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Superfoods!

November 23, 2011 By Amanda Leave a Comment

There has been growing research over the past few years of certain foods and their added benefits! A lot of foods we eat day to day have tons of positive benefits that we may have not even known before! Here are a few superfoods and some reasons you should incorporate these foods into your diet.

Blueberries – have an increasing ORAC value and antioxidant benefits

Nuts – high in omega 3′s can help lower your cholesterol and lower your oxidative damage

Spinach – high in calcium and antioxidants this superfood is great for your bones.

Pumpkin Seeds – contain phytosterols — a naturally occurring compound with an reputation for cholesterol-lowering properties.

Goji Berries – Gram for gram, goji berries pack more vitamin C than some oranges and more beta-carotene than carrots!

Green Tea – Popular known for its antioxidant benefits Green Tea is a great beverage choice for overall health and wellness.

Cinnamon – full of fibre, cinnamon has an increasing effect on your metabolism, by lowering blood sugar. Is great to add to a sugary dessert!

Try adding these foods to your diet for added benefits!

Yours in fitness,

Amanda

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The Deal on B Vitamins

November 19, 2011 By Amanda Leave a Comment

Vitamin B supplements have become increasingly popular in the fitness community! These vitamins provide energy and is a vital nutrient to keep your body fit. The B vitamin plays a significant role in the proper functioning of the body metabolism.

The primary functions Vitamin B plays are to produce DNA during cell division, formation of healthy Red Blood Cells (RBCs) etc. More importantly, the B12 is responsible for energy supply in the human body. The natural sources of Vitamin B12 are Meat, Poultry, Milk and other dairy products, Eggs, and Fish.

It is especially helpful to women during there time of the month as RBC are essential to our energy.

Here is what Learn2Sweat suggests!

Vitamin B Complex
Dependent on the formula.
See the Daily Recommended Intakes below and then check your bottle.
  • B-2 is crucial in the production of body energy. DRI of 1.1 mg daily
  • B-3 also supports proper blood circulation, healthy skin, and aids in the functioning of the central nervous system. DRI of 14 mg daily.
  • B-5 is as an essential component in the production of coenzyme A, a vital catalyst that is required for the conversion of carbohydrates, fats, and protein into energy. B-5 also fights depression and is referred to as an anti-stress vitamin due to its vital role in the formation of various adrenal hormones, steroids, and cortisone, as well as contributing to the production of important brain neuro-transmitters such as acetylcholine. DRI of 1.3 mg daily.
  • B-6 is recommended for support of the female cycle and nervous system. DRI of 400 mg daily.
Our Favourite brand is AOR. Check out Showtime Supplements for great deals on all supplements!!
Post all your questions or comments! We would love to hear back from you to hear what you would like us to blog about! Message on facebook or at info@learn2sweat.com!
Yours in fitness,
Amanda Lee
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Healthy Slurpee

August 23, 2011 By Courtnie Leave a Comment

One large 41-oz. Slurpee can have as many as 570 calories, and 135g of sugar…….

That is the equivalent of eating 34 sugar cubes….


This subject hits close to home for me, as  my home town Manitoba, has been named the “Slurpee Capital of the World” the last 12 years in a row.

And it just so happens that the incidence of diabetes is also the highest in Manitoba than anywhere across Canada, and is still on the up rise.

So lets put the sugars drinks down and find a healthy alternative!

Here is a simple and easy solution;

Ingredients:

  • 1/2 packet of singles, crystal light (any flavor, there’s a lot to chose from!!)
  • 2 cups of ice cubes
  • 1 cup of water

Place them in a blender and tah-dah your very own calorie free, refreshing Slurpee!!

*They have recently come out with some great flavors of BCAA’s that you could supplement for the Crystal light, for a post workout slurpee*

*You can also add you favor fruit with a 1/4 cup of  ”Almond Breeze” Almond milk to give your drink more of a smoothie constancy and taste. This will also provide you with some nutritional value!*

My favorite Smoothie

  • 1 cup of  ice cubes
  • 1/4 cup of almond breeze milk
  • palm full (about 3 Tbsp of shave almonds)
  • 1/2 Large Banana (better if frozen!)

Blend it all up and this makes for delicious post workout treat!

enjoy :O)

~Courtnie~

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Seafood Orange Sauce Chicken

August 23, 2011 By Courtnie 2 Comments

Seafood Orange Sauce Chicken

Here is an amazing recipe that I got from one of my health conscious friends Mike!!!

Ingredients:

5-6 bonless skinless Chicken Breasts

1 Egg – Beaten

Breton Crackers – Crushed up

1 jar of Seafood Sauce – Our Compliments (tangy)

1 1/2  cups of Orange Juice

1/2 cup of Cooking Splenda

How to prepare:

Dry off chicken and dip in egg,

Then bread the egg covered chicken with breton crackers.

Cook chicken for 20mins after you cover with crackers…

Combine the seafood sauce, orange juice and splenda to make your sauce,

Than cover the chicken that has been cooked for 20 minutes with the sauce,

Then bake for another 20-25 mins @400F depending how much chicken you use.

And enjoy!

Mmmmmmm so good

Thanks for this one Mike!!

~Courtnie~

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50, 40, 30, 20, 10

June 22, 2011 By Courtnie Leave a Comment

Get in shape for free, and from the comfort of your own home!

Here’s another workout that we did in class tonight!!


Run through the list of exercises below, performing; 50 of each of the exercises and then 40, 30, 20, 10

  • Weighted step-ups
  • Weighted alternating lunges
  • Push-ups with a row (start in a plank position with weights in your hands, perform a push-up and then a single arm row)
  • Sit-ups of your choice
  • Plank (for seconds! 50 sec, 40, 30 and so on)

*Remove the weights for this workout, if you don’t have a set of weights at home or would like to perform a modified version of this workout*

Make sure you do a proper warm-up, cool down and stretching!

Have fun

you trainers and motivators

~Amanda Lee and Courtnie McInnes~

-If you are finding it hard to motivate your self at home, check out when we are offering our next Learn2sweat bootcamps and personal training

where we will provide your motivation and profession instructions!

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Mabba Provincials

June 10, 2011 By Amanda Leave a Comment

So SHOWDAY came and went! It was a whirlwind! I ended up placing 2nd in my category of Bikini Short and am very Proud of my accomplishment.

I find it even harder getting on stage in a crowd filled with your friends and family, as opposed to a bunch of strangers! Some people feel the opposite, but I guess it is just because I care about what those people think the most. It was really great to have my mom and dad in the audience! I could hear them from onstage cheering for me, so it ended up being a really great time. Here are some inside peaks at backstage with some friends and competitors!! :)

My make up and hair for show was done by the amazing Amy McLachlan! Check out her FB group, Vamp Industries!

Of course when anyone is competing they always dream of the first place trophy! But, coming in second has really made me want to push harder than ever to come home with the overall and a beautiful IFBB pro card at Nationals. Nationals this year will take place on July 23rd in Saskatoon. Six more weeks of givvener! Not very far away!! :)

I definitely believe I came in with my best physique yet, and the amount of support and feedback from everyone was really inspiring and motivating. Making this competition a personal win for myself I couldn’t have felt more love at the end of the day! <3

REBOUND

People always ask about the rebound after a competition and without proper guidance, support and education toknow what to do in the situation, it can be a very hard and confusing time for a competitor. I allowed myself a great reward meal after the show, and took Sunday off the gym and regimented diet as well. Just try not to go overboard! I made sure to drink lots of water and gatorade to get my electrolytes back in check and my fluids regular again after being dehydrated for a show (something competitors do to bring their leanest looking physique out on stage).

I was back at the gym Monday morning busting out my cardio and eating nice and clean. This way, I was able to accomplish no rebound and allow my body to get back on a regular pace again. It is possible to do! So make sure you hahve your plan ready for after show day!

I also have to think about the future and with some great photo shoots lined up while I am away at the IFBB Toronto PRO Show  and the Muscle Mag Model Search I have entered in it was important to not reward myself with too many treats and think about what was up next!

It was an amazing weekend, and I was definitely walking around with a smile plastered to my face the entire time!

Check back soon for my next blog!!

Yours in fitness,

Amanda Lee xo

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Your Metabolism

April 27, 2011 By Amanda Leave a Comment

As a Trainer and Nutritionist I am always asked questions about what to eat to lose weight. This question is difficult to answer because there are numerous factors that aid in weight loss. Nutrition, cardio and your workout routine are the three most important factors, nutrition being about 80% of the puzzle. Here is some information I think you should all know about your metabolism, which is what will burn off your calories and that excess fat!

Metabolisms are not fragile things and it is quite hard to “mess” it up. If you find you have a slow metabolism it is probably because you are not timing your meals correctly or not making the right food choices.

Metabolism’s are based on a few factors and is scientifically referred to as your Basal Metabolic Rate or BMR. This is the rate at which the body expends energy to sustain basic life and  takes into account all of the energy you use to digest food, in respiration, to keep your heart beating, blood circulating and to stay awake.

There are three major factors that can increase your metabolism:

Your metabolism can be increased by exercise! Exercising can vary your metabolism around 30%. Meaning it can increase your metabolism and your energy expenditure by around 30% of your natural, current BMR.  The amount you will increase it by will depend directly on intensity, duration, frequency of activity, and your body mass. As you become more efficient at one exercise and it becomes easier to you, you will need to turn up the heat and make it more difficult in order to see the same results!

Thermoregulation is another factor that will effect your energy expenditure metabolism. When your body is hot and sweaty it takes more energy to cool it down again, and vice versa.

Thermogenisis of food is the third main factor that can vary your metabolism. The thermic effect of food is how many calories it takes to digest a certain type of food. Protein requires the most amount energy to digest, it can vary your metabolism about 20 to 30%. Next is carbohydrates (about 5 to 10%) and then fat (about 5%). This may help you understand why people choosing to lose weight are often chose to eat high protein diets.

Tips to keep your metabolism running smoothly:

Drink up

Plenty of water will keep you hydrated to learn more on the importance of proper hydration click here.

Green Tea

Green tea has plenty of polyphenols called catechins. The specific type of catechins in green tea help increase your metabolism and burn stubborn belly fat.

Spices

A wide variety of spices will increase the thermic effect of food. Also, spices such as curry, and chili flakes have potent antioxidants in them helping you ward off oxidative damage, which is caused by exercise, and keep your body running smoothly.

Natural foods

Foods with little preservatives are much easier to digest and process then confusing additives. natural green food is best as it is vitamin and mineral rich and low in calories. Vegetables are known to be high in fiber, vitamin B and magnesium, as well as being relatively low in calories. Top picks: : tomatoes, spinach, cabbage, asparagus, broccoli, celery, beets, peppers, carrots and eggplants.

Hope this helps you make some better choices! Stay focused! Every healthy choice you make you become one step closer to your ideal physique!

Yours in Fitness,

xo,

Amanda Lee

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SHOWTIME SPORTS SUPPLEMENTS

March 29, 2011 By Amanda Leave a Comment

I’m pleased to announce that Showtime Sports Supplements has decided to make me one of their NEWEST sponsored athletes!!

SHOWTIME SUPPLEMENTS is one of the leading supplements stores here in Winnipeg! Currently with 20% to 50% off the entire store, SHOWTIME SUPPLEMENTS has by far the best prices in the city!!!

If looking for

Branched Chain Amino Acids (For more info on BCAA’s click here)

  • To keep you in an anabolic state while dieting down
  • To help regulate blood sugar levels
  • Increase your recovery
  • Help stimulate fat loss!!

Protein Powder (For more info on protein click here)

  • Speed recovery
  • Slow digestion, to keep you fuller longer!
  • Maintains and supports fat loss!
  • Comes in all different flavours and varietys
  • Great low calorie snack for you and your muscles ;)

Glutamine (for more information on glutamine click here)

  • Aids in recovery
  • Supports healthy immune system!
  • Aids Protein synthesis
  • Helps maintain a healthy bowels
  • Replenishes depleted glutamine levels from working out

Fat Burners

  • Advanced fat burners can pick up a slow metabolism
  • Aid in lipolysis
  • Increase energy
  • Push you past your plateaus
  • Increase focus

Pre-workout Formula’s

  • Most Pre workout formulas contain a combination of creatine and beta-alanine
  • increase muscle pumps
  • Provide you with more energy for your entire workout
  • Creatine will help add strength to your workouts!
  • Beta- alanine can delay muscular fatigue as well as
  • Increase your anaerobic and aerobic endurance! (long and short term endurance)

Weight Gainers

  • Usually for men trying to gain weight and increase their muscle mass
  • This formula is full of protein and carbs to help increase caloric intake
  • While maintaining proper nutrition and certain vitamins and nutrients that aid in putting on mass

Vitamins and Minerals

  • Often forgotten about Vitamins and Minerals will help prevent many deficiencies
  • Especially important when following a strict diet, you could be missing out on certain important Vitamins and Minerals
  • Supports proper energy metabolism!
  • A good multivitamin, calcium supplement and antioxidants like vitamin C and D are great to have on any program!

Tanning – Competition and Indoor tanning products!

  • Showtime supplements also provides competition color.
  • With experienced competitors on staff, they will be able to assist you with application instructions!
  • As well as many different indoor tanning products to help you develop a great tan!

These are just some of the many product SHOWTIME SUPPLEMENTS has to offer! Come by 1855 Portage to check it out for yourself!!

Let Showtime Supplements experienced and knowledgeable staff help you find what you are looking for!! Ivette and Darryl Landry have been in the Fitness Industry for many years and will be able to help you with any questions!!

Or feel free to contact myself at amanda@learn2sweat.com for more information about supplementing, or for more information about Programs Learn2Sweat.com offers!!

We look forward to hearing from you!!

~Amanda Lee

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