You may think that just because you are eating a salad that you are taking the healthy route? Well you are, but some salads can pack in as many calories as a Big Mac!  I refer to a Big Mac quite often in my writing because it’s a highly identifiable American favorite. Most people are familiar with the two all beef patty song right? Anyway, be careful what you add to your salad, especially if you are trying to lose weight.

So how do you avoid eating a 600 calorie salad?  First of all, if you add too many ingredients to make it more interesting, you could be running into trouble.  Simple, well thought out salads tend to be the tastiest!  There are endless options when it comes to salad, but why try and pack them all onto one plate? Regular garden salads can leave us feeling hungry, but we have to be careful what we add to create a more substantial meal.

First comes the lettuce….there are many kinds to choose from.  This is the starting point and this decision will affect the rest of your salad.  I know it’s a tough and dramatic decision, but it is true that salads made with lettuce that actually has a little taste contain fewer extras, which means fewer calories.  Iceberg lettuce has the lease amount of taste in my book, and the least amount of nutritional value, so you might want to opt for a nice romaine or spinach salad.  Spinach does have a very particular taste and you can’t just add anything to it, but it is a very healthy salad option.

Protein is often the next item added to a salad and can add a great deal of calories if you aren’t careful. Of course breaded chicken is NOT the way to go, instead opt for grilled chicken breast, which can add about 145 calories to your salad.  Tuna can also add around 145 calories and an egg will add 71.

Veggies are a good addition and don’t add too many calories, so go nuts here!

Cheese………..yikes.  Salads are great with cheese, but cheese adds a ton of calories as well. ¼ cup of cheddar cheese can add 114 calories.  A good option would be mozzarella at 84 calories, but the cheese has to match the rest of you salad right?  Creating the perfect salad can be a grueling process!  Lets take a look at all the other extras we can add.  Croutons, nuts, seeds, berries and olives are some that come to mind.  Cranberries can add 123 calories to your salad creation.  Almonds, 103.

It’s time for dressing. Usually a no-brainer depending on what you salad is made up of. Obviously creamer less translucent dressings are going to be higher in calories and in fat, so try to stick to oil and/or vinegar based dressings like Italian or balsamic.  Vinaigrettes are so tasty and light and they come in many different flavors like raspberry.  That is a favorite of mine. Some salads are best with good old olive oil and vinegar, but beware of the 239 calories in the olive oil.

The point of this article is that you don’t have to avoid your higher calorie salad additions, just try and keep it simple. Here is a salad I would put together that is less than 300 calories:

Spinach

Boiled Eggs – I would remove the yolk, not a fan of yolk.

Cucumbers

Alfalfa Sprouts

Sliced Almonds

Vinaigrette Dressing

Sliced strawberries on the side

282 Calories

10 grams of fat

26 grams of carbs

8 grams of dietary fiber

10 grams of protein

There you have it!  This is my idea of a delicious and simple salad with the goodness of spinach, plenty of protein without adding too many calories, some nice texture and a little sweetness.

I believe people today would like to be more health conscience and concerned with what they eat, but many of us don’t have a full understanding of what is actually hidden in our food. We go for things with “low fat” or “no sugar added” on the labels at the grocery store and think we are taking the better route.  The truth is that the process to make that particular food item “fat free” may be worse than the full fat or real sugar version.

Fat free usually means more sugar.  The sugar is added to enhance the taste because let’s face it, the fattier the food, the tastier! Sugar free foods end up having more artificial ingredients that can be carcinogens. That’s not good. Foods with lower fat end up with higher glycemic levels leading to energy spikes and quick falls.

Where in history did the producers of the foods we eat decide that altering foods in order to either be more efficient or lure us in to make them more money was the way to go??? There is noting we can do about that now, this is our culture. We can only be better informed, but I digress…..

Here are some foods that may appear to be healthy, and probably should be healthy but really aren’t that great:

Granola Bars– these appear to be healthy containing oats, nuts, seeds and perhaps some dried fruit.  The problem is the gooey glue that keeps the good stuff stuck together.  With the sugary syrup, and sometimes chocolate chips, you might as well call it a candy bar.

Flavored Yogurt/Fruit-on-the-bottom – here is another example of a good food gone bad.  These cups come loaded with corn syrup, not debating weather corn syrup is good or bad, just saying there is a whole lot of sugar.  Plain yogurt with fresh fruit on top (or the bottom if that’s the way you like it) is the much better way to go.

Fat Free Dressing – again, more sugar to enhance flavor. Also, since many vegetables are fat soluble, taking away the fat from the dressing means fewer of the nutrients from the veggies will be absorbed into your body.

Muffins – muffins have evolved over many years, going from smaller, 150 calorie breakfast treats to basketball sized heart attacks. Seriously, these muffins are getting bigger and bigger! The average amount of calories in today’s muffin is around 500!  Not to mention the 20 grams of fat! Oh where did we go wrong!

Popcorn – corn is from nature, so this should be a healthy snack right?  It should, but the butter and salt that goes into your average bucket of theater popcorn is enough saturated fat to last you three days on top of a day’s worth of sodium.  Theater popcorn is nutritionally equal to a fast food burger and a quarter pounder combined.  Yikes!

In a perfect world we would all go back to eating vegetables and fruits that we, or our neighbors grow and meat from the farm across town. I am not at all preaching “Paleo” as I love grains, but come on.  Why does everything have to be so unnatural? We often just look the other way and grab what appears to be healthy, sometimes for convenience or budget, because let’s face it, all natural and organic foods are much more expensive! Less tampered with foods that don’t have extra crap added cost more! It’s cheaper to eat unhealthy. This is the problem with our food today.

What are the most common reasons why people choose not to work out? Just to name one, the lack of time or energy from a full schedule can be a serious deterrent. Time seems to be the main issue/excuse for most people today. Every one is so busy with work and/or children and it can be hard to find time for your self, let alone an hour or more for exercise. So what are we to do? Should we allow ourselves to fall into a cycle of bad eating habits and a life with little to no exercise? NO! If anything, we can set aside AT LEAST 10 minutes a day for a quick workout and the 10 Minute Trainer is the answer.

10 minutes is all you need! Try and wake up 15 minutes earlier in the morning and there you go.  Now you have time to work out every day. The 10 Minute Trainer is the perfect express workout. Tony uses his exclusive “Super Stacking” technique that will give you results. Super stacking is a workout technique that combines cardio and strength training simultaneously to give you not only a full workout, but a super condensed workout as well. So don’t be fooled, this will be a tough 10 minutes!

If you are feeling really daring, you can do up to 3 – 10 Minute Trainer workouts, giving yourself 30 minutes of exercise per day. You don’t have to do 3 in a row. You can do one in the morning, one at lunch or after work and one after dinner. 3 – 10 minute, super stacked sessions spread out throughout the day. With every 10 Minute Trainer, comes a handy schedule that gives you your workout for the day, whether you choose to do 1 or all 3.

If you are strapped for time when it comes to meals, the 10 Minute Trainer nutrition guide is super helpful. 10 minute meals to help you stay on track with your diet that wont take a long time to prepare.  No more excuses!

If you are someone who may be lacking in the nutrition department, it may be because you don’t care for vegetables, are a junk food lover or maybe you are too lazy to think through a really healthy meal. I know there are a lot of you out there and I know you would really like to change your eating habits, but it can be hard. If a single glass of goodness per day would help get you out of that rut, would you try it? There are so many benefits of Shakeology packed in that one glass, you can improve your health and even lose weight.

So what exactly is Shakeology? Shakeology is a super healthy drink that can be used as a meal replacement or a supplement shake if you are working out. So what exactly does this shake do for you? For starters, this shake helps you to gently eliminate toxins while allowing for better absorption of the essential nutrients you need, which this shake contains. Also, it will help you to curb cravings to help you burn stored fat by delivering whole food ingredients containing essential amino acids, vitamins and minerals. The benefits of shakeology come from some of the healthiest foods on the planet.

• First, Shakeology contains whey protein isolates, which in itself, contains essential amino acids. This can help you build and repair muscle, reduce hunger and food cravings, keep your blood sugar steady, supports brain function and alertness and promotes healthy skin, hair and nails.
• Next there are prebiotics and digestive enzymes to help aid in digestion, boost the immune system, increases absorption of nutrients and helps to keep your regular.  Who doesn’t want that! Another one of the great benefits of shakeology! These nutrients can be found in foods like yogurt, pineapple and papaya.
• Shakeology also contains antioxidants and phytonutrients, which can aid in the elimination of harmful free radicals, decrease inflammation, boost your immune system, decrease the risk of degenerative diseases and may even increase longevity. The creators of Shakeology added a variety of berries and vegetables to add these essential nutrients into this super healthy drink.
• Last but not least, vitamins and minerals. Of course this drink would be packed with vitamins and minerals like vitamin B, C and E.  You will be sure to get a wide range of essential nutrients as well as a daily dose of your necessary vitamins which can make up for deficiencies in your diet.

The benefits of Shakeology are huge and even if you aren’t a super healthy eater, this drink can help you become one. You will have better digestion, better absorption of the good stuff and could even lose a few pounds if used as a meal replacement. I have tried Shakeology myself and I can say that their claims are true! Shakeology comes in Greenberry and Chocolate, but be on the look out for their latest and I’m sure to be greatest flavor, Tropical.

Everyone has seen the infomercials for all of Tony Horton’s great workout programs, but can you really get results from the 10 Minute Trainer? A 10 minute workout doesn’t seem like it would be enough. Right?  Even for your most basic workout routine, aren’t you supposed to do at least 20 minutes a day, 3 days a week to see any results? All of Tony’s other programs are 30 minutes or more per day.  How can 10 minutes of working out do anything?

The answer is Super Stacking. Tony Horton created this method, and it uses cardio and weight training simultaneously. These 10 minute workouts are a combination of heart pumping movements in unison with strength building moves. This method gives you a full body, super condensed workout in 10 minutes. You can also “stack” your workouts by doing up to 3 – 10 minute workouts per day. This will give you even greater results. Who doesn’t have 10 minutes here and there to fit in some exercise?

Another key to this 10 minute workout is the nutrition. Tony Horton is big on eating clean and not filling up on foods that may appear to be healthy, but end up making us gain weight. You will see the same philosophy in all of his program’s food guides. Lean proteins, complex carbs, low fat dairy, whole foods and fresh produce are the main ingredients to a successful diet.

Look up some reviews on the 10 Minute Trainer and I guarantee you there will be lots of success stories. It’s so easy to make a 10 minute workout a part of your daily life. Why not start now?

You may think that all sushi is healthy, but some types of rolls can contain a huge amount of calories per portion. Fish is great for us and we should keep it in our diet, but you have to be careful when choosing your favorites at your local sushi bar. It’s the other ingredients and the way the sushi is prepared that can put a damper on our diets. Here are some tips on how to separate the healthy sushi from its high calorie counterparts.

For one, any thing fried aka tempura, will have higher calories for obvious reasons.  Some tempura rolls can get up to 530 calories! That’s about the same as a big mac!  What ever your method of dieting is, counting calories or carbs, these rolls pack in a lot of both. Dumplings and spider rolls tend to be higher in calories as well. Instead, choose a healthy sushi option that isn’t fried.  There are also some rolls very high in fat that are made with duck or eel that you should probably stay away from if you are on a diet.

Sushi condiments can bring down the nutritional value of your favorite choices as well.  Soy sauce and Miso both contain a large amount of sodium.  Sometimes mayonnaise, cream cheese and creamy dressing can be a topping of choice for some sushi and Japanese salads, but these things can add significant calories to your meal.  There are plenty of healthy sushi options that we can foul up with the condiments we add to them.

Go ahead and keep healthy sushi a part of your diet.  It can be a fun and delicious way to spice up your menu!

A simple way to approach weight loss is with the “calories in-calories out” method. It is true that if you reduce the calories you eat and increase the calories burned with exercise, you will lose weight. Seems pretty basic right? Although there is truth to this, are all calories created equal?  You would think so but you really need to be mindful of where these calories are coming from.  Can you still lose weight if you eat anything you want as long as you stay within your calorie limit?

If you consume a healthy, well-balanced meal void of saturated fats that is around or even over 600 calories, is this equal to eating a Big Mac (563 calories) and a few fries?  While it is true that a calorie is just a calorie no matter where it comes from, different foods will have different effects on your body. So are all calories created equal? You will get more nutrients beneficial to your health with the balanced meal than the Big Mac and fries. Also, nutrients from different sources are metabolized in different ways and can take more calories to process than others.

For example, your body burns more calories to burn protein and it takes longer to digest so you feel full longer. Protein also increases muscle mass, which helps burn more calories. A triple benefit!  But the point here is that if you eat a 2-3 oz chicken breast that is roughly 150 calories, you are much better off with the chicken than drinking a can of Pepsi, which is also 150 calories. Are all calories created equal? Not by a mile in this case!

You can lose weight by eating fewer calories and burning more, but if you aren’t careful where those calories are coming from, you could run into deficiency problems if you aren’t getting the right nutrients and end up being unhealthy. The question “are all calories created equal” can certainly be debated. In my opinion, scientifically, yes they are. Nutritionally no, they are absolutely not.

As you probably have noticed, it has been a while since my last post. Unfortunately the past weeks have been so crazy and stressful, something had to be cut, in addition to my lack of sleep. I’m sure many people can relate to the the crazy weeks leading up to finals, and the end of the term. While it was easier to fit the 10 Minute Work Out into my schedule in the beginning of school, it slowly became less and less of a priority as the term went on and my worked picked up, as well as the addition of my extra curricular activities. I was getting less sleep, and I was not able to commit to the work out as much as I would have liked. There is no denying that I saw a difference in my body the first couple weeks I was following the work out, eating right and excerisizing everyday. I know that if I had kept it up like I had in the beginning I would be even more different. I still recommend doing this program, and I would like to try committing to the work out again when I have more time…with less interuptions and commitment.

So for now, I am going to continue to just focus on my workload, and staying ahead in school. The good news is my friends and family that have been watching me follow the workout got interested in trying it for themselves, and are going to take my place blogging about it. So you can track their progress through them, and see how 10 Minute Trainer works out for other people.

Today was such a miserable day out, that it forced me to stay in and do my work for almost the whole day. The good thing was that I was energized all day so doing work wasn’t bad and I was motivated to do my 10 minute trainer workout today. Today I did Abs, Cardio, and Yoga. I have been modifying what is planned out on the schedule, I find myself doing the abs everyday even if it is not suggested. Today it felt good to do yoga cause I woke up in a bad mood and that was like a meditation for me.

Today I got up after my alarm clock went off only one time! It was quite an accomplishment for me. Still half asleep I made my routine breakfast of oatmeal and a granny smith apple. I feel like I cannot function until I have eaten breakfast. Before it used to be  I could not function until I had a cup of coffee. For the longest time I would never eat breakfast, which my parents knew, and kept telling me how important it was. I don’t know why I never wanted to eat it, until one day mom started making me breakfast (and by breakfast I mean a toasted bagel or toast) and brought it into my room, so I was able to eat as I rushed to get ready for school. If it wasn’t for her practically making me get into the habit of eating breakfast, I think I would still be skipping it, and making up for it later in the day. Now that I am so dependant on it I have no idea how I used to get by skipping breakfast.

I watched tv as I ate my oatmeal and could barely keep my eyes open. I thought about crawling right back in bed and getting another couple hours of sleep, but I fought it off and was able to get some productive hours of work in and I did my work out all before my classes today. Today I did Yoga, Abs, and Lower Body. It felt so good to do yoga today, my body has been so tense sitting in front of the computer for hours, or leaning over doing my design homework for hours, I wish I could take an hour long class soon, it is definitely what I need right now with the crazy amount of work and stress that come before finals.