Getting Through the Holidays

The Holidays are upon us with their abundance of stress and food. Here are 11 tips that will help get you successfully through the holidays without sacrificing your healthy lifestyle.

1. Don’t skip meals. Skipping meals leads to hunger, low energy and improper food choices.
2. Don’t pass up favorite foods or deprive yourself completely. Moderate consumption is the key.
3. Don’t go to the party starving. Before you leave home, eat something light or drink a meal replacement shake. Also, drink a lot of water the day of the party.
4. When you are at the party, don’t park yourself near the food table. Make a clear-cut decision to distance yourself from all the goodies.
5. Alcoholic beverages pack on the calories, so if you are drinking try a little moderation. Watch out for eggnog, it is incredibly high in calories and fat.
6. Just because it is the holidays doesn’t mean you should eat everything that passes by. Factor in the little extras into your daily intake.
7. Set limits on your sweet tooth. Then the next day just move a little more.
8. If you are staying with friends or family keep foods on hand to snack on like lean deli meats, low fat cottage cheese and meal replacement bars.
9. If you tend to overeat during family gathering, plan and visualize what and how much you will eat before you go. Plan additional daily activities for that day and the following.
10. Eat whatever you want on the main holiday feast. If you over-do it just go back to your regular plan the next day and move a little more.
11. Enjoy the season, not just the food!

Don't through away your hard work just because its the holiday's. Stay committed to being fit and if you have a bad meal or two get back on track the next day.

Tony

Pumpkin Pie Protein Bar

These are probably the BEST homemade protein bars EVER. They are a great post workout or mid afternoon snack. The recipe came from Gourmet Nutrition by DR. John Birardi.
Make them tonight.

Base

½ cup Quick Cooking Oats

1 cup Whole Wheat Flour

½ cup Brown Sugar (packed)

½ cup Cold Butter (small cubed)

Filling

2 cups Low-fat/Skim Milk

1 ½ tsp Cinnamon

1 tsp Nutmeg

½ tsp Salt

2 cups Pumpkin Puree (canned)

5 scoops Vanilla Protein Powder

3 Eggs

Splenda to taste

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Combing oats, flour and brown sugar in a mixing bowl and stir to combine. Add the cubed butter to the bowl and squeeze into the ingredients using your hands until a coarse breadcrumb-like texture is achieved and everything is combined. Transfer ingredients into a 9x13 inch baking pan and press down. Place in oven and bake for 12 minutes. In the meantime, bring milk, to a boil with the cinnamon, nutmeg, and salt. As soon as it boils, transfer to a large mixing bowl. Stir in the pumpkin first and then the protein powder and eggs. If necessary, sweeten mixture to taste with splenda. Once the base has finished baking, remove from the oven and pour the pumpkin filling on top. Place back in the oven and bake for 20 minutes or until the pumpkin filling has set. It should be a little firm to the touch. Cool, portion and store in the fridge or freezer, individually wrapped.

The little things matter,

Tony

Metabolism Busting Circuit

Here is a great cardio circuit that only takes 10 minutes! Trust me it will kick your butt. If you are not familiar with the TRX, get familiar with it. If your gym does not have one, find a new gym.
Thanksgiving is just 4 weeks away and this can be your edge to get in your best shape possible
This circuit is to be done after your weight training program. Perform each exercise for 30 seconds followed by 30 seconds of rest. Once you have finished all 4 exercises rest for 1 minute. Then repeat.
Exercise 1: TRX Rotational Squat Jump


Exercise 2: Burpee/Squat Thrust Jump



Exercise 3: Rotational MB Slam


Exercise 4: TRX Swing - from either a plank or push-up position

IF you cant make it for the 30sec. just hold a plank for the duration of the 30 sec.

Give it a try. Work hard and get through 2 rounds. For more awesome TRX exercise click here.

Win The Day.
Tony Lelack CSCS

Start transforming your body NOW.

With the holidays only 8 weeks away, there is still time to achieve the results you are looking for. As you all know, exercise is an important part of body transformation. But don't be naive.
If you are exercising 3-5 hours per week, what are you doing the other 165hours?
You're eating.
That is why exercise alone will never get you a real honest-to-goodness body transformation, and why knowing how to change the way you eat is vital to changing your life.

Here are 7 tips to help you change your eating habits to give you the results you deserve.

1. Eat every 2-3 hours, no matter what. You should eat between 5-8 meals per day.

2. Eat complete (containing all the essential amino acids), lean protein with each meal.

3. Eat fruits and/or vegetables with each food meal.

4. Ensure that your carbohydrate intake comes from fruits and vegetables. Exception: workout and post-workout drinks and meals.

5. Ensure that 25-35% of your energy intake comes from fat, with your fat intake split equally between saturates (e.g. animal fat), monounsaturates (e.g., olive oil), and polyunsaturates (e.g. flax oil, salmon oil).

6. Drink only non-calorie containing beverages, the best choices being water and green tea.

7. Eat mostly whole foods (except workout and post-workout drinks).

Ask yourself everyday if what you did today made you better and got you closer to your goal.

Win the day,
Tony

Nutrition tips for parents

It is our responsibility as parents to start developing good habits for our children in all aspects of life. Nutrition is no different. We need to start building a solid foundation of habits that lead to higher levels of performance and health. Below I have put together a few simple tips that you can use immediately to get your kids eating better.

1. Breakfast. A good breakfast includes eggs, cheese, meat, whole wheat toast or English muffin, juice (100% variety) and some water. Note that a good breakfast does NOT include Pop Tarts, Cereal, Toaster Strudels, Donuts, Muffins, or any other processed garbage. This tip is Number 1 for a reason. We need to start getting our children used to eating a large healthy breakfast.

2. More water, less sugary crap. We need to get them used to drinking water as the main beverage. Read the labels of Pepsi or Coke. Do you think it is a good idea to have them downing that much sugar?

3. Less Drive Thru. This goes for all drive thru. If you can get it at a drive thru, you probably don't want it in your body, or your child's. If you are in a pinch for time, go to a sub shop and order something that looks like grilled chicken or a steak wrap, accompanied by a small bag of chips and some water.

4. Fruits and Vegetables. Try and find a couple of each that your kids like and start putting them in lunches and dinners immediately. Don't send a granola bar to school, send a baggy of fresh berries or an apple.

5. Home cooked meals. These should make up the majority of the kids' diet. This is where they will get the most nutrients that will fuel their active lives. Don’t have time to cook every night? Buy some Tupperware and precook meals on the nights you do have time.

6. Candy Bars. Candy bars are filled with crap. If kids really like them, try to trade them for Cliff Bars or Betty Lou’s products. These things are delicious, are made from mostly organic ingredients, and would be a much better snack.

7. Meal Size. Kids are at an important age where portion control is crucial. They shouldn't be eating until they cannot move; this only cements the habits of overeating in the future, and furthers the American obesity concerns. Teach them to eat until satisfied, not stuffed. I hate seeing obese kids; it is usually not their fault.

8. Don't become a food Nazi. Just because I have given you these tips doesn't mean you need to withhold everything and restrict their diets. Use them as guidelines and remember that they are still kids. What is going overboard? Drive thru more than once every 10 days is not good, but neither is counting their calories or grams of protein consumed. Find a happy medium and start building good habits.

9. Remember you are the person doing the shopping, what you stock the cupboards with is what they will consume.

ABS of STEEL

Ok maybe not of steel but hella strong. Here is a great core circuit that you can do 2-3 times a week. You will notice there are NO crunches. Before you stop reading and exit out let me explain. Most people sit way too much during the day, this puts excessive pressure on your lumbar discs because you are in that forward flexed position. By adding crunches to this you are pushing the center of your discs further back leading to low back injury or chronic pain. Your back will thank you for leaving crunches out of your workout.
So, here is the circuit.
1). Rollouts (slider, AB Wheel, Stability Ball) 1-2 sets x 12 reps
2). Seated Rotations 1-2 sets x 12 ea. way
3). Side Bridge to Push Up position. 1-2 sets x 10ea side
4). Prone Knee Drive. 1-2 sets x 15ea.

Rollouts

Lead with your hips and keep back flat.

Seated Rotations


Keep you back tall and lean back so that your feet are barely touching the floor.

Side Bridge to Push Up Position

Perform all 10 rep on one side before switching sides.

Prone Knee Drive

Drive each knee to opposite elbow at a fairly quick pace.

Rest 90 sec. between rounds.

Commit to be FIT,
Tony

As you thinkith

Confucius says. "the man who thinks he can and the man who thinks he can't are both right."

What the?
Now is the time that most "new year's" resolutions are starting to fade. It is not the time to give up on your resolutions for 2010. "Think" that you can still reach your goals whether they have to do with your fitness or your life. The year is only 15% gone. Make the changes that you need to keep you on track. Write them down and find a way to measure them weekly. Don't let 3 months passes before because before you know it the year will be gone.

I enjoy motivational video's. I found this one the other day from Will Smith and thought it was outstanding. Please take the time to watch it, I believe it will inspire you to always do your best.

Think you CAN.

Tony