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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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Eggnog French Toast

November 14, 2011 By Courtnie Leave a Comment

Just in time for the Holidays

Seasonal French toast without the extra calories :O)

Ingredients

1/2 cup of Egg whites

1 cup of Almond milk (breeze)

6 Slices of Rye bread

1 TBSP of Vanilla

1/4 tsp of Nutmeg

pinch of Cinnamon

How To Prepare

 add the egg whites, almond milk, valilla and Nutmeg. then whisk together until completely blended. Then soak the rye bread in the mixture. Place in a hot, non-stick frying pan, or use some Pam Cooking Spray just prior to placing the bread in pan. Brown on each side, then add topping and severe warm!

 Toppings

For toppings without the added calorie count, try yogurt!! My favorite is the 35 Calorie source yogurt (desert line or plain vanilla) and then add some fresh fruit and cinnamon and “ta-da” Calorie wise, delicious french toast with a Holiday twist!! Mmmm so good!!

~Courtnie~

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Running shoes have a shelf life too

November 12, 2011 By Courtnie Leave a Comment

Once you have put too many miles on your running shoes you must get a new pair, to avoid injuries and set backs.

Running shoes have a shelf life too!

Stopping in at running shoe specialist store such as the Running Room, maybe a good idea before getting a new pair of runners.

They are professionally trained to assess the wear and tear on your old shoes and can suggest a new pair of runners that will meet you your needs in functionality and will help you choose a shoe that will provide your feet with the proper support.

Inspecting the wear and tear on my shoes, especially the soles, and also by feel. I can usually tell by small aches and pains that start in the chins, heels and arch of my feet.

I prefer the Sacony runner myself, it fits and my feet best, and I feel it is reasonably priced for it’s value! But again this is why seeing a specialists will help you in determining what shoe brand/model  best fits your needs.

Things to think about when choosing a shoe include:

  • Do you  have high or low arches?
  • Do you have wide or narrow feet?
  • Do your feet invert or evert?
  • Assessing your gait; such as your heel strike.
  • Most important of all what activity will you be using the shoe’s for?

As far as shoes life span, it depends on the activity that you are preforming and what type of surface your on! For a runner, running on ashfault their shoes life will not last as long if you were running on trails! For me personally an average life span is somewhere between 400-600km.

Exceeding your shoes life span can lead to major problems if not caught early. Including shin splints, knee, hip and even back issues, Yikes. So remember to be nice to your feet and treat them to a new pair of shoes when needed.

Once you have purchased your replacement runners remember to slowly switch over, break them in gradually!

And now tie up your laces and get sweating!! :O)

~Courtnie~

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Guilt Free Pumpkin Pie!

October 30, 2011 By Courtnie 1 Comment

Enjoy Halloween by having a slice of “Healthy” Pumpkin Pie!

Ingredients

¼ tsp of Cinnamon

¼ tsp of  Nutmeg

½ cup of Egg whites

1 Can of pumpkin (~800 ml)

¼ cup Almond milk (almond breeze)

1 tbsp Vanilla

¼  cup of cooking Splenda

How to prepare

Set the oven at 450

Mix all of the ingredients together

There is no crust to this pie so once you have all of the ingredients mixed, pour into a cooking pan.

I use disposable individual foil pans that are in different shapes for fun (from the dollar store) Makes about 10 tins

But you can use what every you would like

Cook for about 25 mins, until golden brown on top and check with a tooth- pic to make sure the inside is cooked as well!

Then you can add a spurt of low fat whip cream on top

And enjoy this “spoo”tacular treat!! Yum Yum!

~Courtnie~

Clean eating and a proper workouts will help you lose weight and feel great! Check out Learn2Sweat’s bootcamps and presonal training for more information!

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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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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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Killer Full Body Workout

June 5, 2011 By Courtnie Leave a Comment

Here is a Fat Blaster Full Body Workout!!!

This Circuit should take about 30 mins to run though once,

tonight in our class we will

be going though the circuit twice!! 8)

Remember to always properley warm-up and cool down!!

5 minute warm-up: 4 Laps Jogging

1) Pushups – max in 1:00

2) Squats – max in 1:00

3) Bent over rows – max in 1:00

4) Jog 3 laps

5) Shoulder press – max in 1:00

6) Lunges – max in1:00 each leg (2:00 min total)

7) Bicep curls – max in 1:00

8 ) Jog 3 laps

9) Triceps extensions – max in 1:00

10) Wall squat – 1:00

11) Pliate squat – max in 1:00

12) Sit-ups with weight (1 min/1 min without) – max in2:00

13 )Regular Crunches – max in 2:00

14) Kettle bell swings – max in1:00

15) Jog 3 laps

16) 2-3min rest and Repeat

5 minute Cool Down: 3 Laps Walking

5 minute of Strecting!

This is a great workout and will help you slim down and feel great in a short period of time!

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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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Clean Eating Starts in the Grocery Store

March 6, 2011 By Courtnie Leave a Comment

Most people don’t realize just how important diet is to losing weight.

Diet accounts for as much as 80% of you weight loss success.

It all boils down to simple math.

If you are consuming more calories than you are expending, no matter how hard you are working out in the gym you are not going reach your weight loss goals.

When you are shopping in for you groceries, you want to make sure that you have a plan, you go in with your well thought out list of fresh and non processed foods, and you stick to it.

Learn2Sweat takes all the thought out of it for you…. in our E-Book Fat Loss Nutrition Program, we don’t just set you up with a nutritional guide but with your shopping list too, so you can take the thinking out of getting fit!

You can usually find all you need around the outskirts of a grocery store, once you have entered the center/iales you will be shopping in iales of chemically preserved processed foods.

If you don’t falter at the grocery store, than you will not be able to falter once at home!

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Start Today

March 6, 2011 By Courtnie Leave a Comment

If you keep saying to yourself that you will start tomorrow, today will never come……

Set a date, and a goal, write it down on paper, and make it real.

 

To help you get that push to start on your workout goals, whatever they may be, you may need that extra motivating factor.

motivators that will get you started today:

  • sign up for a 10k run
  • sign-up for a fitness competition
  • sign-up for a try-a-tri
  • book your holiday (and buy your ”trip bikini”)
  • for weight-loss; buy an outfit you want, but one size too small
  • for toning-up; buy that outfit that you want, but you are not allowed to wear it until you have completed your work out goal
  • buy a gift certificate for yourself at a spa…. and reward yourself with some TLC once you have reached you fitness goal
  • book yourself a photo shoot
  • Book a session with a Certified Personal Trainer

These are just some ideas to put a deadline on your fitness goals….. Be creative! Most the time it’s just being held reliable for your actions that keeps you on the straight and narrow.

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