Did you know that the average Thanksgiving dinner can pack in over 2000 calories? Let's face it, we're all going to eat - and probably more than we should. It's a real challenge to watch your waistline over the holidays when so many get togethers are focused around food. If you want to feel good, be healthy, and still fit into your skinny jeans without having to deprive yourself this holiday season, then follow these eating tips below, and your New Years Resolution this year won't have to revolve around losing weight.
Eat Breakfast! I always hear people say they want to "save" their calories. Big mistake...you've got to get that metabolism going first thing. When we are hungry, we often eat faster, and we tend to eat more, so start your day off with a good workout, and a healthy, well balanced breakfast.
Non รจ un maiale (Don't be a pig)! Remember, moderation is key. If you want to sample all the foods, you must have small portions. For dinner, make your plate half veggies, on quarter white meat turkey (no skin), and one quarter starch. Eat slowly, stop when you are full, and don't go back for seconds.
Drink up! And by this I mean water. That morning coffee you have when you skip breakfast will dehydrate you and can often throw your metabolism off balance. Get up and have a tall glass of water, first thing, then have your coffee - with breakfast. Alcohol will also cause dehydration...go one for one (alcohol, water) if you decide to drink.
'Tis the season for high-fat and high-sugar! Butter, cream, sugar....they all seem to make it into so many dishes this time of year. Mashed potatoes with butter and full fat milk, cheese filled casserole dishes, creamy soups, candied yams, fried onions on green beans. And that's just dinner! Apple crumb cakes, pecan and pumpkin pies - all topped with ice cream. I'll say it again - moderation is key. Limit your portion sizes.
Substitute your highs with you lows or no's. Almost all packaged ingredients like butter, mayonnaise, cream, and sour cream come in a low fat or fat-free version, so use them! And if you tell me "it just doesn't taste the same", I will ask you how your hips, thighs and stomach feel about that? Instead of using regular creamed soup and whole milk in your green bean casserole, try 98% fat-free creamed soup and 1% or nonfat milk. This simple change slashes a whopping 14 grams of fat, and 125 calories! Swapping half & half and regular butter with low or nonfat milk, and a butter substitute (I like Brummel & Brown) will save 21 grams of fat and 190 calories in your mashed potatoes. Hello skinny jeans!!
Don't be a chicken! If you're making pies and cakes this holiday season, eggs are a crucial ingredient on your baking list. If your guests have heart health concerns, try substituting one egg with 2 egg whites to cut down on fat and cholesterol. However, do your research, because this substitution doesn't work in all recipes. You can also use an egg substitute such as All Whites or Egg Beaters when the recipe calls for eggs as an emulsifier.
The White Devil! Can you believe that the average American eats the equivalent of 20 teaspoons of sugar a day?!?! And that number skyrockets starting at Halloween, right up until the New Year. As a general rule, unsweetened applesauce, canned pumpkin or pureed prunes can be substituted for half the sugar in recipes. I don't typically recommend artificial sweeteners, however, you may consider natural sugar alternatives such as stevia or agave nector.
Try something NEW! Some of my favorite places to go for healthy recipes are: eatingwell.com, cookinglight.com, healthyrecipe.net, epicurious.com and foodnetwork.com.
Tuesday, November 23, 2010
Wednesday, November 17, 2010
Logging Miles
Honestly, I've never watched a marathon - until November 7th. Coincidentally, when I got on the treadmill at the gym that day, the women were waiting at the start ready to go. What inspiration! My thoughts when I started was to do about 5, but ended up doing 7 because watching those people just made me want to keep going. I probably would have gone longer if it weren't for the yoga class I was going to at 10:30! A lot of the training programs that are out there for these marathons (and 1/2's) build up your mileage as the weeks go on, but most don't have you do the full distance, saying that sheer excitement of the race with get you through the rest. I think I understand why now. If I was that inspired just by watching these athletes on TV, I can just imagine how it is when you're running beside them.
I've decided to bag the 1/2 in December. It's in Vegas, and the timing just isn't so great right now. I've also never been to Vegas, and when I go, I want to be able to enjoy it - I really want to see every Cirque show out there - and we weren't going to have time for it. So, I will continue training, but I will set my sights on something more local. I did enter the lottery for the NYC 1/2 in March, so we'll see. Saturday there's a 10K race in Greenwich that I'm doing, so I'll let you know how that goes. :)
I've been feeling pretty good while adding on these miles week after week. I definitely feel it in my body though - my chiropractor likes to refer to these as "growing pains". The pain has been in my left knee, but not enough to make me want to stop, and only hurts while I'm running...it feels totally fine when I'm done. I injured my right knee several years ago snowboarding, so I probably hit the pavement a little harder on that left side to baby the right side. He did some mobility tests on me, and seems to think everything is fine, that it's just my body reacting to the extra stress I'm putting on it. Quite frankly, I'd prefer it to react by losing some fat, but we all can relate to how that goes, right? I've also got to hit the IT band with the foam roller a little more consistantly; I'm sure that will help too.
Today, I'll be getting in the pool for a workout. Masters Swim last Saturday morning kicked me in the pants, which tells me I need to get in that pool more. I crack up, because I'm in the "slow" lane, and I'm also the last swimmer in that lane - how I placed in those tri's this summer baffles me! I think all form and precision when I was swimming must have gone out the window, and I did it on pure adrenaline and competitiveness. Then I chased them down on the bike, which is the "easy" part for me. I want to be a better swimmer though - and a faster one!
Tomorrow I'll do some weight training, and some speedwork on my run. Tabata - my favorite! 20 seconds of intense work, 10 seconds of rest, 8 sets. If you haven't done it, try it. It's sick.
I've decided to bag the 1/2 in December. It's in Vegas, and the timing just isn't so great right now. I've also never been to Vegas, and when I go, I want to be able to enjoy it - I really want to see every Cirque show out there - and we weren't going to have time for it. So, I will continue training, but I will set my sights on something more local. I did enter the lottery for the NYC 1/2 in March, so we'll see. Saturday there's a 10K race in Greenwich that I'm doing, so I'll let you know how that goes. :)
I've been feeling pretty good while adding on these miles week after week. I definitely feel it in my body though - my chiropractor likes to refer to these as "growing pains". The pain has been in my left knee, but not enough to make me want to stop, and only hurts while I'm running...it feels totally fine when I'm done. I injured my right knee several years ago snowboarding, so I probably hit the pavement a little harder on that left side to baby the right side. He did some mobility tests on me, and seems to think everything is fine, that it's just my body reacting to the extra stress I'm putting on it. Quite frankly, I'd prefer it to react by losing some fat, but we all can relate to how that goes, right? I've also got to hit the IT band with the foam roller a little more consistantly; I'm sure that will help too.
Today, I'll be getting in the pool for a workout. Masters Swim last Saturday morning kicked me in the pants, which tells me I need to get in that pool more. I crack up, because I'm in the "slow" lane, and I'm also the last swimmer in that lane - how I placed in those tri's this summer baffles me! I think all form and precision when I was swimming must have gone out the window, and I did it on pure adrenaline and competitiveness. Then I chased them down on the bike, which is the "easy" part for me. I want to be a better swimmer though - and a faster one!
Tomorrow I'll do some weight training, and some speedwork on my run. Tabata - my favorite! 20 seconds of intense work, 10 seconds of rest, 8 sets. If you haven't done it, try it. It's sick.
Wednesday, October 27, 2010
Call Me Crazy
As I was doing my triathlon training this past spring and summer, I knew I should have been blogging about my training, but I just kept putting it off and it never got done. Just to wrap it up, let me just say that it was a great season - especially for my first! I competed in 5 sprint triathlons, placing first in my age group in 4 of them, and second in AG in the other. For not really having a solid training program, I'm definitely pleased with the results. I was also part of a relay team for the Toughman Tri, which was such a great experience....a 56 mile bike ride through beautiful Westchester County. My goal on that one was to finish it in 3 hours - I did it in 3:01, with a broken right clip that I realized was broken around mile 10. Talk about a buzz kill. I was so aggrivated - why couldn't it have happened the day before when I was competing in a sprint tri, all by myself, with no teammates relying on me? I finally overcame the negative thoughts, and pulled through. Both of my teammates kicked ass in their legs, and we placed 11th overall in the relays - BUT - we were the first place all girl relay. No regognition for that. LOL
Anyway....Call me crazy, because I have now set my sights on a 1/2 marathon in December. I've always said I have no desire to run a marathon, or even a 1/2, but.....I'm a chic. We change our minds all the time, right? I've always been comfortable with a 3 mile run, which works out really well for sprint tri's, because that's usually the distance of the run. To me, 5 miles is a long run. :) Well, I am happy to report that yesterday I ran 6, and felt great. I ran at the "pump house", which was absolutely beautiful, and is a lot of gravel instead of pavement. My body really appreciated that. The 1/2 marathon is December 5th.....once again, I don't have a solid training plan, I'm just going to try to build up my mileage over the next 6 weeks and see what happens. So, if you're interested, stay tuned. I'll keep you posted!
Anyway....Call me crazy, because I have now set my sights on a 1/2 marathon in December. I've always said I have no desire to run a marathon, or even a 1/2, but.....I'm a chic. We change our minds all the time, right? I've always been comfortable with a 3 mile run, which works out really well for sprint tri's, because that's usually the distance of the run. To me, 5 miles is a long run. :) Well, I am happy to report that yesterday I ran 6, and felt great. I ran at the "pump house", which was absolutely beautiful, and is a lot of gravel instead of pavement. My body really appreciated that. The 1/2 marathon is December 5th.....once again, I don't have a solid training plan, I'm just going to try to build up my mileage over the next 6 weeks and see what happens. So, if you're interested, stay tuned. I'll keep you posted!
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)