Tuesday, March 29, 2016

TFC Family Fun Night Out at the Dallas Stars Game!!!





DALLAS/FT WORTH CHICKS!
We are pleased to announce our FIRST EVER Texas Fit Chicks family night out!! 
Come join your fellow DFW area trainers & chicks and their families for some good ole family fun!
Thursday, April 7th at Dallas Stars vs. Colorado Avalanche.

Get your TFC DISCOUNTED tickets (only $15 a regularly $35!!) at www.dallasstars.com/TexasFitChicks and use promo code FITCHICKS to pick up tickets for you, friends, and family!   
(Be sure to secure sections 301 or 333 as that is where we will all be sitting.)

Come join in on the fun with your fellow TFC friends and let's pink out (or black our for the boys) the stadium while cheering on our Dallas team on their final push to the playoffs! 

Sunday, March 20, 2016

10 Powerhouse Foods That Will Help You Burn Fat!!




Marissa Balch - CPT, Nutrition Coach -Texas Fit Chicks Boot Camp

1. Oatmeal
Great source of soluble fiber and slow-digesting carbohydratesthat will keep blood sugar and insulin in check so fat burning can stay high.

2. Eggs
A form of well-absorbed protein, healthy fats and Vitamin D (found in the egg yolk). Eggs also contain lecithin, which promotes healthy liver function, thereby helping the body to burn fat.


3. Salmon
High in omega-3 fatty acids, salmon reduces inflammation in the body and lowers LDL and triglyceride levels while raising good HDL levels. Salmon also has a beneficial effect on leptin (hunger hormone) levels in the body, which means it helps to suppress your appetite.

4. Nuts
Another source of fiber and rich in omega-3s, these fats help to regulate blood sugar and protect the heart and the immune system.

5. Grapefruit & Berries
These fruits contain slow-digesting carbs and are rich in fat-fighting fiber. Strawberries, raspberries, blueberries and blackberries all are loaded with soluble fiber and antioxidants that protect blood vessels and promote healthy blood flow.

6. Avocado
It’s got fat, yes, but the good kind! The monounsaturated fats found in avocado are burned readily for fuel during exercise and actually encourage fat burning. Good source of fiber and antioxidants.

7. Leafy Greens
Broccoli, specifically, is a fibrous carb that can make you feel full quickly—one reason why it’s a great food for getting lean. Broccoli also contains phytochemicals that can help enhance fat loss.


8. Cinnamon
Helps to reduce blood sugar levels, which in turn prevents the body from storing sugar as fat. Add it to your oatmeal and yogurt to enhance flavor without adding calories.

9. Green Tea
Drink this! Not only is green tea packed with antioxidants, it also contains catechins, a phytochemical that helps speed up metabolism and burn more fat.

10. Beans & Legumes
Great sources of protein and they normalize insulin levels and help keep your blood sugar steady throughout the day. Black beans, Garbanzo beans, red beans and lentils are all great to incorporate into your diet.

 

Please visit www.texasfitchicks.com to learn more about us! 


Wednesday, March 16, 2016

Bootcamps For Belle!




"Last week on Thursday, March 10, 2016, Belle was diagnosed with an extremely rare genetic disease called Niemann-Pick Type C-1 Disease (NPC1). Only 500 children have NPC1 in the world and there only 100-150 diagnosed cases in the United States. The average life-span of children who go untreated is between 12 and 20 years of age. Most children with NPC1 will die in their mid-teens. As you can imagine, when we were told that she had inherited this horrific genetic disease we were heart broken and quite frankly, our worst nightmare was realized. We want to save our daughter and we need your help to do so." 




~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

TFC will be supporting this family by hosting "Bootcamps For Belle". We will be hosting a number of camps at various locations! We'd love to have as many of you participate as possible. You will be able to make a donation at one of bootcamps for Belle. Let's come together to help this family give their daughter a chance to live! Please continue to check back here for a list of participating camp locations! 


#bootcampsforbelle

CAMP LOCATIONS & TIMES:



1 Ikea Way 78664
April 9th, 2016 8am


Monday, March 14, 2016

Breaking Barriers




The mind is such a powerful thing, it can help you get through tough times, or it can cause you to break! The strong learn how to handle and control their mind when it starts to rant, rave and tell them to stop what they’re doing. It's possible to develop a few strategies to help break through the barriers and achieve your goals! Here are a few ideas:

Do it one more time! 
So you're at bootcamp having a great workout, when that voice inside your head starts screaming at you to “stop” or “give up,” you fight back by completing whatever exercise your doing and then add one more. Completing just one more exercise, when everything inside of you is telling you to stop is a sure way to grow your mental muscles, and the next time you might do two more. Over time, this builds and you begin to control that voice.

Set Small Goals.
When you're in the middle of a workout, always have small goals in your head. Small goals add up to big goals. For example, if my workout calls for 15 burpees, my first goal might just be to get to 5. When I get to 5 and still feel good, I start thinking, “good, I’ll do 5 more without rest,” and when I get to 10 and start to feel fatigued I might just talk myself into “two more.” But at 12, I might use the “do it one more time rule,” and then do it again. After a few more you'll be knocking out every set!

Break through the wall.
A trainer is supposed to push you! Pushing you helps to break through the wall so many people develop when working out. A person needs to be pushed to reach their physical and mental best. Breaking through a wall = strength. Sometimes you're barely able to stand after an intense workout, but you never want to lose the mental battle, so fight to the end. After doing this over and over, you're WILL wins and you break through the wall. It's amazing! One of Texas Fit Chicks Trainers, Jodi, says "suck it up on soreness. if you're sore, your body is changing and thats what we're all in this for!" So push it chicks!!

Take You're Mind Off.
During a tough workout, take you're mind off the challenge. Talk about something random, etc. Discuss progress outside of scale/measuring like "hey, I lifted the baby carrier with no struggle this week. I'm obviously stronger."

Celebrate Non-Scale Victories. 
It's a lifestyle change and non scale victories can make all the difference! Making healthy food choices when out to eat, drinking all of your water, not eating sugary foods, working out on off boot camp days, dropping a size in clothing...these are all victories to celebrate. Celebrating these victories will help you break through barriers. Other non scale victories that can be celebrated are being a good role model to your kids, friends, and family. Love yourself enough to be healthy for YOURSELF because you deserve it!

Trainer Motivation
Your trainer might help you get past the point of breaking by telling you a funny story or nonsense story! Especially if you are doing a minute or timed challenge it always helps to push you through, so if you're trainer is talking listen up and before you know it the challenge will be over! Beth, one of our TFC Trainers in Austin says, "I also will do some of the harder exercises with my chicks and ask them what is burning. .... for example if we are doing a plank hold- I ask "who is shaking? because I am! I also help by giving quotes of "no pain no gain" "Sweat, Who cares, it is dark out and nobody can tell" "You got this, and just think this is ONLY 60 minutes and you have the rest of the 23 hours to make it matter!" Motivation is key to breaking barriers!


Your body can handle more 

than your mind thinks


Monday, March 7, 2016

Smart Shopping: 7 Tips For Success




Grocery stores can make or break your fitness goals. Your success depends on what goes into the cart and makes it into your home. One of my favorite quotes is "you can't out-train a bad diet." This is SO true.  If you consume more calories than you burn off you gain weight. No matter how hard you train, one trip to the grocery store can undo all that you've done at boot camp or the gym.

Getting in and out of the grocery store with exactly what you planned to buy is tricky. How many times have you gone in for bread and left with $50 worth of stuff in your basket? There are lots of ways the stores keep you wandering down the aisles, and if you go with a plan, you are more likely to stay on track. Here are ways to shop smart and stay on track!

Stop by the cooler in the front...and get the largest bottle of water they sell - pop it open and drink the entire time you're shopping. If you happen to be a little hungry, it will satisfy you. It will remind you of your goals to make this a healthy shopping trip, and it will help get you to your 64 oz minimum water intake for the day! Plan your lunches and dinners on Sunday ~ Spend an hour making your list and your plan. Think through the entire day, including snacks. Once you've purchased it, bring it home and do the chopping and sorting. It will take a few more minutes out of your day, but it will also make grabbing a healthy snack easier - which makes it more likely you will eat it and not junk. If you know that you don't have time to chop everything ~ buy it already done for you. Try to only hit the grocery store once a week.

Plan 1 cheat meal per week BUT.....Don't buy the chocolate you are going to indulge in, until the day you're going to eat it. Too tempting to have it in the house for most people. If it's not in the house, it's not going to be as much of a problem in a weak moment. 

Never, Ever go to the store hungry - I'm sure you've heard this, but it's worth mentioning again. This will blow your strategy. Especially if they're handing out samples. You're much more likely to make impulse purchases if you're hungry and at the grocery store.

Linger in the Produce section and shop the perimeter - Shopping the perimeter means that you are spending most of your $$ on produce, lean meats, and dairy. The processed, packaged, preservative laden food is all in the middle of the store. Linger in the produce and make your basket look like a rainbow of colors from all of the veggies and fruits you buy. Get fresh lemon to flavor your water during the week. Apples for healthy snacks....

Choose fresh or frozen veggies - canned veggies just don't cut it. Fresh is best. Steam them, bake, or boil. Don't smother with butter or cover with cheese :) If you can't do fresh, frozen is next best. Don't overcook the veggies or they lose their nutritional value.

Go without the kids -  If you have kids (that are old enough to talk) chances are they are going to be asking for junk. The cereal aisle will become a battleground. If all you have in the house is cereal that you pick out based on it's nutritional value, there's no discussion on whether or not they will eat it. The people that package Trix and Lucky Charms know how to get their attention...so if possible, go alone.

Eating clean IS a little more work. It is NOT as convenient as the drive-thru at Wendys. But, for a little extra work, you get a huge payoff. Your training during the week will not be trashed by the trip to Market Street. 

Here's a list of the foods that are in my basket each wk:

Chicken breast (skinless, boneless)
eggs

Apples
Clementines
Asparagus
Whole wheat breads
Ezekiel muffins
Almond butter
Skim milk
bananas
Sweet potatoes
Lettuce/Spinich
almonds (raw, unsalted)
steel cut oatmeal


What's in yours? 


Tuesday, March 1, 2016

Sock It To Eating Disorders With TFC





Texas Fit Chicks is supporting National Eating Disorder Week by asking our chicks to wear crazy socks as a way of expressing the need to "Sock It To ED," for National Awareness. Please join us the week of February 21-27th by wearing crazy socks to camp

Join Texas Fit Chicks in support of and in helping to raise awareness for this serious issue. Share pictures on fb, IG, or twitter & use the hashtag #SockItToEdWithTFC so we can share a few of your pictures here on our blog and on our facebook page!


A LETTER FROM ONE OF OUR CHICKS:

"My daughter is recovering from an eating disorder. I must admit this has been a complete shock for all of us. As much of a hold I felt I had on my girls with talks, quality time, etc. the truth is we all missed it. I still struggled with accepting it even after she admitted it until her doctors showed me the lab results. Due to excessive binging and purging her potassium levels reached dangerous levels which eventually lead to organ failure. This has been extremely scary and all I keep asking myself is, "How did I miss it?, How as a mom could I not see the pain and loneliness she was enduring not to mention the self hate.?" I swear, we spent every night together talking, watching television, going on walks together, playing with the dog, grocery shopping, etc. I just do not know what happened or how I missed it. I really thought I was in tune to my kids and their needs; clearly I was wrong. It just goes to show that eating disorders do not discriminate against age, race, or gender. 

There is a huge gap in understanding and recognizing what an eating disorder patient looks like.
I am reaching out to you because National Eating Disorder Awareness week is February 21- 27. There is such a misconception of this illness and Dallas is very new in treating this disorder. Doctors and emergency room staff members have so much to learn. When visiting the National Eating Disorder http://www.nationaleatingdisorders.org/ site I learned that there are events held throughout the country but for whatever reason, Dallas acknowledges nothing that week or any other time of year for that matter. My goal is to create something that helps families and the people that are suffering from it so that we can make others aware and prevent unnecessary deaths. I literally could have woken up one morning to a dead child, how terrifying do you think that is?"


UPDATED March 1st!! We did it! Here are a few pics we wanted to share!! 
















What is Texas Fit Chicks? 
We create a fun environment for women to lose weight and get FIT! With over 125 camp times and locations across the state of Texas, we are the leader in womens' fitness. Our trainers are all (female) nationally certified and have a true passion for helping other women GET fit or STAY fit! Designed to be modified for all ages and levels of fitness, Texas Fit Chicks Boot Camp will change the way you look at fitness and yourself! We think every woman should have access to a trainer, at an affordable price. We believe that there is no need to yell, scream or intimidate women into working out and pushing themselves. Our trainers encourage you to push to the next level in a safe and effective way. You won't ever get bored or do the same workout twice! We have many clients that have been with us since we started, in 2009.
Our program is designed to dramatically change the way you look and feel in as little as 4 weeks. Our workouts and female fitness experts can help you reach your goals, in a healthy, sustainable way. Texas Fit Chicks includes a full body composition from your trainer before and after your session, and a free meal plan from a nutritionist to maximize your boot camp results. This plan includes family friendly recipes and printable grocery lists to make healthy eating simple.
For a full list of our locations, please visit our website www.texasfitchicks.com Are you a certified trainer interested in joining our team? Find out more here: www.fitchicktrainers.com