Watch out for this snack trap

We’ve all heard that snacking is great for the metabolism…but have you taken it too far?

In other words, your excessive snacking may be killing your fat loss results.

Let’s face it, there are only so many extra calories that the body can take before it adds those on as unwanted fat.

Even if you’re eating perfectly healthy meals and putting in your time at the gym, if your snacking is out of control then your results will be disappointing.

Here’s what you need to know to avoid The Snack Trap:

1. Calories Count. Even when you’re snacking on “healthy” food, you’ve got to keep track of how many calories that you’re taking in. Almonds are healthy, but if you down 800 extra calories in them you’ll quickly gain weight.

2. Fill Up on Protein & Fat. A lot of well-meaning people are still afraid of fat. They think that if their snack is high in fat then it will end up on their body as fat. This is simply not true. Healthy fat, such as avocado or almonds, is a wonderful thing to snack on as it fills you up and keeps you full longer.

3. Avoid Sugar Calories. Sugar is an awful thing to snack on when weight loss is your goal. Refined sugar is a catalyst for fat storage, so avoid any snack that contains sugar. Remember that eating sugar will satiate your hunger for a very short period of time, and then you’ll quickly be hungry again.

4. Don’t Be Fooled By 100-Calorie Packs. A popular marketing technique is to package junk food into 100-calorie packs. These could be crackers, cookies, chips…basically any guilty snack food you could think of. The premise is that since you’re only eating 100 calories, the snack is healthy. I’m sorry, folks, but eating 100 calories of junk food is not a healthy snack. You are better off avoiding the junk completely and eating something wholesome.

5. Use The ‘Is It Real’ Test. As a rule of thumb, you should use the “Is it real?” test when deciding if a snack is worth eating. The test goes like this: If your snack can go bad, then it’s good for you. If your snack can’t go bad, then it’s bad for you. The idea is to eat fresh, real foods that are unprocessed and wholesome. These real foods are naturally filled with fiber, vitamins, and minerals and will assist you in achieving your fitness goals.

6. Avoid Refined Carbohydrates. Processed and refined carbohydrates make up the bulk of popular snack foods. Take a look around the snack aisle at the grocery store and you will see that most packaged snacks are made with grains. When your goal is to lose weight and increase lean muscle then eating refined grains will work against you. If you only take one tip away from this article, let it be to remove grain-based snacks from your life. This single change could very well recharge your weight loss.

Now you know how to snack in a healthy way that will not derail your fitness goals.

Remember that exercise plays a huge part in getting in shape and losing weight.

Call or email us today to get started on a results-driven exercise program! We look forward to hearing from you!

5 Fitness Snacks

1              Hard Boiled Egg and Sliced Veggies.

2              Sliced Apple and Almond Butter.

3              Natural, Low Sodium Jerky.

4              Seasonal Berries with a cup of Almonds.

5              A scoop of Creamy Egg Salad. See recipe below.

From the desk of John Hall Studios 

Creamy Egg Salad

Most recipes for egg salad call for fat-filled mayonnaise, but this recipe uses fat free Greek yogurt instead. You get all the creaminess without added calories to set back your results.

Servings: 3

Here’s what you need…

•              8 organic, free range eggs

•              4 celery stalks, chopped

•              2 Tablespoons onion greens, chopped

•              ¼ cup non fat Greek yogurt

•              2 teaspoons champagne mustard

•              1 teaspoon fresh squeezed lemon

•              dash of salt and pepper

1              To boil the perfect egg: place eggs in a large pot and cover with cold water by half an inch. Heat the water to a boil, turn off the heat and cover the pot. Wait exactly 7 minutes, and then place the eggs in a bowl of ice water for 3 minutes.

2              Peel and chop hard boiled eggs, discarding 4 yolks. Place in a large bowl. Add celery, onion greens, yogurt, mustard, lemon, salt and pepper. Mix well.

3              Chill and then serve.

Nutritional Analysis: One serving equals: 148 calories, 7 fat, 212mg sodium, 4g carbohydrate, 1g fiber, and 16g protein.

Call today for a consultation and assessment!

Email: Pumpstrainingandpilates@gmail.com

Phone: 219-548-3480

Web: Pumpsfitnessinc.com

5 Habits for Rapid Fat Loss

The best kind of fat loss is steady fat loss. And while a slow-and-steady approach to weight loss will ensure that you keep the weight off for good, we have a few tricks to help you burn fat as fast as possible.

So if you’re ready to speed up your fat loss (and are willing to do the work necessary!) keep reading...

Rapid Fat Loss Habit #1: Bottoms Up! It’s not always easy to get to the water cooler or the sink. But if you’re going to shred pounds, you’re going to have to keep a tall glass of water nearby. There are many perks to drinking down plenty of water. Doing this helps you feel fuller, which keeps you from overeating or thinking you’re hungry when you’re actually thirsty.

Drinking water instead of other drinks also keeps you from ingesting additional, unnecessary, and worthless calories. And finally, if your body is going to perform at its peak, it needs to be well hydrated. Drinking plenty of water helps all your bodily functions operate well, which prevents you from holding onto water weight and avoid constipation, while also giving you what you need to push through the final stages of a difficult workout.

Rapid Fat Loss Habit #2: Be a Planner

Like flying by the seat of your pants? Then you’re going to struggle to shave off pounds in a fast or even slow manner. Burning fat fast requires you to be disciplined.

The beginning of discipline is a good plan. Know when you’re going to the gym, how many calories you’re going to eat and what foods the calories will come from, and how you are going to avoid giving in to that tempting piece of chocolate cake. Once you have your plan, you’ve got to do the hard part: stick with it. If you’re willing to do this, your fat stores will burn away in no time.

Rapid Fat Loss Habit #3: Get Intense with Your Routine

Maintaining a steady pace on the treadmill will help you improve your overall health, but it isn’t the best tool for burning fat quickly. To speed up your fat-burning process, you’ll want to add some HIIT into your exercise regimen. During a HIIT (high-intensity interval training) workout, you mingle bursts of intense exercise with lighter exercise.

This could involve running, cycling, swimming, or other aerobic exercises. Whatever exercise you choose to do, do it hard for 30 seconds, take it easy for 60 to 90 seconds, and then go full force again for 30 seconds, repeating the cycle for 30 minutes. You’ll be exhausted when it’s all said and done, a sure sign that you’re burning fat!

Rapid Fat Loss Habit #4: Lift Weights

Think you can burn fat fast by doing nothing but aerobic exercises? You can. But you can do it faster and better by mixing in some weight-lifting sessions. In fact, if you don’t add weight lifting into your regular routine, you may begin to lose muscle. The scale may go down, but if you’re dropping muscle mass, you’re setting yourself up for disaster.

When shooting to burn off fat, nothing helps more than extra muscle. Added muscle helps you feel better and perform tasks of daily living with greater ease, while improving your metabolism and ultimately helping you burn more of that pesky fat!

Rapid Fat Loss Habit #5: Eat Right

You know that what you put in your mouth is either going to fuel you to get through the day or simply add some pudgy inches to your waistline. So choose wisely! Fresh fruits, vegetables, lean proteins, and healthy fats all give you the upper hand on burning fat.

But it’s not just the foods you eat. It’s how you eat them. Chew slowly, use a smaller plate, and leave the food dishes in the kitchen. When you’re finished with your plate of food, relax and give your brain time to figure out that your stomach is full. Then take the cue and stop eating. These small steps may seem significant, but they will boost your fat-burning potential exponentially.

We’d love to give you more of our expert, fat burning tips – call or email today and let’s get you started on our best exercise program that will get you to your ideal, toned body faster than you thought possible. We look forward to hearing from you!

Laser Focus

Focusing on one goal at a time is the most powerful way to achieve it. Taking on more than one goal at a time spreads your time and energy out, making it difficult to accomplish anything. If you have more than one goal on your mind, write them all down and then go after them one and a time until they are all completed.

From the desk of John Hall Studios

Easy Teriyaki Salmon

Salmon is filled with healthy omega 3 essential fatty acids, protein, and vitamin B12. This recipe is quick and tastes amazing. Serve it with a side of brown rice and steamed veggies.

Servings: 4

Here’s what you need…

•              1 Tablespoon sesame oil

•              ¼ cup lemon juice

•              ¼ cup soy sauce

•              1 teaspoon ground mustard

•              1 teaspoon ground ginger

•              ¼ teaspoon garlic powder

•              4 (6oz) salmon steaks

1              In a large re-sealable plastic bag combine the first six ingredients; mix well.

2              Set aside 1/2 cup of marinade and refrigerate.

3              Add salmon to remaining marinade, cover and refrigerate for 1-1/2 hours, turning once. Drain and discard marinade.

4              Place the salmon on a broiler pan. Broil 3-4 in. from the heat for 5 minutes. Brush with reserved marinade; turn and broil for 5 minutes or until fish flakes easily with a fork. Brush with remaining marinade.

Nutritional Analysis: One serving equals: 392 calories, 19g fat, 2.6g carbohydrate, .2g fiber, and 38g protein.

Call today for a consultation and assessment!

Email: Pumpstrainingandpilates@gmail.com

Phone: 219-548-3480

Web: Pumpsfitnessinc.com

Motivational Monday!

If you’re struggling to find motivation to get to your workout, allow these seven reasons to inspire you to exercising greatness…

Exercise Because —Your Body Works

It may seem like an odd reason to work out, but the fact that you can work out ought to inspire you to do so. After all, there are plenty of folks who have been affected by disease or congenital conditions that make working out impossible. Trust me, having personal experience with losing my birth given blessing of movement, I will never take the ability to exercise for granted again. If you are able to exercise, do it! Every movement you make, be grateful and work to learn your body’s limits. In essence, when you do this you’re giving your body a high five!

Exercise Because —Disease Can’t Handle It

True, there are diseases that will attack you regardless of your fitness level. However, exercising regularly (starting today) is one of the best ways to build yourself up against all sorts of ailments and illnesses. From the common cold to heart disease, exercise helps you avoid health issues and live a healthier, longer life.

Exercise Because —You Family Loves You

Because you want to be around for years in the future, you need to exercise. As seen above, exercise is a great way to fend off all sorts of health issues, many of them life-threatening. So if you want to show love to you family members who love you, you’ll need to work out regularly. Afraid your workouts will take away family time? Get up earlier or take your loved ones with you.

Exercise Because —You Beat Goals

Some people meet goals. When you commit to getting in the gym today, you set yourself up to beat goals. Because once you reach your new bench-press or weight-loss goal, you move on to the next. Do this in the gym enough and it will start to happen in the rest of your life. Deadline at work coming up soon? No problem. Wish you could read more books? Consider it done. Ready to quit smoking? You can do it. All because you worked out today.

Exercise Because —Life Will Be Easier

Ever struggled to get out of bed and get on with your day? Exercising today can help that. Wonder why you always feel stressed out? Once you get in the gym this afternoon you’ll be able to shed the stress. Wish you had the sex drive that you seemingly lost a few years ago? Today’s workout will get you on the right track there as well. See a heavy couch that needs lifting? After spending time in the gym today, that couch will be light as a feather tomorrow. In other words, exercise makes everything in life better, easier, and more bearable!

Exercise Because —Your Body Will Surprise You

When you started on your exercise journey, you wanted to change your body. But somewhere along the way you forgot about that swimsuit-ready body you desired so much early on. Well, guess what? It can still be yours! All you’ve got to do is get in the gym today and get back on the road to it. In six months, you’ll be amazed at how much better your body looks and how much more you enjoy being you.

Exercise Because —Your Friends Will Join You

It can be hard to keep working out in the gym every day if your loved ones aren’t into it. However, if you stick with it and trust your trainer, your loved ones may eventually want to join you in your exercise. Once they realize you’re seeing positive results, they won’t want to miss out. So by going to the gym today, you’re helping others be healthy!

Call or email today to get started on our very best exercise program – together we will get you to your goals once and for all! Don’t wait – act now!

Write & Review

You could be making a valiant effort to lose weight, but if you eat too much each day then the number on your scale will not budge. Even if you think that you’re limiting calories, you won’t know unless you do a little research.

Get a small notebook to carry with you and jot down everything you eat for an entire week. Be sure to include the exact amount that you eat of each food item. At the end of the week do a tally of each day, and then figure out how many calories you eat on an average day.

Review your daily entries for items that are filled with empty calories – like cookies, candy or soda pop. These should be the first things that you cut out of your diet as you transform your body.

Crispy Orange Chicken

Who doesn’t love crispy orange chicken? Forget the restaurant. Now you can stay in and make it yourself at home. Rest assured that this meal is filled with healthy ingredients that will not derail your fitness results.

Servings: 6

Here’s what you need:

•              1/2 cup orange juice concentrate (fruit only) 

•              3 Tablespoons coconut aminos

•              1 Tablespoon olive oil

•              Zest from one orange

•              3 cloves garlic, minced

•              Dash red pepper flakes

•              2 packets Stevia

•              1 tablespoon coconut oil

•              2.5 lbs boneless skinless chicken thigh, cut into bite sized pieces

•              Dash salt and pepper

•              Dash granulated onion

•              1 tablespoon sesame seeds

•              3 green onions, chopped

1              Combine the orange juice concentrate, coconut aminos, olive oil, orange zest, red pepper flakes and Stevia in a small bowl. Mix well and set aside.

2              In a large skillet, heat the coconut oil on medium-high.

3              Generously season the chicken pieces with salt, pepper and granulated onion. Add chicken to hot skillet and brown on all sides.

4              When chicken is almost fully cooked, add the orange sauce, stirring to coat all of the chicken. Cook, uncovered, simmering the sauce until thickened and fully sticking to the chicken.

5              Garnish with sesame seeds and freshly chopped green onion.

Nutritional Analysis: One Serving Equals, 282 calories, 12g fat, 505mg sodium, 12g carbs, 1g fiber, 35g protein

From the desk of John Hall Studios

Call today for a consultation and assessment!

Email: Pumpstrainingandpilates@gmail.com

Phone: 219-548-3480

Web: Pumpsfitnessinc.com

Make A Decision About Your Health!

If you’re like most people then reading this subject line was a little uncomfortable and you may have even experienced a bit of anxiety. 

Make a decision? Do I have to?

We are forced to make decisions every day, but that doesn’t make it any easier.

When you stop to think about it, your life is the sum total of all the decisions that you’ve ever made up to this point. Your health, your mindset, your finances are all an outcome of the decisions you've made.

Some decisions are so small that they seem insignificant...

...and other decisions weigh on you for days because you know that the outcome will change the course of your life.

You’ll wade through a myriad of trivial decisions today – ranging from the flavor of your coffee, to the gas you put into your car, to the food you put into your body. It’s easy to be fooled into believing that these have no real impact on the big picture - - but they do.

You’ll shift over to automatic while making your habitual decisions today – these ones no longer require a second thought since your preferences are defaulted.

The time you wake up each morning, the way you take your eggs, the frequency in which you exercise. Your habitual decisions play a huge part in determining major factors in your life, and these ones aren’t always easy to modify once the habit is in place.

We're always making decisions...

Big ones like "should you marry him/her", "should you have another child", "Should you stick it out another year at that job"? Life changing decisions are forks in the road that demand your full attention and analysis.

There’s a famous quote from General Norman Schwartzkopf: “A bad decision is better than no decision” which makes sense when you realize that indecision is a decision. It’s best to simply bite the bullet, choose a side, and stick with it.

You make a life changing decision when you chose to get fit.

We want to help you with that...

We want to help you reach your goal in a big way.

And the fastest way I know for reaching a fitness goal is to begin a challenging and consistent exercise program, like the ones that we offer to our clients.

And that leads us to the decision that we want you to make today...

Will you call, or come in to sign up for our life-changing fitness programs?

They will improve your health, which can change your life  – decide now!

Only The Back Label Counts

Never, ever trust the claims on the front of a food package. Claims like: heart healthy, whole grains, or fiber-filled are often smoke and mirrors to prevent you from reading the actual ingredient list.

The real truth about a packaged food item is hidden in the ingredient list on the BACK label, not in the bold claims on the front.

Scan that ingredient list for high fructose corn syrup, corn syrup, sugar, hydrogenated or partially-hydrogenated oils – if the food contains these items then put it back and choose something healthier.
From the Desk of John Hall Studios

Easy Turkey Kebabs

Here’s a great recipe for a busy weeknight dinner. Ground turkey breast is mixed with Mediterranean spices to create flavorful, protein-packed kebabs. Serve with salad and vegetables and a side of plain Greek yogurt. Servings: 4

Here's what you need:

•              1 1/2 pounds turkey breast, de-boned, trimmed of skin and cut into thin strips

•              2 garlic cloves, minced

•              1 teaspoon olive oil

•              2 eggs

•              1/4 cup almond meal (more if needed)

•              1 teaspoon cumin

•              1 teaspoon sweet paprika

•              1/2 teaspoon cinnamon

•              dash of salt (optional)

•              2 Tablespoons fresh parsley, finely chopped

•              1 Tablespoon fresh mint, finely chopped

1              In a food processor, blend the turkey strips until ground. Add the remaining ingredients and pulse until well blended.

2              Pre-heat your grill or grill pan.

3              Lightly grease your hands, then press the meat into the wooden skewers until it covers about 3-4 inches in an elongated meatball shape. If the meat is not sticking then add some more almond meal.

4              Grill for about 8 minutes per side.

Nutritional Analysis: One serving equals: 254 calories, 8g fat, 156mg sodium, 2g carbohydrate, 1g fiber, and 47g protein

Call today for a consultation and assessment!

Email: Pumpstrainingandpilates@gmail.com

Phone: 219-548-3480

Web: Pumpsfitnessinc.com