Aspire, Perspire, Nourish Yourself

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Do you struggle with staying on a nutritious eating path because you’re always on the go? You are not alone. One of the biggest complaints from our clients is that they live in their cars, at the office, in school, or at their kids’ after school activities. After a long, busy day, even when planning ahead for meals, we can all be tempted to pick up pizza or other fast foods on the way home.

©Klankhoon

Don’t despair. You can eat in healthful ways with little planning and prep time. There are a lot of portable foods you can take along with you on your travels. The key is to focus on fresh, whole foods as much as possible.

Invest in some good quality containers and cooler bags to carry your snacks and meals. Having a convenient way to transport your food make the challenge of eating healthy on the go so much easier.

Ideas for Snacks

There are some simple things you can take with you for snacks and some things that may need a little prep. Here are a few ideas:

The Obvious Choices

Fresh fruits, especially apples, bananas, berries, oranges – All are portable and don’t require refrigeration. I like to slice and core my apples and peel the oranges before I head out the door so they are easier to eat or can be eaten in smaller portions. Squeeze a little lemon juice on the apples to keep them from browning.
©Jostein Hauge
Veggies and dip – Grocery stores make it convenient to consume vegetables by selling pre-cut carrots, celery, broccoli, etc. Some vegetables don’t need cutting like grape tomatoes, mini peppers, mushrooms, sugar snap peas, and many more. If you buy smaller sized carrots, you can take those along whole without cutting or peeling them. Celery pieces are also easily eaten without cutting. For a protein dip, try almond butter or hummus. This is when a small re-useable container comes in very handy!
Nuts and dried fruit (no sugar added) – watch the quantity as the calories can add up with this type of snack.
Rice cake or whole grain crackers or gluten free crackers with nut butter.
Cheese and crackers – do your research on the better cheeses to eat with less saturated fat and less sodium. See Berkeley Wellness as a start.

No-Fuss Prepared Snacks

There are also snacks you can take along that require a little preparation or could be leftovers from the previous night’s dinner. Ideas include:

Extra quinoa from previous meal – to make it sweet, add a little vanilla almond milk, cinnamon, 1/2 tsp maple syrup, and a few raisins. Store in a thermos to carry along with you. Make it savory by adding a little lemon juice, olive oil, salt & pepper, finely chopped veggies, beans, and fresh oregano. Thermos container also works well for the savory version if you would like to keep it warm.
Prepare our Overnight Oatmeal treat to bring along later in the day or for the next day.
For a sweet crunch, try making these Maple-Cinnamon Roasted Chickpeas, from Delicious Living.

Ideas for Meals

Meals on the go can also be easy and nutritious. As with prepared snacks, leftovers are perfect for ‘to go’ meals. Examples may include:

Leftover chicken pieces are packaged easily or our Homemade chicken fingers can be eaten cold with Dijon mustard or Greek-style yogurt with a touch of honey.
Quinoa salad or any green salad with left over grilled chicken, fish, or beef. Store the salad dressing separately and toss when ready to eat. Make a large batch of our dressings to use throughout the week: Homemade Salad Dressing, Balsamic Vinaigrette.
Whole grain wraps with leftover chicken, beef, or fish. Cut up some fresh veggies and a little bit of shredded cheese to add. Prepare the wraps ahead or store separately and then assemble at the soccer field or wherever your day takes you!

We hope these ideas keep you on a healthier eating path while on the go! Tell us what you think or what is your favorite take-along snack or meal.

Recipe of the Week: Gluten Free Oat Bars

“Be Fearless” in the Gym Weight Routine

Do you enter a gym and feel intimidated by all those weight machines, dumbbells, chin up bars, ropes bolted to the ceiling, and people who seem to know what they’re doing? If you said yes, you are not alone.

My first few times in the gym, I wandered around inconspicuously watching others do their stuff. As a newbie, I felt super self-conscious about my form. Was I doing this tricep kickback correctly? Was I moving too fast through my routine? What size weights should I use? How the heck does this machine work? All of these questions kept me from fully concentrating on my weight training routine, and left me frustrated with my gym experience. So, what to do?

Well, my solution was to first work on a basic ‘be fearless’ in the gym routine at home. After watching myself in the mirror in my basement makeshift gym, practicing my basic 10 moves, I’d be ready to look like I belonged in the gym.

Ten Moves to Get you Started

For those of you who want to practice before getting to the gym, here are the 10 moves that saved me embarrassment and got me going to the gym regularly.

These are basic moves that will serve you well any time you need to get a quick workout since they cover the major muscle groups from shoulders to toes. You can add more muscle-specific moves to this repertoire when you have time, or when you feel comfortable trying some new exercises. You can also continue to challenge yourself with these same moves by increasing the weight you lift, adding more repetitions, or performing the exercises on a stability ball.

Weight & Reps

Before you look at the moves, note that the weight you should be using depends on what you aim to accomplish. Generally, if you want to build strength, use heavier weights and do fewer repetitions (6 or less). If you want to build endurance, use lighter weights and do more repetitions (12 or more). The size of the weight and the repetitions depend on your individual case. The idea is that the weight should be big enough that on your last repetition you couldn’t squeeze in one more! If this is your first time, test out the weight you think you could lift and adjust as you learn more about your abilities.

Chest Fly & Press Combo

Combine 2 exercises into one! Start with chest flys and then re-adjust your position to go into chest presses. You can use a bench or stability ball for these exercises. If the stability ball is too difficult for you and you don’t have a bench, try using a coffee table with a pillow on top or an ottoman to rest your back.

Bulgarian Split Squats

Watch your forward knee when bending into the squat to keep it from extending beyond your toes. Widen your stance so that you are bending with your back leg, keeping your back straight while moving down.

http://www.lifehack.org

Bent-over Row with Dumbbells

Be sure to keep your back straight and ab muscles engaged to stabilize your core. Focus on using your arms and lat muscles.

Dumbbell Romanian Deadlift

This is one of my favorite exercises because I can feel a deep stretch in my hamstrings with every repetition. It’s a ‘must do’ for every runner!

Shoulder Press

Although we’re showing you the “alternating” version of the shoulder press, it is such a versatile exercise. You can do it standing, sitting on a bench or stability ball; you can press both shoulders at once, or each shoulder separately for the requisite repetitions.

Forward and Reverse Lunge

Below we’ve shown you the reverse lunge. Alternate with a forward lunge and voila, you have the Forward and Reverse Lunge!

Triceps Kickbacks

Keep your back straight and your abs contracted as you do these kickbacks. Focus on your triceps keeping the upper part of your arm straight as you move your forearm back.

http://www.womenshealthmag.com

Calf Raise & Heel Dip Combo

Below is a video of the Calf Raise on a Step. To create the combo, add Heel Dips by reversing the motion of the calf raise. Push down on the heel instead of raising up on the forefoot.

Biceps Curls

These curls are done standing and with dumbbells. There are tons of other versions so once you feel comfortable with this type of curl, venture out with ‘hammer’ curls or seated curls or ones using barbells.

Forward and Side Crunches on Stability Ball

For side crunches, lie sideways on the stability ball with feet staggered parallel and propped against a wall. Use crossed arms or place hands behind head, arms up and elbows out. Crunch up to your side until you feel a stretch in the obliques, and then move back to starting position. See Fitness.com for an animated example of this move.

One More Thing…

Bring along your iPod and pump the music to turbocharge your workout. Once you get into your practiced routine, you’ll forget all about the people around you doing their own thing. The gym will become your natural habitat!