5 Ways to Beat the Work Time Snack Attack

I recall an episode of Curb Your Enthusiasm a few years back  (yes I was hooked) where Larry David was arguing with someone over the proper time to eat dinner. He was adamant that dinner is traditionally eaten between the hours of 5 PM and 8 PM. Not before. Not after. Since the majority of Americans don’t have the luxury of living off Seinfeld residuals, we have to go to work, and sometimes that means we can’t eat at “normal” hours, or in any sort of regular intervals. A constantly rotating work schedule, constant meetings, or very long shifts present a challenge to eating right, but can certainly be overcome with proper planning and a positive outlook.

Your body is a creature of habit. It gets used to routines, and the chemical processes that go on inside of it are on a set schedule. Consequently, if you do something to throw those off, like drastically altering your eating habits, it tends to react poorly. The best way to fix this is to outsmart your body, and get it on a schedule that works for the both of you. And as many of you know, at all of our Nutrition Seminars we preach the value of food planning and preparation. Hey anything to make your life a little easier.

Here are some tips on how help our bodies work optimally:

If you don’t get enough sleep, you’re busted no matter what. Therefore, the first order of business is to adjust your sleep schedule. Cutting out crucial hours of sleep will affect the results you see from not only your diet, but your workout as well. Not getting enough sleep is detrimental to your health and metabolism, even if you eat during “optimal” periods. The point here is that if working late causes you to lose sleep, you will be doing damage to your body no matter how well you eat, and all the subsequent tips mentioned below will be for naught.

Late-night eating. We’ve always heard that eating right before bed is bad because the body doesn’t get a chance to burn those calories off, and instead converts the food into fat. At the same time, depriving your body of nutrients isn’t healthy either, so what’s the answer? In a recent study at Northwestern University, scientists discovered that a group of mice who were only allowed to eat a high-fat diet during an non-optimal eating period (nighttime) gained over twice as much weight as mice only allowed to eat during an optimal eating period (daytime). In other words, mice that ate before bed got fat. While researchers are as yet unable to pinpoint a single reason for this discrepancy, “the interplay between body temperature, metabolic hormones such as leptin, and the sleep-wake cycle” were determined to be the biggest contributing factors. So if you can avoid eating before bed, do. But if you’re hard pressed, keep it small and try to space it as far away from sleep as possible.

Eat moderately throughout the day. This is the best solution to avoid getting those deep hunger pangs at night when you get home, and to set your body’s metabolism on an effective rhythm. This is especially true for people whose jobs force them to be immobile, and prevent them from getting enough natural exercise throughout the day to allow them to burn off a few of the calories from a heavy lunch. If you’re working a double shift and find yourself awake for 20 plus hours, try taking a portion block from one of your meals and using it as a snack later on instead. If you’re on your feet most of the time and have an active job, adding an extra 200 to 300 balanced calories to your diet shouldn’t be a problem. Either way, try to eat every 3 hours, and avoid eating 2 to 3 hours before bed.

Skipping meals is not the answer. You may be tempted to fast and skip meals altogether, reducing your daily caloric intake in the hopes that consuming fewer calories will lead to weight loss. The problem with this logic is that drastically reducing your caloric intake can also cause your body’s metabolism to slow down and stop converting food into energy. In order to lose weight, your body needs fuel. Weight loss occurs when you burn more calories than you consume, not simply by eating less. It may be counterintuitive, but eating less without exercising is very unhealthy, and will leave you feeling tired and listless, due to a dip in blood sugar. If you want to be super-fit and lean, you have to eat and exercise to turn your body into a fat-burning machine rather than a fat-storing machine.There are harmful side effects of allowing your body to become acclimated to fewer daily calories over the long term and enter what is referred to as starvation mode:

“You are putting less calories toward body heat production and toward activity than you would at a higher calorie level. You may or may not notice that you feel colder than you did at a higher calorie intake. You may or may not notice that you simply move slower and you move less all day long through your activities. You may even be sleeping more than before. You may also be putting less calories toward egg production, immune system function, tissue repair, and other things.”

Plan ahead. Don’t let your work schedule be an excuse for living an unhealthy lifestyle. If you know you’ll be working at dinnertime, find a time to eat healthy snacks and small meals while on the job. It may be difficult at first, and you might need to try out a few schedules, but being smart and proactive will usually supply an answer. Still don’t think it’s possible?

“I don’t get home from work until 10 or 10:30 at night. I didn’t think I had the option of eating at work. I teach dance, and I have classes back to back to back. I don’t even have time to go to the bathroom. I had to make time to eat. I teach ballet 95% of the time, and I teach a certain method where they do the same thing to the same music, so I take the opportunity to eat a dinner that I pack while they’re doing the stuff they know well. I’m still watching and working, but I’m taking care of myself too! I agree with everybody else, pack a dinner!”

Advocare Meal Replacement Shakes are both excellent ways to give your body the nutrition it needs in a quick and easy way, and is very conducive to an on-the-go lifestyle. Other quick, portable, and healthy snacks include fresh fruit, chopped-up veggies, or raw nuts.

The bottom line is that you are the only person who can take control of your health. If you’re not really committed to taking the necessary steps to losing weight and getting fit, then there are any number of excuses you could make to explain why it’s just not possible for you. Don’t be lured by the temptation of the drive-thru, and avoid putting yourself in situations where the temptation to eat poorly is the easiest option. As soon as you start making excuses for yourself, you’ve lost. In truth, successful people are always the ones who persisted despite any obstacles or challenges that stood before them. Life will always get in the way, so make being healthy a necessity, not a choice. If you can schedule a time to work out every day, then you can certainly coordinate an appropriate eating schedule as well.

Head Coach Catherine, Milwaukee Adventure Boot Camp

Adapted from Omar Shamout at  http://teambeachbody.com/about/newsletters/-/nli/174#58926794

Recipe: Chili Chicken Kabobs

Kabobs are the perfect dinner for a hot summer’s night! Try this simple, quick and delicious recipe from The Eat-Clean Diet for Men! If you are feeling adventurous, swap out the chicken with salmon, pork, or beef tenderloin.

Chili Chicken Kabobs

Yield: 4 Kabobs
Prep Time: 15 Minutes
Cook Time: 10-15 Minutes

Ingredients

• 3 Tbsp / 45 ml best-quality olive oil
• 1 1/2 Tbsp / 22 ml balsamic vinegar
• Juice of one fresh lime
• 1 tsp / 5 ml chili powder
• 1/2 tsp / 2 1/2 ml paprika
• 1 large onion, chopped into thick pieces
• 2 garlic cloves, pressed or minced
• 1 tsp / 5ml cayenne pepper
• Sea salt, to taste
• Freshly ground black pepper, to taste
• 1 lb / 454 g boneless skinless chicken breast*, cut into 1 1/2 inch / 4-cm pieces

*NOTE: Use pork, beef or bison tenderloin or turkey as alternative kabob meats. A sturdy, meaty fish such as salmon works well here too.

Preparation

1. In a small bowl whisk together the olive oil, vinegar and lime juice. Season with chili powder, paprika, cayenne pepper, salt, and pressed garlic.
2. Place the chicken in a shallow baking dish with the sauce and stir to coat.
3. Preheat the grill to medium high. Thread the chicken onto the skewers, alternating with chopped onion pieces. Discard the marinade.
4. Lightly oil the grill grate. Grill the skewers for 10 to 15 minutes or until the chicken juices run clear.

Nutritional Value For One Kabob

Calories: 186
Calories from Fat: 75
Total Fat: 8.5 g
Saturated Fat: 1 g
Total Carbs: 6 g
Fiber: 1 g
Protein: 25 g
Sodium: 334 mg
Cholesterol: 61 mg

Can you answer yes to any of these questions?

Do you want to know…

• How to make the most healthful and delicious choices for you and your family?
• The 6 rules to mastering your food market?
• The 11 Secrets the Food Industry doesn’t want you to know?
• What low fat, light, less, lower and other food labels really mean?
• What’s better: butter or margarine, frozen or fresh, low fat or low carb? (The answers will surprise you.)
• How to finally stop dieting and make healthful eating a natural part of your life?

If you have answered yes to any of these questions, you should sign up for a grocery shopping tour.  You will learn the answers to these questions and more.  REGISTER NOW!

Let SPARK Get You Going!

If you have ever attended one of our educational Nutrition Seminars, you have heard us say that eating your best choices of whole foods, organic whenever possible, and drinking your gallon of water a day are two of the best ways to have success in creating a healthy life for yourself, nutritionally speaking. But sometimes even the BEST diets need a boast.

I can tell you first hand, that when I prepare for my Figure competitions, which I will be doing again this fall heading into the Kentucky Pro for a shot to compete in the coveted Figure Olympia 2011, my supplement intake changes dramatically. Due to a more demanding routine of training, dieting and work; I need more for my body to recover. We introduced Advocare products a few months ago but have not really unleashed all the benefits that the many offerings have for our campers. Each newsletter, we have been asked to really detail one product for our customers to better understand how they can benefit.

The MABC coaches have been enjoying these products and their benefits for almost a year now; isn’t it time you try something new? What do you have to lose? What do you have to gain? Please take a few moments and review the information below but as always, let us know if you have any questions. We are here to help!

Spark Energy Drink – Drew Brees’ Favorite (QB for the New Orleans Saints)
Spark® Energy Drink mix is a unique multi-nutrient system that’s designed to provide nutritionally advanced, long-lasting energy and enhanced mental focus. Its 21 vitamins, minerals and nutrients work synergistically to give you healthy, balanced energy without making you jittery like other caffeinated beverages. Spark’s unique combination of ingredients gives you fast-acting energy and B-vitamins enhance your body’s natural energy-sustaining processes.

Is this you? Someone who has trouble waking up or feels “energy slumps” throughout the day. Someone who can’t work up enough energy to live life the way they want to. Someone who is looking for a more nutritious alternative to coffee, soda or other energy drinks. For mental focus and clarity, the neuroactive amino acids in Spark help sharpen your mental focus and alertness by supporting your brain’s ability to efficiently transmit messages within the nervous system. With five refreshing flavors and only 45 calories per serving, Spark gives you a lift that lasts for hours.

Key Ingredients:
B-vitamin complex (thiamine, riboflavin, niacin, vitamin B-6, vitamin B-12 and pantothenic acid), taurine, L-tyrosine, choline, caffeine, GABA (gamma-aminobutyric acid)

How does Spark compare to other energy drinks like Red Bull, soda, or coffee? Click here for more information.

10 Appetite-Suppressing Foods to Conquer Your Cravings

If you’re like most people, conquering your appetite is one of the biggest challenges you face in your fitness and weight loss journey. As soon as the word “diet” crosses your lips, you may start craving all the junk you know you’re not supposed to eat. The secret is eating the RIGHT foods to help calm the cravings for the wrong ones.  Campers are always looking for ways to help curb their appetites. Well, add these 10 easy-to-find, tasty foods to your meal plan, and rein in your appetite before it gets out of control!

OATMEAL! This hot cereal is high in fiber and low on the glycemic index, which means it fills you up and takes a long time to digest. Research has shown that diets high in slow-burning carbohydrates like oatmeal suppress the hunger hormone grehlin more effectively than diets high in fat. In fact, when you eat oatmeal for breakfast, you may find that your appetite is lower at lunchtime. Steel-cut or rolled oats are digested more slowly than the “instant” variety, so it’s worth taking a few extra minutes in the morning to prepare your breakfast the old-fashioned way.

APPLES! Not only are apples nutritious, but what sets them apart from other fruits is pectin, a soluble fiber that helps regulate blood sugar, keeps you full, and sustains your energy. One medium apple with skin contains 4 grams of fiber, which is more than you’d get in an average slice of whole wheat bread. Add an apple and some cinnamon to your morning oatmeal for an appetite-suppressing breakfast.

PINE NUTS! These edible pine-tree seeds contain more protein than any other nut or seed, and their oil stimulates two appetite-suppressing hormones (cholecystokinin [CKK] and glucagon-like peptide-1) that tell your brain you’re not hungry. Blend pine nuts with basil, garlic, and a little olive oil to make pesto, or sprinkle them on your salad or oatmeal for a delicious, nutty crunch.

SALAD! The fiber in typical salad vegetables like lettuce, cabbage, spinach, celery, cucumbers, broccoli, and peppers is very filling and helps slow the release of glucose into your bloodstream. Studies have shown that when people start a meal with a small salad, they eat significantly fewer calories in the meal itself. Just watch out for the high-fat dressings (or worse, fat-free dressings that are high in sugar). Try having the dressing on the side and dipping your fork into it for easy portion control, or simply add a dash of balsamic vinegar or a squeeze of lemon juice for a tasty, super-low-calorie option. Bonus tip: Try to eat a vegetable at every meal to keep your appetite at bay all day long.

OLIVE OIL AND OTHER UNSATURATED FATS! Researchers at the University of California at Irvine found that unsaturated fat causes the intestines to release a compound (oleoylethanolamide) that has been shown to reduce appetite and stimulate weight loss. Some great choices for unsaturated fat include avocados, olives and olive oil, almonds, salmon, walnuts, pumpkin seeds, macadamia nuts, and sesame seeds. These foods are high in calories, so enjoy them in moderation while regulating your appetite.

FLAX SEEDS! Flax is one of the best plant sources of omega-3 fatty acids. The seeds are also very high in protein and fiber, making them excellent for appetite control. Sprinkle ground flax seeds over oatmeal, salads, or yogurt, or add them to smoothies to help stabilize your blood sugar and turn off the hunger hormones.

BEANS! The fiber in beans increases CCK, a digestive hormone that’s a natural appetite suppressant. A research study at the University of California at Davis found that men who ate a high-fiber meal containing beans had CCK levels that were two times higher than when they ate a low-fiber meal. Beans also keep your blood sugar steady, which helps stave off hunger.

WHEY PROTEIN! New studies suggest that whey protein stimulates the hormones that increase the feeling of being full. In one study, researchers at the University of Surrey in England found that people who consumed whey protein felt fuller and more satisfied with less food. Whey also stabilizes blood sugar, and that can help control food urges. Make a drink with Whey Protein Powder to calm your appetite any time of the day.

SPICY FOODS! Capsaicin, the ingredient that gives peppers their heat, can also help control your raging appetite. A recent study published in Clinical Nutrition suggests that capsaicin-rich foods may help you eat fewer calories and support weight loss by suppressing your appetite and making you feel fuller. You can add hot pepper sauce to tomato juice, stir-fry peppers with other vegetables, or throw some peppers and salsa in an omelette. Other spicy ingredients may have similar effects, so try adding hot mustard and curry spices to your salads and meats.

Hope this list helps keep you on the road to nutritional success!    ~ Coach Catherine

Adapted from http://teambeachbody.com/about/newsletters/-/nli/128#29123731 by Whitney Provost

Vegan Protein Options – For Variety and For Health

This past camp (May-June) we had a number of Vegan and Vegetarian campers. Being a staunch meat eater myself, I liked the challenge of  offering suggestions on how to increase protein intake for a diet that does not include meat products. It is very easy for a vegan diet to meet the recommendations for protein.  Nearly all vegetables, beans, grains, nuts, and seeds contain some, and often much, protein. Fruits, sugars, fats, and alcohol do not provide much protein, so a diet based only on these foods would have a good chance of being too low in protein.  However, not many vegans we know live on only bananas, hard candy, margarine, and beer.

Vegans eating varied diets containing vegetables, beans, grains, nuts, and seeds rarely have any difficulty getting enough protein as long as their diet contains enough energy (calories) to maintain weight. I wanted to share what my research uncovered and give you more options to add a variety of protein sources to your nutrition.

Click here  for some great, non meat, vegan protein options!

Recipe: Eat-Clean Egg Salad

Egg Salad is the perfect school lunch! It’s hearty, tasty and takes no time at all to prepare. Trade the fatty, mayonnaise-laden version for this Eat-Clean recipe from Tosca Reno’s book, The Eat-Clean Diet for Family and Kids!  Make sure to pack it in a cooler.

Ingredients

• 1/4 cup / 60 ml fat-free cottage cheese
• 1 Tbsp / 15 ml skim milk
• 1 tsp / 5 ml mustard
• 4 hardboiled egg whites, diced
• 1 hardboiled yolk
• 2 Tbsp / 30 ml chopped green onion
• 2 Tbsp / 30 ml chopped celery
• Dash curry powder
• 1/4 tsp / 1 ml sea salt

Preparation

1. Whip cottage cheese and milk until smooth in medium-sized mixing bowl.
2. Blend remaining ingredients except egg whites with cottage cheese mixture.
3. Add diced egg whites to cottage cheese mixture. Mix well.

Nutrients per Serving

Calories: 170
Calories from Fat: 30
Fat: 3.5g
Saturated Fat: 1g
Trans Fat: 0g
Protein: 17g
Carbs: 18g
Dietary Fiber: 3.5g
Sodium: 528mg
Cholesterol: 106mg

5 Simple Rules for Using Sugar For Good Instead of Evil!

Few topics boggle boot camper and fitness enthusiasts the way sugar does.

Is this simple carbohydrate the key to unlocking elite sports performance (ie: chocolate milk is great after a workout…)? Or is it the chains that drag our country deeper into the obesity epidemic? Annoyingly, the answer is both. But before you throw your hands up in frustration and grab yourself a Twinkie®, let’s take a minute to talk about sugar.

It’s not as complex as it seems. In fact, with just a few guidelines, it’s incredibly easy to use these simple carbohydrates for good instead of evil. Anyone who has been to one of our Milwaukee Adventure Boot Camp nutrition seminars will tell you, your nutrition can either make or break your success. Read on to see how you can “indulge” in the sweet stuff without sabotaging your “assets.”

Rule #1: Just say “know.”

Here’s a grossly oversimplified look at how sugar, also known as simple carbohydrates, works. Just as with all carbs, you eat sugar and it’s absorbed by your blood, where, if you have the right amount of it, the insulin in your system converts the sugar to energy.  However, if you introduce too much sugar into your system, the insulin stores it as body fat. A little stored body fat is fine; the body likes some emergency fuel. However, if your blood sugar spikes too often and the insulin has to work too hard converting fat, this can lead to a variety of health issues, including type 2 diabetes and heart problems.

As you will see later, when your body obtains sugar from natural sources, like fruits and veggies, the process tends to be checked by fiber, which slows absorption. However, when you eat foods with added sugar, this can overwhelm the usual checks and balances, causing problems like those nasty blood sugar spikes. To make matters worse, consuming too much added sugar can cause a host of other problems, including tooth decay, increased triglycerides (or stored fat), and malnutrition (from over consumption of foods filled with empty calories and deficient in nutrients).

If you wanted one overarching rule to work from, you might choose to avoid added sugars entirely. You’ll get all the energy you need from foods with naturally occurring sugar. That said, there are times when refined sugar is okay or even beneficial. If you’re able to build yourself a lifestyle completely free of added sugar, nice work. But for the rest of us, the trick is moderation.

Rule #2: Less is more.

One teaspoon of table sugar has 15 calories. Honestly, if you have a couple of cups of tea or coffee in the morning and you dump the proverbial spoonful of sugar in each, that’s 30 calories. If the rest of your diet is tight and you’re active, it won’t matter. If you’re trying to lose weight and eating at a caloric deficit, you’ll probably want to skip those few spoonfuls of sugar, because table sugar is nutritionally void and you want every calorie to count nutritionally. Other than that, though, life’s short—enjoy your java.

Rule #3: High fructose corn syrup is the enemy . . .

In a recent study out of Princeton University, two groups of rats were fed a sucrose solution and a high fructose corn syrup (HFCS) solution. The rats that consumed the corn syrup got fatter.

“Some people have claimed that high-fructose corn syrup is no different than other sweeteners when it comes to weight gain and obesity,” said study leader Bart Hoebel, “but our results make it clear that this just isn’t true, at least under the conditions of our tests.”

There are a few possible explanations for this. One is that the ratio of fructose to glucose in HFCS is slightly higher. Another is that in the HFCS manufacturing process, fructose molecules are free and unbound, making them easier to absorb. The fructose in table sugar is bonded to the glucose, which means it requires an extra step to be used.

Rule #3.5: . . . and it’s hiding behind every corner.

And you thought Invasion of the Body Snatchers was creepy . . . Avoiding the obvious sweetened foods like soda, cake, cookies, and pies is only half the battle. Manufacturers add HFCS (as well as other sugars) to a mind-boggling amount of foods because it adds flavor. If it’s in a bottle, box, or can, read the ingredients. Don’t believe me, head into your kitchen right now and peruse your cupboards and refrigerator…go ahead…I’ll wait….see, told ya! You’ll find sweeteners in everything from ketchup to peanut butter to bread to salad dressing. With a little effort, you can usually find versions of the same food with no added sugars or HFCS that are more nutritious and taste just as good.

Rule #4: No, the sugar in fruit isn’t bad for you.

When the low-carb “revolution” hit, fruit was demonized for its sugar content. This is, in a word, ridiculous. Yes, fruit is loaded with sugar, but it’s also usually loaded with fiber, which slows sugar absorption, making it an ideal way to get your simple carbs without straining your little insulin buddies. Fruit is also loaded with easy-to-absorb vitamins and minerals. Most fruit is also filled with water, yet another benefit.

Even relatively low-fiber fruits like bananas offer far too many benefits to deny. Bananas, in particular, are rich in electrolytes, which are crucial to sports performance. As I always say, I defy you to introduce me to an overweight person whose biggest indulgence is fruit. To make sure you slow down the absorption of all that fruit sugar, eat it with a little bit of healthy fat (almonds, organic natural peanut butter)…you get the idea).

Rule #5: Occasionally, a hit of straight sugar is a good thing.

You’re sitting around watching television. You haven’t done much today. Your glycogen stores are up, and because you’ve eaten normally, your blood sugar level is balanced. Conversely, you just blasted a killer workout. You’ve blown through your blood sugar and your glycogen, leaving you shaky and tired. Now, getting some sugar in there to recharge quickly wouldn’t be such a bad idea. Furthermore, since it’ll rush in so fast, it’s a great opportunity to add some protein and micro-nutrients to that sugar blast, because they’ll rush into where they’re needed just as fast. Think post workout shake with fruit or have the treat meal you have been craving! If you genuinely gave the workout your all and you’re truly wiped out, you won’t even come close to storing that sugar as fat.

So there you go. Not so tough, huh? With a little forethought and self-control, keeping an eye on your carbs can be, ahem, a piece of cake.

~ Coach Catherine and the Milwaukee Adventure Boot Camp Team

http://www.milwaukeebootcamp.com

Adapted from http://teambeachbody.com/about/newsletters/-/nli/168#53044314By Denis Faye

What’s Cookin’? Asparagus & Lemon Linguine

It’s asparagus season! Get it while it’s fresh.

Boot camper Nancy Munroe forwarded this yummy recipe to me and I thought I would pass it along. VIEW RECIPE

~ Coach Catherine and the Milwaukee Adventure Boot Camp Team

http://www.milwaukeebootcamp.com

Pantry Raids Are A Big Hit?

Why in the world would you ever want someone to come into your home and go through your pantry, cupboards, freezers and refrigerators pulling out all the “not so optimal” foods you have stashed away and then have them explain why those foods are not your best choices?

Kind of intimidating right?  Well, you probably wouldn’t ask for this but we at Milwaukee Adventure Boot Camp have been successfully doing it since 2008.  It is easy for experts or even us as coaches, to sit back and tell you, “you need to eat better, you need to make better food choices.” But it is quite another to KNOW what that means to you and your particular lifestyle. We hear this everyday. So our goal when we initiated our infamous “Pantry Raids” was to directly help you, as campers and clients by consulting with you in your home and discussing what your food choices have been, why you made them and how you can adjust them for yourself and your family for optimal nutrition.

These “Raids” have been a super success.  Any “not so great” opened food items you allow us to take, we will pitch for you and any foods you allow us to take that are unopened, we happily donate to a local food pantry. It is a win/win situation. Along the way over the past few years, we may have snapped a few pictures here and there; take a look or view a pantry raid in progress.

If you are interested in having us come by for a raid, please contact us at 414-881-5348 or at email us at support@MilwaukeeBootCamp.com. We are happy to offer this educational consult service to anyone who thinks they may benefit from our expertise.