A Smooth Way To Eat 2.0 – Register Today

There’s no doubt there are many mixed messages on the food labels, fad diets, and in the media about how to eat healthy. Combine that with today’s hectic lifestyle that makes “grab and go” a lot more likely than “sit and relax” and you’ve got a mess.

“A Smooth Way to Eat – Smoothies 101” is being hosted by Coach Nancy at Get Fit NH Concord on Tuesday October 15th from 6:45 to 8:00pm.

This “hands on” ‘Smoothie workshop’ will introduce you to the basic points of nutrition and what key elements our bodies need. We’ll be sampling a wide variety of your favorite recipes, from “Melissa’s Mean Green”  to “Chocolate Peanut Butter in a Cup” to “Almond Joy”.

You’ll walk away with enough smoothie information and recipes to fuel your body properly, plus all participants will get a choice of a 2 pound container of UMP or SFH Vanilla or Chocolate, so you can start creating your own quality smoothies right away. (Make sure you check out the bonus recipes below)

A Smooth Way To Eat 2.0

Location: Get Fit NH Bootcamp Concord
Date: Tuesday, October 15th
Time: 6:45pm to 8:00pm
Cost: Just $47 (includes your choice of Ultimate Muscle Protein or  Stronger Faster Healthier Pure Whey in either chocolate or vanilla flavors.)

Workshop Is Full And Registration Closed – Don’t Worry, We Will Do It Again!

Bonus Recipes

Post Workout: Chocolate Cherry Bliss 
Serves 1

• 8 ounces unsweetened chocolate almond milk
• 1 scoop chocolate protein
• 1 cup frozen dark sweet cherries
• 1 Tablespoon milled flax seeds
• 1 Tablespoon cacao nibs
• 2 Tablespoon walnuts

Mix all ingredients in blender until smooth and creamy. Pour immediately into a large cup. Eat with a spoon or a large straw.

420 calories, 26.5 g protein, 19 g fat, 36.5 g carbs

Anytime: Pumpkin Pie Smoothie
Serves 1

• 1/3 cup pure pumpkin, canned
• 1 Tablespoon extra virgin olive oil1/2 teaspoon Stevia
• 1 scoop vanilla protein powder
• 1 teaspoon cinnamon or pumpkin pie spice
• 2/3 cup water
• Ice

Mix all ingredients in blender until smooth and creamy. Pour immediately into a large cup. Eat with a spoon or a large straw.

271 calories; 22 grams protein; 12 grams carbs; 15 grams fat (3 grams saturated)

Glazed Carrots that Kids Love

My kids love carrots!

What kid doesn’t like carrots? Those delicious nuggets of orange satisfy whether you eat them hot or cold. This recipe is delicious this time of year as the nights get colder and a warm side dish hits the spot.

• 2 Tablespoons butter
• 2 pounds of carrots, peel and tops trimmed
• 1/2 cup fresh orange juice
• 1/2 teaspoon fresh thyme leaves
• salt and pepper to taste

Melt butter in a large pan over medium heat. Add carrots, orange juice, and thyme. Cook, stir occasionally until carrots are tender. Season with salt and pepper. Serve warm.

 Enjoy!

Spinach Avocado Salad

The last days of grilling for the year are on our horizon. Take advantage of the few days of warm weather to enjoy this salad. Your favorite grilled chicken right on top is incredible!

Not able to get to the grill today? Open a can or a bag of tuna and add it crumbled on top.

I can’t wait to cook up some extra shrimp and add those chilled to this salad.

• 1 Orange
• 1 Tablespoon Rice Vinegar
• 2 Tablespoons Olive Oil
• Salt and Pepper to taste
• 5 cups Spinach
• 1 Avocado, sliced
• 2 Tablespoons of pinenuts, sunflowers seeds, or pepitas (optional)

Peel and open up the segments of orange. Squeeze 1 Tablespoon of juice from part of the orange. This orange juice is added to the olive oil, salt and pepper to form a dressing. Put the spinach in a large bowl, add the avocado on top, along with the rest of the orange segments. sprinkle with seeds and toss with dressing. Your grilled foods can be served alongside this salad or right on top. (On top is my favorite way!)

Enjoy this salad and let me know what you think,

Coach Nancy

Shopping in the Garden

Veggie -rific!

Our gardens are overflowing with veggies. Often I go out to see what is going to top off my dinner’s salad by shopping through my garden each afternoon. These Veggie packed recipes are delicious and easy. Thank you Jenn and Helen for sharing them with Get Fit NH.

Zucchini Bake is what Jenn has been hooked on for lunch. 30 minutes at 350. Delicious! Her creation is normally filled with turkey but she has substituted cottage cheese as the protein.  Jenn says, “I usually have a container of it (made up ahead) in the fridge ready to go at all times.”

Zucchini Bake

• 2 Cups Zucchini, about 2 large
• 1 cup mushrooms sliced
• 1 cup cherry tomatoes
• 3/4 cup cottage cheese
• 1/8 cup parmesan cheese
• 1 teaspoon basil
• salt and pepper to taste

Slice the zucchini with a mandolin or into very thin slices. Place these along the bottom of a 8×8 pan. Top with sliced mushrooms, the cherry tomatoes, cottage cheese and parmesan cheese. (In that order) Sprinkle with basil, salt and pepper. Bake at 350 for 30 minutes.

Don’t forget to make this a whole new recipe by adding cooked, browned hamburger or ground turkey in place of the cottage cheese.

Jenn trains at 5am in Concord. She is doing something most of us would consider crazy – Reach the Beach, a 205 mile relay run with 11 others Get Fit NH team members.

Helen can be seen showing off her newly earned 4 Year Forged Get Fit NH shirt on Facebook. She is not a quitter when it comes to training or her nutrition. It is almost soup weather but this cold treat will work great when Indian Summer hits us.

Gazpacho Soup

• 4 cups tomato juice (or a few fresh tomatoes, if you don’t mind it thicker).
• 1 large cucumber, peeled and seeded
• 1 large green pepper
• 1 large red pepper
• 1 rib celery
• 1 large carrot
• ¼ cup chopped red onion
• ¼ cup chopped cilantro
• 3 scallions
• 1 or 2 jalapenos (I, Helen, usually use 1 unless I’m feeling sneaky and then I add the second)
• 1 Tbsp. fresh garlic
• 2 Tbsp. red wine vinegar
• 2 Tbsp. lime juice
• 1 Tbsp. olive oil
• ½ tsp. salt
• Fresh ground pepper to taste

Coarsely chop veggies and add to blender:Depending upon the size of your blender, you may need to do this in two batches. Refrigerate.  Enjoy!

Thank you ladies for sharing these delightful recipes. You are taking action in the gym and in your kitchen!

To your best health,

Coach Nancy

How Much Do You Know About YOUR Nutrition Numbers?

We had a little “pop quiz” after our Hurricane training this morning.

Here were the questions:

1. How many of you here are concerned about your body weight, body fat, body composition?
2. How many calories a week/day do you need to eat under your current calorie maintenance number to lose 1 pound of fat per week?
3. What is your current calorie maintenance number, based on what?
4. How many calories per day do you need to eat to lose 1 pound of fat a week?
5. How many calories a day are you eating, based on what?

Here are the answers:

1. 99% responded in the affirmative, and everyone else is a mime. 🙂
2. 3500
3. A lot of “ummm’s” and “I don’t know’s” on this one
4. ditto
5. double ditto

And that isn’t all bad, because we need to crawl before we walk, and the foundation is PPW, or what we eat before we worry about how much we eat.

Because there is a big difference between eating 1500 calories of lean protein and veggies and 1500 calories of toaster pastries and mashed potatoes!

And there is some also great news if you didn’t know your numbers.

It’s fixable!

That’s right, you can calculate what these numbers are, and then actually plan your nutrition around those numbers to achieve your goals.

You don’t have to spin your wheels wondering, feeling frustrated and not getting anywhere, and that truly is most excellent news.

Now I understand that some people may have a metabolic rate that is “broken”. But that can be fixed too. The problem often is that we are not putting the work in to see if it actually is broken, or we are just eating too much. The only way we can really find that out is to do the work, keep good records, see what happens, and adjust as needed.

I love what nutrition coach Leigh Peele has to say “You want it to be your fault.” Because if it’s your fault, which it usually is, then as we said before it can be fixed.

That being said the harsh truth is some of us don’t want to fix it bad enough. We say we want to change our body composition, but we are not willing to do the work it takes. We want to blame it on genetics, or thyroid or aliens from the 3rd dimension. I know, because I was there for way too long. If anyone was “broken” I was. 100 pounds overweight, high blood pressure, crazy blood sugars, the whole deal.

Nancy and I were talking it about it this weekend. It’s entirely predictable what will happen if we don’t pay at least some attention to the amount we are eating on a regular basis. It’s also predictable what will happen if I measure and weigh my food and eat according to my current energy needs.

So what about it?

Do you know your numbers?

If you are a client, you have the tools available, you just have to take advantage of them!

For instance when is the last time you had your body composition tested?

When is the last time you kept a food log for an entire week?

When was the last time you looked at a food label?

When is the last time you planned what you were going to eat and then ate the plan?

These are all proactive steps to reaching your goals.

Without doing you are just dreaming.

Make It Happen  – today!

Coach Dean

Ya Learn Something Everyday

Now I’ve heard that learning something everyday will keep you young, so why not? 🙂

Recently one of our 30 Challenges in 30 Days was to plan a menu for a week. For some that seems like a daunting challenge, but once you build the habit it does get easier, I promise.

While reading some of the posts on Facebook after completing that day’s challenge I learned some new things and I know you will too.

The Challenge: Day 14 – Plan one weeks menu. And we asked you to tell us how this will help you eat better during the week.

So lets hear what some action takers found:

Scott said “Planning helps you to shop more efficiently and you don’t end up buying stuff you don’t need (or is unhealthy for you!)

Rebecca shares “This has helped me budget and eat better!”

According to Stephanie “This helps me stay more true to my nutritional (fat loss) goals when I plan.”

Deb said “It will definitely help me to stay on track the whole week.

Stacey found “Now I’m much better prepared, feel less anxiety over “what’s for dinner” and have started making a larger variety of healthy dinner choices.”

Here’s Mary “It will help me to stay on track, and I won’t be inclined to “just pick something up”.

Melissa added “It will keep me from running to the store and just grabbing something that probably wouldn’t be good for me.”

I could go on and on. But my point is that many of you have found that planning meals for the week will;

• Save time at the store and at meal time
• Planning saves you money
• Planning a menu means less stress
• A menu plan equals a happier family. They know what the plan is and for some families they get to help with the planning.
• A menu will provide you with healthier meals
• Your plan will make life easier for you.
• You will not have to think on the fly.

Nadine offers her family the option to help plan their weekly menu. She has created a card system for the planning and shopping. All of her family’s dinner meals are listed on an index card. The card contains the meal, the recipe for the meal, and all the items needed from the store. Each family member picks a card for the week and Nadine fills in the days as needed. Her family is happy because they choose the meals. In Nadine’s words, “This routine that I have been doing for awhile now makes for healthy at home meals, frees up a ton of time with only one trip to the grocery store & happy bellies.”

So I learned I can save time, save money, save my sanity, and make my family happy all with a little well spent time at the beginning of each week. And all this thinking keeps me young…..

And you?

To your best health,

Coach Nancy

30 Day Challenge Update – Days 15 thru 21

It has been really cool to see how fantastic all of you are doing on this challenge. Some days are easier than others, but all of them are going to contribute in your efforts to lose fat, gain muscle, and feel great!

Don’t Skip Any!

Here is an additional challenge. Don’t think of these things as a one time shot, keep doing them, over and over, until they become habit.

I was reading a book by one of my mentors, Martin Rooney, called “Training to Win”. In it Coach Rooney was expounding on the power of habit. He wrote that studies show that 90% of what we do on a daily basis is done out of habit.

90%!

Now that could be a good thing and could be a bad thing.

For instance 15 years ago it was my habit to:

• Not exercise
• Watch hours of TV every night
• Eat loads of garbage foods. Soda, cookies, bread, pasta, pizza, french fries and fast food.

You know back then I thought it was normal for me to be drinking Pepto-Bismol every day. I am NOT kidding, you can ask Nancy.

These things were my “go to”. I did them every day because, well, that’s what I did. It was pure habit.

And what did that habit get me?

• At least 80 pounds overweight (I have been as low as 100 pounds under my all time high)
• High blood pressure
• Pre-diabetic with my blood glucose climbing higher and higher
• Unexplained spells of passing out
• Winded getting off the couch.

The good news is that I didn’t have to be stuck with those habits for the rest of my life, and Neither Do You!

Be A Creator!

But I want you to stop thinking that you have to “break bad habits”.

Instead I want you to think about creating new ones.

You see when we focus on what we “shouldn’t” be doing we dig in, we get stubborn, we go negative and we set ourselves up for failure.

This is one of the reasons the 30 Day Challenge has mostly “Do’s” and very few “Do Not’s”.

Human beings were created to be creative. So start creating new habits.

For instance when you start eating 20-30 grams of lean protein at each meal and adding healthy fats into your diet, you are creating an environment where:

• Your blood sugar stabilizes.
• Your body has what it needs to repair itself from training and maintain hormone balance.
• You feel fuller longer because protein and fat take longer to metabolize.
• Among many other amazing benefits.

When you do this all the time, when it becomes habit, you will most likely find that:

• Your cravings for high sugar foods will be reduced or eliminated.
• Your energy levels and mood will be enhanced.
• You are eating less overall.
• You start dropping bodyfat and inches.

And all this happened pretty much “automagically” because you were a creator and replaced habits. It largely takes the ever elusive “willpower” out of the equation because now this new habit is something that is as part of your nature as turning off the TV and going to bed early enough to get enough sleep. (You are doing that, right) 🙂

More than anything else this is the “secret” to my successfully losing bodyfat and keeping it off for years. I have no more willpower than the average bear. But I do have some pretty good habits.

So let’s get back to the challenge.

Don’t forget to keep checking in on our Facebook Page to let us know how you are doing. Be encouraged by all the people who are creating new habits, one by one, day by day.

Make it Happen!

30 Challenges in 30 Days 15-21

Day 15.    No alcohol today.

Day 16.    Eat fish for a main dish.

Day 17.    No bread or baked goods today.

Day 18.    Try a veggie you never had before. Artichoke, Kale, Brussel Sprouts? Just go for it!

Day 19.    Replace any fruit/fruit juice with a veggie.

Day 20.    Eat 5 colors at one meal. No Jonathan Kovar, Skittles do not count.

Day 21.    Stop eating at 7:30 or two hours before bed.

Get Fit NH Concord Now Carrying Gourmet Coffee and Tea

Nadine Jennings was kind enough to offer us with a huge supply of amazing tea from her and husband Peter’s Cafe’ – “Baked” – during this years Sizzlin’ Summer Slimdown. Her background in all things tea was eye-opening! My favorite is Cucumber Mojito, but she has literally dozens of varieties.

Since so many of you had the chance to try them, and enjoy them, we have decided to stock some of their most popular flavors as well as their incredible gourmet coffee at Get Fit Concord. Epsom-ites please don’t feel left out, because I will be glad to deliver your order straight to Epsom anytime you need me to.

I love me a good cup of coffee and tea, and I know many of you do as well. We will be stocking 12oz. bags of coffee, as well as Tea Tins and singles.

Enjoy!

Tea Tins: 20 Bags – $10

• Dragon’s Well
• Earl Grey Cream
• Cucumber Mojito
• English Breakfast
• Very Berry
• Mango Rose
• Pomegranate Pear
• Ceylon OP
• Rasberry Litchi

Tea Singles: $0.75 each

• Pomegranate Pear
• Mango Rose
• Toffee Chocolate Hazelnut
• Classic Ceylon OP
• English Breakfast
• Coconut Truffle
• Dragon’s Well
• Chamomile Vanilla Bean
• Earl Grey Cream
• Very Berry
• Raspberry Lichti

Gourmet Coffee: 12oz. – $10

• Decaf Cafe’ Blend
• Cafe’ Blend
• Hazelnut
• Sumatra
• Jamaican Me Crazy
• French Roast
• Black & Tan
• French Vanilla

30 Challenge Update – Days 8 thru 14

Ok guys, by the time you read this you should be three or four days into the 30 day challenge.

Don’t forget to check out our Facebook page here for daily updates and to tell us how you are doing.

By the way, how are you doing so far?

In order to prepare you for next week, check out the challenges for days 8 through 14, and prepare to win!

30 Challenges in 30 Days, 8 – 14

Day 8-    No artificial sweeteners in your drinks. What did you drink instead?

Day 9-    Eat healthy fats, fish oil, avocado etc.

Day 10-    Take A Multivitamin. We recommend a good whole vitamin like Prograde VGF 25+ (Click Here for Details) but start anywhere

Day 11-    Log your food for the day. Did you do it? Find it helpful?

Day 12-    No cheese of any kind today, just because! What did you eat instead?

Day 13-     Post a recipe to our Facebook page here: http://facebook.com/getfitnh, or in the comment section of this post if you are not on Facebook.

Day 14-    Plan one weeks menu. Tell us how this will help you eat better during week 3.

Make It Happen!

Asparagus Salad

I love asparagus, but you have to be gentle and cook it right. Too many of us tried the waterlogged soggy and just plain nasty version and said “never again”.  But when done right asparagus is really, really good, so I urge you to give it another try.

Dawn sent in this recipe that hits the mark – thanks Dawn!

• 1/4 cup olive oil
• 1/8 cup lemon juice
• 12 fresh asparagus spears
• 6 cups fresh spinach leaves
• 1/8 cup grated Parmesan cheese
• 1 tablespoon seasoned slivered almonds

Preheat a grill for low heat. Combine the lemon juice and olive oil on a plate. Place asparagus on the plate, and roll around to coat.

Grill asparagus for about 5 minutes, turning at least once, and brushing with the olive oil mixture. Remove from the grill, and place back onto the plate with the oil.

In a large bowl, combine the spinach, Parmesan cheese, and slivered almonds. Cut asparagus into bite size pieces, and add to the salad along with the lemon juice and oil from the plate. Toss to blend, then serve.