Category Archives: Nutrition
Your Guide to Understanding Food Labels
This article was contributed by Debbie J., MS, RD -
A product’s packaging is good for enticing you as a consumer to buy that product; glossy pictures and tag lines attempt to lure us in at the grocery store. But to really compare foods and understand how they fulfill your daily nutrition needs, the most important part of the packaging is the food label. Read the rest of this entry
8 Weeks Left to Prepare for Swimsuit Season, Your Next Workout is Here
Here it is…Your workout PLAN for the next two weeks to get you ready for summer. This is Part 2 of our series 10 Week Workout Routine to have YOU Looking like a 10 this Summer , but don’t worry if you missed Part 1, just CLICK THIS LINK to start your 10 week workout today!
During weeks 1 and 2 you built your strength training base by allowing your muscles to ease into your new workout program, and you strengthened your core with stabilization training. You also built your musculoskeletal and endurance base doing interval training to burn extra calories.
Now it’s time to step it up by challenging your body with circuit training and extended duration cardio for weeks 3 and 4.
Cut Down on Television and Cut Down Your Weight – 7 Things You Can Do
Have you ever wondered how many more calories you could be burning if you actually did something productive instead of watching television? You may be pleasantly surprised at how many calories you can burn making your home and your body look amazing at the same time! But don’t use you these activities as a substitute for your weight and cardio workouts, instead use them as a way to compliment your weight loss efforts while you enjoy beautifying your home.
All of the following activities are based on a 150 pound person performing each activity a duration of 60 minutes at a moderate (as opposed to vigorous) intensity[i]. Read the rest of this entry
Fuel your Workouts to Maximize Your Results
This article was contributed by Debbie M., MS, RD
Did you know that during anaerobic activity like resistance training, sugar is your body’s primary fuel source?
Daylight Saving Time Change 2013 is this Weekend, Spring Forward Your Clocks and Your Fitness
That’s right, this weekend marks that time of year again when we all sacrifice an hour of sleep in the wee hours of Sunday morning in order to gain a precious extra hour of daylight to enjoy in the evenings for the next eight months. So mark your calendars and set your alarms because on Sunday, March 10th, 2013 at 2 a.m. we all need to “spring forward” our clocks one hour as we tear apart the space-time continuum warping time as it instantaneously changes from 2 a.m. to 3 a.m.
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Popular Thanksgiving Foods, Calories and Healthy Options
Last year Americans consumed around 736 million pounds of turkey on Thanksgiving[i], which was likely served with several favorite holiday side dishes and courses. This belt busting MEAL can have up to 3,450 calories, which is astounding when you consider that the average amount of calories consumed PER DAY for males is 2,475 and for females is 1,833[ii].
Though your traditions and recipes may make some of your Thanksgiving foods non-negotiable—such as a family recipe for gravy, or maybe this year it is your turn to get one of the savory dark meat legs— perhaps you just didn’t realize how many calories are in some foods, or you never thought to consider other options. You never know, you just might end up loving sweet potato pie, but never considered having anything else but pumpkin pie.
Below is a table with the most popular Thanksgiving Day foods and some healthy options for you to consider. Who knows, maybe this year will be the beginning of some new Thanksgiving dinner traditions that have you feeling energized and invigorated instead of sleepy and uncomfortable.
| Food | Portion Size | Calories | Healthy Option (same portion size) | Healthy Option CALORIES | Healthy Option Calorie Difference |
| Turkey, dark meat w/skin | 4 oz. | 249 | Turkey, light meat no skin | 189 | 60 |
| Mashed Potatoes w/ sour cream and butter | 1 cup | 313 | Mashed Potatoes w/ milk and butter | 212 | 101 |
| Stuffing (Bread) | 1 cup | 404 | Stuffing (Cornbread) | 358 | 46 |
| Gravy, made w/meat drippings | 1 cup | 271 | Gravy, made w/out fat | 71 | 200 |
| Green Bean Casserole | 1 cup | 276 | Cooked green beans | 44 | 232 |
| Bread Rolls (white) | Medium size (about 2.5” across) | 147 | Bread Rolls (100% whole wheat) | 96 | 51 |
| Cranberry Sauce | 1 cup | 418 | Fresh Cranberries | 51 | 367 |
| Candied Yams | 1 cup | 293 | Baked Yams | 165 | 128 |
| Apple Pie | 1/8 of 9” pie | 356 | Sweet Potato Pie | 265 | 91 |
| Pumpkin Pie | 1/8 of 9” pie | 374 | Sweet Potato Pie | 265 | 109 |
| Pecan Pie | 1/8 of 9” pie | 464 | Pumpkin pie | 374 | 90 |
| Soda, cola | 12 oz. | 136 | Diet Soda, cola or Water | 0 | 136 |
| Beer | 12 oz. | 155 | Skip it | 0 | 155 |
| Wine | 5 oz. | 125 | Again, skipping the alcohol is the healthiest option | 0 | 125 |
| Squash w/butter and brown Sugar | 1 cup | 154 | Squash w/salt and sugar, no butter | 121 | 33 |
If none of these options work for you, you could just make sure to keep your portions reasonable, but keep in mind that you are having more courses during this particular meal than you may be used to.
Some of you may have noticed that today’s article was not our normal Monday post of REAL STORIES, and was instead a TOP TIP. We wanted to make sure you had this information before the holiday since TOP TIPS posts every Thursday. So look for another great TOP TIP on Thanksgiving day, and REAL STORIES about real people accomplishing their health and fitness goals will resume on its regularly scheduled day again next Monday.
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HAPPY THANKSGIVING!
[i] Information was obtained from http://www.eatturkey.com/consumer/history/history.html
[ii] Information was obtained from http://www.cdc.gov/nchs/data/nhanes/databriefs/calories.pdf
[iii] Information for this table was obtained from https://www.supertracker.usda.gov/foodapedia.aspx
5 Simple Motivators: That Help You Stick-to Your New Year’s Resolution
Here we go again…it’s week three of the NEW YEAR, and many of us have a fitness or weight loss goal as our New Year’s resolution. But doesn’t it seem like every year you start-off with a bang, only to fall hard with a crash…never getting to your desired goal?
Here are 5 simple ways to help you stick-to your New Year’s resolution:
What can I eat for lunch that is filling, but will also help me lose weight?
May 21
Posted by Adam W.
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