Balance & Moderation

Life is full of Balance and Moderation... especially when Eating!! I wrestled growing up and watching my friends gluttonously eat lunch while I feverishly ate my salad pretty much scarred me for life. Luckily Fear of Dieting is not an actual phobia.

Dieting is not even in my vocabulary. I always tended to focus on trying to burn the calories I enjoyed and more recently tried to eat in moderation to meet the caloric intake of my daily activities. This combined with a Healthy Diet I see no issues to balance a delicious Chicago Style Pizza on occasion if this makes you happy! It's healthy if it has Spinach, right?? Check out the link...

Now my "Occasion" usually comes to fruition during my Annual Thanksgiving Holiday in the Midwest... In chronological order the combination of Jetlag, Coffee, Road Trips, Dehydration, Football, Beer, Buffalo Wings, Pulled Pork Sandwiches, Turkey, Stuffing, Family Fun, Grandma's Oatmeal Cookies, Chipotle, More Football, More Beer, and Al's Italian Beef definitely pays a toll on the body especially when cold weather and public transportation come into the picture.

Now I'm fully aware this is very hypocritical considering my Pseudo Mantra: Eat Healthy Live Healthy but I can't condemn the enjoyment of food. Mental Health is just as important as Physical Health!! Especially if you're Emotionally Diabetic and that perfect Burrito just doesn't exist in the Middle East...

So to make it up to my 14 Healthy Followers and prove my legitimacy as a committed fitness blogger I propose The 25 Day Healthy Press Challenge... Workout everyday until Christmas!! 

Any sort of High Intensity Exercise leading to Increased Heart Rate will do... The Challenge starts today 30 November at 1am and includes limiting the consumption of empty calories ie alcohol!! Now I just need to catch up on sleep from the trip, still on Midwest time!!

(Don't) Gobble Gobble Gobble

In preparation for the Biggest Feast in American History & Annual Family Fun below are tips to cut calories on Thanksgiving as well as a Quinoa Turkey Burger Recipe to be enjoyed year round!!

Just as Charlie Brown is synonymous with Thanksgiving so is Turkey!! In order to avoid being a couch potato after dinner like Lucy pulling the football out below Charlie's feet follow 5 simple tips to make you feel light on your feet without sacrificing your favorites!! You can't blame Tryptophan forever...

Tip #1: Eat White Meat instead of Dark which has twice as much fat... No Skin Either.

Tip #2: Have a glass of Red Wine during dinner... Fat slows digestion, Red Wine kicks off the digestion process once you get up from the meal.

Tip #3: Eat Slowly with Smaller Portions... It takes time for hunger signals to contact your brain so slow down and you will eat less.

Tip #4: Choose plenty of Vegetables with your meal... Especially the green ones which will help control your blood sugar and maintain your bodies functions.

Tip #5: Drink lots of Water... Sparkling if available as it could relieve an upset stomach however staying hydrated could just save the following day if the drinks are heavy!!

Happy Thanksgiving!!

And now for a great Turkey Burger with Quinoa Recipe wrapped in Lettuce with a Tahini Sauce...

Magic Metabolism

Too many people have expectations that running a couple times a week will get them into super shape. When in actuality not even the longest hardest most physically exhausting Cardiovascular or Weight Training Workout will show the results you expect if you don't make the lifestyle discussion to compliment the workouts.

I'll cut to the point... I'm referring to your diet!! Healthy Eating & Healthy Living are one in the same and choosing the right types of food will render the results you EXPECT!! Now I've used that word  twice now, you need to manage your diet to manage your EXPECTATIONS. 

To gain muscle: Focus on eating enough protein to fuel your body & repair exhausted muscles which increases your metabolism.

To loose weight: Eat less calories than your body consumes and you will burn stored fat, simple...

Keep in mind 1 gram of Protein & Carbohydrates each contain 4 calories however protein helps promote the release of the fat destroying hormone Glucagon where carbs if not burned get stored as fat... Further 1 gram of Fat contains 9 calories making it more than twice as hard to burn, so if you want to look like your favorite Disney character stay away from unhealthy Fast Food!!

A quick way to determine the amount of calories you burn per day is to use BMR (Basal Metabolic Rate) Calculators. Example: I am 27, 5ft 11in, 165lbs... My BMI (Body Mass Index) is 23 with a BMR of just over 1800 calories per day, note this is the caloric intake to maintain the same weight purely for your body to function. RMR (Resting Metabolic Rate) on the otherhand assumes a normal day without exercise, only about 350 calories more!! 

Now when you workout your AMR (Active Metabolic Rate) exponentially increases your Metabolism by using Multipliers. I workout 3-5 times a week so my Activity Factor is 1.55 therefore I can assume I need to eat 2800 calories per day just to maintain my current weight.

My girlfriend has been making some delicious & healthy recipes using High Protein Substitutions like Quinoa, Greek Yogurt & Fresh Green Vegetables for some of the well known fat & carb loaded ingredients. I'll tell you its actually hard to consume 2800 calories when eating right. I've been on this health kick for over 4 months now; I feel great, lost body fat & gained muscle... All by balancing exercise with a healthy diet.

I know this is a lot to take in and the concept probably isn't providing any new information but I challenge you to make some small lifestyle adjustments to meet your expectations; go see a nutritionist to balance your diet, workout 1 Extra Day per week, cut out the empty calories like soda or sweets & I bet you'll see results...