Confused about What Oil to Cook with?

http://www.eatingrules.com/2012/02/cooking-oil-comparison-chart/

Deciding what oil to cook with can be very confusing. For years we were told all fat was bad, but there's a lot more to it.... The right fats are essential to healthy living and provide many health benefits.  Hope this helps when choosing which fats/oils to cook with and consume.

Click on the photo to enlarge or visit the link posted above!

My photos made it on the Nike "make it count" site!

Can you find me?

Roller Skating and Skateboarding Counts! 

Extreme Cardio Challenge... HIIT

                                                    Can you handle the Challenge? 

Hey guys! Thought I'd post a 10-20 minute cardio challenge you can do anywhere.  I did this one yesterday for 15 minutes and was on the floor, huffing and puffing when that timer went off. This is a great workout if you are short on time, equipment or want something that's short/intense and will seriously kick your ass.

Here it goes.  Set your timer for either 10, 15 or 20 minutes.  You will do 20 reps of each exercise, non stop  (take breaks when necessary, but your goal is to push hard the whole time).  I will post a video, with a  break down of the exercises shortly.

20 burpees  (push up is optional)
20 Squat Jumps   ( modify with squats for beginners)
20 Mountain Climbers  ( 20 each leg)
20 Ninja Jumps  ( Plank jumps for beginners)
20 Split Lunges   ( 10 each leg  or 20 reverse lunges for beginners)


This will have you gassed out, and on your way to getting lean and mean.

Before you are ready to quit....

No Excuses!!!! 

Body Composition....

This is one reason why you shouldn't let the scale get you down! Muscle is more dense than fat! Here's a photo one of my friends sent to me the other day. I'd thought I'd pass it along.

Instead of using the scale to track my personal  weight loss progress and clients progress, I like to take measurements. Not all positive body changes are visible on the scale, especially not changes in muscle density. Use a tape measure and write down the measurements of your natural waist, the widest part of your hips, around your thighs, calves and biceps....   after a few weeks measure again. 


The exercise that you'll do in any comprehensive weight loss program will help you build muscle and gain a firmer, stronger overall physique. However, because muscle is heavy and dense, you might not see a drop on the scale when you gain muscle. You might even see the scale numbers rise as you get healthier and stronger! Having more muscle and less fat is a huge part of what will make you look skinny, but your scale could never show you how much muscle you've built.

A beautiful backside

This workout should take 30 minutes or less with warm up and cool down. This is a full body workout, that focuses  on your backside...   triceps, upper and lower back, glutes and hamstrings ( usually all trouble spots for women).

Equipment: Timer, Mat and Dumb bells

Workout Breakdown: Set your timer to 9 rounds. 1 minute of work, 20 seconds rest. Repeat twice!

See Video below for exercise breakdown. 

Warm up

1. Hot potato squats

2. Pike, Traditional and Diamond Pushup combo

3. 3 Squat pulses with one Squat Jump combo

4. Forward alternating lunge with overhead triceps extension

5. Reptile Burpees

6. Deadlift with cobra combo

7. Mule kicks

8.  Row with right leg lift

9. Row with left leg lift

Repeat

Cool Down and stretch!

Supplements....

 In a perfect world, I truly believe that if you eat a well balanced and healthy diet, you don't need to supplement. But most of us live in an imperfect world... and using supplements can make a difference in your health, energy levels and well being. Supplements can get spendy, but it's well worth the price if you diet is lacking. I have really noticed a difference in my sleep and mood since I've been taking Vitamin D. I live in the Pacific Northwest, so I don't see the sunshine enough. People who are exposed to normal quantities of sunlight do not need vitamin D supplements because sunlight promotes sufficient vitamin D synthesis in the skin. 

These are the supplements I take in the photo up above. Fish oil for overall mind and body health. Fish oil contains important omega-3 fatty acids that reduce risk of heart attack and coronary heart disease, combats depression, bipolar disorder and schizophrenia, ADHD, and more! It helps with weight loss, fertility, pregnancy and skin care too! Biotin is very important for the metabolism. Biotin also known as vitamin H, is used to enhance skin growth, healthy hair, and strong nails. It can aid in losing weight by increasing energy. Vitamin D also promotes weight loss. Vitamin D boosts the immune system, and fights off viral infections. Vitamin D can protect against some cancers, increase calcium absorption, and stimulates cell differentiation. Multi vitamins are a good way to make sure you are getting all the nutrients you need. Ideally a healthy diet should be enough, but it's a good nutrition insurance policy.