Quinoa and Pear Breakfast cereal

1 C uncooked Quinoa (cook to specifications)
2 medium apples or pears diced
1/2 tsp ground cinnamon
3 Truvia Packets or 3 TBSP Brown Sugar
1/4 C Skim Milk

This is a great protein-packed cereal or side dish.  You could probably try raisins, nuts and berries too.  It was very good and a great alternative to other hot cereals.  Yum Yum.

P.S.  Yes I am going to post other recipes without Quinoa as the main ingredient.

Don't Let the Joke Be On You

The fitness and exercise industry is always changing.  As a professional I need to stay up on the most current fitness findings and then pass on the information to you.  I just couldn't let one more day go by without covering a few topics..  If you have said, thought or event justified any of the information below, call me immediately.  We need to talk.  Enjoy

Common Misconceptions about diet/ fitness and weight loss.

• At my gym they have free weights, so I took them. 
• Every time I get the urge to exercise, I lie down till the feeling passes.
• I want to get a six-pack and know exactly what to do, head straight to the grocery store and head down the drink aisle!
• The older you get, the tougher it is to lose weight because by then, your body and your fat are really good friends.
  
• Flexibility is overrated.  If God had wanted me to touch my toes He would have put them up higher on my body.
• I'm in shape. Round is a shape.
• Chocolate is a vegetable. How, you ask? Chocolate is derived from cacao beans. Bean = vegetable. Sugar is derived from either sugar CANE or sugar BEETS. Both are plants, which places them in the vegetable category. Thus, chocolate is a vegetable.
• Whole Cookies are fattening.  Just have a piece of cookie -- the process of breaking causes fat leakage.

Flexibility

Flexibility is one of the major components of Fitness training but it is often overlooked and undervalued.  It is defined as the ROM (Range of Motion) of a given joint or group of joints or the level of tissue extensibility that a muscle group possesses.  Tight or strained muscles can be very frustrating and limiting but several studies show that flexibility can be improved at any age. 

What defines or limits Flexibility

• Joint Capsule- The flexibility is broken down to 47% coming from the muscles and their facial sheaths, 41% coming from tendons, 10% from skin and 2% coming from other factors.
• Age-With age there is a loss in elasticity in connective tissue but can be improved and maintained at any age.
• Gender-Women tend to be more flexible than men.
• Connective Tissue-Fascia and Tendons-Have some elastic properties. 
• Ligaments-You don’t necessarily want to stretch these because they don’t stretch back and you compromise the integrity of the joint.
• Muscle/Hypertrophy-Excess muscle mass may inhibit range of motion
• Type of Joint-Each articulation has different ranges.  Ex: Hip joint (Ball and Socket) will have more range of motion than your elbow joint (Hinge Joint)
• Temperature-The warmer the joint the better it moves
• Pregnancy-Women produce a hormone called relaxin which allows more flexibility.
• Exercise History-Sedentary people will tend to have less ROM than those who move with great ranges of motion.
• Body Types-Some studies have shown longer levers (arms, legs, torsos) to have different ranges of motion but not limited to decreased movement.

Stretching Guidelines

• Adequately Warm Up
• Design Program-Do Daily
• Stretch all major muscle groups-Some may need to be stretched in different directions and planes of movement
• Focus on Alignment
• Stretch after each major workout
• If pain-Stop immediately
• Breath-
• Relax- don’t strain
• Hold 15-60 seconds 3-4 times (Static, passive, PNF,and Myofascial)

Types of Stretching

• Passive-Requires an outside force like a towel or person to help facilitate stretch.
• Active-Moving with control through range of motion. Rehearsing movements to come later with greater force.
• Static-Taken to the point of  gentle tension, 15-60 seconds, 3-4 times
• Dynamic/Ballistic-More movement specific. Geared towards movements that require great ROM at great speeds.  Ex. Dancer jumps and leaps or Volleyball Player shoulder movement.
• PNF (Proprioceptive Neuromuscular facilitation)-Proven very effective.  Some initial specific training involved but can eventually be done individually or with trainer.
• Myofascial Release-Small continuous movements on foam roller or tennis ball covering 2-6 inches for 30-60 seconds to realign elastic muscle fibers from bundles position.

Benefits of Stretching

• Increase ROM
• Improved Posture
• Improved Muscle Symmetry
• Improved Muscle Efficiency
• Improved Muscle Performance
• Maintenance of muscle length
• Decrease risk of Injury
• Decreased incidence and severity of injury
• Decrease in back pain
• Decrease in DOMS (Delayed Onset of Muscle Soreness)

Please try and incorporate stretches into your daily routine.  As you can see the benefits are worth it.  I not just saying this for you but I need a reminder myself.  I know I feel better when I stretch.

Mango Quinoa Salad

Is there a support group out there for people who can't stop eating Quinoa?  If there is, I need to join.  I just love it and its great nutritional value makes it that much more enjoyable to eat.  I volunteered to take dinner to a friend who has had surgery.  I thought this yummy salad would be perfect so I made a double batch.  Just one problem.  I'm not supposed to drop by her dinner until next Friday.  Oh well,  now there is twice as much Mango Quinoa salad for me to eat.  Not a bad thing if you are obssessed with the stuff.  Enjoy.

Mango Quinoa Salad
Recipe adapted from Ali Vincent

2 cups cooked quinoa* at room temperature, or chilled
1 14 oz can black beans, drained and rinsed
1 medium mango, peeled and diced
1 red bell pepper, diced
6 green onions, thinly sliced
1 handful chopped cilantro (about 1/2 cup)
4 tablespoon red wine vinegar
3 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
1-2 tablespoons fresh lime juice
kosher salt
freshly cracked black pepper

*Quinoa can be cooked in water or broth.  I suggest using vegetable or chicken broth for enhanced flavor, but plain water works great too.

Place cooked quinoa in a large bowl.  Add mango, red pepper, green onion, black beans, and cilantro.  In a small bowl combine vinegar, olive oil, and lime juice.  Whisk until smooth and pour on top of salad.  Toss to combine and add salt and pepper to taste.  Chill for at least one hour before serving.

Thanks to OurBestBites.Com

Weight Loss Simplified

I thought I had a pretty good handle on how to help people lose weight and then I read this.  I was way off.  Thanks for sharing Julie.

I just figured out why I'm overweight! The shampoo I use in the shower that runs down my body says "For extra volume and body."  I'm going to start using Dawn dish soap.  It says, "Dissolves fat that is otherwise difficult to remove." 

I think any color will work.  Giggle.

Laugh Yourself Skinny

Marcus and Caleb

Well our annual, Bear Lake family reunion  this past weekend was a huge success.  If I had to describe it in one word, it would be LAUGHTER.  We giggled so much and as I would be falling over with laughter, I realized there are many benefits to laughing your way to good health.  When you are happy, you tend to face things with a better attitude even if it is lunges.  A good belly laugh works your abdominal muscles and snickering, giggling, and laughing all burn calories.  There are even studies to prove it.

New research published in the International Journal of Obesity has discovered that laughter really is the best medicine for a weight problem.

The small study included 45 pairs of adult friends, who were shown either funny or serious film clips in a room that was set up with equipment to measure the amount of calories burnt and to monitor the rate, duration and type of laughter. The participants also wore heart monitors to measure their heart rate.

The researchers discovered that laughing increased both heart rate and calorie expenditure by up to 20 per cent – and the longer participants laughed for the greater the effects.

Using the results, the scientists then went on to calculate that just 15 minutes of laughter a day will burn 10 to 40 calories, depending on a person’s weight and the intensity of the laughter. That’s enough to shift between 1 and 4lb a year.

Emma and Sophia

I love my family and thoroughly enjoyed our time together.

Kristen 

Kurt and Katie

Linnea

Sam, Landi, Vanessa, Sopia, Ryan and Jordan

Landi and Ryan

Help Is All Around You

You probably thought I was going to say "Your Trainer" is there to help you.  That is very true but I want to tell you about another aid that is a wonderful tool when your goal is to improve your eating and exercise habits.  I am constantly revamping my ways to inspire my clients to get healthy.  One thing that I am now recommending to all my clients is to use http://www.myfitnesspal.com.  You can get this download for your phone or your computer.  Here is a snipit of what this program offers.

Losing weight isn't easy - we know. But with a membership to MyFitnessPal.com, you'll get the tools you need to successfully take weight off - and keep it off. And best of all, everything on our site is 100% FREE. So put away your credit card - you'll never have to pay a cent.

Study after study has confirmed the benefits of keeping track of the food you eat and the activity you do. It's simple - the more consistently you track your food intake, the more likely you are to lose weight. That's why every successful weight management program suggests that you keep a food diary and/or an activity log. But recording everything you eat without the right tools can be tedious at best, or simply impossible at worst.

At MyFitnessPal.com, we focus on making sure you can log your meals as quickly and easily as possible. Because the easier we make it for you, the more likely you are to stay on track, and the more likely you are to succeed in your weight loss goals.

  

With a 100% FREE membership you get:

• The easiest to use food diary on the web -

   
  Track what you eat with just a few clicks from anywhere with an internet connection - at home or at work

• A searchable food database of over 1,036,000 items -

   
  and it's growing everyday!

• Your own personal food database -

   
  add your own foods and recipes at any time and access them from anywhere with an internet connection

• Free mobile apps for iPhone and Android -

   
  so you can log your meals and exercise even when you are on the go

• Support and motivation 

  from people just like you - Our discussion forums let you learn from others, share your own tips, receive and give encouragement, and make friends.

• A personalized diet profile

   
  - customized to your unique weight loss goals.

• Flexibility

   
  - our system can support any diet like Atkins, the South Beach Diet, the Zone, and more. No matter what diet you're on, we can help.

I love this program and I can use it to become friends with all of my clients who join.  We can look at their profiles together to see if they are on the right track.  Let this program help and motivate a healthier you.  

P.S.  Nothing can replace your trainer.  Wow.  What a shameless plug but it is true.