Thanksgiving Dos and Don'ts

Well we are getting to that time of the year where most of us look forward to spending time with our families and friends and of course plenty of FOOD! You've spent the year completing your fitness program and following the meal plans to the "T". I have some helpful dos and don'ts that will help guide you through without feeling guilty. This article and many more are always available on your Team Beachbody account. If you don't have one please feel free to fill out the free fitness assessment form and I will get you set up!

Countdown to Thanksgiving: Dos and Don’ts for Filling Your Plate

I know you’re probably going to eat more on Thanksgiving than you would on most Thursdays. And, I understand. It’s one of my favorite holidays too! I want to eat all my favorites (stuffing, sweet potatoes, pumpkin pie…), but I also don’t want to wake up the next morning and feel like I’ve undone my progress. Of course, if you’ve been exercising and eating right, one day won’t undo all the work you’ve done. But, as we head into winter, it’s easy to fall off the horse and really struggle to get back on. So, with that in mind, I snapped these photos during Autumn Calabrese’s most recent video shoot to help you plate your Thanksgiving meal.

The Typical Plate
Honestly, this is kind of what it looks like when I usually eat Thanksgiving dinner. But, after watching Autumn’s video, I learned where I was going all kinds of wrong. First off, where are the greens? And, secondly, this plate is filled with so high in carbs and sugar, it’s no wonder I always want to nap after dinner.

Approximate Nutritional Information for the typical plate:

Our Registered Dietician, Ani Aratounians weighed in on my typical Thanksgiving plate. “It’s high in carbs and there’s lot of sugar and fat. Especially saturated fat. There’s butter everywhere and hardly any fiber. After eating this plate, you’ll feel stuffed and bloated.” And this doesn’t even take into consideration the pie. Or the wine. Or seconds…or thirds.

The Revised Thanksgiving Plate

One easy way to totally redo your Thanksgiving plate (and still have all your favorites) is to start with the green veggies. Put the green beans and the salad on your plate first. Then, add the turkey (aim for the the skinless pieces if you can find them), and then add on your other favorites.

Approximate Nutritional Information for the revised plate:

The calories aren’t low, but they’re much more reasonable than the first plate. Aratounians’s thoughts on this plate were much more positive. “This is much higher in vitamin and mineral content, and antioxidants. Overall, this is much more balanced for your blood sugar with the protein and fiber balancing out sugar content. And, I can’t help but notice that it’s a much prettier plate!” She recommends, if you are going to go for seconds (and really, who isn’t), go for the greens and protein (again, ideally, without skin).

I hope that this comparison will help you come Thanksgiving! Let me know, will you consider trying the “revised plate” approach?

Inflatable 5 K

I had found an advertisement on facebook for one of the Insane Inflatable 5 K races and decided to sign up for it. To my amazement I had a fantastic time! The Insane Inflatable 5K -- a new dynamic and extreme obstacle race, made up solely of inflatable obstacles -- will challenge you, surprise you, and leave you bouncing back for more! We didn’t just throw together a couple slides and bounce houses – we took imagination, creativity, and a collection of notes on bar napkins, and went to the leading manufacturer of custom inflatables. We told them, "Throw out the rulebook, we want to go extreme and INSANE!” This race was so much fun that I can't wait for the next event in my area. Here is a few pictures of some obstacles that we had to complete.

We ended up finishing 3rd place and 4th place overall in the first wave! I talked with quite a few participants afterwards and we all agreed at how much fun and the uniqueness of the obstacles. If your interested in running one of these races with our team message me and I will add you to my group and keep you posted when the schedule is released. 

Organic Peanut Butter and Jelly Pancakes!

Organic Peanut Butter and Jelly Pancakes Recipe

For those of you who are constantly craving something sweet and “pancaky” in the morning, here’s a super delicious pancake recipe. Not only it tastes wonderful but it’s full of protein, is gluten-free and grain-free. An awesome recipe that your kids will love.

Photo from Whole Lifestyle Nutrition

You’ll need:

• 1 Cup of Organic Almond, Peanut or any other Nut Butter
• 4 Organic Eggs
• 1 Tablespoon of Vanilla Extract
• 1/4 cup of Organic Greek Yogurt
• 2-3 Tablespoons of Organic Strawberry Jam
• Organic Agave Syrup
• Organic Coconut Oil

Directions:

1. Mix the eggs, almond/peanut butter, greek yogurt, vanilla extract and the strawberry jam in a small bowl.
2. Blend everything together using a whisk.
3. Preheat a skillet to 350º F.
4. When the skillet is hot, add some coconut oil to lightly cover the bottom of skillet.
5. Pour batter into skillet and cook on both sides until lightly golden brown.
6. If needed, add agave syrup or more strawberry jam on top

 This along with my Shakeology is the perfect way to start off your day especially if you have a long run planned. I have found that it really keeps me fueled during my run which is important. For a free team beach body account fill out my free fitness assessment form and I will get you started right away!

My Trifecta Journey

Hey all! I have  returned from my 10 days in beautiful South Carolina where I participated in the Spartan Beast obstacle course race. I had a great time with my partner who just happens to be my better half as we were able to find some beautiful trails to train on before the race. This will be our 4th race of the year but our first beast and we both will be earning our first Trifecta! This consists of completing a Sprint 3+ miles and a Super 8+ miles and a Beast 13+ miles all in the same calender year. The race started off a chilly 41 degrees and didn't disappoint! We immediately encountered up hill terrain and obstacles. This was followed by a stretch of running and we hit the muckiest barbed wire crawl I have ever done.We continued on at a great pace under 10 minute miles and then BAM! I did the tire pull and on the last yank pulled really hard to get done fast and stood up started running and I got the worst abdominal cramp EVER! I fought this thing 10 minutes screaming rubbing yelling trying to get it to go away. Here's the funny part it brought me down to one knee and as my spouse was standing in front of me people were stopping and yelling at me DID SHE SAY YES!! They thought i was proposing to her!! I yelled back she said yes 30 years ago!! We both got a kick out of it and finally were able to continue. I hit the atlas carry and all was well till the second step. If you have been following me you know i have been fighting severe sciatica on my left side and after the second step I wasn't the same. I struggled terribly to run especially up hills. I pushed really hard to get through and then my spouse suffered an injury to her I T band. We both carried each other through the pain and kept going telling stories and trying to stay positive. We hit some pretty nasty mud that you could barely move through and then took a quick break. The spear throw was different than other Spartan races as they decided to put a tether on the spear. I didn't like it and it cost both of us 30 burpees due to catching our hydration packs. Well moving on we hit the rope climb and by far this was the worst we had ever encountered. These ropes were covered in mud and grip was all but non existant. We finished with a time of 4 hours 20 minutes but the key here was we finished. So proud of what both of us had accomplished and I believe that our training with Beachbody programs and supplements was definitely key to our success. I plan on starting a Hybrid workout with P90X3 and Insanity Asylum for next years races and my goals are to be top 3 in my age group all 3 races. Here are some pictures from training and from the event. Please feel free to message me for more information on our programs and supplements or you can even get a free fitness assessment just click on the above tab!