Peanut Butter Power - Post Workout Meal

I LOVE PEANUT BUTTER!

Peanut butter can be your post-workout secret weapon―it’s affordable, versatile, and satisfying. Don’t shy away from this nutrient powerhouse because of its fat content―just use measured portions. One tablespoon of all natural  peanut butter contains about 100 calories and 7 grams of healthy unsaturated fat. Add chicken and vegetables in a flour tortilla for an easy high-protein meal.

INGREDIENTS:

Cooking spray

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1/2 cup matchstick-cut carrots

1/3 cup chopped green onions

2/3 cup light coconut milk 1 tablespoon low-sodium soy sauce

1 tablespoon rice vinegar

3 tablespoons creamy peanut butter

1 teaspoon curry powder

1/8 teaspoon ground red pepper

2 cups shredded skinless, boneless rotisserie chicken breast

4 (8-inch) fat free flour tortillas / I use wheat as well

1 1/3 cups packaged angel hair slaw

Preparation

1. Heat a large nonstick skillet over medium-high heat. Coat pan with cooking spray. Add carrots and onions; sauté 1 minute. Stir in coconut milk and next 5 ingredients (through pepper); cook 30 seconds, stirring constantly. Add the chicken; cook 1 minute, stirring to coat. Remove from heat; cool. Warm tortillas according to package directions. Spoon about 1/2 cup chicken mixture down center of each tortilla, and top each with 1/3 cup angel hair slaw. Roll up. Cover and chill.

NUTRITIONAL VALUE PER SERVING :
Yield: 4 servings (serving size: 1 wrap)
Calories: 321

• Calories from fat: 28%
• Fat: 10.1g
• Saturated fat: 3.3g
• Monounsaturated fat: 3.7g
• Polyunsaturated fat: 2.1g
• Protein: 24.1g
• Carbohydrate: 25.5g
• Fiber: 4.3g
• Cholesterol: 49mg
• Iron: 0.9mg
• Sodium: 844mg
• Calcium: 37mg   

Enjoy!

TO YOUR HEALTH!    

What About The Other 23 Hours?

I know, you probably wish your personal trainer could be by your side for 24 hours a day. Especially when the munch button is on the, "ON" mode and your head tends to mess with you and your personal trainer isn't standing at your refrigerator guarding your every move and keeping you from slipping.

Like, for instance, you are out with friends on a Saturday night and you want to a deep fried onion and a margarita. You sit there and struggle internally and don't know how to control yourself and wish you trainer was sitting next to you PLACING your order

Boy, now that would be ideal wouldn't it? But we all know that is not reality.

The big question of the moment..the Million Dollar Inquiry... The QUESTION OF THE DAY

What about the OTHER 23 hours. You know, that time that you AREN'T with that Hero of yours.your trainer.

What then?

Many things will start to happen once you begin a true lifestyle change; beginning the process to lasting weight loss. Your munch button will seem out of control and to be perfectly honest with you, your head will begin to mess with you as you are craving the foods that you take out of your daily eating routine.

As a personal trainer, I try to instill healthy eating habits into my client's eating plan and prep them for that lifestyle change. It's common to get those cravings for the junk we love so much and it's common to love the motivation to eat right when your trainer isn't by your side motivating you. At some point in the future, I will write a bit about the Addictive nature of those 'junk foods', but hear me sayTHEY ARE BAD.

One way I help my client's stay on track when I'm not around for the rest of the day is I encourage them to keep a health and fitness journal. This journal documents the journey to reaching your health and fitness goals. It also consists of the thoughts, feelings and all those emotions that we go through as we struggle to lose the weight and try to stay focused. With respect to actual eating habits, the journal also chronicles what a person eats and drinks (in detail) throughout the day, the portions, where they ate, and what time of day they ate.

It is CRUCIAL to keep this journal because sometimes we need to find the emotional triggers that make us overeat or slip up. This tool can also be a great deterrence, helping to keep you busy and out of the kitchen.

Not to mention, if you aren't losing the weight and you tell your trainer you are following their program to a "T", your personal trainer can look through the journal and perhaps find a few things that may be the culprit as to why you didn't hit your target weight loss for that week.
There's one more reason why this journal is so helpful and has helped my clients so significantly. If you ever start to gain the weight back and not make this a permanent lifestyle change, you can go back and be able to read what you went through during this process, and then also be able to read the victorious emotions you went through as your lost the weight and saw the beautiful results as your body changed thereby giving BACK the motivation to get BACK ON TRACK.

 

 Nine times out of ten, once a person reads the struggle they went through to lose the weight, they don't want to through that again, and they get back on track and use the tools I gave them for this lifestyle change.

Don't ever resolve that being overweight is just the way your body will allow you to be. No person has to be overweight and accept it (except of course the few individuals whose doctors have diagnosed them with physical ailments that add pounds for other medical reasons). The Basic Lifestyle Change..It Is Something You CAN overcome for good!

When my clients are at a point and they are ready to give up because their munch button is messing with them and I happen to not be present, I take them back to the first time we talked. I revert them back to the answer that they gave me to one of the first few questions I ask any person (see my early article about Picking a Personal Trainer) who seeks out a personal trainer to assist them in weight loss. I go back and I ask that individual, "do you remember when you came to me and answered why you wanted to lose weight and make this a lifestyle change?" We review that very important answer and discuss it further. Many times the answer is as simple as; "we just need to go back to basics".

Listen, food is good and many people are emotional eaters. Staying focused and getting on track is something that is very difficult for some people and coaching you and guiding you through those moments is something you don't get without a personal trainer when you attempt this on your own. A good personal trainer is someone that can help you through this and you also have 24 hour access to your trainer.

This leads me three other ways I help my clients stay on track those OTHER 23 HOURS.

1. I am constantly encouraging my clients to use the internet. This VAST information resource can answer just about any health and fitness question you may have. From blogs, to forums, to client testimonials, like the ones you can find on some of my websites, these are all useful tools to get you 'thinking' about your own lifestyle change.

There is an important element of connection that anyone on this life path, can use from reading the thoughts and experiences of others. As well, like you find on my websites, there are resources like health and fitness blogs, that can offer a real wealth of information about almost all topics that you would be interested in. The big issue here get ONLINE, and start using your computer as one of your tools for change.

2. While many trainers would shy away from this idea, I believe that having an OPEN line of communication to your trainer, IN THOSE other 23 hours, is important. Yes, believe it or not I've actually had clients call me when the late night cravings begin and they are ready to dive inside the refrigerator. A good trainer would be willing to, within reason, stay on the phone with you and talk with you through this moment to get your mind off of the craving. As well, it would give a chance for some reasoning with the client, so their mind can get focused and back on track.

These are the ways that I, as a trainer, help my clients learn to view food differently as I train them through this process. This is the kind of personal attention that you should seek from your personal trainer, but that goes back to my last article about picking a personal trainer.Part two of that series is coming in the next months.

For now, know that I've even had clients call me from restaurants and ask me what they should order because they can't stay focused and their will power is low that day, and I will work with them as best I can. Staying focused in those OTHER 23 hours requires having some type of open line of communication with someone that can be your pillar when you are feeling weak.

This is my passion, this is what I do and I welcome those phone calls. Failure; the incessant gaining and losing; that stuff is NOT fun.

It can be STOPPED FOR GOOD and so for that and other reasons, I'm part of my clients' support system those other 23 hours. This is what you should be keeping at the front of your mind as you plan out your other 23 hours.

Another method I find is useful are constant affirmations and reminders. This is an essential part of this process, as it helps to keep you focused during those stressful 23 hours.

These kinds of 'reminders' are very new, and come in the form of subscription downloads of elements like Health and Fitness Podcasts (easily downloadable to your ipod for 'at-your-convenience use), Fitness Affirmation Text Messages (delivered daily to your mobile phone), as well as other mobile downloads to keep you motivated throughout the day. Many of these services are soon to be available through my website and others, and I will talk more about them in a future supplemental article.

Remember, weight loss is or can be a struggle. That is a simple fact. I agree you are RIGHT. It's not easy and that's why having a personal trainer by your side to assist you in so many different ways through the 1 hour (or longer)  is CRUCIAL. Having a plan to keep yourself ON TRACK, and with your eyes on the prize for the OTHER 23 HOURS is priceless!

I understand the emotions you go through during this process as I was once there myself. Only part of this process is physical, that part that puts you and I in the same room, as your personal trainer. The other, and possibly MOST important part, what you get from trainers like myself, for when we AREN'T around; the foundation for the emotional strength to make that next 23 hours til we meet again.

TO YOUR HEALTH!

FAT - IS THAT YOUR DEFAULT SETTING?

Many women and men I talk to that are overweight tell me, "I want to loose weight so I can feel better."

Has being fat become your default setting? Do you have a tendency to sabotage yourself so you can maintain the default? Do you behave this way so you can justify your position because you could be self deluded? Do you tell yourself , " I want to change." But in reality, it takes too damn much energy to lose weight. So you look in the mirror and you’re still fat.


You may have said yes that is me! Well if that is you, you are NOT alone.

It’s so much easier to plop down on the couch after a day at work. But funny, my students and I were laughing yesterday before I started our group exercise class, on how you ever notice when you are work you are ‘tired’ but as soon as you get home, you aren’t as tired? I think we can all say yes to this. But see, what I want you to try and understand is that you can overcome your mind telling you that you are tired. When we let our mind tell us what we are, that’s what we are. We then feel and become tired.

You can make every excuse in the book as to why you do NOT exercise and take care of your body. I’ve heard them all and I’ve used a couple myself.

If you don’t want to feel lazy, tired, non-motivated, depressed, blah in that funk, then ask yourself, how bad do you want change? If you do, then you must make so important changes and there are some simple tools to help you make that lifestyle change and it all starts with something so basic and simple.

First, let’s RESET THE MIND SET!


You must be READY for a LIFESTYLE CHANGE. You must be ready MENTALLY and EMOTIONALLY. It is so important to really be honest with yourself. Sit down a moment when you have some quiet time; some YOU time, ask yourself these questions and please WRITE DOWN YOUR ANSWERS - BE HONEST NO SABOTAGING OR LYING TO YOURSELF. RIGHT HERE, RIGHT NOW BE ACCOUNTABLE TO YOU AND HERE ON THIS BLOG SITE IT IS SAFE TO DO SO:


1. Why do I want to lose weight?

2. Why haven't previous attempts worked?

3. Why am I overweight and NOT reached my fitness goals?

4. Why am I overeating? I know some foods I eat are bad, but why do I keep eating them anyway?

5. When something goes wrong in my life, a bad day, I lost my job and can't find a new one, my boyfriend broke up with me, etc. Do you head for food? And, does it make you feel better when you do this?

6. Am I ready for a LIFESTYLE change?

7. What are my expectations in losing weight? Am I realistic?

8. Am I ready fit working out on a regular basis to my weekly schedule?

9. Am I willing to make some sacrifices when it comes to eating and drinking?

10. Do I like the way I look? If no, why?

11. Do I make excuses and stay away from friends and family for social events because I am ashamed of how I look?

12. Do I cover myself up with clothes to camouflage my weight?

13. Have I tried fad diets? If yes, which ones?

Now look at your answers. If you'd like to add your answers down below. This may be a start at true honesty with yourself, and may even help you with commitment. After you write down your answers and/or respond here below, keep them somewhere close by. I'll tell you why later.

After you have answered those questions, you may find that the only person you can blame is YOU for not reaching your weight loss goals. WE can be lazy sometimes and then make up so many excuses for not exercising, one right after another. Pretty soon, the treadmill ends up in the garage because our excuses pushed it that far away, just like our self-esteem. Or you may be paying for a gym membership you don't even use.

Before you hit the gym hard, and before you think you have to start eating like a cute little rabbit, there are some things I want to share with you on how to mentally prepare yourself for this lifestyle change. If you want to lose weight and keep it off and never go back to being overweight, YOU MUST BE MENTALLY PREPARED, especially if you are not used to this lifestyle. That is just the bottom line.

I believe with all of my heart and have seen it work with HUNDREDS of people I have worked with in the gym over many years. If you really are honest with yourself and you prepare yourself mentally, YOU WILL BE SUCCESSFUL. YOU CAN DO THIS! I CAN HELP YOU - I'M RIGHT HERE.

Realize, there is NO QUICK FIX. Fad diets are temporary not permanent. This IS going to take work, it's going to be a process that you MUST BE READY TO DEDICATE YOURSELF TO. So you must first prepare yourself with some mental exercises. Many do not do this before they take the big plunge. They go and hit the gym hard again, they have good intentions and 3 to 6 weeks later something changes. What? NOT MUCH. They aren't seeing fast enough results, something is not working right and they give up, or slow down. There are many reasons for this. They do NOT train their mind. They do not look at this as a lifestyle change which involve so many factors. They fail. Why? IT'S OUR THOUGHTS. OUR THOUGHTS CAN MAKE US EAT, DO THINGS AND NOT DO THINGS, OUR THOUGHTS CAN BECOME THINGS. OUR THOUGHTS CAN BRING US THE SUCCESS BY PROJECTING POSITIVE THOUGHTS.

You must change your thinking, your mind set and you must do this to succeed!

ARE YOU READY FOR THE STEPS? Let's get going!

STAY TUNED ON THE NEXT PART OF THIS BLOG!


To your health!

THE YOGURT SMACKDOWN

It seems like Greek Yogurt is now out of the closet!

You're not alone if you have ever wondered, "What's the difference between Greek yogurt and regular yogurt?" Greek yogurt's popularity has been skyrocketing lately, and you may wonder what all the fuss is about. Is Greek yogurt more nutritious than regular yogurt? With nearly 28% of Americans now eating yogurt on a daily basis, it's a question worth investigating.

Yogurt comes from milk that has had healthy bacteria added, causing it to ferment. During this process, yogurt thickens and takes on a slightly tangy taste. Yogurt is then strained through a cheesecloth, which allows the liquid whey part of milk to drain off. Regular yogurt is strained twice, while Greek yogurt is strained three times to remove more whey (leaving a thicker consistency).

While all yogurt provides numerous health benefits (including probiotics), the nutritional stats for Greek yogurt and regular yogurt do differ. Here's how the two stack up:

Protein - Greek yogurt has almost double the protein of regular yogurt. Eight ounces of Greek yogurt has about 20 grams of protein, whereas regular yogurt provides around 11-13 grams. Greek yogurt's high protein content makes it a favorite among people trying to manage their weight as it helps ward off hunger.

Carbohydrates - Greek yogurt has fewer carbohydrates than regular yogurt. This could be beneficial to diabetics, who have to watch their carbohydrate intake. 

Calcium - Regular yogurt has about three times the calcium of Greek yogurt. Both are still considered good sources of calcium, but women who don't get enough calcium from other foods may want to stick to regular yogurt for its bone-building benefits.

Sodium - Greek yogurt has half the sodium of regular yogurt.

Calories - Plain, nonfat versions of Greek and regular yogurt have a similar calorie count per serving, but added sugars can significantly increase the calories of either variety.

Texture - Greek yogurt is much thicker and creamier than regular yogurt because it's strained more. Greek yogurt can also be used in cooking as it does not curdle when heated like regular yogurt.

Cost - Unfortunately, you'll likely spend twice the money on Greek yogurt. This is largely due to escalating customer demand, as Greek yogurt's taste, texture, and great nutritional profile keep consumers coming back in droves. Greek yogurt also costs more because the extra straining requires much more milk, so it's a more concentrated source of protein.

 

Although most people snack on yogurt, don't underestimate its versatility. Both types of yogurt can be used as lower-calorie substitutes for fatty ingredients. Swap out eggs and oil in baked goods for Greek yogurt, or use either yogurt type in place of full-fat sour cream, heavy cream, mayonnaise, or cream cheese in recipes. Both types can also be used in place of other high-calorie ingredients in dips, sauces, salad dressings, smoothies, and desserts.

Yogurt is often touted as an ideal health food, and it can be if you choose the right kind. As with both Greek and regular yogurts, be sure to choose low-fat or nonfat varieties, and opt for those with little to no added sugar, as this ups the calorie count.

 

ENJOY!