HIIT Cardio to Blast Fat

I'm back!!! Even though I should not be so excited about it to add three exclamation marks... My vacation was amazing and relaxing. BUT... I gained 5.5lbs from extremely overeating. I mean I ate myself into a food coma about five times a day! I told you all I was really a fat girl at heart and unfortunately, I gain weight super easy. A huge part of me felt like taking the rest of the year off from my dieting and fitness plan. But I knew that would only make it worse come January 1st to start back up again. 

How I Went from Fat to Fit

Ok, so after all this time, I realized I've never really told my full story of how I came to write a blog about fitness and nutrition. My entire life I've been active and part of most every sport you can play...softball, swimming, track, basketball, tennis, horseback riding, volleyball, etc. I played sports year-round in both indoor arena leagues, summer travel leagues, and in my own back yard. So you read this and probably think, well she's been in shape her entire life. Not quite.

Strengthen Your Knees to Prevent Injury

Did you that women are up to eight times more likely to suffer a severe knee injury than men?? Researchers believe a woman's wider hips place the thighbone at a more extreme angle where it meets the knee, putting strain on the ACL. Female hormones that keep connective tissue flexible may also weaken the knee.

Fitness Friday Recipe: Healthy Snacks

#TGIF #FitFam! Just because the weekend is almost here, don't forget all of your hard work this week to accomplish your fitness goals! While the weekends typically mean more going out, more snacking, and overall more calories, don't let it get the best of you. Here are a couple really easy, really quick, and really cheap snack ideas to help you stay on track the next couple of days. These are personally my favorite #CleanEating snacks. 

Love ice cream but don't indulge because the calories and fat just aren't worth it? Here's a healthy alternative... Frozen Nutty Banana Nibblers. This delicious-tasting treat is just over 160 calories per serving and offers 4.1 grams of fiber and 3.7 grams of protein, so you can feel good reaching for an extra nibbler or two. For an added bonus, they are a cinch to whip up, and since you can store them in the freezer, you'll have a go-to healthy dessert whenever your sweet cravings kick into high gear. 

Ingredients:

5 medium ripe bananas

1 tbsp. all natural creamy peanut butter

2 oz. nonfat vanilla Greek yogurt

1) Peel one banana and mash it with the peanut butter and yogurt.

2) Peel the other four bananas. Slice into half-inch thick slices.

3) Smear the banana, peanut butter, and yogurt mixture on half the banana slices and top with the other halves, making banana sandwiches.

4) Place on a wooden cutting board or a plate and freeze for at least two hours.

These Apple Sandwiches may look like a kid's treat, but trust me, adults will love it too! Especially if you are dieting and want to eat items that are packed with vitamins, minerals, protein, and good fats. Now don't get me wrong, if your kids love this snack then that's great too! Much better alternative to those french fries at McDonald's!

Ingredients:

1 apple-sliced into thin rounds

1-2 tbsp all natural peanut butter or almond butter

Handful of raisins

Drizzle of honey

Chopped walnuts or almonds

Cinnamon

1) Thinly slice the apple into 8 rounds.

2) Top 4 apple rounds with peanut butter, raisins, nuts and drizzle with a little honey.

3) Top each round with the other 4 apple slices and sprinkle with cinnamon.

Fitness Humor on Hump Day

Well it's HUMP DAY! For those working professionals that means your half way through your work week, but yet the weekend seems so far away! I thought I make a quick blog post to bring you some fitness humor to brighten your week. And, since the work day is winding down and about to come to a close, this means you are probably only a few hours away from hitting the gym and getting your much needed stress reliever on, your workout! You can find more humorous health and fitness posts and images at Facebook.com/FitFadFan and @FitFadFan. So please, take a moment to laugh and read these: 

Just How Healthy Are Sweet Potatoes

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I look around my office filled with competitors, bodybuilders, weekend warriors, and your plain ol' average joes and I notice at lunch time, about 90% of the people are eating sweet potatoes. When you work in a health conscious environment, you start noticing the gym routines, the eating habits, and the little tips and tricks others use to live healthier. And then you find yourself adapting these new habits. 

Tip of the Day for Healthy Living

TIP OF THE DAY: Every day counts! Many people struggle over the weekend to stay on track. And I've noticed on my blog stats that my page views drastically decrease over the weekends. This just proves my thoughts, many of us find it a greater challenge to make time for workouts and stay on top of our meals on the weekends. You may be unpleasantly surprised as to how much hard work you can reverse in just 2-3 days. If your mindset is that you work hard during the week, so you can slack on the weekends, it may be time for a different approach! It's a constant battle and you have to work hard at it each and every day in order to achieve true success. And I'm not going to lie, it's not easy. But nothing in life is easy. That's why life is a constant battle as some so. But I like to look at life as a constant challenge. And I always love a good challenge :) 

DAILY MOTIVATION:

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Southwest Chicken Salad Stuffed Avocado

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If you love avocados then you are going to absolutely love the recipe in this post! Often thought of as a vegetable, avocados are a nifty little fruit that provide healthy fats the body needs along with providing other great health benefits. They support cardiovascular health, contain antioxidants, may help aid in weight loss, enhance the body's absorption of nutrients, and more!

There are many ways to eat or add avocado to your diet. You can eat fresh slices like I do, or add to your salads, add to your morning eggs, or cook it in with your chicken and salmon orzo salad for dinner. The possibilities are endless. But this is definitely a fruit that packs a huge benefit in the health and fitness arena.

Why Probiotics are Important to Overall Health

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Most people associate probiotics with colon and digestive health. But what you don't know is that probiotic intake is beneficial for overall physical and mental health. Probiotics come in a variety of forms, powders, capsules, and foods such as yogurt, dairy drinks, infant formulas, cheese, and even snack bars that are supplemented with specific probiotic organisms. Whichever one you pick may be beneficial for a wide range of health concerns. 

Diet Tips for Ultimate Weight Loss

While physical activity plays a big role in weight loss and overall health, your diet plays an even bigger role. I've heard that weight loss is a result of 80% diet and 20% exercise. Perfect example is my mom, she joined Weight Watchers and in a year, she lost over 115 pounds! The only physical activity she performed was moderate walking while out shopping for the day... Although, I am still a firm believer in exercise to build a healthy heart, strong bones and muscle tone. But, if perform physical activity and eat junk food, your results will not pan out how you'd like them too. 

Sticking to a healthy diet is a lifestyle change. And, self control is a top reason most diets fail. So here are some diet tips to help you when you're struggling to reach your weight loss goals:

A Spot of Tea or Cup o' Joe?

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Would you like a spot of tea? Or are you a cup o' Joe type of person? There has been an ongoing debate of whether tea or coffee is better for you, which one you should drink in the morning, and what the actual health benefits of each are. I definitely prefer coffee over tea, but there are days a cup of tea taste pretty amazing. So just what is the difference and which is better? 

Cycle All Year Long

I love spin classes at the gym and I love to ride my mountain bike outside. But, there have been days I get to the gym and the spin class is full, and other days where it's raining outside so I can't ride my mountain bike. So when I heard about bike trainers I was super excited and couldn't wait to get my own! I have looked into my own spin bike, like the Proform Tour De France bike, are really expensive...I'm talking $1,500 expensive!  

Now bike trainers can be a bit pricey too, but I'm not a competitive cyclist or anything. I do this all for fun. So I only needed a basic bike trainer. I looked around and read some reviews. There are a couple different types of trainers.

Count Your Calories

Studies have shown that those dieting that track their meals in a journal are most successful. In this day and age, who has time to keep a written journal?? It's obsolete! I always hear people say "There's an app for that!" And it's so true. But how do you choose the right one? That's a little more difficult. But, there are so many free calorie counter apps it can be overwhelming. So let me help make this easier for you...LiveStrong's MyPlate Calorie Tracker.