Health and Fitness
Be Healthy Now!
Classic Chopped Salad
May 14th
Excerpted from Mr. America’s Newsletter
This salad is filled with tender roasted veggies and crunchy fresh lettuce. These foods are fresh and fiber-filled – exactly the kind of meal that defines clean eating. Add a side of lean protein and a tall glass of water for the perfect meal. Servings: 4
Here’s what you need…
- 1 cup asparagus, chopped
- 4 large carrots, chopped
- 5 green onions, chopped
- 1 green zucchini
- 1 yellow zucchini
- 1 teaspoon olive oil
- dash of salt and pepper
- 4 cups of romaine lettuce, chopped
- 1/2 cup cherry tomatoes, chopped
- 1/4 cup kalamata olives, chopped
- 2 Tablespoon pine nuts, toasted
For the dressing:
- 1 teaspoon olive oil
- 2 Tablespoons lime juice
- 1 Tablespoon agave nectar
- 1 clove garlic, minced
- 1 teaspoon champagne mustard
- Preheat oven to 425 degrees F. Place the asparagus, carrot, onion and zucchinis in a large bowl, mix well with the olive oil and salt and pepper. Place on a baking sheet and roast for 20 minutes, stirring after the first 10 minutes.
- Meanwhile place the remaining salad ingredients into a large bowl. In a small bowl combine all of the dressing ingredients and whisk with a fork.
- Once the veggies are roasted, mix into the salad bowl and toss with the dressing.
Nutritional Analysis: One serving equals: 148.3 calories, 8g fat, 182mg sodium, 20g carbohydrate, 5g fiber, and 5g protein.
For more information on how to get into the shape of your life, having the time of your life go to http://www.iLovekickboxingozonepark.com
Lettuce Wrapped Fish Tacos
May 10th
These tacos are the perfect get-ready-for-beach-season meal. Flaky, protein-filled fish topped with mango salsa and wrapped in a crunchy guilt-free lettuce leaf. It’s flavorful, satisfying and will keep you on track with your fitness goals.
Servings: 8
Here’s what you need…
- 4 (3.5oz) Cod Fillets
- 1/2 cup tropical vinaigrette
- 1 lime
- 4 large pieces of butter lettuce
- 4 Tablespoons guacamole
- 1 cup shredded cabbage
- 4 Tablespoons mango salsa
- Marinate the cod fillets in dressing for 20 minutes.
- Preheat oven to 375 degrees F. Grease a pan with olive oil.
- Place marinated cod in prepared pan, cut lime in half and squeeze juice over cod. Bake for 15 minutes.
- While cod is baking, separate leaves from lettuce, being careful to keep them intact. Assemble individual tacos by putting a tablespoon of guacamole on a lettuce leaf, topped with 1/4 cup of cabbage.
- Once fish is done, change oven to broil for a few minutes, watching closely until top is browned. Remove from oven.
- Top each prepared taco with a piece of fish, a spoonful of salsa, and a slice of the remaining lime half.
Nutritional Analysis: One serving equals: 141.5 calories, 2.5 fat, 61mg sodium, 4.8g carbohydrate, 1.2g fiber, and 23g protein.
For more information on how to get into the best shape of your life, having the time of your life, go to http://www.iLovekickboxingozonepark.com
Is a Calorie a Calorie?
May 5th
by Michelle Blum
Short answer: no. Whether you count calories, points, carbs, or gumdrops, they are not all the same. First ask yourself why you want to lose weight. Part of it might be for aesthetics, but usually it is for health reasons. You want to eat healthier, lose weight to be healthy, lower your blood pressure, cholesterol, sugar, etc…Adhering to the proper amount of calories is a great way to achieve these goals, but 1200 calories worth of cake isn’t going to do it. This sounds like common sense, but people are always trying to cheat the system. The best advice I can give you is to give your body what it needs. If you fight your body you are going to lose every time, work with your body and you will win. That being said, let’s take a look at where calories come from.
Protein- A gram of protein has 4 calories per gram. Protein is found in meats, fish, poultry, nuts, beans, etc…It get digested very slowly in the body which means it will keep you feeling full for a long time. If I gave you 100 calories worth of almonds and 100 calories worth of pretzels, even though they are the same calorie-wise, the almonds are going to keep you feeling full for hours longer, so you get more bang for your buck. Protein also takes a bit more work to digest so it burns slightly more calories then any other type of food.
Carbohydrates- Did you cringe reading that? Carbs are also 4 calories per gram, and aren’t bad for you. It’s actually the main thing your body wants to use for energy. The key is what kind. I am sure you know whole grain carbs are better then their white counterpart. But if a slice of white bread and a slice of whole grain bread are both about 100 calories, why is one better then the other? To make white bread the germ of the grain is removed. The problem with that is the germ has all the good stuff: the vitamins, minerals, fiber, etc…In fact, without the germ, the grain is so nutritionally poor that by law, they have to add some of the good stuff back in. That is why it is called “enriched white flour”. Whole grains are exactly what they say they are, the whole grain, germ and all. So even though they are the same calorie-wise, nutritionally, there is no comparison.
Fat- The most dreaded component of every diet circa 1995. Now we know that some fats aren’t so bad. All fats have 9 calories per gram (over double that of protein and carbs), but they should not be omitted from the diet! Unsaturated fats (mono and poly), are actually very good for you. They promote satiety, and actually help with your heart. Your body uses fat for organ cushioning, hormones, vitamin absorption, and many other vital functions. Examples of mono and polyunsaturated fats would be those found in salmon, nuts, peanut butter, olive oil, olives, avocado, fish, etc…Saturated and Trans fats, like those found in fried products, butter, steak, baked goods, whole milk, etc…are not so good. If consumed in excess they can contribute to a host of medical problems, even though they have the same number of calories as their unsaturated counterparts.
The bottom line is, while it is important to pay attention to the number of calories, the quality of calories is just as important. Good nutrition, not just good caloric intake, is the key to a healthy body.
For more information on getting into the best shape of your life having the time of your life, go to http://www.iLovekickboxingoznepark.com
Everything You Need to Know About Vitamins
Apr 24th
by Michelle Blum
Most people don’t take a multi everyday, which is fine if you have a very well balanced diet. As a nutritionist, I always recommend you vitamins come from whole food sources, but if you have gaps here and there you need to take a multi to ensure you’re getting everything you need. Here is you A-K guide on vitamins and what they do.
Vitamin A
- It is fat soluble- this means that your body stores the extra in fat cells. All vitamins are fat soluble except for the Bs and C.
- Great food sources- Sweet potato, carrots, spinach, kale, cantaloupe, apricots, papaya and mango
- Function- vision
- How much- 900ug for men and 700ug for women
- Should I supplement? No, can be highly toxic and usually is supplemented in it’s beta carotene form which is only beneficial in food sources
Vitamin B
- Encompasses many vitamins including thiamin, riboflavin, niacin, etc..
- Water soluble- your body uses what it needs and excretes the rest
- Food sources- Each B is different but generally meats, grains, and enriched grains
- Function- Each B has many functions but overall helps with energy and metabolism
- Supplement- If you feel low energy you can add a B Complex
Vitamin C
- Water soluble as well
- Food Sources- citrus fruit, kiwi, red pepper, guava, strawberries
- Function- Immunity, acts as an antioxidant, and helps with collagen formation
- Supplement- You can, however avoid mega doses. Vitamin C works most efficiently when there is less present in the system. Too much and negate it’s antioxidant properties and make them pro-oxidant
- How much? 90mg for men, 75mg for women. If you are a smoker you need an extra 35mg a day
Vitamin D
- Fat soluble
- Food sources- cod liver oil, herring, salmon, tuna, fortified products
- Can synthesize it from the sun but only during certain months and only if you are not wearing sunscreen
- Functions- bone health, neurotransmitter function (mood), being studied for other potential benefits
- How much- 600 IUs
- Supplement- Most people, women especially are D deficient. You should if you are not getting enough through your diet
Vitamin E
- Fat soluble
- Food sources- sunflower seeds, safflower oil, almonds, olive oil
- Functions- powerful antioxidant
- How much? 15mg/day
- Supplement- As of now professionals say no
Vitamin K
- Fat soluble
- Food sources- kale, spinach, broccoli, asparagus, canola oil, soybean oil
- Function- Blood clotting and bone metabolism
- How much? 120ug men 90ug women
Now you have a little vitamin cheat sheet. If you have any more questions, feel free to email me at nutrishmish@yahoo.com
For more information on how to get into the best shape of your life, having the time of your life, go to http://www.iLovekickboxingozonepark.com
How to Satisfy a Child’s Sweet Tooth
Apr 22nd
In this day and age, where diet & weight related
problems are so common in kids…
… I thought you’d like to know of a little “trick” that
satisfies a kid’s sweet tooth…
… while keeping them healthy.
After all, diabetes, and being overweight, are mostly
due to refined sugar and simple carbs like white bread.
________________________________________
So, here are TWO EASY CHANGES you can make
to keep your kid healthy and sound.
________________________________________
1. Agave nectar.
The agave plant is seriously a gift from nature. It’s
super-sweet, but DOESN’T make your blood sugar
go crazy like refined sugar does (this is the major
cause of weight gain and diabetes).
You can cook with it… use it instead of syrup on
pancakes and french toast…
… and even make cookies and such with it.
2. Stevia
The stevia plant is a no-calorie plant that also acts
as a sugar substitute. It’s completely natural, and
very healthy.
Like agave, it doesn’t impact your blood sugar levels
either. And it’s not like Equal or Splenda – which are
both processed and full of crazy chemicals.
________________________________________
Many people completely replace sugar with these
products. Or, they use these products to greatly
REDUCE the amount of sugar their families use.
________________________________________
Hope you enjoyed this tip!
For more information on how you can help your child
be Healthy and Fit, go to…
http://www.KidsLoveMartialArtsOzonePark.com
5 Ways You are Sabotaging Your Diet
Apr 18th
By Michelle Blum
Diets are hard to stick to, and the first warm day of the season can send you into a panic. Instead of focusing on cutting fat, carbs, an arm off, focus on these 5 things not to do.
- Stop eating empty calories- Your morning orange juice and the afternoon latte can be doing serious damage to your waistline. Products like these are packed with sugar and very little actual nutrition. One 8oz glass of OJ is 110 calories, most people have a glass that is about 16oz so that is 220 calories. A tall skinny latte (not even a full fat version) is 90 calories at Starbucks. Omitting these two items from your day eliminates 310 calories from your day, and about 2200 a week, resulting in 2.5 pounds lost a month, with almost no effort.
- Stop The Justifications- “But I only have this once in a while”, “I will just start again Monday”, “I will skip the gym today”, “But she ordered a large”…sound familiar? Stop talking yourself out of it! Stop the thought in its tracks and remind yourself the weight loss process is temporary. Once you hit your goal, you can add (some) of the fun stuff back in. If you can stick it out for a few months you will be in the clear. This doesn’t mean never deviate, but if the scale isn’t budging, it’s happening too often.
- Stop Eating Diet products- It’s not only about quantity when it comes to food quality is just as important. How often do you see someone who looks healthy order a diet soda vs. someone who needs to lose weight? Those products are filled with chemicals that are preventing you from reaching your goals. I would rather have my clients have a higher quality food with a few more calories. Their body’s will process it better and they will feel more satisfied.
- Don’t be so Focused on the Weight- It isn’t all about the weight if you don’t want to gain it back. Focus on eating well and fueling your body correctly. If you ate well, drank water, and exercised, you had a successful day no matter what the scale says. You can fluctuate 2-5lbs a day in water weight, so focusing on the scale alone can be frustrating. Your goal is to eat well, have a better relationship with food, etc…the weight loss is a benefit that happens to come with it
- Don’t Forget the 101- I can’t help but laugh when people say “Should I avoid carrots since they have a lot of sugar?” No, carrots are fine, but the cookies you ate last night, not so much. Yes, some fruits have more sugar then others but focus on the big picture. Fruits and veggies are not why you are not losing weight. The problem with nutrition is any food can be argued as good or bad. When in doubt use common sense. I always tell my clients to ask their 9 year old if a banana is a good choice. They always know.
If you have any questions or need help getting to your goal by the summer, email me at NutrishMish@yahoo.com.
For more information on how to get into the best shape of your life, having the time of your life, go to http://wwww.iLovekickboxingozonepark.com
Turkey & Veggie Soup
Apr 16th
Excerpted from Mr. America’s Newsletter
This soup has everything going for it. The base is broth, not cream. It doesn’t have any added carbohydrates in the form of rice or noodles. And it’s filled with lean ground turkey.
Servings: 12
Here’s what you need…
- 1 teaspoon olive oil
- 2 garlic cloves, minced
- 1 bunch of carrots, chopped
- 2 onions, chopped
- 1 bunch of celery
- 1 fennel bulb
- 1.3 lbs lean ground turkey
- 4 cups veggie broth
- 1 (14.5oz) can stewed tomatoes
- 1 (15oz) can white kidney beans, drained and rinsed
- 4 ears of corn, kernels sliced off
- 3 Tablespoons tomato paste
- 2 teaspoons dried basil
- dash of salt and freshly ground pepper
- In a large skillet heat the olive oil. Add garlic.
- Add chopped carrots, cover for 5 minutes.
- Add onions, celery and fennel. Sauté until soft.
- In another skillet cook the ground turkey over medium heat until fully cooked, stirring often. Drain off excess fat.
- Transfer the veggies to large soup pot and add the remaining ingredients, and the cooked turkey. Cover and cook over low heat for 40 minutes. Add extra water as desired.
Nutritional Analysis: One serving equals: 119 calories, 1 fat, 336mg sodium, 10g carbohydrate, 3g fiber, and 15g protein.
For more information on how to get into the best shape of your life, go to http://www.iLovekickboxingozonepark.com and check out our web special!
Natural Remedies
Apr 12th
By Michelle Blum
Some people like to turn to natural remedies instead of pharmaceuticals to help certain ailments. While these suggestions certainty do not replace a doctor’s recommendations, (I am NOT a doctor) there is evidence suggesting these supplements and foods help with these conditions. Always check with a doctor before making any changes.
- Backache
Most American adults suffer from back pain these foods have been linked to alleviating pain:
- Chile Peppers-capsaicin in the peppers is a natural painkiller. If applied topically it also reduces pain signals.
- Ginger- Contains a powerful anti-inflammatory which helps reduce pain.
- Mint- Menthol in mint (mint oil) when applied topically loosens tight muscles associated with back pain
- Cherries- Eating cherries on a regular basis helps muscles recover quicker
- Pineapple- Has an anti-inflammatory as well as manganese which helps with collagen and tissue repair
- Tumeric- Spice with a strong antioxidant and anti-inflammatory compound
- Best thing to do to help back pain is to exercise and make sure you are at a healthy weight to avoid unnecessary stress on your body
- Depression
- Fish Oil – perfect for people who suffer from seasonal depression
- Beans and Seeds- good source of folate which has a role in depression prevention
- Chocolate- there are brain altering chemicals in chocolate that help fight depression (why it is semi addicting)
- Saffron- some middle- eastern countries use this instead of Prosak
- Walnuts- great source of serotonin
- Diabetes
- Cinnamon- helps control blood sugar
- Bay Leaf- Helps control insulin levels
- Fenugreek- helps control insulin levels
- Green beans- helps lower blood sugar in lab rat studies
- Tea- caffeine helps speed metabolism
- Onions and garlic
- Almonds
- Fatigue
- Cinnomon
- Ginger
- Fish
- Garlic
- Citrus fruits
- Cereal
- Shitake mushrooms
- High blood pressure
- Celery – natural diuretic and allows for smoother blood flow
- Garlic
- Green Tea
- Fish
- Bananas
- Tomatoes
- Saffron
- High cholesterol
- Almonds
- Barley
- Beans
- Oatmeal
- Olive oil
- Tea
- Nuts
- Insomnia
- Cherries- contains melatonin
- Dill- natural stress fighter
- Soybeans- help for people who have restless leg syndrome
- Magnesium- natural muscle relaxer
You can contact Michelle at Nutrishmish@yahoo.co
For more information on how to get into the best shape of your life, go to http://www.iLovekickboxingozonepark.com
Make Sure Your Fitness Plan is Smart
Apr 9th
Excerpted from Mr. America’s Newsletter:
If you’re reading this, you know how important exercise is.
However, there are right ways to exercise and there are wrong ways. In order to get the greatest benefit from your workout and prevent possible injury, you’ve got to do it the right way.
What is the right way? You’re about to find out.
No Pain, No Gain? You’ve heard the phrase “No pain, no gain.” But this isn’t exactly true for exercise. Actually, exercising doesn’t have to cause pain in order to get you in shape.
If you are just beginning to exercise, a little muscle soreness is to be expected. But don’t give up. Work through it, stick with your exercise routine, and in few days the soreness should be gone for good.
If you ever do experience severe pain while exercising, stop until it goes away. If it lasts for more than a few days, see your doctor.
Three Parts. What does a balanced exercise plan look like to you? Is walking 30 minutes four days a week enough? Lifting weights four times a week? In a word, no.
There are actually three components of a balanced workout routine: aerobic, strength-training, and flexibility exercises.
Aerobic or cardio exercises strengthen your lungs and heart. Examples include running, walking, swimming, cycling, and basketball.
Strength or resistance training exercises keep your bones and muscles strong and help with coordination and balance. Strength training refers to weight lifting, weight machines, resistance bands, and body-weight exercises.
The third part of a balanced exercise routine includes flexibility exercises to reduce your risk of injury and improve your body’s range of motion. Examples include stretching, yoga, and tai chi.
It doesn’t matter what order you perform your aerobic and strength-training exercises, unless you have specific goals. Working on endurance? Go cardio first. Trying to get stronger or burn calories? Hit the weights first. Just be sure to incorporate all three types of exercise each week.
Warm Up and Cool Down. If you don’t warm up before or cool down after exercising you could harm your muscles.
The best way to get your muscles ready for exercising is to include a brief time of light aerobics such as brisk walking or steady cycling to get your breathing and heart rate slightly elevated.
To cool down, continue exercising at a slower pace or lower level of intensity for about 5 to 10 minutes. Then end with a few gentle stretches to loosen your muscles, ligaments, and tendons. A cool-down period will help your muscles recover and help prevent injury or soreness.
Target Heart Rate. To get the greatest benefit from your workout, it is important to exercise at your target heart rate zone.
To determine your target heart rate, you must first find your maximum heart rate. To do this, subtract your age from 220. Your target heart rate is 50-85 percent of your maximum heart rate.
For example, if you are 40 years old, your maximum heart rate is 180 and your target heart rate is between 90 and 153 beats per minute.
To measure your pulse, place your fingers on your wrist or the arteries on your neck and count how many beats you feel per minute, or double the number of beats in 30 seconds.
Sports Drink or Water? Your body requires plenty of fluids before, during, and after exercise.
Try to drink at least 20 ounces of water several hours before your workout and eight more ounces about a half hour before your workout. Then drink about 10 ounces of water every 10 to 20 minutes during exercise.
During normal everyday exercise, water is usually the best for rehydrating. But when you exercise intensely for more than an hour, sports drinks are as good or even better. Sports drinks contain a high amount of carbohydrates, which provide energy. They also help to replace the electrolytes lost from sweating.
The easiest and most effective way to ensure that your workout plan is smart is to put it into the hands of a trusted expert.
Kickboxing is great way to get all 3 major workouts in just one hour of training, plus you’ll burn over 700 calories in that hour! The class starts with conditioning/resistance training, followed by cardio training and finished with 15 minutes of stretching.
For more information on how to get into the best shape of your life, go to http://www.iLovekickboxingozonepark.com
Keeping Off the Weight!
Apr 4th
By Michelle Blum
Gaining and losing weight is a vicious cycle that many people are all too familiar with. People know how to lose weight, they know how to gain weight, but maintaining the loss is a struggle for 95% of people who lost a significant amount of weight. What is the secret of the 5% who figured out how to keep it off? They all had six things in common:
- They all exercised- exercise is a habit that people tend to stop and start. To be successful, you need to make exercise a normal part of your lifestyle. This doesn’t mean you have to spend hours everyday at the gym, but push yourself physically 3-4 times a week. If time is an issue split up your workout, try 10 minutes in the morning, 10 minutes on your lunch break, and 10 in the evening. For exercise to be effective it doesn’t have to be continuous. Jog around he block, do push ups during commercials, anything is better then nothing!
- They were not sedentary- There is a direct correlation between weight gain and time spent in front of a screen. Make an effort to make your life more active. For every hour spent in front of a computer screen take a 10 minute break and go for a walk. Park your car far away, take the stairs, all of these things add up over time and will help maintain your weight loss.
- They lost weight slowly- People who lose weight too fast usually do not keep it off. Making dramatic changes too quickly (i.e. going from burgers and fries to vegetarian), won’t stick. Make changes slowly and realistic for your lifestyle. If you lose weight too quickly, usually it isn’t fat. To lose a pound of fat, you need to burn 3500 calories, which can’t be done quickly. Fast weight drop usually means muscle or water was lost, which can come back just as quickly.
- They watched portion sizes- Portions are key to maintaining weight loss. Retrain your brain to recognize what a serving of something actually looks like. Also eat slowly to give your body a chance to realize it is full. Leptin, the chemical that tells your body full takes about 20 minutes to reach your brain. If you eat slower you will become comfortable with portions.
- They ate breakfast- Breakfast really is the most important meal of the day. You haven’t eaten since the night before, so your metabolism is slow. When you eat something your metabolism wakes up and starts burning. But if you wake up at 7AM and don’t eat until 12PM, you wasted five hours of burning time. A breakfast high in fiber and protein will give you the most bang for your buck.
- Found pleasure in a healthy lifestyle- If you feel tortured by the foods you are eating you won’t stick to it. Healthy doesn’t have to mean boring, but you have to find foods you enjoy. If you don’t like egg whites, don’t eat egg whites, simple as that! There are enough healthy foods and cooking techniques to make a healthy lifestyle enjoyable for everyone. This doesn’t mean you have to give up junk food forever, it just isn’t the norm for you anymore.
Maintaining weight loss is a difficult concept for most people. Follow these tips and you can be part of the elite 5% who lose weight and keep it off for good.
For more information on How to Get Into the Best Shape of Your Life, go to http://www.iLovekickboxingozonepark.com
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