Healthy Tip: Potential Caffeine Coffee and Tea Replacements

I was sent this awesome article from another blogger about foods that can replace your coffee.  It's a great read, I am a caffeine addict myself, and I would love to be able to ween myself off of it.  Although double-doubles and Starbucks caramel machiattos are so delicious! 

Enjoy!

Ditch the Coffee: 20 Foods That Give You Energy Naturally

http://www.mastersinnursing.com/ditch-the-coffee-20-foods-that-give-you-energy-naturally/

Workout Tips: Toning Workout for Your Butt

Get a tight toned tushie with this quick and easy workout!

Try your best to push out 50 repetitions without stopping.  When you've reached your 50, take a two minute rest in between sets

50 Squats x 2 sets

50 Leg Press x 2 sets

50 Lunges x 2 sets



Note: anyone engaging in exercise for the first time should first consult a physician. Also, to ensure good form please consult with an experienced professional or personal trainer. As well, please use a spotter as an additional safety factor. Always warm up before workouts and stretch after workouts

Healthy Tips: Self Efficacy and Achieving Your Fitness Goals

Have you ever heard the cliche "Ask and you shall receive"?  It relates to putting what you want out there and asking the universe for it.  This concept plays a huge role in reaching your fitness goals, it's not only about the training, but about the mindset you have while training as well.

If you don't think you will achieve something, then you've already set yourself up for failure because you've planted the seed that you can't do it, so you won't.  Flip this thinking around and tell yourself that you will achieve all that you desire and it will happen.  It seems like an odd concept, but the only thing that is stopping you from achieving your goals is you.  Nobody ever said it would be easy and everything takes hard work, but it's your mind that will get you over that hump.

Self-efficacy is a term used in psychology, roughly corresponding to a person's belief in their own competence.  How much do you believe in yourself?

Healthy Tips: Mad Greens Restaurant Review

I'm in Denver this week and I happened to stroll past an appealing restaurant called Mad Greens.  They had a display in their window that said "Fresh Gourmet Salads", so I thought I would give it a try.  It's a neat concept, essentially they sell salads, soups and sandwiches and promote a healthy "tree hugger" type atmosphere.

I opted for the Crazy Ivan salad and it was delicious.  The only thing I would recommend is getting the regular size because I could barely finish the larger one, even though it was "just a salad".  I think it was the fact that I added chicken breast, along with the cheese and pumpkin seeds, that made this meal so filling.  I could barely shovel the last forkful into my mouth.

As usual, salads are definitely a healthy alternative when eating out, but always watch your portion size, as this is how those calories can sneak up on you.

Here's a breakdown of the nutritional info for the Crazy Ivan salad

Baby Greens, Roasted Beets, Pumpkin Seeds, House Croutons & Goat Cheese
572 Cal, 33g Fat, 776 mg Sodium, 42g Carbs, 28g Protein

Fitness Tip: What Not To Do Fitness Tip of the Week

This was too funny not to post

Training Tips: Body Weight Tricep Workout

I did this workout today at the gym.  It's a quick and fast way to burn up your triceps.  I only had 1/2 hour of free time to spare, so I had to make it a quickie.

Body Weight Dips - 3 sets of 12 reps

Bench Dips - 3 sets of 12 reps

Tricep Pushups - 3 sets of 20 reps

Perform each set with a 30 second rest in between.

Note: anyone engaging in exercise for the first time should first consult a physician. Also, to ensure good form please consult with an experienced professional or personal trainer. As well, please use a spotter as an additional safety factor. Always warm up before workouts and stretch after workouts

Healthy Tips: Recipes for a Vegetarian Lifestyle

I was watching TV the other day and they had a program where the host and the guest were both vegans.  They were adamant that they were getting all their essential nutrients from this diet and had both been on it for over a decade and felt better then ever.  So I thought I'd write a post about the different types of vegetarian lifestyles. 

First off, there is a difference between vegetarians and vegans.  Vegans choose not to eat any products that come from animals, so they don't consume dairy or eggs and all of their food comes from fruit or vegetable sources. 
Vegetarians on the other hand, may eat dairy, eggs and even fish products, depending on the type of vegetarianism they choose to follow.  Vegetarians each have their differing reasons for choosing this lifestyle, ranging from the love for animals to health reasons, or they just don't like to eat meat.

I personally don't think that I could become a full fledged vegetarian willingly because I love my rare steaks.  However, it's not out of the question, as I've seen many health benefits from switching to this type of eating.  I do caution that before you start down this path, consult a nutritionist so you don't deprive yourself of some essential nutrients accidentally.  In order to get a balanced, healthy vegetarian/vegan diet, you need to know where you can get specific vitamins and minerals from.  For example, protein and iron are harder to come by through vegetables, so you'll have to include things like tofu and spinach to account for these nutrients.

Fruits and vegetables are good for you since they come directly from the earth, you just have to know which ones to eat to ensure good health.  I think that will be my next challenge, to consume a vegetarian dinner every night for a week and guage the results

Calgary Gym Reviews: Gold's Gym

I was fortunate enough to live really close to the first Gold's Gym that opened in Calgary in the NE.  It's located where the original Calgary Ikea was before they relocated down south, just off 36 Street.

The Positives:
They offered a monthly 20/month fee with no signup fee to try to draw in new membership for the brand new store.  How could I say no to that and it was a definite upgrade from the Village Square facility.  However, I believe the price is about 50/month now.
The facility was beautiful, but I wouldn't expect less from a brand new facility.  Obviously all the equipment was top of the line and they even had a gym where you could play basketball. The staff were friendly and knowledgeable, plus they had an MMA cage (it's no longer there).  Tanning beds and a juice bar were also in the same building. 

The Negatives:
The brand attracts alot of bodybuilders, so if you get distracted by loud grunts and slamming weights, then either bring some earphones or go during non-peak times. 
Also, they claim that you can go to any Gold's Gym worldwide, but this is far from the truth.  Each gym is a privately owned franchise so it is up to each owner if they will let you in to use their facilities.  When I tried using the Northland location (owned by a different person), I was almost turned away, so take this "perk" with a grain of salt.

Overall, the Northland Gold's Gym is an awesome facility, so if you're in the NE or work close by, I would recommend that you sign up if you can.

Healthy Tips: Healthy Mind and Body

I often blog about training your body and ensuring that you treat it well to attain a long and healthy life.  However, I find alot of people neglect the one organ that is also essential for living well, your brain.  Working on your physical muscles and appearance is one thing, but working on the gray matter is important as well.

Here are some simple ways to keep your noggin' sharp and strong:

• Read a book - they are a great way to exercise your imagination and you actually have to use your brain unlike when you're watching a movie.  Besides, how many times have you heard that "the book was so much better then the movie"
• Do a puzzle - whether it's a board game with the family, a crossword puzzle or sudoku.  All these things help flex your gray matter
• Learn a new skill - try a new recipe, learn a new language or try to crochet.  Step outside your boundaries and challenge yourself to learn something new, your brain will thank you for it.

You should train your mind as much as you train your body, since they go hand in hand.  I talk alot about balance especially when it comes to eating, but there also needs to be balance from between body and mind as well.  Work hard on your waistline, but don't forget about what's between your ears.

Fitness Tip: Funny Workout Video

It's funny how many accidents are caused on a treadmill

Healthy Recipes: Bacon Onion Mushroom Zucchini Quinoa

This is one my newest and is now my favourite quinoa recipe so far.  Quinoa is my seed of choice, see my superfood article to understand why

Ingredients:
Salt/Pepper
2 strips of bacon
1/4 white onion
6 white mushrooms
1/2 cup of zucchini
1 cup quinoa
2 cups chicken broth

Pour a drizzle of oil into pan and heat until oil is hot
Add bacon and cook until it is crisp
Drain excess oil from pan
Add onions and mushrooms and stir until soft
Add zucchini and stir for 1 minute

Poor quinoa into pot with 2 cups of chicken broth
Bring to a boil for 2 minutes, then turn to low and let simmer for 10-15 minutes
Fluff quinoa with a fork
Mix quinoa into bacon mixture and stir
Allow to cool and serve

Healthy Tips: Cardio Workout

I know alot of people, especially men prefer just lifting heavy objects and women prefer just running on a treadmill for the fear of getting bulky.  However, both weights and cardio are important to have a balanced weekly workout routine.

Cardio strengthens muscles that you cannot see, such as your heart and your lungs.  These two muscles are as vital to your health as your pectorals and biceps.  An important thing to keep in mind is to know what your maximum heart rate is and push it to 60-85% of this number.  A quick way to calculate MHR = 220-Age, so mine would be 220-31=189, this means that for my cardio workout to be most effective I want it to be between 60-85% of 189.  This is essentially the heart rate at which your body will burn body fat in the most efficient manner.  Below is a chart for a better understanding:

	Low Intensity - 60-65% MHR	High Intensity - 80-85% MHR
Total Calories expended per min.	4.86	6.86
Fat Calories expended per min.	2.43	2.7
Total Calories expended in 30 min.	146	206
Total Fat calories expended in 30 min.	73	82
Percentage of fat calories burned	50%	39.85%

From The 24/5 Complete Personal Training Manual, 24 Hour Fitness, 2000

Another important aspect of cardio is time.  It's all about endurance when doing cardiovascular exercises if you expect to see results from it.  They should be a minimum of 30 minutes long, and I tend to push my clients to go for at least 60.  At first it sounds like alot, but when you're on the machine and you feel like you can't run/elliptical/bike anymore, then drop the speed or the resistance on the machine, go for as long as you can and drop it again.  Just make sure that you push for extended distance and time.

Whether it's the bike, a run or even the rowing machine, I always recommend to my clients to push it for 60 minutes for the best results.

Note: anyone engaging in exercise for the first time should first consult a physician. Also, to ensure good form please consult with an experienced professional or personal trainer. As well, please use a spotter as an additional safety factor. Always warm up before workouts and stretch after workouts

Healthy Tips: My Favourite High Protein Foods

Since I often preach about minimizing the processed carbs in your diet, here's a few of my favourite high protein food sources.  These items are staples in my fridge and I always keep the supplies well stocked. 

Eggs

These treats of nature can be cooked up in so many delightful ways, scrambled, poached, fried and many more.  I usually eat them hard-boiled because it's so quick and convenient and I still get a good amount of protein from them.  In fact one large egg contains up to 6 grams of protein, that's a good bang for your buck if you're looking for a quick protein fix, and they're tasty too

Quinoa

I've virtually replaced my white rice intake with this organic goodness. (Except for family dinner at mom's, she'd kill me!)  It's a seed and not a grain so it's protein and fibre content is much higher then regular rice. 

It cooks up just like rice with a two to one liquid to quinoa ratio.  I has a nice nutty flavour about it and has 5 grams of protein per 44 gram serving.  And it's classified as a superfood to boot.

Chocolate Milk

It does do a body good, I love this stuff and drink about half a litre daily.  It tastes good and has about 8 grams of protein per 250ml serving.  If you're looking for a lower carbohydrate alternative, try regular white milk.  I prefer chocolate milk because I get my chocolate fix without hurting the waistline.

My grocery basket isn't complete without these three items, perhaps yours shouldn't be either.

Healthy Tips: Wheatgrass Benefits for Your Health

Wheatgrass, what a wonderful thing.  I'm sure alot of you have heard of this stuff or at least seen it. It's literally grass that you grind down into a juice.  It looks like your elementary school science project, a patch of grass growing in a plastic tray.  It can provide the same amount of vitamins and minerals as one weeks worth of leafy green vegetables with one ounce.

I've heard of people take it for hangovers, skin issues or for just general health.  It's been marketed as tasting like sweet garden peas, but don't let it fool you.  It's grass, and that's exactly what it tastes like.  Now I know what old Bessie tastes while grazing in the pasture.  Think a freshly mowed lawn, yum yum. 

Foul flavour aside, this stuff is good for you.  I try to have a shot every two weeks, especially when I haven't had enough time to get my vegetable intake for the week.  You can buy it frozen from health foods stores, or fresh.  I prefer the Jugo Juice shots, since it's so convenient and less messy if you're grinding it up yourself, but it is more costly.  Give it a try some time, especially if you've been dining out a lot.

Healthy Tips: Funny Fitness Parody

Classic....and creepy

Healthy Tips: Healthy Fast Food Myth?

So after long consideration, I have come to the conclusion that there is very little truly healthy fast food out there.  For me, healthy means that it doesn't contain insane amounts of salt, sugars, caffeine, artificial flavours or colors, etc.  Healthy to me means, it comes straight from nature and is essentially served as natural as possible.

If you've read my previous posts where I went on a healthy fast food binge, I never realized how much salt all of these joints put into their foods.  Obviously, it's added to make the food taste more flavourful, but you can achieve the same result by properly marinating your food as well.  I guess that's why it's called fast food and all the care that mom puts into her cooking doesn't apply here.

In my perspective, the only truly healthy fast food I could find were plain salads served with balsamic vinaigrette dressing or some of the Jugo Juice salads.  However, not all salads are created equal, some salads are worse off for you calorie wise then burgers.  So don't just assume that it's healthy because they market it that way, do your own research and arm yourself with knowledge.  I personally think the best alternative is to learn to cook, which is the only true way you can control what goes into your meals.

Free Training Tips: Butt and Core Workout

Here's one specifically for the ladies.  Most girls I know always ask me how to get a toned butt and stomach.  Here's a workout that focuses on your core and bum, enjoy ladies!

Lunges with Barbell - 20 repetitions X 3 sets.  30 second rest between sets

Squats - 20 repetitions X 3 sets.  30 second rest between sets

Box Jumps - 20 repetitions X 3 sets.  30 second rest between sets

Situps - 20 repetitions X 3 sets.  30 second rest between sets

Leg Raises - 20 repetitions X 3 sets.  30 second rest between sets

Air Bike - 20 repetitions X 3 sets.  30 second rest between sets


Note: anyone engaging in exercise for the first time should first consult a physician. Also, to ensure good form please consult with an experienced professional or personal trainer. As well, please use a spotter as an additional safety factor. Always warm up before workouts and stretch after workouts

Healthy Living: Conquering the Insecurities

I had a conversation with a friend of mine about some stress in his life and it brought us onto the topic of insecurities.  We all have them and they stay with us for most of our lives and he made me realize how powerful and crippling they can be sometimes.  Unfortunately, they can leave you feeling battered and defeated, but humans are natural survivors and it's important to not allow something so miniscule to keep us down.

The insecurities usually start from an event from our childhoods that leads to particular behaviours in our adult lives.  Many fall victim to them and let them control their thoughts and actions.  However, many don't realize that you wield the complete power to change.  Now the change won't happen in a day, as it takes time, but if you continue to address them, your behaviours will eventually change. 

Here's some steps that I've learned and has helped me to not allow the insecurities to slow me down in life:
Awareness - be conscious of your negative reactions to things and question why you act in this way
Flip Your Thoughts - try to come up with a positive spin on things instead of a negative one
Practice Makes Perfect - it takes time to change, but the more you practice at something the better you will get at it.  By constantly trying this technique you can eventually reprogram your brains reactions to things

If you want to change, then make the conscious effort to change, it all starts with you.  You can live a fulfilling and happy life if you want it.

Funny Fitness Commercial

Training Tips: Chest SuperSet Workout

I just had the best chest workout tonight at the gym.  It's a different approach to supersetting, here's what I did.

10 Chest Press off ball

10 Pushups off ball

30 second rest

Perform the above one after the other three times

10 Chest Flys off ball

10 Pushups off ball

30 second rest

Perform the above one after the other three times

10 Cable Chest Flys

10 Decline Cable Chest Fly

30 second rest

Perform the above one after the other three times

This will burn out your chest and you should get to a point of failure.  If you don't, try upping the weights. 


Note: anyone engaging in exercise for the first time should first consult a physician. Also, to ensure good form please consult with an experienced professional or personal trainer. As well, please use a spotter as an additional safety factor. Always warm up before workouts and stretch after workouts

Dieting for Weight Loss

I hate fad diets and I personally think they are detrimental to a person's attempts at weight loss because of the constant disappointment, which puts a person at higher risk of getting worse.  These companies prey on people's insecurities and make millions, while they're customers are left in the same condition after spending hundreds or thousands on their fads.

• Fad diets are not long term, if you want to be successful with losing weight, you have to have long term thinking.  It's not a race, but a journey to a healthier lifestyle
• They usually involve one product that is supposed to be the secret ingredient to weight loss.  There's no such thing, the healthiest people consume a balanced healthy diet with ample exercise
• They're usually quite expensive and the person selling you the product are knowledgeable in selling and not health and wellness
• Weight loss takes time, by jumping on these bandwagons, you're usually looking for a quick solution.  There is no quick solution, being healthy and fit takes discipline and hard work.
• Fad diets are usually not sustainable either due to cost or you just get sick of it.  How many cannisters of this junk do you think you can consume before your body rejects it?

If you want to lose weight, consult your doctor, a personal trainer or a nutritionist, and all three if you can.  It always helps to have somebody push and support your weight loss goals.  These people can arm you with knowledge and help you lose weight the safe and sustainable way and teach you how to keep it off.  Don't take the shortcut rout with fad diets because you'll just end up running in a circle.

Paleolithic Lifestyle Diet aka Caveman Diet

I know this diet sounds unappealing, but after it was featured on Dateline, it piqued my interest.  I'm not a big fan of fad diets, but this one is different, I like to compare it to the raw food diet and a vegetarian diet.  It's not really a diet, it's a lifestyle choice.  Not only is it healthy, but it's feasible and probably more economic then your regular grocery list.

The gyst of this is to eat like the caveman, foods that were readily available to them during the Paelolithic era and this food is still available today.  So foods such that include proteins such as beef, fish, shellfish, poultry, pork, lamb, bison, venison including their internals and fats, as well as eggs, vegetables, fruits and nuts.  From my perspective you should able to achieve a well balanced diet with all these choices.

Unfortunately, since the agricultural revolution, our society has become addicted to processed carbohydrates.  Probably because of the taste and the low cost of these staples.  Nowadays, our society is addicted to convenience and so it just compounds the amount of processed foods we eat. 

I don't like to recommend diets, but I do like to recommend lifestyle changes and good habits.  I would consider eating more natural as opposed to processed foods, a good habit.  I think that will be my next challenge to myself, to live a week off of these Paleo food choices, so stay tuned for that. 

I'll leave you to ponder this question....What can you do to challenge and change your lifestyle for the better?