Incredible as it may seem, Water is quite possibly the single most important catalyst in losing weight and keeping it off. Although most of us take it for granted, water may be the only true “magic potion” for permanent weight loss.

Why Water?

Water suppresses the appetite naturally and helps the body metabolize stored fat. Studies have shown that a decrease in water intake will cause fat deposits to increase, but an increase in water intake can actually reduce fat deposits.

Ways Water Helps the Body

Drinking enough water is the best treatment for fluid retention. When the body gets less water, it perceives this as a threat to survival and begins to hold on to every drop. Water is stored in extracellular spaces (outside the cell). This shows up externally as swollen feet, legs, and hands. The best way to overcome the problem of water retention is to give your body what it needs–plenty of water. Only then will stored water be released.

Water helps to maintain proper muscle tone by giving muscles their natural ability to contract and by preventing dehydration. It also helps to prevent the sagging skin that usually follows weight loss—shrinking cells are buoyed by water, which plumps the skin and leaves it clear, healthy and resilient.

Quick Facts About Water

•    The body will not function properly without enough water and can’t metabolize stored       fat efficiently.
•    Retained water show up as excess weight.
•    To get rid of excess water you must drink more water.
•    Drinking water is essential to weight loss.

How much water is enough?

On average, a person should eight 8-ounce glasses everyday; that is about two quarts. The amount you drink should be increased if you exercise briskly or if the weather is hot and dry. When the body gets the water it needs to function optimally, its’ fluids are perfectly balanced. When this happens, you have reached the “breakthrough point”.

So what does that mean?

•    Endocrine gland function improves.
•    Fluid retention is alleviated as stored water is lost.
•    More fat is used as fuel because the liver is free to metabolize stored fat.
•    Natural thirst returns.
•    There is a loss of hunger almost overnight.

Note: If you stop drinking enough water, your body fluids will be thrown out of balance again, and you may experience fluid retention, unexplained weight gain, and loss of thirst. To remedy the situation you’ll have to go back and force another breakthrough.
Looking to start eating healthier?

Check out YPB Training Studio’s sample weekly menu for a great start to reach

“YOUR PERSONAL BEST”!

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Most Important Meal of the Day

Most people complain that breakfast is one the hardest meals to eat in a day. However, your mother was right: it is one of the most important meals.

Not only does a balanced breakfast give you energy for the rest of the day, but it helps you eat less and feel less hungry as the day goes on. It’ll prevent you from digging into the cookie jar when you get home from work, and will allow you to have a great workout at noon.

But, since time is usually an issue for most people, here are 5 of our favorite quick breakfast meals that you can make in a snap:

1) High-Fiber Protein Pancake: Most people think of butter and syrup when they picture a pancake, but this is different. Instead, mix up the following ingredients and cook them the night before so you have this healthy pancake in the morning. Just warm quickly on the stove or toaster oven and top with your favorite nut butter:

Ingredients:

•    1/2 Cup Egg Whites

•    1 scoop Vanilla Pro Power Whey Protein powder

•    1/3 Cup dry Old-fashioned Oatmeal

•    1 tsp Ground Flax Seeds

•    1/8 tsp. Baking Powder

•    Sprinkle of Cinnamon

•    Olive Oil cooking spray

Directions:

Spray a nonstick pan with cooking spray and place on medium heat to preheat pan.  Meanwhile, combine the egg whites and protein powder in a mixing bowl, stirring with a fork or whisk until well-blended.  Add oatmeal, flax, baking powder and cinnamon and mix vigorously for about a minute.  Check pan’s temperature by dropping a tiny amount of water on it.  If the water bubbles/sizzles immediately, the pan is ready.  Using a large spoon or small ladle, spoon a small amount of the batter into the pan, gently spreading it to a pancake shape if it’s too thick to do this on its own.  Cook on one side until bubbles begin to appear and burst on the top of the batter.  Using a spatula, carefully flip over and cook for roughly the same amount of time. Repeat until batter is gone. Serves 1.

2)    Scrambled Eggs with Avocado and Salsa: Scrambled eggs really aren’t that hard or time-consuming to make. People think you have to mix the eggs ahead of time, but you can just quickly stir them a few times while cooking and they’ll become scrambled – Amazing! We like mixing two Omega-3 Eggs with ½ cup Egg Whites and adding Spinach. Then, top with slivers of avocado and fresh salsa. It’s a quick breakfast fit for a king (or queen).

3)    Whey Protein Smoothie: When you’re in a rush you can make this smoothie the night before, or quickly in the morning. The key thing is to use a single-serve blender unit, like a Magic Bullet, so you don’t have to worry about cleaning a huge, messy blender when you’re done. We like to combine the following: 1 Cup Mootopia Skim Milk, 1 scoop Pro Power Vanilla Protein Powder, 1 Tbsp Ground Flax, 1/3 Cup frozen unsweetened Mixed Berries, ½ Cup raw Spinach (the spinach adds a neat green color to the smoothie, but it still tastes awesome! Try it!), and 1 Tbsp Natural Peanut Butter.

4)    High-Protein Cereal: Face it, people love cereal because it’s easy to eat and can be healthy. But, most brands are covered with sugar and full of junk. Also, with just milk, it doesn’t really pack much metabolism-boosting protein. So, instead, try this with your normal breakfast bowl: Mix one scoop of Vanilla Pro Power Protein Powder with water or Mootopia skm milk and pour that over a bowl of your favorite low-sugar breakfast cereal; some of our favorites are Uncle Sam, Bran Flakes (add your own raisins to make it Raisin Bran), Cheerios, Puffed Rice, and Shredded Wheat.

5) Nutty, Berry, Greek Yogurt: Most people think of yogurt as just a snack item, but it can be a great breakfast food too. However, like cereal, some yogurt is really like dessert, instead of a health food. So, skip all that sugar found in most yogurts and try this: Mix 6 ounces of 2% plain Greek yogurt with 2 Tbsp of slivered almonds, 1 tsp ground flax seeds and 1/3 cup frozen, thawed, unsweetened berries.

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What is so Smart about SMART Goals?

By Marcia Keener, ACSM Wellness Coach

S          Specific

M        Measurable

A         Action oriented

R         Reasonable

T         Time line

In my last post, I talked about the need to develop the confidence that will help to sustain a behavior change. I introduced the notion of the SMART goal as one method I use with my clients to assist in building confidence in his/her ability to change behavior.  Often clients will jump into a new exercise and/or nutrition program with great enthusiasm, attempting to make significant changes in a short time. While this process may work for some, and even most of us in the short term, it rarely results in long term, sustainable lifestyle changes. SMART goals allow my clients to integrate change into their lives in steps, which allow for greater opportunity for success.

What does a SMART goal look like exactly?

Some would say that a goal stating “I will lose 25 lbs in three weeks” would qualify. It is Specific – 25 lb weight loss. Also Measurable – 25 lbs. It is also Time lined – 3 weeks. However, our goal falls short at this point.

A three week time frame for losing 25 lbs is not Reasonable nor is it Action oriented. This is a goal which would be difficult to reach and would not likely bring success, which builds confidence.   A SMART goal would be: “I will do resistance training with Terry/Melanie two times per week for one hour on M/W from 9:30 am to 10:30 am.” This goal is very Specific. It is Measurable. Action oriented, rather than results oriented. It is also Reasonable and has a very specific Time line.  Paired with a nutrition goal to support this training, the result would be fat loss/muscle gain. Smart?! Yes.

As the current goals are met each week, new goals are established which build on success and establish growing levels of challenge. Contact me to assist you in creating your SMART goals which will support you on your wellness/fitness journey.

My picky husband who doesn’t usually like casseroles or anything that might constitute “soggy bread” REALLY liked this recipe and so I share it with YOU!

Healthy Shepherd’s Pie Recipe

Adding a sweet potato to the traditional mashed potato topping turns up the volume in this classic English dish, which features lean ground beef, beef stew sauce mix, dried thyme and tomato paste.

* Active Time: 15 minutes
* Total Time: 45 minutes

Recipe Ingredients

• 4 servings of instant mashed potato flakes
• 1 medium sweet potato (10 to 12 oz.), peeled and diced
• 1⁄4 tsp. pepper
• 1 1⁄4 lb. lean ground beef
• one medium onion, chopped
• 1 tsp. dried thyme leaves
• one envelope (1.25 oz.) Beef Stew sauce mix (we used McCormick)
• 3 Tbsp. tomato paste
• 1 1⁄2 cups water
• 1 bag (16 to 20 oz.) frozen mixed vegetables (4 cups)

Recipe Preparation

1. To start, heat oven to 400ºF. Prepare instant potatoes for 4 servings as package directs, adding diced sweet potatoes to water. Following, bring to a boil and simmer, covered, 5 minutes or until sweet potatoes are soft and then remove from heat (do not drain). Afterward, mash sweet potatoes in saucepan, then continue as package directs. Stir in pepper.

2. Meanwhile, cook ground beef and onion in a large skillet over medium-high heat, stirring, 5 minutes or until beef is no longer pink.

3. Next, stir in thyme, sauce mix, tomato paste and water until well mixed. Then bring to a boil, stir in frozen vegetables and remove skillet from heat.

4. Lastly, Spoon meat and vegetable mixture into a 2-qt shallow baking dish. Then spread mashed potatoes on top to within 1” from edges of dish.

5. Finally, bake, uncovered, 20 minutes or until mixture is bubbly and heated through. If desired, place the casserole under broiler until the potatoes are slightly browned.

Nutrition Facts:                     Yield 8 servings
Amount Per Serving

Calories 267

Total Fat 7g
Saturated Fat 3g
Cholesterol 46mg
Sodium 305mg
Total Carbohydrates 30g
Dietary Fiber 4g
Protein 18g

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Boat Pose for Balance Step by Step

• Sit on the floor with your legs straight in front of you. Press your hands on the floor a little behind your hips, fingers pointing toward the feet, and strengthen the arms. Lift through the top of the sternum and lean back slightly. As you do this make sure your back doesn’t round; continue to lengthen the front of your torso between the pubis and top sternum. Sit on the “tripod” of your two sitting bones and tailbone.
• Exhale and bend your knees, then lift your feet off the floor, so that the thighs are angled about 45-50 degrees relative to the floor. Lengthen your tailbone into the floor and lift your pubis toward your navel. If possible, lift your shins parallel to the floor.
• Stretch your arms alongside the legs, parallel to each other and the floor. Spread the shoulder blades across your back and reach strongly out through the fingers. If this isn’t possible, keep the hands on the floor beside your hips or hold on to the backs of your thighs.
• While the lower belly should be firm, it shouldn’t get hard and thick. Try to keep the lower belly relatively flat. Press the heads of the thigh bones toward the floor to help anchor the pose and lift the top sternum. Breathe easily. Tip the chin slightly toward the sternum so the base of the skull lifts lightly away from the back of the neck.
• At first stay in the pose for 10-20 seconds. Gradually increase the time of your stay to 1 minute. Release the legs with an exhalation and sit upright on an inhalation.

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