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…Friday FITspiration…

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Three of the KEY goals Infinite Life Fitness strives to do each day.

This website was created for YOU!

I post things to help YOU!

Without YOU we would not be able to do the things that I currently do

so THANK YOU!!!

You guys think this page is for you but you guys really do keep me inspired and motivated.

Each day i am always researching and looking for things to share with you guys.

I love when i am able to create images or post to share with you guys.

Please let me know if there is anything that you guys would like for me to talk about or share.

My goal is here to help YOU!

I look forward to creating more and more things to share with you guys!
Happy Friday!

Stay Dedicated, Motivated, and Inspired!

…”Healthy” foods that are UNhealthy: Part 1…

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If you see any of the following words on a package make sure to think about how “healthy” they actually are for you…

  • Reduced Fat
  • Sugar Free
  • Diet
  • Fat Free
  • Low Fat
  • No Added Sugar

These type of words are used to help grab your attention and to help you think that they are indeed the healthier option for you. In most cases it is “healthier’ than the regular product that they sale. But is that product good for you to eat in the first place?

Reduced-Fat Peanut Butter:

Why is it good?

It contains monounsaturated fat. This is the “good” kind of fat that you can have in your diet.

Why is it bad?

Most of these types of products that are made to be “reduced fat’ are jammed packed with MORE sugar! And, in most cases this sugar is HIGHLY processed which makes it not as good for you. So how is it “reduced fat” with more sugar? great question!!

Eating an excess amount of this kind of sugar has been proven to cause tooth decay and lead to unwanted weight gain.

Both regular and reduced fat peanut butter carry about the same amount of calories. The biggest and most problematic issue is that the reduced fat usually contains a lot more sugar.  It is safe to steer away from store-bought and try to get all natural peanut butter in this case. There are all natural organic peanut butters available (or almond butter).  You can also find these items for a great price if you look around and maybe consider purchasing it online.

Bran Muffins Bagels with Cream Cheese:

Why is it good?
To be honest it is not good. They have been given the reputation for being healthy and a healthy option for breakfast or a snack.
Why is it bad?
These are jammed packed with sugar and refined flour. Two things that you should try to limit in your diet or steer clear from it.  Yes it does contains a small amount of fiber, but other than that there is actually minimal nutritional value in bran muffins.

Bagels with Cream Cheese:

Why is it good?

This is a quick and easy meal option and is filling.  It is great to have on the go!

Why is it bad?

First of all it is just a lot of bread to consume at one time for one meal.  It has about 60 grams of carbohydrates and could also have MORE than 300 calories.  And that is without the cream cheese or jelly most people pile on top of both slices of their bagels.  Again items like this are made with the over processed flour you should shy away from and of course corn syrup.  It also has minimal nutritional value.  So it is wise to have only one 1/2 of the bagel with eggs or some other kind of substitute to increase nutritional value and to get more nutrition with your meal.

You always want to reach for the 100% whole grain or whole wheat options when it comes to bread or pasta.  It is better for you and has more nutritional value than regular “white” bread or pastas.

Granola Bars:

Why is it good?

They are packed with oats, nuts, dried fruit, and can also contain seeds.  All of these are indeed good for you! So why would you think negative about a snack containing all of these things?

Why is it bad?

Granola Bars are not as good for you because of one simple thing…the “glue” that holds the granola together to create that delicious granola bar you like to snack on. That glue is nothing more than high-fructose corn syrup.  All this does is quickly increases your blood sugar which in returns limits how you actually digest the oats and nuts and other healthier things that are in the granola bar.  Along with the high sugar content comes the high calorie count.

Yogurt cups with the fruit or granola in the bottom:

Why is it good?

Yogurt is high in nutrients.  It also contains active cultures which are great for digestion and your immune system.

Why is it bad?

Despite the high calorie count, this too is packed full of sugar! And yes that preserved fruit in the high fructose corn syrup mixture is not any better for you either.

Try plain yogurt with you favorite FRESH fruit (or thawed out frozen fruit that was not preserved in syrup).  It is a healthier options not to mention cuts down the calorie count dramatically!

Pretzels:

Why is it good?

It is a healthier option that potato chips.  Not to mention that there is a low-fat content in each serving size.

Why is it bad?

These are nutritionally empty! They don’t have a big nutritional value at all. Not to mention all the sodium that is packed into the salty seasoning covering every small piece of the pretzels. Not to mention it too is made of the over processed flour that should be limited in your diet.

Try to find a whole wheat or whole grain option.  You can also substitute pretzels for other things such as vegetable, fruits, or even a handful of nuts.

I hope this gave you an insight on some food to watch out for the next time you go to the grocery store to buy your food.

Stay tuned for part two! There are dozens of food on grocery store shelves masked as “low-fat” or “healthy” when they indeed are not as healthy as you think they are.

 

…Bad eating consequences…

I wish that food labels had “workout equivalents” rather than calories on them.  If I knew that I would have to do 100 burpee to enjoy a bite of a candy bar I would instantly double think enjoying too much of any type of bad food.

I am not saying that you can not enjoy some of your favorite foods! You can enjoy them BUT in moderation.  I think that if I knew that I would have to do 100 crunches to burn off that “one extra bite” I would for sure re-think it.

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…Knowing what you eat: Counting Calories…

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Do you know exactly what you are putting into your body?  Do you even know how much food you are consuming each day?  It is said that most people consume as little as TWICE as many calories than they actually need each day.

One of the most important things you need to do to help you reach your goals is to figure out what you are eating and how much you are eating!! There are DOZENS of applications you can download onto your smart devices and they are also accessible on your computer.

You can find an easily accessible and FREE calorie counter site at: http://www.nutracheck.co.uk/

Once you get singed up with these programs feel free to play around with it!! You need to get use to how the program works so you will become efficient as being able to navigate and use the program properly.

Using these types of programs will allow you the change to closely monitor HOW much food you are eating and what kind of foods you are eating.

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I suggest a few things:

– when you decide you want to make a healthier change, sign up for one of these programs and track what types of food you eat for a FULL week

– when the week is over go back and look at what you eat a lot of and what you need to eat more of.  You will be surprised to see that you consume too much salt, sugar, or another type of food.  You will also be able to see that you do not eat enough veggies, fruits, or protein.  This will allow you the change to actually see what areas you need to improve on.  

– next find some healthy recipes and go shopping! You have to find recipes that will be fitting to your needs!  Usually breakfast will be around 300-400 calories  snacks will be around 200-300 calories, and lunch and dinner should also be around 300-400 calories!  The goal is to spread your meals out throughout the day so you do not feel like you are going hungry!  YOU DO NOT WANT TO SKIP MEALS!! THIS CAN HINDER YOUR WEIGHT LOSS!  You want to try to stick to a regular eating schedule.  I would suggest eating about every 2-3 hours.  have breakfast, and then a small snack, lunch, another snack, dinner, and if you are still hungry in the evening have another SMALL snack.  You want to try to stop eating about 2-3 hours BEFORE you go to bed.  But you do not want to go hungry and you should try NOT to skip any meals

-keep track of what you eat in these applications.  They will let you decide if you have the right serving size or more than the suggested serving size.  If you stick to the proper serving sizes, a steady workout routine, and drink water you should start to see results in about a month!

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Reaching your goals will take TIME! You will have to be patient! You can not eat healthy for a week and expect 15-30 pounds to just vanish!  Yes that would be nice but it is not realistic.  You have to stay consistent with eating right AND working out.  Eating right is the MAIN priority.  If you are not feeding your body the right foods it will hinder the results you want to see!! You can spend all the time you want in the gym, but if you eat junk food all of that hard work will go to waste.  So this is why it is SO important to get your diet under control so you are able to reach the results you want.

And there you have it! I just gave you the tools you need to help you jump-start your new health and fitness journey!

Any day is a great day to start living healthier…why not start today!?

…Weekend Meal Time…

Weekend Meal Options

As promised here are some new recipes that you can try!

What I personally like to do is to cook a few different things over the weekend or over the duration of the week.  Then I will have several different left over meals to choose from when it is time to eat.  I like this method because it allows me to cook and try out new things as well as cook food for the week.  I know that sometimes my schedule gets kinda hectic, so it is nice to have the meals already made and waiting on me in the fridge so I can go home and grab it and go.  This method allowed me to better plan my menus and to plan a variety of food options for me.  I gave up fast food several years ago!  Yes…its true…I have not eaten any kinda if fast food in over two years and i did made the goal at first to force myself to make better meal options and to help me budget and save more money.  I calculated it and I saved over $600 a year by cutting out fast food and setting up my menus and grocery budget.

Here are some great Lunch and Dinner recipes.  I included photos that I took when I cooked these items to help you get an idea of what it looks like.  You can alter and add/take away ingredients that you do not like.  But I will have to say, these meals are very delicious!

Black Bean Soup
Prep time: 5 minutes
Cook time: 15 minutes

1/2 c chopped red onion
2 tsp olive oil
1 tsp minced garlic
3/4 tsp oregano
3/4 tsp cumin
1 can (15 oz) black beans, rinsed and drained
2 c chicken broth
1 Tbsp feta cheese

1. In a large saucepan, combine onion, oil,
garlic, oregano, cumin, and salt to taste. Cook,
stirring, over medium heat until softened, about
3 minutes. Stir in beans and broth. Reduce heat
to medium-low.
2. Cook, stirring occasionally, for 10 minutes.
Mash some beans against side of pan. Serve
sprinkled with feta and cilantro (optional).

Per serving: 205 calories, 7 g fat (2 g saturated),
447 mg
sodium, 27 g carbs, 9 g fiber, 12 g protein

Cheese & Kale Quesadillas

Prep time: 5 minutes
Cook time: 5 minutes

1/2 c fine-sliced kale leaves
1 Tbsp water
2 9-inch whole-wheat tortillas
3 Tbsp crumbled feta cheese
**I also added green peppers

1. Place kale and water in a microwavable dish.
Cover with microwave-safe plastic wrap and
cook in microwave on high until wilted, about 90
seconds. Remove plastic carefully. Drain kale and
pat dry with paper towel.
2. Heat a heavy 9-inch skillet over medium-high
heat. Place 1 tortilla in pan. Top tortilla evenly
with cheese, kale, and second tortilla. Cook,
flipping occasionally, until tortilla is toasted
and cheese melts, about 4 minutes. Cut into
4 wedges.

Per serving: 119 calories, 4 g fat (2 g saturated),
336 g mg
sodium, 22 g carbs, 2 g fiber, 5 g protein
***NOTE***  I combined the above to recipes for one meal! Here is the picture.


Tilapia Tacos
Prep time: 10 minutes
Cook time: 0 minutes

1 c coarse-crumbled leftover cooked tilapia
fillets (recipe 40)
1/4 c red onion slivers
1/4 c thinly sliced kale
1/4 c canned diced tomatoes, drained
2 Tbsp crumbled feta cheese
2 tsp olive oil
2 tsp lime juice
1/8 tsp cumin
1/8 tsp red pepper flakes
2 9-inch whole-wheat tortillas, warmed

In a mixing bowl, combine tilapia, onion, kale,
tomatoes, feta, oil, lime juice, cumin, pepper
flakes, and salt to taste. Toss. Spoon onto
tortillas. Fold tortillas in half. Cut each half into
two pieces.
 Per serving: 291 calories, 14 g fat (3 g saturated), 571 mg
sodium, 25 g carbs, 4 g fiber, 18 g protein

Stuffed Chicken Parmesan

prep time:20 min
start to finish:55 min
makes:6 servings
6 boneless skinless chicken breasts (about 5 oz each)
1 box (10 oz) Cascadian Farm® frozen organic cut spinach, thawed, well drained
2 oz 1/3-less-fat cream cheese (Neufchâtel), softened
1/4 cup shredded Parmesan cheese
1/2 teaspoon dried basil leaves
1 clove garlic, finely chopped
1/4 cup fat-free egg product
12 stone-ground wheat crackers, crushed (about 1/2 cup)
1 teaspoon dried basil leaves
1/2 teaspoon pepper
1 cup Muir Glen® organic Italian herb pasta sauce
1/4 cup shredded mozzarella cheese (1 oz)
1. Heat oven to 375°F. Spray 13×9-inch (3-quart) glass baking dish with cooking spray. Between pieces of plastic wrap or waxed paper, place each chicken breast smooth side down; gently pound with flat side of meat mallet or rolling-pin until about 1/4 inch thick. (I did not have a rolling pin, so I found something else to use)
2. In medium bowl, mix spinach, cream cheese, Parmesan cheese, 1/2 teaspoon basil and the garlic until blended. Spread about 1 tablespoon spinach mixture over each chicken breast; roll up tightly. If necessary, secure with toothpicks.
3. In small shallow bowl, place egg product. In another small shallow bowl, mix cracker crumbs, 1 teaspoon basil and the pepper. Dip each chicken breast into egg product; coat with crumb mixture. Place seam side down in baking dish.
4. Bake uncovered 20 minutes. Pour pasta sauce over chicken; sprinkle with mozzarella cheese. Bake 10 to 15 minutes longer or until thermometer inserted in center of chicken reads 165°F. Remove toothpicks from chicken before eating.
1 Serving: Calories 290 (Calories from Fat 100); Total Fat 11g (Saturated Fat 4 1/2g, Trans Fat 0g); Cholesterol100mg; Sodium 450mg; Total Carbohydrate 10g (Dietary Fiber 2g, Sugars 3g); Protein 38g
Hope you enjoy trying out these recipes.  Keep looking for more and have a great weekend.

…Two Week Kick Start Plan…

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Want to get back on track but you just don’t know how to start?

Starting is the HARDEST part!
First you have to pick a day.  Pick a day that you want to start living and eating healthier.

On this day start first thing in the morning when you wake up.

The best thing to do is to start fresh at the beginning of the week (like Sunday or Monday).

Here are some day-by-day things you can do to help you get on track:

Day One:

Today try to drink at least 1.5 liters or water.  Try to substitute your favorite afternoon sugar drink with a glass of water.  Or have your favorite drink BUT also have the extra glass of water.  The key is to start incorporating more water into your diet

Day Two:

Make a healthy snack choice.  Instead of having chips with your sandwich at lunch try some veggies or a piece of fruit.  You want to start making healthier food choices for your meals and snacks

Day Three:

Go for a brisk walk.  You want to walk at a pace that is faster than a casual walk and you want to keep up that faster pace for about 30 minutes.  You want to get your heart rate up but you also do not want to push yourself too hard starting out.

Day Four:

Regulate your meal choices.  You want to try to eat several small meals throughout the day.  You want your first meal to be within two hours of you first waking up.  Once you have breakfast try to have more small meals (around 400 calories each) every 2-3 hours.  This will help kick-start your metabolism and allow you to fuel your body as you are going through the day.

Day Five:

Create your own stretching routine.  This routine should be done before AND after you workout.  It does not have to be a long drawn out routine, just something that will stretch your major muscle groups and allow you to stretch your muscles.

Day Six:

Try to drink 2 liters of water!  If it helps try to get a large water bottle or container that you can monitor how much you are consuming to help you keep track.

Day Seven:

Go through your cabinet and collect all of your unhealthy foods.  If you still have some food that is unopened donate it to a local food pantry or other type of food service.  You will not be as tempted to eat bad foods if you do not buy them or have them at home.

Day Eight:

Go for another brisk walk.  This time make sure to stretch BEFORE and AFTER your walk.  Do not forget to keep up the fast brisk pace for at least 30 minutes.  You want to keep your heart rate up to help you start to burn those extra calories.

Day Nine:

Go one full day without eating anything “unhealthy”.  This means cutting out carbonated beverages, candy bars, greasy foods, chips, or anything else that you know is unhealthy.  If you even have a doubt if it is unhealthy or not, do not eat it! Stick to simple things like chicken, fish, beef, turkey, veggies, fruit, whole wheat pasta or bread, etc.  This will allow you to dedicate one full day to fueling your body with healthy low processed foods.

Day Ten:

Today try to do more physical activities.  These following exercises do them for a minute and record how many you can do.  A month from now do them all again and see how many more you were able to do in that minute.  That should help show you how much you are progressing!  Try these exercises: jumping jacks, sit ups, push ups, lunges, air squats, and mountain climbers (if you do not know what these exercises are you can type them into Google or YouTube and see how to do them!)

Day Eleven:

Today try to combine several of the things listed above.  Try drinking the 2 liters or water and eating healthy for a full day.  Or try the brisk walk and drinking 2 liters of water.  Whatever you choose, try to do at least two of the items listed above.

Day Twelve:

Start a health and fitness journal!  Write down what you have been doing and how you feel.  You can write down how much you weigh now and also keep track of the exercises you have been doing.  There are some great online fitness journals (like myfitnesspal.com) or you can buy a regular journal to write in.  Writing down what you do will help you to keep track of what you are doing and will hopefully hold you accountable for the healthy choices that you should/want to make each day.

Day Thirteen:

Today you should drink 2 liters of water, walk briskly for thirty minutes (and do not forget to stretch!!), and lastly you should also have a regulated day of eating every few hours.

Day Fourteen:  

By this day you should have already started some healthy habits!  Today will be the toughest day!  Today you should make sure to drink 2 liters of water, eat healthy ALL day, have regulated eating (every 2-3 hours), go for a brisk walk (with your stretching), and keep track of all of this in your fitness journal.

This is just a sample of some things that you can do to get you stated on living healthier.  Most people ask me “where do I start” or “what are some good things to start doing”.  These are all some great things that allow you to make your own wise choices.  The key is to not completely jump into things head first.  You want to gradually start to make positive habits so the will become a good habit and you will stick with them.  Try this for fourteen days and then see how ready you are to start living healthier!

 

…Taco Tuesday?…

Does your family regularly participate in weekly meals?

When I was a child, I knew that some days of the week we would be graced with tacos…or spaghetti…or burgers. And as a child,  I think there is nothing more exciting than expecting to have one of your favorite meals each week!

BUT this could be a potential problem for those who are trying to adapt healthier eating habits,

NO WORRIES! I am sharing some healthier alternatives that can turn your Taco Tuesday into a HEALTHIER Taco Tuesday.  Now you and your family can keep your taco date each week without you breaking your healthy eating habit! 🙂

  • Try using LOW FAT sour cream and cheese.  This can help cut those unwanted calorie intake in almost half!
  • Try using soft tortillas and try to use WHOLE WHEAT tortillas instead of the traditional shells.
  • Have you ever considered using ground turkey meat instead of regular meat?  If you do not like turkey meat try to get LEAN hamburger meat.
  • Try to have steamed veggies instead of Mexican rice and beans (or you can use black beans for a healthier option!)
  • Try to measure out correct portion sizes for your tacos/taco salad so you are sure to not double the food you are supposed to consume for the meal!
  • Skip the carbonated drinks or sweet tea! Try to stick to water for your beverage of choice
  • try to limit or cut out guacamole!  Yes it is healthy for you but it packs a lot of calories!
  • Think about using shopped baked chicken or shrimp instead of beef!

Still want chips with your meal? Try to make your own! Get a normal round tortilla, lightly spread some olive oil on top, slice the tortilla into the desired chip sizes you would like, then sprinkle it with sea salt (or any other spices you may have).  Put your over on 350 degrees.  Place your tortillas in the over for about 15 minutes.  MAKE SURE TO WATCH IT!  They get brown pretty quickly.  You can let them get as brown as you would like before they burn (the browner they are the more crunchy they are!)  Take them out and let them cool for about 10 minutes, and you have healthier “chips” for you to enjoy with your meal.

There are a lot of things you can change or add to make your family meals a healthier meal!  You just have to be mindful of the ingredients you are using and learn what to substitute to help make it taste just as yummy as you would like! You do not have to sacrifice good tasting food so you can eat healthier!

Happy Taco Tuesday!

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