Fitness Takes NO holiday Food Tips!

So I have been doing some research on food to help myself and the StrollerFit Moms make it thru the Holiday's without gaining the Holiday Weight. Coming to class and exercising is a must, but what about the food.


We all know a calorie is a calorie, right? And we also know that to lose weight you must burn those calories (coming to StrollerFit, Restore the Core, Mommymusclsculpt and Mom n' Tot Yoga will help with that). But Did you know that all calories are not created equal?

For example - lets look at a 200 calorie piece of cake verses a 200 calorie piece of chicken. They both have 200 calories, but your body does not look at them the same way. The cake is loaded with simple carbs. and sugars, which ultimately make your blood sugar sky rocket, you get a quick burst of energy and then your insulin goes up and the bad begins to happen....

Insulin promotes fat storage and the energy kick does not last long. It goes up and them plummets so you begin to get tired and crave more sugary foods (I have felt that way after eating a low fat snack pack and bet so have all of you, not know why you are now tired.)

But the chicken does not do that to your body....lean protein has a total different affect on your body. Protein takes the most energy of all nutrients to to break down, so you feel fuller longer. There is also no affect on your insulin!! This helps you lose weight. For those of you working out, the protein helps your muscles repair and build (remember muscle burns fat and the cake won't do that!)

You can not eat just protein. Fat and carbs are important too, but they must be the right fat and protein. you need to eat the best foods that will give you the best results, help you lose body fat, tighten & tone, and feel energized throughout the day.

I am referring to eating natural foods, unprocessed without chemicals and preservatives, not the 100 calorie snack packs. These foods work with the body and will boost metabolism, boost energy and boost fat burning. Especially when paired with a great workout like StrollerFit!!

So for the holidays, try these 10 food to help lose body fat and keep the holiday pounds off.

1. Lean, boneless chicken breast (seasoned well), protein is good!
2. all natural Peanut Butter or Almond Butter, no matter what your age, everyone loves PB&J (on Whole Wheat bread, see #3)! Plus Peanut Butter is a great source of Omega 3's, protein and complex carbs.
3. Whole Wheat Bread - (rye and pumpernickel are good too), just make sure is says "Whole Wheat"
4. Turkey Burger's are a great substitute for ground beef (make sure it is lean turkey - white meat, if not, you might as well eat beef). Extra lean 93% ground beef is good too.
5. Spinach-high in vitamins and a great source of fiber and protein too (Bet you did not know spinach has protein)
6. Garlic is a "Super" Food - a great way to flavor foods and it is filled with immunity boosting powers, something we all need during cold and flu season.
7. Apples are high in Fiber and and when used with a little peanut butter you have the perfect pre-workout snack.
8. Oatmeal...Start the day with a great complex carb. for energy and it contains protein. You can add anything to make it your own. I like apples and cinnamon or honey and blueberries.
9. Eggs...They always get a bad wrap for cholesterol but research shows they are a great way to start the morning. People who eat eggs in the morning are fuller longer and less likely to get mid morning sugar cravings. (I like 3 egg whites with spinach and mushrooms on a Arnold whole wheat sandwich thin. Sometimes I add shredded cheddar for added flavor or a tbs of bacon bits, or both)
10. Quinoa..if you have never tried Quinoa, you should. It is a powerful grain from South Africa. It is a complex carb. that contains essential amino acids (the only grain to have this). I have a great recipe for a side made with Quinoa and a breakfast dish. I will post both on the food blog, later at http://funfitrecipesfromsf.blogspot.com/

(During holiday meals, remember eat what you enjoy, just don't over eat and make the holiday a one day event, do not eat the leftovers and make it an event that keeps repeating)

Also, remember to drink lots of water and stay hydrated and do not go to holiday meals or parties on an empty stomach or you will overeat.

Hope to see you all at the Fitness Takes No holiday workouts from November 3 thru the end of December. Anyone that emails me a healthy tip before November 3rd will get a point for the challenge.

Fitness Takes NO Holiday!

We ALL have places to go and people to see...

We ALL have excuses for not fitting exercise into our holiday routine.. NO MORE!


This year make time for yourself and enter the New Year feeling and looking great…

"Fitness Takes No Holiday" begins November 2nd and lasts through December! Each time you come to class (StrollerFit, Mommymuscle, Mom n Tot Yoga or Restore the Core), you can receive points. She with the highest attendance percentage* wins! Prizes TBD, but we all know the real reward is the changes you will see in your body.

Exercise is essential for keeping us healthy during the holidays, so make yourself a priority!

There will be FIVE class days that will receive double points...which ones are they? Well, that's a secret...Follow the blog to find out!

I also will be blogging about challenges, the person(s) who meets them at the next class gets an extra point for that day, and the first person to class also gets a point, so lets start racking up the points!

Twitter

So ladies I have been convinced that following tweets and tweeting myself would be great for StrollerFit and a great way to get the name out. Check out my Tweets at bVStrollerFit

I will be tweeting from home and can not wait to see what you all Tweet about. Remember to Tweet about things for the moms and kids, especially the StrollerFit classes.

Hot Mamas Challenge

We are already into week 4 of the 8 week Strollerfit "Hot Mamas Challenge" and I am adding new moves daily to the workouts and the homework.

I hope the moms are keeping up with only 4 weeks left, who will win. If you read this blog and come to class on Friday wearing a StrollerFit Shirt you will win a prize. If you can do 5 push ups more than you did 4 weeks ago and 10 more sit ups, you will win another prize, lets see what we can do.

Friday we will be jump roping so plan your attire accordingly. See you at class

What a crazy week

Monday-Ran the Tufts 10K

Tuesday - took Papa to the airport, he went home, Joey and Julianna are sad, but grandma stayed, YEAH!!

Wednesday - went to Joey's sports class, taught Mom n Tot Yoga, Mommymusclesculpt, took the kids to swimming, taught my own swim classes, swim 1500 yards with Eric in 40 minutes, he pushed me hard (training once again for the big Boston Harbor Swim Across America Cancer swim, I took 2 years off due to pregnancy and lack of post pregnancy training, but not this year, Eric and I already committed and I think Jeff is in too!)

Thursday - taught Strollerfit, with lots of new moves, hope the moms are feeling the burn as I was, then Thursday night Joey and I had a 2 1/2 hour sleep battle which leads me to Friday morning.

Friday - woke up to SNOW!!! IT was light but that does not matter, it is too early. Joey let Raven the dog out and I could not find her, she came home 3 hours later, as we were loading the car and taking off to NY with my mom. The drive was nice, the kids slept and then we ran around and saw some friends. We are staying with Aunt Maryanne who cooked so much food, you would have thought 50 people were coming to dinner.

Tomorrow we are seeing lots of friends (maybe I should say later today as it is 4 am sat and I can not sleep) and hoping for warm weather Sunday so we can go to Making Strides, the Breast Cancer Walk that mom and I volunteer for every year with our friends from NY. If it is cold and rainy we are not going, which will make mom sad, but thus is life.

Then we drive home Sunday to prepare for next week. Mom leaves Tue and we will miss her. Wish she was closer, but the cold is hard on her so I do not think she will be moving back east anytime soon, Vegas is the best weather for her, so we will continue to travel.

Ladies watch out, here comes new moves and a new Restore the Core session!!!!