Archive for March 4, 2013

Healthy Snacks

There are two types of people in this world. Those who eat 2 or 3 solid meals per day, and those who graze. I am a total grazer. I like to snack and would rather eat 5-6 small meals a day than only a few big meals. Basically I’m like a cow with less spots. And no utters. I hope.

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Snacking can be really dangerous if you’re not careful because many snacks don’t really fill you up, leading you to just keep, well, snacking on them! I’ve compiled a list of my favorite healthy snacks that both allow me to munch on them throughout the day and give me some great health benefits.

Scandinavian Crisp Bread w/ Whipped Cream Cheese
-Fiber city meets Fat town. It tastes good and is good for the gut too. I find the crisp bread in the kosher aisle at Ralph’s (or Kroger, or Fry’s depending on where you live)

(I’m likely going to get a lot of flack for this one because cream cheese is dairy and has fat in it, oh no!!! But I’m not afraid of fats and full fat cream cheese is delicious. Depending on how much criticism I get for this, I may dedicate an entire post to why I include it in my diet as a HEALTHY food.)

Baby carrots w/ Guacamole
Trader Joe’s chunky guacamole is by far my favorite, but Wholly Guacamole is a close second. Their portion control packs are awesome. 100 calories of delicious avocado goodness.

Strawberries and Greek Yogurt
-It’s like dessert. Oh, so delicious and filling. Perfect blend of protein and carbs too! You can use 0% fat greek yogurt, or get crazy, sexy, cool and buy full fat. Whatever you’d like!

Almonds w/ stevia and cinnamon
-Like candied almonds without all of the sugar!

Coconut Oil + Cocoa Powder + Stevia
Emily Zaler taught me this one. Mix equal parts coconut oil and cocoa powder with stevia to taste. Mix it up and freeze it for 10 minutes. When it melts in your mouth, you can come thank me (or Emily). 🙂

What are some of YOUR favorite healthy snacks? Add to this list!

Change It Up

While there are so many different exercises out there in the world, it can be really easy to fall in the rut of doing the same things over and over. Even if you’re changing things up daily or weekly, you tend to go through the same motions quite often.

Yesterday afternoon, my friend texted me to see if I wanted to work out with her after work. I had done some cardio that morning, but felt like doing something else since I’d been sitting most of the day. I didn’t necessarily feel like doing weights since I’d done a pretty intense crossfit/weight training workout the day before, but I wanted to do something that wasn’t cardio and that challenged me.

What I came up with combined strength, balance, coordination, stretch, and athletic movements. It was just what I was looking for!

Change Up Workout

Since this exercise was most confusing, here’s a video for it.

Single Leg Deadlift to Row:

If you get a chance to try this, let me know! You will feel your legs and butt working and I guarantee you’ll sweat. Best of all? It’s a total change from what you’re most likely doing (although maybe not!). Either way, give it a whirl and have some fun!

**As with anything, make sure you speak with your doctor/naturopath/mom/dad/WHOEVER, before starting a new fitness routine. Honor your body and injuries and if anything ever hurts, STOP. Recognize good pain vs. bad pain. This is  not to be intended for beginners and is only a recommendation. I am not a doctor or physical therapist, just a personal trainer spreading the good word. 😀