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Laura@LauraForteFitness.comDo you have days when you just feel super bloated and can’t seem to get to normal?
You ask yourself.. what did I eat to feel this way? Or maybe – you are looking for some foods to prevent bloating to make sure you don’t feel that way.
Either way, in this post you’ll find the top 7 foods that are your biggest offenders for causing bloating.. and the 7 foods that will actually help you if you CURRENTLY feel bloated.
Read on!
7 Foods that will cause bloating: [Read more…]
Spicy Scallop Salad
It’s Food Friday! Here is another Paleo recipe to add to your mix inspired by PaleoDietLifestyle.com. Scallops are a great source of vitamin B12, magnesium, zinc, selenium and phosphorus. A tasty salad that doesn’t take long to make, and is perfect for standing by the grill this weekend. :)
Ingredients
1 lb bay scallops or small sea scallops
3 tbsp lemon juice (from about 1.5 lemons)
2 tsp cayenne pepper
2 tsp black pepper
1 tsp sea salt
2 large handfuls mixed greens
1 tsp Dijon mustard
1 clove minced garlic
1/2 cup olive oil
1 red bell pepper, sliced into strips
1 avocado
3 TB cooking oil (coconut oil or olive oil)
Salt and pepper, to taste
Preparation
1. Combine mixed greens, sliced peppers and cubed avocado in a large bowl and set aside.
2. In a small bowl, prepare the vinaigrette by whisking together the lemon juice, mustard, cayenne and salt and pepper to taste. Once combined, slowly mix in the olive oil.
3. In a bowl large enough to hold the scallops, mix the cayenne, salt and pepper.
4. Rinse the scallops and lightly pat them dry.
5. Add the scallops to the mixture prepared in step 3 and coat the scallops evenly.
6. Over medium heat, heat a skillet and melt the cooking fat in preparation for searing the scallops. Make sure not to allow our cooking oil to burn. (This is why coconut oil is also a good choice. Coconut oil does not brown under high cooking temperatures like other oils do.)
7. Place the scallops in the pan and cook for about two minutes per side, until they are opaque white and just cooked through.
8. Add the scallops to the bowl of mixed greens and vegetables, and add dressing over the top. Serve while the scallops are still warm.
Enjoy! Please comment below and take a photo of the finished product if you try it at home!
Happy Friday!
Here is a recipe from one of my favorite blogs, Paleomg.com. It is an awesome resource for Paleo recipes that aren’t too difficult to make and don’t need a ton of ingredients. :) Here is one for Southwest Turkey Sliders over Spicy Avocado Slaw.
Ingredients:
Burgers:
1 lb ground turkey
1/4 red onion, minced
1/4 red onion, thinly sliced
1/2 poblano pepper, diced
1/2 red bell pepper, diced
1 tsp ground cumin
1/2 tsp ground red pepper
1 TB fat (ex: bacon fat, or coconut oil)
Salt and pepper, to taste
Spicy Slaw:
1 small head cabbage, chopped
2 avocados
1 TB extra virgin olive oil
1 tsp lime juice
1/2 tsp lemon juice
1 tsp ground cumin
1/2 tsp crushed red pepper
Salt and pepper, to taste
Instructions:
Burgers:
1. Add all the ingredients for your burgers in a large bowl and shape small burger patties.
2. Heat up a large skillet under medium heat with a bit of fat/oil and add in the sliders.
3. Flip after about 3-5 minutes or when you see the sides of your sliders begin to turn a white color.
Spicy Slaw:
1. Add all your ingredients to a food processor (EXCEPT for the cabbage) and pulse until smooth.
2. Pour your avocado “mayo” on the cabbage and mix. Season with salt and pepper, to taste.
3. Place your cabbage on a plate and top off with your sliders. Enjoy!
Please comment below and let us know if you make it! I’ll post a photo on my Facebook wall when I try this out. It looks AMAZING!
You are committed to getting in shape, right? You are putting in the cardio time, lifting weights, and eating clean. But don’t forget about one of the most crucial elements:
Stretching is a MUST to be included in your current fitness program. Here are just a few of the MANY benefits:
Pre-Workout: Dynamic StretchingBefore you train, dynamic (moving) exercises are best. The goal of a dynamic stretch routine is to loosen up and increase range of motion, while warming up the body. You’ll want to get your heart rate pumping and get oxygen to your muscles to prep them for a killer workout.
*Laura’s tip* Make sure to focus on the muscles you are working on that day. For example: If you are training chest and triceps, make sure to include push-ups in your dynamic warm up. If you are training legs and glutes, make sure to include some body weight squats in your warm up. (Don’t be like this guy though.. keep your knees behind your toes.)
Post-Workout: Static Stretching
Static stretching is best performed after your workout. You should aim to hold each stretch comfortably for about 15 seconds. If you feel any pain while stretching, ease out of the stretch. Again – you will want to focus on stretching the muscles that you just worked during your workout.
*Laura’s tip* Even if only one side of your body is sore/tight, make sure to stretch out both sides. For example: If your left quad is really sore, still stretch out both sides.
With that said, here is a static stretching routine that you can do after a total body workout. Please post your comments and any questions below.
Static Stretching Routine:
Downward Dog
Focus: calves and hamstrings while lengthening your back and opening your shoulders
With your hands flat on your mat, keep your back straight, push your hips up to the sky and pull your shoulders away from your ears. You can slowly move one knee in at a time to focus attention on each calf muscle.
Cobra
Focus: back and abs
From downward dog, push yourself forward so that your shoulders are under your hands and your legs are on the mat. Carefully push back through your arms, raising your chin and opening up your chest.
Child’s pose
Focus: back and shoulders
From cobra, push yourself back onto your heels and lean forward, pulling your arms and fingertips away from your body. Relax your neck and shoulders.
Pigeon Forward Fold
Focus: hips and glutes
From child’s pose, return to downward dog and swing left leg leg behind you. Pull it forward, into your chest, while allowing your opposite leg to lay on the mat. Your hips should be square to the floor. Lean forward with both arms extended. Repeat with right leg.
Butterfly
Focus: hips, quads, and hamstrings
Sit on your mat and bring both feet together with your knees pointed out. Bring your knees towards your hips until you feel a comfortable stretch. Grasp your feet and sit tall. After a few seconds, you can move your feet out a bit and press your elbows into your knees to allow for a greater stretch.
Half Butterfly
Focus: hips, hamstrings, and calves
From butterfly, leave one leg bent and extend the other straight. Bend from the hips towards your toes of your extended leg. If you need to, slightly bend your knee in order to increase the bend from your hips. Grasp your toes or ankles to maximize the stretch. Repeat with other leg.
Forward Fold
Focus: back and posterior chain
Stand up with your feet shoulder width apart and bend over at the hips. Relax your neck and shoulders. You can grasp your toes or hold your hands behind your calves for a deeper stretch. As you stand up, do so slowly, one vertebrae at a time, with the last to come up as your neck and head.
Hope this helps! Make sure to include stretching your workout routines. Please leave your comments below and don’t forget to “Like” this post please! :)
We are starting a brand new series called Transformation Tuesday. We have SO many amazing members in our Bay View Boot Camp family, and I wanted to share their stories with you to inspire, encourage, and motivate you to keep working towards your fitness and nutrition goals.
Our very first story comes from Kim Gregory, who started boot camp with us during a 21 Day Transformation Challenge. She got hooked and has been coming consistently ever since!
Kim has a great story to tell and shows how she completely changed her lifestyle beginning with adopting a Paleo way of eating. Now, she feels as strong as she did in high school and feels GREAT!
Please check out her story below and congratulate her on her success in the comments section below.
Here is Kim’s Story, as SHE tells it:
Jan. 1st was my ‘awakening’ of sorts. My blood pressure was spiking around 140/100. My Crohn’s was flaring out of control. My weight was the highest it had ever been and would stubbornly sit there no matter what I tried. My dad had just had another bout of heart attacks (on top of his high blood pressure, diabetes, etc…) which is something I wanted to steer clear of. After months, no YEARS, of waking up feeling bloated, headachy and with my stomach on fire and cramping, day in and day out, I knew enough was enough and I needed to make a change…. so that’s what I did!!
One of Kim's Paleo Creations: Cubano slow roasted pork with spicy slaw
My first action was to start eating whole foods as much as possible. I was raised on the theory, as we all were, that grains are good and low fat is better. I was eating almost ALL processed foods as that was (at least what I thought) what my stomach handled better. While I was looking for gluten/soy free recipes in the first month, I stumbled across the whole Paleo lifestyle and figured, why not?! I instantly began cutting ALL processed foods out of my diet, and never looked back. It took a while for my gut to settle down and start healing, but it did start to happen. I truly believe that the food we eat can be a magical drug to heal, or the poison that slowly kills us.
I was feeding my body as a whole and I started seeing the weight come off, along with a drastic drop in blood pressure, but I still felt I was missing something….fast forward to boot camp!! I remember seeing on a friend’s Facebook wall the link to the 21 Day Transformation Challenge and though now might be a great tine to start exercising. My weight had dropped some and I actually had energy for the first time in a long time, so the timing couldn’t have been any better!! I was very nervous as I had been a couch potato for so long, that I wasn’t sure if I could do it, much less like it….I really hate to exercise!! I took it one day at a time. It wasn’t easy (and still isn’t, lol), but it has become easier to embrace the burn as I have noticed great improvement in my strength, endurance and posture.
I embrace the motivation and guidance of my wonderful instructor, and look forward to the days I get to challenge myself to new levels. Every workout is different so you can never say it is boring. You work different muscles so even though you might get sore from a workout, you are not overly exerted. What I really love is if you are suffering from an injury, Laura always has an alternative to challenge you, but not cause any more discomfort. That is awesome!! So after the end of the challenge, I couldn’t wait to sign up for more! In the weeks I have been attending Bay View Boot Camp, I saw such a transformation in my body, I was shocked and giddy as hell!! Whats not to love about that?!? :)
In all, 2012 has been a process of turning over a new leaf. On Jan 1st I weighed 147 lbs, no muscle….I now weigh 127 lbs and feel as strong as I did in high school! My blood pressure is a normal 120/80, and my gut feels great! I am happy to say, that not only do I LOVE working out now, but I actually anticipate the time I get to push myself. This has not been a ‘fast’ change, nor has it been easy…. it is not a gimmicky fad/diet, it is a changed way of seeing food, the world and yourself! It is amazing to truly feel and know the good you are doing for your body. My transformation is nowhere near over, but at least I know I have set up a great foundation!
Thank you Laura and all my bootcamp buddies for encouragement, positive vibe and helping to make this one of the greatest things I have done for myself. Yes, MYself, no one else, because if you’re doing it for someone else, you probably won’t be doing it long!!!! Peace.
