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.

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

Girls, Guys, RESET to a healthier self!!

Get that bathing suit out - Summer is here!!

The sun is shining and that means the race to get into your Beach Body!
Are you looking your Very-Best? If not, why not kick start your weight loss with an easy to follow, body invigorating cleanse?

Unfortunately, sometimes our bodies are so toxic that we will never be able to get rid of any body fat! So, our plan is to do a group-cleanse to help release the toxicity that has built up over this rainy summer and kick start your weight loss for the beach! The best part is: doing it together will help us all!!!

Would you like to join us?

Email Carolyn@Healthygirl.net and learn how to shed some extra pounds in just 5 days!!

This program is one of the leading nutritional cleanses in the world and is manufactured to the highest pharmaceutical standards.

It's called the 5-Day Reset

Who is it for?-Men & Women across the world (CAN, US, AUS, etc.)
-Those of us who can't be without sugar
-Carb-Addicts (pasta lovers!)
-Stressed out entrepreneurs (those of us who work too much)
-Anyone looking to shed 5-7 pounds
-Chocolate addicts
-Anyone wanting coaching in kicking the carbs to the curb
-Anyone who doesn't feel like cooking for 5 days =)

We will be cleansing together for 5 days under guided supervision and coaching. We will receive daily instructions and even site links to make this super easy! You will also receive a recommended reading list and some suggestions for after the cleanse to maintain your new beach-ready body.

Cost: $137 CA + tax (discounted rate)
$ 99 US + tax (discounted rate)
$ 95 AU + tax (discounted rate)

Start Date: August 24th
*The RESET kit will arrive right at your doorstep within 3-5 days of placing your order – So, please email me ASAP to join in on the fun & RESET, as we'll need to order by Friday, August 21st/2009.

What to Expect?-Lose the cravings *Break free from your carb addiction & discover the benefits of low-glycemic foods
-Lose the pounds *Jump start your healthy, new lifestyle by losing those first 5 pounds.
Plus, RESET your body’s chemistry to achieve your ultimate weight loss goal
-Find a new you *Discover a lean, energetic & vibrant person inside of you.
Live your life the way it was meant to be!

"In a world filled with fad diets, that offer little more than short-term solutions for long-term
problems, RESET is the first step in beginning a new, healthier lifestyle."

~ Dr. Ray Strand, a leading authority on nutritional medicine ~

Cleanse Info: http://products.usana.com/en/products/ca/macros/reset/program.shtml

Hurry up and place your order!!! That beach body won’t just discover itself!!!

To join our RESET CHALLENGE Contact: Carolyn@HealthyGirl.net!

It can be challenging to stick with fitness/wellness goals on our own. Belonging to a group can be a great way to keep us all motivated and inspired! So, feel free to invite your friends and family too! All are welcome.

You only have one body, treat it well.

Carolyn’s Top Tips for the Most Effective Ab Workout

www.HealthyGirl.net

Focus on Your Whole Body You can’t pick a part of your body, do a bunch of exercises just for that single part and watch the fat just disappear. You must target your largest muscles to shed fat evenly throughout your body, and in turn, allow your abs to show. Focusing on working your back and chest, as well as your lower body through exercises such as push-ups, squats, and lunges, will help you achieve this!

Doing 100 Crunches a Day Will Not Lead to a Six Pack! You must work your entire core through varied exercises to have a strong midsection. All the sit-ups in the world will not give you a six pack without a proper diet! A healthy diet is the MOST IMPORTANT factor when you are losing weight and searching for those toned abs.

You Do Not Have to Train Your Abs for Hours At a Time Extremely long workouts provide no additional benefit to defining your abs. It will only cause weakness from overtraining. Less than 20 minutes per abdominal training session is ideal!

Do Cardio Before Your Ab Workout When you are warmed up as a result of cardiovascular exercise, you are able to get a better contraction with your abs while working them. Warming up helps you feel the deep muscular burn much more when your abs are trained. Warming up also helps prevent abdominal pulls or muscle strains.

Contract Your Abs in Between Sets This may help build definition in your abs. Bodybuilders have been known to stretch and flex in between sets to increase muscular tone and definition!

Minimize Rest Time in Between Sets Aim for 1 minute or less of rest time in between ab sets. Your main goal should be to keep rest to 30 – 40 seconds in between sets. This will keep the metabolism high, allowing you to burn fat at a quicker, more efficient rate.

Lower Your Sodium Intake Cutting down on sodium can make a huge difference in the way your abs look. Salt, water and fat lead to major fat surrounding the love handles!

Eat 5-6 Small Meals Each Day Instead of eating 3 large meals, try to eat 5-6 smaller meals, spacing them out so you aren’t going more than 2-3 hours without food. This will keep your blood sugar stable and your metabolism racing throughout the day!
Avoid Belly Bloating Foods Some foods are worse than others in how your body reacts with them and what causes that bloated feeling. Here are key belly- bloating foods to avoid: Excess Salt, Fried Foods, Carbonated Drinks, Refined White Flour and Artificial Sweeteners.

Focus on a Healthy Diet Your diet is the main aspect in toning and defining your abs. Supplementation should also be considered for best results. I love the quote, “Abs are formed in the kitchen, not the gym!”

Carolyn@HealthyGirl.net

A Great Detox Soup Recipe!

You can eat as much detox soup as you want -- for breakfast, lunch or dinner too. For a healthy cleanse with a safe weight loss, replace at least one meal per day with it. You can eat the soup on this basis for a short 3-day cleanse, for a week-long light cleanse, or for 10 to 14 days for a good weight loss cleanse. Make sure the other two meals on those days consist mainly of healthy foods like fresh vegetables, fresh fruits, unbleached pasta or rice, eggs or egg whites, and broiled or baked lean meats or seafood only. No fried foods, please!
Into a large stock pot, add the following ingredients:

4 quarts filtered or spring water (substitute can of chicken broth for more flavor, which may lessen weight loss detox effect)
1 sm/med head of cabbage, sliced into thin strips
1/2 lb. string beans
2 med-large green peppers, chopped
2 15-oz cans whole or diced tomatoes
3 or 4 chopped carrots
3 or 4 chopped celery stalks
1 large onion, sliced or chopped up

1. Add cabbage to water, bring to boil and then simmer for one hour.
2. Add string beans, carrots, celery and onions; simmer for one-half hour.
3. Add tomatoes and pepper; simmer for another half-hour.

DO NOT ADD SALT or any seasonings. The soup will probably taste bland but it is filling. It has a negative calorie effect and promotes both fat burning and cellular cleansing. Enjoy!

Source: http://www.body-and-sole-detox.com/Detox-Soup.html