Cortisol Tad Bits/Sprint Training Workout

Sprinting works fast twitch muscle fibers and has been shown to increase natural anabolic hormones and GH which helps burn fat and build muscle.

On top of 5-6 days a week of lifting, I usually add 2-3 days of sprint training. I have notice a BIG difference with sprinting than when I used to do runs of 7 miles. Cortisol is released during times of high mental and physical stress; therefore, when you keep the heart rate up for long periods of time, the hormone is being released causing the athlete to store fat around the core.  Interestingly enough, cortisol is also released first thing in the morning. Morning aerobics have been thought to help for this very reason. However, this is a misguided thinking because exercising on an empty stomach (aka fasted cardio) has been shown to intensify cortisol effects thus resulting in further muscle loss, and consequently metabolic resistance to body fat loss.

I try to keep my session down to aerobic 30-45 minutes and weight training no more than 45 minutes. I notice a great difference with my stomach; I am not holding fat around the hips and the lower belly.

Track Workout:

 

Bloat Busters

Many of you can admit, at one time or another, you struggled with this, BLOATING. Bloating is the accumulation of fluids throughout the body. Whether you are getting ready for contest, wedding, or trying to slim down in your bathing suit, there are some tricks and secrets to fighting off the bloat.

Reduce Sodium- it may be a natural tendency to shake salt on just about every thing; however, sodium causes extreme stomach bloating. Negate canned foods, processed meats (Subway not so fresh), snack foods (Bye, Bye wheat thins), and freezer aisle foods. Yes, those Lean Cuisine are NOT making you any leaner. In fact, Lean Cuisine Market  Creations Chicken Alfredo contains 680 mg of sodium. According to University of Maryland Medical Center, most HEALTHY individuals should not consume more than 2,300 mg of sodium daily.

Drink Water- Many of us struggle drinking those 8 glasses of water a day. When you have high blood levels of sodium but consume too little amounts of water, the existing amount of water binds to the sodium causing water retention or the so-called "Belly Bloat." Take a look at your urine, if it's dark in color (exception after taking vitamins), then you are not hydrated. Your urine should be light to clear in color. Water purifies the body of toxins, helps the skin to look brighter and youthful, keeps you full, fights fatigue, and reduces body fat. Why not drink more water?

Eat MORE Asparagus- Asparagus is probably the most forgotten vegetable; however, it is the most helpful vegetable to reducing the bloat. Asparagus contains 400 milligrams of potassium and virtually no sodium, the primarily the mineral responsible for the water retention.

Mindful of Air- As silly as this may sound, drinking through a straw, chewing gum, talking while you are eating causes you to swallow excess air creating gas.

No PASTA NO Bread-  According to the new study Archive Internal Medicine, bread and pasta contains high glycemic index which increases the risk for coronary heart disease in women. When your blood sugar rises too quickly, the pancreases responds by releases a hormone called insulin.  Insulin's job is to escort excess sugars out of the blood stream as quickly as possible. When you are not exercising enough, sugar winds up in your fat cells. High glycemic foods are the ones you want to avoid. All these foods raises blood sugar levels quickly and keep this up a long time increases the odds your insulin levels will be high--and that pretty much guarantees you will be put on weight.

I focused on getting my nutrition from natural sources like sweet potatoes, corn, oats and peas. These are foods that are not processed and will not spike blood sugar levels.

No Dairy- About 75% of the world population is genetically unable to process milk and other dairy products. The FTC recently asked UDSA to look into the scientific basis of the claim made in the "milk mustache"ads.
Their panel of scientist stated the truth clearly:

• Milk does not benefit sport performance. 
• There is no evidence that diary is good for your bones or prevents osteoporosis --in fact, the animal protein it contains may cause bone loss!
• Dairy is linked to prostate cancer.
• It's full of saturated fat and linked to heart disease.
• Dairy causes digestive problems for the 75% of people with lactose intolerance. 
• Dairy aggravates Irritable Bowl Syndrome. 
• Simply put, the FTC asked the diary industry, "Got Proof?" The answer was no!
• Plus dairy may even contribute to more health problems like allergies, sinus problems, ear infection, Type 1 Dietbetes, chronic constipation, and anemia (In children).

Unfortunately, I am included in this astonishing statistic. What did I find? I realized my body function better without it!  I was so sensitive to dairy, that even a tablespoon of creamer would have me on the floor throbbing in pain.When eating yogurt, I was taking extreme amounts of Lactose, GasX, TUMS, and probotics all in one day. I figured this probably isn't good to be consuming all at once. I realized... I had to give up dairy all together. Surprisingly, after two weeks, the bloat went away and so did the unbearable pain.

FIGURING out the BLOAT

1. Keep journal for one weeks writing down every thing you eat and drink. Describe if you notice anything different in the way your body functions.
2. Take photos daily
3. After a week, if you realized that breads and dairy are the culprit, try experimenting them out of your diet.

Soy Vanilla Coconut Pancake

These pancakes have a light coconut flavor that compliments the soy milk perfectly.

Ingredients:
4 egg whites
1/4 oats
1/4 cup light vanilla soy milk
1 tablespoon organic unsweetened coconut
1 tablespoon Ideal sugar

Directions: Blend all the ingredients in a blender or food processor. Spray the skillet with Pam spray and let it warm up on medium-high heat for about a minute. Next, turn the heat down to low-medium heat and pour the pancake mixture. When the pancake bubbles, flip over until golden brown. Enjoy:)

Kate's Quest for Lovely Legs

Have you ever completed Insanity or P90X and saw amazing results the first time you did it? But then... you decided to do it over again-because it was so... successful. However, this time through, the results were less desirable. Why is that? If you continue to follow a workout, without any changes, it could place you in a tough plateau. That's is why it's always a good idea to revamp workouts. You can change a work out by adjusting the following:

• Set/reps
• Exercises
• Intensity
• Amount of days worked out
• Length of workout

I usually change my workouts every TWO weeks by adjusting sets, reps, and intensity. I tend to lift heavier some weeks. Other weeks, I'll focus on lifting to failure. Every month, I usually reconstruct my workouts. 

Kate's Quest for Lovely Legs

Warm-up jogging two laps and stretch 

1. Lunges 5x25

2. Superset:

• Bosu Ball squats 5x25
• Jumping lunges 5x25

3. Wall-sits 5x30second holds

4. Superset:

• Bosu Ball Plie Squats 5x25
• Burpees 5x25

5. Lunge kickbacks 5x25

6. Triple-set:

• Forward Lifts 5x25
• Reverse Leg Lifts 5x25
• Side Leg Lifts

7. Frog Jumps 5x25

8. Balance Lunge (chair lunge) 5x25

Spill the Beans Salad

Beans, Beans, the more you eat, the more you....Beans are high in protein and low in fat which makes this side dish a great hit at any BBQ.  Beans fall in the family of legumes. We all know it's a vegetable; however, it falls under the category of a complex carb in your meal plan. Same goes for corn.  Measure your portions out accordingly.

When I am short on time, for meal prepping, I add tuna and spinach to this recipe creating an ideal clean meal.

Ingredients:

• 5 tablespoons of fresh lime juice
• 3 tablespoons of red wine vinegar
• 5 tablespoons of Ideal Sugar
• 4 cups of corn ( 4 ears of corn on the cob)
• 16 oz bag of beans (follow directions on the bag) or 15oz can low-sodium black beans
• 12 oz bag edamame (cooked and cooled)
• 1 small red onion (1 cup)
• 1/3 cup of fresh chopped cilantro
• optional salt to taste                                                                      Directions:

1. In a small bowl, combine the lime juice, sugar, vinegar. Whisk the ingredients together and set aside for later.

2. Add corn, edamame, black beans (well drained), onions, and cilantro to a large bowl.

3. Pour dressing over the mixture and toss it gently over the salad.

4. Refrigerate for at least two hours or even over night.

Fat vs. Muscle

Reminder that training with weights will help build muscle, stimulate your metabolism, and give your body shape and definition. Muscle is denser, more compact, and occupies less space.

1lbs muscle = 1lbs of fat.

Lift weights to LOOK different.

Track Workout

I love running sprints. I did this work out yesterday in less than 50 minutes and burned 580 calories. This workout is perfect on the track or even on the mill. I challenge some of you long distance runners to do! I promise, you will work muscles that you would NEVER work running long distances:) Fast Twitch Fibers, baby! 

Two Ingredient Pancake

I am prepping for my first fitness competition. Lately, my food has been the same ol same old. Therefore, I had the urge to think out of the box and create something that uses few unnatural ingredients while maintaining some normalcy in my life.

Ingredients:
5 egg whites
1/2 cup quick oats

Directions: 

Blend all the ingredients together in a food processor or blender. While that's blending, spray the skillet with Pam spray. Heat the skillet on medium-high for few minutes. Then turn down the the heat to low-medium heat. Pour the batter and flip over when bubbles start to form.  

Serving: 1

20 grams of protein

Carb: 27g

Fat: 3g

Fiber: 4g

Sugar 1g