Archive for November 23, 2009

Salad Smarts

2 years ago

by Stephy in Health/Nutrition

food_gardensalad Everyone knows I love salad. I not only eat it because it’s a toothbrush for your colon, I genuinely like salad. I do not really get sick of it and I change it up all the time.

What’s your favorite stuff to put in a salad?

I found this online and think it gives some helpful advice about how to choose what sort of salad to eat:

SMART SALAD SOLUTIONS FOR SALAD LOVERS

-Try choosing only fresh vegetables, fruits, and legumes, such as kidney beans.

-Stay clear of canned fruit that is heavily laden with syrup, not too mention all those preservatives.

-Use cheese sparingly. Cottage cheese with some fresh fruit is among the better cheese choices. (I actually do not use cheese and instead dump some lo-fat cottage cheese on top of my salad for protein)

-Stay shy of too many avocados and fatty meats and eat only the egg whites of those tempting hard-boiled eggs.

-Fresh fish or grilled chicken is a great choice if available.

-For salad crunchiness, try sesame seeds or sunflower seeds over butter-fried croutons, noodles or real bacon bits.
(I put in crunchy carrots)

-Steer clear of thick and creamy salad dressings unless specified low fat. Vinegar, oil and fresh lemon are always a smart choice. (I actually keep a bottle of olive oil and balsamic vinegar at my desk so even if I have to pick up a salad at the local salad bar – I know what dressing I will be having)

-Avoid marinated vegetables with oils.

-Be aware that potato, pasta, chicken, seafood and tuna salads are more than likely loaded with oil or mayonnaise and could throw your diet into next week!

-Avoid breads, muffins and butter! Try grain breads or wheat if you absolutely must but go light.

Smart Lettuce Choices:

For years it was iceberg lettuce-which by the way is the least nutritious of lettuces- dominated the choice of salad greens. Today we see a wide-variety of lettuce blends that can attribute highly to the nutritional content needed in our daily diet. As a general rule when choosing lettuce keep in mind that the darker green or redder the leaves are means the more nutritious the salad will be.

Get away from the Iceberg doldrums and try using a variety of lettuces like: Romaine, Bibb, Red or Green Leaf, Red or Green Oak Leaf, Boston, Chicory, Escarole, Radicchio, Watercress, Arugula. The list of lettuce choices goes on and on and all mixed together makes any salad a more enjoyable one.

Try preparing your salads at home, put your dressing in a separate container, and pack in a cooler to take with you for lunch. Besides, you could get a week of healthy salads out of what you may spend on one trip to the salad bar and then you can avoid those temptations all together!

References:
Sheldon Margen, M.D., and the Editors of the University of California at Berkeley Wellness Letter, The Wellness Encyclopedia of Food and Nutrition. Health Letter Associates, 1992, p. 107-115.

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A Tip: Vitalicious- 100 Calorie Muffins, 100 Calorie Muffin Tops, 100 Calorie Brownies

2 years ago

by Stephy in Health/Nutrition

Vitalicious- 100 Calorie Muffins, 100 Calorie Muffin Tops, 100 Calorie Brownies.

Have you tried these? If not, run to one of the stores that carries them. I found them at Giant in the freezer aisle. I love the Deep Chocolate vitatops – 100 calories, warmed up and it tastes like a brownie. I sometimes put them in Hannah’s lunch and by lunch time, they are de-thawed.

We have also tried the corn muffin tops. Very very tasty. And again, 100 Calories. You feel like you’re eating something bad for you without the guilt. It has fiber and protein and only 100 Calories.

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Want to find a bootcamp of your own?

2 years ago

by Stephy in Fitness/Exercise

As many of you know – I credit a lot of my transformation to my bootcamp and my trainer, Michael Thrash. He owns plumblinetraining.com so he would most definitely be my recommendation in helping you acheive your fitness goals. If by chance you don’t live near his facility but want to find a bootcamp for you, here is a list of boot-camps taken from a washingtonpost.com February 16, 2007 article. If you have any experience with any of these, I invite you to leave comments so we can keep an up to date, reliable list of programs. Also, if any that you know of are missing, add a comment and we can add them to our list!

THE SERGEANT’S PROGRAM For men and women. Classes daily Monday-Friday. $85-$175 per month depending on contract; one-week free trial available. Locations in Bethesda, Chevy Chase, Frederick, Gaithersburg, Germantown, Greenbelt, Olney, Potomac, Rockville, Silver Spring, Wheaton, Alexandria, Arlington, Falls Church, Herndon, McLean and the District. 301-944-1230 or 888-266-8226. http://www.sarge.com.

ACTIVE DUTY FITNESS FOR WOMEN Classes four days a week. $149 a month with six-month contract, monthly contract $179; one-week trial $49. Locations in Ashburn, Alexandria, Arlington, Fairfax, Tysons Corner/Falls Church, Reston and South Riding. 703-848-8900 or visit http://www.activedutyfitness.com.

Other Area Boot Camps

The following is a list of other boot camp programs in the area. All have early-morning classes, and some offer evening and midday classes. Call for times and locations. In addition to this list, many health clubs offer boot camp programs. Contact your club for more information.

ACHIEVE FITNESS For women. Classes three days a week, per four-week session. $129-$179 per session, depending on contract. Locations in Fairfax and Gaithersburg. (Gaithersburg session begins April 2.) 703-621-9525; http://www.achieve-fitness.com/womensfitnessbootcamp.htm.

ADVENTURE BOOT CAMP For women. Three- and five-day-a-week plans available. $199-$299 a month. Classes are indoors and outdoors at Jefferson Junior High School, 801 Seventh St. SW. 202-547-1202. http://www.dcbootcamp.com.

CUSTOM FITNESS CONCEPTS For men and women. Customize your program to meet one to five days a week. $45-$147 a month, based on contract and number of classes. One-day free trial. Locations in Arlington, Annandale, Fairfax, Potomac Falls, Reston. 877-598-0530. http://www.customfitnessconcepts.com.

ELEMENTAL FITNESS For women. Classes meet three days a week; 75-minute sessions held outdoors at Lake Fairfax (Reston) and Great Falls Park (McLean). Class size limited to 15. $20 per class, a minimum of two sessions a week required. Drop-ins welcome; $25. E-mail mfkane@verizon.net. http://www.elementalfitness.net.

FIT AND FUN ADVENTURE BOOT CAMP OF MARYLAND Women only. Three- or five-day-a-week plans available. $189-$299 per four-week session. Classes at 5:45 a.m. at Sligo Middle School, 1401 Dennis Ave., Silver Spring. Winter camps are at Fitness Twins Exercise Studio, 2415A Ennalls Ave., Silver Spring. 301-343-4294 or 240-475-1452. http://www.fitandfunbootcamp.com.

FITNESS IMAGE RESULTS For men and women. Classes five days a week per four-week session. $104-$189 per session, depending on length of contract. Couples discount available. Free demo class on the fourth Monday of every session at select locations. Locations (subject to minimum enrollment) in Alexandria, Arlington, Ashburn, Herndon, Reston and Tysons Corner, Bethesda and the District. 877-627-4273. http://www.firesults.com.

GI JANE’S BOOT CAMP STUDIO For men and women. Groups limited to 12. Three- and four-day-a-week programs available. $285-$420 a month, based on program and contract. Classes at GI Jane Fitness, 426 Eighth St. SE. 202-547-7906. http://www.gijanefit.net.

NOVA ADVENTURE BOOT CAMP For women. Classes three days a week. $199 per four-week session. Locations in McLean. 703-821-3735. http://www.novabc.com

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