Eat good Carbs,Habanero Salsa, and Cardio vs. Strength Training

Tip of the Day: Eat good carbs!

Everyone shutters when they hear the word "carb". Sure they can be bad, but you need them! The nutrients in them are converted into energy for your body. You just need to know how to eat them. There are good carbs (complex carbs) and bad carbs (simple carbs).

Have you ever wondered why you still feel hungry after eating a burger? (I may be talking about someone I know =-). You know who you are!) That's because you're eating "simple carbs". Simple carbs are stripped of all their minerals and vitamins. They leave you with that empty, unsatisfied feeling, and will give you a better chance at overeating. Ew. Since they're lacking those natural nutrients, the energy is most likely going to be converted into fat. Double ew. Some example of these bad carbs? Well, they are disguised in all appealing junk foods. Cookies (other baked goods), white pastas, white breads, candy, sodas, and sugary fruite juice.

Complex carbs on the other hand, leave you feeling more full. They still contain all of their yummy nutrients. Vitamins, minerals, fiber...all so good for you! It takes longer for these nutrients to turn into energy, therefore leaving you with more for a longer period of time. You need these to get the most out of your workouts. That's why you often hear of people taking carb supplements (shakes) about an hour before their workouts. Some examples of these would be veggies, fruits, whole-grain products, and brown rice.

Healthey Recipe: Habanero Salsa

My husband makes this salsa for us, and it is seriously thee best snack! On top of that, it is totally guilt free! No preservatives like a lot of store bought salsas. It's just so nice to know exactly what is in your food. So here is the recipe, written by my amazing husband!

Throw all of these ingredients in a food precessor:

3 Vine Ripe Tomatoes: This is the bulk of the salsa so make them decently sized ones.
Half of one white onion1 clove of garlic

1 Habanero Pepper: seeded

4 Jalapeno Peppers: seeded

3 Fresno Red Peppers: seeded

2 Anaheim Peppers: Seeded

1 bushel of Cilantro: I eyeball this, a good handfull is all you want. DONT overdo this, or all you will taste is Cilantro

The Juice of one lime

The Juice of one lemon

I dont add anything other than that. Typically to add some flavor, I will get the lime flavored Tostitos tortilla chips for eating this with. That way you dont have to add any extra salt to the salsa because it is on the chips already. (To be more healthy, I would use Tostito's whole grain chips) Seeding the peppers really gives this a mild flavor in terms of spice. To spice it up more, I will leave the seeds in on one or two Jalapenos. This makes a pretty large batch of Salsa, and is totally healthy, as there is nothing but veggies in it! We have tried adding a mango to the mix for a fruity taste and it wasnt too bad.

Thanks again to my husband for sharing his recipe! Enjoy =-)

Exercise: Cardio vs. Strength Training

Which do you burn more calories doing? A lot of people think the answer would be cardio. Not true! There have been studies that show doing cardio at a steady pace for 30 minutes, and doing strength/endurance training exercises for the same amount of time actually results in the same calorie burn. Wait, there's more! Strength training will actually boost your metabolism after your workout. What will that do? It will help your fat burn and your calorie burn continue up to 36 hours after your workout! SO. Cardio is great for you. Strenth Training? Even Better!

Examples of Strength Training workouts:
Chest Press, Bicep curls, squats (squat machines are great!), overhead press, front raise, lunges, leg machines, crunches, reverse crunches, seated row machine.