Healthy Grocery List Essentials

Hey Everyone, 

Today I'm going to talk about some healthy grocery list essentials. These are the same foods that are certainly staples in our diet. I hope these give you a few ideas. 

Print off this list  and bring it with you next time you go to the Grocery store! 

1. Protein 

• Chicken 
• Tilapia, Cod or Swai (any white fish will do) 
• Shrimp 
• Lean Ground Turkey 
• Eggs 
• Liquid Egg Whites 
• Protein powder is not needed when you have enough natural sources 

2. Veggies 

• Spinach 
• Broccoli 
• Green Beans  
• Broccoli 
• Brussel Sprouts 
• Peppers 
• Onions 
• Mushrooms 

3. Fruit - we try to limit 

• Apples 
• Bananas 

4. Carbohydrates 

• Oatmeal 
• Brown Rice 
• Sweet Potatoes 
• Rice cakes 
• Quinoa 

5. Dairy - we try to keep limited 

• Low Fat Cottage Cheese 
• Greek Yogurt- No sugar added, Plain 
• Chocolate Milk- Nate drinks only post workout 

6. Extra 

• Hot sauce 
• Mustard 
• Balsamic Vinegar 
• Olive Oil 
• Mrs. Dash Seasoning 
• Natural Peanut Butter/Almond Butter 
• Coffee 
• Tea 

Be Sure to watch the video for all of our off season must haves! 

Till Next time....

-Kate 

Tabata Training/How it can benefit you

Hey Everyone, 

Today I'm going to shed some light on an incredible form of cardio called Tabata and how it can benefit you!

1. What is Tabata?

• Tabata is a popular form of cardiovascular exercise that can be performed in a limited amount of time. 

Some other Tabata ideas

2. How to do a Tabata Workout?

• It can be completed using a treadmill, bike, stairclimber, elliptical, plyometrics...YOU NAME IT! You certainly do not need a gym or fancy equipment either! 
• The entire Tabata session lasts 4 min long! 
• 20 seconds of intense training 
• 10 seconds rest 
• Total of 8 sessions or rounds 

3. What are the benefits? 

• Tabata is great if you have limited time on your hands and you want a challenging high intensity workout 
• It takes 5x the amount of typical cardio exercise, like a 20 min walk, to burn the same number of calories during a 4 min tabata session. 
• It will keep you mentally engaged, so netflix is not an option!! 
• It has been shown to increase aerobic and anaerobic systems much greater than traditional lower intensity cardio. 
• Studies have shown that Tabata will increase the body's capacity of fatty acid oxidation. This simply means that your body will be burning more fat during one session. 

4. Example workouts: 

Nothing like Ryan Gosling to keep you motivated

• Tabata JUMP SQUAT 
• 20 seconds jump squats making sure your landing softly 
• 10 seconds rest 
• Repeat 8 times
• Tabata BIKE
• 20 seconds: level 12 resistance sprint 
• 10 seconds rest 
• Repeat 8 times
• Tabata RUN (One of my favorites) 
• 20 seconds: 2 incline, Level 10 sprint 
• 10 seconds: 5 incline, Level 4 walk 
• Repeat 8 times 

Me before my Tabata Run session :) 

I love Tabata training because not only for its incredible health benefits but also for its ability to keep me engaged for a short period of time. I am not a huge fan of cardio, but I have found that short bouts keep me working at my highest intensity. It forces you to concentrate on the task at hand. 

I hope you try out some of these Tabata examples. I will also be posting more cardio examples to keep you all engaged and working hard this new year!! 

Till Next time....

-Kate 

New Year, New YOU: How to jumpstart your fitness/health goals in 6 steps

Hey everyone!

Here is 6 simple ways you can jumpstart your health/fitness New Years Resolutions!

Picture of me after a workout

1. Add Weight lifting into your Workout Routine                                              

Oh, Its true love

• Its true! Weight lifting will not make you bulky! 
• Weight lifting can actually burn more calories than 30 minutes of cardio. 
• The true benefit is its effects on lean body mass. 
• Weight lifting can help increase muscle and therefore increase your metabolic rate. 
• It is estimated that muscle burns 25% more calories than fat. So people who have more muscle will actually be burning more calories throughout the day. 

2. Eat more grapefruit

• Grapefruit has been a great tool for people looking to lose weight. WHY?
• Grapefruit is packed with vitamin C, this has been shown to help burn body fat 
• Grapefruits also reduce the level of insulin released, and can therefore help you maintain body weight. 
• They also contain lycopene which is essential for heart health. 

3. Infrared Saunas 

• The beauty of infrared saunas is they do not heat the surrounding air, they will actually raise the core body temperature 
• As a result the body will release toxins 
• In one 45 min session you can burn 500 calories 
• However, you are not working your muscles. So weight training and cardio are just as important.

 

4. Drink more green tea 

• Green tea contains ECGCs and Antioxidants which have been shown to help increase metabolic rate as well as cancer fighters. 
• Just make sure that the tea is organic so it will not be high in heavy metals. 

5. Eat more Beans 

• Beans are full of fiber, protein, low in fat, easy to digest, and VERY inexpensive! 
• They are so easy to add to any meal and will help keep you fuller for longer. 
• Some examples: navy beans, kidney beans, garbanzo beans, black beans.... The list goes on! 

6. Smart start! 

A sample of my favorite breakfast

• Start your day the right way by feeding the body! 
• Its true, breakfast is the most important meal of the day. 
• Make sure your meal contains protein, carbs, and a little fat.
• A great example: is 1 egg and 1/4 cup of egg whites loaded with spinach, onions, and mushrooms and 1/4 cup blueberries with 1/2 cup of oatmeal! 

I hope these were some helpful tips you can add into your schedule for 2014! 

Till Next time....

-Kate 

Say Goodbye to Santa's Sweet Tooth in 6 Steps

SAY GOODBYE TO THE SUGAR

1. Cut down Gradually 
• Ever tried cutting something out cold turkey? Its not an easy feat. 
• Reduce your holiday sugar gradually: for example if you snacked on cookies throughout the day try to have only 3 cookies one day, then 2 the following, then one. 
• If you reduce your sugar intake slowly you will be less likely to have massive cravings for it later on. 
2. Switch from Simple Carbs to Complex Carbohydrates
• Cookies, Cakes, and sweets contain simple carbohydrates. These can also be found in white bread and other refined flour products. 
• The problem with simple carbs is they do not keep you full for a long period of time. You are also more likely to get a high and crash hard. 
• Switch to complex carbs these will keep you full for longer periods of time and won't let you crash. 
• Some examples of complex carbs are: Oatmeal, Sweet Potatoes, Squash, Brown rice, Quinoa.
3. Be prepared
• Set yourself up for success, not failure!
• When your out shopping or making those holiday returns, pack healthy snacks with you like apples, almonds, or healthy homemade granola (Check out how to make my healthy granola right here!). 
• This will help you stay full while shopping so you don't have to chose an unhealthy food court option. 
4. Stay away from artificial sweeteners
• You may think that your making a healthy choice by reaching for that diet soda, however, you could be really hurting yourself up in the long run. 
• The body does not intrepret these sweetners as calories, so it will therefore crave actual calories to replace it. 
• This means that you will reach for those cookies or a bag of chips to replenish those cravings. 
5. Drink Water 
• Many times we interpret thirst as hunger. So next time your hungry, try drinking a glass of water, you may not be as hungry as you think. 
6. Get out of the kitchen 
• Many times we open the fridge because we are B-O-R-E-D. 
• Avoid the temptation by getting out of the kitchen. 
• Go for a walk with your pets and family outside. Sometimes the fresh cool air is just the thing to make you feel full. 

Stopping her Sugar cravings! 

You can tell I had a lot of fun taking these pictures! 

Till Next Time....

-Kate 

Homemade Healthy Granola

Hey Everyone! 

This homemade granola recipe speaks for itself. It is not only an extremely healthy treat, its also simple to make! Hope you enjoy this recipe and share it with the ones you love this holiday! 

Mama Cody's Healthy Homemade Granola Recipe 

• WET INGREDIENTS: 
• 1/4 cup oil (Olive Oil, Coconut oil, or Canola oil)
• 3/4 cup honey or Agave 
• 3.5 tsp vanilla

• DRY INGREDIENTS: 
• 8 cups Whole Oats 
• 2 tsp Cinnamon 
• 1/2 tsp salt 
• 1/2 cup sesame seeds or flax seeds
• 1/2 cup wheat germ 

• OPTIONAL: 
• Apricots, Rasins, Coconut flakes, Banana chips 

• DIRECTIONS:

1.  Preheat the oven to 350 degrees 
2. In a saucepan, heat the wet ingredients and stir over a low heat until fully combined 
3. Combine dry ingredients in a bowl 
4. Pour wet mixture over the dry mixture, making sure to coat it evenly
5. Pour the mixture over two baking sheets. 
6. Place both trays in oven and set the timer for 10 minutes. 
7. Once the 10 minutes is up, stir both mixtures and switch the bottom pan with the top. 
8. Place in oven for the last 10 minutes. 
9. Remove trays and let them cool. 
10. Once granola is fully cooled off, add your favorite fixes. I suggest slices of apricot and raisins, however my mom has added banana chips, chocolate chips, and even baked coconut slices. 

Check out the finished product!! 

This granola is a great morning treat and goes amazing with yogurt or even just some simple milk! 

We love hearing from you all so be sure to send us your granola creations, by adding #nateandkatefitness to your pictures on instagram!  

And enjoy the christmas season, Nate and Kate fitness style!!!

Till next time.....
-Kate 

Beginner Full Upper Body Workout

Hey everyone!

I have been getting a lot of comments recently for a basic full upper body workout.
This is for anyone who is looking for a simple workout that will focus strictly on the upper body.
Give it a try and let us know what you think!

• This entire workout should take approx. 1 hour. 
• Complete 3 sets per exercise before moving onto the next exercise 
• Stick with 10-12 reps per set. 
• If your not sure what is an approperiate weight, the key is the last 2 reps of the set should be challenging. For example: If we are doing lat pull downs with 70 lbs and we are aiming for 12 reps, if at 10 reps it is easy, then by all means increase the weight for the next set.
• Take 1 min break between sets, and 2 min break between exercises 
• Ps DB stands for dumb bell 

Warm up: 

• 10 min stairclimber (moderate speed) 

Back 

• Wide grip lat pull downs 
• DB rows 

Chest 

• DB Incline Bench 
• Machine flys 

Shoulders

• Machine Military Press
• DB Side Laterals 

Biceps 

• Straight bar curls 
• Seated DB Hammer curls (alternating sides) 

Triceps 

• Bench Dips 
• Cable Straight bar tricep extensions

Cool down: 

• 5 min walk on low incline treadmill 
• Foam roll 

Click on this if you want a clear demonstration of the exercises


Or let me know if you would like to see a full video of me demonstrating this workout!

Till Next time....

-Kate

This weeks motivation

How to Stay Healthy over the Holiday Season: 4 Easy Tips

Hey Everyone,


Did you know the average American will gain 1-2 lbs from Thanksgiving to Christmas. This may not sound like a big deal but 1-2 lbs per year can add up!!

In light of the holiday season, I wanted to post about 
4 Simple tips to stay healthy over the holiday season.


1. Moderation

• Holiday's are a special time for families to get together and spend quality time. By all means enjoy the time you spend and indulge on some of Grandma's mashed potatoes. However, keep in mind that moderation is key! 
• If you plan on having a large thanksgiving meal, try to avoid a large Thanksgiving breakfast of pancakes, muffins, cakes.. etc. Eat your normal smaller portioned breakfast and lunch, that way you wont hurt your diet completely and are less likely to overdo it. 

2. Portion Control

• Try to eat off a smaller plate and make it colorful! 
• Have fun on thanksgiving by loading up on the greens and veggie sides. (like side salads, green beans, roasted cauliflower) 
• Before you jump in for seconds, wait 10 minutes, drink some water, and enjoy spending time with loved ones. Sometimes that's really all it takes. 
• Your already eating a stuffed turkey, so why feel like one??

3. Bring your own healthy alternatives

• If your spending thanksgiving with Grandma and dreading her butter loaded mashed potatoes, offer to bring a healthy side! 
• Here are some awesome healthy sides that you will feel great about eating. 
•  Click this link to see 44 Healthy sides recipes  

4. Get active!

• So much of the holidays is sharing food with family, why not start a new tradition and get active with your loved ones! 
• Stop watching the football game and go play your own! 
• Have a 3-legged race! 
• Play some wii fit games.
• Or just go for a walk in this beautiful fall weather. 

I hope these 4 simple tips help you stay healthy and happy on during this holiday season.

Till next time.....
-Kate