Health – Fit, Fab and Fine

Sugar Substitutes to Curve Your Cravings

Do you ever have those days where you have crazy sugar cravings? It seems like you have it under control, but the next thing you know, you could really go for that Twix bar or a taste of that soda? That was me a few days ago. I have done a pretty good job of kicking my cravings for sweets, however, it sometimes comes back to bit me. Sugar is not necessarily bad for you, it is the extremely processed sugars and high fructose corn syrup that are put in drinks and candies. Here are a few ways to curve you sweet tooth cravings with natural alternatives.

1. Raw Honey

This is honey from flowers that still contains healthful vitamins A, C, D, E and K, various B vitamins, calcium, potassium, magnesium and live enzymes that are removed when honey is heated, filtered and processed.

2. Maple Syrup

Maple syrup contains antioxidants, vitamins and phytonutrients not found in refined sugar.

3. Dark Chocolate

The percentages you see on a chocolate bar wrapper are indicative of how much cacao is in each bar out of 100% by weight. So, if you read 45% on the bar, it means the bar is 55% milk and sugar and only 45% cacao. But a 75% bar contains only 25% milk and sugar, making it a lower-sugar choice. A bar that reads 100% would be made entirely of cacao nibs and cacao butter without added refined sugar or milk solids.

4. Coconut Palm Sugar

Coconut palm sugar is lower on the glycemic index than both honey and maple syrup and is a great substitute for granulated sugar in baking recipes.

5. Dried Fruit

Dried fruits are made by evaporating the juices out of fresh fruit, leaving concentrated flavors and natural, unprocessed fruit sugars behind. However, with the natural sugars and burst of flavor, dried fruit is high in calories. A little goes a long way!

6. Fresh Fruit

Fresh fruit has the added bonus of a higher water content so it’ll fill you up faster and the natural fiber will keep you full for longer than dried fruit. Eating ripe, fresh fruit is a wonderful, healthful way to sate your sugar cravings

For more information visit: http://blog.myfitnesspal.com/6-sugar-alternatives-satisfy-sweet-tooth/

What is you drink of choice?

I hope you all read that and “water” was the first thing that came to your mind. No? Me neither. My drink of choice is coffee. All day everyday. However, water should be your first choice everyday. By the time you are craving water, you are already dehydrated. Our bodies are made up of 60% water. If we do not properly hydrate, that throws off the balance of our system. Here are 8 reasons why you should constantly drink water during the day.

Image result for water bottle

Be less cranky. Research says dehydration can affect your mood and make you grumpy and confused. Think clearer and be happier by drinking more water.
Perform better. Proper hydration contributes to increased athletic performance. Water composes 75% of our muscle tissue! Dehydration can lead to weakness, fatigue, dizziness, and electrolyte imbalance.
Lose weight. Sometimes we think we are hungry, when actually we are thirsty. Our body just starts turning on all the alarms when we ignore it. For those of you trying to drop some pounds, staying hydrated can serve as an appetite suppressant and help with weight loss.
Have less joint pain. Drinking water can reduce pain in your joints by keeping the cartilage soft and hydrated. This is actually how glucosamine helps reduce joint pain, by aiding in cartilage’s absorption of water.
Flush out waste and bacteria. Our digestive system needs water to function properly. Waste is flushed out in the form of urine and sweat. If we don’t drink water, we don’t flush out waste and it collects in our body causing a myriad of problems. Also combined with fiber, water can cure constipation.
Prevent headaches. Sometimes headaches can be caused by dehydration, so drinking water can prevent or alleviate that nasty head pain. Next time your head hurts, try drinking water.
Make your skin glow. Our skin is the largest organ in our body. Regular and plentiful water consumption can improve the color and texture of your skin by keeping it building new cells properly. Drinking water also helps the skin do it’s job of regulating the body’s temperature through sweating.²
Feed your body. Water is essential for the proper circulation of nutrients in the body. Water serves at the body’s transportation system and when we are dehydrated things just can’t get around as well.

Image result for water drinking chart

For the full article and more information visit: https://breakingmuscle.com/learn/10-life-changing-reasons-to-drink-more-water

Find Your Fitbit Community!

I recently discovered the new updates that were made to the Fitbit app, and I absolutely love it. There were a few changes that Fitbit made to their app, however, I plan to highlight my favorite part, the Community page. It sits along the bottom of your tool bar on the app next to the new “notifications” page. By clicking on the Community page, it gives you three tabs. Feed, Friends, and Group. By going to your friends tab you are able to see your friend’s weekly step count and everything else you could see before the update. The feed and groups tab is the new addition. Under “feed” you will find posts from people who joined the same groups you did. I joined a cardio, running, snacking tips. and cycling groups. These are all health related categories I am interested in. People from all fitness levels post in the feeds and share their fitness journeys with you.

This is a screen shot from my feed on my Fitbit app

I really love this update because I check the fee to give me motivation, ideas for new snacks to take on the go, people to look up to, people to use as a resource who are doing the same actives as I am, and to ask questions. I have made a post or two on the different group feeds and the responses I get and the responses I see from other people are overwhelmingly positive. I have yet to see something negative from someone and it truly makes my day better to see that complete strangers want to boost and support others, regardless of age and skill level, to be the best they can be.

I would highly recommend taking a look at the Community page if you have not already. I feel a lot more inspired and positive from just scrolling through it. The positivity is contagious!

Happy stepping!

Five Tips and Hacks for Runners

I have not been running for very long. I did not have anyone to tell me the proper running form, how to pace myself, the different types of running you can do to increase your stamina, etc. I had to rely on articles I found on the internet. I am not a professional and am still learning everything I can to be successful and run long distances. Recently, I found an article called “The 101 Best Running Tips and Hacks of All Time.” So I decided to compile five of my favorite tips from the article that I found to be most useful, and hopefully you will to! Here’s the link: http://www.runnersblueprint.com/best-running-tips-and-hacks-of-all-time/

Get the Right Shoes

Shoes are the most important running equipment there is. A proper shoe will not only make running more comfortable but also help you improve performance and ward off all sorts of injury, including shin splints, plantar fasciitis, knee pain, and foot pain. I have gone on my fair share of runs with non-supportive shoes. They will be pricy, but worth it in the end.

Tie your Shoes the Right Way

Tying shoes is something that most well-accomplished 5-year-olds can do with ease, but as a matter of fact, there are many ways to lace your trainers, and different techniques cannot only make them feel more comfortable but also accommodate feet size–vital for avoiding all sorts of discomfort and issues.

Walk/Run

After a month (or even longer) of walking, you should fit enough to start adding jogging intervals into your sessions. This is what’s known as the walk/run method, and it’s ideal for helping new trainees get fit without getting hurt. The key here is to gradually stretch your comfort zone without overextending it.

The Talk Test

As a beginner runner, make sure to run at a conversational pace. This means that you should be able to speak in full sentences on-the-go without gasping for air. In other words, you should be able to recite the Pledge of Allegiance without much difficulty. By sticking to this rule, you’ll build your aerobic endurance base on the right foundation—this will definitely set you for success later on.

Run With a Partner

Running is, by definition, not a team sport. It’s solo journey. But that doesn’t have to be that way. Research shows that peering up with a training buddy can lead to better consistency, help you become more accountable, and exercise a bit harder than you’d when you go alone—all of which can do wonders to your running routine.

Eat Healthy, Feel Better

Hey everyone!

It has been a while since I last posted! I hope you have all been working hard and enjoying your workouts. I know I have. Since I last wrote, I completed the Indoor Ironman at school, which was hard because I got sick the last week of the challenge. I was going to give up, but I had come too far to not finish the last 30 miles biking and 10 running. I had three days to finish before I left for spring break. I made myself suck it up and do it. I am glad I did it!

Anyway…. Today I want to write a post about eating healthy. We hear it all the time, “you are what you eat” blah blah blah. Well, yeah, it’s true and a total cliche. However, it still holds true, I have found that my body is very sensitive to what I put in it, and when I eat healthy, boy does it make a difference for me.

I have more energy, I am more focused and aware. It is an astonishing difference. I use MyFitnessPal to keep me on track with healthy eating. I mentioned before that I had a bad liver because of my eating habits and weight gain. By logging my meals to the best of my ability in MyFitnessPal, I am able to keep track of what I am putting in my body.

Image result for myfitnesspal

I try my best to stick to a low carbohydrate diet because of my liver and eating good fats, and full fat foods because of the low cholesterol. So I replace pasta,with zucchini noodles and spaghetti squash. I make sure I eat a lot of protein and keep protein shakes on hand if I need them. Eating healthy has made a world of a difference for me, although it has been difficult in college with my lack of time to prepare a good meal. But I keep at it and you should too! I promise it is worth it. You are worth the investment!

Why You Should Look Twice at that Label!

I am going to put this out there right away. It is a challenge to eat healthy. It takes determination and a lot of self-control. While eating healthy there seems to be so many things to remember. How much sugar can I have in a day? What kinds of fats are the good fats? How much sodium should I be consuming? All of those questions are indeed good things to know, but there is on aspect of our food that we seem to overlook. Carbohydrates.

Because of medical reasons, I have had to go on an extremely low carb diet. I am not even close to being a medical professional, but I was inspired to write about my findings because of how my life has changed. For years I have been trying to be conscious of the way I ate and what kinds of foods I put into my body. Recently, I have become more aware about the effects Carbohydrates have on the body and why consuming a large amount of processed and refined carbs are bad.

(Note: not ALL carbohydrates are bad!!!)

Processed Carbs

Let’s start with the worst kind, refined and processed carbs. Processed carbohydrates strip away beneficial fibers and nutrients that keep us full longer; such as white bread and white rice. A lot of the food we consume today has turned into something completely unnatural with a lot of added ingredients. Some of those ingredients include: High refined sugars, sodium, sometimes high saturated fat, and cholesterol. A lot of what we eat in the United States is processed carbs. Why? Because it is less time consuming, cost efficient, and convenient and they taste amazing. We are a fast moving culture and it is so easy to make pastas, order a pizza, or even a sub sandwich. Those kind of carbs will sneak up on you when it is least expected. Numerous studies show that refined carbohydrate consumption can lead to health problems like type two diabetes and obesity. The “Dietary Guidelines for Americans 2010” suggests that adults, both male and female, get 45 to 65 percent of their calories from carbohydrates. However, this can vary depending on individual’s age, weight, health status, and amount of physical activity. It is recommended that you follow the guidelines that work best with your unique body. All this bad carb talk seems a little depressing with the “what you can’t/ shouldn’t eat” thing. There is good news though! There is such thing as good carbohydrates!

Natural Carbs

Not all carbs are bad carbs. In fact, we need carbohydrates to live. The best place to get those good nutrients is from natural sources. So what is a real carb or good carb? A good carb, is fresh fruits, fresh vegetables, whole grains (such as oats), nuts, and meats. The way I think about it is “did my ancestors eat this/ would my ancestor eat this”. I very simple guideline I use in determining if something might be high in the bad kind of carbohydrates. Low- carb lifestyles (the word diet may sound negative) might work very well for some people. This way of eating restricts the refined carbohydrate intake, while boosting protein and fat intake. While a low-carb lifestyle may be the answer for some people with certain metabolic problems and weight loss goals, it might not be the best fit for someone else’s lifestyle. Looking twice at food labels will help control your carbohydrate intake and in turn, make your body feel better by getting the good carbs it craves. I know it has made a difference for me.

So why does this pertain to you and your health? Believe it or not, this all connects to the liver. Liver is responsible for many different functions, one of which is breaking down carbs and processing nutrients. Our liver also deals with breaking down alcohol, something Wisconsinites love. Not everyone in Wisconsin is a heavy drinker, but it is good to be aware of what we are putting into our body that our liver has to deal with. My problem, at 20 years old, was my mass consumption of carbohydrates that forced my liver to work overtime and in turn, is at risk of being damaged. If someone else is having the same problem or not watching the carbs they consume, and add alcohol on top of that, it could make for an unhappy liver. I will leave you with this, check your labels, and be aware of what you are drinking. You may feel fine on the outside, but your body is working over-time to keep you healthy and happy. Do the same for your body by watching what you put into it!

“The bicycle is a curious vehicle. Its passenger is its engine.”

In the last few weeks I have been attending weekly cycling classes on campus. Classes are everyday of the week, but I usually go on Monday nights. I knew it would be difficult when I first started because it was a full hour of intense cycling. I was nervous because I didn’t know if I would be able to do it. However, cycling classes are great because you are able to take it at your own pace. It is a very individualized activity. At the beginning of the class, the instructor will go through the different cycling positions and the different “zones”. The zones are 10-20 percent, 30-70 percent, and 80-100 percent. This refers to the percentage/ maximum effort that you should be working at during the different types of workouts throughout class.

A typical cycling class at UW-Whitewater is lead by a student instructor. During the hour, they will take you through a series of different kinds of “workouts”: sprints, hills, resistance, etc. The will call out a zone percentage/ resistance that you will want to be during the sprint or hill climb. You will repeat this over the course of the hour. Of course, there is music playing in the background, otherwise this would be impossible!

Over all, I really like cycling and being able to work at my own pace. I have a tendency to work myself too hard sometimes, but I never over extend myself. Cycling can help you know your limits and at the same time, push you to work harder. After my hour workout, I burn about 700+ calories! I turn on my Fitbit to record my workout when I first get on my bike, and turn it off when my heart rate has fallen under 100 bpm. So usually when I am doing my stretching.

Cycling is great for anyone and everyone! It is a high calorie burning exercise, you can take it at the pace you feel is comfortable for you, and it is easy on your joints! If you want to change up your workouts and try something new, I would highly recommend cycling! Go out and find a cycling class near you and try it!

-Brenna 🙂

Swim Fast, Swim Far – The benefits of Swimming

As I mentioned in my earlier post, I am doing the Indoor Ironman at the gym at UW-Whitewater. The swimming is always the most difficult part of the Ironman (in my opinion). Most people are not swimmers. It is hard! I would have to say that swimming is more difficult than running. Again, in my opinion. It engages muscles across your entire body. Swimming burns a lot of calories, is easy on your joints, builds, muscular and strength endurance, and improves cardiovascular endurance. There are plenty of reasons to swim! Here are some more benefits of this activity.

Low- Impact

There is not ground impact when you are swimming. With running, the way your foot strikes the ground has an impact on your joints as well as the rest of your body. Swimming eliminates that.

Swimming can be done at any age

Any one of any age can swim as a workout. As our bodies age and change, some workouts can become really difficult. With swimming, it is easy enough on our body so we can do it regardless of our age.

Swimming builds muscle mass

All the swimmers I know are pure muscle. Their legs, arms, stomachs, pretty much everything. In a study of men who completed an eight-week swimming program, there was a 23.8% increase in the triceps muscle (the back of the arm). Read more here: http://www.medicinenet.com/swimming/page4.htm

And it is an alternative when injured

Whether you are a seasoned athlete, dedicated runner, or a beginner who is injured, swimming is an option to maintain your fitness level. Swimming helps you stay in shape, and it’s even part of the rehabilitation. That’s because the resistance of the water makes the muscles work hard without the strain or impact that is experienced on land.

So there you have it! A little information on a great, difficult activity and sport. So go give it a try! Who knows, you could be the next Michael Phelps and not even know it yet!

-Brenna

2.4-112-26.22

Ever heard of the Ironman Triathlon? It comprises of a 2.4 mile swim, 112 mile bike ride, and a 26.22 mile run, raced in that order without a break! That is pretty intense if you ask me. Ironman Participants need to be in peak physical condition to complete the race. It is widely considered one of the most difficult one-day sporting events in the world. Most Ironman events have a strict time limit of 17 hours to complete the race. The Ironman is held in Kailua-Kona and the world championship has been held annually in Hawaii since 1978 (with an additional race in 1982) and is preceded by a series of qualifying Ironman events.

At UW-Whitewater, the Williams center has its own version of the Ironman, with one catch. All miles have to be done indoors! Participants have over a month to complete all the miles that would be done in a typical Ironman. I have done the Indoor Ironman every year of college. My freshman year, I did not complete it because I did not want to swim the 2.4 miles. I started the challenge to keep me motivated and at the gym. Then my sophomore and junior year, I was able to complete the challenge because I did it with friends and they were able to keep me motivated and got me into the pool. Since I completed it the last two years, I am very motivated to complete it for a third time. So far I have completed the 2.4 mile swim, biked 19 miles and have run 5. I have a long way to go, but I am determined to complete it again in my final year.

If your local gym does something similar, or you can do a challenge with friends, I strongly recommend it! By working out with friends, you are more likely to go and stick with it and if you add in a challenge, it becomes more fun!

Goal Setting

Fitness is all about goal setting. Set a number of miles you want to run in a workout, the amount of weight you want to lift in a set, or setting a calorie goal for yourself. If you take on too much at one time, you will most likely not follow through on it. Personally, I have tried running before in the past and pushed myself too hard. To the point where I would stop and get discouraged and stop all together. Taking small steps has been a huge help in my fitness and clean eating journey.

First, I started with trying to eat better. I did the 24-day challenge from AdvoCare. It jump started my clean eating. I also had to change my eating habits because I was having liver problems due to my diet. I had to cut carbs almost completely out of my diet. So I stopped drinking soda, cut out a lot of sugar, pasta, tacos (sad, I know) and started exercising more.

Here are some small changes you can make to help you with your diet/exercise regime:

Go to the gym two to three times per week, or do whatever you are comfortable with
Go for a walk form 30 minutes two to three times per week.
Instead of going out to eat, find recipes that you enjoy and cook at home.
Drink coffee with less cream or substitue sugar for stevia.
Drinking more water and less soda! I cannot stress how important this is!
Cut your carbs in half. This is tough to do because you don’t realize how many carbs you actually do eat in a day. And they are in everything.

If you are just starting to make small changes, you will see big results! Do not get discouraged. Any change you make for yourself is a good change. This is something I need to continue to tell myself. Results take time, but feeling good because of the good nutrients you put in your body happens almost instantly. So I challenge you to make at least one or two changes to benefit your health and the results will come!

-Brenna 🙂