In the fat loss journey we will all eventually hit one or several pesky plateau(s), trust me you are not alone.  It is very common to start into a fitness program and results seem to come very quickly, that unwanted fat is beginning to be removed from the body and every assessment you complete reinforces the process.  Then without warning results come to a screeching halt!  You are doing everything right inside and outside of the fitness facility but it is not rendering the same results as the previous assessments. 

You have come to the cross roads of the infamous plateau!

When the plateau appears in your fitness journey, and it happens to all of us, you will need to trust the process and use your coach.  As fitness professionals we will start to evaluate nutrition first, because most of the time the resistance training and cardio activity are sufficient to overcome the plateaus.  Many times we will see the client try to do more and more activity thinking that this will be the secret to overcoming the plateau, but it typically does not work.

When faced with the fat loss plateau you will want to really start to fine tune your nutrition and find out where your calories are coming from.   You will need to dial in your macronutrients and find out if you have any hidden sources of calories.  Many times your hidden source of calories will be in the form of a beverage.  What you drink can have a significant impact on your fitness journey.

Many people will be surprised to learn how many calories are hiding in their favorite drinks.

If you look at that 12 ounce can of soda it has 124-189 calories, the 12 ounce latte from your local Starbucks has 120 calories, and many of us forget about the fruit juice.  If you gulp down that 12 ounce glass of apple juice it will cost you about 170 calories.

You see what I am getting at; when you really start to dial in your nutrition those calories quickly add up.  If you are on a 1,500 calorie diet, you can drink away almost one fourth of your daily calories in just a couple of drinks.

One main issue is most people do not stop and consider the calories in their beverages when they are tracking and calculation their calorie intake for the day.  If this is happing, it might be one of the reasons your fat loss has slowed.  You could be totally missing the calories you are consuming from liquids.  This can slow things down and sometimes reverse all the hard work you are putting in lifting weights and performing cardio.

Another issue we see with drinking your calories may go beyond slowing your fat loss journey.  One of the main sources of calories in liquid beverages is sugar.  If you take your time and understand food labels you will see that 12 ounces of both OJ and Coca-Cola have around 10 teaspoons of sugar.  That is a lot of sugar to be taking in for 12 ounces.  You also want to watch out for Gatorade and Vitamin Water to reduce your liquid calories because Gatorade has around 5 teaspoons of sugar and Vitamin Water has around 5 as well.

Taking in all that sugar can cause some problems with your fat loss.  The obvious way is by adding excess calories you may not be aware of.  Another problem is when you drink that sugar; it ends up in your bloodstream as glucose and raises the glucose level in your blood.  Your body recognizes this as dangerous, so your pancreas starts working overtime to release insulin to clear out the extra glucose.

The extra glucose in the blood has to go somewhere, and the insulin sweeps the glucose out of your blood and stores it in your cells as fat.  This is why insulin is called the fat storage hormone.

Therefore, you must be aware of your calories from beverages.  If you are drinking your calories, your fat loss plateau may be the unhappy consequence, and you really need to monitor the amount of sugar that is being consumed in your beverages.

One option to help prevent calorie consumption from beverages is to make habit modifications.  You will need to break the cravings you have for sugar.

The solution is to train your taste buds to enjoy less sugary beverages.  Water is the best choice.  This summer, try putting slices of lemon or lime in your water.  You can also freeze fruit in ice cube trays and let the fruit slowly flavor your water as the cubes melt.

Learn to drink unsweetened tea and coffee as well.  Just be patient with yourself because it may take a few weeks for your habits to change and your taste buds to stop begging for sugar!  Decrease the sugar in your drinks gradually, for a painless transition, and this may help with your fat loss plateau!

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With summer in full swing you can bet on one thing it’s BBQ time.

If your neighborhood is anything similar to ours it is a sure bet that any given evening or weekend your neighbors are inviting you to a BBQ.

Who doesn’t love a good BBQ!

Hanging out with your neighbors, spending time with your family and friends is a big part of summer.  Who wants to be stuck inside cooking dinner, when the evenings are warm and daylight last until 10pm?

Although, if you are a social butterfly or the party animal, all those BBQ will start to cause chaos with your fitness and wellness goals!  Does this mean you have to lock yourself indoors during the summer and not be social at the local neighborhood BBQ?

Not at all! You can attend every BBQ you are invited to, but you might want to follow a few strategies to help keep your health and wellness goals in-check.

By following a few of these strategies you will get through the BBQ season without destroying your goals:

• Moderation is important with anything you do, so always try not to overindulge on foods and beverages while attending the BBQ. If you can eat a small meal before you attend the BBQ, it will help minimize the temptation of over consuming.  You do not want to show up to your local BBQ starving, because it will turn into the smorgasbord of unhealthy options quickly.  The more self-control you have the better options you will make.

• While at the BBQ always try to use a smaller plate. It has been shown that if you use a smaller plate, you will eat less.

• When choosing options at the BBQ you want to think lean protein first. This will help give you the sensation of being full and it will help you burn a little more calories in the digestions process.  Consuming raw fruits and vegetables will be another great option to help fill you up with high fiber and good nutrients.

• While using condiments make sure you go opt for the lighter, less creamy version or make sure you use 2 tablespoons or less. It will not matter if you consume health fruits and veggies if you load them up with sugar and unnecessary calories.  Try to use condiments sparingly to keep your calories manageable.

• Try to be the one to bring a healthy dish this way you will have a least one option for yourself. This helps me know I at least have one healthy food to choose from, and I enjoy making healthy dishes that go with a summer BBQ.

• Be careful when consuming beverages while at the BBQ. Calories from beverages can add up very quickly!  You can down hundreds of calories in a short period of time without the satisfaction of addressing your hunger.  If you do consume a beverage containing calories alternate with a glass of water between.  This will help with hydration and slow down calorie consumption! 😊

• Be active at the BBQ. Get an activity going so you are not just sitting around, mingle with all the guest or chase the kids around!

Here are some of my go to recipes and some we are preparing for Leo’s First Birthday Party!

Fire-Roasted Corn Salad

https://www.williams-sonoma.com/recipe/fire-roasted-corn-salad.html

Al Roker’s Potato Salad with Lemon and Mint

http://www.today.com/recipes/al-roker-s-potato-salad-lemon-mint-recipe-t113034

Tomato and Mozzarella Bites

http://allrecipes.com/recipe/104806/tomato-and-mozzarella-bites/

Happy BBQ’ing and share your favorite recipes!

Arin

INGREDIENTS

4 cups chicken, cooked and cubed (or shredded)

2 avocados, cut and cubed

1 tsp garlic powder

½ tsp salt

½ tsp pepper

2 tsp lime juice

½ cup light mayo

¼ cup plain greek yogurt

Whole wheat tortillas

INSTRUCTIONS

Cut and cube avocado.

Add to a large bowl with cubed or shredded chicken.

Mix in seasonings, mayo and greek yogurt.

Cover with plastic wrap and refrigerate for 30 minutes or more.

Spoon mix into middle of tortilla.

Fold top and bottom into middle. Then overlap sides. (like a burrito)

Ingredients:

3 whole ancho chiles

3 whole pasilla chiles

4 cloves garlic, unpeeled

2 to 3 chipotles in adobo sauce

1/2 medium white onion, roughly chopped

3 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil

2 tablespoons honey

1 tablespoon cider vinegar

Kosher salt

2 teaspoons dried oregano, preferably Mexican

3 3/4 cups low-sodium chicken broth

4 pounds boneless pork shoulder (untrimmed), cut into chunks

Freshly ground pepper

2 bay leaves

1 cinnamon stick

Corn tortillas, warmed, for serving

Assorted taco toppings, for garnish

Preparation:

Put the ancho and pasilla chiles and the garlic in a bowl; add 2 to 3 tablespoons water. Microwave on high until soft and pliable, 2 to 3 minutes. Stem and seed the chiles; peel the garlic. Transfer the chiles and garlic to a blender.

Add the chipotles, onion, 2 tablespoons olive oil, honey, vinegar, 1 tablespoon salt and the oregano to the blender; puree until smooth. Heat the remaining 1 tablespoon oil in a large skillet over high heat; add the chile sauce and fry, stirring, until thick and fragrant, about 8 minutes. Pour in the broth and reduce until slightly thickened.

Season the pork all over with salt and pepper and transfer to a large slow cooker. Add the bay leaves and cinnamon stick, then pour in the sauce. Cover and cook on high until the meat is tender, about 5 hours. (Or cook the meat in a large Dutch oven, covered, for 1 hour 45 minutes at 350 degrees; uncover and cook 30 more minutes.)

Discard the bay leaves and cinnamon stick. Shred the pork with 2 forks; season with salt and pepper. Serve the shredded pork in the tortillas, along with toppings.

Calories                       399 calorie

Total Fat                      15 grams

Saturated Fat              4 grams

Cholesterol                  147 milligrams

Sodium                        452 milligrams

Carbohydrates             14 grams

Dietary Fiber               3 grams

Protein                        51 grams

Sugar                           5 grams

We have finally arrived, it is summer time!

When you think of summer you probably think of barbecues, swimming pools, longer days, and vacation.  Summer is the busiest time of the season for travel and family vacations.  I know we always take a summer vacation to relax, recharged and just get away for a while.

When traveling your health and fitness goals may not always be top of mind. 😊  I understand and it is challenging!  Trust me you will have a ton of temptations on vacations but, you do not have to let it destroy your goals.

It seems like people return from vacation a few pounds heavier with tastes buds programmed to pursue that sweet, salty, unhealthy food with uncontrollable desire.  That harmless vacation that was intended to recharge and rejuvenate the body, but in reality, it can set your fitness goals back a few months.  As a result, now you are not sleeping, craving unhealthy foods, and your energy levels are nonexistent.  You see, just by splurging on meals and skipping your workouts you often get out of your routine.  Once you return home from vacation it can be challenging to get back into your groove.

However, it does not have to be this way if you incorporate a few simple strategies.  You can avoid the vacation hangover and still enjoy a relaxing time!

Try to incorporate these simple strategies to help keep your health and wellness goals on track while on vacation:

• Try to keep your workout routines going in some format while traveling. You might not have access to a weight room, but you have plenty of options with bodyweight workouts or you can purchase some jump stretch bands to pack with you.  Here is a quick video that will explain a simple workout and how to use some jump stretch bands while on vacation.  If you can keep some type of workout routine while on vacation it will help keep your metabolism up and help with your energy levels as well as keep you in your routine.
• Pack healthy foods and snacks while you’re traveling. We all know it can be very challenging to find healthy food options in the Airport or in a Gas station and minimizing your temptation of unhealthy foods will help you stay on track.  We like to pack AdvoCare Snack Bars along with beef jerky and some trail mix.
• Try to drink plenty of water when you travel so you do not become dehydrated. If is very easy to become dehydrated while traveling because we are out of our normal routine.  Typically the travel schedule becomes the priority and our typical habits go to the waist side.  If you can stay hydrated it will help keep your energy levels up and keep your digestion functioning on its normal schedule.
• When you’re booking your accommodations try to get a room with a small kitchen if possible, if this is not feasible at least try to get the room with a refrigeration and a microwave. If you have access to this type of room it will allow you to stop by the local grocery or convenient store to stock up on some healthy food options.  We always try to get a cooktop with our accommodations so we can cook a few meals in.  This helps save some money and gives us some control over the types of foods we are consuming.

Moderation is key when it comes to food consumption and alcohol while visiting your favorite tropical island.  You will want to keep your food portions under control and try not to overindulge. It is okay to have a little desert if you do not overconsume with your dinner.  While enjoying your favorite alcoholic beverage try to keep some water nearby and consume a few drinks of the good old H2O in-between that favorite alcoholic beverage.

Keep some activity in your daily routine while you’re on vacation.  Try to take a long walk or jog down that beautiful beach to get your endorphins going and heart rate up.  This will help with your circulation and metabolism while you’re on vacation.  If you’re like most people your vacation will consist of becoming best friends with the local beach chair.

The final strategy to keep in mind while on vacation is sleep.  I know a lot of people come back from vacation exhausted.  I know it can be a challenge to sleep in a new environment.  However, you can do a few simple things to help you get a better sleep while on vacation.  One simple trick is to download a white noise app on your phone to use at night to cancel out the unfamiliar noise you are likely to encounter.  We personally use the sound of rain on our app to keep our noise environment under control.

Let me know some of your tips and tricks to keep you on track while on vacation.

Have a great day,

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