Wilchester Bootcamp

Is your motivation sagging with the cooler temps, holiday music and thoughts of pumpkin pie? Mine sure tends to do so. Here are some tips for staying motivated throughout the holidays, so that you can STILL wear the same size jeans on January 1st that you wore on September 1st!

Common Obstacles to Motivation

Inconsistent Routines -- Stock up on pre-cooked foods to keep in your fridge for a quick and healthy meal like brown rice, steel cut oats, flash frozen chicken breasts, frozen veggies and prewashed salad greens. Remember that on average, if a woman eats out five days a week, she takes in an EXTRA 290 calories A DAY.

Gnoshing at Night - Turn to lighter foods like apples, grapes, or a bowl of high fiber low sugar cereal like Kashi Cinnamon -- it is soooo good. Its just tastiness in a bowl

Fast Food while Shopping -- Avoid fast food at all costs! Instead, run into a grocery store. Most stores like HEB have salad bars, or healthy convenient foods like prepackaged salads, or sandwiches. If all else, grab a tub of hummus and some multigrain crackers and carrots OR Randalls has the best whole grain bagels and little tubs of light cream cheese. Yum. Or why not ask the deli to slice you about 3 ounces of lean turkey breast? Eat it with a big Gala apple, or wrap it around pre-cut celery. Just think out of the box when it comes to eating out!

No time to  Exercise? -- Get to an early morning bootcamp session! And if you can't leave home, have an alternative, full body circuit workout ready to do. Try jump squats, v-ups, pushups, burpees, jumping jacks, and do them in a circuit 3-5 times.

Smoothie Recipe

And on another note, when you have a bad day for eating, or are just feeling puffy, try this anti bloat smoothie:

2 cups baby spinach

1 ripe kiwi peeled and quartered

1 cup lowfat milk

1 scoop vanilla whey protein powder

1 tsp. vanilla

Blend until smooth and serve over ice. Contains 226 calories, 4 grams of fiber and 27 grams of protein. The spinach in the smoothie is high in calcium and magnesium, which are two important cleansing ingredients that promote regularity.

Hi Ladies!

So happy to be writing this on a sunny Sunday morning without a trace of humidty! Can't wait to get out in the sunshine today. I am definitely a morning person so I try to take advantage of my energy in the morning hours, because when the sun goes down, I am ready to hang it up! Someone said to me the other day that energy is a gift. And the more I think of it, the more relevant that statement becomes! As we age, and as we accure more and more responsibilities, energy is indeed a gift. Below are some ways to manage the energy you've been given by eating well:

1. Include small amounts of healthy fats in each meal so that you will stay fuller for longer. Any nut butters such as peanut, or almond butter, as well as olive oil, flaxseed oil are good choices.

2. Hydrate throughout the day -- always keep a water bottle by your side to avoid being thirsty. Remember that if you are thirsty then you are already dehydrated. Dehydration can often be mistaken for hunger and we reach for food when water is all we really need.

3. Include dark, colorful vegetables with as many meals as possible. Vegetables are packed with water, and important nutrients that keep you running on full steam. Avoid processed vegetables as much as possible so that you can maximize the energy from your vegetables.

4. Keep dried fruit and lowfat trail mixes handy as a good souce of potassium and carbohydrates.

5. Freeze bananas to keep on hand for a quick smoothie when you feel your energy start to flag -- all you need is milk, yogurt and the banana, and if you have it on hand, include some whey protein power for extra protein.

6. And finally, eat five to six small meals a day to keep your blood sugar at a steady state, which keeps your energy from flagging. Here is a sample of a six meals to eat in a day to keep you going. I think the key is to remember that you want to emphasize mini meals -- and keep portions small:

Meal #1 1 oz. of whole grain cereal with 1/2 cup of low fat milk and 1/2 cup of raspberries

Meal #2 1/2 of a canteloupe and two pieces of string cheese

Meal #3 1 oz. of lowfat cheese, 1 oz of turkey and 1 slice of tomato on 1 slice of whole wheat bread.

Meal #4 1 slice of whole wheat toast with a tablespoon of peanut butter and 1/2 of a banana

Meal #5 4 oz. of chicken breast, 1/2 cup of brown rice, and 1 c. of vegetables

Meal #6 1/2 c. of cottage cheese and 1/2 c.of berries

Other ideas for high energy snacks? Pita bread with hummus, lowfat chocolate milk, pineapple with cottage cheese, cereal with milk (my favorite!), fruit plate with cheese.

Reminders!

Don't forget to bring your money to purchase your PUNCH CARD. You will need this on Monday, November 2nd. Cost is $40 for twelve sessions of bootcamp or $105 for thirty six sessions.

Body fat testing is available using a caliper. Contact me to set up a time to have yours tested! Cost is $20 and includes a follow up test in six weeks.

Stay energized!

Rhonda Wilson

www.wilchesterbootcamp.webs.com

Hi Bootcamp Ladies!

So good to see September on the horizon! It means cooler temps for us and terrific bootcamp weather! If you are taking time off from bootcamp, this is a great time to start back! Remember, we generally begin our cool down by 6:40 so if you are time crunched in the a.m., feel free to leave bootcamp at this time to get back home for getting the kiddos ready!

September means it is also time for bootcamp dues! Please, please pay your $30 bootcamp dues each month at the beginning of the month. It makes life so much easier for me, and right now, my life needs something simple in it! Craaaazy week with 3 kids going back to two different schools!

For many of us, when we get over that first crazy week, back to school time means that we can breathe a sigh of relief! Time to get back into a fitness routine, thank goodness! But with a time crunched schedule, and everyone running every which way, it is hard for even the most dedicated health and fitness enthusiast to overcome some obstacles that go hand in hand with daily life such as working full time, family obligations, and jam packed schedules with meetings, carpooling, and other activities.

Here are some solutions to common diet and exercise pitfalls:

OBSTACLE #1: OVEREATING LATE IN THE DAY

You maintain a healthy diet throughout the day until the afternoon when cravings and hunger pangs strike. You either find yourself raiding the vending machine at 3, eating snack after snack with your kids when they get home, or eating your way through the evening since you are too hungry to wait on dinner to be ready. BEEN THERE!

SOLUTION #1: Have a bigger breakfast and lunch. Many women try to save calories by having just a handful of something for lunch, but you are setting yourself up for failure. For breakfast and lunch, make sure they are between 300-400 calories each. For lunch, try a big salad with 4 ounces of chicken and a whole wheat roll. Try checking out the salad bars at Sandy’s Market, Whole Foods, or at the new HEB on Bunker Hill. They have great, fresh, make your own salads with lots of healthy options. On another note, surprisingly, the Wendy’s mandarin chicken salad is very fresh and tasty as well!

SOLUTION #2: Since it’s tough to cook when its late, make big batches of reheatable foods. Try grilling or baking a batch of chicken breasts on Sunday night so you always have lean protein at hand. Try marinating your chicken in a simple marinade of balsamic vinegar, Dijon mustard, a little olive oil and rosemary. My personal favorite go-to meal is turkey burgers with a side of frozen green veggies like the microwaveable brussel sprouts that come in individual packs – love them!! I make several turkey burgers at a time and always have a whole wheat bun ready. Another idea is to boil 6-8 eggs to eat as snacks throughout the week – my kids love em too and they go sooo much farther than a gogurt, or string cheese – PROTEIN POWER! Other healthy dinner items for you to try if you just can’t wait: a can of Progresso lentil soup; veggie burgers; or, if you are out, pick up a ready to go entrée from My Fit Foods. I have some coupons for free meals if you are interested! And what can kill late night cravings for chocolate? Hands down, it’s the fat free, sugar free, GUILT FREE Fudgsicle!! Your kids will have to fight you for em!

OBSTACLE #2: HAPHAZARD EXERCISE

Many of us women only have time to work out in the mornings, and if we miss our window, then BAM! NO exercise for the day! And it is crucial for you to get in 4-5 really good cardio sessions per week, and 2-3 strength training sessions if you want to see some weight loss results.

SOLUTION #1: Find a workout buddy to meet you in the mornings. Better yet, sign up for bootcamp! On the non-bootcamp days, make sure you are walking or running, or doing a workout DVD or taking a class elsewhere. Journal the minutes you’ve spent on cardio, and journal the sets/reps you completed on strength training, making note of when, where, what you did and how you felt. Being able to measure your exercise can help you pinpoint the calories you are burning in relation to what you are taking in (if you journal your food intake as well). Not only that, journaling helps you keep record of something you can be very proud of: taking care of yourself!

SOLUTION #2: I’ve said it before, but I will say it again and again. Girls, pick up some heavy weights! You need to be doing this 2-3 times per week. It will increase your resting metabolic rate (something that drops precipitously each year over 30, which translates to weight gain!) Strength training will change your body like nothing else! It will firm up parts you thought were gone forever! Problem is that many women are intimidated by heavy weights, and even more intimidated to try them out at a gym. Buy an adjustable set of dumbbells and start lifting at home! Try 3 -4 sets of ten reps. When the weights get to easy to lift, time to move up the weight and/or get to a gym to try out some of the very cool strength training equipment at most gyms.

Hope this helps in your quest for fall fitness!

See ya on Friday at bootcamp!

Hey Bootcamp Girls!

I am back online! So glad to be sending you the e-blast once again. I know that resesarching and writing this information motivates me, so I hope it does the same for you! Please note that this eblast will also be archived under the Blog section of www.wilchesterbootcamp.webs.com.

Bear in mind that BOOTCAMP MONEY for August can be brought in starting this week. If you don’t have it in by this week, please try and have it in by no later than Monday, August 1st.

5 Ways to FAB Abs

A six pack of abs can be an elusive thing. I totally believe that 70% of the equation is what we eat, and then another 20% is exercise, and then a small ten percentage is genetics. There are some people, try as hard as they might, who will never show a six pack of abs – it isn’t in the genes. But that doesn’t mean that you can have a lean and sculpted midsection! Six pack or not, here are five ways to get Fab Abs:

1. Eat Clean! You can work out six times a week, but if you are supplementing your training with Big Macs, Beer and Bluebell, you will probably find yourself poking a pudgy midsection. Switch to eating 5 or 6 mini meals per day of clean, unprocessed food and your clothes will start fitting better in the midsection area.

2. Vary your Moves. Your abs muscles are made of strands of muscle that run in varying directions. It makes sense that you want to hit your abs at lots of different angles. Try more than just basic crunches. Try leg raises, planks, reverse crunches, and use things like bands, stability balls, and medicine balls to work your abs in many different ways! Looking for an abs challenge? Come to bootcamp because we hit the abs at every angle.

3. Go for Total Body Workouts. Doing 500 crunches a day is going to kill you before you ever see visible results. You CANNOT spot reduce! I repeat: you CANNOT spot reduce! Concentrate on training that works your entire core like squats, push-ups, mountain climbers, and circuit training. At Wilchester bootcamp, you will get plenty of total body workouts!

4. Water, Water, Water. Drink your water! Ugh, this is a tough one for me, but I know that water is what moves things along, flushes out toxins, and keeps your metabolism revved. Carbonated water doesn’t work as well as plain, pure water – carbonation causes bloating. And Diet Soda? Research conducted points to artificial sweeteners as a cause of bloat and water retention. Boo!

5. Breathe. Learn how to inhale and exhale when doing abs training. Exhale on the crunch or raise and inhale on the release. It will give you a deeper abs contraction.

***What is the best way to follow a healthy eating plan? Keep it simple! For breakfast, eggs oats and berries. For lunch, some whole wheat bread and lean meat and tuck in some spinach leaves. For Dinner, lean meat, veggies and a tiny portion of whole grains such as brown rice or sweet potatoes. And snacks? Fruit! Nuts! Lean turkey! Veggies! You can’t go wrong if you keep it simple!

Motivation: Summer is hard for motivation isn’t it? You may have dieted this spring and kept to a training schedule, but then summer came and good habits have started to slide a little. Here are three tips from Oxygen magazine on maintaining motivation.

• Re-focus your goals – Maintenance of old goals is key, but find some new goals to work towards once you’ve met your milestones.

• Fine tune your plan – change up your eating plan; change up your workout plans. If you always lift weights on Tuesday, opt to try power yoga instead, or try climbing stairs instead of running.

• Reward yourself – Work out your own personal reward system….a cheat meal, new itunes, a spa day or new haircut. You deserve it!

Until Wednesday -- and don’t forget we are meeting at Nottingham splash park on Wednesday in order to run the big “hill!”.

Xoxo,

Rhonda

Hey Bootcamp Ladies!

Its been a while – the May crunch at my house is unreal! But hopefully I will have some more computer time to get out some health and fitness updates to you!

Staying Motivated

Summer time is a hard time to stay motivated…there are vacations to take, barbecues to attend, and lots of lounging around by the pool to do! Don’t get sidetracked though with your fitness goals. In fact, since summer vacation, for most, is a measurable period of time (mine began today when the school bell dismissed at noon!), why not see the summer as a chance to accomplish some new goals? For instance, maybe you can enter a 5K race (3.1 miles) -- there is one coming up on July 4th – the 5K runwild takes place pm Saturday, July 4th at 7:30 a.m. at Uptown Park plaza. Register now at www.EZToRegister.com. Yours truly will be there! I also have a 5K program that I can provide to you if you are interested.

And with summer moving at a slower pace, now’s a good time to try new and healthy recipes. Here are some excellent snacks that you can make for yourself and your family. These are highly portable and packed full of protein:

Energy Bars

1 c. natural peanut butter

1 c. honey

1 c. old fashioned oatmeal

1 c. dried apricots

½ walnuts and ½ c. almonds

Combine peanut butter and honey in a large nonstick pot and heat on low until runny. Mix in the oatmeal, apricots, and nuts, stirring until all ingredients are well coated. Line a 9X9 inch pan with waxed paper. Press the mixture into the pan. Let cool, and cut into 16 bars. Nutritional values include 260 calories, 3 g. of figer and 7 g. of protein.

Trail Mix

¼ c. raisins

¼ c. dried cranberries

½ c. banana chips

¼ c. almonds

¼ c. cashews

¼ c. walnuts

½ c. sunflower seeds

¼ c. carob or semi-sweet chocolate chips

Combine all ingredients in a large

mixing bowl and divide into ¼ c. servings. Nutritional value includes 190 calories, 2 g. figer and 4 g. protein.

4 Ways to Boost your Confidence and Motivation (excerpted from Oxygen magazine)

1. Psych yourself up for hard challenges. Spend moments each day visualizing yourself crossing the finish line at a certain time, or hoisting a heavy weight, or responding to a difficult situation in a certain manner;

2. Get to know your strengths and weaknesses – Knowing your weaknesses keeps you from being blindsided. For me, I KNOW not to buy the big Family size bag of Doritoes to take to the pool! They are my weakspot!

3. Reward yourself for effort and success – Any achievement, whether its finishing a 5K or losing 5 pounds is cause for celebration. Determine at the outset what your reward will be when you’ve accomplished your goal!

4. Assert Yourself – make a habit of stating your needs. For instance, let your spouse know that you need time to yourself to commit to exercise.

Hope these tips will help you in creating some positive momentum this summer! And remember, if you want to exercise FOR FREE one day per week with FREE CHILDCARE, register for my class, Cross Training, at www.tallowood.org.

See you soon!

Rhonda

Hey Bootcamp Girls!

So excited for you to all be coming out this week! We are at the midpoint of spring, with beautiful weather – and outdoor exercise is so much fun to do. It is especially fun when we have our “peeps” with us. So, if your friend hasn’t yet joined the fold, bring them to bootcamp one morning so they can see what they are missing!

Crave Control

So, with all that heavy duty bootcamping you’ve been doing, it’s a good idea to pay attention to your eating as well. I can’t say it enough – eating is about 70% of the equation and the exercise about 30% -- we use the exercise to “sculpt” all the good nutrition we’ve been putting into our bodies! Here are a few ways to shore up the diet:

Watch it around Restaurants – there is so much hidden fat in restaurant food, that sometimes its just best to cook at home. But if you are eating out, here are some ordering ideas for various types of restaurants:

Chinese – start by ordering egg drop soup or wonton soup as a starter; order anything steamed with sauce on the side and opt for brown rice instead of white, but keep the rice portion down to no more than a cup.

Diner – how about an egg white omelet and whole wheat toast? Most diners will make your eggs with either whole eggs or Eggbeaters. Or, if you absolutely want that hamburger, leave half the bun, and order it with a side of salad instead of fries. Opt for a lean cut of meat, like ground sirloin or turkey. Some diners also now have veggies burgers and buffalo burgers as options.

Indian – Tandoori chicken and shrimp is the way to go.

Italian – First off, ask them to bring only a couple slices of bread to your table and not the whole blessed basket. That’ll save about 400 calories from your meal! Order a vegetable or broth based soup for a starter, and then look for baked, broiled or grilled chicken or fish.

Mexican – Yes, you CAN eat Mexican without breaking your calorie bank for the day! Order Fajitas and help yourself to one or two tortillas – try ordering white corn tortillas – this is healthier than the white flour variety. Los Tios, Escalantes, and other local favorites will bring you white corn tortillas, and will also serve you baked tortilla chips if requested – not as yummy as the fried, and as a rule of thumb, you can get away with eating about 12 of the fried tortilla chips for roughly 150-175 calories. Ditch the margarita or at least opt for a half serving – they’ll do that for you at most places.

Two Great “Clean” Desserts that are Quick and Easy to Make!

Taken directly from the www.oxygenmag.com site, here are two of fitness model Jamie Eason’s favorite, homemade desserts. They are low, low in calories and extremely satisfying. Her secret? Baby food! Don't knock it 'til you've tried it!

Chocolate Mug Cake

Ready in 10 minutes • Makes 1 serving

• 4 tbsp oat flour (ground oatmeal)

• 4 tbsp Splenda

• 2 tbsp baking cocoa

• 2 egg whites (3 tbsp liquid egg whites)

• 3 tbsp skim milk

• 3 tbsp baby applesauce (look for the variety with the lowest natural sugar)

• Dash vanilla extract

1. To a large coffee mug add oat flour, Splenda and cocoa and mix well. Add egg whites and mix well.

2. Add milk, applesauce and vanilla and mix well until combined. Place mug in microwave and cook for 3 minutes on high. Let cool for a few minutes before serving.

Nutrients per serving:

Calories: 190, Total Fats: 4 g, Saturated Fat: 1.5 g, Trans Fat: 0 g, Cholesterol: 0 mg, Sodium: 100 mg, Total Carbohydrates: 33 g, Dietary Fiber: 6 g, Sugars: 10 g, Protein: 12 g, Iron: 3 mg

“Oh Baby!” Carrot Cake

Ready in 45 minutes • Makes 16 servings

• Non-fat cooking spray

• 1 cup oat flour (ground oatmeal)

• ½ tsp cinnamon (double up if you love cinnamon!)

• ½ tsp baking soda

• ½ tsp salt

• 1/8 tsp ground nutmeg

• 3 egg whites

• ¾ cup Splenda

• ½ cup fat-free ricotta cheese

• 2 jars carrot baby food

• 1 cup quick-cooking oats

1. Preheat oven to 350°F. Spray an 8x8 pyrex dish with cooking spray.

2. In a large bowl, combine flour, cinnamon, baking soda, salt and nutmeg.

3. In a medium bowl, mix egg whites, Splenda, ricotta and baby food until well combined. Add the wet ingredients to the flour mixture and mix well. Fold in the quick-cooking oats and stir until just combined.

4. Pour batter into the dish and spread evenly. Bake 30–35 minutes or until a toothpick comes out clean. Let cool and cut into 16 pieces.

Nutrients per serving:

Calories: 90, Total Fats: 1 g, Saturated Fat: 0 g, Trans Fat: 0 g, Cholesterol: 0 mg, Sodium: 85 mg, Total Carbohydrates: 18 g, Dietary Fiber: 1 g, Sugars: 9 g, Protein: 3 g, Iron: 1 mg

Inspiration

We love bootcamp, but as you know, 90% of succeeding at bootcamp is getting out the door! We can encourage ourselves and others with lots of positive self-talk to keep the motivation going towards becoming as healthy and as fit as we can possibly be. Just take a look at these quotes and keep them somewhere to refer to often throughout the week:

“Keep your fears to yourself, but share your courage with others.” Robert Louis Stevenson

“Attitude is a little thing that makes a big difference.” Winston Churchill

“If you know you are going to fail, then fail gloriously.” Cate Blanchett

“Never give up, for that is just the place and time that the tide will turn.” Harriet Beecher Stowe

“Don’t get too comfortable with who you are at any given time – you may miss the opportunity to become who you want to be.” Jon Bon Jovi

xoxo,

Rhonda

Hey Bootcamp Girls!

GREAT working out with all of you this week!  I had so much fun and I hope you did too!  We'll be hitting it hard again next week, same time and same place!  Be sure to invite your friends, since, after all, the more the merrier!  And if you haven't paid your bootcamp dues for April, please do so, since May is almost here!

TOXIC WEIGHT -- Ever heard of it?  I've heard of Toxic Waste but I'm talking about toxic weight!  Toxic Weight is the weight that just refuses to leave, no matter how much exercise you do! 

I

In January, when I decided I would run over 100 miles that month to get rid of my own "toxic weight" and STILL did not lose ONE POUND, I decided something had to change.  I was ready to try something that would shake up my eating and exercising because the old tried and true was no longer working.  Eating what I wanted and then exercising like a maniac to work it off was quickly becoming a thing of the past.  I'ved realized that I do not need to exercise more or longer, but smarter.  And I'm coming to believe that what we put into our mouth is about 70% of winning the weight battle -- exercises simply sculpts the good nutrition we've put into our mouths.

So, back to Toxic Weight....Toxic weight reflects an imbalance in your body.  According to Dr. Marcelle Pick, OB/GYN, and author of The Core Balance Diet, toxic weight gain can happen due to many causes, including the following:

• Digestive:  Digestive imbalances often play a role in food senstivities, which can cause you to crave those same foods, and eat them in excess.  A lot of the chemical laden, "Frankenfoods" out there are responsible for food senstivities, and eating out is a major culprit.  If you haven't cooked it, then you just don't know what they're putting into it!

• Hormonal:  The food we eat influences our hormonal balance on a daily basis and can create a cyclical pattern that causes weight gain. 

• Adrenal:  Your adrenal glands are responsible for the fight or flight response at the center of your body's survival instinct.  If this survival instinct is activated too often (in situations like traffic, busyness, your kids are fighting, etc.) cortisol begins to take control of your body's physical actiosn, which can lead to overeating, abdominal weight gain, and more.  Statistics reveal that 85% of women seen in OB/GYN offices are suffering from adrenal fatigue, which leads to low energy periosd when women often make unhealthy food choices.

• Inflammation -- we often engage in a "pro-inflammation" diet, including things like white flour, sugar, and fried items.  Inflammation is our body's response to harmful exposure from the outside world, including things like toxins in food, poor sleep, overexercising, environmental hazards, and the list goes on.  This is a major source of imbalance. 

In a nutshell, the way to get rid of these things that could be causing your toxic weight are to do the following:

• Tune into your body
• Turn down your stress -- Take a thoughtful inventory of the stressors in your life and do what you can to eliminate them
• Cultivate a spiritual life and pratice self-care -- Identify and meet your spiritual needs -- Jesus says He came so that we would have life more abundantly.  Are you living an abundant life?    I will begin including a blog of devotionals, etc. on this website if you are looking for some ways to quiet your spirit for a few moments and think about God's Word for a minute or two.
• Get up and move!  If you are reading this website, chances are you are probably doing that , so keep it up!  Just DON'T forget to strength train!  Its as important, if not more so, than cardio.
• Treat yourself to healthy foods.  Go to  www.eatclientdiet.com or to www.bodyforlife.com if you want pointed in the right direction of eating clean and healthy foods.

That is all for now!  Eat clean, and have a great weekend!!

xoxo,

Rhonda

A Few of My Favorite Things...

Hey Bootcamp Girls! The weather has been really freaky today, but don?t let it stop you from coming out tomorrow. I think the forecast is Sunny with a chance of squats and lunges!

Today's post is fun for me to write. I decided to make it a post in which I share with you all of my favorite things that I love to eat, read, and use that encourage me to make healthier lifestyle choices. So, let's start with my favorite category: food!

Egg Beaters -  I?ve begun eating egg whites religiously. Every morning I eat two in the form of Eggbeaters. A ½ c. serving of Eggbeaters is equal to two eggs for 60 calories. I eat that with a half cup of oatmeal and I?m good to go!

Bagged, prewashed Spinach - To go into my Eggbeaters, on sandwiches, and in salads and sides, nothing beats a bag of Prewashed, bagged Spinach. You can buy the HEB brand for pennies less than the namebrand. Spinach works instead of lettuce for sandwiches, it can be added to your egg whites, and you can eat it at night with your dinner as a sidedish sprinkled with some parmesan cheese and red pepper. Delish and sooo good for you.

Kashi ? Yum. My favorite Kashi cereal is GoLean crunch (one cup of GoLean plus one cup of 1% milk equals 290 calories ? perfect for 3:00 p.m. snack!) , but I?ve been hearing good things about the Kashi Cinnamon Squares as well.

Wasa (multigrain 35 calories per cracker) ? Wasa is a great low carb snack that is filling since each 35 calorie cracker has 2 grams of fiber in it. Pair your Wasa with cottage cheese, chopped eggs, hummus, or peanut butter. Yet another great 3 p.m. snack.

Breakstone Cottage Cheese in mini-containers ? These cute little containers of cottage cheese pack 11 grams of protein at only 90 calories per serving! Plus they are portable. It makes for a great on the go snack. Pair it with two Wasa for a 160 calorie, satisfying snack.

Fage Yogurt ? If you have not tried Fage Greek Yogurt, then you are missing out! Make sure you buy the 2 % milk variety and not the full fat (decadent!). This is the richest, most satisfying yogurt out there. And it also packs a walloping 10 grams of protein in each container. It comes with a cute little compartment filled with honey, or fruit to spoon over the yogurt.

HEB In-house roasted turkey ? Get thee to HEB Bunker Hill and stand in line at the deli counter for HEB's soon- to- be- famous in-house roasted turkey deli meat. There is almost always a line for it! At 90 calories per 3 ounce serving, turkey meat is a great high protein snack to pair with fruit, crackers, or veggies. My kids love it and they eat it straight out of the bag. It?s a little pricey but totally worth it.

And on to the non-food category, which includes people and things! 

Tosca Reno --  www.toscareno.com.  In her forties, she was an overweight, single mom and school teacher. Just shy of 50 years old, she is now a bikini model, fitness competitor, and bestselling author of the Eat Clean Diet book. She is so inspirational and at almost 50 years old, still rocks a two piece. Check out Tosca and her writing from the heart.

The Eat Clean Diet ?www.eatcleandiet.com. This is the website for Tosca Reno?s book about cleaning up your diet and eating several small meals a day. Ms. Reno has also written a book called Eating Clean for families, as well as a workout companion book.

Oxygen Magazine ? www.oxygenmag.com The articles in this fitness magazine are so informative when it comes to workout plans, and I love their nutrition articles. They interview women who are fitness competitors, and serious exercisers. These women know their stuff.

Runners World -  www.runnersworld.com. Such an inspirational website and magazine for walkers and runners! Check out Kristin Armstrong?s inspirational, and very girlfriendish style blog, as well as the various training plans they map out for beginners to advanced walkers and runners.

Sandy's Market - www.sandysmarket.com -- Sandy's Market is located on the I-10 Feeder Road just between Kirkwood and Dairy Ashford and if you haven?t been, you should go check it out! The store has a great buffet chock full of healthy salad ingredients, fresh fruit, turkey meatballs, black beans, homemade vegetables, whole grains, organic coffee, and I could go on and on. Oh, and the teas?just about every kind of tea leaf imaginable. Per Sandy?s website ?We are a progressive, community-based market where people learn to love living healthily. We are nutritionists, produce specialists, registered herbalists, chefs, tea aficionados and, most of all, dedicated community members.?

Bodybuilding.com ? All you could EVER want to know about strength training in one site! Registered users can also blog their workouts and take advantage of online training log.

Mapmyrun.com -- Where to run, where to walk? Map out any run, anywhere in the world at this site, and then go back later and plug in how long it took you to do it and mapmyrun.com will spit out the calories burned, as well as your average pace. You can take advantage of training logs, as well as exercise challenges on this site.

Calorieking.com ? Where do you turn when you want to know how many calories you just consumed in that slice of pizza? Calorieking.com has the most extensive food lists around, and includes name brand foods and restaurant chains.

Girls, we need to get together for a Happy Hour! How long has it been? I propose a Friday nite from 5:30-7:00 at Vine Wine Room, soon! See ya tomorrow! Rhonda

Hey Bootcamp Girls!

Don’t let the rain scare you away from bootcamp. We had a great session today under the covered area of the school. Remember, we will meet in the spring if there is light rain, but we do not meet if there is thunder and lightning.  Also, April bootcamp dues can be brought in this week! Thanks!

SATURDAY BOOTCAMP/MY FIT FOODS IS THIS SATURDAY! Bring your friends to a free session of bootcamp on this Saturday, March 28 at Wilchester track, 8 a.m. The workout will last approximately 45 minutes and be followed up by a healthy breakfast from My Fit Foods!

Supplements at a Glance: Per nutritionist Philip L. Goglia, Ph.D.’s book Turn up the Heat (as excerpted in Oxygen magazine) here is a quick primer on the supplements that a healthy, active woman should consider making part of her daily routine:

 1. DHA/EPA Fish Oil – Omega 3-6-9’s elevate your healthy cholesterol levels (HDL) and decrease your risk of coronary inflammation. Also, and I LOVE this part: this supplement has been shown to help manage insulin sensitivities and sugar cravings, as well as improve cardiovascular capacity. Take 1,100 mg. at breakfast and at bedtime.

 2. Calcium/Magnesium/Zinc Complex – When combined with magnesium, calcium supports bone density and also prevents muscle crampings. You’ll also sleep better and reach a deeper REM sleep. This supplement is also able to help your body utilize fat more efficiently while sleeping. Take 1,000 to 1,500 mg. at bedtime.

3. Folic Acid – Folic acid helps to support hormonal and immune systems. Go hormones! Take 800 to 1,600 mcg at breakfast.

4. Amino Acid Complex – hormonal shifts can compromise a woman’s amino acid levels. Taking this supplement supports tissue repair and protein utilization – especially crucial after a workout. Take 2 capsules at breakfast, before/after a workout, and at bedtime.

The Power of Accountability – The thing I love about group exercise is that it builds in Accountability. Accountability is so important to us. Its part of our make-up – we need it! In a world where we are taught to be independent, stand alone kind of people, it is sometimes hard to admit we need help, but finding some good girlfriends who keep you accountable to your spiritual life, as well as to your health and fitness goals are invaluable. If you are currently “going it alone,” when it comes to fitness goals, I encourage you to enlist the help of your friends ! Consider the following:

1. When we are accountable, we are less likely to give in to skipping a workout. If you know that your friends are waiting on you, in the dark, to go running or to bootcamp, you are less likely to sleep in!

2. When we are accountable, we have friends who help us see the big picture. When you can’t figure out why you aren’t losing weight, maybe your friends can gently point out that it’s the 2 muffins you eat everyday without realizing it! That’s an exaggeration, but the point is that a friend can make you aware of some of your habits and behaviors that you haven’t noticed.

3. When we are accountable, we receive spiritual and emotional support that can strengthen us. In every relationship, there is a stronger and a weaker vessel. Sometimes you’re the stronger one and other times you’re the weaker one. That said, you are able to give and receive support to each other as you need it.

4. When we are accountable, we are encouraged to reach our goals! Assessing our individual goals and sharing them with fellow group members can make us more determined to carry them out. Ecclesiastes 4:9-12 teaches how cool it is to have group support! Check it out:

Two are better than one because they have good return for their labor. For if either of them falls the one will lift up his companion. Bot woe to the one who falls when there is not aother to lift him up. Furthermore, if two lie down together they keep warm, but how can one be warm alone? And if one can overpower him who is alone, two can resist him. A cord of three strands is not quickly torn apart.

So, basically, two is company, but three? Well, three people are even better. And a whole bootcamp of awesome, positive women? Well, that just plain rocks!

See you Friday!

xoxo,

Rhonda

Hey Bootcamp Girls!

Wow, the weather makes such a difference in bootcamp, doesn’t it?  We’re going to get into heat and humidity soon, so make sure to dress in light clothing that has moisture wicking built in to it – most workout clothes do, and bring water to sip (not guzzle) as we exercise.

Fit Foods and Bootcamp!

I’m so excited about our Saturday, March 28th date for Free Bootcamp and Breakfast with Fit Foods.  The bootcamp workout starts at 8 and will last until about 8:45, after which, we’ll partake in some healthy breakfast , and talk with the folks from My Fit Foods (www.myfitfoods.com). All ladies are welcome, and feel free to bring your Jr. High or High School age daughters.  They need to eat right and work out regularly just as much as mom does!

Taming the Tummy Bulge

The angst starts around the same time of year, every year, when we whip out the bathing suits in preparation for the first big “display” of the physique, whether it be vacation or just a trip to the pool. Here are some tips for getting our abs bathing suit ready:

Eat Clean:  You may have a nicely toned abs, but if you are not eating properly, you’ll never see them, no matter how much cardio or corework you do.   Base your food intake on five to six mini meals a day that are full of lean protein combined with a complex carbohydrate, and make sure the foods you are eating are as close to the way nature intended as possible – no junk!   For cleaning out the “junk” foods that cause tummy bloat and flab, check out this list of Eats and Don’t Eats as published in Oxygen magazine:

Eat !

oatmeal, egg whites (or egg beaters), whole grain breads, grilled chicken breast, fish, fruits and veggies, lean meats like turkey, lean beef and bison; almonds, salmon, fat-free milk, low fat cottage cheese, sweet potatoes, brown rice, broth based soups, balsamic vinegar, salads, water, virgin olive oil, quinoa, flaxseeds

Don’t Eat it Girl!

gravies, french fries, hamburgers, hot dogs, pies, chocolate, candies, deep-fried foods, cream based soups, ice cream, doughnuts, cookies and cakes, table salt, table sugar, pizza, soda, butter, margarine, salad dressing, alcohol  

Want some great ideas for protein/complex carb minimeals?  Check these out?  Yours truly can personally vouch for how satisfying these are:

EAS Lite Chocolate Shake (170 calories)

2 Wasa Crackers and 1 container of Breakstones cottage cheese (1/2 c.)

1/2  Peanut Butter and Jelly Sandwich (made on 1 slice whole wheat bread w/ 1 Tbsp.  PB and 1 tsp. PB)

Whey protein shake (blend one scoop of whey, 1 C. 1 percent milk, and ice)

1 cup of Fage Greek Yogurt (2 %)  served in ½ of a cantaloupe

3 oz. HEB (at Bunker Hill)  oven roasted turkey (NOT the deli meat, but oven roasted turkey sliced deli thin) on one slice of whole wheat bread, piled high with spinach and tomato and mustard. 

These are just some of the ways to eat tasty high protein meals.  Send me your own ideas!  We’ll collect them and publish them in a healthy eating forum.

P.S.  I am training clients on an individual basis.  If you’d like for me to work one- on- one with you to coach you to your cardio, strength training and healthy eating goals, please contact me.  I don’t train at any specific health club --   I bring the gym to you!   And if you are a member of Bootcamp, I will offer a special spring rate of $25 per hour for a personal training session.  ($30 non members)

See you this Friday!