelly Turner is a Seattle area ACE Certified Personal Trainer, health and fitness writer and editor of the fitness website, PhysiqueSpeak.com. To contact Kelly with any questions, you can email her at kellycturner@hotmail.com.

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How Active Are You, Honestly?

August 10, 2010 in Fitness, Motivation by admin | No comments

gym

Your alarm goes off early before work.  You hop out of bed, put on your workout clothes you laid out the night before, lace up your sneaks and hit the gym.

Proud of yourself, right?  Making it to the gym puts you a step ahead of most people.  You make the healthy decision to wake up early and go to the gym 3-5 times a week- makes you pretty active, right?

Whether you aren’t seeing the results you think you’re working so hard for, or you think you are doing perfectly fine in your current routine,you need a reality check.  Everyone can use a reality check every once in a while and people are infamous for over estimating their activity level.  Think those trips to the gym make your activity level ‘moderately’ or even ‘very’ active?  Ask yourself a few questions:

Did you drive to the gym?  Drive to work afterward?  Maybe sit on the subway or the bus?  Sit at a desk all day?  Use the elevator everywhere? Drive home? Crash on the couch for hours watching TV before you lay in bed for hours of sleep before doing it all over again?

What’s the big deal?  Over estimating your activity level can effect how many calories you think you need in a day.  Not enough activity, plus too many calories, equals weight gain.  You have to be real with yourself.

Way back when, there were no gyms just for recreational exercise, because the only thing people did all day was move.  Farm, build, walk, lift, sweat, work, repeat.

Along came modern day conveniences and dense neighborhoods have taken over, we don’t move anymore.  Gyms were opened to the masses to make up for the lack of activity in our lives, but even an hour or two of crazy workouts can’t undo 8+ hours of sitting.

You have to move.  You ave to keep up on your workouts but don’t rely on them as your only source of activity.  Take every opportunity to work on your fitness and your body and health will thank you.

Kelly Turner is a Seattle area ACE Certified Personal Trainer, health and fitness writer and editor of the fitness website, PhysiqueSpeak.com. To contact Kelly with any questions, you can email her at kellycturner@hotmail.com.

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Time for a Reality Check

August 5, 2010 in Fitness by admin | No comments

banner_measure

The fat around your belly is a greater indicator of health risk than any other fat deposits on your body.

Your waist circumference can put at a greater risk for developing heart disease, high blood pressure, high cholesterol and type 2 diabetes.

It’s time to face the truth.  Numbers don’t lie.  Grab your tape measure and find out exactly where you fall.

  • Stand up straight in front of a mirror
  • Position the tape measure horizontally around your waist, right around your bellybutton.
  • Measure the point where the tape measure meets.
  • Don’t hold your breath while measuring, and make sure the measuring tape is horizontal with the ground the whole way around.
  • Record your number.

If you are a man: your waist should be below 40 inches.

If you are a woman: your waist should be below 35 inches.

Scared by your membership?  Room for improvement?  It’s time to take action. Call to schedule an appointment with a professional today and get a game plan to drop the weight and get healthy for good.

Kelly Turner is a Seattle area ACE Certified Personal Trainer, health and fitness writer and editor of the fitness website, PhysiqueSpeak.com. To contact Kelly with any questions, you can email her at kellycturner@hotmail.com.

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Banana Almond Oatmeal Pancakes

August 3, 2010 in Nutrition by admin | No comments

pancakes-1

Here is one of my ALL TIME favorite recipes.  They are super easy to make, keep for a long time in the fridge, reheat well, and are full of whole grains, fruit and nuts. Breakfast baked goods are usually known for being full of processed, empty calories, but these pancakes feel like a treat while providing you one of the most well rounded breakfasts around.

Banana Almond Oatmeal Pancakes

Makes 12 pancakes (4 servings)

  • 1 cup whole wheat flour
  • 1 cup quick or rolled oats
  • 1 tablespoon baking powder
  • 1 teaspoon salt
  • 1 egg
  • 1 teaspoon cinnamon
  • 1 tablespoon honey
  • 1 to 1 1/2 cups vanilla soy milk (or skim milk) (depending on whether you like thin or thick pancakes)
  • 1 banana, diced
  • Cooking spray for pan
  • 1/4 cup almonds
  • 1 banana, sliced

1. In a bowl, mix the flour, oats, baking powder, salt, egg, cinnamon, and honey. Stir in the soy milk to the desired consistency. I like my pancakes to be neither too thin nor too thick, so I added 1 1/4 cups of soy milk. Stir in the bananas.
2. Place a skillet on medium heat (I use a square-shaped griddle). After spraying the pan, pour batter into 4-inch diameter circles (using about 1/4 cup of batter).
3. While the pancakes are cooking, hand chop the almonds on a cutting board with a sharp knife.
4. Once the pancakes begin to bubble, flip them and cook for another minute or so on the other side until golden brown.
5. Serve three pancakes with sliced bananas and chopped almonds. They’re delicious like this, or for a sweeter breakfast, pour on two tablespoons of real maple syrup.

Nutrients per serving: Calories: 337, Protein: 10.5g, Carbs: 62.2g, Fat: 6.5g, Cholesterol: 47mg, Sodium: 603mg

Kelly Turner is a Seattle area ACE Certified Personal Trainer, health and fitness writer and editor of the fitness website, PhysiqueSpeak.com. To contact Kelly with any questions, you can email her at kellycturner@hotmail.com.

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Why You REALLY Aren’t Losing Weight

July 29, 2010 in Fitness, Health, Motivation, Nutrition by admin | No comments

fat-loss

According to a recent survey, only one in every eight adult Americans actually knows how many calories they should be eating in a day. This is odd, because almost 75% of adult Americans have reported recently changing their eating habits (the overwhelming majority of which did it in an effort to lose weight).

So 75% have changed their eating habits, but only 1 in 8 know the basic principal of how many calories to consume.  This is the reason that most people who are trying to drop pounds are screaming “why isn’t the scale moving??”

The study also showed that over half of the respondents (57%) considered themselves overweight, while 8% said they were obese. In reality, 34% of people are obese and 33% of people are overweight.

Denial and lack of knowledge are the main reasons you aren’t dropping the weight.

You MUST be educated on nutrition and fitness and what it actually takes to get results.  You can’t stab wildly in the dark and hope to get results.  Set up an appointment, and speak with a professional.  Call today.

Kelly Turner is a Seattle area ACE Certified Personal Trainer, health and fitness writer and editor of the fitness website, PhysiqueSpeak.com. To contact Kelly with any questions, you can email her at kellycturner@hotmail.com.

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Make Healthy Eating Easier

July 27, 2010 in Nutrition by admin | No comments

salad

The easier something is to integrate into your everyday routine, the easier it is to stick with it.  Exercise is one thing: you either do it or you don’t, and regardless of what you do, it’s better than doing nothing.  Eating is different: a few hundred calories here and there can make a difference.   Eating too much can stop your weight loss, but eating too little can stop your weight loss.  There is an emotional attachment to food.  Our society revolves around food for celebrating, entertainment, convenience, comfort- everything. Here are some ways to make healthy eating easier:

  • Plan your meals ahead of time.  You know what you have to eat, and there’s no arguing.  Take some time the night before, or on Sunday night to plan out your meals so there are no questions of what to eat.
  • Bring non-perishable, healthy snacks (like unsalted nuts, fruit leather or granola bars) with you everywhere, in case you get stuck and need something to eat.  BUT…
  • If you have impulse control/over eating issues, ONLY pack foods that fit into your meal plan today so you aren’t tempted to eat anything extra.
  • If you have the money, buy pre-prepped foods like fruits and veggies that are peeled, cut, chopped and ready to go to cut down on meal prep.
  • If you are trying to save some money, prep your produce when you get home from the grocery store.  Peel and cut your veggies, and portion them into little baggies.  Wash what needs washed and put it away so all you have to do at meal time is grab and go.
  • Make big portions of easy to freeze foods like soups or stews so instead of hitting the drive thru when you are in a rush, you can microwave and enjoy a healthy meal in minutes.

What are your favorite strategies to make healthy eating easier?

Kelly Turner is a Seattle area ACE Certified Personal Trainer, health and fitness writer and editor of the fitness website, PhysiqueSpeak.com. To contact Kelly with any questions, you can email her at kellycturner@hotmail.com.

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Break Out of Your Snack Rut

July 22, 2010 in Nutrition by admin | No comments

snack

Snacks are an important part of a healthy diet.  Eating in regular intervals will keep your metabolism up all day long, but eating too many calories will result in weight gain.  Snacks are the perfect solution to get a kick of energy without going over your calorie requirements.  The important thing is, however, getting the right mix of nutrients for optimum results in a small package.

Snacks, and all meals for that matter, should have a mix of carbs, protein and fat to give you energy and keep you satisfied.  It’s easy to get in a snack rut, and miss out on benefits.

Here are some different snacks ideas that give you the nutrients you needfor just a few hundred calories.

  • 1 medium whole grain tortilla, 2 tbsp hummus, 2 slices tomato, 4 cucumber slices, 1 oz tuna
  • 1/2 cup whole grain couscous, 4 oz cubed tofu, 1/2 cup broccoli, 1 tsp olive oil, 1 tbsp balsamic vinegar
  • 1 cup vegetable soup, 3 small whole grain crackers, 1/2 cup unsweetened apple sauce
  • 3 rye crisp crackers, 1/2 cup low-fat cottage cheese, 1 small piece of fruit
  • 1/2 whole grain English muffin, 2 tbsp hummus, 1/2 cup fresh berries
  • 1 small pita, 3 oz chicken breast, 1/2 cup cucumber slices, 1 slice tomato
  • 1 slice whole grain bread, 1 tbsp natural peanut butter, 1 cup fat free milk
  • 1 packet plain oatmeal made with 1 cup low-fat milk, 1/2 cup chopped walnuts

Happy snacking!

Kelly Turner is a Seattle area ACE Certified Personal Trainer, health and fitness writer and editor of the fitness website, PhysiqueSpeak.com. To contact Kelly with any questions, you can email her at kellycturner@hotmail.com.

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