Get Caffeine in & improve your workout?

I feel like products with caffeine, such as coffee is quite controversial when it comes to health. I’m not much of a coffee drinker myself, nor do I drink much soda- but I believe that if you drink caffeine moderately you can receive potential benefits from it. An article I’ve read about Jillian Michaels says  she drinks a cup of coffee or has a source of caffeine about an hour or two before her workout to get the most benefits from it. She says that the caffeine helps boost your energy to get more out of a work out (up to 30%)!

Additionally, other articles have said that caffeine and coffee boost weight loss because it increases your heart rate…this is where I find it a bit controversial. Having a rapid heart rate is not always a good thing, but when you work out it is better because you burn more calories per minute because your nervous system is working more.

Another point is Appetite suppression. Caffeine may reduce your desire to eat for a brief time, but there’s not enough evidence to show that long-term consumption aids weight loss. On other hand, nutrainingredients Research believes that ccaffeine may stimulate hunger: “Caffeine affects cravings for food because it raises the stress hormone cortisol. Cortisol raises heart rate, blood pressure and tells your body to increase its energy stores. This results in the body craving sweets. So if you’re wondering why you snacked on cookies in the afternoon, it could have something to do with that coffee you drank with breakfast.” Also, “Caffeine is a diuretic and only 500 mg a day is enough to cause dehydration. Losing weight through diuresis, the removal of fluids from the body, may work for short-term weight loss, but it isn’t fat that’s gone, only fluids. Using caffeine this way is unhealthy and may lead to a dangerous potassium deficiency.”

In conclusion, there are many perspectives and views of caffeine and pros and cons of it, but if you’re looking for an extra kick in your work out or are about to go on a long run and need a little “umph” to get you started- a cup of coffee or a small amount of caffeine could improve your performance if you have it about a half hour before you begin your workout. Therefore, I give it a thumbs up-ONLY if it is drank moderately and works well in your system. If you experience rapid heart beat and unwanted side effects-stick caffeine free and opt for that H20. (see here on benefits of water!) If you’re interested in reading more about the subject, check out the links below. However if you don’t typically drink caffeine be careful and watch how it affects you and your body before you start drinking it regularly.

sources:

http://www.thegreatfitnessexperiment.com/2010/09/does-caffeine-help-or-hinder-weight.html

http://www.mayoclinic.com/health/caffeine/HQ00369

http://www.nutraingredients.com/Research/Caffeine-drinks-may-contribute-to-obesity-suggests-small-study

http://www.livestrong.com/article/281770-is-caffeine-bad-for-weight-loss/

http://www.evitamins.com/a/how-to-safely-take-caffeine-weight-loss-343

Delicious and Nutritious, AND EASY!

I’ve been dying to make my own spaghetti squash lately, so I finally made some today!The first time I had it was at a local restaurant and it was really good. You know what else is really good…40 calories for a cup of spaghetti squash compared to 220 in regular spaghetti! That means you can have more volume for even less calories! talk about awesome! In a typical spaghetti squash there are only about 180 calories worth of spaghetti in it. So you can’t really feel guilty if you eat the whole thing  If you’re a health nut, like me, it’s definitely a guilty pleasure to go for pasta dishes, but eating spaghetti squash doesn’t make me feel so bad…in fact it makes me feel great!
Additionally a whole spaghetti squash provides 12% of your vitamin A intake, 36% of your vitamin C intake, and 32% of your daily B6 vitamin. So compared to regular spaghetti you’re definitely getting a bang for your buck all around.
So you wanna know how easy it is to make this healthy and delicious dish? Look below!

DIRECTIONS:
1. Pre-heat oven to 350 degrees
2. Slice the squash in half.
3. Scoop out the insides along with the seeds and mush.
4. Once clean brush a LITTLE olive oil on the inside of the squash, all you need is a light coating or none at all.
5. Pop in the oven for about 35-40 minutes, checking on it at the end just to make sure none of it burns.
6. VOALIA! Your pasta is ready to peel. So scoop out the insides, I think it’s so entertaining, and get your pasta out.
7. Put pasta sauce, drizzle olive oil/ pesto, veggies, chicken, meatballs, turkey meatsauce, and cheese or whatever you desire on top.
8. EAT all you want, as long as you don’t overdo it on the toppings  

I really hope you try this and enjoy it as much as I did. All I put on it was a bit of pasta sauce, sliced grilled chicken and mushrooms, easy and yummy!

A New Found Love

I’m not big on having three huge meals, I like eating…all day I usually have 5 mini meals of 200-300 calories each, but sometimes I  enjoy indulging in a yummy dinner. So, if you can’t tell, I love snacks and finding new healthy items to incorporate in my diet! This week I found a new favorite item at the super market….The Laughing Cow Cheese wedges!

I’ve always loved cheese sticks and cheese spreads, but I’ve not found a great tasting healthy/low calorie cheese spread brand until I came across these cute portioned packs. I would not have picked it up on my own, but after trying a sample of it this week…I fell in love with the amazing taste and texture it had!! I always like eating crackers with cream cheese or pretzels and cream cheese, but  it’s hard to portion and cream cheese has a high fat content! However, with these little triangles, it’s perfectly portioned and you can eat them without guilt because they’re only 35-50 calories depending on the

type that you get. I tried the Creamy Swiss one, and yes-it was very creamy and I felt like I was definitely having a treat even though it was light and half the fat of regular cheese!
They also have other types that I plan on trying including regular cream cheese, garlic spread, and tomato basil! Yummy, yum-I recommend eating them with whole grain crackers, flat pretzels, and apples! You could try it on toast, and in place of your spread on bagels if you tend to overdo it on the cream cheese.

I think I might even try on cutting these little guys up and putting them into my salads*. I love adding feta and goat cheese to salads- but they aren’t always the healthiest choices…I love variety and new flavors

I definitely recommend these little guys if you’re looking something to curb your hunger during that dreaded three o’ clock hunger strike or even when you just want something to help a cheeeezzy craving They’re also really good to take on the go- so you don’t have to take a big cheese container and worry about finding a cold place to put it when you’re done!

 

Healthy “chips”

Ever looking for something salty and crunchy, but you know those Doritos don’t really fit in your diet? I’ve got the perfect idea for you…make kale chips! I know you’re thinking ew, seriously-make a leaf into a chip? Believe me I had the same mind set before my friend introduced me to the them a few weeks ago…I know it sounds a bit crazy, but they actually taste really good. At first I tried the kind from the store, but then I realized why buy them when you can make them homemade for a cheaper price!? Kale costs $1-2 for a bound…that’s a lot more than you’ll find in the bag at the store. In addition to the price, you can also flavor them the way you want. Kale is a great source of Vitamins A, C(10x more vitamin C than spinach!), and K, calcium(more than milk!), potassium, iron, and antioxidants. Kale is also low in fat, calories, and carbs, you can’t go wrong now! Look below for the recipe & instructions I used:

Ingredients:-Kale, Extra Virgin Olive Oil (about 1 tbsp) , Garlic Seasoning/seasoned salt

optional: parmesan, cayenne pepper, chipotle seasoning, salt and vinegar (i love that combination on chips) anything your heart desires!

Instructions: Preheat oven to 350F
1. Make sure to wash and dry kale completely, use paper towels to blot the kale to dry faster.
2. Put Kale in a bowl, drizzle with olive oil and mix around until you notice leaves are coated. Option two: put them in a bag and drizzle oil in it and shake it up!
3. Add seasonings to kale in the bowl and mix again, or in the bag if you chose that option!
4. Line cookie sheet with aluminum foil & rip leaves into smaller pieces and place on the pan.
5. Pop pan in the oven for about 10-15 minutes, or until crispy.
6. EAT UP, yum yum yum. It will be hard to not finish the whole thing in one sitting.
***if you wanna try a store brand, pick this up from the whole foods store (see right to see what they look like): RHYTHM KALE CHIPS: the flavors include zesty nacho, bombay curry, kool ranch, texas bbq, mango habanero. YUMYUM! I’ve tried the bombay curry and texas bbq, they’re awesome! 

If you’ve made kale chips before, let me know how you make them or season them. I always love trying new recipes to change things up!
Stay motivated and positive, and make healthy choices…and things will fall into place.

Calcium reduces fat cells!

Did you know that a diet including a good amount of calcium protects women from gaining “visceral fat”?- visceral fat is a dangerous fat that is deep in the abdominal cavity that collects against your organs. Studies in Journal of Nutrition note that people who consume less than 600 mg of calcium a day weigh more, have more body fat, a greater waist circumference and total abdominal fat tissue; however, researches find people who consume more calcium weigh less. BUT WHY!? The studies showed that calcium does this by converting a portion of dietary energy into heat rather than stored body fat. When people reduce their dairy consumption, the body sends a signal to make more fat to conserve the calcium while producing “higher levels of calcitriol, a hormone that triggers increased production of fat cells. Extra calcium in your diet suppresses calcitriol, leading to the breakdown of more fat, making fat cells leaner and trimmer” (Zemel). The author notes that a high dairy diet can boost weight loss as much as 70%!! His experiment gave overweight people three daily servings of yogurt, totaling 1,100 mg of calcium while the other group received 400-500 mg of calcium supplements. The results were that the yogurt eater’s waist size dropped more than an inch and a half and their weight dropped an average of 13 pounds compared with the supplement group, which lost six pounds or less and one quarter of an inch from their waist. Good sources of calcium include milk, yogurt,  and low fat cheese!

Speaking of calcium, it’s in one of the easiest snacks and meals to make…yogurt bowls! I love having them in the afternoon for a snack or even as a meal because of how delicious and filling they are! I like to make mine using Greek yogurt, almond milk, nuts, fruit, and oatmeal or cereal! To see more why I love yogurt and its healthy benefits–>  Check out this post 

Try making your own!

• 6-8 oz vanilla, plain yogurt, or any flavor (I prefer Greek light and fit yogurt, only 80 calories!)
• 1/3 cup almond milk
• add fruit: bananas, strawberries, blueberries, raspberries, peaches, apples
• add 1/4 cup cereal or oatmeal or granola
• chopped almonds, walnuts, pecans or other nuts
  optional: honey, peanut butter (try pb2), almond butter, cinnamon, protein powder

Mix together & you’ve got a delicious yogurt bowl! If you use Greek yogurt, you’ll provide yourself with more satisfying protein to keep you fuller longer. My creation usually ends up having 15-20 grams of protein & being about 200-250 calories depending on what toppings I decide to use!

sources:
http://www.livestrong.com/article/439913-calcium-belly-fat/#ixzz2MDT0mwTU

http://www.webmd.com/diet/features/is-calcium-the-new-magic-bullet

http://www.lef.org/newsletter/2013/0115_Calcium-Supplementation-Increases-Fat-Loss-In-Obese-And-Overweight-Young-Adults.htm?utm_source=twitter&utm_medium=social&utm_campaign=normal

Super Sunday

One of the best things to do in the beginning of the week to have a nutritious diet is to prepare healthy foods. This includes grab and go items, meals, and snacks. For snacks I like to cut up veggies and fruit. In addition I like to buy healthy on the go snacks such as yogurt, cheese sticks, protein bars, and nuts. I like to get these sort of snacks because it helps me stay full and also be ready for when my hunger kicks in in between meals and they won’t ruin my hard work I’ve put in at the gym like an ice cream blizzard from dairy queen would. When it comes to prepping for meals for the week I usually like to stick to making brown rice, grilled chicken, and grilled vegetables. That way, when I get home from work or school I have a lunch or dinner in the fridge almost ready, all I have to do is pop it in the microwave!
Here’s what my day consisted of…healthy prepwork! It’s kind of fun getting everything ready and knowing you’ll have a healthy back up plan when you have a sweet tooth or want something crunchy but don’t want to ruin a hard work out or are trying to look good for spring break

-Chop veggies: bell peppers, celery, cucumber, and carrots & put them in a container for go to snacks during the day!
-Cut fresh fruit like apples and bananas and put them in bags in refrigerator when you have a sweet tooth or add peanut butter on them for a perfect snack! (To keep apples from turning brown, place water mixed with lemon or lime juice in a bag, add apples, and shake it up a little bit & then drain the water. This should keep them looking fresh for a few days)
-Container sweets: if you like sweet berries, go to the store and cut up strawberries, get blueberries and blackberries and place them in containers when you need a healthy sweet treat after meals with yogurt or even in oatmeal/cereal in the morning!

After getting all my veggies and snacks in order for the week, I was able to prepare easy meals for me to get home. The only thing I don’t have pictured is the salad that I prepare to accompany my meals. It consists of ice berg, spinach, carrots, peppers, cucumbers, and radishes. I like to add walnuts, pecans, strawberries, and apples as well, but it’s not part of the blend.

To prepare my meals I made baked chicken and vegetables in the oven, along with making brown rice in the rice cooker. Costco has a great deal for buying about 10lbs of chicken for twenty dollars. That’s at least a good 20-25 meals right there! I love that store for getting fresh fruit and healthy treats like protein bars and pop chips, and nuts as well!

Anyways if you wanna know how I baked the chicken and veggies: I used olive oil and a little bit of seasonings to coat the food. I used garlic seasonings and black pepper. I don’t like doing too much to the chicken because if I want to add barbecue or teryaki sauce or a little cheese on top to mix the flavor up during the week, it won’t taste weird when added! So just a little to give it moisture and taste is always good. I cooked the chicken and veggies at 350 degrees for 40-45 minutes! I used zuchinni, yellow squash, onions, red bell peppers, and mushrooms for the roasted veggie tray. 

When I was done I let everything cool off for about fifteen to twenty minutes and then placed them in containers like the one showed below. This makes it easy for when I’m lazy and can just pop it in the microwave for a little bit. I didn’t take a picture of the brown rice, but that takes about an hour to cook and is quite simple! but now i’m ready and prepared for a week of healthy food and meals.

Hopefully this gives you an idea of how to prepare easy meals for the week and prep at the beginning so you don’t have to go through a hassle of trying to find something healthy and opting for the pizza delivery because you can’t find anything at home.

Have a great week

 

The Third Time

So… this week I decided to start back up on my tap out workouts, for the third time. No I did not complete the program twice, so this is my third time attempting to. I really want to finish it and see results, by summer! It’s the third time’s a charm, right? I really like the tap out DVD program because it works all the muscles in the body by toning them and making them stronger. All the equipment is provided when you buy the set of dvd’s which are couple workout bands for resistance training. So it’s portable and easy to take!
I’ve been more excited to get up in the morning to start my work out because I know it will be different each time. Today was day 3, plyometricsxt. It’s the worst workout on the program, when i say it’s the worst- it’s probably the best. It’s the hardest one for me to keep up with because there are so many jumping moves and my heart beat sky rockets! That’s a good thing though, because that means I’m burned off some of the sweet stuff I had last night!

Anyways there are about 39 days left until I leave for Spring Break. Hitting that snooze button seems so tempting when my alarm goes off at 550 every morning, but i’ve gotta remember that it’s closer than I know it and getting the workout done in the morning makes me feel so much better!
The other day I did my day two work out in the morning, but I had to complete the abs dvd at night because I didn’t have time, which was about twenty minutes. Because it was so short and I felt really well rested I decided to do a quick interval workout that lasted about twenty minutes and it went like this:

20 minutes treadmill workout:

0-3 min–5mph
3-5 min–7mph
5-6 min–5mph
6-8 min– 7mph
8-9 min–5mph
9-11 min–7mph
11-12 min–5mph
12-14 min–7mph
14-15 min–5mph
15-17 min–7mph
17-18 min–5mph
18-20 min–7mph
20-23 min– cool down at 3mph
I increased some of the intervals when I had more energy, but if you do this work out you should get at least 2 miles in! Check out my post on HIIT intervals to learn why they’re so great for you! I hope you have a great week and get some great workout in as well. Stay motivated, healthy, and positive, success will come!
Here’s the quote of the day on my phone that helps keep me on track: