Getting Into Intervals

INTERVAL TRAINING

Losing more fat while in a shorter time? Sound too good to be true?
Well, actually, a twenty minute interval session (a type of training that alternates bursts of high intensity work with low intensity) can burn more fat than a 45 minute steady paced jog.


Interval training is one of the best methods of fat loss. Not only does it torch calories and target fat during your exercise session, but also hours after you have jumped off the treadmill, your body continues to burn a hefty amount of calories.
So why is interval training so affective?
Interval training, due to mixing bouts of aerobic exercise (low intensity) with anaerobic exercise (high intensity), really gets the endorphins flowing and the blood pumping. This change-up has several benefits, including burning more calories in a shorter amount of time. Without getting too into it, I will explain a little about how this happens.

Our bodies deal with the stress of high intensity exercise by releasing hormones such as human growth hormone. This allows fat to be available for fuel and building muscle. Interval training also releases cortisol and other hormones responsible for turning to fat cells for energy.

Interval training revs up your metabolism. During the aerobic and anaerobic phases of the interval, each of your muscle fibers gets brought into the mix. Nothing gets ignored or goes unused from rest or lack of work.
After an intense workout session, your metabolism is increased, since your muscles need extra calories and energy to repair itself and be able to carry out its daily metabolic functions. This does not happen in the blink of an eye. Fortunately, sometimes it could take up to 24 hours after your workout has ended, meaning you are still burning calories!

Try this interval workout using your cardio of choice.

1 Warm up at a nice and easy pace for 5 to 10 minutes until your muscles feel loose and you begin to break a light sweat.
2 Jump up to a sprint pace (a 7 to 8 on a scale of 1 to 10) for 10 seconds.
3 Slow back to a jog (about a 5) for 30 seconds.
4 Repeat for 15 to 20 minutes.
5 Cool down for 5 to 10 minutes.

As workouts go by and you are more comfortable with interval training, try shaking up your cardio method and build up your time during the high intensity activity.

All About Abs!

In order for those abs to show, remember these helpful principles:

•Eat six times a day in order to avoid energy imbalances. Aim for smaller, healthy meals every 2-3 hours of about 200-300 calories each that incorporate protein, carbs and healthy fats.

•Drink more smoothies! Smoothies made of low fat milk, yogurt, ice and a variety of fruits, can act as great meal replacements throughout your day. Their thick texture will help keep you full, and they’re great as a healthy breakfast or to blend up before or after your workout.

•Start a food/ exercise diary. By writing down everything you eat, the time of day you eat , and how much energy you had after you eat, serves as a very useful reference as you try to gain muscle mass and lose fat. After using a food diary regularly, it shouldn’t take you long to realize how your body reacts to certain foods and what makes you feel your best during and after your workouts.

•Watch what you drink. We all know getting your daily water consumption is extremely important in your healthy weight efforts. Staying hydrated will help you push yourself through your workouts and allow you to feel better every day. Water also helps us banish feelings of hunger, (which is really just thirst a lot of the time), and helps us feel full. Alcohol, (for those of us that are old enough to drink the stuff), is another story.
Alcohol slows the rate at which our bodies burn fat, and actually encourages our bodies to store more. If you absolutely cannot be without your nightly glass of Chardonnay, limit your intake to 2-3 glasses a week, and definitely avoid the weekend binge drinking!

•Allow for some cheat meals. Of course, nobody’s perfect. If you limit yourself too much to eating only healthy foods every single day, you will get bored and frustrated, and eventually end up eating the entire food tray at your best friend’s wedding. When a craving arises, allow yourself some M&M’s, or a slice of pizza you’ve been eyeing all week. Just watch your portion sizes and remember: everything in moderation!

No Sandwich for Lunch? ...Now What?

For years, sandwiches have been the go-to lunch.
I would never knock choosing a good sandwich for lunch (made with whole wheat bread, tons of veggies and lean protein of course) but if you're bored of your sandwich, just know that there are many other options for lunch.

Several friends have asked me if I have any other ideas on what to eat besides carbs for breakfast (PB and J on toast), lunch (sandwich) and dinner (pasta or rice). Sound familiar?
Carbs are great to supply energy throughout your day, especially if you are on the go or hitting the gym routinely. However, if you are trying to lose a few pounds but your daily meals consist of mainly carbs at every sitting, read the following tips on how to take the boredom out of your meals!

Some tips to lighten up your caloric intake and change up your daily meals:

Breakfast:

- Scrambled egg whites with veggies (add cayenne pepper to rev your metabolism and burn more at rest!)
- Fruit salads with low-fat cottage cheese and cinnamon
- One cup of berries (frozen are just are good as fresh and don't go bad as quick!) topped with flax seed and low-fat yogurt

Lunch
- Soups are great, especially clear, broth-based low sodium choices, (Campbells Healthy Request is a great pick)
- Fruit Salad
- Nuts
- Veggies with Hummus
-Salads with hard boiled eggs, veggies, lean protein such as chicken

Dinner
- Stir fry with chicken or pork tenderloin
- Chicken fajita lettuce wraps rolled with romaine lettuce leafs rather than carb-heavy white tortilla wraps
-Any lean protein such as fish, chicken or pork tenderloin with steamed veggies

Hope this helps!

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My profile can be found at:

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Stay tuned for more quick tips on nutrition, fitness and beauty, and healthy recipes that will impress your toughest critic- yourself!

The Best Breakfast EVER.

A good, healthy breakfast, as we all know, is the best way to start the day. Here is a sample of a weekend breakfast (when you have a little time) that I will typically make. It is low cal, low carb, and high on taste.
Obviously you can substitue various fruits and veggies to your liking. Enjoy!

Carolyn' Eggcellent Breakfast

What You'll Need For the Scramble:

Zero Cal Cooking Spray (Pam)
1/2 Cup Egg Whites
1/2 Tomato, Diced Small
Broccoli
Spinach, Chopped
Mushrooms
White Onion, Diced Small
Cayenne Pepper (to rev the metabolism)
Paprika
Salsa

What You'll Need for the Fruit Salad:

3 Strawberries, Sliced
2 Orange Slices
1 Kiwi Slice
3 Grapes, Sliced
3 Raspberries
Watermelon Chunks (About 1/4 Cup)
Cantaloupe Chunks (About 1/4 Cup)
Low Fat Cottage Cheese (2 tbsp)
Cinnamon

To Prepare:

Spray a nonstick pan with zero cal cooking spray, heat on low-medium heat. Wait a few minutes and add all of the ingredients for the scramble, besides the salsa and paprika. You can add a little bit of water to keep the scramble from drying out if needed.
While the scramble is cooking, stir periodically. As it heats, you can add 2 tbsp of salsa and mix altogether. When finished, sprinkle the scramble with paprika.

For the fruit salad, wash and cut all fruit, and top with 2 tbsp of low fat cottage cheese, sprinkling the fruit and cottage cheese with cinnamon for an extra antioxidant boost.

This recipe doesn't take too long and tastes great. Depending on what type of fruit you are using, this scramble and fruit salad together, runs you only about 175-225 cals.

Bon Appetit!

Recipes and Quick Tips for Cooking

Eating healthier doesn't always mean you have to sacrifice your favourite foods. There are many ways to still eat the foods you crave, without sacrificing the taste.

If you love to bake, one quick way to cut down on calories but not on flavour is to bake with Splenda rather than sugar. Splenda is a zero calorie sweetener that tastes great and doesn't leave you with that sugar rush that we all know so well!

Although diet beverages are not the best option (water, water, water) they are certainly better than a regular can of pop/ soda (depending on whether you're Canadian or American), which, on average, runs you about 39 grams of sugar. 39.

That makes me think of a quote I read from Kim Kardashian's interview the other day, "A moment on the lips, a lifetime on the hips". Thanks Kim, you say it well.

If you are trying to cut down on Carbs, there are many ways to go about this without eating only spinach for the rest of your life. For example, if you usually order a sandwich at lunch, why not order a salad with all of the same ingredients? Hot chicken and a ton of veggies or fruit over a salad with a light dressing is definitely not a bland, boring lunch in my books.

Another tip: if you love Mexican food but are trying to limit your overall calorie and carb intake, why not prepare the chicken fajitas or tacos, and wrap them in a large, crisp romaine lettuce leaf? It tastes great and allows to have more chicken, veggies and salsa, since you've cut out the bread.

Cheese is a big factor to adding calories on our daily foods. For example, if you order a sandwich or burger and skip the cheese, you are saving a whopping 113 calories and 9.3 grams of fat. It may seem tough at first to skip the cheese, but trust me, you'll be thanking me in the long run!

Keep on Shining,

Carolyn Fauteux

Cut Back on the Cals, Not the Taste!

Applying all or any of these tips can really make a difference in your effort to live a healthier lifestyle. A healthy lifestyle is so much more than just improving your appearance. It is essential to focus on a healthy functioning body and mind, which in turn will aid in preventing illness, slow down the aging process, while boosting your energy levels, and lowering stress. So why wouldn’t you want to begin changing any bad eating habits you may have? You only have one body. Treat it well!



• ASSESSMENT: Look at your current diet, pinpointing the strong and weak areas. Make sure your diet includes lots of fruits and vegetables, lean protein during every meal, low-fat dairy, whole-grain and high-fiber foods every day.
• MAKE SMALL CHANGES: Rather than trying to make large, immediate changes for quick fixes, aim for small, slow changes. Smaller changes will be much easier to stick with.
• EAT MORE TO LOSE MORE: Eat smaller meals, more often! Aim for 5 or 6 small meals throughout the day to keep cravings at bay! This will ensure your blood sugar levels stay stable, and will keep you safe from the 4PM vending machine dash.
• WRITE IT OUT LOUD! You can write, right? So why not keep a food journal? This will help you isolate which food groups (such as fruits, vegetables or dairy products) you need to pay more attention to, or if you should be eating cutting back on certain groups (such as processed or high-fat foods).
• BAKE, DON’T FRY: When cooking meat, always bake, grill or broil rather than fry. Remove the skin before eating chicken or turkey and make sure to eat fish at least once a week! Also, aim for meals that do not include the words “cream-of, or deep-fried…”
• SIDE-KICKS: If you are a condiment girl (like me), aim for low-fat or less-sugar versions when eating mayonnaise, sour cream, barbeque sauce etc. Salsa and mustard are both great condiments, with virtually no calories!
• RAINBOW DINING: Eat a wide variety of fruits and vegetables with your meals and as snacks to get the most of their nutrients and health benefits. Think of it like a bright, colorful rainbow that will lead to a more beautiful you, on the inside and out!
• WATER, WATER, WATER: Drink plenty throughout the day to stay hydrated and keep your metabolism revved. Not wine and beer, but more so water and unsweetened tea.
• MODERATION: Remember, all things in moderation! Do not deprive yourself of anything fully - this will only lead to a mad dart to Dairy Queen after you have sworn off ice cream forever. Instead, try low fat frozen yogurt, with fruit for a sweet treat.
• REWARD YOURSELF: Allow yourself that one piece of apple pie at your family barbecue or that glass of wine on Friday night during ladies’ night. Just be sure to watch your portion sizes. After all, you have worked hard all week to make these little changes that will lead to a healthier, more vibrant you!

Keep On Shining,
Carolyn Fauteux