Pumpkin Chocolate Chip Cookies

I had the best cookies this weekend. They are super yummy and perfect for this time of year. I don't know about you guys, but I'm making these the staple at our house when we need a treat around the holidays.
-1 box spice cake mix
-2 cups canned pumpkin (add more if you want them to be more gooey)
-1 cup chocolate chips
Just mix, drop, and bake at 375 for 8-10 minutes, and enjoy. I got the recipe from my sister in law Bethany, but I think they might be a Weight Watcher Recipe.

Interval Training

Quick Fitness Tip:
Mix up your normal cardio routine with interval training. I see people at the gym do the same thing everytime they come in. They hop on the treadmill, elliptical, or bike and just dilly dally along for 20-30 minutes leave and then wonder why they're not losing weight or seeing changes in their body. If you're just trying to maintain weight this might be fine, but most people are not so be effective with your workouts and your time.
Try adding intervals. Sprint as fast as you can for 1-2 minutes and then recover at a normal speed for 1-2 minutes. Keep repeating this for the rest of your cardio and I guarantee you will feel a major difference.
To see changes you have to push your body past it's comfort zone. It's hard to sprint for an extended period of time, but by switching back and forth between a sprint and recovery you will still reap the benefits from pushing your heart rate to the max. Try it next time you're at the gym and see for yourself.

Cooking/Baking Tips

One of the benefits of cooking your own food is knowing exactly what you're putting in it.  Still lots of recipes call for things that can be exchanged with healthier options to cut out excess fat and calories. And the best part is it can still taste good!

Here are a few of my personal favorites that I use all the time in the kitchen:

• Instead of using butter for grilling (or even a more healthy option olive oil) just use cooking spray.  zero calories is better than 150-300 extra calories that often aren't remembered.  
  
• If you have to use butter use Smart Balance or I can't believe it's not butter butter spray.  For oils best options are olive or canola.
  
• Substitute whole wheat flour for white flour.  I personally like the taste with all wheat flour, but if it's too strong for you do half white flour/half wheat flour.  Adds fiber to the recipe and isn't as noticeable.
  
• Swap out butter in baked goods with applesauce, mashed bananas, or low fat yogurt.
  
• Add vegetables to everything. 
  
• Don't add salt and if you do a little goes a long way.  In cooking I don't use it at all.  Average american has high blood pressure and we naturally get enough sodium from our daily foods.  Adding extra salt just isn't necessary.
  
• Use Splenda instead of sugar.  Zero calories yet again!
  
• Don't forget your spices.  They add tons of flavor to all sorts of recipes.  Cinnamon is my personal favorite because it helps with digestion and circulation. 
  
• If given an option always go for the low fat or zero fat option.  Ex: Sour cream, cheese, sauces, dressings, etc.
  
• Oatmeal is great for baking.  Adds fiber in a second.  I try add it into cookies and muffins even if it's not called for. 
  
• Need a chocolate fix?  Cocoa powder has quite the punch and dark chocolate and semi-sweet goes a long way.  Try and use these when baking.
  

Hopefully some of these will help you in the kitchen.  If you have a few of your own please comment and let the viewers know them as well :)

DOMS

You might be asking yourself what's this?  DOMS=Delayed Onset Muscle Soreness.  I like to call it DOBS=Delayed Onset BODY Soreness or when you feel like your muscles are so tight they are going to fall off.  

I recently ran a marathon and I had some extremely sore muscles for a good 2/3 days.  I was quickly reminding myself of all the helpful tips I've learned to relieve muscle soreness and to get back to normal.

First of all lets talk about why we get DOMS.  After putting the muscles through any type of stress (exercise, lifting weights, physical therapy, etc.) the body actually breaks the muscle down in order to build it up and make it stronger.  The torn muscle fibers then result in stiffness and pain that can come anywhere from 12-48 hours after.  

People get sore for different reasons.  A few examples of when you might get sore would be starting a new workout program, changing your workout routine, increasing intensity/duration of a program, or just switching to a different type of movement that your body isn't used to.

Ways to treat DOMS

-Rest/Ice/Compress/Elevate 

-Gentle massaging

-Ibuprofin (800 mg every 4 hrs) this doesn't help the muscles to actually recover it just helps to relieve some of the pain

-Warm baths (add 1-2 cups of Epsom salt in bath to help even more) 

-Gentle stretching/yoga if you feel up to it

-Keep moving.  light exercise or just walking.  If you completely stop activity your muscles will contract even more and it will feel like they're just getting worse

-Drink plenty of water to help with circulation

So there you have it.  A few of my tips that helped me get my legs back.  Hopefully this will help next time you feel like your 90 years old walking around with a cane.

Hollywood's Thin Obsession

The new 90210 is in the public eye for showing too much bone. What's new in Hollywood? I hate how beauty in today's society is perceived as being a stick figure and having absolutely zero percent body fat. Not only does this make people feel they have to strive to reach an unrealistic goal, but it puts extra pressure on those behind the camera. I heard just the other day on TV that people on the set are saying the magazine is just rumors and that the girls eat like horses. They just have super fast metabolisms. If this is true it makes me mad that the producers or whoever is in charge of hiring picked such thin girls for the show. What's wrong with showing a more realistic image of what teenagers really look like and not putting extra pressure on the females in society? I say stop trying to be something your not and what's wrong with a little curves and junk food now and then. Stop the weight obsessed frenzy of forcing your natural body type into a size zero. Not everyone was born to be that small naturally and I'm getting tired of seeing it in all of the magazines, on TV, and in movies.

Treadmill Desk-Primetime 20/20

Extreme weight gain calls for extreme fitness measures. According to the CDC in 2007 66.3% of people over the age of 20 are overweight (BMI 25-29.9) and 32% are obese (BMI 30 and above.) As a society we are eating too much and not getting enough activity. There are lots of things that can cause a person to gain weight, but I think a couple of the biggest things are desk jobs, fast food, cars, and not inconveniencing ourselves.
We've come from just about 100 years ago where we had to hunt our food, walk everywhere, and prepare our food/clothes/shelter from the ground, scratch, and whatever we were able to find. Verses today where everything is convenient and you can buy food cheap, quick, and lacking any type of nutrition.
Someone is definitely thinking outside the box with this treadmill desk. Do I think it will work? I don't think it will really take off, but I could be wrong and if it's making a difference and getting people moving I'm all for it.
This video was just one more reminder to me of the importance of keeping your body moving, trying to eat healthy, and take that extra walk around the neighborhood to avoid those extra pounds that tend to pile on when sitting in front of the computer or whatever else might be keeping you sedentary.

Food/Exercise Journal

I've recently recommitted myself to writing down my food and exercise logs in a journal. This is something I've been really good about doing the last 2 or so years of my life. I got a little off the bandwagon with the summer, but I've started it back up.
I like this idea for a couple of different reasons.
1. Accountability-It's like a little coach. Maybe I'm the only one, but I hate having to write down a junk food binge or not being able to jot down any type of activity for several days in a row. Even if I'm super busy I'll just get out and take a brisk walk so I can write something down for the day.
2. Recognize Habits/Trends-Getting everything on paper is a huge step to see what is going on. We like to make ourselves out to be perfect and oftentimes in our mind we think we're doing a lot. After a week of writing everything down you can look back and notice you might have a energy drop at 2 and you're always going for sugar or that if you don't get in a workout in the morning it doesn't happen. Just get in the habit of writing it down. Good or bad and then you can work on your weaknesses and recognize your strengths and build upon them.
3. It works-Of all of the clients I've trained the most successful were the ones who religiously kept a food/exercise log.
So what are you waiting for? Grab some notebook paper and start keeping a log of your food/exercise each day. Keep it simple and stick to it!!! I promise it will help you move forward in reaching your goal quicker than if you don't.