Thanksgiving Dinner

Is this how you feel after eating your Thanksgiving meal?

The average person consumes between 3500-4500 calories on their Thanksgiving Dinner! That does NOT include breakfast or lunch!
A pound of body fat consists of 3500 calories...The math is easy to figure out!
Don't start your holiday season off on wrong foot!
Eat small portions and stay away from the appetizer table. Watch the consumption of alcoholic beverages. The average bottle of dry red wine has 4 servings per bottle equaling 750 calories, approximately.
Wear your skinny jeans not leggings! Be aware of how your pants feel through out the day.
If you feel that you can just exercise off your meal, think again...If you consumed 3500 calories you would have to exercise vigorously for over 5 hours! Whoa!

Create your plan!!

Determination is the heartbeat of a dream. Determination says success is sticking to the task when the feelings for it have disappeared. It’s what ushers a dream into a reality.

Motivation Monday

Yes this is the week of preparing for Thanksgiving!

I had mine yesterday with my family, my mother, brother and sister in laws. I spent the whole day in the kitchen, cooking, chopping, stirring, sauteing,and roasting! Typically I made way too much food!! I made enough for 20 people and we only had 7! Leftovers for all!

I did not over stuff my self! I took a little bit of everything, I was completely satisfied and didn't feel mad at myself for over indulging! I had thought about how much I was going to eat for a few days. My head was in the game, you need to start thinking about what  you are going to do on your Thanksgiving day too. It's not too soon to plan out your day!

A great way to start Thanksgiving day is participating in your local "Turkey Trot"! Most YMCA's have a 5k the morning of Thanksgiving! Find one and make it a family event! It's a great way to start the day! Get your body moving and have a plan for your meals!

Fail to plan. Plan to fail!

Thanksgiving Side Dish

I received this recipe a few days ago from my friends at RAW. It will definitely be on my Thanksgiving table!

Butternut Squash with Cranberries

1 butternut squash peeled and diced into 1/2 inch pieces
1 Tbsp coconut oil
1/2 yellow onion, diced
2 cloves garlic, peeled and minced
1/2 cup dried cranberries
1/2 can (403ml) coconut milk
1 tsp curry powder
1 tsp cinnamon

Preheat oven to 425. Place squash on a lightly greases baking sheet and bake for 15 minutes. Remove from oven.
Heat in a large saute pan over medium-high heat. Add coconut oil, onion and garlic and cook until slightly translucent (about 5 minutes)
Add squash and cook an additional 2 to 3 minutes.
Add cranberries, coconut milk and spices, stir frequently until milk is fully heated (another 5 minutes)

Enjoy! I know I will!

Take care of your body with steadfast fidelity. The soul must see through these eyes alone, and if they are dim, the whole world is clouded.

Be Happy! Avoid Trans-Fats!

A January 2011 article in Science Daily reported that the ingestion of trans-fats and saturated fats increases the risk of suffering depression and that olive oil actually prevents depression.

The study, which took place at the Spanish universities of Navarra and Las Palmas de Gran Canaria, also reported a dose-response relationship, meaning as participants consumed more trans-fats, the greater that the harmful effects on mental health were.

Researchers also studied the effects of polyunsaturated fats (found in fish and vegetables) and olive oil on mental health. These fats were associated with a lower risk of depression.

The analysis suggests that both depression as well as cardiovascular disease are influenced in a similar manner by diet and may share similar mechanisms in their origin.

Of course we already knew that trans-fats had a major effect on cardiovascular disease, but mental health as well! More reasons to eat CLEAN!

If you don't do what's best for your body, you're the one who comes up on the short end.

Acorn Squash

Nutrition of Acorn Squash

When it comes to the calorie count in this vegetable, a 1 cup serving of acorn squash has about 115 calories. That’s a few more than the same serving of butternut squash, but less than a similar serving of potatoes. In general, squash  can be a low calorie substitute for the potato, but that’s only the start of what this natural food can do to keep the body healthy.

Nutrition of Acorn Squash: Protein and Fiber

In addition to an attractive calorie count, acorn squash also has some of the stuff that the body needs to process other fattier foods. The 9 g of dietary fiber in that 1 cup serving of acorn squash will help the body to deal with the range of foods that you might eat during the day. Unlike some other types of squash, acorn squash has this effective amount of fiber, making it a desirable choice for some diets. With acorn squash, you also get 2 g of protein in the same 1 cup serving, giving your body “fuel” without the cholesterol, saturated fats or other unwanted elements in lots of traditional entrees.

Nutrition of Acorn Squash: Vitamins

When it comes to vitamins and minerals, acorn squash has a lot of the different items that the body needs to function well. The acorn squash can’t quite measure up to the butternut squash variety, specifically in levels of vitamin A, a nutrient for healthy vision, but it still has a full list of the same nutrients that natural foods often deliver, including vitamins E and B6. There’s also a lot of the minerals potassium and magnesium, which also help the body to deal with specific health risks or conditions. Acorn squash has a significant amount of vitamin C, a classic antioxidant that is so prized in foods like citrus fruits, and that you need in your diet. The 1 cup serving of acorn squash has over 30% of the daily recommended amount for vitamin C.
The bottom line is that acorn squash can be a very effective substitute for other foods with a higher calorie count, more fats and sugars, or any of the stuff that goes into processed food offerings so commonly found on supermarket shelves. By contrast, a whole natural squash is easy to cook and eat fresh, making this a very attractive diet option. Keep looking at nutritional labels to see how these kinds of foods can help you lose weight, feel better and contribute to a healthier dinner plate.

I cut my acorn squash in half, scooped out the seeds and placed both halves face down in a glass pan with a bit of water, covered and steamed it in the microwave for about 15 minutes. Perfect ;)

"Worrying does not empty tomorrow of its troubles; it empties today of its strength."

Why Living Foods are Crucial for Health

Foods in their natural state are truly as nature designed. They are also the most biocompatable with the human body.

All foods carry energy. That food is then passed into our body when we eat it. Eating a plate full of dead, processed food will do virtually nothing for your health.

Science proves that cooking not only destroys nutrition and enzymes, but also chemically changes foods from the substances needed for health into free radicals that have cancer-causing potential. Studies have also shown that cooked foods increase white blood cell activity.

To make sure you got a clear visualisation of that one particular sentence, I'm going to repeat it..."Eating a plate full of DEAD, PROCESSED FOOD will do virtually NOTHING for your health!" Got the picture?

Great changes may not happen right away, but with effort even the difficult may become easy.

Compound Exercises

Pictured above is a "Good Morning". A lovely exercise for the glutes, hamstrings, erector spinae, core and more!

Instead of isolating your muscles with exercises such as the biceps curl, you can maximize gym time with exercises that work multiple muscle groups at once. With just a few exercises you can get a full-body workout.

Another benefit of compound exercises is that muscles work together as they do in the real world rather that independently. Great compound exercises include squats, deadlifts, good-mornings, lunges, pushups, bench presses, military presses, rows, pull-ups and dips.

Go on...try a compound work-out the next time your at the gym! Push yourself and see results!!

The train of failure usually runs on the track of laziness.~

Decisions

I tell my boys all of the time..."The decisions that you make today, will effect you for the rest of your life." Now my boys are 13..and they sometimes, SOMETIMES...they think I am just talking crazy! Who knew?! We, as grown-ups, know that that statement is so true in so many facets! As complex as deciding to get married, to having children, to your career. Or as simple as, what exercise am I going to do today, to what am I going to eat!

I have made a decision that will definitely effect my life, and maybe yours as well. I am breaking away from the "box", and I am going out on my own! Exciting as it is...it is frighting as well!

I will have more details in the weeks ahead. We, My husband and I, are trying to decide whether to build a place or buy an existing building. (We both need one!) Stay tuned!

Just know one thing...It will NOT be an "inside the box" training facility! It's time to get EXCITED!!

The time for action is now. It's never too late to do something.

Put The Halloween Candy DOWN!

EDMONTON — Treats packaged in Halloween-sized mini portions trick people into eating far more chocolate and candy than they otherwise would, researchers from the University of Alberta and University of British Columbia have found.

What’s worse is that participants in Jennifer Argo and Katherine White's study who were worried about their weight or appearance consumed even more of the sugary snacks, Argo, a U of A marketing professor said on Sunday.

“Often they’re dieters or restrained eaters, and they ate the most,” Argo said. “So the people for whom these packages are often targeted — like the 100-calorie packs — are actually eating the most.”

Argo and her study co-author, White from UBC, spent about three years and lots of money on candy looking at hundreds of participants for the research to be published next year in The Journal of Marketing. Argo and White wanted to see how much chocolate and candy people consumed when it was in small packages versus regular-sized or when unpackaged treats sat loose in a bowl.

“What we find, in a nutshell, is that when products are put in small packages and you have lots of small packages available, people eat significantly more than if the packages are regular-sized and you had multiples,” she said.

“It depended on what sort of combination we had, but it would be almost about a 50 per cent increase. It’s huge actually.”

Test subjects seemed to surrender their efforts at portion control to the little packets, relying on the wrapper to limit their junk-food intake, Argo said. Low-calorie labels boosted consumption even more, she said.

“If you have a small package and the caloric information is on the front, the effects get worse as compared to if the caloric information is on the back or not presented. If the caloric information says it’s low-calorie — so it does emphasize it’s only 50 calories or 100 calories — the effects are also even worse. So those 100-calorie packs are really, really harmful to the consumers they’re supposed to be helping,” Argo said.

“Consumer are consciously, actually saying to themselves, ‘These small packages are going to help me, and because they’re going to help me, I don’t have to worry.’ So they give up control for regulating their portions to the packages, and that’s where the problems arise.”

It’s timely research as Halloween trick-or-treaters take to the streets Monday and parents sample the leftovers.

“Once you relinquish control . . . it’s very, very, very hard to regain it again,” Argo warned. “As soon as you give it up to one, you’re done.”

A small packaged treat by itself is fine. It was when study participants had many small packs to pick from that their appetite spiked.

“So put one out and put the rest away, so they’re not easily accessible,” said Argo, who has refrained from opening her own stash of Halloween candy.

“If you have a bowl and they’re sitting in front of you and you say, ‘Oh, I’ll just have one,’ you probably won’t.”

© Copyright (c) The Edmonton Journal

 

 

 

•  
  Peanut and Peanut Butter Candies
  Pay Day - Snack size (19 g) - 90 calories and 10 g carb
  Reese's Peanut Butter Cups
  ·                             Miniature (about 9 grams each) - 44 calories
  ·                             Snack size (17 g) - 88
  ·                             Snack size (21 g) - 100 calories
  ·                             White, Snack size (21 g) - 100 calories
  Reese's Peanut Butter Pumpkins (34 g) - 180 calories
  Reese's Crispy Crunchy Bar, Snack size (17 g) - 95 calories
  Reese's Nutrageous Bars, Snack size (17 g) - 88 calories
  Reese's Whipps Bar, Snack size (14 g) - 60 calories
  
  
  Mixed Candy Bars
  100 Grand Bars
  ·                             Fun size (11 g) - 50 calories
  ·                             Fun size (21 g) - 95 calories
  Almond Joy Snack size (15 g) - 80 calories
  Baby Ruth Bar, Fun size (18 g each) - 85 calories
  Butterfinger Bar, Fun size (18 g each) - 85 calories
  Butterfinger Crisp Bar, Snack size (20 g) - 100 calories
  Heath Bar, Snack size (13 g) - 74 calories
  Kit Kat, Fun size (14 g) - 73 calories
  Milky Way bar, Fun size (17 g) - 75 calories
  Mounds bars, Snack size (17 g) - 83 calories
  Rocky Road

  , Snack size (10 g) - 45 calories
  Snickers Bars, Fun size (17 g) - 80 calories
  Snickers Almond Bars, Fun size (17 g) - 80 calories
  Snickers Creme Pumpkin (1 oz) - 150 calories
  Twix, Snack size (10 g) - 50 calories
  Peanut and Peanut Butter Candies
  Pay Day - Snack size (19 g) - 90 calories
  Reese's Peanut Butter Cups
  ·                             Miniature (about 9 grams each) - 44 calories
  ·                             Snack size (17 g) - 88 calories
  ·                             Snack size (21 g) - 100 calories
  ·                             White, Snack size (21 g) - 100 calories
  Reese's Peanut Butter Pumpkins (34 g) - 180 calories
  Reese's Crispy Crunchy Bar, Snack size (17 g) - 95 calories
  Reese's Nutrageous Bars, Snack size (17 g) - 88 calories
  Reese's Whipps Bar, Snack size (14 g) - 60 calories
  Fruity and Gummy Candies
  Jujyfruits - 9 pieces - 60 calories
  Lifesavers Gummies (2 rolls per ounce) - 52 calories
  Mini Dots (2 small boxes per ounce) 70 calories
  Skittles
  ·                             Original Fruit, Fun size (20 g) - 80 calories
  ·                             Chocolate Assortment, Fun size (20 g) - 80 calories
  Starburst, Fun size (2 pieces per stick) - 40 calories
  Twizzlers
  ·                             Strawberry Twists, Short (9 g) - 32 calories
  ·                             Cherry Pull-N-Peel (12 g) - 40 calories
  Other Candies
  Candy Corn, Brach's - 11 pieces - 70 calories
  Hot Tamales - small pkg (14 g) - 50 calories
  Jr. Mints, Fun size (10 g) - 50 calories
  Mike and Ike small box (14 g) - 50 calories
  Raisinettes, Fun size (16 g - about 16 pieces) - 56 calories
  Smarties Candy, Roll - 25 calories
  
  
  Whoppers
  ·                             1 small tube - 30 calories
  ·                             1 small pouch (21 g) - 100 calories
  York Peppermint Patties
  ·                             Regular small patty (14 g) - 53 calories
  ·                             Pink Peppermint Patties, small (14 g) - 53 calories
  ·                             Peppermint Patty Pumpkins (14 g) - 50 calories
  
  

 So add up your favorite bars and give yourself a slap of reality! Come on Girl! Just put down the candy!

 

You may be disappointed if you fail, but you are doomed if you don't try.~ 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Cross Training...Do You?

I'm not quite sure who Matt Fitzgerald is, but the picture is great!

Cross-training. Do you know what it is? Do you know how to cross-train?

You may have been able to run a five minute mile 10 years ago. You may also have been able to work out seven days a week, but you can't do it anymore without injury.

Welcome to cross-training, the best kept secret to staying active over the decades. If you run, cross-train with calisthenics and weights some days, or add swimming to your weekly program and get the weight off your feet and legs.

Cyclists can improve endurance and strength by utilizing free weights or machines. Cross-training can also help by alternating easy and hard days, no matter what your workout.

Cross-training also helps with boredom. Sick of running...swim. Sick of swimming...Spin. An avid elliptical exerciser? Try a group exercise class. Change is good for your body and your mind!

Life is a coin. You can spend it anyway you wish, but you can spend it only once. ~