Comments Off on Low-Carb Chicken Parmesan

Low-Carb Chicken Parmesan

Category : Healthy Eating

Trying to lose weight?

We invite you to check out one of our Smart Loss Programs to learn all about Carb-Cycling! The basic idea is that you alternate between high-carb days and low-carb days in order to rev up your metabolism. You will get a link to some great software which will help you plan your meals and incorporates recipes like the one below!

Chicken Parmesan~Serves 2

2 boneless skinless chicken breast halves (4-6 oz each) 
1/3 cup Parmesan cheese, grated 
1 teaspoon oregano 
1/2 teaspoon paprika 
1 tablespoon butter 
1/2 tablespoon olive oil, divided 
Salt and pepper to taste

1/2 head romaine lettuce

1 tablespoon Caesar dressing, fat free 

1 tablespoon Parmesan cheese, grated

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. 

PREPARE CHICKEN
On a plate, combine cheese, oregano, paprika, salt and pepper. 
Lightly brush each chicken breast with a small amount of oil, then dredge chicken into the cheese mixture. In a small frying pan, melt butter and 1 teaspoon of oil together over medium-high heat. Lightly brown chicken on both sides then place in the foil lined baking pan. Bake for about 25 – 30 minutes or until chicken is thoroughly cooked. Serve with a side Caesar salad.

MAKE SALAD

Toss Romain lettuce, fat-free Caesar dressing and a little grated parmesan cheese together. Go easy on the dressing! It doesn’t take much!

IF IT’S A HIGH CARB DAY: (or for the people in your house who aren’t carb-cycling) serve 2 whole grain bread sticks with Garlic bread seasoning.

Comments Off on Your Spring Weight-Loss Plan

Your Spring Weight-Loss Plan

Category : Healthy Eating

Spring is just around the corner…many of us are wondering how to drop a few pounds before the warm weather arrives. Do you have a plan in place to help you rev up your metabolism and lose those excess pounds? 

Here’s what you need to know:

  • What to eat
  • When to eat
  • How much to eat

Register for the next Spring Smart Loss Session to learn more, talk with a personal trainer and get a link to our awesome menu-planning software!

What to eat

Chris Powell, author of “Choose to Lose” and the star personal trainer for “ABC’s Extreme Makeover Weight Loss Edition” suggests Carb-Cycling. Here’s how it works:

Each week, you will have two cycles of two low carb days followed by a high carb day, followed by a guilt-free day on the seventh day of the week. For example, if you want Sunday to be your guilt-free day then Monday & Tuesday would be low-carb, Wednesday would be high-carb, Thursday and Friday would be low-carb and Saturday would be high-carb. Of course, you can decide when you want your guilt-free day and assign the other days accordingly.

Every day for breakfast eat carbohydrates, protein and unlimited veggies regardless of whether it is low-carb or high-carb day. Your carbohydrate can be a piece of fruit or toast/English muffin. Your protein at breakfast could be an egg, however a protein shake, cottage cheese or any left-over protein from last night’s dinner would be great.

On low carb days, the idea is to focus on protein and vegetable consumption and avoid the smart carbs, which include whole grains and fruit (except for breakfast).

On high carb days, all five of your meals will consist of a carbohydrate, protein and veggies. Providing your body with a healthy source of carbohydrates helps replenish glucose stores in the muscle and tissue. High carb days also help prevent your body from going into “starvation mode” (which may lead to a decreased metabolism).

Your guilt-free day each week is the day you are allowed to eat the foods you have been craving all week! It’s ok to splurge a little…I met a person who was very successful on this program while eating pizza and Zesty’s custard once each week!

When to eat

Eat five times each day. Your meals should be spaced about 3 hours apart. This keeps your blood sugar level and keeps you feeling satisfied instead of hungry.

How much to eat

This program is great because you do not have to measure your food or count calories/grams. Instead, just take a look at your hand and remember that a serving of carbohydrate is the size of your fist, a serving of protein is the size of your palm and a serving of fat is the size of your thumb. You can eat as many veggies as you’d like, so you don’t have to measure them at all.

 Which Carbs/Fats/Proteins should I eat?

  • Healthy carbs: fruit, whole grain bread, English muffins & tortillas, rice, potatoes, sweet potatoes corn, couscous, long grain brown rice, oatmeal, popcorn, quinoa, whole grain cereals,whole grain pasta,  wild rice, milk (1% or skim), yogurt and legumes including edamame.
  • Healthy fats: low fat cheese, feta cheese, olive oil, canola oil, flaxseed oil, fish oil, safflower oil, avocado, olives, almond butter (with salt), almonds (raw, whole), peanut butter (natural, with salt), peanuts (raw, chopped), pecans (raw, chopped), pumpkin seeds, sesame butter/tahini, sunflower seeds, soy nuts (roasted, lightly salted), walnuts (raw, chopped)
  • Healthy proteins: chicken, turkey, fish, lean beef, lean pork, cottage cheese (low fat), eggs, egg substitutes, Greek yogurt (nonfat plain), yogurt (low carb/high protein) and vegetarian options include  tofu, TVP and tempeh,

The key to success with carb-cycling is to plan ahead and know what you are going to eat at each of your five meals throughout the day. It’s important NOT to skip meals and remember that no one is perfect…if you slip up, don’t beat yourself up, just pick up where you have left off and keeping moving forward.

Contact us for more information on carb-cycling and we can help you plan for  a healthy spring!

Comments Off on Weight Loss “Myths” You Should Avoid

Weight Loss “Myths” You Should Avoid

Category : Healthy Eating

Some “old school” weight loss advice will slow down you metabolism! Be careful not to fall into these traps:

I have to eat less to lose weight. OK, that will work for a while, but eventually one of two things is going to happen: you will feel so deprived that you will binge and give up or your body will become adjusted to the lower calorie diet by slowing down your metabolism which will cause your weight loss to plateau unless you cut back even more on calories.

If I over-do-it at one meal I will skip a meal or two to make up for it. This doesn’t work because it causes big fluctuations in your blood sugar which usually lead to over-eating again. 

Eating fat will make me fat, so I will avoid fats. Your body needs fats. Eating too much of anything can cause you to gain weight. You should avoid unhealthy fats such as saturated fats & trans fats, however there are a lot of healthy fats which you should include such as olive oil, canola oil, flaxseed oil, fish oil, safflower oil, avocado, olives, almond butter (with salt), almonds (raw, whole), peanut butter (natural, with salt), peanuts (raw, chopped), pecans (raw, chopped), pumpkin seeds, sesame butter/tahini, sunflower seeds, soy nuts (roasted, lightly salted), walnuts (raw, chopped)

Eating Carbohydrates will make me fat, so I will eat a low-carb or no carb diet. Your body needs carbohydrates. Eating low-carb does cause most people to lose weight, however eating low-carb for an extended period of time can mess with your metabolism. Most people do not feel 100% when they eat low-carb complaining of low energy and low carb “fog”. We suggest carb-cycling (two days low-carb followed by one day high-carb) so that you do not slow your metabolism. Healthy carbs include: fruit, whole grain bread, English muffins, pasta, cereal & tortillas, rice, potatoes, sweet potatoes corn, couscous, long grain brown rice, oatmeal, popcorn, quinoa,  wild rice, milk (1% or skim), yogurt and legumes including edamame. 

Comments Off on High-Carb Mushroom Burger (veggie or turkey options)

High-Carb Mushroom Burger (veggie or turkey options)

Category : Healthy Eating

Trying to lose weight?

We invite you to check out one of our Smart Loss Programs to learn all about Carb-Cycling! The basic idea is that you alternate between high-carb days and low-carb days in order to rev up your metabolism. You will get a link to some great software which will help you plan your meals and incorporates recipes like the ones below!

Check out the vegetarian and turkey options!

Mushroom Veggie Burger (HC)

Ingredients

Preparation

Serves 2

2 Morningstar Farms(r) Grillers Prime(r) Veggie Burgers 
2 slices Swiss cheese, thinly sliced 
1 teaspoon olive or safflower oil 
1 cup sliced fresh mushrooms 
2 thin slices red onion, separated into rings 
2 lettuce leaves 
2 thin slices tomato 
2 whole grain hamburger buns

Split open and toast hamburger buns. 
Cook Morningstar Farms(R) Grillers Prime(R) Veggie Burgers according to package directions. 
Immediately top each patty with cheese. Let stand about 1 minute or until cheese melts. 
In the meantime, in a pan, heat oil over medium heat. 
Add mushrooms and onion to pan. Saute until tender (3-5 minutes), stirring frequently. 
Place a lettuce leaf, tomato and veggie burger on each bun bottom. Top with sauteed mushrooms and onions and finish off with the bun top.

OR

Mushroom Turkey Burger (HC)

Ingredients

  • 2 teaspoons olive oil
  • 2 slices swiss cheese, thinly sliced
  • 2 each turkey, ground patties (4-5 ounces each), cooked
  • 1 each tomato, sliced
  • 1 cup mushrooms, sliced
  • 2 each lettuce leaves
  • 2 each hamburger bun, whole grain
  • 1 small red onion

Preparation

Serves 2

8-12 ounces ground turkey 
2 slices Swiss cheese, thinly sliced 
2 teaspoons olive or safflower oil, divided 
1 cup sliced fresh mushrooms 
2 thin slices red onion, separated into rings 
2 lettuce leaves 
2 thin slices tomato 
2 whole grain hamburger buns

Split open and toast hamburger buns. 
Form ground turkey into two patties. 
In a pan, over medium-high heat, heat 1 teaspoon oil. Add turkey patties and cook on both sides until done and juices run clear. 
Immediately top each patty with a cheese slice. Let stand about 1 minute or until cheese melts. 
In the meantime, in another pan, heat remaining 1 teaspoon oil over medium heat. 
Add mushrooms and onion to pan. Saute until tender (3-5 minutes), stirring frequently. 
Place a lettuce leaf, tomato and burger on each bun bottom. Top with sauteed mushrooms and onions and finish off with the bun top.

 

Comments Off on Partner Training Exercise #6: Patty Cake Push-up Plank

Partner Training Exercise #6: Patty Cake Push-up Plank

Category : Exercise

This is a fun variation on the push-up plank.

Position yourself about an arm’s length from your partner in a push up plank position (either on knees or toes)

Both partners raise right hand and slap them together, then switch to left hand.

If both partners are strong enough, repeat 10 times, rest and repeat!

 

At XO Fitness, we offer partner training. It’s fun and more economical than training on your own.

If you are interested in working out with a loved one or a friend, contact us for details! 920-339-0630

 

Comments Off on Beat cabin fever by enjoying the snow!

Beat cabin fever by enjoying the snow!

Category : Active Living, Exercise

Too much snow?!?! Impossible!

We know by the time all the good snow arrives, most of us are sick of winter.  

Relieve the cabin fever: Cross Country skiing and snow shoeing are both awesome  workouts and wonderful ways to enjoy the great outdoors, so go have fun in the snow…it will be gone soon!

 Here are a few pictures from our visit to Governor Thompson State Park just North of Crivitz near the Caldron Falls Flowage.  

PS: Locally we ski at two Brown County Parks: The Reforestation Camp near Suamico and Neshota Park near Denmark.

Gov Thompson SP Fire Tower

Wood Lake 1

Gov Thompson SP Wood Lake trailGov Thompson SP trail

Comments Off on Partner Training Exercise #5: Bird dog with Partner Press

Partner Training Exercise #5: Bird dog with Partner Press

Category : Exercise

This is a partner variation which increases the intensity of a basic core exercise: the quadruped bird dog.

Begin on hands and knees facing your partner.

Raise your right hand and left knee off of the floor, and extend your hand out to make contact with your partner’s (palm to palm).

Both partners press against their partner’s hand with equal pressure as to not allow any movement…this is an isometric exercise (which means there is NO VISIBLE MOVEMENT).

The more pressure applied, the more you will have to engage your core muscles so that you don’t get pushed over.

Then try it on the other side using  left hands.

 

At XO Fitness, we offer partner training. It’s fun and more economical than training on your own.

If you are interested in working out with a loved one or a friend, contact us for details! 920-339-0630

Comments Off on Partner Training Medicine Ball Exercise #4: Golf Swing and toss

Partner Training Medicine Ball Exercise #4: Golf Swing and toss

Category : Exercise

This Medicine Ball Exercise is great for your core strength (especially obliques) and lower body (gluteus medius).

Swing the ball away from your partner (as shown) then as you swing it toward your partner toss and it  to them.

Try 10 repetitions, then turn around and do it again on the other side so that you get to toss the ball in both directions.

Tips to keep in mind:

Throw ball low (think:  line drive) DON’T lob it in a high arc.

Throw ball slightly in front of your partner so that they can catch it and swing through in one smooth motion.

Use your whole body turning your hips toward your partner to propel the ball…that way it isn’t just an arm exercise.

Do you need a med ball for home?

We recommend Perform Better for home fitness equipment

At XO Fitness, we offer partner training. It’s fun and more economical than training on your own. If you are interested in working out with a loved one or a friend, contact us for details! 920-339-0630

Comments Off on Low-Carb Pecan Butter Glazed Salmon

Low-Carb Pecan Butter Glazed Salmon

Category : Healthy Eating

Trying to lose weight?

We invite you to check out one of our Smart Loss Seminars to learn all about Carb-Cycling! The basic idea is that you alternate between high-carb days and low-carb days in order to rev up your metabolism. You will get a link to some great software which will help you plan your meals and incorporates recipes like the one below!

Ingredients to make 2 servings

2 salmon filets (4-6 oz each, size of palm) 
Salt and pepper to taste 

PECAN BUTTER 
1 1/2 Tablespoons pecans, finely chopped 
2 Tablespoons  butter, softened 
1/2 Tablespoon fresh parsley, chopped 
3/4 teaspoon lemon juice 

SIDE DISHES 
2 cups broccoli, steamed 
Side salad (add your favorite veggies!) 

HOW TO MAKE PECAN BUTTER: Bake pecans on ungreased cookie sheet at 350 degrees until golden (about 3-4 minutes, stirring occasionally.) Mix pecans with butter, parsley and lemon juice. Set aside. 

HOW TO COOK SALMON: Preheat oven to broil to cook the salmon. Sprinkle both sides of fish with salt and pepper. Place in a lightly greased, oven-proof baking dish. Place dish on top oven rack 4 to 6 inches from broiler and broil about 4 minutes. Turn filets over and top each with about 1 tablespoon pecan butter. Continue broiling until fish flakes easily with a fork (about 4 to 8 minutes depending on thickness). 

Serve with broccoli and a side salad (Veggie are unlimited)

Comments Off on Partner Training Medicine Ball Exercise #3: Balance & Optional Lunge

Partner Training Medicine Ball Exercise #3: Balance & Optional Lunge

Category : Exercise

These Medicine Ball Exercise are great for your balance, core strength and lower body (if you add the lunge back).

First try balancing on one foot and playing catch with you partner. The more you engage your core the better your balance with be, so stay focused!

Once you master balancing on one foot, try adding in the step back lunge to increase the intensity level and strengthen your lower body.

 

 Do you need a med ball for home? We recommend Perform Better

At XO Fitness, we offer partner training. It’s fun and more economical than training on your own. If you are interested in working out with a loved one or a friend, contact us for details! 920-339-0630