Food Snob - long overdue!

Well, its been a few too many months without a food snob addition but its back : ) I have decided that I love Aunt Mids Sugar Snap Peas - they're prewashed and ready to eat sheer goodness. I love them packed up with baby carrots and grape tomotoes - there's no longer an excuse not to eat your veggies! Keep them handy for a quick snack anytime : ) Better yet, grow some your self in a garden this summer and enjoy! Until next month...

Good Read

Here's a link to an interesting article on the state of the nation's waistlines... enjoy!
http://health.nytimes.com/ref/health/healthguide/esn-obesity-ess.html

~Julie

Body Weight Exercises

Looking to start a weight training program but are unsure where to start? Exercises using your own body as resistance is a great way to try it out. You don't need to purchase any costly equipment and you don't even need to join a gym. You can do it in the comfort of your own home or even on your lunch break at the office.

These exercises target most of the major muscle groups. Remember to give yourself a day off in between - about 48 hours before doing them again. This will allow your body to recover. Breathing is always important - exhale during exertion (the hard part) and inhale during rest.

Hope these tips will help you out, but remember you should always check with your doctor before starting a new exercise program.

Here are the exercises!

1. Static Crunch: Sit on the floor with your feet in front of you, knees bent, arms forward. Lean back until you feel tension in your abs and hold for a count of 10. Sit back up and rest. Repeat 3-5 times. To change the intensity: a. lean farther back or b. bring your feet closer to your body or c. hold for a longer count.

2. Superman: Lie on the floor, arms over your head. Simultaneously lift your feet and arms off the floor. Hold for a second and relax to the ground. Repeat. You will feel this through your low back. To decrease the intensity, start with your arms at your side instead of over your head.

3. Chair Squat: Place a chair in an open area. From a sitting position, stand up and then sit back down without the use of your hands. Repeat 10 times. To change the intensity: Don't allow your bottom to touch the seat, lower your bottom as close as you can to the chair with out touching and stand back up. When comfortable, move away from the chair. Once you're comfortable with that, add a small jump to the squat or add hand weights.

4. Standing Lunge: Stand next to a chair, lunge forward with your left leg. At the lowest position, your knee should be above your ankle, the knee joint at a 90 degree angle. Straighten and bend your leg using the chair for support if needed. Repeat 10-15 times. Repeat on right leg. To change intensity, alternate legs without using the support of the chair. Or walk with lunges across a room. Once this becomes easier, you may add hand weights.

5. Wall Push up: Stand with chest against a wall. Place hands outside of shoulder on wall. Step back so that arms are fully extended but still touching the wall. Lower body so that nose is a few inches from wall, extend by pushing back. Repeat 10-15 times. To change intensity, choose a surface closer to the ground such as a counter or table top. Then move to the floor on your knees and finally move to the floor on your toes.

6. Triceps Dip: Sit on a stair, edge of a couch, or other firm surface that will not move. Place hands on edge of surface outside of hips. Lift yourself off and in front of the stair/couch/etc and lower, keeping your elbows pointed behind you, and not dropping below a 90 degree angle at the elbow joint. Extend and repeat 10-15 times. To increase the intensity: move your feet farther away from your body.

Let me know what you think of these exercises! Need more ideas? Sign up with me for one on one or group personal training!

In good health,

Beans, Beans, the Magic Fruit...

Looking for a reason to add beans to your daily plate? Check out this article outlining the benefits of this power packed food...

http://www.miamiherald.com/living/columnists/sheah-rarback/story/974831.html

Recipe ideas for beans: they're great in any Mexican style dish - fat free refired beans or canned black beans - add them to a nacho, burrito, quesadilla, etc.
Add them to salads - I love garbanzo beans in mine!
Mix them with some rice for a great dose of protein in a vegetarian favorite!
Add them to soups - beans aren't just for chili - they're great in other soups, too!

Beans are a great alternative to meat in most dishes. The best part being they are packed with protein, fiber, and folic acid. Help you heart and your waistline : ) Add some beans to your menu this week!

Recipe for Baked Oatmeal

I have an old time client who has lost tons of weight (about 4o lbs) and still has problems with his cholesterol. He hates eating oatmeal, so we were trying to find different ways for him to get it in his diet. His lovely wife came across this recipe and its worked! He enjoys oatmeal regularly now, while its not doing a ton for his cholesterol (down only a couple points more), its another great breakfast or snack option packed with soluble fiber and a few other things.

Hope you like it as much as he and I do : )

Here it is:
2 cups of quick cooking oats
1/2 cup packed brown sugar *
1/3 cup raisins or other no sugar added dried fruit
1 Tbsp chopped walnuts
1 tsp baking powder
1 1/2 cups fat free milk
1/2 cup applesauce
2 Tbsp butter, melted *
1 Large egg, beaten *
cooking spray

Preheat over to 375 degrees. Coat an 8 inch square dish with cooking spray. Combine the oats, sugar, fruit, nuts, and baking powder in a medium bowl. Combine the milk, applesauce, butter, and egg in a separate bowl. Add milk mixture to oat mixture and stir. Poar into baking dish and cook at 375 degrees for 20 minutes. Cut into about 8 pieces. Served best warm!

*TIPS:: Here are some ideas for making it a little lower in fat: use a low fat butter; use 2 egg whites instead of a whole egg or 1/4 cup of egg substitute. If you want to lower the sugar content, try using Splenda brown sugar for baking instead of regular brown sugar.

In good health,
Julie

Food Snob

A new addition to the blog is my "Food Snob" piece. I will be posting monthly regarding a new product that I cannot live without.

This month's Food Snob food choice is the Fiber One Chewy Granola Bar -YUM!!! So the chocolate chip is my personal fav, but the oats and caramel and the peanut butter flavors aren't too bad either. At 140 calories per bar and the wonderful, sublime sweetness of chocolate chips and chocolate drizzle, it can easily work its way in to a healthy diet as a great afternoon snack or chocolate craving satisfaction. It has 9 grams of fiber per bar (that's about 35% of your daily need for fiber) so it really satisfies and can hold you over until your next meal or bedtime. It does have 4g of fat, so on the meal plan it will count as 1 starch and 1 fat, but is well worth filling in both of those circles!!!

Try one and let me know what you think!

Figuring out your Body Mass Index

So most physicians these days are using the Body Mass Index (BMI) to quickly assess a patient/client's risk or disease and level of overweight or underweight or normal weight. So I figured I'd fill ya in on what it means... basically you just enter your height and weight into the calculator and it will give you a number. This number is your BMI. Following are the groupings and what they mean:

• Underweight = less than 18.5
• Normal weight = 18.5 - 24.9
• Overweight = 25-29.9
• Obese = 30 or greater

So basically, you want to try to get, or keep, your BMI within a "normal" range. However, there are a few things to consider when looking at the BMI. It doesn't take into account muscle or build. So for example, if you are a very large, very muscular football player, you may be consiered "Obese" but actually be very healthy. So don't put 100% faith into this number just use it to discuss concerns with your physician. I tell people that its just another number, so use it as a reference point. If right now you are a 25.5 and a few months from now it goes up to 26 or 27 (and you're an adult, so you know you're not getting any taller) than maybe its a sign you need to pay a bit more attention to what you're eating ; )

Snack time!

I was logging my food intake today and realized that my snacks need to be shaken up! Do you struggle with snacks too? I seem to get stuck in a rut of yogurt or fruit.. boring! Here are a few ideas that came out of my brainstorming session : ) Hope you find one that suits your snack attack : )

1. Laughing Cow Cheese and Kashi TLC crackers (no, I'm not getting paid for endorsements, I just really love these products!!)
2. cottage cheese and canned pineapple (in its own juice)
3. whole wheat pita and red pepper hummos
4. ants on a log (celery sticks with peanut butter and raisins - still as good as when I was 10)
5. tuna fish mixed with honey mustard on high fiber white thin crackers
6. edamame with a little bit of salt
7. fiber one granola bars - awesome when I need a chocolate fix!
8. cheese! Gotta love it and its packed with protein which helps hold me over a bit longer
9. Home made trail mix - 10 almonds, 1 tbsp of raisins, and 2 tbsp of cheerios
10. Apple slices or banana slices with a tbsp of peanut butter

In good health!!

New Year, New You

So I hope you're one of the few out there that joins a gym in January and actually keeps going for the rest of the year. Exercise is a great outlet for stress - which is much needed in our economy this year! So consider that investment more than just a resolution to shed a few pounds, but rather a resolution to be a healthier you - inside and out!

When looking for a gym to join consider more than just the equipment offered. 1st think of why you want the gym... are you looking to get in more cardio, aerobic classes, weight training; or did you want to take a few laps around a pool, or join a volleyball league? Also what amenities will you need? Do you have little ones that will need a sitter so you can get in your daily 60 min of ativity? If so, check out a few clubs that offer free or discounted daycare. Will you be showering at the gym? Than be sure to spend an extra minute checking out the locker room situation - trust me, they can definately vary! Of course cost is always the final tie breaker, so be sure to discuss the contract and fee schedule.

I hope you make the commitment to get fit this New Year, for the whole year! Join the wellness revolution and take charge of your health and your future!

Welcome!

Welcome to my blog! I'm hoping to offer valuable wellness tips and tricks through the blog with my own personal touch, so check back often : )