5 Ways To Spring Clean Your Diet
Hey Team! We don’t need to tell you that this winter has been a doozey, but hopefully by the end of this month we’ll have May flowers to look forward to.
This month’s issue we walk to go over ways that you can “spring clean” your diet in time for summer. When the weather is cold and gray, we have a tendency to settle for meals that make us feel good, and not necessarily good for us.
Here are 5 tips to spring clean your fridge and pantry to get ready for summer:
Donate unhealthy/non-perishable food to a food shelf.
Go through your pantry and get rid of all those chips, salt snacks, and boxed processed food out of your pantry. Donate it to a food shelf so you don’t have to totally throw it away. You don’t want to eat anything that has an expiration date of 2 years – it’s not really food if it can stay edible for that long.
Get rid of any anything that may has expired.
Sometimes we have things like ketchup and mustard that sit in the fridge for heavens knows how long. Sometimes there’s that leftover spaghetti and meatballs that ends up turning into a science project at the back of the fridge.
Clean out your freezer.
Many people are big fans of freezing a lot of things for easy meals. Now is the time to go through your freezer and get rid of any meats or boxed items that may have expired. You may think, how can frozen food go bad? Freezing food for extended periods of time (over a year) can cause freezer burn and degrade the quality of the food. If it’s expired or been in there for over a year, toss it.
Start shopping on the outside of the grocery store.
That means add more veggies and leafy greens to your diet. Make sure you have more veggies than fruit in your shopping cart. Fruit is good for you, but it still has sugar in it. Make a commitment to eating at least 1 salad a day, whether it’s for lunch or for dinner. 1 salad a day will keep the boating away!
No more boxed or frozen meals!
Stop being lazy and buying pre-packaged microwavable meals. These are highly processed, high in sodium, and just plain bad for you. Make a commitment to yourself and your family to make fresh meals with REAL ingredients. You don’t have to always buy organic, but buy food that will actually go bad. If that means going to the store twice a week so be it. Don’t have time? Make time. You should always have time when it comes to your health and well being.
Eating well is the first step to getting in shape and staying in shape. You’ve heard us tell you before, working out a lot isn’t enough to stay fit. You have to feed your body the right nutrients to maintain your energy and muscle growth.
Have more questions about eating well? Don’t hesitate to talk to your coach. We are here to be a resource to you whether it’s on or off the mat.
Coach’s Corner: 10 Nutrients Proven to Make you Feel Awesome
Hello Team! You may be thinking, “What’s up with all the nutrition articles?” Well, you may not know this, but nutrition is one of the most important aspects of losing weight and staying in shape. No matter how much you train, if you’re eating garbage you’re not going to optimize your results.
Here are 10 key nutrients that have been scientifically proven to improve your health and make you feel great!
Calcium
Did you know that calcium is the most abundant mineral in our bodies? It helps maintain strong bones and healthy blood vessels! Don’t like milk? Try adding collard greens, kale, or plain yogurt to your diet!
Chromium
There are only trace amounts of chromium in our bodies, but it’s important in metabolizing food. It also plays a huge role in helping the brain regulate emotions and your mood. Feeling depressed? Try adding broccoli, potatoes, and turkey breast into you weekly meals!
Folate
AKA B9, this nutrient is a key player in creating new cells and supports serotonin regulation. Not having enough folate in your diet can make you feel more fatigued than normal. Boost your folate levels by eating spinach, avocado, and brussels sprouts.
Iron
Responsible for moving oxygen, supporting energy levels, and aiding in muscle strength – iron is really important, especially for women who may suffer from anemia. Low levels of iron typically result in fatigue, apathy, ad mood swings. Keep the blues away by eating lentils, beef ribeye, and oatmeal.
Magnesium
With over 300 roles, this nutrient is one you don’t want to lack. Keep your Mg levels up by keeping ample amounts of almonds, spinach, edamame, and cashews in your diet.
Omega 3s
This essential fatty acid is critical for improved brain health and contributes up to 18% of the brain’s weight! Our bodies can’t naturally produce omega 3s so it’s really important you get them through your diet. You can take fish oil, or add chia seeds, Atlantic salmon, spinach or Chinese broccoli to your meals!
Vitamin B6
This essential vitamin helps produce and maintain the neurotransmitters that send messages from our brain to our bodies. A lack of B6 can result in short term anemia, a weakened immune system, confusion or depression. Get your fill by adding chickpeas, tuna, salmon, or chicken breast to your salads and sandwiches.
Vitamin B12
Feeling tired and paranoid? You might be B12 deficient! Give yourself a boost with Rainbow trout, swiss cheese, and Sockeye salmon!
Vitamin D
Known as the “happy” vitamin, vitamin D has been linked to helping ward off depression, especially during the winter months when its cold and gray. Give yourself a pick me up by adding D rich foods like eggs, salmon, milk, and Chanterelle mushrooms to your diet.
Zinc
Found in almost every cell in our bodies, it playing an important role in supporting a healthy immune system and helps the body protect our guts from damage. Get your zinc on by eating cashews, pork loin, and swiss cheese!
Well, there you have it! Your homework for this month is to review what you’re eating and make sure to get as many of these into your diet as possible.
7 Heart Healthy Foods To Keep In Your Diet
Hello Team! Since February is the month of love – we want to make sure that your heart is in good shape! Here are 7 heart healthy foods to keep in your diet to prevent disease and keep it strong!
Oatmeal.
One of the best heart healthy foods is oatmeal. So if this isn’t in your diet right now, go and get some today. According to health.com, 67 studies were conducted that showed people with diets that were high in soluble fiber (steel-cut oats) had lower overall and LDL (the bad kind) cholesterol. If oatmeal alone doesn’t sound appetizing, add a dollop of vanilla greek yogurt and a few of your favorite berries.
Salmon.
Although it’s not the cheapest fish on the market, salmon is high in omega-3 fatty acids which have been proven to help protect your heart from disease. Not a big fish fan? Not a problem, you can get omega-3s from fish oil capsules or nuts.
Nuts.
When choosing heart healthy nuts, go for the walnuts, almonds, and macadamia nuts. These are the ones that have mono and polyunsaturated fats – these are the “good” fats that your body needs to process and absorb certain vitamins.
Extra virgin olive oil.
There are numerous studies that confirm that the monounsaturated fats found in olive oil can lower the LDL (or “bad”) cholesterol – reducing your risk of heart disease. Use it over pastas or on salads with a little bit of balsamic vinegar.
Berries.
Who doesn’t love berries? Strawberries, blueberries, and blackberries have been shown to lower inflammation in the body and have a ton of heart health benefits. Plus, berries are a great way to get a healthy dose of naturally occurring sugar – great for you, and your sweet tooth.
Beans.
Beans are not only a great source of protein, that are great for your cardiovascular health. Studies have shown that people who eat legumes (beans and lentils) at least 4 times a were had a 22% lower risk of heart disease than those who only ate them once a week. Beans are great on top of brown rice or quinoa, or in a salad.
Broccoli.
This heart healthy food, along with other green and delicious veggies like kale, spinach, and chard, have amazing anti-inflammatory and body detoxifying effects that you shouldn’t miss out on. Enjoy them steamed, raw. in a salad or as a side to a meal.
Well, there you have it. If you don’t have any of things in your diet right now, you should make a trip to the grocery store as soon as possible and pick a few things up and start protect your ticker! You’re already doing your heart some favors by training regularly, but why not maximize your benefits by eating foods that will complement your training efforts?
Eating well is 75% of the battle of losing weight and keeping the weight off. If you’re exercising but eating poorly, you’re not doing yourself any favors.
As always, if you have any questions about diet and nutrition – don’t hesitate to ask your coach. We’re always here to help!
Coaches Corner: Training During The Holidays
Hey Team! It’s getting to be that time of year again! The holidays are notorious for knocking people off their routine. The combination of your schedule filling up with family gathering and being surrounded by copious amounts of turkey, pumpkin pie, and stuffing, it may seem hard to find the time or motivation to come to the gym and train. Here are a few tips that will hopefully help you find a balance between family, food, and training.
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Set holiday training goals and make an action plan!
Here at The Academy we are all about setting goals and making those goals come to fruition. These goals can be as small as, “I’m going to do 20 pushups every morning before I go to work.” You might recall our issue on goal setting a few months back, but in case you forgot – it’s important to not only set goals but to have a clearly laid out action plan. (What you’re going to do each day and for how long.)
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Relax.
The holidays are usually a stressful time for most people, but try to give yourself some time each day to relax. This doesn’t mean lay on the couch and eat 10 doughnuts. This means sit outside if the weather is nice and enjoy the fresh air. Or go for a short 15 minute walk around the neighborhood alone or with the dog, or with your significant other.
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It’s okay to be flexible.
We understand that sometimes you might schedule a run for noon on a Saturday before the family shows up for dinner at 5, but you realize you have to run some unexpected errands. Don’t panic, just reassess your schedule and find a way to fit in that workout either later in the day or the next day. Just make sure you’re not making excuses just to push your workout further into the future.
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Moderation!
Moderation is key to having a guilt free holiday meal. Instead of having 3 slices of pumpkin pie, tell yourself that one slice is plenty to satisfy your tastebuds. Stay aware of portion sizes too. Usually using the size of your palm and fist are good bench marks for determining proper portion size. A slice of ham the size of your palm and a dollop of mashed potatoes the size of your fist is a pretty good starting point. You can have as much veggies as you like as long as they are raw and not drenched in oil and salt.
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Spend time with your family – exercising!
If your family knows you’re trying to get in better shape try to include them in that goal. After everyone has digested their food you can suggest going for a walk around the neighborhood or playing in the yard. Or set up outdoor games that you can play with the kids if the weather is decent (dodgeball, tag, Red Rover).
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Home cook each dish if possible.
You may be thinking, “I don’t have time to home make each dish!” Don’t panic. This is a great way to get the rest of the family involved in your efforts to have a healthier but just as tasty feast. Instead of buying turkey stuffing from a box, make your own stuffing. Pre-made “EZ mixes” are loaded with tons of artificial ingredients and extremely high levels of sodium. You can use sites like Foodgawker.com to find healthy recipes for all kinds of meals. You could even propose a challenge to all the family members that are invited to your gathering to make a dish to share that’s home made, healthy, and not from a box. There are so many ways that you could get creative with this, but just remember that making your meals from scratch are so much better for you than buying pre-packaged ones – no matter what the box says!
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Start a group.
This may seem silly, but starting a group with your closest friends or a sibling is a great way to share ideas, have accountability, and make eating healthy and exercising a little bit easier during the holidays. Sticking to your goals is all about staying motivated and pushing forward. We all do better when we have someone to train with and someone to keep pushing us to keep going and to not settle for quitting.
Coaches Corner: Diet & Nutrition
Hey Team! Now that you have the knowledge and tools to set goals and stay accountable to achieving those goals, it’s time to discuss nutrition and weight management. Eating a healthy diet is essential to your training whether your goal is to become a fighter or to simply lose weight and get in shape. Just because you’re training on a regular basis doesn’t mean you can eat pizza every night, more about this is discussed on page 2, so hang tight! Remember, there is no one way to lose weight. It’s easy to get discouraged when it comes to dieting and nutrition. Everyone’s body is different. You have to try multiple strategies to find out what works best for you.
1. Portion control
This is one of the most important tools to be aware of at all times. If you’re consuming large portions of food, but not burning all the calories, your body will store the excess calories as fat. Try to eat 5-6 small meals throughout the day instead of 2-3 large meals, which will cause your energy levels to fluctuate too much. Eating small meals frequently will train your body to not feel hungry, and maintain steady blood sugar levels. Also avoid high calorie drinks like soda, high-sugar juices, and alcohol. Stay away from anything that contains high fructose corn syrup at all costs!
2. Control emotional eating
One common downfall people are met with is overeating when they’re stressed or tired. Instead of reaching for the potato chips at night, have a few baby carrots or an apple. Fruits and veggies contain lots of water and fiber, which help you feel full without adding extra calories. Additionally, fruits and veggies contain important vitamins and minerals that your body needs to repair and nourish itself. Training on a regular basis should help with managing your stress levels but properly refueling your body will help take care of fatigue and low energy.
3. Shop at the outer edges of the grocery store.
By shopping at the outer edges of the grocery store, you will find more fruits and veggies filling your cart. The foods you buy in the aisles typically have a shelf life of a few years, and that’s never a good sign. Because fresh food goes bad sooner, don’t buy in bulk. Buy what you need for a few days, and then head back to the grocery store and restock. If you’re thinking, “I don’t have time to go to the grocery store 3 times a week” then try to buy foods that last for about a week, such as carrots, apples, oranges, single serving yogurts, string cheese, and cottage cheese. If you want more detailed information check out the book Food Rules by Michael Pollen.
4. Start preparing your meals and cutting out pre-packaged, and processed foods.
Microwaveable lunches and dinners like Lean Cuisine are tempting because they’re fast and easy, but they contain lots of preservatives and are usually high in sodium. Try to eat foods that don’t come out of a box or need to be microwaved. Even though it’s more work, get in the habit of preparing your meals with real foods. For example, making a sandwich for lunch with whole grain bread, lettuce, a slice of turkey breast, and some cucumbers, is going to be way more nutritious that an instant, prepackaged meal.
Remember, if you have any questions or want more information about diet and nutrition talk to your coach. Never forget that we are here to help you!
Coaches Corner: Fall Check in
Hey Team! This month we want to check in with you about your goals. Have you achieved some or all of the goals that you’ve set for yourself? If so, send us an email at info@theacademymn.com , we want to hear about them! If you haven’t yet, don’t be discouraged! Talk to your coach, tell them what you’re struggling with, they want to help you and see you succeed. If you have achieved some of your goals, we would love to feature you in the upcoming newsletters, if you’re interested, shoot us an email or see Colleen at the front desk.
This month we want to give you some training and nutritional reminders so you can hit the ground running towards achieving your fall and winter goals.
CARDIO
Cardio isn’t everyone’s favorite, lets be honest. It doesn’t have to be your favorite part of training, but it is one of the most important. The fall is a great time to incorporate running into your workout regiment because not only is it more scenic as the leaves change colors, the weather is more tolerable. If you absolutely hate running, or can’t for some other reason (an injury or arthritis in the joints), invest in a bike and go for bike rides around your neighborhood, or if you live close to your job consider riding your bike to work. Treat biking like running by incorporating hills, increasing resistance by taking advantage of higher gears, do intervals (bike as fast as you can at a lower gear for 1 minute, then bike as fast as you can at a high gear (high resistance) for 2 minutes, do this for 5 or 10 minutes then recover by biking at an easy pace and resistance level. Another good way to incorporate cardio is to start jump roping. If you’ve never jumped rope for training purposes you might want to talk to your coach about the basics of jump roping efficiently and rhythmically. Regardless of what you chose to do for cardio, make sure your doing at least 45 minutes of hard and consistent cardio 3 times a week.
STRENGTH TRAINING
Strength training is just as important as cardio, and is essential for stripping away body fat, increasing lean muscle mass, and burning calories more efficiently. There are a variety of ways you can incorporate strength training into your training program. If the gym is closed and you don’t have weights at home you can use your own body weight by doings traditional exercises like push ups, pull ups, crunches, and squats. Another type of exercise that doesn’t involve investing in a home gym set up is resistance bands. They come in different resistance levels and you can use them for bicep curls, tricep kickbacks, etc. Then there are the standard and more common methods of strength training which incorporate the use of free weights and weight machines. You just have to try a bit of everything and see what works best for you. If you like watching dvd’s and working out at home, then something like P90x may be good for you to do to supplement your training here at The Academy. Regardless, if you want to lose weight and get strong, adding additional strength training to your workouts is going to give you better and faster results.
FLEXIBILITY/STRETCHING
Flexibility and stretching are sometimes put on the back burner behind cardio and strength training. First, lets be clear about the differences between the two. Flexibility refers to the range of motion for a given joint. The degree of flexibility that someone has in their hip joints for example, depends on the “stretchiness” of the muscles and connective tissues
(ligaments/tendons) surrounding the hip joints. People who can do the splits have muscles and connective tissues around their hip joints that have stretched to allow their legs to separate either horizontally (legs out on either side of body) or stretch front to back (one leg in front, one leg behind body). Stretching is a simply a form of exercise that is used to increase flexibility. There are a variety of different types of stretching and lots of debate as to which forms are beneficial or detrimental. As a general rule, if your muscles feel tight, stretch them, but not to the point where it is causing a lot of pain. The stretch should feel good and relaxing. If you have more questions look up the different types of stretching (ballistic, dynamic, static, passive, etc) and see what the experts have to say.
NUTRITION
This is arguably the most important part of training. You can be in the gym 5 times a week but if you’re eating McDonald’s for lunch and dinner every day and frozen pizzas, you’re not going to see any results. When the body works out and works out hard, it is starved for nutrients that can only be found in fresh foods (i.e. not found in a box or can). Here are 6 food tips/facts to think about:
$1,924
is the amount of money spent by the average American who buys lunch instead of making their own lunch at home and bringing it to work. (Source: Braun Research for Accounting Principals) Think of what you could buy for that much money!? Making your own lunches and/or dinners is a great way to save money and eat healthier because pre made foods typically have a lot of sodium, oils, and other artificial ingredients that you aren’t privy to that can lead to weight gain.
Plate size.
Measure your dinner plates. If they are more than 10 inches in diameter they are too big. Having large dinner plates sends a visual message to your brain saying “Fill me up”. Having a plate smaller than 10 inches will aid in portion control and hopefully prevent you from having eyes that are bigger than your stomach.
Eat slower. It takes the brain roughly 20 minutes to realize that it’s full. One way to slow down while eating is to eat with someone else and have a conversation. Having to talk to someone will cause you to take a bite, chew, talk for a bit and then take another bite. Taking that extra 30 seconds or so to talk will make a difference since you’re not able to just shovel food into your month without taking a breath.
Don’t skip breakfast.
This is a really important one. So many people think that a cup or two of coffee at 6am is breakfast. No. Make sure you are starting your day with some real breakfast like 2 scrambled eggs and a slice of whole grain toast. Or a cup of non or low fat Greek yogurt and a tablespoon of honey. Or better yet, a bowl of steel cut oatmeal with a little bit of brown sugar and fresh fruit (you can also use low fat milk or low fat yogurt). All of these are great meals to kickstart your day. Eggs and toast is a great protein and carb choice. Greek yogurt has a lot of protein and low in carbs.. Oatmeal has great heart benefits and will help you feel full for longer.
Pack healthy midday snacks for work.
Before you leave for work pack yourself a baggie of carrots, and/or a handful of raw almonds. These are great foods to munch on between brekkie and lunch and between lunch and dinner. This will also help speed up your metabolism, as it will give your stomach something to process while you wait for your next meal.
Food Apps. We live in a digital world and the advent of the smart phone and “apps” have allowed us to simplify our lives with one finger tap on a screen. Free apps like Fooducate is a great tool to have while grocery shopping. This application is available for iPhones and Android and allows you to scan the barcode of a product and will grade it based on its nutritional value. If the product you scan gets a bad grade it will automatically suggest better alternatives.
