Many of us, myself included, have sweet tooth cravings for all those foods that taste to good but are so bad. Whether it be cookies, candy, chocolate or ice cream we all have our sudden urges which often makes it hard to follow our healthy diet plans. Try out this great protein pudding recipe though and leave your sweeth tooth feelings cured while keeping your body feeling fresh and fit.

This a a very simple receipe including just a few ingredients and taking less than 10 minutes to prepare. Great to have as a snack or post workout as its crammed full of proteins without all the normal sugar found in most puddings.

INGREDIENTS

2 Cups Milk

One packet instant sugar free/fat free Jello Pudding. (we recommend Vanilla or Choc.)

2-3 Scoops of your favorite protein powder.

STEPS

Mix 2 cups of milk with the instant pudding packet. Mix well while additionally adding protein powder into the bowl. Once all ingredients are thouroughly mixed let settle for 5 minutes and enjoy!

It’s everyone’s favorite time of year again. When you’re actually excited to answer the random knocks on the door and don’t mind being hassled outside of the grocery store. We’re talking about Girl Scout cookie season! No matter your age, location, or profession it seems as though each and every one of us has a secret guilty pleasure for at least one kind of those famous delicious cookies. But as we stock pile up for the year on our own supply, lets take a look at the nutritional value of each of the different cookies we all love to eat. While it is ok and often beneficial to snack on our “guilty pleasures” every so often it is still important to know what is in them. So lets take a look!

Superbowl Sunday. The biggest sporting event of the year across all of America. It’s a time where friends and family get together to eat, drink and watch some great entertainment. Although most of us are clearly focused on the game and having fun, many of us lose track of our healthy eating habits. Every year Superbowl Sunday becomes a great excuse for all of us to ignore our usual healthy eating habits and pig out on our favorite junk food. It is projected that each year during the Superbowl over 13 million pounds of avacados, 8 million pounds of popcorn, 28 million pounds of potato chips AND 50 million pounds of beer will be consumed during this single day! And that’s just in America alone! So instead of running out the store sunday morning before the big party and grabbing and kind of chips, dips and other snacks we can get our hands on try some of these healthier options this year. They not only will taste great but also spare you the gut busting stomach ache the next day!

Southwestern Layered Bean Dip 

12 servings, about 1/2 cup each

Total Time: 20 minutes

INGREDIENTS

• 1 16-ounce can nonfat refried beans, preferably “spicy”
• 1 15-ounce can black beans, rinsed
• 4 scallions, sliced
• 1/2 cup prepared salsa
• 1/2 teaspoon ground cumin
• 1/2 teaspoon chili powder
• 1/4 cup pickled jalapeño slices, chopped
• 1 cup shredded Monterey Jack, or Cheddar cheese
• 1/2 cup reduced-fat sour cream
• 1 1/2 cups chopped romaine lettuce
• 1 medium tomato, chopped
• 1 medium avocado, chopped
• 1/4 cup canned sliced black olives, (optional)

PREPARATION

1. Combine refried beans, black beans, scallions, salsa, cumin, chili powder and jalapeños in a medium bowl. Transfer to a shallow 2-quart microwave-safe dish; sprinkle with cheese.
2. Microwave on High until the cheese is melted and the beans are hot, 3 to 5 minutes.
3. Spread sour cream evenly over the hot bean mixture, then scatter with lettuce, tomato, avocado and olives (if using).

TIPS & NOTES

• Make Ahead Tip: Prepare through Step 1, cover and refrigerate for up to 1 day. To serve, continue with Steps 2 & 3.

NUTRITION

Per serving: 146 calories; 7 g fat ( 3 g sat , 3 g mono ); 12 mg cholesterol; 15 g carbohydrates; 7 g protein;5 g fiber; 288 mg sodium; 164 mg potassium.

Boneless Buffalo Wings 

8 servings (2 “wings”, 1/2 cup vegetables & 2 tablespoons dip each)

Total Time: 40 minutes

INGREDIENTS

SPICY BLUE CHEESE DIP

• 2/3 cup reduced-fat sour cream
• 2/3 cup crumbled blue cheese
• 1 tablespoon distilled white vinegar
• 1/4 teaspoon cayenne pepper

WINGS & VEGETABLES

• 3 tablespoons nonfat buttermilk, (see Tip)
• 3 tablespoons hot sauce, such as Frank’s RedHot, divided
• 3 tablespoons distilled white vinegar, divided
• 2 pounds chicken tenders, (see Ingredient Note)
• 6 tablespoons whole-wheat flour
• 6 tablespoons cornmeal
• 1/2 teaspoon cayenne pepper
• 2 tablespoons canola oil, divided
• 2 cups carrot sticks
• 2 cups celery sticks

PREPARATION

1. To prepare dip: Whisk sour cream, blue cheese, 1 tablespoon vinegar and 1/4 teaspoon cayenne in a small bowl. Cover and refrigerate until ready to serve.
2. To prepare wings: Whisk buttermilk, 2 tablespoons hot sauce and 2 tablespoons vinegar in a large bowl until combined. Add chicken; toss to coat. Transfer to the refrigerator and let marinate for at least 10 minutes or up to 1 hour, stirring occasionally.
3. Meanwhile, whisk flour and cornmeal in a shallow dish. Whisk the remaining 1 tablespoon hot sauce and 1 tablespoon vinegar in a small bowl; set aside.
4. Remove the chicken from the marinade and roll in the flour mixture until evenly coated. (Discard remaining marinade and flour mixture.) Sprinkle both sides of the chicken with 1/2 teaspoon cayenne.
5. Heat 1 tablespoon oil in a large nonstick skillet over medium-high heat. Add half the chicken, placing each piece in a little oil. Cook until golden brown and cooked through, 3 to 4 minutes per side. Transfer to a serving platter. Repeat with the remaining 1 tablespoon oil and chicken, reducing the heat if necessary to prevent burning. Transfer to the platter. Drizzle the chicken with the reserved hot sauce mixture. Serve with carrots, celery and Spicy Blue Cheese Dip.

TIPS & NOTES

• Make Ahead Tip: The chicken can marinate (Step 1) for up to 1 hour.

• Tip: No buttermilk? You can use buttermilk powder prepared according to package directions. Or make “sour milk”: mix 1 tablespoon lemon juice or vinegar to 1 cup milk.
• Ingredient note: Chicken tenders, virtually fat-free, are a strip of rib meat typically found attached to the underside of the chicken breast, but they can also be purchased separately. Four 1-ounce tenders will yield a 3-ounce cooked portion. Tenders are perfect for quick stir-fries, chicken satay or kid-friendly breaded “chicken fingers.”

NUTRITION

Per serving: 256 calories; 10 g fat ( 4 g sat , 4 g mono ); 83 mg cholesterol; 12 g carbohydrates; 31 gprotein; 2 g fiber; 353 mg sodium; 248 mg potassium.

Candy Calories Fat (g) Sat Fat (g) Carbs (g) Sugars (g) Protein (g)

Hershey’s Kisses (9 pieces) 230 12 7 25 23 3
Hershey’s Solid Milk Chocolate
(1/5 of 1.4 oz. package) 210 12 8 23 20 3
Hershey’s Valentine Marshmallow Heart (2.2 oz.) 240 7 4.5 44 35 3
Hershey’s Special Dark Hearts
(5 pieces) 220 12 7 25 21 2
Reese’s Peanut Butter Heart (snack size) 170 10 3.5 19 8 4
Dove Dark Chocolate Hearts
(5 pieces) 210 13 8 24 19 2
Box of Godiva Chocolates
(4 pieces) 210 12 7 24 21 3
Russell Stover Box of Chocolates
(2 pieces) 150 6 4 24 20 1
Conversation Hearts
(12 pieces) 60 0 0 15 14 0
Pink Candy Corns (26) 140 0 0 36 28 0
Heart-Shaped Sugar Cookie With Icing 139 6.7 4.1 18.7 12.8 1.9
Valentine’s Day Cupcake 202 9 5.4 28 16.8 2.9

So how do you fix this? The exhale portion should be down during the concentric portion of a lift. Simply put, when you are doing the actual work part of the lift or the exertion part, that is when you should be exhaling.  An example would be when you are doing a dumbbell bicep curl, the easier part of the lift is when you are lowing the dumbbells the harder part is the curl part which is the exertion portion of the lift; in which case you are going to inhale while you lower the dumbbell and exhale when you are doing the work or curling the dumbbell. Another example would be a crunch or sit up.  The hardest part is bringing the head to the knees, which would be your “doing the work” portion of the exercise, so when you are lowering yourself inhale and when you come back up exhale.

Is this little tip going to turn you into a superhero or take your max bench press from 150 to 300? Not a chance, BUT it will help you become as efficient as possible when you are doing every rep for your whole workout. Not to mention it is nice to have less feelings  of dizziness and possibly fainting!

So next time instead of picking up that bag of chips to snack on try one of these foods instead:

1) Salmon: Filled with Omega-3 fatty acids. Grill up salmon with a marinade and veggies or chop it up into a whole grain pasta or salad.

 2) Oatmeal: Packed full of healthy fatty acids, minerals, calcium and fiber oatmeal is a great meal to start off the day. Throw in some fresh fruits( to come below) to add some extra flavor!

3) Black or Kidney Beans: Either one of these choices are crammed full of B-Vitamins, minerals and fiber. They can go great as a side dish along side your chicken or fish or throw them into a salad as well.

4) Walnuts: Nuts are one of the healthiest “snack” options available. Packed full of minerals and heart healthy fats nuts such as walnuts or almonds are a great snack.

5) Red Wine: While it won’t be beneficial to go “overboard” with the wine consumption, it has been proven that a glass of red wine each night can improve heart function and cholesterol.

6) Brown Rice: Compared to white rice or pasta any brown rice or whole grain pasta will provide many more vitamins and minerals which increase heart health. Whether it be a side dish or part of the main meal this is a great choice to any meal.

7) Berries: Choose your flavor! Whether your a fan of blueberries, strawberries, raspberries, cranberries or all of the above any one of these fruits is loaded with vitamins and minerals. They can be used for practically any meal as well whether it be for breakfast, a light snack, or a after dinner dessert you can never go wrong with fruit.

8 ) Spinach: Packed with many minerals as well as calcium and fiber spinach, as well as other green vegetables, are loaded with nutrients. When trying to pick your favorite greens remember that the darker the color the more nutrient rich it is, therefore always try and pick spinach over say iceberg lettuce. Not only are greens nutritious but other vegetables are included as well. Remember that the closer to the ground a food comes from the better it is for you!

Atleast you think so, I mean, your still functioning. You still find yourself at work and going through the daily grind right?

The holidays are, at best, lifestyle homicide. Its no wonder new years comes a week later! It if were any later we would never pull out! The time from Thanksgiving to New Years is often filled with excuses on why you should eat out (your busy right!?), why you should eat excessively at home (you only eat this stuff once a year…….so go big or get out!), your family is around (you generally don’t like them, so put food in everyone’s mouth so talking is harder and there is a good excuse not to!).

You work all year at developing a healthy lifestyle all to let it go over the holidays, because the year was long and hard and its a perfect time to give up.

Now, im not saying you shouldn’t enjoy the holidays, by all means its the holidays! Im just as guilty as the next person, but there’s a distinct difference in celebrating in moderation or in excess and the difficulty associated with falling back to normalcy.

Here are some things that happen over the holidays-

When you eat high amounts of calories over an extended period of time you are training your body to expect higher amounts of calories. You essentially are telling your body to expect “this” as a new normal. So, when you go back to your nomal ~2000 calories per day diet you feel like your starving. (its ok, your not)

When you eat higher fat/sodium/sugar your body starts to crave more of it. These three substances are our bodies innate physiological cravings. You will absolutely have a difficult time over coming these cravings once your body expects them.

Your body wants to be lazy. This is why working out inherently sucks and eating always feels good. We have ancient bodies and the more you are lazy, the easier it is to continue to be lazy. 1+1=1…..

It takes 21 days to make a break a habit. Perfect timing from Thanksgiving to New Years (5 weeks). That’s 2 weeks longer than necessary, and generally the Christmas/New Years extensions can make up that 21 days alone. Expect that it will take you as long, or longer, to break the habits you make over the holidays!

The New Years resolution excuse. This is everyone’s feel good excuse for destroying last years habits in December. Your just going to fix it all in January right? Well consider everything you just read and actually stick to that excuse (or for some of you “reason”). Its not always fun, easy, or convenient, but you can change for the better just like you changed for the worse. Just take on the same determination and you’ll be all leveled out and normal again in no time!

And remember – The Hit Center can help! We are running some sweet deals on bootcamp classes as well as Personal Training this month so stop in or give us a call at 480-981-0600

Have a great ……normal life!

In the last post I discussed resolution lists and how most people believe that if they write something down they no longer have to work to achieve it.

This post will be about the step after you decide since you wrote something down (and probably in the wrong order) your going to attempt to achieve your goal, and why it usually lasts about a week.

ADDICTION!

Nobody ever wants to believe THEY are addicted to anything. Smokers and drinkers love to use excuses, but even within those excuses they know they’re addicted. Its the regular people who do things or consume things that aren’t taboo or lead to generally dumb decisions that i’m talking about. Im addicted to water, food, sleep and work (it helps me with my other addictions), but obviously there are many other things people can be addicted to in terms of the psychological approach.

Take energy drinks or soda for example. They contain a DRUG called CAFFEINE and an equally addictive substance called SUGAR!

This is just a picture, do not try to actually take one of these from your screen.

Anything you do or consume on a repeating daily or timely basis can be considered an addiction, accept and understand this and how it relates to anything you do(even exercise) and you are a step ahead of the other resolutioners.

As with any addiction, when you immediately stop, your first experience is withdrawals. Some are worse than others, and most of us have experienced a caffeine headache for a couple days at one point…. or many.

I had a caffeine headache after I had shoulder surgery (because I couldnt have anything for many hours before the surgery) and they thought they could fix it with morphine….didnt work….So good luck with Excedrin….

Because of this inability to fix the now malfunctioning chemical release in your brain, we tend either give in or substitute for something else. Smokers to gun or tobacco, Alcohol to energy drinks, energy drinks to coffee, coffee to …….. The list goes on.

Before I continue I feel obligated to explain that simple physiological addiction is not the same as substance abuse…… so, consider that when you are thinking about this topic.

Anyway

In order to be successful in your goals, whether it is a resolution or just a simple day to day decision. You have to come up with well thought out methods and steps to reach them, as well as establishing a realistic amount of time. If your not willing to accept either of those, then don’t start. It is harder on your body to attempt and fail repeatedly (physiologically speaking, not psychologically) than it is to just wait until you are actually ready.

Here is a basic methodology template for preparing.

If you didnt spend the 5 seconds to read and understand this, your not ready for a resolution.

I dont intend to de-motivate people with these post. I simply feel obligated to explain the reality of what I see all the time from people who absolutely NEED to reach the goals they set. Yet all too often they don’t start right, and as a result fail. After they fail they turn into Debbie downers for everyone around them and act like a plague in keeping other people from striving for their goals. They do this by either having a general bad attitude, or by giving uneducated and inaccurate advice about their failed experience.

In conclusion – I wish everyone the best in striving for their goals. I am not one to sugar coat things, and I would rather you  be a little thrown off and succeed then be told information that is wrong but makes you happy, and fail.