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

KATE TALK SERIES: The Powerful benefits of working out

Hey Everyone,

I wanted to introduce a new series called Kate talks. This will be the first of many discussions where I will be discussing your questions as well as inspirational bits and gym motivation.

Today's Kate talk is the power of working out. 

It all started this week, when I noticed the wear and tear I was putting on my only pair of sneakers.

At first I was upset and found myself looking around at girls who were wearing lululemon or the newest nike sneakers. But I quickly realized that those material clothing items really don't mean anything. I'm not denying that these material items can't provide short term motivation, but for me they dont keep me going in the long run.

At the end of the day the clothing on my back is not pushing me through the last rep or the last minute of sprints.

Picture after a late night workout

It is my body that reflects the hard work that I have put in. No money can buy it, you cant just "inherit" it, or borrow it. You have to hold onto it with constant work. I find that my body is a reflection of the promises I make to myself. It signifies my discipline and self-respect. More importantly, it demonstrates patience, work ethic, and a pure passion.

When you find yourself getting caught in life's static, I find that weight lifting can be the best tool to keep you grounded. I hope it will bring you all of these powerful skills like it has given me.

Until next time....
-Kate

PS Check out our website and contact us for what you would like to see for the next blog post, we love hearing from you all!!
Nate and Kate Fitness official website!

Fall Inspired Pumpkin Protein Shake

Hey Everyone,
In honor of the Pumpkin festivities of fall,
We wanted to share with you all this amazing Pumpkin Protein shake recipe.
It is great for a post workout shake or even a fall morning pick me up!
Hope you enjoy it!

Ingredients

• 5 ice cubes 
• 1 scoop preferred protein powder (I used Vanilla by EAS) 
• 1 cup almond milk 
• 1/2 cup pumpkin puree 
• 1/2 banana 
• 1-2 tbs raw honey 
• 1 tsp cinnamon 
• 1 tsp pumpkin spice 
• Optional: almonds or walnuts

Add ingredients in blender. Place blender on high speed until smooth.
Enjoy it outside overlooking the beautiful changing fall leaves....

Until next time
-Nate and Kate

Learn How to Achieve Happiness

Hi everyone,

With the start of a brand new school year, I wanted to stress how important it is to not only take care of our physical health but also our mental health.

Many of us associate health in the physical form, but there are many other forms of health: mental and emotional health being one of them.

I read an incredible book this past year with a group of my friends that I wanted to share with all of you.

1. The How of Happiness written by Sonja Lyubomirsky

This book taught me the basics of how to be actually happy. Everyone is born with 40% of their happiness level is from their parents. However the 60% you have complete control over!

Let me give you a little intro to the book:
It starts off with a happiness quiz that will help you determine what are your strengths and weaknesses  based on 12 different characteristics of "happiness".
From there each chapter focuses on one trait at a time. The Twelve traits of happiness are:

• Expressing Gratitude
• Cultivating Optimism 
• Avoid Overthinking and Social Comparison 
• Practice Acts of Kindness 
• Nurturing Social Relationships 
• Developing Strategies for Coping 
• Learning to Forgive 
• Increasing Flow Experiences  
• Savoring Life's Joys 
• Practicing Religion and Spirituality 
• Taking Care of Your Body (Mediation) 
• Taking Care of Your Body (Physical Activity) 
• Taking Care of Your Body (Acting like a Happy Person) 

Perhaps the greatest thing I got from reading this book was a simple idea: YOU can create your OWN happiness! It does not have to be a search for that new dress, or maybe even a new pet.

You have the ability to create your own happiness whenever YOU choose.
This concept is so simple, however, for a long time I felt that I was continuinally searching for that "something".

This book was a wakeup call for me, and allowed me to look into myself and realize that I can choose to be happy whenever I want!


2. This book impacted me so greatly because I read it with an amazing group of best friends. 

(THIS IS ALL OF US)

Each week we read a chapter at the start of the week and make sure our mission was to address the goals within that chapter. We would meet at the end of the week and discuss our experiences and what we had learned.

This was a great experience for us all to really try to improve our lives in a supportive group setting. 

If you are interested in reading The How of Happiness. I highly suggest you pick it up with a group of friends who you trust.  I encourage you to take the first step on an powerful journey towards achieving your own happiness. 

Till next week, 

-Kate