Starting the Day Strong = Ending the Day Strong

BREAKFAST...

So you've probably heard this before, but I cannot stress how essential breakfast is. I hear people complain to me all the time about how they are hungry and they didn't eat breakfast or didn't have time or whatnot. No one ever said breakfast had to be a huge production. You have likely not eaten in the past 8-12 hours so you just need something to "break the fast"... hence the term breakfast.

Here are some of the benefits of eating breakfast, however there are many more:

• You start your metabolism for the day and keep your body from going into starvation mode. When you eat in the morning it helps prevent overeating later on in the day. You are much more likely to loose weight eating breakfast than you would if you were to skip it!
• Many studies have shows that breakfast helps your memory and your ability to perform. If you want to do better at work or school, a simple start would be making breakfast a daily routine.

The other morning I woke up and came up with a 5 minute healthy, yet light breakfast!:
     I quickly sauteed onions, mushrooms, and spinach then added 4 egg whites and sprinkled that with black pepper and chili/garlic powder. Once cooked through I put the mini omelette on top of a Lundberg's brown rice cake and topped that with salsa! Yum.

Another quick alternative is just to blend up 1 scoop of protein powder, frozen berries, water/nonfat milk, and ice.

Personally, I wake up in the morning and look forward to breakfast. It makes my morning, so the first thing I do when I get up in the morning is eat a good healthy breakfast (with coffee and water as a personal preference!) I included the breakfast section of my healthy cookbook I would like to share with you! I encourage you to work on getting in plenty of quality nutrients to start off your day!

BREAKFAST SECTION: From Inspired by Nutrition Cookbook (Author: Me)

Light Latte

·         1/3 Cup Nonfat Milk

·         2 Shots of  Espresso or 1 cup drip/ pressed coffee

·         Sugar free syrup (Like Torani or Da Vinci’s)

·         Pumpkin Pie Spice (optional)

Steam or heat milk mixed with your choice of sugar free flavored syrup while coffee is brewing. Pour coffee carefully over the milk. If the flavors work with it top with a sprinkle of pumpkin pie spice. Enjoy while hot!

PB&J Oatmeal

The healthy version of a sandwich that brings you back to your childhood!

·         ½ Cup old fashioned oats

·         ½ tsp vanilla extract

·         1 cup water

·         1 teaspoon all natural peanut butter

·         1 tbsp sugar free jam

Place oats, vanilla, and water in a saucepan. Bring to a boil over med-high heat stirring constantly. Once mixture thickens and there is no excess water stir in peanut butter and jelly while hot to melt. Serves 1. Enjoy!

Apple ‘n Spice Harvest Oatmeal

Perfect start to a crisp fall morning when apples are in season!

·         1 small apple, cut into somewhat thin slices that are bite sized

·         2/3 cup oats

·         1 1/3 cup water

·         1 tsp vanilla

·         2 tbsps apple butter (preferably sugar free)

·         1 -2 tbsp sugar-free maple syrup

·         About 20 craisins

·         ½ tsp pumpkin pie spice (or nutmeg, cinnamon, and ginger)

·         Splash non-fat milk

Serves 2.

Place apples in a small saucepan or deep small fry pan over medium heat. After about 2 minutes flip and add some pumpkin pie spice and some of the sugar free syrup, and water if necessary so nothing burns. Continue to cook until apples are soft. Add 2/3 cup water, oats, remainder of spices, and vanilla. Cook until oatmeal is done, about 2-3 minutes. Remove from heat and top with/stir in craisins, apple butter, and more sugar-free syrup if desired.

Ultimate Lox Bagel

·         ½ cup fresh arugula

·         1 Toasted sliced bagel (try whole wheat/ everything flavors)

·         1 tbsp low fat/ fat free cream cheese (try smoked salmon flavor)

·         2 oz lox

·         1 teaspoon pesto

Serves 1-2                 

Toast bagel to taste. Top with cream cheese spread, followed by a thin layer of pesto. Top with arugula and a layer of lox. Serve open faced while still warm. Enjoy!

These also make great appetizers served on mini bagels open faced.

Sweet Potato Scramble

(serves 2)

·         1 medium sweet potato grated

·         About 1/3  of a medium onion, chopped

·         2 slices lean deli ham, diced (optional and can also substitute almost any other protein)

·         1-2 egg whites (or 1 egg)

·         4 broccoli florets, chopped

·         Handful of spinach leaves

·         1/3 diced bell pepper

·         1 small diced tomato

·         2 tbsp diced zucchini (optional)

·         1 tbsp oil (optional)

·         1 Slice grated lowfat cheese (optional)

·         Ground black pepper, red pepper flakes, and garlic to taste

·         Salsa, ketchup  if desired to top.

Heat med sized coated (1 tbsp oil or just spray) fry pan. Put in shredded sweet potato and onions. Cook until just about tender and onions are translucent stirring every so often. Add ham, then all the veggies. Crack egg in center of the pan and stir into ingredients until egg is cooked. Let ingredients heat through and then add tomato, spices, and cheese if using and resume cooking until cheese is melted.

Tip: try topping with a little salsa or ketchup

Low Fat Pumpkin Oatmeal Pancakes

These healthy pancakes are low in fat, sugar free and a great way to start off your day. Recipe serves one, so just double it for each serving.

·         ¼ cup canned pumpkin  or pureed and baked sugar pie pumpkin

·         ¼ cup old fashioned oats

·         1 egg white

·         1 tbsp whole wheat flour

·         ½ tsp pumpkin pie spice (or just mix cinnamon, nutmeg, and ginger)

·         ¼ tsp baking powder

·         1 packet of splenda or 1 tbsp sugar free maple syrup

·         ½ tsp vanilla

Mix all ingredients to form batter. Heat skillet/griddle and spray with pam. Drop batter on heated skillet or griddle and let cook until bottom is browned and top begins to bubble. Flip pancake carefully as batter is somewhat delicate. Continue to cook until other side browns. Enjoy! Top with sugar free syrup, and or pumpkin butter. Recipe is also great when craisins, pecans, or chocolate chips are mixed in.

Turkey Veggie Whole Wheat Crêpes

Crêpe:

·         ½ Cup whole wheat flour

·         1 cup nonfat milk

·         2 eggs

·         1/8 cup water

·         Pinch of salt

·         Pinch of sugar (optional)

·         Italian Seasoning and ground black pepper to taste

Filling:

·         12 slices of your favorite lean deli lunchmeat (e.g. ham, turkey, chicken)

·         2 slices (grated) of low fat sharp cheese (I like low fat white cheddar)

·         Your choice of veggies e.g.:

o   Bell peppers

o   Spinach

o   Olives

o   Mushrooms

o   Tomatoes

Start by whisking all the ingredients of the crêpe batter and heating a plate sized sprayed fry pan. In another pan, begin sautéing the meat and veggies for the filling. Pour the batter in the pan; it should evenly coat the base of the pan in a thin layer. Cook on medium heat until crêpe bubbles or starts to brown on the bottom.  Flip crêpe and top with ½ slice of cheese (shredded). Place crêpe on a plate, top with sautéed meat and fold or roll the crêpe. Wait until the cheese is fully melted and enjoy!  Serves 4.

LOW - FAT QUICHE

1 1/2 c. brown rice, cooked 1 egg white FILLING: 4 egg whites (or use egg sub.) 1 c. evaporated skim milk 2 slices lean ham diced 4 oz. low-fat cheese, grated 1 sm. onion, chopped & sauteed in chicken broth ½ cup fresh spinach ½ red pepper diced 1/4 bunch broccoli, chopped 1/4 tsp. salt, optional Dash of nutmeg Press cooked brown rice into pan and coat with egg white. Use leftover egg white for filling. Bake crust at 400 degrees for 7 minutes. Beat egg whites and evaporated milk. Mix in remaining ingredients and pour into cooled crust. Bake at 425 degrees for 40 minutes. Let stand 10 minutes before serving. Serves 6.

Excuses, Excuses...

     We live in a society where time is of the essence.  We feel that we are so busy and time starved that we simply cannot do many things (especially those things we don't particularly want to do). Working out seems to be one of those things we come up with excuses for....

   Bottom line is, if you value something enough, you can always make time for it. It may require sacrifice, but for most people, especially college students, if they simply worked on time management and cut out that half hour of Facebook or playing video games, its amazing what they might be able to accomplish. I am not suggesting that you make yourself go crazy and never spend time relaxing or doing things you enjoy, but there are many things you can do to rearrange your schedule and fit in a workout of some sort. Being someone who has worked many days where I had to be at work or was busy with important things the entire time the gym was open, I realize sometimes it can be very difficult feeling to fit in your workouts. I am suggesting that you should think about not letting this become a regular pattern of excuses, because that's where the downfall in your fitness starts to hit. 

    Even if you can only get in 20 minutes, or you have to break up your workouts, do what you can to accomplish something! Here are some things you can do to increase your activity level when you feel like you have few other options. It is a good start that is a lot easier to think about mentally... to get in activity. By activity I mean movement that gets you off the couch and burning more calories than you would being sedentary.

Here are some things you can sneak in throughout your day to increase your caloric burn. You should also keep in mind that you don't need to eat as many calories when you have a sedentary day/lifestyle:

• Sit on a stability ball instead of an office chair, couch etc. This way you are always working a little and increasing the use of your core and stabilizing muscles. 
• Speed walk or jog/run if you can everywhere you go, not only does this get you to your destination faster but it gets your heart rate up in the process. 
• Make an effort to do little things like get out of your chair when someone needs to go do something, walk around, take the stairs, park far away etc.
• On your breaks bring some weights to work, or take a walk around the block. Try to fit in a short gym session if your breaks are long enough.
• While you are waiting for things like food in the microwave, or your friend to show up to meet you do some lunges, squats, high knee taps, jogging in place, or something to get you moving!
• Find someone you spend time with during the day to team up with and keep each other on track. Nothing like a workout buddy to help push you and keep you engaged!
• Make a commitment to yourself that you will only watch TV when you are at the gym or on the tread mill or doing crunches or something, even sneaking some of this in on commercials would be a great start
• Here's my personal favorite: While in the car, being careful not to get too carried away or distracted, turn up the music and dance, squirm and move around. This also is a great activity you can do while cleaning the house and cooking. Don't worry about looking ridiculous, in the end of things people really aren't going to remember or care if they happen to drive by and see someone dancing in their car, it might just make them smile!

Have fun with these things! Make it enjoyable and don't look at them as a task of things you have to do. Even if you do have time to get your workout in, doing these things can help you feel like you got a little extra out of your daily fitness!

On that note, if it is feasible for your life, I will leave you with an office workout link:

15 Min office workout video.

Now that you have all these ideas, that just leaves you with one less excuse to stay active...:)

Motivation!

Admit it. We've all been there, and had one of those days where getting out of bed feels like a challenge and going to the gym, pshh...there's just no energy for that! And while were really on a roll, why diet or go for the healthy option when you could feel so much more satisfied with that delicious doughnut dripping with icing for breakfast.

The thing about a healthy lifestyle and whether or not we can follow it is a very mental process. Here is a list of things you can do in order to rev-up that motivation, increasing your likelihood for reaching your personal health goals.

• Plan/cook your meals ahead of time: doing this and having it all ready to go (especially when you take them on the go in Tupperware etc) will remove your excuses like I was hungry and there was nothing around, I was in a hurry, etc. You also will likely eat this healthy food you make just so you don't waste it. This removes the stress of having to find food when you are hungry, because you already know what you're eating.
• Just put on the gym clothes and drive to the gym: Being there alone and seeing others working out will likely help motivate you to get a good workout in.
• Join a class: having other people around will put you in a competitive mode and you will work harder to keep up.
• Get an exercise buddy: someone who you can call when you need that extra push helps you and having someone to talk to helps pass the time.
• Sign up for a competition or race etc: Having a goal with a set date will encourage you to work hard to reach it.
• Try something new and exciting!: Running on a treadmill is not the only way to stay fit. If exercise is supposed to be a habit it may as well be doing something you enjoy! Find a sport or class that you like, that you want to succeed in and join! Here are a couple examples:
• Zumba (a Latin dance cardio class)
• Climbing
• Hiking
• Martial arts
• Team/club sports
• Skiing
• Community events etc like this snowshoe demo: http://www.facebook.com/#!/event.php?eid=147081068680249

There are different strategies for each individual. Find something that truly appeals to you and drives you. Reaching your goals is an amazing feeling of accomplishment, as I am sure you are aware, especially when you worked very hard to get to the checkpoint.

Awareness: A Simple Tool to Loose Weight, Stay Healthy etc...

    One of my personal struggles when I was gaining weight a few years back was why? I exercised regularly (at least 3 times a week), and thought I ate generally healthy meals. I always figured I would be able to eat what I wanted because I was athletic and exercised.
    Booooy was I wrong! For some reason it never occurred to me that I was taking in more calories than I was burning. I also never really paid attention or thought to try calculating calories I burned or nutrients I ate in a day. Once I began reading articles, and gaining incredible knowledge from people not only had I built myself up to have enough determination for self control, but I learned about portion size, and how the littlest things like sodium and dairy can affect your body differently.
    We all know portion sizes in America are out of control, but it took learning to measure all my food to fully grasp the concept of how much I was overeating. Funny thing was, eating a normal amount didn't make me feel deprived either.

Some Healthy Tips for Keeping Portions in Check:

• Eat smaller meals more often throughout the day. Depending on your body divide your daily needs into 4-7 meals. Eating every 2-4 hours not only keeps your metabolism running, but prevents binging and overeating when you feel you are very hungry.
• Use smaller plates. When you eat on a smaller plate, the amount of food that fits on it looks like more than it would look on a larger plate. 
• Try to avoid beverages besides water (and perhaps milk, and tea etc.) Most beverages out there are full of empty calories that don't really fill you up the same.
• Eat whole grains, whole foods, and lots of veggies! Your body takes longer to break them down resulting in being satisfied for a longer time period from less food.
• When eating something, put a serving of it in a container and leave the rest in the fridge/cupboard. This is especially useful for snacks like bags of chips where we can't seem to stop reaching into the bag. 
• Sit down, not in front of the TV... and enjoy your food. Focusing on what you are eating will make you more aware that you are actually eating that amount.
• Eat in dimmer lighting. Sometimes our appetites can be overstimulated by bright lighting.
• **** THIS IS THE MOST EFFECTIVE WAY I HAVE FOUND: Be committed to keeping a food log of exactly what you eat every day! Include all condiments, sauces, beverages etc. You can also use a fitness tracker to monitor the calories you burn working out and see what your needs and deficit are. Some of my favorite websites for this include: 
• Shape.com's Virtual Trainer: I like this one because the program that keeps track of your food tells you how much of everything you need, how much you eat for each meal, the nutrient breakdowns, charts of your caloric differences, how many calories you burn from each specific exercise you do etc. You can make a free account here. 
• Sparkpeople.com : This tracker is great if your are looking for more guidance in what you are eating. You can select the options of having meal plans and workout made for you. You can also manually enter your own information. The trackers allow you to set measurable goals and give you the numbers you need to be in range of to get there. This website is very interactive, you can get points, get daily health articles, motivation tips, and be part of support "spark groups" online. There are tons of resources here!

Both of these sites have so much more to offer and have plenty of healthy recipes that you can feel good about! I have found the information on there to be quite valuable. Hope it helps you!

Eating Well Doesn't Always Have to be a Drag...

I grew up enjoying baking. I think I liked the creativity and feeling of making something from a bunch of seemingly boring ingredients. It probably helped that I had a huge sweet tooth. 

Because I was always athletic and in general ate fairly healthfully, luckily that sweet tooth never got the best of me. I was very fortunate in that my parents always exposed me to a wide variety of foods, some that many people have mental aversions to (like sushi and other seafood) as well as the occasional strange fruit like a poky fruit. 

As I grew older and more and more body conscious, I began to become inspired by healthy dishes I would make. So much so that over the past couple of years I started making many dishes from scratch and making my own versions of recipes that were much healthier than their traditional alternatives. This is how I started writing my own cookbook (not with intention to get published, but just to store recipes and maybe give to family members as presents etc), and enjoying this creative side. 

A few months ago when looking for inspiration for recipes I stumbled across a site called Sparkrecipes.com  (I will share more about the sites uses later.) I found that I could publish my recipes and gather all the nutritional info on them etc. Online users are able to comment and rate them.

The other day I got pretty excited when I got my first comment on my own recipe for a veggie lentil stew. It was fun to think that something I created someone else was able to try and enjoy! Although it does have some sodium in it, it has many beneficial nutrients and is a satisfying meal! 

Here is the link to my recipe: Lentil Veggie Stew. Enjoy!

Some Misconceptions About the Cost of Being Healthy

    Statistically, people who eat very unhealthfully are moreso lower income in the U.S. People assume that unhealthy food is cheap. To some extent it is and can be. You can get a huge amount of processed junk for the same price as it might cost for a small amount of a much healthier option.
If people just took the time to consider what they are putting in their bodies, they may be able to easily find healthy alternatives at similar or less of the costs.

Another fact to put things into perspective: Treatments for diabetes, heart conditions, etc are A LOT more EXPENSIVE than HEALTHY FOOD in comparison to JUNK FOOD.


I challenge you to look for a few healthy options that you can substitute for the cost of your normal unhealthy option!
Here are a few tips:
-buy things like oatmeal, brown rice, and other healthy non perishables in bulk
-look for produce that is in season
-flip through store ads to see what is on sale (the store ads are generally similar to the grocery store where shopping around the outside is where the healthier options are).

Remember to look out for additives, preservatives and other fillers! Not all items claiming to be "healthy" really are! Just because its a "lean pocket" doesn't mean it still doesn't have processed cheese and white flour in it! (Even if it is made "with whole grain".

Here is a link to an excellent article that proves this point exactly.
Healthy food vs. Fast Food Costs.

Introduction/ Background!

Hello, welcome to my blog!
    I guess I should start off with an introduction of how I started becoming interested in health, fitness, an nutrition. Growing up I was always somewhat athletic, and also had a healthy appetite. I would eat relatively healthy though I pretty much ate what I wanted, assuming the amount of activity I had would just take care of whatever I ate. While this never became a major problem, after moving into the dorms my freshman year of college I reached a point where I truly felt unhappy with my size. I was never overweight but I reached 170 lbs, though I was still working out about 4 times a week.
    Luckily for me, I had some friends who were very involved with working out an nutrition. They helped me to learn tons about what exactly I was eating and how it affected me, and before I had never really given it much thought. Over time I learned  not only how to push myself in the gym, but how to weight lift, how different nutrients affected me and many many strategies to keep my eating in check such as measuring everything!
    Eventually I become involved in healthy cooking and started writing recipes (some of which I will share with you) and did a lot of research on how to improve my health and weight.
   One of the girls in the gym noticed my dedication and invited me to a clinic to start competing in NPC competitions.  Here's more info about the NPC. And while I had no idea at the time, committing to reaching a competition as a motivational fitness goal would be one of the most difficult things I have ever done.
   After about a year and a half, and training for the competition for 9 months with a nutritionist and trainer for the last 6, I ended up loosing a total of 38 lbs, being in the best shape of my life, and placing 3rd in the tall bikini division of my competition.
  I wish to share here all kinds of interesting topics, recipes, and tips, and otherwise in this field! (Don't worry I will have much less dragged on text in my later postings!) I hope you can use these tips to better your health and inform yourself to reach your own personal health goals!