Healthy Eating... Get Creative!

You have been following the latest diet and exercise program featured in your favorite magazine in hopes of losing those last 10 pounds before spring break or the start of the summer. What types of problems have held you back from achieving the body you have always wanted? Common excuses include not having time to get to the gym, not being able to prepare and plan your meals, or if you do take the initiative to pack your lunch and snacks for the day you blow it at night when the cravings really set it!

Over eating at night is a huge problem! This is the time when you want to relax, eat, and enjoy the company of others. Countless bags of greasy chips and gallons of ice cream are being consumed by out of control Americans. At night the temptations creep on and most surrender to their appetite. So what can you do to stay true to your commitment of eating clean? Get creative! Not all healthy food is boring and bland. First of all the only way a diet will be successful is if you are consistent. So in order to be consistent get innovative with your meal plan. Instead of polishing off a bag of Doritos treat yourself to cottage cheese and peaches, non-fat yogurt, or sugar-free jello with cool whip. Make it even more interesting, try my featured recipe. It's easy, delicious and won't add size to your waistline!


Low-Cal Cinnamon Apple Cups
makes 12 servings

Ingredients:
-nonstick cooking spray
-16 oz cottage cheese
-1 c liquid egg whites
-2 T cinnamon
-2 medium apples, cored and chopped

Instructions:
1. Spray a 12-cup muffin pan with cooking spray and preheat oven to 325
2. In a large bowl, stir together cottage cheese, egg whites, cinnamon and chopped apples until blended. Fill cups up to the top with cottage cheese mixture. Bake in preheated oven for 35-40 min or until done.
3. Before serving, let cool to firm. Use butter knife to go around the edges to lift out the apple cups and serve.

Nutrients Per Serving:
Calories: 63
Total Fat: 2g
Total Carbohydrates: 6g
Fiber: 1g
Protein: 7g

Next time your stomach starts rumbling and junk food is sounding really good, stay true to your diet goals and have fun with a new healthy recipe!

Andrea

My Random Thoughts

The media pushes way too much misinformation in the front of already confused people. The Internet is partly responsible for the misinformation perpetuating down the chain. Not to mention people seem to hold on to theories and so called "facts" that aren't even true. The world of exercise science follows suit too, but people tend to cling to one word answers than actually understand something that's true. What people need to focus on is hard work and the big picture. Less focus on the minutia such as the glycemic index of a carrot, because I don't know about you, but too many times carrots have been the real "deal-breaker" when I've tried to reach my goals. Instead of nit-picking most people just need a general overhaul of their diets and the most important thing: actually exercising regularly! Most people could easily pass a test asking them what foods are "healthy", but what they choose to eat is another story.

SEE THE BIG PICTURE

What is really holding you back from your goals? If you eat "good" all day and then eat sweets at night, find a way to circumvent the problem. I think it's healthy to have your sinful foods, but in the right context...not an everyday thing. If you don't exercise...start. Start with what you can handle and learn to improve. Hire a fitness professional who can accelerate your results. Many people want to "start out with a book" or think it over, but thinking gets you nowhere and most people really don't "think" about it at all. They have made the decision already! Some people excel doing a complete overhaul, and some need to just improve on 1 thing everyday. Sit back, look at the big picture and find out what can really help you get the results you want.

Don't believe everything you read anyway, we have more health and fitness information knowledge available today than ever before, and more of it can be accessed by you than ever before...but we are continually gaining weight as a nation.

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Yours in Health,
Ryan

Is Stretching Bad?

Stretching has gotten a bad rep lately. It causes you to be weaker and lift less in the gym, and it's no good! Based on current research in the Journal of Strength and Condition I would agree with some of that. First things first, stretching is something a lot of people need to do especially considering a majority of us sit all day. Tight hip flexors, hamstrings, and weak/inhibited glutes are major contributors to low back pain--something a whopping 80% of Americans get at some point in their life!

Let's examine further, if you are an athlete or competitive lifter then chances are a static stretch before competition isn't the best method to enhance your performance. For the average gym rat, I don't think it has much relevance as long as a proper warm-up is utilized. Personally, when I stretch more I feel better overall...just a general sense of well-being. That for me is enough to encourage everyone to keep stretching. Does this research claim stretching is bad? Absolutely not, but it does highlight the fact that for maximum performance it is not beneficial. Too often the popular press misinterprets the research.

Stay tuned for more reviews and send in your questions to ryan@patrickperformancetraining.com

Yours in health,
Ryan Patrick