This week’s food item is focusing on avacadoes. Avacadoes have a high amount of healthy fats. They are calorie dense so portion size is important when eating avacadoes. Today, my mom has given you a great guacamole recipe. I love guacamole, but I usually get in trouble with it, because I eat so many chips with it… yes chips are my biggest food weakness! Avacadoes are great to put on sandwhiches, salads, and on chicken (ok, I haven’t tried that last one, but felt it necessary to come up with 3 things that avacadoes go good with besides the obvious chips!)
If you didn’t check out last weeks recipe which was hummus, click here to read the hummus recipes
Here is my moms post!
Last week I said I’d maybe send some of Nancy’s Moraccan vegetable stew home with Angela for Dustin….well, I got to bring Ang back to campus on Monday and stay a couple of days, aaannnd even had the privilege of meeting some of you from the oh-so-famous “Bootcamp 5:45 AM” 
!! Then Ang and I worked out with the next bootcamp, first with Dustin, then Abby took over (someone told me they liked Dustin, but they REALLY liked Abby-said she was even harder than Dustin!). Okay you guys, these arm and leg muscles ARE sore, and as you all noticed, I had to UNload the wt. bar 
!! More on Guacamole Recipe
Awhile ago I asked everyone to share with me 3 questions you have about how to lose weight. I got a lot of great responses and I apologize for just now getting back to answering some of them. Every once in awhile, I will pick a couple of these questions and give my opinion. Check out the previous post about questions and feel free to add your own questions for me to answer
#1 is from Rebekah: One thing that would be interesting to know is if you stop working out, how long (or how little) does it take to lose muscle? I’ve heard that it takes as little as a month for your body to revert and to be back at square one, so to speak.
Rebekah, it is true that if you stop working out for awhile you will begin to lose muscle and could put on fat depending on your nutrition. A one week break won’t be a big deal, and in fact, I encourage you to take a week off of lifting every 3-4 months. This can help heal any small injuries you might have and allow your body to recharge and get refocused. From a cardio standpoint you will notice a decrease after a week, things might be a little tougher and you will be out of breath for a bit. It takes a couple weeks to a month of not working out to really see the muscle start to decrease. It depends on how long you have been working out, to go back to square one. It would take longer then 1 month to revert back to before assuming you have been working out for more then 6 months.
This is why it is so important to make working out a lifestyle rather then a short term fix. The good news is something called “muscle memory” which means that your muscles are able to get stronger, quicker if they had been there before. I am amazed at how fast muscle and strength increases on someone who has been fit before and just slacked off for awhile. More on Answers To “How To Lose Weight”
By now this video and story I am about to share has been told many times, but I am sure there are many who haven’t heard about it, and even if you have, it is great to see again!
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If you don’t know the Team Hoyt story I will give you the abbreviated version, for the whole story visit www.teamhoyt.com
Rick was born with his umbilical cord wrapped around his neck and was severely brain damaged. The doctors told the family he would be a vegetable and they should put him in an institution. Thankfully his parents didn’t listen to the docs and they raised him as normal as they could, even teaching him the alphabet despite the fact he couldn’t respond. At the age of 10, they purchased a machine that would allow Rick to communicate by spelling things with a computer, only using his eyes. His first words were “Go Bruins.” More on Inspirational Life-Changing Video
For those of you who know me, there are very few things that get me mad. I am one of the easiest going people around. The three things that get me the most mad are:
1. Ab Infomercials: don’t even get me started on those.
2. People looking for a quick fix… ie a pill or “magic exercise.”
3. People making excuses and looking for every reason why they haven’t achieved what they want to achieve.
It is this third one that I want to focus on today. This 1 minute Nike commercial is one of the best I have ever seen. I think I have heard every excuse that comes out of the guy’s mouth. Some of you know the story of the basketball player, but he is actually from UW Whitewater, I have seen some additional interviews with him and he seems like a great guy.
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So many times we view ourselves and look at our limitations instead of our potential or abilities. There will never be the perfect time to get in shape, and there will always be things that will come up to distract you. But when you stop making excuses and start taking action and responsibility for your health, that is when change will occur.
I really try hard to not make excuses and take action instead. One excuse I had for a long time was that I suck at writing and speaking. Writing was my worst subject in school(I hated it), and speaking in front of people terrified me. Instead of living with that, I decided to take action. I enrolled in acting classes (most terrifying class I have ever taken), and I took and retook, speach class in college. I don’t consider myself to be extremely gifted at either writing or speaking, but now I spend my life speaking in front of people in my classes, on TV in front of 100,000′s, on the radio to over 100,000, and writing daily to many 1000′s… I am very happy and proud I stopped making excuses and took action!
Here is your assignment: I dare you to post this in the comment box. I want you to list all of your excuses you have made in the past, list them, and then after that, write out in your own words, something to the effect that you will no longer dwell on those excuses and when an excuse pops up, think about the video you just watched and take acion!
Like baseball, it seems that pizza is an American past time. Pizza gets a bad wrap when it comes to the nutritional value, and rightfully so. Many of the pizza slices contain anywhere from 300-500 cals per slice, and who can really eat just one slice? Well if you read one of my recent posts from NY, I can’t. (I ate 9 slices)
The good news is that there are ways to make pizza not as bad for you, and even make them quite healthy! My mom once again came to the rescue and provided us with a great pizza recipe. I remember growing up we would make pizza once or twice a month on friday nights. It was a great tradition and making the dough and having to kneed it and stretch it out, worked both my muscles and my patience!
So here is my mom in her own words!
Homemade pizza is in the oven today! Probably most of you busy people will think you don’t have time, picturing a time-consuming process, so Dustin suggested that I include both a homemade crust and a boughten one. And I even make the homemade crust the easy way and throw all the ingredients in my breadmaker. The following crust recipe makes two large crusts and when all the kids were home, most got eaten first time around.
2 c. warm water
2 pkg. yeast or 2 t.
1/2 c. veg. oil
4 T. olive oil
3 c. flour
1/2 c. cornmeal
2 t. seasalt
2 1/2 c. additional flour
Preheat oven to 425 degrees.
Sprinkle the yeast on the water and set for 10 min. (for the breadmaker, I just started dumping in the order of the recipe and it seemed to work fine). Add the next 5 ingred. and mix. Add the remaining flour and knead and let rise 2 times. I found that if I was in a hurry, with both the machine and by hand, I’d skip the second rising. Use either 2 very large round pizza pans or your largest cookie sheets-spray with oil and spread dough into pans. I had better luck getting crispy crusts by baking the crust first for about 10 min. before adding the rest.
Next spread the crusts with your favorite spaghetti or pizza sauce, or just plain tomato sauce with some extra seasonings (like Italian herb mix, garlic and onion pwd.). My family always liked the good ‘ole pepperoni for the next topping-the turkey variety has less fat…..but Mama here, remember, has a wimpy mouth and would make a corner with no pepperoni and extra veggies . You could also use Canadian bacon, or cooked ground hamburger. You can easily use a whole pkg. of the pepperoni on the two pizzas if you like it heavy duty. Next, spread a can of well drained pineapple tidbits over the pepperoni. This is where I’d like to sprinkle all kinds of raw veggies, like whatever colored peppers you have, sauted onions, mushrooms, etc., before adding the shredded mozerella and cheddar cheeses…..note, I said I’d LIKE to—the kids wanted theirs without, but as they got older, some would want some of my corner! Looking back, I guess that is one way to get them to want the veggies by letting them try my corner and not forcing it . Anyway, you can easily use a lb. of cheese but try with less and the lowfat is naturally better.
Bake at 475 degrees for 10-15 min. but watch closely for burned crust or cheese–may want to lower the oven temp.
Note, I like to use some good, whole grain cornmeal, and you can, of course, sub-
stitute some whole wheat flour for the white.
For the boughten crust, lately my favorite has been, again, Trader Joes–can you tell that I like that place?! For only a bit over a $1, you can get a crust big enough for one large pizza pan, stretched thin for a very yummy, crispy crust. They have 3 kinds: a whole wheat, an herb and garlic, and a plain white. They are in a bag, a big lump of dough, and I just let it sit at room temp. before spreading on the pan. I even freeze them, and, if in a hurry, thaw them out in a sinkful of warm water. I prebake this crust too, like the homemade, but you might want to try it without that extra step.
So, I look forward to reading your favorite pizza recipes! Sure has been fun hearing back from you all! Somebody posted a request under the guacamole recipe for a healthy chocolate recipe….I just found one this week that I will post at that site. Check out chocolate recipe.
Keep eating~healthy!
Dustin’s Mom
Click links below for more great recipes!
30 Healthy Snacks, 21 Healthy Snacks, Chocolate Chip Cookies, Chocolate Tofu Pie, Pureed Vegetables, Roasted Veggies, Quinoa, Chicken, Omelet, Pizza, Guacamole, Hummus, Carrot Soup
I have gotten the reputation of being anti-cardio. It is true, that I think long slow cardio is a waste of time if your goal is fat loss. Long slow cardio has very little effect on overall fat loss. All long slow cardio does is slow the metabolism, by eating away the muscle, which in turn, directly decreases the metabolism. In order for the person to lose more weight with this technique, they must increase their time and distance. This becomes an ongoing battle with the bulge, that most people will lose.
Instead of doing cardio at 65% or less then max HR, try doing intervals, or a newer technique called “Burst Training.” Sprinters have known this all along. Sprinters do no more then 45 seconds of cardio at one time, yet they have the lowest body fat of any athlete. It is this intense training that gets results. Not only does it get results, but according to research, it gets results up to 10X faster then steady state low intensity cardio. In a society that doesn’t make the time for exercise, finding techniques that are more efficient is very important. I am not saying that long slow cardio can’t work, but works for very few people!
About a month ago I introduced you to a “Cardio Queen” named Abby. Her story resignated with many of you and is this most visited post to date. Check out Abby’s weight loss story. In short, she had been spending up to 8 hours a week running, and only got more overweight. It wasn’t until she stopped her cardio obsession, started intense weight training, burst training, and eating better, that she dropped 23 lbs.
So check out abby as she demonstrates her new type of cardio training that takes her less then 10 minutes 3X per week! I challenge you to keep up with her!
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Please feel free to comment on your experience with the long slow cardio or the interval/burst training!
Today I had my monthly fitness show on NBC and we talked about the common beliefs and traps people fall into when trying to lose weight.
Todd was my guest today, and he has done an amazing job the past 10 weeks at Fit Fun Bootcamp, dropping 40 lbs. He is truly a different person then before! It has rippled down to his family and his wife has lost 15 lbs in the past 8 weeks!
Todd was featured about a month ago. Click here to read more of his story and specific advice he gave.
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To recap, the top 4 reasons why you aren’t losing weight.
1. Eating too big of portions. (ok, this is an obvious one!)
2. Not eating frequently enough. (If you are eating more frequently, you will be less likely to binge eat)
3. Believing that because you are working out, you can eat whatever you want. It is harder to work off a 300 calorie candy bar then to not eat it in the first place.
4. Doing endless cardio instead of weights.
Please comment on this video in the box below. If you have questions for Todd, he would be happy to answer them.
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I don’t want people to get stuck on numbers so much as intensity… there are no right or wrong ways to do these. Here are some general guidelines. Starting out a 3:1 rest to work ratio is appropriate. As you get more fit, lower it to 1:1 work to rest ratio. It doesn’t matter what mode of exercise you use… you could lay on your back on the ground and kick and punch, like a kid having a temper tantrum. It doesn’t matter, as long as at the end of the given work interval, you are COMPLETELY exhausted. If you could have continued another 30 seconds at a given intensity, it was too easy.
Interval Variation I: StandardThe following is a typical interval workout. You alternate the same period of low intensity with the same period of higher intensity.
1. 3 – 5 minutes warmup (light jog, low intensity, gradually increasing at the end of the warmup period)
2. 1 minute moderate or high intensity followed by 1 minute low intensity (repeat 6 – 8 times)
3. 3 – 5 minutes cooldown (light jog, low intensity, gradually decreasing by the end of the cooldown period)
This pyramid structure allows you to start with short bursts of speed, and then you’ll peak at the longest surge of energy in the middle of your workout before coming back down.
1. 3 – 5 minutes warmup
2. 30 seconds high intensity, 1 minute low intensity
3. 45 seconds high intensity, 1 minute low intensity
4. 60 seconds high intensity, 1 minute low intensity
5. 90 seconds high intensity, 1 minute low intensity
6. 60 seconds high intensity, 1 minute low intensity
7. 45 seconds high intensity, 1 minute low intensity
8. 30 seconds high intensity
9. 3 – 5 minutes cooldown
Interval Variation III: Sports ConditioningSports are unpredictable. This interval simulates some of that unpredictability by having you doing different times and different intensities. You can mix and match the orders and repetitions as much as you want. Rest longer after the periods in which you use the most energy.
1. 3 – 5 minutes warmup
2. 2 minutes moderate or high intensity followed by 2 minutes low intensity (repeat once
3. 30 seconds high intensity followed by 30 seconds low intensity (repeat four times)
4. 60-yard sprints (or 10 seconds if not running) followed by 90 seconds rest (repeat 6 – 10 times)
5. 3 – 5 minutes cooldown
In conclusion, beginners should rest for longer periods of time but still work at a high intensity. Intensity is all relative to the individual, so go more based off of heart rate max and perceived exertion, then specific speeds and inclines on a treadmill.
I would love to hear your feedback and questions about burst training. Try these workouts out and let me know how they go!
This week’s recipe is going to focus on omelets. Omelets are one of my favorite meals because of its high protein content, low carbs, high nutrients, ease of making, and of course they taste great! Omelets are very versatile and can be adaptable to you and your kid’s taste buds. I have fond memories of my mom making me omelets before I went to school!
My mom definitely knows what she is talking about when it comes to omelet recipes! So here is my mom in her own words!
Omelets are on the menu today!….that versatile dish that can be fixed for any meal of the day, with whatever happens to be in your fridge or pantry. It can be made as decadent or as calorie frugal as fits your needs. So, let’s get started!
Avocado Omelet (2 servings)
3 eggs (use the healthiest you can afford!)
3 egg whites (or substitute)
2 Tbls. water
4 scallions, chopped (or onions)
1/2 c. shredded lo-fat cheese (cheddar, Swiss, soy, feta, etc.)
1/2 avocado, chopped (Calif. Hass is the best)
2 oz. leftover meat, optional (nitrate-free ham or deli meats)
1). Spray an 8″-10″ nonstick frying pan with olive oil and heat on
medium.
2). Whisk the eggs, water, and scallions and pour into hot skillet.
3). Cook for about 3 min. or until the eggs are starting to set on
bottom; using a thin spatula, carefully lift the edges and allow
the uncooked mixture to run underneath.
4). Spread the cheese over half of the omelet. Cover and cook for
2 min. or until just set.
5). Top the cheese side of the omelet with the avocado and any
meat you may be using, then fold the omelet in half.
6). Cover and let sit for several minutes before cutting in half and
serving.
Here are the stats: 313 cals., 29 g. protein, 7 g. carbs., 19 g. fat,
(7 g. sat. fat, 347 mg. chol.), 600 mg. sod., 3 g. fiber
Now, for some variations and tips:
I like to use whatever sauted veggies I might have on hand, like onions, any colored peppers, and zucchini; yesterday I roasted a large panful of chopped up zucchini, sweet potatoes, onions, and garlic….they would work just fine, although the sweet potatoes may be a little interesting . Or you could saute some diced asparagas and onions and garlic for the filling. Try sprinkling on some toasted seeds or slivered almonds, chopped cashews or pecans….be adventuresome! What’s nice about omelets, especially if you are doing a slow weekend morning brunch where everybody gets their custom made breakfast as they stagger out of bed (can you tell we’ve raised a few teenagers?!), is that you can make them to suit even the pickiest eater of the gang! Some may want the bare bones version, like the full-fat cheese and the loaded bacon–for that liberated soul, you may as well skip the egg whites and use the whole egg, for that matter! By the way, is it hard on anybody else to throw out those wonderful, cage free, omega-rich egg yolks?? For awhile, I tried freezing them after I read about treating your hair with them to make it shiny–guess where they’re still sitting?! So, anybody have any better suggestions?
Your Tex-Mex. eaters will definitely want some hot sauce added to the egg mixture, or some red pepper flakes sprinkled over the veggies…or even some sliced jalapenos. Dustin’s Dad is one of these, and I automatically put out the Ortega hot sauce for him.
Looking forward to hearing your favorite omelet ideas! If you have shared recipes on this site in the past, you might want to check back-I noticed there are some more questions for some of you.
Keep eating~healthy!
Dustin’s Mom
For more great recipes visit the links below!
30 Healthy Snacks, 21 Healthy Snacks, Chocolate Chip Cookies, Chocolate Tofu Pie, Pureed Vegetables, Roasted Veggies, Quinoa, Chicken, Omelet, Pizza, Guacamole, Hummus, Carrot Soup
There are many mistakes people make in fitness, but the one I still see more then just about any other deals with the warm-up. Many people mistakenly believe that they should perform static stretching before the workout. Static stretching is stretching a muscle and holding it in a stretched position for 20-30 seconds. There is plenty of new research this past decade to show that this doesn’t help reduce injuries, but rather can increase the chances of them occurring.
Instead of the old school static stretching, you should perform dynamic movements that move the muscles in full range of motion. This will properly warm up the muscles without increasing the risk of injury.
Check out this video for a great dynamic warm-up!
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Every Monday for the next 2 months John and I will be showing you a great total body exercise that will burn fat, create lean muscle, and decrease the chances of injuries!
If you haven’t started to do dynamic warm-ups, please give them a try! I start all of my Fit Fun Bootcamps and MamaTone Fitness classes with a total-body dynamic warm-up.
Check back in on Wednesday for my inside look into the Biggest Loser trainer tryouts! I got a great behind the scenes look at everything.
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