Laura Forte Fitness

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Laura@LauraForteFitness.com

Stay motivated during the holiday season!

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We all know it is important to exercise.. but what benefits are you really getting?  I’m going to break down why it is so important to maintain a regular exercise routine.. especially during the holidays!

5. Avoid the holiday bulge.  On average, Americans will put on 8-12 pounds during the holidays that are difficult to get off.  Don’t let that be you!!

4. Increase your energy level.  Spend an hour on YOU exercising (you deserve it!!), and you will find yourself with TONS more energy that you can give to your family during the busiest time of year.  It is worth it!!

3. Improve your health.  Lowered cholesterol, blood pressure, better joint mobility and LOTS of other health benefits are associated with exercise.  Exercise has been responsible for many of my clients lowering or even removing themselves off of medications.  OF COURSE consult your doctor before starting an exercise regimen and most importantly before any medication changes.

2.  Be in a better mood.  You feel AWESOME after a great workout – which makes you feel better about yourself the rest of the day.  Lower your stress level and get in the holiday spirit this year by exercising at least 2-3 times per week!

1. Look great and feel great at your holiday parties!!  Ring in the New Year feeling and looking your best.  Don’t wait until 2012 to get started on your New Year’s resolutions!

Here are a few of my favorite ways to stay motivated to exercise during the holidays.

– Reward yourself with new exercise clothes for keeping up with your workouts and/or reaching a goal!

– Sign up for the Turkey Trot or Jingle Bell Run with your family and friends.

– Find an exercise/running buddy to hold you accountable during the holiday season.

– Go for a walk or toss around the football with your family after a big meal. This is a tradition in the Forte family. :)

– Ask for a personal training package or boot camp package for Christmas!

I hope this gave you a few new ways to stay motivated during the holiday season.

*Action* – Please let us know what works for YOU by commenting below or onour Facebook page.

7 Tips for getting back on track!

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You made the decision and took the first step to better your health and fitness.  It feels great!  You are on the way to a new you!  Maybe you started a new gym or fitness program, or maybe you began a new way of eating.  Or.. just maybe you started BOTH!

You did everything that was called for: stocked your kitchen with healthy choices, planned for success by marking on a calendar each day that you would hit the gym, you even threw away all the junk food that you had purchased the week before.

Then.. life happens.  We do the very best we can – we resisted the urge to eat a bagel even though a batch had just come out of the oven next door.  We didn’t steal any candy out of the Halloween candy basket at work.  But.. one day it happened and you overslept (missed the 6 AM workout) and didn’t have time to prepare your green smoothie before running out the door.

The better we plan, the better the chance we have to succeed – but we are human and sometimes we fall off the wagon.  It happens!  But what you decide to do from that point forward is what separates you from everyone else.  The choice is now YOURS to recover quickly and get back on track so that you can smash that goal you wrote down on Day 1 of dropping 7 pounds before the holidays.

Here are some tips to recover quickly and overcome the obstacle that got in your way.  It was only a small delay – accept it as that and move on!!

1.  Read the goals you set for yourself on Day 1 and tape them up on your mirror, refrigerator, front door.. wherever you go most in your home.

2.  Have a support system in place – or find one now!  Maybe it is a friend, or family member.  It could even be your trainer!  Share your goals, wins, and even your slip ups with that person – they will help keep you on track.

3.  Keep a fitness journal to record your progress.  Write down both your workouts AND what you eat during the day.  If you had that small setback – write it down for what it is, but then remind yourself of the days you stuck to the plan!  Keep at it and stay committed.

4.  Remind yourself it isn’t all or nothing.  It takes time to change your lifestyle for better health.  If we could snap our fingers and eat healthy – everyone would do it!  Nobody WANTS to slip up – it happens.  But what separates you from the pack is picking back up after the fall and reminding yourself what you will look and feel like at the finish line.

5.  Make a motivational collage.  Cut out pictures of role models that you admire, a body that inspires you, and phrases that motivate you.  I was recently introduced to Pinterest – it is an awesome resource to find motivational pictures!

6.  Remind yourself WHY you are on a plan to better fitness and health.  Are you looking to tone up by the holidays?  Looking to fit into a special dress or pair of slacks?  Just want to feel better and have more energy each day?  It is worth it if you come back to the plan and pick up where you left off!

7.  Take ACTION.  Just lace up the running shoes and you are already half way there!  “No matter how slow you are, you are still lapping everybody on the couch.”  Just get in a 15 minute workout – you will feel SO much better afterwards!

If you can relate to this and you are ready to pick back up where you left off, TAKE ACTION and try your very first class at Bay View Boot Camp!  You will be in a group of extremely supportive, positive individuals who are looking to achieve their goals just like you!!  You can even try us out for a free week trial – so you have NO EXCUSES!  You’ll also have me to coach you to stay on track and accountable.

Call me today at 727.754.0111 or email me at laura@laurafortefitness.com.  Making the call is the first step!

Which Fruits and Vegetables Should you Eat?

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Eating enough fruits and vegetables is crucial for maintaining a healthy diet.  They give you plenty of fiber, and fill you up so that you aren’t eating empty calorie and nutrition deficient foods!

If you are at a healthy weight, it isn’t necessary to be too concerned with which fruits and vegetables you are putting into your body.  However, if you are looking to lose weight, here are a few tips that I can share with you.
  • Limit your intake of dried fruits.  These usually contain a high amount of sugar and preservatives.
  • Limit high sugar fruits such as grapes, bananas, mangos, sweet cherries, pineapples, and pears.  Eat more vegetables in place of the high sugar fruits.  Here is a table of all fruits and their sugar content.  The best time to have high sugar fruits is before or after a workout.
  • Choose lower sugar fruits instead.  These are blackberries, blueberries, grapefruit, oranges, strawberries, tangerines, cantaloupe.

Here are some more general tips concerning fruits and veggies:

  • Buy organic fruits and vegetables when possible.  Organic fruits and vegetables are grown without the use of artificial pesticides, herbicides, and genetically modified organisms (GMOs).  Organic foods are also abundant in trace minerals and have far less sugar content in them then their commercially grown, highly hybridized counterparts.  They have much more nutritional value, and I believe they taste better!
  • Eat your fruits and vegetables raw when possible.  When you heat food above 116F, you destroy enzymes that aid in digestion and nutrient absorption.  A great way to eat your fruits and vegetables raw is to make a green smoothie!  This way you don’t have to add anything extra to make it taste better (like adding high sugar salad dressing on top of a salad).
  • Always wash all produce before you eat it.  It’s a good idea to always wash your fresh produce because it can contain trace residues of pesticides or other pollutants.  
Share your favorite fruit and vegetable tips below!  If you haven’t already, please “Like” us on Facebook here!

The dish on holiday drinks at Starbucks!

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The weather is starting to get cooler and crisp outside – especially in the early morning on your ride into work.  Still a little drowsy, a warm cup of coffee might sound like perfect way to get your day started.  You walk in to Starbucks – the holiday specialty drinks are in!!  Peppermint White Chocolate Mocha, Salted Caramel Hot Chocolate, Pumpkin Spice Latte… which one to choose?  They all sound good.. but are they all created equal?

The answer.. is NO.  One of the above drinks made with nonfat milk, no whip, and a size grande is still 430 calories, 77g of sugar with 7g of fat.  Change it to 2% milk with whip – it is now 540 calories with 19g of fat.

Which one is the culprit?

It’s the Peppermint White Chocolate Mocha.  Every calorie counts when trying to get in shape and those 500 calories aren’t giving you any nutritional value for your day!

Here are a few tips to save on calories and fat – but still enjoy your cup of joe:

  1.  Just say no to the whip!  You can save 60-110 calories and 6-11g of fat depending on the size of the drink.
  2. Order with non-fat instead of 2% or whole milk.  This will also save you up to 120 calories at 14g of fat depending on the drink size.
  3. Eliminate pumps of syrup.  Each pump of syrup is 20 calories and 5g of sugar.  If you go with the sugar-free, these have artificial sweeteners, which will make you crave sweet foods later in the day.
  4. Ask for Tall instead of Grande or Venti.
  5. Visit the Starbucks website for nutritional value on all Starbucks drinks.  You can choose the size, type of milk, and whip option and see the nutritional content on all of their food and drink items.

 My Favorite Starbucks Drinks

  • Brewed Tazo Tea – I love the Refresh tea!
  • Shaken Cold Tazo Iced Passion Tea (Unsweetened)
  • Iced Green Tea
  • Brewed coffee
  • Tazo Chai Tea Latte (nonfat milk)

Treat yourself to a specialty drink as a reward for hitting a goal. It will make the drink taste even sweeter.

Looking for new drink recipes that you can make at home?  Receive your FREE copy of my top 33 recipes for breakfast, lunch, dinner, and drinks!!

Committed to you and your success,

Laura

Healthy Tailgating Top 10 List!

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It is a tailgating weekend!!  Time to kick back and watch some football (go Heels!!).  It is typical to have some tailgating food around while watching the big game, but you don’t want to undo all the hard work you put in during the week exercising by eating greasy, high calorie foods.

Still have great tailgating foods while watching the game, but make the ones listed below instead!  These snacks still pack a lot of flavor, but don’t come with the high fat penalty of a cheeseburger and fries!

Here is my healthy tailgating top 10 list!!

#1 – Guacamole and gluten free tortilla chips.  I found the brand Xochitl corn tortilla chips for dipping into your guacamole.  They are oven baked, gluten free, all natural, no trans fats, and no GMO.. and they are DELICIOUS!!  I’m definitely a fan!

#2 – Hummus with fresh, raw, veggies.  Make a bowl of delicious hummus and dip in celery, carrot sticks, and broccoli.  Beware – always check out the labels on the hummus at the grocery store.  They are usually PACKED with tons of preservatives.  Make your own or find it fresh – Whole Foods makes a great hummus without the preservatives.

#3 – Sweet potato fries.  Check out the ’33 recipes’ book (enter in your name and email over to the right) for an awesome recipe on baked sweet potato fries. They are much more tasty than regular French fries, and WAY better for your waistline!  Try them and you’ll be hooked!

#4 – Turkey sausage with grilled onions and peppers. Nix the hot dogs and cheeseburgers and replace them will grilled sausage and peppers.  Slice up some red and yellow peppers and sweet onion and toss lightly in extra virgin olive oil in an aluminum tray for grilling. One of my favorite grilling out dinners!!

#5 – Yogurt and spice grilled chicken skewers.  Check the label of your barbeque sauce and make sure it doesn’t include high fructose corn syrup!  Instead, switch it up and make these chicken skewers with 210 calories in 2 skewers! Check out the recipe here.

#6 – Flank steak with Chimmichurri sauce.  This dish is low fat, low sugar, and packed with protein.  Another easy one for the grill that takes little preparation and cook time!  Check out the recipe in the ’33 recipes’ book.

#7 – Fresh tomato and cucumber salad. Toss together sliced cucumbers, tomatoes, extra virgin olive oil, red onions, and some red wine vinegar and you have a fresh side dish!

#8 – Switch up the beer for a cocktail.  Have a mojito or vodka cranberry instead!  Good rule of thumb – do clear liquors instead of dark.  Also, switch up the soda for tonic water to save on calories.

#9 – Make an antipasti tray.  Put together a serving plate of olives, roasted red peppers, grilled eggplant and zucchini, and some cold cuts on a plate!  Just try to avoid the temptation to pair this with bread.

#10 – Fresh fruit salad with unsweetened coconut flakes.  I love making this for parties, football games, or just to keep in the house!!  Slice up some oranges, peaches, kiwi, watermelon, grapes, and unsweetened coconut flakes and mix together in a bowl.  Yum!!  Here’s a picture of one I made recently!

 

What are your healthy favorite recipes to make for the big game?  Please share them on our Facebook page by clicking here.

To your health and fitness success!!
Laura

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