Staying on Track while TRAVELING

I've been traveling with my family for a week now and have enjoyed it a lot but it can be really tough to still eat well while you're not in control of foods you can eat. Not being in control of my food has been really tough and even made me cranky at times but here are a few tips for staying on track and staying healthy while you're traveling:

1.  PLAN! If you know that your family is going to be going to a burger joint for dinner, eat a lighter breakfast and lunch. Get your daily's worth of veggies and fruits in the first two meals so that when you indulge in a little burger and fries you're not giving yourself the death sentence.

2. Look at the CALORIES: As I've been at a few restaraunts this month, I've noticed that quite a few of them have the nutrition posted and the calories located next to the menus. Make use of that and try to pick meals a little lower in calories.

3. Bring food WITH YOU: I carried granola and wheat crackers with me while I was in Tokyo which provided a better snack than carmel popcorn and ice-cream in Disneyland.

3. Use WORKOUT VIDEOS: If you're in a hotel, cabin, rv or anything else, you can take along your laptop/ipad/tablet and have a workout video on it. They can be really cheap too. I just bought one for $5 at best buy which was done by Bob Harper from the Biggest Loser- it kicked my butt. (Some hotels have fitness rooms- take advantage of those!)

4. When you get to a grocery store: STOCK UP on healthier foods. If you can buy some fresh foods to eat or make a meal of later, it will serve you much better than McDonalds (gag).

5. Drink WATER not soda: Make sure to keep hydrated and keep drinking plenty of water- not soda. I sometimes steal sips from my family's glasses but I haven't drank a whole soda in who knows how long. Soda has no nutritional value and is pure sugar and junk.

Basically what it comes down to is being conscious of what you're eating as you travel and get in the workouts when you can. Have a wonderful summer!

Health Tip: Magnesium is a very important mineral to have in your diet. It helps with muscle cramping, shin splits and yes, even keeping bowel movements regular. You can find it in Almonds, Spinach, Brown Rice and Bananas. 

Summer Time Workouts: Best Run Ever

I'm currently at the Oregon Coast at a fantastic beach Condo my grandmother has owned since the 90's. I jut have to tell you how amazing the run I went on was. Yesterday I ran through a little trail in the forest over to Beverly Beach and once I got there it was breath taking.

This lovely trail was slightly too short to be a good running place- around 1/4 mile long. It was a nice change in greenery on my way to the beach though.

Situps by the sea side.

The stairs are good for the legs too ;)

Health Tip: Running on sand obliterates calories by up to 1.6 times more than normal. Your core and legs use more calories to stabilize your body on the uneven surface.

You NEED to EAT!

I was at the gym two days ago and overheard two trainers talking about fitness habits in Thailand. I ended up listening to them for nearly an hour as they passed off stories. One guy had worked on the set of a movie or music video and the girl in it had only eaten half an egg since 3AM. She worked until 9 PM that day. HALF AN EGG?!  He said she had only drank about 16 ounces of water all day- all just to look thinner for the shoot. On top of that, I heard of people eating only one time per day to lose weight.... I thought everyone knew about that type of diet and how terrible it is, I suppose not. So just in case any of you are under this misconception, I feel it's almost my duty to tell you dangers of it and why starving yourself, like the one-egg girl did, truly NEVER works for weight loss.

"Starvation Mode"- Due to our lovely roots of the cave-man days, when we don't eat for a long period of time or only eat once or twice a day, we slow our metabolism significantly. The body isn't sure when it's next meal may be and thus slows the metabolism and calorie burning processes. Now let me explain why you hear about it so often- If you hear that a celebrity (or whomever else) has lost weight by not eating, it's very possibly true. By significantly reducing your calorie allowance each day, you can lose weight in the short term- HOWEVER what happens each day is a significant decrease in your metabolic rate. It is extremely dangerous to the body as well because in this mode, your body will hold onto all of its fat for as long as possible and start burning muscle tissue for energy.

 For each day you starve yourself, and possibly lose half a pound, the more you are sandbagging your future weight along with any hopes of keeping the weight off   .When you finish your little starvation period, your metabolism can be so slow that eating a normal calorie allowance of 1,800 calories or so can cause you to gain weight. On top of that, after depriving yourself for so long you tend to binge as soon as you're done. This is part of the reason why so many people lose might 10 lbs in a month but gain 20 the next.  The umbrella answer for the absolute minimum calorie amount each day is 1,200 calories for women and 1,800 for men.

Please believe me when I say that this is not the way to go. I actually sat in my room for 20 minutes or so fuming about the incredible amounts of mis-information that people believe- such as thinking that starving yourself works. It makes me angry even now to think about how many people are being tricked into wasting money on diet pills and formulas... but that's a whole other topic. For now, please just eat.

Health Tip: Eating fiber which can be found it whole grains is a fantastic way to fill yourself up. Spinach, apples, raspberries, and beans are other great ways the eat more fiber. 

Ask Mina: I hate the Gym- Alternative Workout

To ask a question for 'Ask Mina' email fitnesswit@gmail.com

“I hate the ‘gym’ feeling so I usually just go on long runs for a workout. What else could I be doing that doesn’t involve a gym?”

I totally understand not wanting to go the gym. To be perfectly honest it isn’t 100% necessary either. There are plenty of things you can do to get in shape without having a gym around. The main techniques you would want to focus on are resistance training exercises which use the body’s weight as it’s own resistance. Using the body’s own weight is not only effective but also much safer as you’re less likely to get injured lifting your legs against gravity vs. lifting a 100lb dumbbell. Surprisingly, however, if you do it right, both ways are equally as effective. The following exercises are a mixture of knowledge from my weightloss course back when I was younger as well as techniques I have accrued through the years:

The Workout
1. Jump Squats (30 reps- Start in a squat and jump high off the ground- bending your knees as you do)
2. Pushups (30 reps-  Lay against the floor and place your arms shoulder length apart
3. Jump Tucks (10 reps- Similar to the squats, jump high off the ground and bend your knees in the air and grab your ankles)
4. Stepups or stairs (20 reps- Find a staircase and do several flights of stairs or find one step and proceed to do an up-up-down-down pattern)

5. Forward lunges (30 reps- Walking Lunges forward
6. Tucked-elbow pushups (20 reps- Place hands a little inside the shoulders and tuck your elbows close to your chest during the pushup)
7. Prisoner squats (15 reps- Squat with wide legs, making sure to keep your knees behind your toes.
8. High Knees (40 reps- This is basically running in place, but make sure to keep your knees in front of you. You can tap your knees with your hands if that helps.)

9. Burpies (10 reps- these are arguably the most difficult- you can do it!! Difficult to explain so just look at the video attached)

Examples:

Jump Squats

Jump Tucks

High Knees

Burpies Video- you can also drop to plank position instead of dropping all the way to the ground. 

This workout is set for a pretty fit person so feel free to dial back a few of the reps. No weights? No Gym? I'm sorry, but no excuses- now do it. 

Health tip: Make sure you have sturdy shoes. When you workout without the proper footwear it puts you at the risk for damage to your shins and ankles, etc. If you've had your running shoes for a while (more than 2-3 years) or have put more than 300 miles on them, get a new pair! 

Foam Rolling!

My new obsession: Foam Rolling

When you're doing high impact workouts (or even low impact workouts), your joints and muscles may become torn and sore. Foam rollers have made a huge debut into the fitness world recently and can be found  in most gyms next to the mats.

Benefits of Foam Rolling:

1. Increases blood flow to the muscles- they are often used to help people warm up because they start the blood flowing faster to the muscles which can prevent injury.

2. Smooths out muscles that have been tightened- as Jillian Michaels said, foam rolling basically "irons out" your muscles and all the little wrinkles. 

3. Increases Flexibility-  the mayofascial  release of the muscles allows for muscle tissue to be thinner and less dense thus allowing for a more flexible muscle. 

3. Helps prevent and treat injuries- due to the reasons above, it allows for muscles to repair easily which helps keep them from becoming injured and allows for faster healing. 

With all the benefits, why wouldn't you try it? They are tons cheaper than massages and last for quite a while.

If you want to buy one, you can find them on amazon and there are several different types you can choose from. 

The one I have been using is a more high grade foam roller with accupressure points on it for an extra bonus. It is called the rumble roller. It looks like a torture device, and feels slightly like it as well, but it works wonders.  The exercises below show a woman doing foam roller exercises with a rumble roller.

Health Tip: Do it for yourself. You may have times when people mock you or don't appreciate your passion for fitness and wellness but stay with it because we all know they are just jealous and you're going to out-live em ;) 

Steel Cut Oats

This is a super easy meal, I'd hardly call it a recipe... Anywho, steel cut oats: man's best friend.

For this breakfast, it's so simple that I'm not even going to get into all the directions but for all you sticklers, here's the ingredients list

• 1/2 cup Steel Cut Oats
• 1/2 an apple, diced
• 1/2 teaspoon cinnamon
• 1 tsp brown sugar

It's really that simple. Just follow the instructions on the bag of steel cut oats, boil them, let them cool, etc.
Then add in the mixings which are so much healthier than loading it up with sugary topings. This meal has tons of fiber and will keep you feeling full for a long time! Enjoy!

Health Tip: Stay clear away from foods with "high fructose corn syrup". They are damaging to your body and have serious health risks.