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Author: Meredith Mitchell

Make your own “Power Packed” Snack!

Make your own “Power Packed” Snack!

Here is a protein/energy ball recipe that is perfect for a mid morning or mid afternoon snack.  You can change the ingredients to fit your taste but here is an example:

3/4 c of Natural Peanut Butter (or almond, cashew, soy nut, coconut butter or PB2 mixed with water)
1/2 c thick old fashioned oats (or ground flax, oat bran, hemp seed, almond meal, wheat bran…)
1/2 c protein powder (choc. or vanilla, make sure it have 25g of protein/serving and less than 3g of carbs/serving)
2 tbsp honey (chopped up dried fruit is a great substitute, you would use closer to 1/3c of dried fruit)
4 tbsp unsweetened shredded coconut (chopped nuts or chocolate chips)

Mix the ingredients in  food processor or blender.  Roll into 12 balls and place in the freezer for 1hr to harden.  You can keep them in the fridge for up to 1 week.  Also, you can choose to mix the coconut in with all the ingredients or use it as a topping to roll the balls in.  Below are the nutrition facts:

1 Power Ball=
Calories = 150
Fat = 9.5g
Carbs = 8.5g
Protein = 8g
Sugars = 4.5g

Here are some recipes I’ve used:

Almond Protein Balls ~
4-6 tbsp of almond butter
3 scoops of protein powder (I use vanilla Vega Sport Vanilla…get it at amazon)
1/4 chopped walnuts
1/4 chopped dates or dries prunes or dried cherries
1/4 – 1/2 cup of water (slowly add water as needed, if batter is too moist it’s hard to make balls)
Unsweetened coconut to roll balls in

Peanut Butter Chocolate Chunk Protein ~
4-6 tbsp of peanut butter
3 scoops of protein powder
2-3 tbsp of dark chocolate chips or chunks
1/4 cup dried prunes
1/4 – 1/2 cup of water
Unsweetened coconut or chopped nuts to roll balls in

Chocolate and Coconut Protein Balls ~
4-6 tbsp of coconut oil (put in microwave for 20-25 sec to soften)
3 scoops of protein powder
1 tbsp unsweetened cocoa powder
2-3 tbsp of dark chocolate chips or chunks
1/4 cup dried cherries
1/4 – 1/2 cup of water
Unsweetened coconut to roll balls in

Workout #14

Workout #14

GREAT WORKOUT DVD”S

~ Muscle Toning, 2 workouts both under 30min

http://www.collagevideo.com/workout-video/jackies-personal-training-30-day-fast-start-6062

~ Muscle Toning and cardio, 2 workouts both 30 min

http://www.collagevideo.com/workout-video/kelly-coffeys-30-min-to-fitness-start-here-6097

~ Muscle toning, full body in 1 workout in 31min

http://www.collagevideo.com/workout-video/jackie-warners-xtreme-timesaver-training-5894

~ Kickboxing, 11- 12min workouts so you can choose to only do 1 or if you have more time you can do 2 or 3!

http://www.collagevideo.com/workout-video/billy-blanks-tae-bo-express-6143

~ Zumba! You’ll be having so much fun dancing you won’t even realize your working out!

http://www.amazon.com/Zumba-Beginners-DVD/dp/B003WLUQ1C/ref=sr_1_5?ie=UTF8&qid=1338908583&sr=8-5

#3 ~ Workout Challenge

#3 ~ Workout Challenge

For this challenge we will be focusing on getting active and staying active.  The challenge will be called the “Workout Challenge”.  You will earn 1 point for every 20mins of exercise or activity you do daily.  Whether you are playing a fall sport, working out at the gym or at home, running or walking outside or participating in a class, you’re goal is to get active for at least 20min 3-5 days/weekly.

If you are choosing to workout at home, I have been filming 20min workouts that you can use as a guide.  If after the 20mins you feel you could do more…DO IT!!  Add on a few more sets to make it a 30-40min workout.  You can find those workouts on the Grapevine under “Weekly Workouts” or you can go straight to my youtube channel “Mer12906”.

If you want to go to a gym whether your doing your own workout of looking for a class to join, LA Fitness offers McKinley employees a discounted rate of $25 down and $29.99/monthly.  If you are interested in joining, please email me and I will send you the e-voucher you will need to take in with you when you sign up.

10 reasons to get active!
1. Good dose of endorphines
2. Helps combat osteoporosis and type 2 diabetes
3. Strengthens your heart
4. Weight loss!  With a good combo of strength training and cardio you will be able to drop the fat and keep as much lean muscle mass as possible
5. Helps fight mild depression
6. Improves sleep quality
7. Promotes mind power
8. Increased energy levels
9. Boosts self-image
10. Relieves stress!!!!

The Workout Challenge will begin in Monday, October 8th 2012 and end on Monday, November 5th 2012.  The team with the most points will win a catered lunch!  Choose one person from your team to keep track of the points and make sure you give your designated person your point totals at the end of each week. Email me with any questions.  Have a wonderful afternoon 🙂

 

Congratulations to the Asset Management Team a.k.a. the “Dude, where’s my gut” team for winning the Workout Challenge!!

Workout #13

Workout #13

Maximize your EPOC

Warm up: 5 min on your choice of cardio.  Your HR should reach 65% of your MHR (max heart rate).  Refer to workout #2 under Weekly Workout on the Grapevine to figure out your MHR.

Bench Press: 10 reps, the weight should be heavy enough (on all the strength moves) that your struggle with your last rep
Cardio: 2 min (0:10 sprint, 0:20 recover…cycle through this cardio interval 4 x)
Seated Row: 10 reps
Cardio: 2 min (repeat above cardio interval)
Bicep curl Squat: 10 reps (click the link below to see exercise)

http://www.ptonthenet.com/exerciseprint.aspx?ExerciseID=2345

Cardio: 2 min (repeat above cardio interval)
Tricep Dips: 10

Repeat this circuit 3x. You should be done in 45min or less if you stay on task :)

Physical Hunger vs. Emotional Hunger

Physical Hunger vs. Emotional Hunger

We all know how it feels to be hungry, but do you know the difference between a physical hungry feeling vs. an emotional hungry feeling?  Find out what the differences are and how to figure out whether the hunger feelings you are having is a physical or an emotional one by reading the short article below.

http://cortherapy.com/emotional-hunger-versus-physical-hungerwhats-difference/

If you do struggle with emotional eating, here are some ways you can beat those cravings:

1. Set yourself up for success!
~ Keep the junk food out of your home.  If you’re so determined to consume junk food to fill a void you would at least have the time it would take you to drive to the store to really think about whether or not eating that piece of cake of bag of chips was going to be worth it.
~ It can be difficult if you have kids, HOWEVER they shouldn’t be eating junk food on a daily basis either so for their sake it shouldn’t be in the house.  If your going to have a treat night, buy enough for 1 serving each and THAT’s IT!  No need for left overs 🙂

2. Figure out the reason for your craving:
~ Keep a food journal to identify your eating patterns and pay attention to the time of day when you’re really craving carbs or sugars.  Next, ask yourself why?  Are you really hungry or just bored?  Are you frustrated, stressed out and really want a salty or sugary getaway which will only feel good for the moment?  Sometimes if you understand the cause of your craving and realize it’s not because you are physically hungry, you will seek other ways to find relief from that emotion.

3. Identify things that satisfy you but don’t involve food:
~ For some it could be going for a walk, run, or bike ride.  Others will benefit from reading, playing an instrument, painting or participating in something artistic.  Figure out what you enjoy best and do that activity the next time you feel an emotional hunger craving.

4. Celebrate you success:
~ Keep track of every time you were able to resist a food craving because of your emotional state.  With every success you are proving to yourself you don’t need junk food to fill any void in your life.

When someone deals with emotional hunger cravings and gives into them they are inviting what could be a nasty cycle.  Most of the time you won’t feel relieved or better about your situation after you eat a bag of cookies.  Most of the time you will feel guilty which will make you feel worse.  This can make your emotional situation harder to deal with, which will then lead you to eat more junk because you feel you’ve already failed and you see no point in trying to fix the habit.  This does not have to be the case for you even if you are an emotional eater.  Every craving you don’t give in to will make a difference 🙂  Please email me with any questions 🙂