Eating Healthy On A Budget

Obviously you can cut food costs by eating more meals at home, and at least you know EXACTLY what went into the food and that it was properly handled in the process. Don’t get me started about how nasty some restaurant (even ritzy ones!) kitchens can be. I know, maybe I’ve watched too many “Restaurant: Impossible” episodes, lol. Plus, when you have a food allergy like me (nuts) it can be dicey to take their word for it, that the food wasn’t prepared in a way that could have had at least cross-contamination. Luckily mine is a skin allergy and not anaphylaxis or respiratory (though it still isn’t a pleasant experience). Anyway, here are some healthy ways to eat, even on a tight budget:

 

1. Brown Rice

Great for: Side dish, soups, and stews.

What's a serving? 1/4 cup dry rice.

Price per serving: 18 cents. A 1-pound bag costs about $1.75 and contains 10 servings.

Nutrition info per serving: 170 calories, 2 grams fiber, and 4 grams protein.

 

2. Whole-Wheat or Multigrain Pasta

Great for: Hot and cold pasta dishes.

What's a serving? 2 ounces of dried pasta. A serving for most people translates into about 2 ounces of dried pasta, which means you get about 7 servings in the typical box or bag of dried pasta.

Price per serving? About 24 cents. You can get a 13- to 16-ounce box or bag of store-brand dried pasta for about $1.69.

Nutrition info per serving: About 200 calories, 7 grams protein, and 6 grams fiber.

 

3. 100% Whole-Wheat or Multigrain Bread

Great for: Hot and cold sandwiches.

What's a serving? 2 slices. Labels usually list a serving as 1 slice of bread (about 28 grams per slice), but for our purposes, we'll use the amount you'd use to make a sandwich.

Price per serving: About 18 cents. You can get a 22-ounce loaf of store-brand whole-wheat bread for about $1.99. Each loaf has about 22 slices, or 11 servings of 2 slices each.

Nutrition info per serving (2 slices): About 120 calories, 6 grams protein, and 3 grams fiber.

 

4. Nonfat Greek Yogurt

Great for: A quick snack, parfaits made with fruit and granola, and smoothies.

What's a serving? Most individual servings come in 6-ounce or 8-ounce containers. You can save money by buying a larger container of Greek yogurt and then taking your 6- or 8-ounce portion from it.

Price per serving: Individual servings (6- to 8-ounce containers) cost about 89 cents each and sometimes less when found on sale.

Nutrition info per serving (for a 6-ounce serving of honey vanilla): 150 calories, 0 grams fiber, and 14 grams protein.

 

5. Old-Fashioned Oats

Great for: Hot or cold cereal, granola, and I roll chicken breasts in them (also mixed with various different spices) and egg whites to do “my version” of fried chicken, though I bake it.

What's a serving? 1/2 cup dry oats.

Price per serving: 13 cents. A 42-ounce container of store brand oats costs around $3.99, and each container has about 30 servings, based on a serving of 1/2-cup of dry oats.

Nutrition info per serving: 150 calories, 4 grams fiber, and 5 grams protein.

 

6. Frozen Vegetables

Great for: Side dishes, soups, and stews.

What's a serving? 1 cup.

Price per serving: Around 25 cents. Frozen vegetables come in 12-ounce to 24-ounce bags that cost anywhere from $1.75 to $2.25 and contain 6-8 cups, depending on the vegetable and the size of the bag. At one national store, you can buy a bag of frozen organic green beans for $1.79. A bag of petite peas will cost you $1.19, and a 10-ounce box of frozen chopped spinach costs $1.19.

Nutrition info per serving: A 1-cup serving of frozen mixed vegetables (classic mix) has 82 calories, 6 grams fiber, 4 grams protein, 115% of the Daily Value for vitamin A, 8% of the Daily Value for vitamin C, and 7% of the Daily Value for potassium.

 

7. Russet Potato

Great for: Baked potatoes, breakfast potatoes, soups, and stews.

What's a serving? 1 medium baked potato.

Price per serving: About 33 cents per potato. You can buy a 5-pound bag of Russet potatoes for about $3.99, and a bag contains 11-13 potatoes.

Nutrition info per serving (one medium-size potato): 168 calories, 3 grams fiber, 5 grams protein, 20% of the Daily Value for vitamin C, 10% Daily Value for iron, and 25% Daily Value for potassium.

 

8. Fresh Bagged Spinach

Great for: Quick salads, egg dishes, soups, and stews.

What's a serving? If you use it for a main-dish salad, about 4 cups makes a serving. If you sauté it and add to an omelet, or use it for a side salad, about 2 cups is a serving. I typically just sauté it with lots of garlic and eat as a side dish.

Price per serving: 66 cents for a 4-cup serving; 33 cents for a 2-cup serving. A bag (9 ounces) of washed spinach leaves sells for about $1.99.

Nutrition info per serving: 4-cup serving contains 20 calories, 2 grams of fiber, 160% of the Daily Value for vitamin A, 40% of the Daily Value for vitamin C, 8% of the Daily Value for calcium, and 40% of the Daily Value for folic acid.

 

9. Canned Refried Beans

Great for: Dips or a quick side dish.

What's a serving? Each can has about 3.5 servings, based on 1/2-cup servings.

Price per serving: About 34 cents. You can buy a 15-ounce can of store brand vegetarian refried beans for about $1.19.

Nutrition info per serving: About 140 calories (for the vegetarian type), 7 grams protein, 6 grams fiber, 4% of the Daily Value for calcium and 10% of the Daily Value for iron.

 

10. Canned Tuna

Great for: Sandwiches, several types of salads, and served with crackers.

Note: Due to levels of mercury detected in canned tuna (with higher levels in albacore tuna than canned light tuna), the FDA recommends that pregnant women, women who are trying to become pregnant, nursing mothers, and young children limit albacore tuna to no more than 6 ounces per week. The FDA also recommends that those women not eat shark, swordfish, king mackerel, or tilefish due to high mercury levels. In my opinion, it would probably be best for pregnant women to avoid canned tuna altogether and to choose lower-mercury seafood instead.

What's a serving? A 6-ounce can contains around 2 servings.

Price per serving: About 70 cents for chunk white albacore in water. You can buy a 6-ounce can of solid white albacore in water for about $1.99, or a 6-ounce can of chunk white albacore in water for about $1.39. The best deal is usually with chunk light in water for 85 cents per 6-ounce can.

Nutrition info per serving: About 500 milligrams of omega-3 fatty acids (0.5 gram), 60 calories, and 13 grams of protein.

 

11. Canned or Jarred Marinara Sauce

Great for: Pasta dishes and stews.

What's a serving? 1/2 cup.

Price per serving: About 28 cents. You can buy a 24 or 28-ounce jar or can of marinara or pasta sauce for $1.67.

Nutrition info per serving: A serving of meatless pasta sauce has around 90 calories, 2 grams fiber, 15% of the Daily Value for vitamin A, and 10% of the Daily Value for vitamin C.

 

12. Whole Wheat or Multigrain Pita Bread

Great for: Making pizzas, flatbread appetizers, and hot or cold sandwiches.

What's a serving? 1 pita pocket.

Price per serving: 30 to 55 cents. You can buy a 12-ounce package of 6 pita breads for $1.79 at Trader Joe's or $3.29 at a supermarket.

Nutrition info per serving: One pita contains 140 calories, 4 grams fiber, and 6 grams of protein.

 

13. Store-Brand Egg Substitute

Great for: Making quick omelets or as an ingredient in fried rice. You can also blend half egg substitute and half eggs to make egg casseroles.

What's a serving? 1/4 cup.

Price per serving: 25 to 37 cents. You can buy a 16-ounce carton for $1.99 to $2.99 at Trader Joe's and supermarkets.

Nutrition info per serving: 30 calories, 6 grams protein, 10% of the Daily Value for vitamin B12, 6% of the Daily Value for vitamin A, and 4% of the Daily Value for vitamins D and E.

 

14. Frozen Edamame (Soybeans)

Great for: Snacks and appetizers or as a side dish with your meal. If the edamame are shelled (without pods), you can easily add them to salads, soups, and stews.

What's a serving? 1/2 cup shelled edamame.

Price per serving: 56 cents. You can buy a 16-ounce bag of organic edamame in pods at a supermarket for $2.79 or edamame in pods at Trader Joe's for $1.79.

Nutrition info per serving: 90 calories, 10 grams protein, 8 grams fiber, 10% of the Daily Value for iron, and 6% of the Daily Value for calcium.

 

15. Dried Lentils

Great for: Salads, soups and stews. Lentils are the most user-friendly of the beans because they cook quickly without pre-soaking. Generally you just need to cover 1 cup of lentils with 3 cups of water or broth and boil for 3 minutes. Reduce heat and simmer for 25 minutes or until the lentils are tender.

What's a serving? 1/4 cup dried lentils.

Price per serving: 10 cents. You can buy a 16-ounce bag for $1.29. Each 16-ounce bag makes about 13 servings of lentils (if 1/4 cup dry is a serving). That small bag of lentils is deceiving because the lentils are dried, but once cooked, you will see the value.

Nutrition info per serving: 120 calories, 10 grams protein, and 11 grams fiber.

Plateau?

One of the best things you can do to avoid this problem is to implement a variety of methods into your workouts. It could be different activities (cycling instead of running), or different training protocols (interval training instead of steady-state cardio). The main thing is that you don’t stick to any one activity or protocol ONLY. When you notice the signs of diminishing returns, adjust your approach accordingly.

For instance, if a 30 minute run just isn’t doing it anymore, try replacing one or two of those runs with a 20 minute high intensity interval workout. Or, if you’re just bored with the same ol' hour of cycling, then signup for a kickboxing class. That's what I do. I do a mixture of Tabata, splits, HIIT, kickboxing, yoga/Pilates, lifting, etc. The key is to keep your body guessing.

Reduced Carb Diets

Reduced carb diets are a legitimate approach. Low carb diets shouldn’t be dumped in the fad category. They’re not for everyone, but can work very well for many people. Low-medium carb, high protein diets work exceptionally well for controlling calories, regulating appetite and retaining lean body mass.

Keep in mind, there are many different types of low carb diets. Low carb doesn’t necessarily mean eliminating all carbs, nor does it mean eating bacon, sausage and pork rinds. Reducing carbs could be as simple as dropping some white sugar and refined grains and replacing them with some lean protein and healthy fat.

I must also note though, carbs are not ‘bad.’ Saying a low carb diet is a viable diet option is not the same as saying carbohydrates are responsible for obesity. If anyone tells you carbs are fattening, beyond the ability of sugar and refined carbs to easily deliver an overload of calories – they may mean well, but they don’t get it.

YOGA

Though yoga has grown more popular in the last few years I think there’s still a lot of misconception about it. Yoga is basically seeking peace in your mind, body and spirit. Instead of doing as most Americans do, searching for self-worth and happiness externally (status, possessions, relationships) yoga helps you look inwardly, which is where you’ll find lasting peace and true happiness. 

When people hear “yoga” many picture someone in the lotus position humming to themselves in some mindless manner. Wrong! In fact, the purpose is to be acutely present in the moment. This is when you “go to your happy place” so to speak. I personally meditate on any number of things, as long as it’s positive; sometimes it’s picturing the ocean, sometimes it’s giving a list of thanks to God, sometimes it’s imagining my Mom laughing and having fun in heaven. I also listen to jazz while I pose. You may choose a different genre or nature sounds or a metronome or no sound at all. It’s whatever helps you feel relaxed. Really the only no-no is allowing yourself to dwell on anything stressful or negative.

Most people who know me know that I’m very much into healthy living, which includes physical fitness and another reason we want to reduce stress is because stress triggers cortisol. This is a hormone that, to make a long story short, causes you to store fat in the body. I’m sure you’ve all heard how the two are related so I won’t bore you with all of that now, just know that decreasing your stress is key in MANY ways to boosting your immune system and making better use of your weight loss efforts.

Yoga teaches you how to reduce stress and increase positivity in your daily life. You will find an intensified spiritual enlightenment and peace through the practice of yoga. Not to mention the health benefits of developing a stronger and more balanced body. I used to only do yoga as a stretching ritual after working out but now I do it every single morning just to get centered, relaxed, and more mentally and physically prepared for my day.

I chose 8 poses for my morning sessions, that are most ideal for waking the body, and I spend about 10 minutes at it. I used to have pain and tightness in my lower back and hamstrings but I just don’t anymore. I do notice a difference if I don’t do it in the morning now, which only serves as a quick and sure reminder that I need to MAKE the time for it, no matter what.

Not only has it helped me physically but it has improved my spiritual awareness and increased my peace like you wouldn’t believe. I want to encourage you today to look into yoga as a tool to help you better manage your stress, depression, anxiety, etc. If you need any guidance on the matter or anything I’ve mentioned here please feel free to message me (the address is displayed to the right, under my profile) or join my Fitness Challenge Group.

Convenient Muscle-Building Snacks

Canned Tuna

This is probably one of the best and easiest snacks for building muscle. Available in convenient 100 g cans (or there about), it can provide around 17 g of protein, and the spring water varieties are also very low in fat. Canned tuna is easy to eat on the go, all you really need is a small spoon. If you can eat this sitting, you can have some wholegrain crackers with the tuna for a more complete snack. The only caution I have is that if you work in an office environment, tuna can be quite pungent and consistently eating it will be a sure way of making you a lot less popular among your co-workers, lol.

Canned Chicken

Some people are not aware that chicken can be purchases in cans, in the same way as tuna. This has pretty much the same benefits of canned tuna, though it of course does not have the same distinctive fishy smell, which makes it more office friendly.

Boiled Eggs

This is one of my favorites. The high quality protein in the white is excellent for muscle building. If you exclude the yolk, each egg is very low in fat and provide around 3 to 4 g protein. If you include the yolk, the protein content doubles, but be aware that you will also be eating almost equal amounts of fat. Having a few pre peeled boiled eggs in your lunch bag is an easy way to get some high quality proteins quickly.

Nuts

Nuts and other legumes are higher in protein than most other non-meat sources and also contain a range of health promoting nutrients. Almonds are a particularly impressive nut worth mentioning. In a serving of 22 nuts, almonds provide around 6 g protein, as well as healthy fats, and antioxidants. A serving of 35 peanuts provide almost 7 g protein, and are also high in heart healthy fats and antioxidants.

Jerky

Jerked meats such as beef and turkey jerky are excellent sources of protein. They are essentially dried and flavored pieces of meat. They are convenient to eat, straight out of the packet using your hands and provide high quality meat proteins. **However, depending on the brand, they can be quite high in sodium, so it’s worthwhile shopping around for the healthiest one.

Protein Shakes

Other than all the mentioned whole foods, there are of course a variety of supplements that are quick and convenient to use when you do not have the time for a sit-down meal. Generally speaking, these can provide an excellent source of protein, and even carbohydrates, vitamins, minerals, and a variety of other nutrients. A major benefit to having a protein shake is that it is far less bulky than solid foods. So if you struggle to meet your daily calorie requirements this is a sure way to increase your total intake. Just be sure to research the brand you select to make certain it’s not packed with calories and fillers you don’t need.

Protein Bars

It’s pretty difficult to find a protein bar that isn’t loaded with sugar and/or other unnecessary calories/fillers and they’re typically more expensive than any of the items listed above BUT, in a pinch, better to keep one of those on hand than to just not eat OR to eat a cancer patty at the local grease pit.

Staying Fit & Healthy On The Road

Whether it’s for business or pleasure our normal routines get completely thrown out the window when traveling. If you work out in a gym, suddenly you might not have access to any equipment. If you run around your neighborhood, suddenly you no longer have a familiar path to follow. If you usually prepare your own meals, suddenly you don’t have a kitchen or fridge. If you’re used to a good night’s sleep, suddenly you’re sleeping at odd hours in different time zones.


We are creatures of habit. While working a normal day job, we can stick to a routine pretty easily (wake up at the same time, eat all meals at the same time, work out at the same time, go to sleep at the same time).  However, when we are traveling, nothing is familiar and the slightest speed bump can be enough to throw things off.


You have to create a specific action plan that you can take with you on your next trip, whether it’s for a day, a week, or a month. Here’s a few things to consider: 




Make It Your Constant

Your exercise needs to become your constant while traveling – make a commitment to yourself that you will find time to exercise – NO EXCUSES.  Add it to your calendar, set up an email reminder, do whatever it takes, but don’t take no for an answer.  You might need to wake up early one day to fit it in or you might need to exercise at 11PM at night on another day. Just freakin’ do it! Understand the importance of keeping up your routine even while traveling, and you’ll be able to come back to your regular daily routine without skipping a beat.

Use Body Weight Exercises

Maintain strength training with increasingly challenging body weight exercises. Make it your mission to find one of these things:

•A pull up bar or swing set

•A sturdy tree branch

•A building or bus stop overhang

As long as you find one of those three things, you can complete a full workout of pushing exercises (push-ups and burpees), pulling exercises (pull-ups and chin-ups), leg and butt exercises (lunges and squats), and core exercises (planks and hanging knee tucks). If you can’t do pull-ups (YET!) or can’t find a tree branch, do dumbbell rows with your suitcase or other heavy object. Everything else you can do with just your body.

Where To Workout

You might have a decent hotel gym or you might need to work out in your room, or maybe you need to find a park or school playground somewhere.  Go for a walk; pick a direction and try to find a small patch of land to do your push-ups, squats and you can also jump rope or use resistance bands (both are easy to pack and light to carry).

Track Your Progress

Many people forget to do this when they’re traveling but if your goal is to be better today than you were yesterday, this is incredibly difficult to do if you don’t know how you did yesterday! It DOESN’T MATTER where you start, no matter how weak you think you are. What matters is that you’re better than you were last time. If you could only do one squat and half a push up yesterday, aim for two squats and one full push up tomorrow.

Maintaining Healthy Eating

You cannot out-run poor food and drink choices, and you can’t out-train it either. Even if you’re living out of a backpack, here’s some cheap and easy items to choose from: almonds, apples and bananas, peanut butter (or almond butter) sandwiches. While out, try fitting in spinach salads with walnuts (or sunflower seeds if you’re allergic to nuts) and grilled chicken or fish. Teddy Roosevelt said it best: “Do what you can, with what you have, where you are.”

Plan Ahead

If you know you’ll be traveling without the benefit of a cooler, pack some healthy snacks with you in your bag – apples and almonds are a fast and easy go-to. I would include bananas but you don’t want to get them bruised up bouncing around in your bag.

If you’re going out to dinner with your friends/family, find the restaurant online then browse the menu and “pre-order your dinner” in your mind so you know what to order when you get there.  Order the “meat + veggie + potato” option on the menu, and ask for double veggies instead.  Aim for something like grilled chicken or salmon.

If you’re traveling with others, let them know that you’re making a concerted effort to eat better and that you’d like their support.

Stay Active

I don’t care if you’re walking laps in the airport during a layover, or doing burpees at a bus stop – FIND A WAY TO BE ACTIVE EVERY DAY. Even if it’s 5 minutes of jump rope, it’s better than doing nothing, and will get you in the proper frame of mind. Take a run around the town, go for a hike, toss a frisbee in the park, go swimming in the ocean, whatever it is, just do something!

Bottomline

Eating right will be 80% of your success or failure and that means you need to be ON with how you eat every day. Try to maximize the good stuff (meat, vegetables, fruits, nuts) and minimize  the bad stuff (junk food, processed grains and carbs, sugary beverages). Maybe you’ll get made fun of by your unhealthy friends, or peer pressured into eating/drinking bad and skipping workouts, but what I have to say about that is, SO?! Two thirds of this country is overweight and out of shape. The number of diseases that can be avoided by proper nutrition and exercise is too long to list. So my question is, why would you want to be like, “everybody else” anyway?

High-Protein, Low-Carb Diets Explained

For the record, I don’t promote or follow any crash diets, weight loss pills, or meal plans that require you to cut whole food groups out, but I was discussing this with friends yesterday and to remain objective I wanted to present these types of diets from a purely factual and physiological point of view.

High-protein, low-carbohydrate diets, like The Atkins Diet, have been widely promoted as effective weight loss plans. These programs generally recommend that dieters get 30% to 50% of their total calories from protein.

By comparison, the American Heart Association, the National Cholesterol Education Program, and the American Cancer Society all recommend a diet in which a smaller percentage of calories come from protein.

How Do Low-Carb Diets Work:

Normally your body burns carbohydrates for fuel. When you drastically cut carbs, the body goes into a metabolic state called ketosis, and it begins to burn its own fat for fuel.  When your fat stores become a primary energy source, you may lose weight.

High-Protein Diets:

High-protein diets are a close cousin to the low-carb diet. While diets like Atkins focus on an intense restriction of carbohydrates, high-protein diets are centered on lots of protein-packed foods that leave you satisfied and satiated. High-protein diets, which in many cases are low-carb diets in disguise, have their own set of pros and cons – like any other short term diet out there.

The Risks of High-Protein, Low-Carb Diets:

Some experts have raised concern about high-protein, low-carb diets, like causing high cholesterol. Some protein sources, like fatty cuts of meat, whole dairy products, and other high-fat foods can raise cholesterol, increasing your chance of heart disease.

Kidney problems. If you have any kidney problems, eating too much protein puts added strain on your kidneys. This may worsen kidney function.

Osteoporosis and kidney stones. When you're on a high-protein diet, you may urinate more calcium than normal. Some experts think this could make osteoporosis and kidney stones more likely.

Unhealthy metabolic state (ketosis). During ketosis, the body forms substances known as ketones, which can dull appetite and cause nausea and bad breath. Ketosis can be prevented by eating at least 100 grams of carbohydrates a day.

Is a Low-Carb Diet Right for You?

If you're considering a high-protein diet, check with your doctor to see if it's okay for you. He/She can help you come up with a plan that will make sure you're getting enough fruits and vegetables, and that you're getting LEAN protein foods.

Remember, weight loss that lasts is based on changes you can live with for the rest of your life, not any that are found in a temporary diet.

HIIT vs. Cardio Machines

We all would concede that most people aren’t really fans of long, monotonous exercise. I know I’m not. Still, it’s impossible to go to a gym that’s not packed with people spending hours at a time on the various treadmills and elliptical machines. Yet most of them aren’t there because they enjoy it. They’re there because they think it’s the most efficient way to burn fat and lose weight.

But here’s the thing, that’s not true. While the cardio machines may tell you you’re staying in the ‘fat burning zone’ when you’re running at 5.5 mph for 60 minutes, the truth is you’re burning less calories overall than if you worked harder for a shorter amount of time.

If you’re like me, busy, busy, busy, then I know you want to maximize the calorie burning effectiveness of your exercise time, and you can actually burn more fat and calories when you work out for less time instead of more. Because with high intensity interval training, you burn calories more efficiently than you would by running for hours, and it takes way less time to complete.

So what is HIIT? For those of you who don’t know, High intensity interval training (HIIT) is an advanced form of interval training and an exercise strategy alternating periods of short, intense anaerobic exercise with less intense recovery periods.

In plain English, that basically means you’ll be working as hard as humanly possible for a short amount of time, doing a recovery exercise instead of resting, then working hard again. An entire HIIT session usually only lasts for 10 to 30 minutes.

Here’s a closer look at why HIIT works more proficiently and takes way less time to burn fat and calories than the cardio machines at the gym:

1. Efficiency

You’ve probably realized this already but HIIT is one of the most efficient forms of exercise you can do and that makes it perfect for: Busy people, Lazy people, Efficiency aficionados, Anyone who wants to get in better shape but doesn’t want to spend hours doing it. In fact, research shows you can make more progress in just 15 minutes of HIIT than you can running for an entire hour! HIIT will improve your VO2 max, too. According to a 2011 study presented at the American College of Sports Medicine Annual Meeting, just two weeks of HIIT improves your aerobic capacity as much as six to eight weeks of endurance training!

2. Burn more fat

Looking to lose some extra body fat? Of course you are! HIIT can take care of this faster than any other form of exercise. The effects of all that hard work from HIIT actually kick your body’s repair cycle into hyper-drive mode, meaning you actually continue to burn fat in the 24 hours after HIIT, not just during your workout.

3. Burn more calories

Just 10 minutes of HIIT can burn more calories than a half an hour on the treadmill. Plus, just as your body burns fat for 24-48 hours after interval training, you’ll also burn more calories during the time after HIIT as well.

4. Get a healthier heart

If you’re working hard enough during HIIT you should actually feel like your heart is trying to jump out of your chest because it’s beating so hard (the technical term for this is called the anaerobic zone). But working this hard has it’s pluses, including being crazy good for your heart. In one 2006 study, researchers found that after eight weeks of doing HIIT workouts subjects could bicycle twice as long as they could before the study while maintaining the same pace. Plus, it’ll keep your ticker running smoothly well into old age.

5. No equipment necessary

One of the coolest things about HIIT is that you can still get a killer workout even if you have absolutely zero equipment. That means even if you don’t have access to a gym, don’t have a kettle-bell or resistance bands, or if you travel a lot, you can still do HIIT. Sprints, burpees, high knees, air squats – there are so many bodyweight possibilities for HIIT!

6. Lose fat, not muscle

Anyone who has been on a diet knows it’s nearly impossible not to lose muscle mass along with fat when you’re cutting calories. But while steady-state cardio seems to encourage muscle loss, studies show that both HIIT and weight training preserve muscle mass while still ridding the body of excess fat. And since muscles are way sexier than no muscles, this is pretty awesome if you ask me.

7. Increase your metabolism

A faster metabolism means that you can eat more and your body will still burn it off (sweet!). And HIIT will give that to you. Studies show that HIIT stimulates production of your Human Growth Hormone (HGH) by up to 450 percent during the 24 hours after you finish HIIT!

8. Don’t get bored

One of the biggest complaints I hear of long, steady exercise is that no matter what awesome podcast or pumped up music the person is listening to, they eventually get bored from working at the same pace for a long period of time. But though I get bored quite easily, even I find it hard to get bored with HIIT workouts. Since they’re constantly changing and always forcing you to work as hard as possible, the workouts are over before you know it and leaving no time for boredom. As a side note: if you are getting bored during your HIIT workouts, it’s time to amp up your intensity level.

9. 100% portable

Since it’s such a simple concept, going at maximum effort for a short period of time followed by a recovery period and repeat, you can adapt HIIT to whatever time and space constraints you have. That means that even if you’re in a tiny apartment, in the middle of the woods or on a rooftop in Mexico, you’ll never have any real excuse not to do HIIT.

10. Push your limits

HIIT forces you to work harder than you ever thought possible. It gives you the confidence you never knew you needed. It makes you stronger and fitter than ever before. HIIT pushes your limits, which reminds me of that quote, “You will never know your limits unless you push yourself to them.” – Author unknown

8 Metabolism Boosting Tactics

1) Fish.

Most of us have read about the benefits of fish oil, which is full of heart-healthy omega-3 fatty acids. Found in many common oily fish like mackerel, trout, sardines, herring, tuna, and salmon, it can also be taken in capsules (at least 300 milligrams/day) by those odd people (j/k lol) who don’t like seafood. Fish consumption has been found to boost your calorie burn by as much as 400 calories a day! Fish is also full of great, low-fat, muscle-building protein (which requires your body to burn more calories to digest it).

2) Dark green leafy vegetables.

These include arugula, chard, chicory, collard greens, dandelion greens, kale, mustard greens, and spinach. They are full of vitamin A, vitamin C, calcium, and lots of fiber. While the vitamins are great antioxidants and very healthy for you, the fiber is where the rubber really meets the road as far as your metabolism goes. Your body expends a lot more calories digesting fiber and protein than it does simply digesting carbs. This is called the thermic effect – the amount of calories required to digest food can sometimes be almost as much as the number of calories in the food itself. Dark leafies also contain many B vitamins, which are necessary to produce the enzymes for metabolism. Most other vegetables are high in fiber and low in calories and can boost your burn, but nutritionally speaking, the best are the dark green leafy vegetables.

3) Tomatoes.

Tomatoes contain high levels of the antioxidant lycopene, which has been proven to have several anti-carcinogenic properties. And like the dark green leafy vegetables, tomatoes are a good source of fiber. But tomatoes can also work overtime to flush fat, as they contain citric, malic, and oxalic acids, which support your body's kidney functions, helping your body eliminate more waste and fat from your system. (I personally love dicing them up and eating them in salads and even scrambled eggs)

4) Blueberries and other whole fruits.

Whole fruits contain lots of fiber, and many contain so much, they can be said to have "negative calories," meaning your body burns more calories digesting them than it contains. One cup of blueberries only has about 80 calories, but it has 4 whole grams of fiber. Your body will expend much of those 80 calories digesting those 4 grams of fiber. Blueberries also contain lots of antioxidants, and are believed to lower cholesterol and regulate blood pressure. Try adding them to a high-fiber unsweetened cereal or oatmeal in the morning to get your metabolism up and running at the start of your day.

5) Whole grains.

Well, if you've read this far you've probably gotten that fiber is key to keeping the metabolic fires burning. Whole grains are one of the best sources of dietary fiber. This is where careful label reading comes in. Lots of items that are supposed to contain whole grains only have just enough to make the claim truthful, and may in fact be full of insulin-spiking carbs or sugars, which will take your metabolism in the wrong direction. Speaking as someone who is hypoglycemic I’m here to tell you that insulin levels also play a large role in maintaining a healthy weight. Check the ingredient list of your breads and cereals carefully and make sure the main item (and FIRST listed) of the ingredients is whole grains.

6) Chilies, curries, and other spices.

Ever eaten a particularly spicy meal and felt your heart race a bit faster and your forehead start to perspire? The capsaicin found in many hot peppers and other spices can fire up your metabolism while it fires up your mouth. In fact, some studies have shown a 50% increase in metabolism for 3 hours after eating capsaicin! So it helps to keep a bottle of hot sauce on hand at mealtimes. You can also use spices to add flavor to recipes to help kick your metabolism into a higher gear, instead of salty or fatty ingredients. I like to use crushed red pepper and/or chili pepper on most everything I cook.

7) Green tea.

Researchers have found that green tea consumption can increase calorie-burning by up to 4%. It's believed that green tea accomplishes this by helping to increase metabolic rates, as well as fat oxidation. Studies have also shown that green tea can reduce sugar cravings and help inhibit enzymes that slow digestion, thus raising metabolic rates. In addition to its metabolic properties, green tea is loaded with antioxidants and polyphenols, making it one of the most healthful beverage choices around. (Just watch that you’re not excessively spiking it with sugar)

8) Ice water.

Almost every nutritionist will recommend drinking eight 8-ounce glasses of water every day, but did you know that if you drink ice water instead of room-temperature water, your body will burn an extra 9 calories per glass? Drinking room-temperature water can burn about 16 calories per glass – that's 25 calories per glass for ice water. So eight glasses of cold water a day can be responsible for burning 200 calories! Besides, water is necessary for all your bodily processes, including the ones that control your metabolism. But if you’re like me and have sensitive teeth that make “ice” water sound like a torture technique just know that you need water regardless of temperature and keep consuming it. If you're under-hydrated, your body will underperform. Water also flushes out fat deposits and toxins, which can hinder your energy.

Remember, a good night's sleep and smaller, more evenly spaced meals can be your best metabolic friends, there’s no avoiding the fact that one of the best things to really get your metabolism going is exercise. Also, because stress has been found to produce cortisol, a steroid that inhibits proper metabolism, I strongly recommend that you look into ways of reducing stress. (Yoga, meditation, reading, visit the ocean, etc.)

How Lack of Sleep Affects Weight Loss/Gain

I know many people think, “I’m too busy to sleep, sleeping doesn't make a difference in my weight loss goals.” But be warned, not getting enough sleep makes you very hungry and increases your cravings for the worst foods possible. How? According to a study published in the Public Library of Science, impaired sleep causes leptin (your "I'm full" hormone) to go DOWN by 15.5%. And it also causes ghrelin (your "I'm hungry" hormone) to go UP by 14.9%.

This can send your appetite wildly out of control. You wake up starving and completely useless until you can binge – and on the worst foods, driving up your cravings for sugar, sweets and sugary carbs (breads, pasta, etc.)!

Leptin (the "I'm full" hormone) also controls your metabolism by influencing your thyroid hormone. So when you don't get enough shut-eye and leptin goes down, your thyroid also goes down, which causes your metabolic rate (how many calories you burn at rest) to absolutely plunge. 

The result? More of the food you eat gets parked on your belly and thighs instead of being turned into energy to power you through the day. And it gets worse... most people don't know that the majority of the "fat burning" process actually happens when they sleep.

During sleep, leptin triggers specialized calorie-burning fat cells to burn up excess calories that you don't need and to release that energy as heat. So when you miss out on that deep sleep, you deprive yourself of the prime fat burning window.

Sleep deprivation also depresses how sensitive your cells are to insulin. If you are LESS insulin sensitive, you need to crank out MORE insulin to clear any excess blood sugar that may be floating around. And more insulin causes a double fat-making whammy by telling your liver to turn the food you eat into fat and by locking fat in your fat cells so it can't be released to be burned.

And yet another fat burning barrier occurs because your body perceives lack of sleep to be a threat to its existence so it fires up your stress hormone cortisol, which many people know has been directly linked to excess belly fat.

Impaired sleep also damages your brain, cognitive abilities and mood. Dr. Maiken Nedergaard, professor of neurosurgery at the University of Rochester, completed a study showing that when we sleep, our brain flushes out potent neurotoxins that are normal by-products of our waking activity.

But if you let those by-products accumulate without taking out the garbage, bad things happen – like brain fog, impaired memory, wild mood swings and trouble focusing. Inflammation and oxidative stress also run rampant, causing even further damage to your brain and putting you at risk of developing age-related diseases such Alzheimer's.

You ever see someone who hasn't gotten a good night's sleep in a few days? They look ragged and strangely older. That's because lack of good sleep ages you rapidly by robbing you of the small window of opportunity during which your growth hormone is helping you re-build and repair and keep you looking young.

Aside from making your skin wrinkly and dry, lack of growth hormone also dramatically alters your body composition, shifting it to be more fat and less muscle. So here's a few tips to getting more sleep:

- Go to bed 15 minutes earlier each week until you get to 7-9 hours of sleep.

- Make your bedroom completely dark, which maximizes your hormonal response.

- Calm down your brain before bed – no TV, no internet, no exercise, nothing.

- Eat (sensibly!) at least 3 hours before bed time – anything less can negatively affect fat burning.

6 Ways to Spring Clean Your Fridge or Pantry

I know that turning your back on your guilty pleasures can be painful at first BUT it’s a necessary spring ritual if you want a swimsuit-ready body by summer. By tossing out these six fat-laden temptations and restocking your shelves with healthier, portion-controlled alternatives, you can trim hundreds of calories from your diet and inches from your waistline.

1. Soda

Pour out the sugar water, and while you’re at it, lose the artificially sweetened ones, too. “Soda has absolutely no nutritional benefits,” says Keri Gans, RD. What’s more, the fizz disguises a potentially harmful cocktail of health risks. Just one regular soda a day may increase a man’s risk of heart disease by 20%, according to a 2012 study published in Circulation. Meanwhile diet soda may boost your risk for stroke, says research from American Stroke Association. Plus, a 2011 study by the Center for Science in the Public Interest linked the chemical used to create the beverage’s caramel coloring to several types of cancer. *Play it safe and fill your fridge with sparkling water instead.

2. Bag of Chips

A bag of chips contains tons of fat, calories, and sodium, which is extra dangerous if you’re one of those people who can’t stop munching until you reach the bottom of the bag. Throw out the salty snack and you’ll sidestep one of the biggest contributors to weight gain, according to a study published in The New England Journal of Medicine. *If you must indulge, choose the less-fattening baked variety or pick up a SINGLE SERVING of your preferred potato chip, says Gans. You’ll consume far fewer calories getting to the smaller bag’s bottom.

3. High Fat Cheese Blocks

Whole fat cheese won’t necessarily derail your diet – in fact, the fat can help you feel full and eat less. However, having an entire block on hand may beg you to binge, and a 10-ounce slab of full-fat cheddar packs over 1,000 calories and about 100 grams of fat. *Replace chunks of cheese with The Laughing Cow’s Mini Babybel single-serving wheels to keep your portions in check.

4. Fruit Drinks

Before you toss a jug of fruit juice in your grocery cart, give the label a careful read. A product that isn’t marked as 100% fruit juice needs to go back on the shelf. “Fruit drinks that aren’t 100% fruit juice are all sugar,” says Gans. Unlike the artificial alternatives, 100% fruit juice can generate similar health benefits found in whole fruit, such as protectors against cognitive decline, digestive and respiratory cancers, and heart disease, according to research from the University of California, Davis. *Just don’t overdo it! Stick to the appropriate serving size to avoid guzzling too many calories.

5. Ice-Cream

It’s okay to indulge in the creamy treat from time to time, but who actually stops at a spoonful of this stuff? Research from Cornell University shows that most people underestimate how much they serve themselves. In one study, diners with larger bowls served themselves and ate 31% more ice cream than participants with smaller bowls. *Purge your freezer of this frozen fat trap and leave this indulgence for dining out, so you can order a single scoop without being tempted to return to the carton for more. If you’re in desperate need for a fix, choose the single serving cups.

6. 70-calorie Yogurt

The two-digit number on the nutrition label makes this snack seem like a healthy choice, but the artificially sweetened cups aren’t a sufficient meal. “It’s not about the amount of calories in your yogurt, it’s about what’s in the yogurt,” says Gans. The measly 5 grams of protein found in the small package isn’t filling enough to keep you satisfied for long. *Go for low-fat Greek yogurt. With 15 to 20 grams of protein, it will keep you fuller longer, and you’ll be less likely to overeat later on.

Fitness Myths BUSTED pt.3 (final)

8) As long as I work out 30 minutes, that gives me a pass to do what I want for rest of the day.


You guessed it, WRONG! Working out doesn't negate a bad diet. You can’t just run a couple of miles and think well now it’s ok for you to drink and eat whatever you want the rest of the day. People think that if they exercise they don't really have to change their food/drink consumption, that it can take the place of making any serious changes to what they put inside their bodies. Any serious attempt to get healthier needs to start by understanding and changing the way you use food in your life and learn to develop a new nutrition LIFESTYLE that eliminates all the substances that masquerade as real food (highly processed foods, sweeteners – including sugar, etc.). When you get a grip on how you’re allowing your bad food/drink habits to rob you of optimal results from exercising you put yourself in a much better position to lose fat and KEEP IT OFF. When you focus first on your food/drink intake and understand why you feel the need to eat so much or why you feel you need to eat those foods that cause obesity, heart disease, diabetes, cancer, etc. then you have a better shot at maintaining the positives of weight loss and strength building that your workout program is helping you achieve in a long-term way .

9) No pain, no gain.


Feeling discomfort during a workout is expected and okay but if it's so intense you think you might pass out then it's too difficult and you're at increased risk for injuries or burnout. The programs I do, I do at MY PACE. Many times I go hard-ER and take less breaks BUT I break when I need to, whether the instructor is or not. I may add weight to some moves and I may do slower reps than they do. You have to judge for yourself. Remember the, “talk test.” And if you feel like throwing up or about to black out, here’s a novel suggestion: stop. There are also a ton of modifiers you can use if you have special medical reasons why you can’t execute the move exactly as they do. When you’re building muscle there will be soreness afterward, as the muscles repair themselves (becoming stronger) but you shouldn’t be feeling sharp or ongoing pains.

10) Stretching will help prevent injuries.

I know, we were all told this, BUT a growing number of studies challenge this assumption. A review published in 2007 of 10 randomized studies about stretching after or before physical activity found that "muscle stretching does not reduce delayed-onset muscle soreness in young healthy adults.” A study presented in 2011 at the American Academy of Orthopaedic Surgeons found that static stretching (when you stay in place, bend over to touch your toes, or try to pull your ankles towards your hips) before a run neither prevents nor causes injury. Then a more recent study in Medicine & Science and Sports & Exercise found that static stretches that last longer than a minute could even be detrimental to performance. Now don’t confuse this with how athletes often swing their arms and warm up before a game. That type of DYNAMIC stretching such as high knees, walking lunges, etc. can help move your muscles through different ranges of motions. This type of dynamic stretching is different from clasping your limbs, because it focuses on movement. A study published in the Journal of Strength & Conditioning Research found professional soccer players who practiced dynamic stretching had higher range of motion than when they practiced only static stretches. While toe-touches and extra flexibility might be required in gymnastics or ballet, it's irrelevant for more everyday activities like volleyball or weightlifting. I do want to mention that the American College of Sports Medicine recommends stretching each of the major muscle groups at least two times a week for 60 seconds per exercise. I do certain yoga poses 10-15 minutes 2 or 3 times EVERY week.  And as for working out I actually only stretch afterward when I’ve been lifting heavier or harder than usual. I also use my trusty cherry juice to minimize the DOMS (delayed-onset muscle soreness). Other proven forms of relief can be as simple as a warm bath and/or Ibuprofen. I loathe having to swallow pills so I opt for cherry juice.

Fitness Myths BUSTED pt.2

5) Low-intensity exercise burns more fat.

In general, low intensity exercise has its place, like it's less stressful on joints. The myth is that if you exercise too intensely, you end up burning carbs instead of fat. In my opinion, it's the most dangerous type of myth because there's a bit of truth in it. The more intensely you exercise, the higher proportion of carbs you burn. You may burn less fat, true, BUT the total amount of calories burned is higher and that is the bigger picture. And when your body has burned up all the carbs, it starts burning fat. If you pay attention to how many calories you burn, that ultimately determines how much body fat you're going to lose.

6) You HAVE TO down a protein shake after every workout.

Take a seat, lol. Ok, I’m going to seem a little sometimey on this topic but bear with me. I DO advocate this practice if you’re looking to pack on substantial muscle, such as bodybuilders, fitness models, etc. However, if you’re the average individual who’s just looking to maintain and assist the muscle you do have by giving it what it needs to repair and recover properly then no, I don’t recommend slamming down a 40g protein shake after every single work out. If you’re really ripping and roaring on weights, say twice a week then yeah, after THOSE workouts it makes sense. Generally speaking, and I can go on and on about this topic, as it has many different facets but I’m not writing a book, lol sooo the “average person” will do fine by just upping the quality and types of protein in their normal diet. There is a recommendation of no more than 30g at a time and a myth that anymore won’t be used by the body. Not true! However, the type of protein and when you take it becomes the variant on that point. For instance, last night I had a big steak. That probably gave me 60g of protein – and my body used it ALL. See, since that protein was from a whole food source it digests pretty slowly so I was getting the benefit from that steak many hours after. An educated guess for the rate for absorption here would be 4-5g per hour for the steak. There are also quicker delivered types that are consumed after a workout vs. the type you consume beforehand (and depending on the type of workout you’re doing) but most of this can be done through natural whole food sources. I want to note that Shakeology® is NOT a “protein shake.” It is far more inclusive than that, being a very nutrient-dense source of vitamins and minerals PLUS yeah, protein. And it’s more often than not used as a low calorie meal replacement for those seeking to lose weight. I personally use it as a recovery drink more than a meal replacement so I add other things to it. Inbox me for more details on the protein dilemma (or Shakeology® questions).

7) You can spot-reduce for tight abs.

I hear pretty much on a daily basis, “how do I get tight abs?” Many people think all they have to do is find the right abs exercise and then boom-bang-boom = awesome abs. Wrong!  You won't see real muscle definition or a nice six-pack despite how many crunches you do, because of the layer of fat resting on top of your muscles. It’s not about focusing on a single body part – it’s hitting them all! And you have to not only discipline yourself in exercise but also in your eating habits. You have to work the whole body, strengthening the muscle and burning calories altogether. And yes, you want a well-balanced healthy diet, but also, a very simple scientific fact is that if you consume more calories than you’re burning you will not lose weight –period. I tell people all the time, you probably have fine abs… they're just under that layer of fat. You have to burn the fat to reveal the muscle you’ve built / are building underneath. And there’s a ton of studies that prove the most quick and effective way of doing that is a combination of cardio and strength training AND EATING BETTER QUALITY FOOD/DRINK along with consuming less calories than you burn.

Fitness Myths BUSTED pt.1

We're all looking to maximize results while minimizing time and effort during exercise. That search for shortcuts has translated into a lot of myths about exercise so I want to bust a few of those for you.

1) Your cardio machine is effectively counting the calories you're burning.

Whatever! If you’ve ever had your percentages done professionally you know how much goes into being accurate on this point. However, some machines don't even ask for your weight or sex. And most aren’t asking your body composition. For instance, if you're a guy at 18% body fat, you're going to burn a lot more than if you're female at 35% body fat. And how many people know their body fat percentage even if there was a machine asking you for that info? The number calculated by your machine is not going to be accurate and some are way off!

2) Women shouldn't lift weights because it'll make them bulky.

This one drives me bananas! I’ve lifted weights my whole life and I’m not “bulky.” I’ve seen plenty  of women in the gym who were trained by professional competition circuit coaches spend 3 to 4 hours a day trying to build muscles. And I’ll tell you another thing, even the ones who achieved it were using some type (legal and not) of “help.” Women have too much estrogen to build large amounts of bulk. Guys build muscles faster because they have testosterone. So ladies, don't fear the weights! Strength training helps decrease body fat, increase lean muscle mass and burn calories more efficiently. The government's 2008 Physical Activity Guidelines for Americans recommended muscle-strengthening physical activity on at least three days of the week for kids and two or more for adults.

3) Heart rate monitors will let you know how hard you're working.

Ok, heart rate monitoring is a flawed science. The better detector of how hard you're working is not the newest, gee-whiz tech device, but your own body. Heart rates can vary depending on what kind of exercise you're doing. The “talk test” can measure how intensely you're working out and it doesn’t cost a dime. This is measured depending on whether you can talk in full sentences, short phrases or if you're barely able to muster a few words. Basically, if you can carry on a light conversation while exercising, then you are in a good intensity range. Once your speech starts to break, slow, or cause discomfort, you’re working too hard. Researchers at the American College of Sports Medicine found that people who can talk in full sentences or short phrases during exercise are likely to be working at the appropriate intensity, and that this test is a good way to predict intensity levels, even corresponding to exercise prescriptions (like the target heart rate) from doctors or trainers.

4) A weight scale is an accurate way to determine weight loss.

This is another pet peeve of mine. The only time I stepped on a scale was when I was training with competitors at the gym I used to work at (I only mimicked their practices until a couple of weeks out from stage, because then it got too unhealthy for my taste). The exercise novice, and even some seasoned folks are eager to weigh themselves every day on the scale. Week-after-week, they don’t see what they want then they get impatient. People starting saying, "I haven't lost any weight. This is pointless, I'm not accomplishing anything." After a few months of increased exercise, they are healthier because they've reduced risk factors such as blood sugar levels. Even though a person may not be losing weight, their health and strength level has improved in ways that aren’t measured on a scale. This is why I recommend the tape measure and/or jeans test.