A typical Thanksgiving dinner has 4000 calories!
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  1. A typical Thanksgiving dinner has 4000 calories!

    A typical Thanksgiving dinner has 4000- 4,575 calories. Ouch. But it’s OK because it’s only once a year, right? Want to know how long it will take you to burn that off? Well, volunteering for dish duty or organizing a game of touch football isn’t going to do it — you’d have to run for seven hours, do 20 hours of yoga or lift weights for 10 hours.

    Walking burns just under 8 calories a minute, If you weigh 160 #’s and start walking at 7p.m., you will burn the last of your Thanksgiving related calories just before sunrise, about 5 a.m., just in time to say good-bye to the in-laws. ***Another related article suggested 17 miles.

    Conquer the tryptophan: Tryptophan in turkey makes you tired, so going for a walk after dinner is a great way to not only to keep you off the couch, but help you digest.

    Skip the leftovers: Thanksgiving dinner is a one-meal deal. Don’t take leftovers home (unless they are healthy ones). If they’re not at your house, you won’t eat them. If Thanksgiving is at your house, pawn the leftovers off on everybody else.

    Enjoy: I’m all about being realistic, not deprivation … eat in moderation. Enjoy the holiday and take time to reflect on all that you are thankful for.  Look around and realize how blessed your life is.  In the end, a pound here or there isn’t the end of the world.  There are so many more important things in life than obsessing over the scale.  Realize you MAY gain a pound, but you’ll get right back on your clean eating plan and take it off ASAP.

    Work hard: Get ready to work off some of those calories on Friday after Thanksgiving, and then really hit the workouts hard on Monday as you enter December and all of those holiday parties.  The time is now to get in shape because I know you don’t want to make the same old resolution this year as you did last year…to lose 10 pounds, right?

    6 oz. mulled wine156Swimming laps moderately for 20 minutes will burn 158 calories.
    3.5 oz. white turkey meat15620 minutes of football burns 158 calories.
    3.5 oz. dark turkey meat186Sneak away for a 20-minute jog and burn 197 calories.
    1/2 cup mashed potatoes150Burn 158 calories by walking briskly for 40 minutes.
    1/2 cup gravy15044 minutes of cleaning burns 152 calories.
    1 small baked sweet potato54Stretching for 15 minutes burns 59 calories.
    1/2 cup stuffing180A 23-minute bike ride at a moderate pace will burn 181 calories.
    1 slice apple pie with 1/2 cup ice cream555Hiking for an hour and 35 minutes will burn off 561 dessert calories.
    1 slice pumpkin pie180Take the family bowling for an hour and burn 180 calories.

    Weight is determined mostly by the balance of calories – how many you burn vs. how many you eat each day. To lose weight, you need to increase your activity to burn more and/or eat fewer calories each day.

    Calories and Weight

    A pound of fat equals 3500 calories. To lose 1 pound a week you will need to expend 3500 more calories than you eat that week, whether through increased activity or decreased eating or both. Losing 1-2 pounds of fat a week is a sensible goal, and so you will want to use the combination of increased activity and eating less that will total 3500 calories for 7 days.

    How You Burn Calories

    Your weight x distance = energy used walking. Time does not matter as much as distance. If you speed up to walking a mile in 13 minutes or less, you will be burning more calories per mile. But for most beginning walkers, it is best to increase the distance before working on speed. A simple rule of thumb is 100 calories per mile for a 180 pound person.

    Calories burned per mile by walking

    Speed/Pounds

    100 lb

    120 lb

    140 lb

    160 lb

    180 lb

    200 lb

    220 lb

    250 lb

    275 lb

    300 lb

    2.0mph

    57

    68

    80

    91

    102

    114

    125

    142

    156

    170

    2.5mph

    55

    65

    76

    87

    98

    109

    120

    136

    150

    164

    3.0mph

    53

    64

    74

    85

    95

    106

    117

    133

    146

    159

    3.5mph

    52

    62

    73

    83

    94

    104

    114

    130

    143

    156

    4.0mph

    57

    68

    80

    91

    102

    114

    125

    142

    156

    170

    4.5mph

    64

    76

    89

    102

    115

    127

    140

    159

    175

    191

    5.0mph

    73

    87

    102

    116

    131

    145

    160

    182

    200

    218

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  2. Nutrition Packed Meal Replacement Jello

    4 servings

    1 packet Sugar Free Jello, your favorite flavor
    2 cups low-fat or no-fat cottage cheese
    1 serving of vanilla protein powder
    1 can or about 2 servings of fresh fruit

    Blend cottage cheese and protein powder together in the blender. While it blends, boil one cup of water and if your fruit is canned, drain and run under water to rinse off excess sugars. Divide fruit between 4 containers (I use glad throwaway containers, they are just the right size).

    When water boils, add it to the jello and dissolve. Slowly add the jello to cottage cheese/ protein powder mixture and let the blender run for about a minute.

    Pour the cottage cheese mixture evenly between the 4 containers.

    Chill for 4 more hours. Add a dollop of Redi-whip tothe top and enjoy (real whipped cream, come on its only 20 calories, 2g fat, less than 1 carb).

    It’s so so so good and I can’t even explain it. It’s like mousse with little bits of nirvana in it. I do this with:

    • Orange Jello & mandarin orange slices
    • Lime Jello & crushed pineapple
    • Strawberry Jello & peaches
    • Cranberry Jello & fresh raspberries

    For a real treat add 2/3 cups of strawberries to the cottage cheese mixture along with the jello and pour over fresh strawberries.

    Nutritional Breakdown:

    • About 160 calories
    • 16g carbs
    • 16g protein
    • 3g fat

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  3. 10 Ways To Burn Off Holiday Calories

     

    The holiday season can cause many of us to eat a little too much, or to miss a few too many workouts.  Here are some great solutions and simple tips on how to burn off some of those celebratory calories.  Whether it be travelling, parties, cooking or company-we CAN burn them off.

     

     

     

    1. Do Your Home Work

    The scenario: A festive cookie exchange at the office causes you to miss your training session,  company’s coming tonight, and the house is a mess.

    Lucky you! Housework is the best way to fit in a workout without even knowing it. Scrubbing, sweeping, vacuuming … they all burn calories.

    Even cooking fires up the calorie furnace, especially if you’re moving around the kitchen. So put on perky music and boogie down while you bake.

    2. Shop Until You Drop — Pounds!

    Use shopping as exercise, too.  The best thing about going to the mall is all the walking. That translates into a calorie burn.  To maximize that burn, carry your own holiday packages, unloading them after every stop.  If you’re going to buy something at 10 different shops, go out to your car between each store.  To encourage yourself to make those multiple trips to the parking lot or to take the mall stairs instead of elevators.  Try wearing a pedometer.  A pedometer really encourages you to … get moving!   You have to go shopping, so you might as well get a workout as you’re doing it!

    Keep your pace brisk and you can burn 250-300 calories an hour.

    3. Get on the Ball

    When it’s too cold to be outside, get bouncy inside — and strengthen your core muscles — with exercise balls.  Exercise balls, also known as fitness balls and balance balls, are large vinyl balls in various diameters ranging from 18 inches to 3 feet.

    Your workout with an exercise ball can be as easy — and fun — as sitting on the ball and bouncing lightly to gently work your core muscles (the muscles surrounding your trunk and pelvis). A ball workout can also be pulse-pounding, if you use your ball as a prop for crunches, pushups, leg lifts, or squats.

    Too pooped to prop? You can even burn a few calories simply sitting on the ball and working to maintain your balance.

    4. Walking Is a Winner

    For most of us, walking is the easiest way to burn a few extra calories during busy times.

    The trick (after a good warm-up) is to keep your pace strong.  Try power walking, high-stepping, or climbing stadium stairs. Such activities fire up major muscle groups like the quads and gluteals.

    Recruiting more muscle fibers during a workout is like stoking a fire … the embers burn for a longer period.  That means even when you’re lounging by the fire later, you’ll still be burning away extra calories.  If you keep up a moderate walking pace, expect to burn 250-300 calories hourly.

    5. Do a Good Deed

    Combine a few of our calorie-burning tips — shopping, cooking, walking — and do a good deed in the process.

    You can gently increase holiday season activity by making goodies for your neighbors, then taking a brisk stroll around the neighborhood to drop off your homemade gifts.

    Or burn up to700 calories an hour participating in a holiday fund-raising race, or the Portland Sunset Challenge Walk/Run in December.

    Locate all kinds of races near you at www.coolrunning.com. Good deeds and a good body — what a gift!

    6. Travel Your Way Trim

    When the temptations at home are just too great, escape them by getting away for the holidays.  Get away for a ski trip, go ice-skating — go do the things you’re always wanting to do anyway.  Even getting from here to there provides opportunities to burn calories.  If you have to travel, be sure to wheel your own bags, only take what you can carry on, and lift the bags yourself.  And don’t forget to walk, walk, walk. Walk between terminals, take the stairs, stroll between gates while you wait. Even if you’re on the moving walkway – walk!

    7. Sit Tight and Work Out

    Every holiday includes downtime when family or friends gather around the television for a parade, a game, or a favorite old movie. Why not use that time to burn a few calories?

    Instead of sitting with your full butt on the couch, get to the end of your seat and bend your legs up off the floor, hands on the seat to give you balance, and do crunches.

    Get your triceps trim by doing dips off the edge of the couch (or airport seat), firming your thighs with seated leg lifts, and building biceps by grabbing a water bottle and doing curls.

    8. Maximize Motivation With More People

    Keep your motivation at a peak.  Attend a group fitness class, such as one of our Group Training classes at Your Personal Best or one of our fun Semi groups.   Being in a group can really help motivate you.

    A bonus: Workouts with loved ones not only keep everyone’s calorie counts in check, but exercising together can help build stronger relationships, too.

    9.  Play Outdoors:

    Want something more free-form? If you are fortunate enough to go somewhere for the holidays that has snow get a group of friends and family to join you outside for an hour of making snow angels, sledding, searching for the last colorful leaves, hiking, or ice-skating.

    10 . Here’s a bonus holiday fitness tip:

    Just set a goal. Having a specific objective is a great way to motivate.  Share your plan and goals with your primary care doctor.  Set goals for how many workouts you want to get in during the week.  Even if it’s fewer than you usually do during the rest of the year, be sure to reward yourself for meeting your objectives.

    So How Much Exercise Do You Need?

    Instead of tackling a weight loss regimen over the holidays, most experts suggest you simply aim for maintenance.

    To stay in a steady weight state, get 30 minutes of moderate activity daily.  You can rack up that 30 minutes throughout the day.   Go for a 10-minute walk in the morning, play actively with your kids in the afternoon, then walk the dog before dinner, and you’re there.

    With the holiday hustle and bustle upon us, remember that staying fit during this time is not as hard as you may think.  You don’t have to suffer to get fit, just get up and move!

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  4. EFL Pumpkin Cheesecake


    This pumpkin cheesecake pie really curbs a sweet tooth for me. It’s easy to make and will keep well in the refrigerator for the better part of a week. I mostly eat it as a meal replacement in the mid afternoon when my cravings are the greatest.

    Servings:  8

    Directions:

    1. Preheat oven to 400f degrees
    2. In large bowl combine ricotta cheese, pumpkin, maple syrup, splenda, pumpkin pie spice, vanilla, and protein powder. mix well.
    3. Pour mixture into pie shell and smooth out with spoon or spatula.
    4. Bake for 40 minutes until filling is set.
    5. Let cool for 15 minutes. Refrigerate for a least 2 hours before serving.
    6. Serve with a tbsp of the cool whip and enjoy

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  5. What is Well Coaching?

    Well Coaching is a partnership that helps clients produce fulfilling results in their personal and professional lives. The coach and client work together to develop a program that fits the client’s needs, values and visions while helping them overcome barriers that prevent them from reaching their goals.

    A Well Coach is someone who helps you become self motivated, provides unconditional support, identifies your strengths and helps you build upon them. You are assisted to find strategies to deal with your unique challenges and guided to discover creative solutions to achieve the results you want.

    Marcia Keener, our certified Well Coach at Your Personal Best can assist you in reaching your health and fitness goals.  Below are some testimonials from some of our clients that have found great success in utilizing these Well Coach services.

     

    Marcia is such a great fresh of breath air that she allows you to step back and reassess your situation. She has a great way of helping you reflect on your goals and figure structure into your life. I really feel like she is a “life coach” and I think her background lends itself that I would ask for her advice with other decision making situations.

    ~ Sandra Allison

     

    Marcia helped me by coaching me to eat more (6) and smaller meals.  Rethinking the meals and snacks I eat on the road, which are a lot.

     

    ~ Gary Kuusisto

     Marcia and I met this past Saturday, had a wonderful meeting. She is such a nice person, and I felt really comfortable talking with her. She already has my goals lined out that we discussed and I am starting work on that this week!

    Moving along and feeling great. Thanks for your help 🙂

    ~Kimberly Matzke

     

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  6. TRX Exercises

    TRX Crunch/Mountain Climber

     

    Kneel facing away from anchor point, feet in foot cradles, hands aligned beneath shoulders. Lift knees off ground and come into plank position. Raising hips slightly, bring knees toward chest. Maintain body alignment as you return to fully extended start position. For mountain climber variation, alternate legs while maintaining equal pressure through both foot cradles. Modifications: Perform from forearms to increase stability of exercise. Once perfect form is maintained, increase speed of concentric and/or eccentric actions.

    TRX Kneeling Oblique Roll-Out

    Kneel facing away from anchor, hands on handles, body upright. Turn lower body to “10 o’clock” or “2 o’clock” position; upper body faces front. Slowly drive arms up and lean forward from knees, keeping core engaged. Do not roll out so far that you put unnecessary stress on shoulders or break alignment at hip—keep work in core. Return to start position, maintaining body alignment.

    Modifications: Face front to target rectus abdominis, or stand to increase challenge. As you progress, increase range of motion, and experiment with speed.

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  7. Why Is It So Hard To Lose Weight?

    There are many factors that contribute to our weight gain.  Most, we already know.  But it’s not always just finding the time to exercise or choosing the right foods.  It’s about commitment.  A genuine commitment to make healthy choices every day, regardless of what is going on in our lives or how we’re “feeling” one day to the next.  If you are not serious about making the necessary changes, all the diet plans and good intentions won’t take you far, at least not for long.  So how can you get yourself on track and stay the course for the long haul?  Begin by looking at the following:

    1. Your Attitude. If you’re only on a health kick to lose weight or look a certain way, it will be hard to lose weight permanently. Why? Because, what happens if you don’t see results quickly enough? You give up. Weight loss is a great goal, but unless you have something else to motivate you, what’s to keep you going if the scale doesn’t budge? It takes time to lose weight–how will you motivate yourself in the meantime? Find more reasons to be healthy–having more energy, dealing with health problems or wanting to live longer to be around for your kids. Those are some darned good reasons, if you ask me.

    2. Your Workouts. If you don’t work out consistently enough, it’s hard to lose weight. Yes, it’s possible to lose weight through diet alone, but you’ll likely hit a plateau. You don’t need to spend hours in the gym, you only need to set up a reasonable workout schedule that you can follow each week. It’s not about killing yourself with workouts–it’s about finding something you like and that you’ll continue with for the rest of your life. You have to be willing to be more active on a regular basis–not just for a week here and there. Exercise also supports self-control. That is, people who exercise have greater control over what they eat. They also have more control over sticking with their exercise program. Successful exercisers are able to make exercise a habit, and not a choice. Having one less decision to make bolsters their mental resources so they can cope better overall.

    3. Your Eating. Changing the way you eat is another thing you’re going to have to do for long-lasting weight loss. You need to be willing to replace unhealthy foods with healthier choices–every single day. This might mean:

    • Keeping a food journal
    • Spending more time in the grocery store reading food labels
    • Spending more time preparing meals
    • Saying no to extra portions
    • Making conscious choices about what you put in your mouth.

    For permanent weight loss, you need to pay attention to what you eat and make good choices more often than not. Maybe a structured diet eventually ends, but healthy eating never stops…there will never be a time when you’re done eating healthy. You might feel you’re sacrificing the good stuff (pizza, fast food, etc.) and your life won’t be fun if you can’t have those foods. Guess what? You can still have them…just not whenever you want. Are you ready to make these changes? Are you ready to stop giving your body the most convenient thing available (and often the most fatty) and, instead, spend time planning what and when you’ll eat? Because that’s what it takes to get healthy…permanently.
    4. Your Lifestyle. If you want a healthy life, you have to be willing to change how you live. It doesn’t mean changing everything overnight, but simply being open to new ways of doing things. Some things you might need to change for a healthy life are:

     

    5. Your Surroundings. Sometimes, you can’t control the things around you. At work, you may be surrounded by temptations–donuts, vending machines and the like. That’s just one thing you have to deal with…but what about your home? Surround yourself with things that will support you in your efforts to get healthy. That might mean spending some money on home workout equipment, setting up a corner of the house for your gear or commandeering the TV a few nights a week to do an exercise video. Set up an environment that encourages those healthy choices and reminds you of them–just walking into my kitchen and seeing that bowl of fresh fruit is often enough to remind me of all the healthy choices I’ll need to make that day.

    6. Your Support System. While getting healthy may be something you’re doing on your own, it’s a big help to have a support system. At the very least, family members who understand what you’re doing and are either willing to participate or help. If you have a spouse who wants to continue eating the kinds of foods that tempt you, you need a plan to deal with that so you can still reach your goals and keep your relationship together. Try to surround yourself with people who support what you’re doing and avoid those people (like that co-worker who always offers you a donut even though you refuse on a daily basis) who don’t. A workout buddy is also an excellent idea for support.

    7. Your Spiritual and Mental Health. If you have other reasons for being overweight–past hurts that you’ve used food to deal with, depression or other problems, it’s hard to lose weight. For many of us, food is a comfort and something we’ve relied on all of our lives to help us deal with emotional problems. If that’s the case for you, pinpointing those behaviors and what drives them is important for becoming aware of what you’re doing and why.  A counselor can help you with this or take some time to read about emotional eating. Be willing to learn why you make the choices you make and to confront them.

    8. Your Goals. If you’ve set impossible goals, you are guaranteed to fail. Weight loss becomes hard to achieve if you feel like a constant failure…who wants to feel like that? If that’s how your weight loss experience is, it’s no wonder you keep quitting. The key is to set reasonable goals. So what is reasonable? That’s going to be different for each person depending on your genetics, eating habits, exercise, and metabolism to name a few. You’re better off setting a long-term goal (whether it’s to lose weight or compete in a race) and then focusing your attention on daily or weekly goals. Your weekly goal might be to get in 3 cardio workouts, minimum. Pick things you KNOW you’ll achieve so you’re always successful. It can be as small as you like, as long as it’s reachable.
    9. Your Flexibility. You hear a lot about lifestyle changes, but it’s daily choices that really test you. What happens if you have to work late and you can’t get to the gym? Or what if you get stuck in traffic and miss your fitness class? Any number of things can happen in a day that may throw you off track. The trick is to be flexible. It helps if you’re always prepared–keep some workout shoes in the car so you can stop off at the park for a quick walk. Keep some food handy so if you get stuck in traffic, you get a snack in before your workout. Often people skip workouts because something comes up and they simply aren’t ready for it or they aren’t willing to give themselves other options–can’t do 45 minutes? Why not just do 10? Something is always better than nothing.

    10. Your Willingness to Fail. You will not be perfect every day. As a perfectionist, I have to say that is a frustrating concept for me but, the truth is, everyone (even perfectionists) has good days and bad days. On the good days, you’ll eat all your fruits and veggies, say no to that pizza and do your workout even though you’re tired. On the bad days, you’ll wake up late, forget to bring your lunch, have an extra piece of cake at your friend’s birthday party and skip your workout. The bad days will happen if you’re a human being. The trick is to never give up, even when you mess up. You’re not a loser just because you make some mistakes…you’re simply a person trying his or her best to make good decisions.

    For more information about weight loss visit this link.

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Your Personal Best Location
Your Personal Best Training Studio
Doddridge Plaza
3765 S. Alameda, Ste 102
Corpus Christi, TX 78411
(361) 857-5087 info@ypbtrainingstudio.com