BRIDAL FITNESS | HOW TO RECOVER FROM YOUR WEDDING WORKOUTS

Ok, so you've been "sweating for the wedding" and you've made it through your first workouts... now what? Well, now you're feeling fatigued, stiff and maybe even a little sore... yay! Congratulations!

What the what? Yep, believe it or not, this IS good news and it IS normal. It means that your workout was effective and those sore areas are the proof. Remember that exercise temporarily stresses the body, causing it to remodel itself so it can be better in the future. It's during this recovery time that you actually gain the strength, performance ability and change that you came for. Wahoo! 

To get the most out of that training time, though, it's important to learn what you can do to recover properly. Follow these recovery tips to help you maximize your fitness efforts and create the strong, shapely Fit Bride body you want:

BRIDAL FITNESS | HOW TO EAT LIKE A FIT BRIDE

"Exercise is king, nutrition is queen, put them together and you've got a kingdom." - Jack LaLanne

Now that you've set your goals and gotten yourself an accountability partner or two*, it's time to talk food. 

10 QUICK + HEALTHY SNACKS FOR A BRIDE ON THE GO

image via Tumblr

Planning a wedding can get pretty crazy. Between dress fittings, taste testing, meetings with the wedding planner and dance practice with the choreographer- the schedule of a bride-to-be can get pretty hectic. 

Sometimes with so many things to do, it's easy to forget to eat. But, not to worry. Here are 10 of our favorite quick + healthy snacks that you can bring with you while you run your bridal errands:

1. Sliced organic apple with natural peanut butter

2. Hummus with raw veggies (broccoli, carrots, sugar snap peas, etc)

3. Half peanut butter and all-fruit jelly on Dave's Killer Bread

4. Handful of almonds and cranberries

5. Small green salad with light dressing

6. Two hard boiled eggs with Kashi crackers (dash of salt, pepper, hot sauce)

7. Plain flavored soy or Greek yogurt with fresh fruit and sprinkling of walnuts

8. Sliced banana with dollop of peanut butter (Tami's early morning pre-workout fav)

9. Smoothie (toss in what you like... a banana, some kale or spinach, fruit, greek yogurt) Here's a yummy recipe for a Strawberry Banana Oatmeal smoothie from Love Grows Wild. So good!

10.  Whole grain egg tortilla wrap (scrambled egg, feta cheese, green onions, roasted veggies of your choice or avacado, green salsa)

What are some of your favorite healthy snacks for on the go?

GOOD EATS: HONEY CHIPOTLE CHICKEN BOWL

While answering a few client emails I heard a disturbing growling sound. Completely engrossed in my email I decided not to pay attention to the sound I was hearing until I heard another bear like sound. At this point I was getting a little worried that I had a new 'friend' in the office with me. After quickly surveying under my desk and behind the file cabinet I realized that the sound I was hear was not a bear but my stomach! Can you believe I was so involved in my inbox that I didn't even realize that the sound I was hearing was my own stomach?! Yeah, let's just say that I took that as a sign that it was time for lunch!

While browsing the net for a new recipe I came across this Honey Chipotle Chicken Bowl With Lime Quinoa from How Sweet It Is.

 INGREDIENTS

honey chipotle chicken
1 pound boneless, skinless chicken breasts
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon pepper
1/4 cup olive oil
3 tablespoons adobo sauce, from a can of chipotles in adobo
2 tablespoons honey
1 tablespoon dijon mustard
1 tablespoon honey mustard
2 tablespoons chopped fresh cilantro
4 garlic cloves, minced

salad
6 cups spring greens
1/2 pint cherry tomatoes, halved
1/4 cup torn fresh cilantro
4 green onions, sliced
1 avocado, sliced
1 lime, juiced
1 tablespoon olive oil
1/2 tablespoon honey

lime quinoa
1/2 cup uncooked quinoa, rinsed
1 cup low-sodium chicken or vegetable stock, or even water
1 tablespoon coconut oil
1 lime, juiced and zest freshly grated
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon pepper

DIRECTIONS

Add the chicken breasts to a baking dish or ziplock bag and season with salt and pepper. In a bowl, whisk together the olive oil, adobo, honey, mustards, cilantro and garlic. Pour the marinade over the chicken, covering it evenly. Place it in the fridge and marinate for at least 2 hours, or even overnight.
When you're ready to make the meal, heat a large nonstick skillet over medium-high heat. Add a tiny bit of olive oil and add the chicken, then cover the skillet and cook until the chicken is deeply browned on both sides and cooked in the center, about 6 minutes per side.
To make the salads, add the greens in a large bowl and toss them with a sprinkle of salt and pepper. Add the chicken on top along with the quinoa, the tomatoes, cilantro, green onions and avocado. Drizzle the bowl with the lime juice, olive oil and honey. Serve!

lime quinoa
Add the quinoa and stock (or water) to a saucepan over high heat and bring it to a boil. Once boiling, reduce the heat to low and cover the pot. Cook for about 15 minutes, or until all the liquid is absorbed. Stir in the coconut oil (you can swap butter), lime juice, zest, salt and pepper.

Serves: 2-4   Total Time: 2+ hours to marinate, 30 minutes to make

Ah yum! Doesn't this look absolutely amazing!

Check out How Sweet It Is for more yummy recipes!

|Image and recipe via How Sweet It Is|

GOOD EATS: BAKED MOZZARELLA CHICKEN ROLLS



Happy Monday!

Now that its getting cooler here in Portland and we won't completely roast if we turn on the oven, we're craving comfort food...healthy comfort food that is.

Don't these baked mozzarella chicken rolls look amazing?! These are perfect for a chilly, rainy day.
Check out this Pinch of Yum recipe.

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Body Fat Loss 101

Body fat.

In my training experience, the top reason most people give as their reason for exercising and eating healthy is to manage and/or lose body fat. Being healthy and able-bodied is important, but most people want to look and feel good in their skin as well.

Unfortunately, there seems to be a huge amount of confusion as to the "how" of fat loss. Countless infomercials, diet pill ads, and workout crazes attest to this, as they all promise to have THE answer to the fat problem, yet leave many people feeling short changed and disappointed when they see little positive, lasting results.

So, what should YOU do?
What IS the best plan for successful weight management?

Read more on our Portland Personal Training blog...

To your fitness success!

Healthy Skin

Want healthy, radiant skin on your wedding day? Forget those pricey skin creams. Nurture your complexion from the inside out with a well-balanced diet that can hydrate, protect, and clear your skin!

Include these nutrients in your diet:

1. Vitamins C and E. Antioxidants such as these reduce the effects of free-radicals (highly reactive oxygen molecules), which damage the body and age the skin. Vitamin C, found in red bell peppers, strawberries, raspberries, citrus fruits, tomatoes, mangos, and broccoli, helps keep your collagen fibers strong and resilient so you can be wrinkle and sag free. Vitamin E helps protect your skin from pollution, the sun's ultraviolet rays, scarring and skin cancer, and is found in almonds, hazelnuts, sunflower seeds, and peanuts.

2. Lean proteins such as turkey and chicken breast, low-fat (and low sugar) yogurt, salmon, sardines, tuna and cheese help the body repair and maintain the skin. The omega-3 fatty acids found in fish fight inflammation and protect against sun damage. Note: due to concerns about mercury, limit your intake of fresh and saltwater fish to no more than 2 meals per week. Go here for government seafood guidelines.

3. Vitamin B rich foods (such as oats, avocados, bananas, legumes, turkey, potatoes, and Brazil nuts) contain biotin, which is the foundation for your hair and nails as well as your skin.

4. Vitamin A, found in foods such as turnip greens, spinach, sweet potatoes, carrots, dried apricots, and cantaloupe, helps your body repair and maintain skin tissue.

5. EGCG (epigallocatechin-3-gallate), found in green tea, can help calm the flow of inflammatory chemicals involved in acne and sun-related skin aging, as well as prevent skin cancer. It also helps to curtail cortisol, which can break down the those collagen fibers leading to wrinkles and sagging.

Get a personalized assessment of your skin's health: Take the RealAge Skin Care Assessment.

Portion Size vs Dress Size

What are you eating?

No, REALLY!

What are you eating?

If you intend to be healthy, look fabulous, and become a "buff bride", you absolutely HAVE to take a good, hard look at the foods you're putting in your mouth on a daily basis. That includes how much!

Many people think immediately of the "bad" things that they eat when they consider their diet, but it's also extremely important that you consider how much you're eating as well. Even if you're making healthy choices, too many calories in and not used (in the form of metabolism and exercise) still equals more fat as your body will still store any excess.

Here are some websites to help you with some visual reference points as well as info on how our modern portion sizes have dramatically increased over the past few years:

- Visual estimates of serving sizes

- Guide to portion control for weight loss

- Do you know how portions have changed in 20 years?

Sugar: Cut it out!

How much sugar do you eat on a daily basis?
Do you have any idea?
You should.


New AHA guidelines recommend that women eat no more than 100 calories of added processed sugar, or six teaspoons (25 grams), while men should limit their intake to 150 calories, or nine teaspoons (37.5 grams).

It's estimated, however, that the average American currently consumes an astounding 22 teaspoons of added sugar every day. That's nearly a half cup of pure sugar, accounting for 355 calories! These numbers are important to understand because a recent American Heart Association (AHA) report cites a direct link between sugar consumption and the development of such conditions as cardiovascular disease and diabetes. An increase in sugar consumption is also thought to be linked to the dramatic rise in obesity.

If you regularly eat foods loaded with sugar it can have a dramatic effect on your waistline. Daily calories can add up more quickly than you realize, leading to over consumption and weight gain. A twelve-ounce can of soda alone, for instance, has about eight teaspoons of sugar and 130 empty calories. Since drinking these calories will not satisfy your hunger long term, research has shown that you won't naturally eat less at mealtime to account for the calories that you already drank and may even eat more.

Many clients have seen a tremendous impact on their weight loss efforts just by limiting or eliminating simple sugars from their diets. This includes omitting sodas and juices, eating whole grains instead of sugary breakfast cereals or muffins, and skipping the office candy dish or evening dessert. Believe it or not, the more you eliminate sugary foods from your diet in favor of more wholesome foods, the less you will tend to crave them. While you don't have to go "cold turkey", you'll find that the more sugar you eliminate from your diet, the better you'll feel and the closer you'll move towards your fitness goals.

FAST SUGAR FACTS -

Foods that contain processed (refined) sugar include:
* soft drinks
* candy
* cakes
* cookies
* pies
* fruit drinks (Note: if the label says "juice cocktail" it contains sweetener)
* milk-based desserts and products (ie. ice cream, sweetened yogurt and sweetened milk
* grain products such as cereal, muffins, breads, sweet rolls, and doughnuts

Sugar aliases:
* brown sugar
* corn sweetener
* corn syrup
* dextrose
* fructose
* fruit juice concentrates
* glucose
* high-fructose corn syrup
* honey
* invert sugar
* lactose
* maltose
* malt syrup
* molasses
* raw sugar
* sucrose
* sugar
* syrup

Check out how much sugar is in some of these common foods: Sugar Stacks

Sources: www.mypyramid.gov
www.diabeteshealth.com

Breakfast. . .of Champions.

If you want to lose weight healthily you MUST eat in the morning. Period.

Countless studies have shown that eating breakfast is one of THE most important eating habits for healthy weight loss and weight management, as well as athletic performance.

Eating breakfast can help you manage your intake throughout the day by positively addressing your energy needs from the start. It also helps your body to regulate your metabolism so that you can lose weight more efficiently and it increases your mental clarity and sense of wellbeing since both your brain and nervous system require glucose (blood sugar) to function properly.

If you finished dinner at 7pm last night, for instance, and wake up at 6am, you haven't eaten for 11 long hours. Your body continues to burn calories even while you're sleep, so whether you're preparing for your morning workout or heading off to work, your body needs fuel. Now, while you are somewhat correct in assuming that your body will simply go to your fat reserves to keep you going, there are some unwanted side responses: your body slows down your metabolism (burns less calories) in an attempt to conserve energy, and it begins to use your much needed muscle. While there are other responses, these in particular actually hinder your weight loss success.

Bottom line: Eating breakfast does a body good, so eat up!

Write yourself in

Yesterday you were given your first assignment for the week: complete three to five 10-20 minute walks. If running, biking, or swimming is more your thing, however, go right ahead. Just put in some time to start making the habit happen.

ANYway. . . today's tip is about organizing your schedule to get the right amount of exercise. Take a good look at your calendar for the entire week. And, I mean literally take out your schedule so you can see it. Write yourself in just like the other important items you have listed there. After all, your health is arguably your greatest asset and you've goals to work on (more on that later).

If you're new to exercise or need time to organize your schedule with all the new found bridal/wedding activities, 3 days per week can be enough for now. It's better than zero and your body does need time to acclimate to your new level of activity. Ultimately, however, 5 days per week is optimal for changing and shaping your body.

Next, let the people in your life know that the time you set aside are your "sacred hours." Don't allow anything to infringe upon that time because the moment you do, the easier it will be to compromise the next time the "just this once" situation comes up.

In the end, your level of fitness and how good you feel will be based on how well you prepare and take care of yourself now. There are 162 hours in each week and you are only be asked for 3-5 hours. Remember the first commandment. If you got your 'activity' in today, HIGH FIVE! If not, tomorrow is only a day away, as Little Orphan you-know-who sang. You CAN do it! ;)

Next time: What exactly are you trying to do? Got goals?