Archive for August, 2009

For a few years I went to Gold’s Gym, it was a great gym, all the equipment was new, the elevated indoor track was great for warming up and cooling down, lots of space, separate class rooms and spinning rooms, indoor pool, Jacuzzi, hot and dry saunas, and a health store attached to it.

Of all the amenities, the health store got more use than anything else. They sold protein shakes, fitness drinks and bars, healthy pastries and more supplements than I had thought previous to exist. (All at a significant mark up)

I don’t even want to imagine how much that little shop was raking in! But it did make me think and take a hard look at what a person really needs to get into shape. Read the rest of this entry »

For our first ever, in what I am hoping to be a long series of interviews with health professionals we have Cassandra Forsythe. Not only is she an accomplished author of two (2!) books, but she also has a PhD in Kinesiology and a  MS is in Nutrition & Metabolism.

1. What is the biggest obstacle people face when trying to lose weight?

Many people get very frustrated when the weight doesn’t come off as quickly as they like. This frustration leads to them giving up and throwing all weight loss efforts out the door. They just need to remember that the weight didn’t come on in a few weeks, so it’s not going to come off that quickly. Patience and positive thinking will help them reach their goals.

2. What is a typical mistake you see people make when trying to lose weight?

A typical mistake is being too restrictive too soon. You have to ease your body into caloric restriction. If you do it too fast and too low, you won’t have energy or the desire to do anything by lie on the couch and feel sorry for yourself.

3. What can people do right now, for free to start living a healthier lifestyle?

For nutrition, something free they can do is just cut out the processed food and mindless snacking. It doesn’t even need to be replaced with anything else necessarily. Just cutting out those calories and eating all your foods in their most natural state will really help.

For exercise, any outdoor activity is free: walking, running, swimming in your local pond, etc. Those will all help increase your caloric expenditure and keep your heart fit.

4. What’s your opinion of at home workouts vs. going to the gym?

Both can be effective and just depend on the person. Some people may find that working out at home provides too many distractions, and then they can’t get in a good workout. Where others find working out at home a way to never miss their workouts unlike driving past the gym on the way home because you don’t want to fight to find a parking spot.

5. Who is the best Bond?

Best Bond? Definitely Sean Connery. He’s dreamy

Cassandra Forsythe is the author of two popular weight loss books for women: The New Rules of Lifting and Women’s Health Perfect Body Diet. Both books are available online and in most book stores. You can read more about Cassandra at her website: www.cassandraforsythe.com or catch her latest thoughts on her blog: www.cassandraforsythe.blogspot.com

I’d just like to thank Cassandra for taking the time to for this interview, and I hope you all go visit her sites, she really is a professional not only in nutrition, but in woman’s fitness as well.

Thanks, again Cassandra!

My wife and I love Chinese food! The only problem is that these foods can be super high in sodium, and you can pack in a days worth of calories in a single dish without even realizing it!

Here is a quick and easy recipe for fried rice. Its less than 200 calories per serving, and you get to control how much sodium goes into it.

Fried rice

• Nonstick cooking spray
• 2 eggs
• 1 cup finely shredded cooked chicken breast
• 6 green onions (white and green parts), sliced
• 4 cups cooked brown rice
• 2 tablespoons low-sodium soy sauce
• 1/2 teaspoon sugar
• Salt to taste, optional

Heavily coat a skillet with nonstick cooking spray.  Cook eggs over medium heat, until firm, about 4 minutes.  Shred eggs.  Add chicken and onions and fry over medium-high heat for 4 minutes, stirring constantly.  Add cooked rice and continue to fry.

In a small bowl, mix soy sauce and sugar and drizzle over the rice-mixture in pan. Continue to cook, stirring constantly until rice is hot. Salt to taste.

8 servings.

180 calories/serving.

PS.

Don’t forget that tommorow we are having a guest fitness star interview!

Alright, yesterday I mentioned that I was going to start posting a series of interviews with fitness experts, and I promised that today I would reveal the questions they were all asked.

Well here you go…. *Drum roll please!*

1. What is the biggest obstacle people face when trying to lose weight?

2. What is a typical mistake you see people make when trying to lose weight?

3. What can people do right now, for free to start living a healthier lifestyle?

4. What’s your opinion of at home workouts vs. going to the gym?

5. ???????
Whats with question #5? Simple, #5 is a mystery question, consider it a bit of a curve ball to throw the interviewee off… ok, not really. You’ll find out soon enough…