Your Super Bowl Sunday Game Plan (A plan for Healthier Recipes)

The Super Bowl is the most televised event and is coming this Sunday. Now is the time to put your game plan and preparation for all the goodies at whatever Super Bowl party attend/host. However, doesn’t it make more sense to make a few tweaks to some the favorite party foods and make them healthier?

Below is a list of approved healthier substitutes for the traditional party foods. Follow this and you’ll satisfy your taste buds/cravings while saving at least hundreds if not thousands of calories. Better yet implement these strategies consistently for parties and social gatherings over the course of the year, and you can easily prevent the agony of 5-10 lbs of fat gain…!

Section A- Appetizers

• Naked Sandwiches (this bun-less, and if need be only use a whole grain bun)
• Thin Crust Whole Grain Pizza
• Fruit Salad (slap a low-carb whipped cream and dash of splenda/stevia to top if needed)
• Super Salad Bowl (use unlimited veggies and meats, dip dressing on the side or use low calorie substitutes)
• Sweet Potato Fries
• Tuna or Chicken Salad
• Nut Butter on Celery Sticks
• Mixed Nuts (no sugar, unroasted, low in salt)
• Eggs, Cheese and Meat Tray
• Caprese Salad
• Raw Veggies (be careful with the dip and use sparingly)
• Grilled/Sautee Veggies (using extra virgin olive or coconut oil)
• Figure-Friendly Nachos (see “accessories” below for ingredients: tortillas, cheese, salsa, and guacamole)
• Buffalo Chicken Bites (skinless, without bread, use low calorie buffalo sauce sparingly)
• Shrimp cocktail : Shrimp is lean, and each one has 1 gram of filling protein. Protein takes longer to digest and keeps you fuller for longer periods.
• Pasta Salad (use whole grain pasta and go easy on the dressings, choosing marina based sauces over creamier versions)
• Chicken kabobs/Shrimp kabobs: Forget the meatballs! Opt in for chicken/shrimp chunks in a light marinade, then broil/grill until crispy and cooked through. Serve on toothpicks. Thread 1 ounce strips of chicken/shrimp onto skewers cut in half.
• Deviled eggs: Again you don’t need all the mayo, half will do and you can save calories and fat. These are another filling, healthy treats. Instead of your typical filling, try using hummus, salsa, or even that smoked salmon mousse. It sounds strange, but it will look just like it’s gourmet dish!

Section B- Accessories

• Natural Whole Grain Tortillas
• Natural Baked Chips
• Natural Cheethos
• Diet Lipton Green Teas (or other low calorie/carb beverages)
• Water
• Natural Salsa, pico de gallo or homemade, spicy or mild, this is a no-fail appetizer. Serve it with baked or whole-grain chips, vegetables or pita chips.
• Guacamole
• Salad Dressings: Vinegars of choice (apple cider, red wine, balsamic, etc.)
• Other Low Calorie Condiments of Choice: mustard, hot sauce, horseradish, etc.

Section C- Main Courses

• Lettuce Burgers (use extra lean sirloin or bison, preferably bun-less only using whole grain bun option if absolutely needed)
• Rotisserie Chicken (choose “plain” and remove skin and pat off any grease as needed with paper towel)
• Extra Lean Kosher Hot Dogs (preferably bun-less, only use whole grain bun option if absolutely needed)
• Chili (preferably bean-less, only use if absolutely needed and feel free to swap extra lean turkey for the beef version to cut down your fat intake)
• Pizza (see “appetizers” above or use whole grain/thin crust options from restaurants or frozen food isles)

Section D- Desserts

• Edy’s Grand Light Ice Cream
• Prograde Cravers (100% organic chocolate snacks bars)
• Larabars
• Cocoa Via Bars or Packs
• Low Carb Cheesecake from The Cheesecake Factory
• Protein Cookies (swap in protein powder for flour)

BONUS- Top 10 Ways to Save Thousands of Calories This Super Bowl Sunday

1.) Go Naked: Replacing all buns or breading on sandwiches with a lettuce wrap alternative to cut calories, stabilize blood sugar, and boost fiber and micronutrient intake.

2.) Stay Hydrated: Drink at least two to four cups of water before eating AND one to two cups every 15-30 minutes after you start eating. This helps to fill your stomach and prevent you from overeating. Overeating is something that can be triggered by dehydration.

3.) Avoid Empty Liquid Calories: Minimize or eliminate all fruit juices, regular sodas, and alcohol. Choose water, tea, or low calorie/carb beverages and use in moderation. This gives more room for whole food choices that have nutritional value and will fill you up.

4.) Do not fast in preparation for the party. Fasting only leads to turning your body into a famished fat-storing machine the next time you eat. The result of fasting is low blood sugar levels that come from not eating for four hours or more. When this happens you tend to crave junk foods high in both fat and refined sugars.

5.) Exchange All the White stuff with Brown (Or Better Yet… Green!): Be sure to use the whole grain alternatives for any starch you serve at your party (e.g. chips, tortillas, breads, rice, pasta). Whole grains contain more vitamins and minerals and are rich in fiber, which means they won’t have the negative impact on your blood sugar levels compared to its white counterparts. However, if you want to be a nutritional guru, take it a step further and replace all the brown with green in the form of green veggies (see “Go Naked” above).

6.) Your primary focus should be eating lean proteins and fruits and veggies first. These can be in unlimited amounts as needed to fill you up and best prevent the typical dosage of high carb and high fat meals at the party (e.g. thick crust pizza with extra full-fat cheese).

7.) Never eat directly out of the bag or community bowl. Use smaller plates to place your food on while limiting yourself to a pre-set plate total (e.g. four plate maximum during a three-hour football game).

8.) Exchange Gold for Green: Select guacamole over cheese for your salads and chips. Guacamole is not only low in saturated fat and high in heart healthy monounsaturated fats but it also has a good amount of fiber that will help fill you up fast and prevent overeating. Though cheese is a true super food in moderation, it is very easy to overeat especially when mixed with refined carb sources like white chips and pizza.

9.) Replace Flour with Protein Powder: Few people know that protein powder makes a great cooking or baking substitute for flour (e.g. protein cookies). By adding protein and reducing carb intake you will boost metabolism.

10.) Look to get 20 Chews: Eat slowly and require a certain number of chews before you swallow to allow your brain enough time to get the signal “I’m full” (e.g. 20 pre-swallow chews).

Atlanta Personal Trainer Reveals the Best Butt Exercise Ever!

As a fitness coach, I’m constantly asked, “What exercises are best exercises for the “Butt?”. One of the most common areas of concerns is the lower body, specifically the hip, butt and thighs. Today I’m going to share one of my favorite lower body exercise and the multiple variations that come with it. It’s called the Rear-Foot Elevated Lunge Variation/Bulgarian Split Squat. This exercise is so effective that you’ll pretty much reshape your legs with this move and make you legs thunder-thigh proof when you master it!

Before I get into the movement, I don’t want you to be confused that spot reduction or individual body part training on certain areas of the body is what you should be doing. I am a fervent believer in total body workouts, meaning that we train the upper body, lower body, and core during every single workout. You want better abs, Total Body Train, better legs, total body train, better arms total body train. When you train the whole body at once you maximize and stimulate lean muscle gain, your metabolism and help promote total body fat burning. in order to eliminate the body fat that covers the areas that people are having trouble seeing; the stubborn fat areas that prevent a good body from becoming a great body, you need to focus on Total Body Movements. Plus, a diet high in lean protein, fiber, and green veggies and low in fats and refined sugars and starches is of course a must if you want to see muscle be sexy and ripple. It is also important to know that you lose fat in a genetically predetermined way. You can do endless amount of crunches, but without total body training, proper eating habits, and enough time to get to those stubborn fat areas you will never get rid of your gut, stop the arms from jiggling, reduce those hips and thighs or trim and shape the rear.

Now that we cleared that up: back to the ultimate butt exercise. My favorite leg exercises are lunge variations. I prefer single leg exercise in lieu of their double leg counterparts for many reasons. For people with back issues, single leg exercises allow them to safely perform lower body exercises without putting the lower lumbar spine in jeopardy of hyper flexion or excessive rounding that can lead to back spasms in the short run and herniated discs in the long run. Also, I feel there’s often times a strength and/or flexibility imbalance between both legs for most people. Therefore, it’s critical to address one leg at a time to really fire up the weak links from the start.

I prefer a lunge variation called The Rear Foot Elevated Lunge. So basically you elevate the back foot on a chair, bench, box, or any other sturdy foot support, usually about 12-18 inches high for the advanced you may choose unstable surfaces like a stability ball. Put your front leg well in front of you in order to make sure that your front knee and ankle are in alignment. In general, I often tell people to exaggerate how far you can put your front leg forward so that the front knee is almost slightly behind the ankle. This really helps reduce sheer force on the knees. Initiate the exercise, by loading the front heel and sinking your hips as low as you can in a pain-free range of motion. Maintain a really tall posture with a proud chest and shoulders down and back. Finish the rep by explosively driving through your front heel to return to the top of the movement. You can start with body weight only in search of front thigh parallel to the floor or lower depth and then progress by adding speed to the movement or by using dumbbells. You can even incorporate some very cool combination movements with this lower body exercise like adding a curl to press at the top of the movement or even by raising dumbbells overhead to really challenge your core and single-leg balance and stability.

See the video below for a complete demo of all of the different variations of the rear-foot elevated lunge:

I have yet to find an exercise that hits the butt as hard as this one does. In particular, it really helps strengthen your vastus medialis muscle, that inner quad muscle that looks like a teardrop, that’s heavily responsible for tracking your patella and keeping your kneecaps in line. So if you have a history of overtraining or patella-femoral issues this exercise is phenomenal for keeping your knees as bulletproof as possible.

Lastly, this movement provides a very good stretch for the hip flexor of your back leg, an area that is often very tight, especially for those who are seated for long periods. Any exercise that allows you to simultaneously stretch and strengthen your body is a must have. Don’t waste another moment with the useless adductor machine (You know the machine that has the legs go in and out a.k.a. the sex machine) and get off your butt and start doing the Ultimate Butt exercise right now!

Barack Obama’s Inauguration Cardio Blast

It is clear that our President Barack and First Lady Michelle Obama live an active lifestyle. We know Mr. President loves to play basketball and just by looking at the First Lady, we can tell that she makes time to exercise. All you have to do is take one glance at her upper body and you can tell, that didn’t come about just sitting around living a sedentary lifestyle.

That being said, questions are now arising asking if they may influence the nation to be more active. It’s not completely ruled out just yet there’s a possibility they can change and impact our nation and help fight this fight of obesity, but only time will tell. I mean for goodness sakes, we’ve had 66% of the population obese for quite some time. Those stats tell me there’s a good chance you are too. And what’s even scarier than that you’re kids may be and on the verge of dealing with type II diabetes, high blood pressure etc.

We do know celebrities, athletes, and others who we see in the media have a big influence on us. These people have paparazzi following their every move. That’s why we get to hear about the latest fad or treatment they did to get their body. The next thing you know, you’re scrambling around trying to get whatever it is they’re doing because it worked for them, it must work for you.

So who knows, if the President decides he wants to implement a program to help our kids be more aware and make better choices in regards to food or if he mandates more physical activities, a change just may occur. All things are possible.

I spent a few minutes friday watching President Barack and Michelle Obama on the train in Maryland. It really was amazing to see. Especially seeing the masses of people in Washington waiting in freezing temperatures upon their arrival. While they were waiting, the crowd was instructed to begin doing some exercises. This was probably for a couple of reasons. The first was to warm their bodies up. The weather was in the teens for sure. Second, they were looking to create mobility, as some of the movements looked like a dynamic stretch.

Now, with however many million that were there that day there wasn’t too much space, but they got the job done and there weren’t any reports of people being trampled or anything like that. Which brings me to the video I want to share with you. I’ve put together some simple cardio based exercises that we use in our Atlanta Boot Camp. You can do these anytime, anywhere cardio movements you can do. Our boot camp is based on interval training. It’s the best bang for you buck and gives you the best chance to burn even more calories opposed to running at a steady pace. Often times, we place these exercise in between sets (active recovery), that way the body is allowed to recover and we’re still working.

Plus the cardio is taken care of for that day. I dare you to give it a try. It will intensify any workout. Choose any one exercise and immediately after the exercise add a high knee sprints or a trot. I guarantee you you’ll be working much harder and you don’t have to waste a bunch of time. Workouts can be done in 4 minutes if need be and there’s multiple variations and forms of cardio you can do.

If you’re the person who thinks you’re just too busy to exercise. Then break your exercise workouts into 4-5min time slots and repeat them 5 times in a day. Plain and simple, you need to be exercising 5-6 times a day for a total of 30 minutes. That’s not a lot of time. Nor do I believe you have to spend endless hours working out. Following the plan mentioned above, that’s around 3 hrs per week. Just like our President and First Lady, you just have to make time for it. Cheers!

Taking a New Years Resolution to Real World Results

For the last six or so years, I’ve been blessed to be in a position to help countless individuals maximize their performance, body composition.  As of the last few yrs the results have come faster than ever.  What’s the secret you might ask?  How do I help these people lose ugly, unwanted body fat faster than most can comprehend?

Well…. make no mistake about it, a big reason for this is because the integrated rapid fat loss training we do and the nutrition system is second to none. I have spent hours upon hours studying many books, diets doing a ton of research with.  This nutrition system is by far the best thing around.  There’s literally hundreds of people who have been used as real world case studies to prove that the system flat out works. But, today I am going to let you in on something that is even more powerful.  This actually must be the chief cornerstone even before you begin to think about following a fitness program.

So back to the question in the first paragraph, what is the secret behind the success of these clients who use this integrated program?  If you answered, “it’s the combination of the aforementioned training and nutrition system you’re spoke about,  you’re wrong. Yes, indeed it’s a fantastic program, but it’s sad but true, the program is useless if a person isn’t unwilling to start it AND stick to it, right?  That being said, the most important component of changing your body is to find your motivation to achieve your goals.  And that’s the main focus of this today blog. I am going to walk you through an initial consultation and three step goal-setting process that everyone new client must adhere to before they begin working with us. This component to weight loss success is so vital, I now require it for any new client to be considered for joining this unique program.

Before we get to the goal setting.  I already know some of you may think goal setting is useless and cheesy.   If you are one of those people, please do us both a big favor and stop reading this blog right now and go buy another exercise gadget, useless weight loss book or pill, or try the model the newest diet you see at the magazine stand because quite frankly I’m not able to a thing for you. I can only help those who want to learn. I don’t nor can’t help those who already think they know it all and think they are too good to take some time to figure out what the heck it is that they actually want to accomplish. The bottom line is that the most successful people out there, and I mean not just weight loss success, I am talking business, lifestyle, etc., are shamelessly goal driven and oriented.  Don’t believe me just check their background.   They know exactly why they want to do something.  They harness that super motivation to figure out what and by when they want to go about accomplishing that. Furthermore, they plan and prepare for every potential roadblock/barrier they will encounter in their path to success. This is what I want to share with you today, so let’s get it!

Step One- The Why: Why do you even want to do this?

This is where it’s time to be real with yourself.  In almost every single initial consultation, when  the question is asked  “why are we hear”, here is the typical half a** response I get the first go around: “Well….I wan to lose weight and be healthy.”

Huh?

If you think for one minute I’m buying that you’re dead wrong.   Yes, I know they want to some lose weight and ultimately be healthier, I mean who doesn’t? So I ask the question again so I can find out REALLY WHY do they want to do this? Seriously, what is the driving force that’s going to get them up at 5 am to get their breakfast and morning workouts in or take a few extra of hours on Sundays to prepare and plan their meals for the upcoming week? It most certainly isn’t to be healthy.  If that was the case, they probably wouldn’t be in the current situation their in right?  Would we even be sitting down if that was the case?  Yet for some odd reason this just isn’t the driving motivator for most people (don’t get me wrong it should be).

The bottom line: everybody, including YOU and I, wants to look better naked. Stop chuckles, there’s no joking here, you know it’s true and frankly that’s okay because the desire to improve one’s appearance is probably the most powerful motivator one can have.  Well besides a near death experience.   And it shouldn’t be such a big surprise since we as humans, or any species for that matter, is to procreate. This is instinctual. And obviously, looking better makes this more of a reality.

So, after a little digging, picking and prying and probing questions on these people I get to the real reason why they want to do this.  You’d be amazed at some of thing I hear.  Quite frankly they’re amazed too.  Their past, fears and pains come out and then we’re able to establish their current and future ambitions.  Yes, at times it gets real emotional.  Tears streaming down their face as they’ve been told they were never good enough, or too fat, never felt accepted.   Some of these people would do anything to be able to mow the lawn in the Hotlanta summer with their shirt off and not feel self-conscious. Others are just looking to get back into their favorite pair of pants that they haven’t been able to get one leg into for over the last five years. Then there are those who want to look and feel more attractive to spark up their relationships and/or put on a their best image for their manager position at work. And of course, my personal favorite is the getting ready for big events that have built in deadlines. Some want to get as lean and tight as possible in that dream bathing suit at the beautiful beach with white sand, or get off the plane when visiting family you haven’t seen in years to blow them away with their new body, or being a classic beauty in your wedding dress on the big day, it all works! This is the stuff that gets people fired up.  Fired up in the way you see football teams and basketball teams jumping around pregame.  These people are ready to commit to making some real changes. How do I know?

Well, I just shared with you word for word the exact answers to the “WHY’S” of some of my own clients.

So, the first thing you do, you need to figure out your personal WHY?and be honest with yourself!

To make this even easier for you,  answer this question:

What are your physical dreams? Once you establish this, everything else is simple!

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