Tuesday, March 1, 2011

5 Ways to Fire up Metabolism


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Gone are the days of eating well a couple of weeks before the beach and feeling great in the bikini. Now, in my (sort of late) 30's, I'm blessed with 3 great kids that completely jacked my body. Wouldn't trade it for the world I love them to death...but that's the reality of having lots of kids via c-section! I've learned that the best way to see results from boot camp workouts, is clean eating along with the exercise. What does it really mean to "eat clean?" Not sure if there's a true definition out there ~ but the best way I define it is this: sticking to food that is unprocessed and doesn’t contain added, artificial junk. When grocery shopping, the safest way to know that you are doing "clean" shopping is to shop the perimeter of the store. Here are the 5 Food Rules that will ensure you are on the road to clean eating!

  • Reject Refined Sugar not tomorrow...NOW!  The average American consumes an astounding 2-3 pounds of sugar each week, which is not surprising considering that highly refined sugars in the forms of sucrose (table sugar), dextrose (corn sugar), and high-fructose corn syrup are being processed into so many foods such as bread, breakfast cereal, mayonnaise, peanut butter, ketchup, spaghetti sauce etc...An influx of sugar into the bloodstream upsets the body's blood-sugar balance, triggering the release of insulin, which the body uses to keep blood-sugar at a constant and safe level. Insulin also promotes the storage of fat, so that when you eat sweets high in sugar, you're making way for rapid weight gain. It tears your body down - valuable nutrients are robbed from vital organs in the body's attempt to process too. Get off the stuff on the path to clean eating.
  • Fill Half of your Plate with Veggies ~ You can't go wrong with this one. Most Americans don't come close to this one. Veggies are full of nutrients, and are an excellent source of fiber! Fiber keeps everything moving, and your blood sugar levels nice and steady. Edamame is a great snack ~ and often gets me through that afternoon slump between 4pm and dinner! You can make a great salad throwing in fresh veggies ~ or sneak them in sauces. 1 Cup of Asparagus = 36 calories!!! You can eat LOTS of veggies.
  • Make Broth-Based Soups a habit ~ Soups fill you up and you can add all sorts of healthy things in there. Here's a fantastic recipe for Chicken Noodle Soup:
1 tablespoon butter
1/2 cup chopped onion
1/2 cup chopped celery
4 (14.5 ounce) cans chicken broth
1 (14.5 ounce) can vegetable broth
1/2 pound chopped cooked chicken breast
1 1/2 cups egg noodles
1 cup sliced carrots
1/2 teaspoon dried basil
1/2 teaspoon dried oregano
salt and pepper to taste
Directions
In a large pot over medium heat, melt butter. Cook onion and celery in butter until just tender, 5 minutes. Pour in chicken and vegetable broths and stir in chicken, noodles, carrots, basil, oregano, salt and pepper. Bring to a boil, then reduce heat and simmer 20 minutes before serving. 164 Calories/sv - Serves 6
  • Eat a Balanced Breakfast ~ No, that doesn't mean a pastry and Venti bold on the way to work. Steel Cut oatmeal is SO good for you, and fills you up. Takes a while to cook, so I cook it on Monday and divide it up for the next 3 days. It will fire up your metabolism for the day, as you Break-the-Fast. You won't be doing your body any favors trying to "save" calories by skipping the most important meal of the day. 10am won't be so daunting if you've had a great breakfast!
  • Eyeball your Portions ~ Even though you are on the road to eating clean, you can Over-eat the good stuff and still GAIN weight. We supersize everything in our society, and supersizing your portion of anything is going to supersize you. Here are the following portion sizes you should go for when trying to re-shape your body
Lean Protein ~ Should fit in the PALM of your hand
Leafy Greens ~ Should fit in the palms of your two OPEN HANDS
Veggies ~ Should fit in one OPEN hand
Whole Grains ~ One cupped hand

You can't expect huge results from boot camp or any other workout plan without adding good eating habits. Your trainer gets you 3 hours a week, but what you do for the other 165 hrs determines YOUR results!

We lead workouts in McKinney and Frisco for our clients three days a week. The best results come from working out at the right intensity level along with clean eating. How do you know if what you are doing will work? We can teach you how to workout for optimum results. Texas Fit Chicks Boot camp in Mckinney and Frisco Texas are all led by nationally certified Personal Trainers that are experienced in helping women lose weight. Take the guess-work out of your weight loss!

Ready for swimsuit shopping? Get fit with us! $199 for 5 weeks of bootcamp at any of our Women Only bootcamp locations, including McKinney, Frisco and Prosper Texas. Serving women from Plano, Allen, and all of North Dallas. Our Team, Your goals, Great results!
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