Can you believe it is already April!? I suppose time flies when you are having fun and working out with friends. With the sun out and the temperatures rising it is apparent that summer is on its way. Are you taking advantage of our services to stay or get back in shape? It is never to late, but the sooner you start the sooner you will be in the best shape of your life. With more trainers and locations, we are more convenient than ever to give you the workouts, massages and nutritional services you deserve.
Take a moment to soak up some practical health and fitness advice below and please let us know if there is anything we can do to service you better. Have a great month and thanks for being a part of our fitness family.
One thing our culture doesn’t lack these days is information. With the amount of information we have at our fingertips via the internet and other sources, the problem these days is often QUALITY
The simple, and scientifically shown to be effective, strategies are to keep a food journal, avoid eating out often and not skipping meals. Simple enough. While all three of these strategies take some effort, you will be amazed at what you learn from doing these three items together.
1) Keeping a Food Journal
It has never been easier to keep a food journal with all of the phone applications (MyFitnessPal is my favorite) and free programs out there. While paper and pencil work just fine, many of these free applications will do all of the math and recommended values for you. The most important outcome gained from journaling your food for AT LEAST one full week is that you gain a better understanding of how many calories are in foods, how bad foods can add up over the course of the day, and where you can make better choices. I have many clients that continue to journal all the time, but even just doing this for a full week can give you a lot of helpful and practical information. If you need help deciphering this, feel free to send information our way.
2) Avoid Eating Out Often
One thing that you will immediately notice about eating out if you utilize a food journal is that you will undoubtedly consume more calories when you eat out. While never eating out is not realistic, taking practical steps like bringing your lunch to work can save you pounds of excess body fat and hours in the gym. Make your meals ahead of time and you can conveniently lose weight and save money.
3) Avoid Skipping Meals
This point is often counter-intuitive for people but skipping meals does not lead to weight loss. Skipping meals typically leads to eating more than you need in later meals, making worse food choices because you are hungrier, and burning less calories due to lower energy levels. Eating smaller meals consistently throughout the day (every 3-5 hours) has been shown to be most effective for consistent long-term weight management.
The Proof is in the Pudding!!!!
There is lots of research out there, but I picked one study in particular that examined the three strategies above. Check out the results!
In a yearlong study involving clients performing exercise and the above three nutritional strategies:
-Those who kept food journals lost an average of 6 more pounds than those who didn’t
-Those who skipped meals lost an average of 8 fewer pounds than those who didn’t
Try out these strategies and let us know how you do!
Delicious Post-Workout Shake Recipes
The Importance:
Getting a good source of quickly digesting carbohydrates and protein into your system within 30-60 minutes after your workout is VERY important for recovery, lean muscle growth and performance improvements. This has been shown in many studies over the years. With this in mind check out some of the delicious ideas for protein shakes below:
Orange Creamsicle Protein Smoothie
Ingredients:
-1 scoop of your favorite vanilla protein powder
-1/2 cup of unsweetened almond milk
-1/2 cup water
-2 ounces of frozen orange juice concentrate
-1/2 frozen banana
-1 tsp honey
-3-5 ice cubes
-1 teaspoon orange zest (optional)
Directions:
Just blend until smooth!
Calories (roughly):
-355 calories
-5g fat
-52g carbohydrates
-26g protein
Banana-Oat Protein Smoothie
Ingredients:
-1 scoop of your favorite vanilla protein powder
-1/2 cup of unsweetened almond milk
-1/2 cup water
-2 ounces of frozen orange juice concentrate
-1/2 frozen banana
-1 tsp honey
-3-5 ice cubes
-1 teaspoon orange zest (optional)
Directions:
Just blend until smooth!
Calories (roughly):
-355 calories
-5g fat
-52g carbohydrates
-26g protein