Tip of the Day: Drink chocolate milk
Kind of sounds like something you should stay away from when trying to lose weight, doesn't it? Well, don't! It's filled with nutrients that will actually help you get rid of your belly chub. It's milk, right? So it is a great source of calcium. It won't only help your bones though. Enough calcium will actually help your body to slow down fat absorption. The vitamin D in the chocolate milk will then help your body to absorb more calcium. You'll get a boost of energy from the electrolytes in it which will help your endurance during your work outs, and keep you hydrated. If that all doesn't sound good enough, then let's not forget the lovely protein factor. Protein is great for your muscles, and for building new muscle fibers. Don't be afraid of the protein ladies. It's not nearly enough to make you "bulk up". It'll help create lean muscle which helps burn more calories than fat. So, there you have it. Want to get rid of those love handles? Drink some chocolate milk! Ok, now I'm not saying you should go binge on chocolate milk, or stick to a strict "chocolate milk only" diet. Just have about three 8 oz glasses a day. Preferably low-fat chocolate milk. I would suggest to just have one 8 oz glass a half hour before your workout, and then another right after your workout to help repair your muscle tissues. Good luck, I know it's going to be sooo hard to just have to work chocolate milk into your diet.
Healthy Recipe: Whole Wheat Waffles
Oh my gosh, these are my favorite! You'll need a waffle maker...even a cheap one will work! I'll make these on the weekend and freeze them for breakfast during the week. Soo good.
Prep: 10 min Cook: 30 min Serves: 8
1 1/2 c whole wheat flour
1/2 c all-purpose flour
1 1/2 tsp baking powder
1 tsp baking soda
1/2 tsp salt
2 c low-fat buttermilk
1/2 c fat-free egg substitute
1/4 c packed brown sugar
1 tbsp canola oil
1 tsp vanilla extract
1. Preheat waffle iron
2. Mix whole wheat flour, all-purpose flour, baking powder, baking soda, and salt in large bowl. Whisk buttermilk, egg substitute, brown sugar, oil, and vanilla in medium bowl until smooth. Add buttermilk mixture to flour mixture, stirring just until combined. (It will be lumpy...if it's too lumpy for you, I always add a little milk 'till it's the consistency of pancake batter)
3. When waffle iron is hot, ladle some mixture onto the surface, close lid and allow to cook until waffle is golden. 4-5 minutes.
4. When waffles are cooled, divide between 2 large zip plastic freezer bags. Squeeze out the air and seal bags. Freeze up to 1 month. When you're ready to eat them, you can throw them into your 350 degree oven for 5 minutes, or if you're lazy like me, just put them in the toaster until they are warm enough.
Don't douse them in syrup! Use berries mixed with honey, and lemon juice instead. You'll be surprised how yummy it is. These will also go great with tomorrow's recipe (so be sure to come back!).
Recipe from Weight Watchers Magazine
Exercising: Interval Training
You may think you're getting a great work out running at your constant speed there on the treadmill, but you could be getting an even better workout! Just switch it up with a little interval training. For example: Start out by doing a low-intensity warm up for 3 minutes. After that, sprint your fastest/hardest for 30 seconds, then power walk for 60 seconds. Switch off with sprinting for 30 seconds, and power walking for 60 seconds up until you get to 20 minutes (or however long you want your cardio workout to be) and end it with a 5 minute cool-down. This will burn a lot more calories than you were burning just doing your boring same-speed run. Do this outside and it'll be even better for your calorie burn since it's paired with the terrain change under your feet. (If you're running outside, chances are you're working harder since you're most likely not running on a flat, level ground. You'll work more muscles when switching up the terrain under your feet throughout your run.) To avoid over-training, try and work interval training into your workouts just a couple days a week.
Well I hope you all enjoyed my first post! I'm so excited to learn more, and share with you!
