A Rocking Low Fat Diet Plan for You!

I love how this article reminds you it’s not a diet it’s a lifestyle change. Lots of great tips how to still eat the foods you want to and incorporate it into a healthy lifestyle. I can’t wait to try out the turkey burger recipe they mentioned.

A Rocking Low Fat Diet Plan for You!

Let’s face it:  diets are boring, and the phrase, “Rocking Low Fat Diet Plan“, it just doesn’t sound right, does it…

It doesn’t take long before you’re missing your favorite foods, wishing that you had never started this stupid plan anyway, and wondering just how many “cheat days” are acceptable before it’s considered giving up completely.  Low fat diet plans can feel particularly difficult to live with–especially if your favorite foods are bacon, chocolate, and cake (not necessarily in that order).  Thankfully, there are plenty of ways you can put together a low fat diet plan that you can live with–and one that will work for you.

Don’t eliminate your favorite foods. 

Instead of denying yourself all of your favorite foods, which often leads you to splurge when you finally get the chance to eat whatever you want, consider looking for lower-fat alternatives.  For example, if your favorite meal is a big, greasy cheeseburger, check out a turkey burger instead.  Don’t think any junk food meal is complete without a heaping plate of fries?  Try this healthy sweet potato fries recipe, and you might just discover a new favorite.  You’ll be surprised by how many healthy alternatives to your favorite treats there really are out there–and before you know it, you may even discover that you like the healthy alternatives better. 

A Rocking Low Fat Diet Plan for You!

Can’t find a healthy alternative to your favorite treat, or think that the “real” version tastes about a hundred times better?  Allow yourself to continue to enjoy it both regularly and in moderation.  A small taste of your favorite treat on a regular basis will help keep you from splurging when you finally do get your hands on it, and knowing that you have your favorite treat to look forward to will help keep the rest of your eating habits under control.

Shake it up!

Consider a meal replacement shake or smoothie option that will let you have a fantastic treat without piling on the calories.  Meal replacement shakes can be made to taste just as good as a milkshake.  Need a little help getting started with a recipe that you’ll love?  Check out our collection of 101 Healthy Shake Recipes, which will allow you to try out a new shake recipe every day if that’s what you want. 

Don’t forget your healthy fats. 

When you’re on a low-fat diet, you may be wary of consuming any fats at all.  There’s a difference, however, between “healthy fats” and “unhealthy fats,” and you should be careful to remember the difference in your diet.  Avocados and coconut oil are two examples of healthy fats that certainly shouldn’t disappear from your diet; just remember to use them in moderation.

Remember portion control. 

Restaurant meals have gotten steadily larger, as has the American idea of an acceptably-sized meal.  It’s no coincidence, either, that the average American waistline has increased along with portion size.  The linked article has some great tips on keeping your portion sizes reasonable and your waistline slimmer. 

Don’t forget to exercise. 

While the weight loss battle is ultimately won or lost in the kitchen, your activity level will have a great deal to do with your final results.  The Beachbody On Demand library has a fantastic selection of 150 streaming workout videos that you can choose at your discretion, working out at home or on the road when it’s convenient for you. 

No matter what your low fat diet plans, remember:  you’re beautiful!  While losing weight and getting in shape is a great goal, it’s important to remember that your body is beautiful just as it is, and that you are fantastic the way you are.  As you go down the road of your weight loss journey, there will be peaks and valleys, successes and failures–and all of them are part of what makes you who you are.

http://www.gettingfittogether.com/a-rocking-low-fat-diet-plan-for-you/#!376

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NON Beachbody Coaches ONLY

I know when I am hungry and looking for a snack I struggle with finding things quick, easy and healthy. I came across this article with 10 healthy snacks for weightloss and thought it was so great I had to share it. I can't wait to try these!

10 Healthy Snacks for Weight Loss

Is there such a thing as healthy snacks for weight loss? That is the million dollar question. Because let’s face it, we all snack. It’s just the way we’re put together. A little something can provide a much-needed afternoon energy boost. Unfortunately, snacking can also pack on the pounds. For this reason, most dieters avoid snacking. What if we told you that there are a number of good-for-you snack foods that won’t sabotage your healthy weight loss plan?

In the interest of slim snacking, we are pleased to present ten guilt-free snacks that won’t sabotage your weight loss plan. Each of these light and healthy snacks for weight loss offers taste and nutrition and no more than 200 calories:

Greek yogurt and berries

Dump the contents of a single-serving cup of plain, Greek-style yogurt into a pretty bowl. Top with one cup of raspberries, blackberries, blueberries or sliced strawberries. Drizzle with one-half tablespoon of honey and enjoy an indulgent treat that won’t weigh you down.

Hummus and pita plate

Slice one pita pocket bread into eight triangles. Scoop ¼ cup Mediterranean-style hummus onto a plate with twelve cherry tomatoes, six kalamata olives and one sliced cucumber for a light snack that provides flavor and fiber.

Apple slices with peanut butter

Slice a crisp red apple into six wedges. Smear each wedge with a dollop of creamy or chunky no-sugar-added peanut butter for a nutritious mid-day snack that will hold you over ’til dinnertime.

Avocado with cottage cheese

Cut a ripe avocado in half and fill with 4 tablespoons of low-fat cottage cheese for a smooth snack that will take the edge off your hunger without ruining your diet. Save the other avocado half in a zip bag in the refrigerator for tomorrow.

Tuna and whole wheat crackers

Dress a half-can of water-packed tuna with thinly sliced shallots and minced celery and serve with six whole-wheat crackers for a protein-packed snack that provides a healthful dose of omega oils.

Air-popped popcorn

Not only is popcorn light and tasty, it’s also a lot of fun to eat. When popped without oil, popcorn is guilt-free and delicious. Enjoy three cups of unbuttered popcorn for a mid-day or midnight snack that won’t sink your diet plan.

Baked zucchini chips

Wash a whole zucchini and slice it into paper-thin disks. Toss with extra-virgin olive oil. Spread disks in a single layer on a non-stick cookie sheet. Sprinkle with sea salt, coarse black pepper and a generous dash of paprika. Bake at 450 degrees Fahrenheit for 25 minutes to make a yummy crisp snack that may offer significant health benefits.

Cottage cheese with cinnamon

Scoop a half-cup of low-fat cottage cheese into a bowl and top with several generous shakes of ground cinnamon. The cottage cheese will give you a nice serving of protein, while the cinnamon helps to process glucose in your system and prevent fat accumulation.

Black beans and salsa

One-half cup of cooked black beans offers a whopping eight grams of fiber that can keep you from feeling hunger pangs for several hours. Top with tomato salsa and wrap in a raw corn tortilla for a tasty treat that will give you a boost of energy without ruining your diet.

Turkey-avocado wrap

Super-thin slices of roast turkey provide protein your body can use. Wrap avocado wedges with turkey meat and dab with your favorite mustard for a wholesome snack that delivers a boost of energy without a lot of calories

There’s no good reason to starve yourself while trying to lose weight. In fact, in less than 30 seconds, an ultra quick healthy nutrition dense protein shake can stave off feelings of deprivation and keep your metabolism revved up. An active metabolism speeds weight loss, so moderate snacking can absolutely work with your diet and help you achieve your weight loss goals.

http://www.gettingfittogether.com/10-healthy-snacks-for-weight-loss/#!376

How To Get Fit Fast in 3 Easy Steps

How is your New Year's Resolution going? This article has 3 great steps on how to get fit and stay motivated. It is definitely worth the time to read and share.

How To Get Fit Fast in 3 Easy Steps

Let’s face it, our New Year’s Resolutions don’t stick quite as easily as the weight does. With summer upon us and nearly half the year over, your beach bod may not elicit the ‘wows’ you had hoped for.

But don’t sweat it. There’s still plenty of time to shape up and get fit fast. Whether your goal is to lose weight, slim down, build muscle or gain strength, this guide will help you along on the way.

Step 1: The Diet

The diet – perhaps one of the most difficult actions to take in your fitness regime. Let’s discuss the foods you should be eating, rather than the meal choices that will compromise your progress. You want foods that are full of nutrients and protein that start slimming down your waistline the moment they enter your mouth.  Vegetables, fruits, lean meats, legumes, fish and low-fat dairy products build muscle, burn fat, and keep your body well-nourished and performing optimally.

Try to eat as many of the foods below:

• Salmon, tuna, and mackerel for muscle building proteins.
• Yogurt and cheese strengthen your bones and fire up weight loss.
• Spinach and kale to fight free radicals, improve muscle recovery.
• Beans and legumes to build muscle, burn fat, and regulate digestion.
• Beet juice for stamina, berries for satiety, grapefruit for metabolism.
• Leans meats like turkey to build muscle and strengthen your immune system.

These foods are chock full of proteins, nutrients, and health benefits to help you get into shape faster and your muscles roaring. It goes without saying ( but let’s say it anyways ) that burgers, fries, chocolate cake and the like should be eaten sparingly, or you’ll put right back on whatever weight you lost.

With that said, sacrifices at the dinner table aren’t enough. You’re going to need to get off the couch and move.

Step 2: The Cardio

To lose weight, you must create a caloric deficit, meaning your body needs to burn off more calories than it takes in. Cardio workouts are not only the best way to create a caloric deficit and shed some pounds, but it also encourages a healthy heart, improves blood circulation, and makes your body lean.

Whether you decide to bike around your neighborhood, get some miles in on the treadmill, or swim laps in a pool, you should aim for at least 30 minutes of cardiovascular activity to reduce the risk of heart disease and fight off any gains in weight. But if you want to get lean, you’ll need to double that time to start seeing results.

Remember, your options aren’t limited to the gym: mow the lawn, play with the dog, go dancing or clean up the house are great activities to help burn calories and keep you in shape.

Step 3: The Workouts

Now it’s time to get your body looking toned and fit. Adding strength training to your fitness regime will enhance your metabolism, improve your strength, while helping you get lean or gain muscle mass depending on the exercise. 

To sculpt your arms, upper back, shoulders and chest you’ll need to invest in some weights or head on over to your local gym. Bench presses, shoulder presses, lunges and dips are great ways to bulk up your muscles, spike your metabolism, and get a lot stronger.  Try to do some weight training 3-4 times a week on non-cardio days. Remember to start off light, gradually adding more weight to avoid injuries, and to take a day or two off to let your body rest.

To do some belly blasting and reduce those love handles crunches, sit-ups, air bikes and Russian twists will help flatten your midsection without the need for equipment. If these are a bit mundane for you, search or ask around the gym or web for tummy toning exercises that work just as well, if not better.

To top off your fitness regime, add some yoga to the mix for a bit of mind and body exercise. Whether you join a class or practice in your living room, yoga is a great way to improve your balance, flexibility and your overall health and well-being.

Staying Motivated

Getting fit requires discipline and motivation. Getting fit fast requires the same, plus an iron-will. But both start with the right mind-set. In fact, the only obstacle preventing you from a beautiful body and exceptional health is your motivation.

Getting fit alone can quickly get frustrating. Without the right guidance and advice it can even be dangerous. But support is there.

If you’re looking for the best place to get fit fast, Beachbody On Demand provides hundreds of online workouts proven to get you burn off calories and get you ripped. You can stream all the world-class programs right from your computer, get unique meal plans customized to your goals, and  connect with others, so you don’t have to do it alone.  

It’s a great way to stay motivated. On top of that, you’ll get your own personal coach for one-on-one guidance and support to help you get fit even faster.

http://www.gettingfittogether.com/how-to-get-fit-fast-in-3-easy-steps/#!376

I know a lot of my friends have recently become stay at home Moms which is a very exciting transition in life. I came across this article that I had to share with great tips on how busy stay at home Moms can exercise at home.

7 Tips for Busy Moms: How to Exercise at Home

When it comes to stay-at-home or work-at-home moms, knowing how to exercise at home is often not just a matter of timing, but setting your environment, arranging something for your children while you are exercising, and planning out both warm-up and recovery routines. With so much thought required for home exercise, many moms do not take the time to exercise, even though they know the health benefits: physical, emotional and mental. 

With the issues faced by moms in mind, these 7 tips will help you take the time to exercise without undue stress:

1. Schedule – There is a reason the best classrooms have regular periods every day, predictable activities and more. There is also a reason kids complain any time a new teacher or substitute messes with the plan. Schedules are comforting and predictable, and ensure that life will have some structure to work around. When you are beginning a home exercise routine, it is important that it becomes a part of your regular schedule. If you have school age children, fit it in in the morning after they have gotten out to school. With younger children, exercise during nap times or quiet time. 

2. Set the Environment – In the busy living spaces we call home, there is rarely space to set up a complete exercise room. But, moms can set the environment by putting exercise materials out by some open floor space. Pick space which will not interfere with other family activities when you do your regular exercising. 

3. Set Your Goals – Exercise is an important part of healthy living, but the vague goal of “being healthy” is rarely enough to overcome the challenges to a regular home exercise routine. What motivates you to workout needs to be measurable (lose 30 pounds, run a marathon) and have a time frame. Without the motivation from a great goal, you will not overcome your natural inertia.

4. Involve Others - As a parent, there are two groups of people who can help you exercise, free of charge. Friends and your family. Some moms don’t have enough time with their children, some don’t have enough time with their friends. Let that desire for fellowship push your daily activity. Whether it is planning that parent/child run your teenager has been begging you for, or taking a morning jog with a friend, the companion will inspire you to continue exercising, and vice-versa. With modern technology, you can not only connect with friends and family through home-based exercise routines, but also connect with nutrition and fitness coach on mobile computing devices. 

5. Regular Warm-Up and Cool-Down Routines – Often a big obstacle to in home workouts is the mental energy it takes to decide what todo. With regular stretching and warm-up routines at the beginning of your exercise, you will have time to calm down and focus on what your exercise goals are. With a regular cool-down routine, you will be able to take time to plan how to do the rest of your day, without stressing about how to cool down. Don’t forget that your cool-down and recovery program needs to include quick nutrition like a quality shake.

6. Plan Nutrition – From the cool-down recovery program to your regular meals and snacks, nutrition is a key part of any exercise planning system. Get rid of the sugary and fatty snacks: yoghurt, nuts and fruit, and cheese are all healthy, easy alternatives to the candy and bagged goods (chips, pretzels, etc) which moms so often use. Our “101 Healthy Shake Recipes” is a great free resource for building your nutrition. 

7. Plan on Failing - Whether you are just starting home based exercise or are a pro, the secret to a great program is it makes you stretch. The important thing about stretch goals is you often don’t hit them. This is a positive thing: you can learn how to better plan, set more appropriate goals and gain better health. Do not beat yourself up when you do not hit your goals, when your exercise takes too much out of you or when family gets in the way. Rest, recuperate, learn, and get back in the saddle. 

An exercise at home routine is only one decision away, so why not start your work outs today?

http://www.gettingfittogether.com/7-tips-for-busy-moms-how-to-exercise-at-home/#!376

Coconut Oil…Is It a Good Oil?

Did you know Coconut Oil was a Superfood? I learned so much information about Coconut Oil from this article so I had to share it. I would be interested in learning what you think about Coconut Oil.

Coconut Oil…Is It a Good Oil?

By Mel Batterman

It seems daily I have people contacting me about my thoughts on coconut oil… Is it a good oil?I am sure that you have seen coconut oil be more prominent in nutrition articles and other nutritional information. You may have also seen in be incorporated into nutritional shake recipes and specific nutritional plans.

Since I get questions often and there is so much information flooding all aspects of media, I thought I should set a few things straight by providing some proper information.

Coconut oil is one of the only oils that could be classified under the “Superfood” Category. Coconut oil has a unique combination of fatty acids, which have been found to have positive effects on the body, brain function, and more.

In the past coconut oil has been classified as not being a nutritionally sound food because it is 90% saturated fat. Recently studies have changed this thought process because these saturated fatty acids are so different from the standard saturated fats found in red meat, cheeses, and other high saturated fat foods.

The saturated fats in coconut oil are actually MCT’s (Medium Chain Triglycerides). Since they are medium versus long, like most other saturated fats the body processes and metabolizes this fat differently. Which means that when digested they go directly to the liver to be used at energy versus being processed just as a fat that could potentially cause artery clogging issues.

Knowing that coconut oil metabolizes into energy and may potentially increase your overall energy expenditure by 5% over a 24 hour period makes this oil a cut above the rest. Research has also suggested that this overall heightened energy expenditure may help the body burn off more stored fats both in the adipose tissue (external fat), as well as the visceral fat (internal fat).

Another interesting feature that has been found with coconut oil is that is seems to have a hunger depressant quality to it. In a recent study done of men consuming a teaspoon of coconut oil at breakfast per day over a fourteen day period, found that on average their consumption of calories decreased by 256 calories per day.

Both of these studies can be very promising when many nutritional plans are starting to implement coconut oil into the overall plan.

The truth is coconut oil can really provide some extra advantages when added appropriately to your nutritional plan, and is clearly a much better oil choice overall for cooking and consumption.

 These reasons and more is why you may see coconut oil in some of our Beachbody nutrition programs that are associated with some of our top fitness programs. A couple of examples of programs that you will see coconut oil in the nutrition plan is the 21 Day Fix and 21 Day Fix Extreme. In the 3-Day shred portion of the 21 day fix, coconut oil is consumed 4-5 times per day. In the 21 Day Fix Extreme Count Down to Competition you will see coconut oil as a part of the program daily.

http://www.gettingfittogether.com/coconut-oil-is-it-a-good-oil/#!376

Do you struggle when it comes to meal planning? I know I have struggled in the past to continue to create healthy meals. When I am not prepared I used to turn to delivery. This is a great article on how to create a healthy meal plan it really helped me with my food prep Sundays.

How To Create A Healthy Meal Plan

By Jessica Negrini

Do you struggle when it comes to planning meals? I thought I would share “How To Create A Healthy Meal Plan. In the past, I always struggled in this area of nutrition, and even though I had good intentions of cooking healthy dinners, time would get away from me. Work and other excuses would take over, and BAM I’d be ordering pizza for the family! Not that I’m against pizza or anything, but it’s better for our lifestyles (and our wallets) to not be ordering food out, but rather cooking healthy food at home. Besides, I LOVE to cook, and I love to come up with recipes are healthy AND tasty!

So, I figured out some tricks that work for me, and hopefully they can help you too!

Focusing on one day a week (Sundays for me), I realized I could get more done than I thought I could. I could plan, shop, AND prep, and be set for the upcoming week! Sundays may not work for you depending on your work schedule but any day off could be used.

How To Create A Healthy Meal

I start with the dinner menu for the week. As a typical, crazy-busy family, we decide what we want for dinners based around the protein, how long it needs to cook or heat up, AND what after-school activities we have that day. Then we decide what kinds of veggies and side dishes would go well with the protein. Once dinner is decided, the rest of the meals and snacks are fairly simple. Often we will have leftovers for lunch, and we always have plenty of fruits, veggies and other easy to grab (but still healthy) options for breakfast and snacks.

I check the pantry, fridge, and freezer to see what we have and what we need at the store based on our menu, and food shopping is next. Many things I buy in bulk, especially foods that can easily be frozen and thawed for future meals. This helps keep the budget on track, too.

After shopping, it’s prep time. For me, this typically means baking some chicken breasts, washing and chopping fruits and veggies, and portioning them in easy to grab plastic baggies or containers. I also make home made salad dressings. Meal prep could be different for you depending on your family size and what you eat, but portioning the food items is the biggest help to me regardless. That way there are “grab and go” items, or if we need a quick dinner, it’s all ready to be heated up and gobbled up!

Even though it took some trial and error to see what worked in my house, I now LOVE meal planning, and I’ve become really good at it! Don’t think we don’t order pizza now and again, but for the most part, we are now able to eat healthy and delicious food at home as a family! Try some different things to find what works for you, and make it fun! Happy Planning!

http://www.gettingfittogether.com/how-to-create-a-healthy-meal-plan/#!376