Eat your broccoli

Hi guys,
You parents knew what was up! Remember them telling you to eat your broccoli? 

Well they were right, once again!

  
These guys are a powerhouse of nutrients, they benefit digestion, cardiovascular system and immune system and also have anti inflammatory properties and may prevent certain cancers!

They are also low in sodium, fat free and low calories!

Nutritional profile:

– high in fiber, vitamin C, B6, A and potassium 

– packed with photochemicals (immune system protector) and antioxidants (cell protectors and cancer preventers)

– also contains magnesium, phosphorus,zinc and iron

  
Health benefits:

– cancer prevention 

– cholesterol reduction

– detoxification 

– heart health

– eye health

– digestion

– anti-inflammatory 
Facts:

– originated in Italy in around the sixth century BC

– name comes from broccolo, Italian for the flower on top of the cabbage, the word is derived from Latin brachium meaning branch or arm

– came to France in 1560 and was called Italian asparagus

– Thomas Jefferson loved it and imported it!

– George W bush was not a fan and Barack Obama confessed to loving it

– California produces 90 % of the broccoli grown in the United States 

– the average American only eats 4 lbs a year
Ciao for now, go eat broccolo

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fast and easy homemade turkey burgers

hi guys,

Homemade is always better then anything processed and available at the store!

You are not the cooking type? You don’t have time?
No problem here is how it’s done!

1/ buy ground turkey (organic is always a better choice 40 oz makes about 10 burgers) fresh cilantro( smallest amount) 2 eggs and blue cheese crumbles (or feta if you do not like blue)

2/ dice up the cilantro and open the turkey

3/  separate the white from the eggs

4/ mix all the ingredients together with the egg whites

5/ make burgers with your hands the size you like 

  

6/ cook in a pan with coconut oil at medium heat for about 10 minutes or until thoroughly cooked 

  
7/ freeze the rest if needed

8/ enjoy! 

  
Ciao for now!

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Life without carbs week 1

Hi guys,

Like I said on a previous post, I have been experiencing a lot of digestive issues in the past years and I last week I decided to try something else.

As a group fitness instructor, I work out a lot for work of course but also for my personal well being and level of fitness.

Also as a good fitness professional (and not a nutritionist or dietitian let’s be clear on that) I have been a believer of eating a lot of carbs to fuel my days.

When I say carbs, I do not mean bread, cookies and stuff like that, I mean healthy and natural stuff like organic gluten free oatmeal, granola, lots of fresh fruits, larabars etc…

My theory was always carbs morning, lunch and snacks and protein for dinner (to repair my body) and it has been for years!

But the healthier I was eating, the sicker I got….so I went gluten free…best thing ever for 2 days then back to not well.

So I went to the doctor, all good…WHAT??? well I guess that is good lol but now on to the gastro doctor!

Bunch of super fun tests later, all is still good! gallbladder he thinks! more tests….

That is where I was out last week and then after one of my famous afternoon snacks consisting of an apple, a larabar and 1/2 cup of granola, my brain lite up, what if my body was not processing carbs the right way anymore??? What is this was my issue???

Well after reading up on it, it could very well be the problem so NO CARBS HERE I COME!

Here is a summary of 7 days of no carbs, are you ready??

DAY 1 Wednesday 10/09…Wow I can eat eggs, cheese, peanut butter, bacon…This is gonna be awesome! 2 1/2 hours of classes, 2 hour personal workout, feel great!

DAY 2 Thursday 10/10…Wait I normally don’t eat that stuff, my brain just won’t go there..eggs and veggies that is all! 3 hours of classes, 2 hour personal workout, wow I’m tired and a bit dizzy! But on a good note, my insides feel so much better!

DAY 3 Friday 10/11…So I ate is eggs, veggies, grilled chicken and salads and got into a jar of coconut/peanut spread, that was awesome but I do miss my fruits! 2 1/2 hours of classes, 1 hour personal workout, WOW I FEEL LIKE SHIT! where did all my energy go???? Why am i so f**** sore???

DAY 4 Saturday 10/12…Still eating the SAME FREAKING THING…OMG SOMEBODY SHOOT ME…1 1/2 hour of classes, no personal workout…Are you kidding me?? I can’t move, think, walk, talk or anything else…And now start the headaches and nausea, AWESOME.

DAY 5 Sunday 10/13…Sunday fun day, not! Dizzy, headaches, light headed, tired beyond tired! Same food, different day! I would kill for an apple right now ( I love apples by the way) or I would just kill somebody because I feel like it!!!!

DAY 6 Monday 10/14…I really need to go grocery shopping! and I need to eat FATS LIKE NOW! I did have 30 grams of carbs that day for breakfast just because I was gonna die (not literally but my mind sure felt like it lol) 2 hours of classes, 2 hours of personal workout. Still tired, headaches and this nausea is killing me, probably the worst day EVER!

DAY 6 Tuesday 10/15…Am I really still doing this?????????????? WHY????? Well I could be stubborn sometimes and my 2 weeks is not up yet so yes! Same foods, same symptoms…when it this gonna get better??? At least my symptoms have been completely eliminated so that is a big plus! 2 hours of classes, 2 hour personal workout! That high intensity class just about killed me when I almost passed out 3 times!

DAY 7 Wednesday 10/16 …Another worst day ever lol! But the added fats really helped especially after I had that divine  hummus! 2 1/2 hours of classes,  2 hour personal workout (yeah that was too much)…Feel like shit and I can’t wait for this to be over!

I am writing this on Thursday and so far so good, I feel a little better today and my body seems to be adjusting itself (It’s about time…) to being in ketosis read about it here.

On the positive side:

• My digestion issues have stopped so I am on to something there
• I have lost inches in my waist and belly (yeah)
• My body looks leaner
• I only have one more week!

Summary of all this:

• I would not recommend this to anybody especially if you want to lose weight because you will lose but gain it all back after the carbs return to your diet
• I am only doing this to make myself feel better!
• There are benefits of using fats for fuel instead of carbs when you are looking to improve your fitness level and your body image read here 

I will write about it again when this it over and we will see where we stand!

Please, please consult a physician before putting yourself in restrictive diets and exercise.

Have a great day!

Ciao for now!

Why you should NOT use bleached four!

Hi guys,

Make the switch today from bleached flour to organic coconut flour, you body will thank you.

Here is why: courtesy of http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Flour

Bleached flour

“Refined flour” has had the germ and bran removed and is typically referred to as “white flour”. “Bleached flour” is any refined flour with a whitening agent added.

Bleached flour is artificially aged using a bleaching agent, a maturing agent, or both. A bleaching agent would affect only the carotenoids in the flour; a maturing agent affects glutendevelopment. A maturing agent may either strengthen or weaken gluten development.

The four most common additives used as bleaching/maturing agents in the USA at this time are:

Potassiun bromate (will be listed as an ingredient/additive) – a maturing agent that strengthens gluten development. Does not bleach.

Benzoyl peroxide – bleaches. Does not act as a maturing agent – no effect on gluten

Ascorbic acid – (Will be listed as an ingredient/additive, but seeing it in the ingredient list may not be an indication that the flour was matured using ascorbic acid but instead has had a small amount added as a dough enhancer) – Maturing agent that strengthens gluten development. Does not bleach.

Chlorine gas – both a bleaching agent and a maturing agent, but one that weakens gluten development. Chlorination also oxidizes starches in the flour, making it easier for the flour to absorb water and swell, resulting in thicker batters and stiffer doughs. The retarded gluten formation is desirable in cakes, cookies, and biscuits as it would otherwise make them tougher and bread-like. The modification of starches in the flour allows the use of wetter doughs (making for a moister end product) without destroying the structure necessary for light fluffy cakes and biscuits. Chlorinated flour allows cakes and other baked goods to set faster, rise better, the fat to be distributed more evenly, with less vulnerability to collapse.

Cake flours in particular are nearly always chlorinated. There is at least one flour labeled “unbleached cake flour blend” (marketed by King Arthur) that is not bleached, but the protein content is much higher than typical cake flour at about 9.4% protein (cake flour is usually around 6% to 8%). According to King Arthur, this flour is a blend of a more finely milled unbleached wheat flour and cornstarch, which makes a better end result than unbleached wheat flour alone (cornstarch blended with all purpose flour commonly substituted for cake flour when the latter is unavailable). The end product, however, is denser than would result from lower-protein, chlorinated cake flour.

All bleaching and maturing agents (with the possible exception of ascorbic acid) have been banned in UK.

Bromination of flour in the USA has fallen out of favor and while it is not yet actually banned anywhere, few retail flours available to the home baker are bromated anymore.

Many flours packaged specifically for commercial bakeries are still bromated. Retail bleached flours marketed to the home baker are now treated mostly with either peroxidation or chlorine gas. Current information from Pillsbury is that their bleached flours are treated both with benzoyl peroxide and chlorine gas. Gold Medal states that their bleached flour is treated either with benzoyl peroxide or chlorine gas, but there is no way to tell which process has been used when buying the flour at the grocery store.

Some other chemicals used as flour treatment agents  to modify color and baking properties include:

• chlorine dioxide (unstable to be transported in the U.S.)
• calcium peroxide
• azodicarbonamide or azobisformamide (synthetic)

• Atmospheric oxygen causes natural bleaching.

KEEP THAT STUFF FOR YOUR POOL NOT YOUR FAMILY!

So if you don’t want to eat your pool and much worse, make the switch today!

Coconut flour is low carb and gluten free so you can’t go wrong there!

Coconut flour is a little trickier to use because it doesn’t rise so you might have to only substitute half of what the recipe calls with the coconut flour but make sure to use gluten free unbleached organic flours…almond, brown rice…

Have a great day!

Ciao for now

20 minutes fat burning, calorie torching interval workout!

Hi guys,

All you need for this workout is a mat and a tabata timer set at 20 seconds work, 10 seconds rest.

All exercise will be done two 20 seconds rounds, the second being a little harder/faster or slower.

This workout is 5 rounds without breaks.

Are you ready??

ROUND 1:

• Shuffle side and drop 2 sets: Start on one side of the mat, shuffle low to the other side then drop into high plank. Second set is the set with adding high knees as you get yourself back up!
• Lateral jump over mat 2 sets: Start on one corner of the mat and jump over it with both feet from left to right. Second set get your knees higher on the jump.
• Split jump lunges 2 sets: Start on a lunge position and switch your feet with jumping in the middle. Second set, slow it down but get lower with every lunge
• Inchworm 2 sets: Start standing up, stretch down on the mat walking your hands forward until you get to perfect high plank position. Slowly get yourself back up and repeat. Second set add a push-up at the bottom of the exercise.

ROUND 2:

• Squat jumps 2 sets: Squat down and jump up keeping your abs tight, shoulders back and weight on your heels. Second set squat lower and jump higher
• Reverse lunge to forward lunge set leg 2 sets: Start with a reverse lunge than move that same leg into a forward lunge than back to reverse and so on. Keep your back ans shoulders straight and core tight. Second set, switch legs.
• Burpees 2 sets: Begin in a standing position, lower yourself to a squat and place hands on the floor in front of you. Kick your feet back into a push-up position, lower your body to a push-up then kick your feet back and stand up. Second set, perform a side plank after the push-up alternating sides with each burpee.
• Push-ups 2 sets: Make sure to keep your core tight and back straight! Do as many as you can do. Second set is the same

ROUND 3:

• Skater hops 2 sets: Stand with your feet shoulder width apart, bend your knees to lower your body 8-10 inches and lean forward until your shoulders are positioned above your knees then start hopping sideways about 2 feet and landing on your right foot, then hop sideways back onto your left foot and repeat for 20 seconds. Second set, get lower and reach down with your hand to touch ground
• Plank jacks 2 sets: Begin in plank position, with your shoulders over your wrists, your body in one straight line, and your feet together.Jump your legs wide and then back together. Second set, pick up the pace!
• Mountain climbers 2 sets: Start in high plank position, bring your right knee toward your right elbow and back. Now do the same on the left side. Keep going as fast as you can. Second set, bring the right knee towards the left elbow engaging your core more even more! Now left knee to right elbow.
• 2 Jumping jacks/ 2 bent over jumping jacks 2 sets : Perform 2 regular jumping jacks then bend over for the next 2 jumping jacks bringing your hands right in front of you instead of overhead. Repeat for second set.

ROUND 4:

• 3 low squats then drop into high plank 2 sets: Make sure to get low on your 3 squats. Second set add small jumps to the squats.
• Plank around your mat 2 sets: Get into high plank and using your whole body, travel right to left. Keep you core engaged and a straight back. Repeat for second set
• Jump over mat on one leg and low shuffle: Jump forward on one leg from side to side. Once a the top of the mat, jump backwards. Second set get your knees higher.
• Squats in and out 2 sets:  Jump into low squat position then jump back getting your feet together. Second set, get lower and touch ground with your hands

ROUND 5:

• High plank to side plank and hip dips 2 sets: Get yourself from a plank to one side. Once perfectly balanced on the side plank, lower your hips then back up. Second set change sides.
• Scissor kicks 2 sets: Lying on your back with your shoulders off the mats, raise your legs and perform scissor like leg movements from side to side. Keep your core fully engaged. Second set add a crunch at the top of the movement.
• High plank to elbow plank: Start in high plank position and bring yourself to your elbows then back to your hands. Keep hip rotation to a minimum. Keep  a straight back, core engaged. Second set the same.
• Hols V- sit position: Get yourself into a V shape position with your hands to your side, feet of the ground, core engaged, shoulders back and back perfectly straight. Hold for the 20 seconds. Second set, move your arms up and down.

You are done, amazing job!

Ciao for now

Not losing weight???

Hi guys,

Most of the time when you’re having trouble losing weight, it’s not because you aren’t making good food choices but because you are not eating enough calories.

When most people start living a healthy lifestyle to lose weight , they slash their calories and add a large amount of exercise to their routine.

That’s fine, but they usually cut their calories too low….Add in the extra exercise, and  you have an extreme calorie deficit that is working against you!

Not eating enough calories causes many drastic metabolic changes.

Your body is a smart machine and senses the  decrease in dietary energy. Your large calorie deficit might work for a few  weeks, but eventually your body will wake up and sound alarms that it needs to CONSERVE the available energy.

It doesn’t want to just waste away because it needs that energy (fat) to survive.

So, what does your body do when it senses prolonged energy restriction by not eating enough calories??

• Slows down thyroid production: Your thyroid is responsible for fat, carbohydrate, and protein metabolism. Your body has the ability to slow down thyroid output in an effort to maintain energy balance.
• Decreases muscle mass – Muscle is highly calorie intensive to maintain. In a prolonged calorie deficit, it is one of the first things that your body looks to get rid of. Your body needs the fat and wants the fat, and  muscle can and will be spared. It breaks down the muscle tissue and uses it for energy instead of using the fat! (exactly what you don’t want)
• Lowers testosterone levels – An very important hormone for both men and women, testosterone is  one of many hormones that are affected with severe calorie restriction. Without it, it becomes very hard to maintain muscle tissue and  put on muscle mass.
• Decreases leptin levels – Leptin is one of the energy regulating hormones. It is  a “hunger” hormone that tells you whether to eat or not. High leptin levels signal that it’s OK to stop eating, while low leptin levels signal to eat more energy. Because of this, leptin levels decrease in calorie restricted environments.
• Decreases energy levels – There are many physical actions your body takes when you’re not eating enough calories, but there are also some mental ones. Neurotransmitter production becomes limited and it can lead to a lack of motivation. It’s your body’s way of telling you to “slow down” – conserve your energy.

Bottom line, you need to be mindful of your eating habits and get into the mind set of fueling your body for energy.

Not eating enough and exercising like an insane person is not the answer to a healthier you!

Eat with the purpose of fueling yourself in order to get a great workout in and lose all the weight that you want!

Find out here how many calories you need to eat per day!

Ciao for now!

For you moms out there!

Hi guys,

Your life is hectic right??

Getting the kids up and ready for school while you are getting ready to, going to work all day, pick up the kids from school, drive them to their activities, come home, get dinner ready, get them ready for bed and back at it the next day.

You do all that because you love your family and your kids are everything to you and that is awesome.

But if they are your whole lie, why are poisoning them?

If you feed them pre packaged lunchables you are killing them slowly but surely!

Look at the ingredients from this lunch combination:

Very very long list of ingredient!

If you read the writing in blue at the top “Made with Kraft American Cheese” and in small writing underneath that, it says “pasteurized prepared cheese product.”  It’s not even cheese, but cheese product!

The cookie has 22 ingredients!!!!!!

Some nasty ones are: high fructose corn syrup, artificial flavor, processed sugar, canola and/or soybean oil, and soy lecithin.

The turkey has some nasty ingredients in it as well.

First carrageenan, which may be linked to cancer.

Next sodium nitrate which can raise your risk for heart disease.

Further smoke flavor and natural and artificial flavor.

Moving on to the so called cheese, which is not actually cheese, but cheese product. 14 ingredients and more sodium nitrate just in case your kids didn’t get enough with the turkey!

The crackers contain trans fats in the form of partially hydrogenated cottonseed oil, soybean oil, sugar and more natural flavor!

One more thing, lunchables are made by Kraft who spent a lot of money to make sure GMO labeling did not pass.  Probably because they really don’t want you to know the junk they put in their food!

Moral of the story, make your own.

It might take you 10 extra minute in the morning or at night but your kids will definitely live a lot longer!

Here is a great post on how to make healthy lunchables for your family!

Ciao for now!

Skinny body, fat mind, true story

Hi guys,

 

As I sit here finishing my jar of all natural (thank god) almond butter, after a long battle with my own mind to not eat it, I am trying to figure out what the hell is wrong with me those days?

Is it because i just came back from vacation? is it because of of our good friends has been diagnosed with a very aggressive breast cancer? 

I have everything I need in life…A job I love (fitness instructor is very rewarding), a wonderful wife (yep I’ma lesbian shocking lol), a beautiful house, awesome friends…You name it I have it.

So what is missing in my life? What the hell is wrong with me??

Well the older I get, almost 40 yikes, the more I realize that how you grow up shapes up your entire life.

It is definitely not a big revelation but it explains a lot about who I became today and why I struggle. 

I was raised in France by normal parents in a normal house with sorta normal siblings…well as it turns out not so normal as my sister is still attached to my mother’s hip at almost 50 and I haven’t talk to my brother in about 10 years but that is not the story.

We grew up kind of fat…and we never talked about it or any other feelings for that matter!

My father was like…”eat more, what the hell is wrong with you, you only had 14 pieces of chicken??” and always told us that an overweight woman was sign of a great woman…Well thanks dad lol

My sister was overweight and is still struggling to this day to and so is my mother.

As for me, from the outside looking in, I have it all like I said before..not bad looking, nice body and a hot wife!

So why am I complaining, I bet you want to know..well I am not complaining  but more trying to make sense of things in order to help others figure out their shit faster.

When you grow up overweight, you are teased because kids are cruel.

When you grow up overweight, you eat your feelings away because you feel ugly, unworthy and unwanted.

When you grow up overweight, you WILL spend your whole life struggling with the feelings that make you eat.

When you grow up overweight, you WILL BE ADDICTED TO FOOD for probably the rest of your life.

So how do we do this, how do learn from all this stuff, how do we grow?

Let’s back up the story a little so we can make sense of this:

I moved to the USA 14 years ago with big dreams, an extra 10 lbs, 2 suitcases and never a day in the gym.

I already kind of knew that men were not for me but I could not figure out why…Was it because they want you to eat 14 pieces of chicken lol? 

Anyway, this was my first sign of a brewing storm as I had to come to terms of being a lesbian ( and peeps there is no cure, it is not a disease) and all the shit that comes with it…no kids, no marriage, acceptance (big one), self acceptance (even bigger one), discrimination (yes still to this day!) and much more!

After many, many, too many failed relationships I finally met the love of my life and it has been smooth sailing since then, thank god!

But by then, after our first year together, I got so comfortable that I went from a size 4 to a size 12…HORRIFYING! 

I had never really thought about self worth and self love until I hit that point and I realized that:

I was ugly

I was obviously fat

I was a total failure

I was not worth all the love she had for me

I was never really looking at myself in the mirror

Sounds familiar??

Way to feel like shit hein?? I could not figure out what it was but I knew that there was something better out there… 

I began dieting, whatever big farce that was..Monday: No breakfast, lettuce for lunch, no dinner…Tuesday: No breakfast, lettuce for lunch and coffee for dinner…Wednesday: OMG I am gonna kill somebody, fuck that diet I will stay fat, ugly and uncomfortable for the rest of my life but holy molly was that jar of peanut butter good!

What a joke! This was my life for years on top of working 60-80 hours managing a crazy busy restaurant.

Anyway, my totally absent self confidence took a good beating on this one and continued hiding my feelings behind a fat smile, a drink, a cigarette and big XLARGE t-shirt.

I took years for me to figure out what I should be doing to save my own life.

I had wings under my arms, many years of high cholesterol and high blood pressure and a collection of size 12 pants that were on the brink on explosion under the pressure of my fat ass.

So, one day, a miracle happened…I started something (well that has happened before) that I promised myself I would not give up on (again…) until I had reach a goal.

I went and took a zumba class which I fell in love with right away and somehow I never looked back from that point.

I lost the weight, started a healthy lifestyle and became a fitness instructor.

Wow, what a ride it has been…Losing the weight was so liberating, I felt so free, so awesome, so accepted.

But let’s not be fooled people, believe it or not, that is the easy part for us overweight people addicted to food!

The real struggle is first to maintain the weight loss and second to train your mind to think and live like a skinny person.

I am always, or still I should say

• counting my calories
• reading the nutrition labels
• exercising like an insane person that needs to lose 100 pounds

And  I still can’t

• look at myself in the mirror and say “wow you look good today”
• focus on anything else that all my 250 flaws
• see my body as a skinny body as in my mind I still look like I did before I lost the weight.

SAD hein…well NO because every day is a struggle but every day is better than the one before as I learn to deal with the emotions that make me sit in front if the pantry and think that I could eat it all and not even worry about it, I learn to deal with self image by looking at myself and taking pictures of my imperfect body parts to show the whole world…OH NOOOO, I learn to be better and believe in myself by talking to myself up every morning and every night!

I get better by helping others achieve goals, milestones, and much more!

Every day I get stronger, smarter, funnier, sexier, hotter but on days like today I just feel like I can help you deal with all the emotional baggage that comes with being raised overweight.

Have a great day, I feel better already thank you!

 

Ciao for now!

 

Weekly goal crushing!

Hi guys,

Join us, invite your friends and family!
Let’s get healthier together…one simple goal per week!

https://www.facebook.com/events/778455702201384/

Ciao for now!

Mango smoothie

Hi guys,

 

I had mangoes from a friend’s tree and I could not eat them all I decided to make a frozen drink.

First peel 4 mangoes (duh) and diced them into a blender and add 1 tbsp of whey protein, 1 tbsp of organic brown sugar and 1 tbsp of organic coconut flour.

Squeeze one fresh lemon

 

4 cups of water

1/2 cup of chia seeds

voila leave in the fridge at least 6 hours then freeze

 

This is not a low calorie food!

 

Enjoy

Ciao for now!