New Bar Find

Came across these bars in a cycle shop,  I was so excited that they had ingredients I could read, they were gluten free (I am sensitive to gluten) and they looked good. I purchased these two flavors because I love pineapple, and dates. I wanted to see how the bars held up as far as energy pre workout and post workout. Both flavors were Great. I would recommend this bar in a second, as an athlete (runner), and fitness professional always moving I try to find something that is not loaded with sugar or additives. This is the bar for me, and they have other flavors I have not even tried yet. So if you are working out, running with the kids or traveling long hours give this bar a try. I promise you will love it.

Tough Love to Rid Pain!

As a trainer it is tough to see a client not feel great, there are days when they feel no aches and days when they do. When my clients come to me with an achy whatever all I want to do is asses the problem and help in the best way I know how. Sometimes I can help with stretches, or mobility work, and other times it is with words, calm understanding non stressful or worrisome words. Yesterday was a great example of what a day of pain can turn into. I have a great client that has been with me for 3 years. We have made great improvements in his workouts and lifestyle. He originally came to me with terrible back pain and we used Pilates and nutrition to cure it. This time it was different. He was coming in late, canceling sessions, and not loving exercise anymore. He needed to get out of a funk, and fast. If he kept up with this mental mushy attitude all the work we did would be gone. The only thing I could think of to get him to snap out of it is to realize that there are going to be days of pain as we get older (he is 72), we need to make the necessary adjustments to the workouts, be grateful that you can still do things you enjoy (cycle, run, hike). He looked at me quiet at first but thanked me for the verbal loving smack in the face. He left the session pain free and ready to take on the rest of the day. So sometimes it is not about the exercise to help aleviate pain it is getting out of your head and listiening to tough love.

100 Calorie Easter treats click the link below...what do you like?

http://www.sparkpeople.com/resource/slideshow.asp?show=52

Fit Cuisine Passover Meal

So we all know that I love to try new recipes and make them healthier. But this week I needed to work with religion in mind. This week many of my clients celebrated Passover which means no bread, pasta, etc.  I wanted to make meals that people still enjoyed but still had flavor and substance. So I came up with this menu:

Matzoh Lasagna (never used it before) always a first for everything

Ingredients:
4 Matzoh Boards
1 lb Fat Free Cottage Cheese
1 TBSP Italian Seasoning
1 tsp Pesto
1 Jar of your favorite marinara or your own jarred tomato sauce
1/2 cup of grated parmesan cheese

Preheat the oven to 350. In a baking dish spray the bottom with olive oil. Take your cottage cheese and put it into a bowl. Add your Italian seasoning and pesto stirring it all together. Make sure your pan is big enough to fit the entire matzoh board. Place a little sauce on the bottom of your pan, place one board on top, spread the board with a bit more sauce, and take your cottage cheese and place it on the matzoh. Repeat this pattern till all 4 boards are done. Top the last matzoh with the rest of the cottage cheese and parmesan, cover and place in the oven for 30 minutes.

This was fun to make, and a lot easier than lasagna. It smelled wonderful and it was amazing how much flavor absorbed into the matzoh. A must make.


Chicken Marinara

Ingredients:
4 Chicken Breasts pounded
2 TBSP Olive Oil
2 TBSP Italian Seasoning
1 Can (28 oz) Stewed Tomatoes
1/2 cup chopped fresh broccoli
1/3 cup chopped green beans
1 small yellow squash sliced
1/3 cup sliced mushrooms
3 TBSP Sliced olives of choice

Preheat your olive oil in a large saute pan. Season your chicken with the italian season and place in the pan on low/med heat. Take your stewed tomatoes and place them on top of your chicken along with all of your vegetables. Let the entire pan cook till the vegetables are soft and the chicken is cooked though. Entire cooking time is about 25 minutes simmered on med low heat.

Tips: If you are doing this dish for the holiday they don't add a starch. If you want to use this for an weeknight meal then add rice or pasta.

Chicken Roll Ups
Ingredients:
4 Chicken Breasts Pounded
1 small jar roasted red pepper
4 Slices oven roated turkey breast
1 tsp pepper
1tsp paprika
1 TBSP olive oil

Preheat the oven to 375. Take your chicken breast and season them with olive oil and pepper. Take a slice of pepper and place it onto the chicken, then take a piece of turkey and place on top of the pepper. Slowly start to roll the chicken breast and place tuck side down on a greased baking dish. Sprinkle with the paprika, and bake for about 25 minutes.

Tips: This dish can have almost anything in it, for passover (no cheese) but you can add cheese whenever you want. This is a quick, simple and flavorful dish. Serve with a salad ,vegetable, or rice.

Sweet Carrots
1 small package of baby carrots
1/4 cup of water
1 tsp cinnamon
1 tsp butter substitute (brummel and brown or smart balance)
1 tsp honey

Take all of the ingredients and place into a small pot. Bring to a boil for about 10 minutes or until carrots are tender. Serve with any of the above chicken dishes or as a side for meals during the week.

Asparagus with Roasted Almonds
1 Stalk of Asparagus
1 TBSP sliced almonds
Olive oil Spray

Preheat the oven to 375. Take your stalks and spray them with olive oil, and spinkle your almonds. Roast in the oven for about 15 minutes  remove and serve.

Broccoli and Chicken Pie (Fit Cuisine Style)

So this weekend I wanted to try and make a pie. No, not an apple or pumpkin although I think Frank would have enjoyed that. I wanted to try a vegetable style pie, and since everyone loves broccoli and chicken I thought why not try these ingredients in a healthy dish. So here is the recipe, let me know what you think.

Ingredients:
2 Cups of fresh broccoli florets, steamed and sliced or a 12 oz frozen chopped bag(thawed)
1-2 cooked chicken breasts diced
1/2 cup low fat cheddar cheese + 1/4 cup
1/3 cup of sliced cherry tomatoes
1/2 cup Original Bisquick mix
1 cup fat free milk
2 eggs (use egg substitute)
1/4 tsp black pepper

Preheat the oven to 400 degrees. In a 9 inch pie dish spray it with PAM. Put the broccoli, tomato and chicken into your dish, sprinkle with 1/2 cup of cheese. Next mix up your Bisquick, eggs, milk and pepper so that it is not lumpy. Pour the mixture into the dish and place it in your oven for about 30-35 minutes. Remove from the oven and sprinkle the dish with the rest of your cheese. Put back to bake for another 5 minutes and serve.

This dish is really light, complete meal. It pairs well not only with Chardonnay, but with a salad as well.
This is something the whole family will enjoy.

Rest/Active Rest Day

I love to run and exercise. It is a part of my life, just like brushing my teeth. This Saturday I did Power Yoga, felt strong, Sunday I had a great 10 mile run. My legs felt strong, heart rate was perfect, felt like I could have run another 30 minute longer. Monday came and my grand plan was to run again with that same great feeling, except my body wanted NO part or a run. It was time to take a rest or active rest day. When that happens you need to respect what the good old body is saying. So I did and instead of doing nothing I did Pilates (active rest activity of choice). It is a great compliment to a well rounded workout routine. It is none weight bearing, challenging, and I actually feel taller and stronger. So if you are not feeling like a run or cardio, relax. Try something different (yoga, mat Pilates) of take the rest your body requires. I promise the next day you will feel refreshed and rejuvenated, I do all the time and you reduce your chances of injury.
Oh and one more silly thing girls, you will not get fat by taking a rest or active rest day it is the best thing you can do for yourself and will lead to future workout success.

New Lap Band Requirements-Not practical

Dr. Oz is probably one of my favorite shows to watch while running. The program is filled with some great information and some gross information about health, medicine and wellness. Although as a fitness girl I would love for them to discuss the importance of exercise more, but hey a little is better than none I guess. But today's show really bothered me and got me thinking as a society have we given up trying to better our health through proper eating, and movement? Or have we chosen to go under the knife for a quick weight lose fix without thinking of the consequences. The topic of discussion I am referring to is Lap Band.
Recently they just changed the requirements for the procedure. First you needed to be morbidly obese, over 45 BMI (body mass index) and had health risks, then they changed it to 35 BMI, and now it is 30 BMI with at least 1 health risk factor, that is not much. What really got me was not one mention of movement to help with weight. The 2 women on the show spoke about how they were ready to get this done, they tried every diet, shake, etc to lose weight and nothing changed they got bigger and felt worse, one woman was even diabetic and tired of her body hurting. Now I am not saying that the Lap Band does not have its place, but it has a lot of risks, what they actually due to the stomach, and what other health problems can occur from having it done is really scary. I  personally known people that had it done that got skinny and felt great for a few months even a few years. Then as time progressed they became ill and the main cause was lack of proper nutrients, real food, no exercise, and to much medication. Now isn't the point of the Band to not be sick (prevent diabetes/high Cholesterol/hypertension)? Not sure. The doctors on the show were speaking about all the ways this could help, but only one mentioned exercise and cleaner eating. She was not in favor of the NEW guidelines and neither was I.

We have become such a quick fix society, you see it everyday on the TV. Infomercial, cleanses, DVD's, diet shakes all layed out to lose weight for summer, holiday, birthday you name it. Why can't we just speak the truth. People really stress themselves out about their bodies, and health. I know, I at one point went through it and help my clients not go through it everyday. We look at food now as the enemy and exercise is second to that. When in actuality it is the best free medication nobody is getting. I find that the less you obsess over your diet and exercise the quicker the results. When I saw what the Lap Band people ate I was wondering how they enjoy life (socially with friends and family). One girl ate 4 TBSP of yogurt, a cup of clear broth and 3 TBSP of chocolate pudding. That has NO nutrition, and how do you order that in a restaurant.

So lets stop having surgery our bodies were not intended to have (Lap Band). Lets instead make a promise to ourselves to stop buying bad food that we know make us weak, add more fruits and vegetables to our day, drink more water (even if it has a splash of juice) and MOVE YOUR BODY. We are issued one per lifetime so get off you butt and walk, start slow and build up. If you are overweight remember it did not happen overnight  in it took time, just like getting healthy does. The resources out there are endless. If you are unsure where to start hire a fitness expert, join weight watchers, or a weight support group. Surgery may be quicker but not better.