Eating Healthy with NO cooking for less than $9 a day!

The No Cook meal Plan for less than $9 a day!
	Calories		Notes
Breakfast
Kashi Heart to Heart Cereal	110	Kashi cereals are great tasting! This one has 5g of fiber and 4g of protein!
Almond Mik (or sub cow milk)	60
Snack
Bartlett Pear (or apple)	80	This is a great balanced snack that will
Peanut Butter	170	keep you feeling satisfied until lunch!
Lunch
Ezekiel Tortilla	150	This tortilla alone has 5g of fiber, 6g of
Edamame Hummus	60	protein and 24g of carbs to re- fuel the
Spinach	5	body. See which kinds of hummus you
Cucumber	5	like. Edamame is my fav! Plus you are
Carrots (shredded)	5	getting in veggie in a tasty way!
Snack
Baked Tortilla Chips	100	If stress at work is getting to you, this
Salsa	20	option is great for a comfort food sub.
Dinner
Brown Rice (frozen)	160	Did you know that black beans have 7g
Black Beans	100	of protein? Pairing it with rice makes it
Chicken Broth	20	a complete protein which makes up for
Mixed Vegetables (frozen)	50	no meat. Just throw it all in a bowl!
Desert
Dark Chocolate	60	Choose chocolate that has 70% cocoa or more.
Grapes (or berries)	100
TOTAL	1255

The Hot New Fitness Trend!

I love how they are calling functional training a "new trend". It is about time! I use it to help prevent injury and assist in weight loss as it burns more calories than traditional resistance training. This video caught my eye.

KTLA Functional Training Video

Fast Food Does Not Cost You Less

I have heard so many times that people can't afford to buy healthy food. Yes, an organic apple is more expensive than a non-organic apple. So, then buy non-organic apple. When it comes down to it, an apples is better than a bag of chips or a handful of cookies. I can cook a bowl of rice and beans for less than a box of rice-a-roni. But, listen, you guys are also thinking short term. That drive thru fast food burger is cheaper and quicker then a piece of grilled salmon and a side salad. Wait a minute .. is it really cheaper? Is it cheaper when your metabolism slows down and your pants don't fit anymore? Is it cheaper when your cholesterol is too high and you have to take medication to keep it down. Is it cheaper when your blood pressure is through the roof and at risk for hypertension and you have to continuously go back to your doctor for follow up visits. Is it cheaper when you are paying for health or life insurance as an at risk overweight person? Is it cheaper when it makes you feel sluggish and worthless and you eat more food to make you feel better? I have never felt that from being over weight before, but I do suffer from a debilitating knee that keeps me from feeling good and being as active as I would like. Why would you want to feel that if you have control of it? When it comes to buying food, think quality over convenience and quantity, because it will save you so much more money in the long run.

And don't ever tell me again that it is too expensive to eat healthy.

Make Good Choices

We are faced with choices on a minute to minute basis through out the day: Should I wear long sleeves or short sleeves today? Do I call my mother now or later? Do I take the freeway or side streets?

You are also faced with wether or not you are going to exercise that day. How hard you are going push yourself? And, every single time you pick up that fork, you make the CHOICE of what you are putting into your body.

Make good choices.

Shoes that get you into shape?

Really?? The first I heard of shoes that supposedly get you into shape were flip flops sold at Bath and Bodyworks.  Now, there are ads all over the place for Sketcher's shape-ups. Can these shoes really get you into better shape?

I haven't done much research on the shoes, but here is my take from what I do know. It seems that the sole of the shoe is more wobbly making it harder for you to keep your foot even and balanced. Now your foot and ankle complex have to recruit more muscles to stay stabilized. The more muscles you recruit, the more calories you burn and the stronger you will be. For me, and I am sure for you, those are the positives. The thing that concerns me is that if you don't walk or stand in correct alignment (and most people don't) then you can be making your imbalance worse. I would suggest walking in the shoes for short periods of time, like for a 20 min walk. Concentrate on walking with your feet, knees and hips parallel and your stomach in tight. It's a lot to think about, but if you are wanting to "shape up" you should try to benefit from it as much as possible. 

A Blog About Gatorade

From what I remember, Gatorade was invented by a doctor in Florida to improve the performance of his athletes. These athletes played on a team who went by ... you would have never guessed, The Gators. He was looking for a way to replenish the muscles when they were depleted of energy. What is the energy source in our muscles? Glycogen. Where does glycogen come from? Carbohydrates. Yup .. I have blogged about them before. The original flavor of Gatorade has 21 grams of carbohydrates. I do not recommend that you drink Gatorade or any other sports drink casually. The time it is appropriate to drink Gatorade is after 60-90 minutes of intense exercise when you plan on continuing with the work out. This way, your body will not have to look for other energy sources in your body it should not be using.

Clothing Apparel

Check out this awesome clothing line. It's designed by a dancer, so it's hip and great to workout in! Celebs are digging it..

Generic Clothing

www.genericclothing.blogspot.com

Diet Foods

I know that eating right can seem like a task to most people and is extremely overwhelming. So, when you are at the grocery store and you see pudding cups that say only 45 calories each .. sugar free! Then, you eat them instead of a bowl of ice cream and you consider that your diet. Well, first of all, good for you for trying and you are kind of on the right path because you are, consciously or not, cutting down on calories. There are so many things wrong with this little diet friendly pudding cup. A) It is all processed and it is sweetened with sugar alcohols. B) It is letting your taste buds be accustomed to that overly sweet taste. C) Are you really going to have just one?

You will find a lot of products out there that say sugar free. Unless you are diabetic, you don't need them. Buy things that are naturally sugar free or low in sugar. Same thing with breads or yogurts that are low carb. Carbs are not necessarily bad and you should learn what foods have carbs in them and what don't. Or tortillas that have a fad diet's logo on it. You have to learn what foods are made of and how they effect your body. You have to or you will go back to your old eating habits. Being healthy is for life.

- Talk to a nutritionist, dietician or personal trainer.

- Keep a food journal.

- Always have a grocery list and stick to it.

- Plan your meals ahead of time.

- Get your friends and family to join in. 

Questions anyone ??

Should I eat before a workout or after?

One morning this week I was waiting at the bottom of a trail for a friend that was coming hiking with me. I see two girls coming down and as they came closer I could very clearly hear what they were talking about. One of the girls says, "I just don't know if I should eat before a workout or after". Although I really wanted to stop her to answer her question, I didn't feel it appropriate at the time. 

First of all, let me clear up a huge mistake that people do all the time. They think that if they don't eat before their morning workout, their body will go into fat burning mode because they no longer have food to burn off. That is sooooooo not true! In fact, the opposite will happen. When you start your morning work out, your body has now not taken in any fuel for about 10 hours. So, if you start working out, your body is going to go into starvation mode and actually start to store fat, not burn it!!!

The answer to Miss hiker's question is both. You have to eat before a work out to fuel the body and after to replenish the body. Also, keep in mind that the body needs both carbs and protein. So, those of you that don't eat carbs, your body can not properly burn fat with out the carbs (glycogen) in the muscles. 

.. That's all for now.  K

Can Oatmeal be bad for you?

Yup.

There is a huge difference between instant oatmeal and steel cut. Instant oatmeal is processed. As it is processed, all of the nutrients are stripped away. When you consume instant oatmeal, it is released very rapidly into the bloodstream giving you a "sugar high". Then they add tons of added sugar on top of the processed oats.

On the other hand, steel cut oatmeal is released a lot slower into the blood stream. This keeps you feeling fuller longer and keeps your metabolism kicking.  This also offers more nutrients and is good for your cholesterol. 

It takes more time to cook steel cut, but worth it in the long run.

Do all the abdominal machines I see on TV work?

Nope.

Sorry, they don't. Please do not waste the money. Studies show that regular abdominal work on the floor or mat is more effective then any of the machines out there. A stability ball can be better, but only if it is used under the lower back, not the upper. Read my blog about stability balls to understand what size ball would be best for you.

Most people don't realize they are working their abdominal while doing other exercises, but they are. Correct usage of your abdominal is very important in every exercise that you do. Seek help if you are unsure.

-k

Doing it Right in 09!

Happy New Year Everyone!

It is the time of year that everyone is making resolutions that, I hate to say, will eventually be broken. Lets focus on what our true goals are and how we can make them apart of our lifestyle for the rest of our lives.  Be realistic, take baby steps and educate yourself. Anything is possible!