Nutrition Tip – Sugar

We all know the detrimental effects of too much sugar in the diet and many of you are trying to limit your sugar intake. When looking at the ingredient list of foods you may notice that sugar isn’t listed and this is great but be careful here because sugar comes in many forms. If any of the following ingredients are listed then the food you are eating isn’t sugar free. The best foods to consume are the ones that are unprocessed with the fewest amount of ingredients. Here are a list of ingredients that are synonymous with sugar:

  •  sucrose
  • fructose
  • maltose
  • dextrose
  • malto dextrin
  • hydrolized starch
  • invert sugar
  • corn syrup
  • honey
  • cane sugar
  • agave nectar
  • sugar beets
  • high-fructose corn sweetener
  • maple sugar
  • molasses

Frequent Travelling and Health/Nutrition Goals

If you travel quite often chances are you are eating out for most of your meals and not exercising as much as you normally would. Here are a few ways to stay on track with your exercise and nutrition plan so you don’t lose the momentum you have gained:

  • at your travel destination, try to choose a location to stay that is close to a gym and grocery store so you can get your workouts in and pick up some healthy food. If your hotel has a gym that is even better
  • choose a hotel room with a kitchenette so you can prepare your own meals
  • look at restaurant menus beforehand so you can pick the healthiest options
  • bring protein supplements, powdered vegetables, and homemade bars with you so you have healthy options no matter where you go

Staying on track while travelling can be challenging but some prep work before hand will help keep you focused and motivated!

To see 8 reasons why traveling is good for your health, check out this great article over at positivehealthwellness.com.

Training and Nutrition Tip – Plateau’s

Sometimes a plateau is reached in your training program after initial progress. This is due to your body being lighter and burning less energy with every activity you do. To get over this plateau either increase your activity, consume a little bit less food with each meal, or a combination of both. If you are trying to gain lean muscle mass then you need to consume more calories during each meal. Measure your progress often so you can adjust your plan and minimize the occurrence of these plateau’s!

Leg Tabatas

Hey everyone!  I have a new Home Workout of the Week for you to do.  This time we are going to blast your legs.  Prepare yourself for this intense Leg Tabata Workout!  Your legs will be on fire but it’s definitely worth it.

Do what you can in the allotted time and build up your intensity.  Form is very important here to protect your knees and back and for the best results so make sure you practice the moves first before attempting the routine.

Have fun and let me know how you do!

Leg Tabata Workout

Tabata Protocol – 20 seconds of as many reps as you can do followed by 10 seconds of rest; 4 rounds of each pair of exercises followed by a 1 minute rest before moving on to the next pair of exercises

Warm-Up

  • 12 Body weight Squats
  • 12 Spiderman Climbs
  • 30 seconds of Jumping Jacks

Tabata 1

Tabata 2

Tabata 3

Tabata 4

Back, Bicep, and Core Workout

Hey everyone!  It’s Home Exercise of the Week time and I have the third part here for you of the three part split routine.  This week we are going to do the Back, Bicep, and Core Workout.  This routine is going to get your arms looking strong and toned and is going to strengthen the ever important muscles of the back.  Strong back and core muscles help prevent back problems as you age and especially if you spend many hours at a desk job, not to mention how great a strong back looks!

This Back, Bicep, and Core Workout does have some dumbbell exercises in them so if you have a set that’s great but if not then grab some stuff around the house that you can lift and curl like heavy soup cans, water bottles, pets, children, etc! 😉

Have fun, work hard, sweat a lot, and be awesome!

Back, Bicep, and Core Workout

Warm-Up

  • 10 Pushups
  • 12 Spiderman Climbs
  • 10 Spinal Rotations for each side
  • 10 Shoulder Circles for each arm

Superset 1

Rest for 30 to 60 seconds then repeat the superset 2 more times

Superset 2

Rest for 30 to 60 seconds then repeat the superset 2 more times

Superset 3

Rest for 30 to 60 seconds then repeat the superset 2 more times