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Stop drowning your tuna in mayo, instead try this light recipe. Fresh carrot, tomato and lettuce combined with a touch of red wine vinegar, give this tuna pocket a burst of refreshing flavor. Use an herb salad mix for an even better flavor.
Yield: 2 servings

Here’s what you need…

• 1 medium tomato, diced
• 1 small carrot, peeled and shredded
• 5oz can white albacore tuna, in water
• 1 cup mixed lettuce
• 2 teaspoons red wine vinegar
• Dash of pepper
• 2 whole wheat tortillas

1. In a medium bowl mix together the tomato, carrot and tuna. Add the lettuce and drizzle with vinegar. Mix well and add dash of pepper.
2. Serve half of the tuna mixture in each tortilla.

Nutritional Analysis: One serving equals: 188 calories, 3g fat, 16g carbohydrate, 9 g fiber, and 23g protein.

It’s that time of year again. Coffee shops everywhere have begun to peddle their holiday beverages. With names as enticing as peppermint, gingerbread, pumpkin pie, and eggnog, it’s no wonder that these drinks are top sellers. However, don’t be fooled. If it smells like a dessert, tastes like a dessert and is named after a dessert…it’s a dessert. It just happens to come in a cup.

Most holiday beverages contain close to 500 calories and may contain as much as 29 grams of fat.

Limit your intake of holiday dessert drinks and avoid extra weight gain this holiday season.

Take a walk through any gym, and you’ll notice many mistakes. Mistakes that waste time. Mistakes that put people in danger. And mistakes that are just plain stupid. Maybe you even make a few of these mistakes yourself.

By avoiding these common blunders, you’ll put yourself on the fast track to results. Check out the following 5 fitness mistakes and the solutions you need to avoid danger and to get fit fast.

Mistake 1: You use the wrong weight

The goal is to challenge your muscles, not to simply go through the motions. If you are able to complete 15 repetitions easily, then the weight is too light. On the flip side, if you aren’t able to perform an exercise through its full range of motion, and find yourself cheating on form, then the weight is too heavy.

The correct weights will feel challenging by your last few repetitions, but won’t force you to sacrifice form.

Mistake 2: You do the same routine

You may have noticed that most people do the same exercises each time they visit the gym. Maybe you’ve been doing the same exercise routine as long as you can remember - if it isn’t broken then don’t fix it, right?

The truth is that exercise routines have expiration dates, and that is the date that they begin to lose their effectiveness. As a rule of thumb never use the same routine for more than 4 weeks.

Mistake 3: You don’t warm up

Most people consider warm up time to be wasted time - they’d rather jump right into the heart of the routine. What they don’t realize is that a good warm up will allow you to perform at a higher intensity, which means greater results.

The point of a warm up is to increase your muscle temperature. This increases blood flow, muscle contraction and reduces muscle resistance. Your warm up should last 5-10 minutes.

Mistake 4: You use bad form

Gyms are filled with people performing exercises with bad form. The two biggest reasons are that you aren’t concentrating on the exercise, or you’re trying to lift weight that is too heavy. Lifting with improper form almost always results in injury.

Take the time to achieve proper form, by doing so you’ll avoid injury and will reap the full benefit from each exercise.

Mistake 5: You workout alone

People who exercise alone are less challenged, less accountable and typically see fewer results. It makes sense, doesn’t it? Why rush to the gym if no one is there waiting for you? Why push yourself if no one is watching? Exercising alone is a recipe for disaster.

The best way to avoid injury and to see results is to work with me, your trusted source on fitness. I am passionate about seeing my clients achieve results - without wasting time, energy and effort on mistakes.

Call or email today to schedule your first workout.

We are entering the holiday season, a time when sugar-and-fat laden desserts will materialize wherever you go. Wait! Before you forego your fitness goals for another piece of pie, try this simple recipe.

Fruit is nature’s candy - it’s sweet, delicate and delicious. Grilling fruit extracts the natural sugar, making it a warm, tasty treat. Serve seasonal grilled fruit for dessert this holiday season - you’ll lose weight without depriving your taste buds.

Yield: 2 servings

Here’s what you need:

• 1 mango (or apple, pear, melon, pineapple)
• 1 banana (or fig, apricot, papaya, peach, nectarine)
• Dash of cinnamon *optional*
• Grill pan
• Non-stick cooking spray
• Wooden skewers

1. Submerge wooden skewers in water for 15 minutes. Cut fruit into chunks, thread onto skewers.
2. Lightly spray a grill pan over medium heat. Place the fruit skewers in the pan. Sprinkle with cinnamon, if desired.
3. Grill for 5 minutes, or until dark grill lines appear. Flip the fruit over and grill the other side.

Nutritional Analysis: One serving equals: 120 calories, .5g fat, 31g carbohydrate, 3g fiber, and 1g protein.

The year’s most calorie-dense day is almost here—are you ready? Use this game plan on Christmas to avoid gaining extra weight:

• Start your day of thanks with a fiber-filled breakfast.
• Take 30-60 minutes for a brisk walk or jog before the big meal.
• At the table, fill most of your plate with lean cuts of meat and vegetables. When you’ve filled up on the healthy stuff then simply taste the heavier dishes, rather than eating a large serving.
• Wait at least 20 minutes before you get a second helping. This is very important since it takes at least this long for your body to register how full it actually is. You may realize after 20 minutes that you don’t want seconds after all.
• Enjoy a warm serving of Grilled Fruit for dessert instead of pie.

The number one reason why people don’t exercise is that they don’t have time.

At least that’s what they tell themselves .

I know we are all busy. Between getting to and from work, balancing responsibilities and having time for yourself, there’s little left over for workouts.

With the holiday season fast approaching your busy schedule is sure to get even busier. There will be parties, shopping, decorating, cooking and family gatherings. It’s no wonder that exercise quickly takes a backseat to holiday activities.

You don’t have to succumb to weight gain this holiday season. Escape the time crunch excuse in three easy steps:

Step One: Schedule Your Workouts: You’ve heard this before, and it makes so much sense. If you treat your exercise time with the importance of a work meeting then you’d never skip a workout and you’d be in amazing shape.

While the scheduling concept is brilliant in its simplicity, you have to put it into practice to reap the benefits. Pull out your calendar and a pen. Don’t laugh, I’m serious! Just do it. If you want to get into shape it starts with committing to a revised
schedule with a set exercise time.

Identify three 40-minute time slots and mark them on your calendar. That is when you’ll exercise.

Remember this: if the thought that you should exercise this week is floating around in your head, but you haven’t anchored it down to a specific time and date, then it will quickly disappear.

Step Two: Get the Most from Each Minute: The days of endless, mind numbing cardio are over. A great workout can take place in under an hour, when done correctly. The idea is to burn more calories each minute. This is done through short, intense bursts of exercise.

Use the following three tips to bring your routine up to the next level:

1. Be Unstable: Use your entire body, and target your core, by performing exercises that engage stabilizing muscles. To do this use an exercise ball, a balance board, a balance disk, or you could simply stand on one leg.
2. Add Resistance: The more resistance that you incorporate with your routine translates into higher intensity and more calories burned. Some ideas for adding resistance include: carrying dumbbells while doing lunges, wearing a weighted vest while walking or jogging, or putting a weight between your feet while doing leg raises.
3. Use Intervals: Interval training is an amazing tool for creating short yet effective workouts. Don’t worry, it’s not complicated. Interval training is simply alternating between different short bursts of activity.

   Here’s an example: Let’s say you want to focus on your legs and abs and to also get an effective cardiovascular workout. This would be a great interval routine for your goals:

• Lunge while curling dumbbells, 15-20 repetitions
• 30 seconds of intense cardio: sprint, jump rope, or jumping jacks
• Squat while pressing dumbbells overhead, 15-20 repetitions
• 30 seconds of intense cardio: sprint, jump rope, or jumping jacks
• Crunches on an exercise ball, 15-20 repetitions
• 30 seconds of intense cardio: sprint, jump rope, or jumping jacks
• Leg raises off the end of an exercise bench, 15-20 repetitions

Step Three: Twice the Results in Half the Time: What if I told you that I have a proven way to deliver twice the fitness results in half the time? It’s simple really…

When you attempt to lose weight or meet a fitness goal on your own, the odds are stacked against you. Sure, you could do it over time – but it’s a long and lonely road. A road lined with detours that threaten to undermine your progress.

When you start a program with me, you suddenly have the upper hand on weight loss. You have me in your corner, coaching you each step of the way, keeping you accountable to workouts and giving you that dose of encouragement went the going gets tough.

And I’ll be the one congratulating you when your goal is met.

Call or email today to get started on a fitness program that will put exercise firmly on your calendar, and results squarely in your future.

Remember how Popeye would drain a can of spinach and half a second later his muscles would begin to bulge? Think of this recipe as your own can of spinach. While your muscles may not instantly grow to three times their size, your body will surely experience a nutritious surge.
Yield: 2 servings

Here’s what you need…

• 1 cup packed fresh spinach
• 2 green apples
• 4 large carrots
• 1 Tablespoon fresh ginger
• Juicing machine

1. Wash the vegetables, cut the ends off the carrots and peel the ginger.
2. Run each item through the juicer. Mix until combined, pour into two glasses and enjoy.

Nutritional Analysis: One serving equals: 139 calories, .5g fat, 34g carbohydrate, .8g fiber, and 2g protein.

Breakfast is the most influencial meal of the day. If you start your day with sugary pastries or a greasy breakfast sandwich, the rest of your food choices will follow suit. However, when you start your morning with a wholesome and nutritious meal you’ll be more likely to continue with good choices throughout the day.

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