How much protein should you intake?

             

                Once you begin a workout routine where you want to begin to gain muscle you might look into adding additional protein to your diet. But how much do you need? And how much is too much? If you are an athlete or a new gym rat your diet now might not be meeting your protein needs.

So how much do you need?

This is how you calculate your protein intake:

1. Weight in pounds divided by 2.2 = weight in kg
2. Weight in kg x 0.8-1.8 gm/kg = protein gm.

Use a lower number if you are in good health and are sedentary (i.e., 0.8). Use a higher number 1-if you are under stress, 1.3- if you are pregnant, 1.3- if you are recovering from an illness, 1.8- if you are involved in consistent and intense weight or endurance training.

Example: 145 lb female who is a regular exerciser and lifts weights
145 lbs/2.2 = 65kg
65kg x 1.5 = 97.5 gm protein/day

OR use this protein calculator 

If you are wanting to calculate your protein based off of what you burn please refer to my previous page where you can find your Basal Metabolic Rate to see how much you burn per day. 

Once you add protein to your diet make sure to increase your water intake. When you eat more much protein, water is taken away from your large organs to digest and breakdown the protein. If you do not increase your water it might cause your organs harm or worse begin to shut down. So make sure to drink your water!!

10 Ways to feel lighter and healthier through your diet

       

          Through the latter half of last year I started on really listening to my body and actually starting to give it what it wanted and needed. I finally listened to body and realized that a lot of dairy didn't really mix well with me all the time. Additionally I also stopped taking in so much wheat. Even though I was eating 100% whole wheat bread and pasta it still made me puff up and feel bloated. I realized that if I cut out the wheat in my life I would feel so much lighter and happier. So even though I do not have any diseases that cause me to be gluten free, I have found out that any of my carbs that are 'gluten free' clearly happen to not have wheat. So therefore...I am looking for the gluten free versions of everything now.

Cut out or limit your dairy intake

As I said before for some people dairy just does not sit well on your stomach. Thankfully there are a lot of actually tasty alternatives to cows milk dairy. A important thing to note is that Almond milk actually has more calcium than cows milk.

Increase your fruit and vegetable intake

This is a no-brainer, but you have to do it! According to www.choosemyplate.gov fruit and vegetable servings depend on your age. Please refer to these links to figure out how much you should intake. 

FRUITS: http://www.choosemyplate.gov/printpages/MyPlateFoodGroups/Fruits/food-groups.fruits-amount.pdf and 

VEGETABLES:http://www.choosemyplate.gov/printpages/MyPlateFoodGroups/Vegetables/food-groups.vegetables-amount.pdf.

I have a good idea...take a can of soup and add a handful of spinach and cook it down while you heat the soup up. It will help fill you up and adds more vegetables in your day. 

Drink more water

Drinking more water helps wash out the toxins in your body and actually helps you not hold on to so much water weight. You should be drinking 8 glasses of water or more a day. Here are some tips to increase your water intake:

• Drink a glass of water when you get up in the morning, before you have coffee or tea.
• Keep a cup or water bottle by your desk at work. Take several sips of water each hour. If you don’t have a desk job, carry a container of water with you, and take sips throughout the day.
• Take a sip whenever you pass a drinking fountain.
• If you get tired of drinking plain water, add a packet of sugarless flavoring to your water. Or put a slice of lemon or lime in plain or sparkling water.

Cut out or limit your wheat and gluten intake

If you saw my previous post I have started making my own homemade gluten free bread to try to keep my life as 'normal' as possible through my food with still limiting my wheat and gluten intake. Thankfully now companies are jumping on the gluten free band wagon. If you go to grocery stores healthy area you will see many gluten free products such as bagels, bread, snacks, and pasta. Doing this will make you feel lighter and carry around less water weight. Unfortunately the gluten free bread and bagels at the grocery stores are still pricey, but the pastas are just about the same price as the gluten type pastas. 

Cut out or limit your sugar intake

Sugar = BAAAAD. Sugar is addictive. And on top of that it turns into fat if it is not burned. Most Americans take in way more sugar than they could ever burn so if you limit it from the beginning that means less to burn later. Easy way to decrease your sugar while not really changing the taste of your foods is to include Truvia into your diet. It is a zero calorie natural sweetener. Please try to stay away from artificial sugars, there is not enough research out there to know what it actually doing to our bodies.

Please watch this video on our sugar addiction:

Increase the amount of fish you eat

One of the healthiest ways of eating is the Mediterranean diet. This diet limits the red meats and increases the healthy oils and the amount of fish in your diet. The benefits of fish are the Omega-3 and 6's and the lower amounts of calories that fish provides versus red meats. When looking for fish at the grocery store please look for fish that are domestic and are free of mercury and other toxins that fish intake. 

Cut out processed foods

One of the best tips I have ever received is to stay on the perimeter of the grocery store. The perimeter has your breads, milks, fruits, vegetables, and meats. Try to challenge yourself to stay in the perimeter and make a grocery list just from these foods. 

Grocery shopping rules to live by:

• Shop the perimeter
• Choose "real" and whole foods such as 100% whole wheat, fruits, and vegetables
• Steer clear of foods with cartoons on the label. 
• Avoid foods with more than 5 ingredients, artificial ingredients you can not pronounce. 

Use food substitutions to your benefit

Substitutions are great when you are wanting to cut calories and eat healtier, but still have the same taste as your traditional dishes. Some substitutions that I personally have made are:

• Mayonaise ----> Vegenaise. 
• Vegan mayonaise. No cholesterol. No additives or preservatives. Non-GMO.
• Comparison chart: Mayo vs Vegenaise
• Butter ----------> Smart Balance butter OR grass fed cows butter
• White pasta/bread ---> 100% whole wheat OR Gluten free

Other substitutions:

Add vitamins and supplements to your diet

The changes that I have taken to make myself healthier this past year through vitamins and supplements  is Juice Plus. These are fruits and vegetables that are picked at the peak of freshness and then dehydrated and turned into a capsule form. This is great as an insurance for myself when I do not get in the fruits and vegetables that  I need every day. For more information about Juice Plus please go here: http://kristenturk.juiceplus.com. 

On top of Juice Plus I just recently started taking Reichi mushroom capsules. Reishi mushroom is used for boosting the immune system; viral infection such as the flu (influenza, swine flu, and avian flu; lung conditions including asthma and bronchitis; heart disease and contributing conditions such as high blood pressure and high cholesterol; kidney disease; cancer; and liver disease. It is also used forHIV/AIDS, altitude sickness, chronic fatigue syndrome (CFS), trouble sleeping(insomnia), stomach ulcers, poisoning, and herpes pain. Other uses include reducing stress and preventing fatigue. For more information about Reishi mushroom please go to: WEBMD.

Another great vitamin that I plan on adding to my diet is Vitamin D. Currently there is a vitamin D deficiency pandemic going on in America due to the lack of sun exposure and foods that contain vitamin D. Information on Vitamin D.

Use healthy oils

There are so many healthy oils out there that actually make your food taste better!

The benefits of using healthy oils are for people that have high cholesterol and/or are trying to cut the fat in your diet, oil substitutes can be your best friend. High cholesterol is a contributing factor in having a higher risk of heart disease. Oil substitutes also cut the amount of fat in your recipes. Lowering your fat consumption is an easy way to cut calories and lose weight.

By using oil substitutes in your favorite recipes you can cut your fat intake and lower your cholesterol without damaging the flavor of your food. Lower cholesterol can also lower your risk of heart disease. Since using oil substitutes properly can improve your health without hurting the flavor of your food you have nothing but the stuff that is bad for you to lose.

Some great oils to use:

• Coconut oil: Coconut oil is full of flavour and has nutrients like vitamin E, K and iron that are retained at high temperatures.
• Flax seed oil: Flax seed oil is full of essential omega-3 fatty acids. You can use it unheated in shakes, salad dressing, cereals or on toast.
• Ghee: Ghee is a butter that is free of impurities and cholesterol. However, use sparingly if you are trying to lose weight. It is also very calming to the nervous system.
• Grapeseed oil: This oil maintains its healthy properties known to fight cancers and lower cholesterol at high temperatures.
• Hemp Oil: Just like flax seed oil, hemp oil is full of the essential omega-3 fatty acids and should be used unheated.
• Olive Oil: Olive oil is usually readily available, affordable and cooks well at high heat without losing its nutritional value. It is also known to lower your risks of heart disease -- and tastes great on salads or as a sauce.
• Sesame Oil: Sesame oil is a bit more expensive, but you only need to use a little for a lot of flavour. It also has a lowering effect on blood pressure.

I hope these recommendations can help you feel and be a healthier and happier you!

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Homemade Gluten Free Bread

Happy New Year everyone!!

After spending about a month at home for some family time and the Holidays I am back in Washington! While staying with my parents I was exposed to their new 'diet'. They have cut out dairy, gluten, processed foods, and sugar out of their diet. Growing up I always knew that wheat and pasta made me "puff up" and whenever I limited the amount of carbohydrates that I took in I always seemed to feel lighter and carried less water weight. I actually lost 5 pounds being home!

So now that I am back I am looking at continuing the way that I feel. So today I made some gluten free bread! I wanted an alternative to the expensive gluten free bread that is at the grocery store. A HALF loaf at the grocery store costs about $5.  Ryan and I already had a bread maker, so it made this decision a lot easier.

Ingredients:

• 3.5 cups of Pamela's Bread Mix (Gluten free, Wheat Free, Non-Dairy)
• 1/3 cup of olive oil
• 2 large eggs OR 1 large egg + 3 egg whites
• 2-1/4 tsp active dry yeast OR 1 yeast packet (7g)
• Water
• Bread Maker

Directions:

In a 2 cup measuring cup add the oil and the eggs. Then add warm water up until it fills to all the way to 2 cups. Pour all liquids into the bread maker, add bread mix and yeast. 

Make sure after you start the bread make to scrape down the sides to make sure all of the dough is together. 

Result:

The bread was delicious! It actually had a slight sweet taste to it and was warm and doughy. You can always leave it in the bread maker a little bit more so it can be firmer if you prefer that. 

Next time that I make this I will make sure to double it. My bread maker is larger that I expected. Enjoy!

Calculating Your Desired Body Fat Percentage

For many of us we are not at our ideal body weight and we would like to change that. But how? And what weight should you aim for to be in the body weight category that you prefer to be in?

Here is a picture description of what each body fat percentage looks like

>>First off find out what your Body Mass Index (BMI) is:

How to calculate: Body weight in lbs/ (height in cm) Squared = result. 
                             Result x 703= Final BMI

Example: 140 lbs/ 65(2)= .033136
                 .033136 x 703 = 23.29%


>>Secondly, find your body fat percentile and see where it falls on this chart:

BMI (kg/m2) = weight in kilograms/height in meter2

When you find your current body fat then figure out what percent body fat would be ideal for you. 

>>Lastly complete the formula

Complete this formula for the desired body fat percentage: 
Desired Body Weight (DBW)
Desired Body Fat (DBF)
Lean Body Weight (LBW)

DBW = LBW / (1-DBF)

Step 1: 100% - Fat% = Lean Body%
Step 2: Body Weight x Lean Body % = LBW
Step 3: 100% - Desired Fat% = Desired Lean%
Step 4: LBW / Desired Lean% = DBW

For example if you were 215 lbs and your current body fat % is 25%, but your desired body fat is 20% it should look like this:

Step 1: 100% - 25% = 75%
Step 2: 215 x 75% = 161.25 LBW
Step 3: 100% - 20% = 80%
Step 4: 161.25 lb / 80% = 201.5 lb

Better alternative to the 'Stretchcordz kicking trainer'

The stetchcordz kicking trainer is a stretchcord that attaches to your shoulders and connects to your feet in order to add resistance to your kicking while swimming.

The product description says that it adds resistance to legs during kick sets. Assists ankle recovery from breaststroke kick and adds resistance to abdominal muscles during dolphin kick.

The coaches and I were wanting something that we could get for our swimmers with a more advanced kick to use in order improve their kicks. The stretchcordz kicking trainer seemed like a good idea except the fact that it was $123!!! I was shopping around at my favorite store Ross and I came across this product called "Glute Master" from Golds Gym. 

The products' description is: The Gold's Gym Glute Master is the perfect tool to firm up your lower body, especially your glutes! This Workout Kit features an adjustable belt and resistant cord length, as well as a hook and loop closure for easy usability. Complete your lower body workout with the Gold's Gym Kit to get an intense and effective fitness routine to help tone, shape and firm the legs, hips and glutes. The description of the product reminded me of the stretchcordz so I decided to buy it and hope that it worked.

Gold's Gym Glute Master:

• Complete lower body workout
• Helps tone, shape and firm up the legs, hips and glutes
• Adjustable belt and resistant cord length
• Hook and loop closure

The glute master was only $7.99 too!!

So I brought the glute master to the pool to put it to the test. We strapped it on and it was a great success. All of the swimmers said that it created a resistance to their kick and made it more challenging. During the butterfly they said that it helped finish the snap. During the breaststroke it increased the resistance on the out sweep of the kick. I always like looking to alternatives that I am able to get the same result, or a better result. I am really looking forward to seeing how the consistent use of the glute master improves their times and kick in the future. 

Boot Camp 8- Jump rope calf burner

Today is the day after the workout and my calves are so sore and tight. I normally don't do many jump rope workouts, so this was a nice way to change it up.  Did you know that jumping rope for 5 minutes straight is actually equivalent to running a mile? Anything that can give me the same benefit without actually running I am all over!

What you will need:

Jump Rope

Exercise Ball

Dyno Ball or medicine ball

The Workout:

1) JUMP ROPE SERIES:
       30 seconds each

• Double foot 
• Single foot
• Single high knee
• Boxer shuffle (both feet jump side to side)

2) STATION WORK

        2x at each station for 45 seconds with a 15 second break in between

• Squat throw burpee- Take the dyno ball do a squat throw into the air as high as you can. Let the ball drop and then do a burpee on the ball.
• Ab ball straight leg sit up- Lay your legs straight on the exercise ball and do a sit up while your legs are straight on the ball.
• Plyo pushups- Do a regular pushup but when you are going up you explode your hands off of the ground.

3) JUMP ROPE SERIES

    same series as #1 except its 40 seconds long

4) STATION WORK

     2x at each station for 45 seconds with a 15 second break in between

• Overhead plyo split squats- Have the dyno ball over your head. While doing that do jumping split squats.

• Ab ball exchange- (see video)

• Moving pushup- Regular push up and move laterally across the room while doing pushups.

I hope you guys enjoy. Let me know what you think!!!

Delicious black bean brownies

           I clearly am really into trying new ingredients to make traditional food healthier, so black bean brownies didn't really scare me very much. But I am sure that this idea probably intimidates most. But trust me, they are really good. 

           Starting off, I banned my husband from the kitchen. I didn't want him to know that I was making the brownies out of black beans. He already knew I was making brownies so that was no surprise. After I made the brownies we sat down for our little dessert, and I waited for his response. He loved it. He was   impressed that I made such a great brownie from scratch. And then I dropped the bean bomb. You should of seen his face! It was priceless. He then decided that he should have three..because they were now good for him.

What you need:

makes 9 brownies. 

1 cupcake pan

1/2 cup semi-sweet chocolate chips + more for the top

1 cup canned black beans, rinsed and drained

1 large egg

1/2 teaspoon vanilla

1/4 cup of sugar/splenda

Pinch salt

1/2 teaspoon baking powder

1/4 cup Vegenaise 

1/4 cup unsweetened cocoa powder

(optional) 1/4 cup of walnuts

Step 1

Preheat the oven to 350F. Place cupcake tins in the cupcake pan. I always make my brownies in a cupcake pan so that every brownie has crispy edges with a gooey center.

Step 2

Drain and rinse the black beans. Melt the chocolate chips in the microwave. This will take about 90 seconds to a minute on the high power setting. They may not melt completely; stir vigorously to finish melting the chips until chocolate has a smooth and uniform consistency.

Step 3

Pour black beans and melted chocolate into a food processor and pulse until smooth. Add the rest of the ingredients and continue to pulse until completely smooth. 

Step 4

Pour into prepared cupcake tins about 1/2 way filled. Sprinkle remaining chocolate chips over the top. You can add optional walnuts to the top as well. Bake for 25 minutes until the top has cracked slightly and the center has set. Allow to cool for 20-30 minutes.