Healthy Thanksgiving Recipes: Holiday Recipe Ideas to Help Avoid The Fitness Train-wreck

Recently I was watching Biggest Loser and was very intrigued by one of the guests they had on “The Ranch”. They had a scientist who has done brain research on why obese people over eat and why thin people, generally, do not. 

What he said he discovered in his research was a difference in the brain’s “pleasure center”. For obese folks, the pleasure center is actually much smaller in comparison to their thin counterpart. This suggests that while both obese and thin folks have cravings, it takes much MORE for the obese person to satisfy the craving. 

The good news is that this pleasure program can be re-written in the brain. It takes 4-5 weeks of healthy and moderation eating to train your brain. The bad news is, it can be overwritten with the old habit with just 4-5 days of over-indulgence. That means 1 week of unhealthy eating can completely undo all the hard work you have done to enjoy eating healthy. 

So, what is a health-conscious person to do during the holidays! We are bombarded by all types of unhealthy foods and sedentary living for an extended period.  

My solution is to deck your halls with boughs of healthy this Thanksgiving and find healthy recipes to keep your Holiday Train from getting de-railed.  

While I am no recipe expert, I love to eat and I know where to look. I found a site with a full menu of healthy Thanksgiving recipes that will provide good options for just about any traditional Thanksgiving craving. These include: 

Healthy Thanksgiving Menu

Cornbread Stuffing

Fresh Cranberry Sauce

Hearty Mashed Potatoes (without butter and milk!)

Sweet Peas with Braised Lettuce

Carmelized Onion Gravy

A Healthy Turkey

And Pumpkin Pie in a Glass 

Using your brain to train your brain is the key to long term weight loss. Find these recipes and more healthy options at www.coxhealth.webhealthyrecipes.com

Please do me a favor and  post your own healthy recipe ideas and websites below in the comments section to help other readers!
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New in the Literature: Weight Loss, Exercise, and Obesity (N Engl J Med. 2011 Mar 31;364:1218-29)

This new research suggests why it is important to combine both a good exercise program and proper nutrition:

New in the Literature: Weight Loss, Exercise, and Obesity (N Engl J Med. 2011 Mar 31;364:1218-29)

Insanity Workout Review Week 5 and Workout Rest Week Ideas

The two most glorious words ever spoken when one is doing an intense workout program like Insanity are REST WEEK.

However, don’t think we got off too easily. This may depress those who were looking forward to getting some extra sleep during this “off” week, but we still had to get up every day and do an easier, though still pretty active workout.

The rest work workout for Insanity is around 35 minutes long, and does make you sweat and stretch a little bit, but is much less intense than the normal workouts. While it was somewhat repetitive to do the same workout 6 days straight, it wasn’t bad. We enjoyed the routine of it, and knew that it was only going to be for this week only.

I like the idea of doing something during the rest week. It takes a long time to create a workout habit, and very little time to break that habit. So, still utilizing that time you carve out for something active is very helpful to maintain a “routine”.

So, even if you want complete rest during your workout respite, I would encourage you to do SOMETHING during that time you have carved out.

Active ideas during rest week:

1. Brisk walks or easy bike rides.
2. Playing on the playground with your kids.
3. Play a sport you used to have time for: tennis, basketball, swimming…something.
4. Take a week of dance lessons with your loved one.
5. Plan an active vacation when you know you will have a rest week: skiing, hiking, etc.

Inactive ideas during rest week:

1. Read workout magazines and websites to give you ideas.
2. Write a  new, intense workout program
3. Create a spreadsheet to keep track of your workout progress and body measurements.
4. Surf the internet for healthy recipes to spice up your menu.
5. Actually do some cooking of healthy entrees and items you can freeze and pop in the microwave for healthy “on-the-go” meals
6. Get caught up on my blog, of course! Also, research for other blogs that will help motivate you to healthy living.
7. Start a blog of your own! Help motivate others by chronicling your progress toward your fitness goals. Then, always include a link to this blog: criticaltransformation.blogspot.com (hint hint J)

Use the comment section below to leave others your ideas for ways to fill those workout minutes during rest week, and Happy Resting!
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Black Friday: Fitness Shopping to Change Your Future

On Friday, November 24, the doors of the big box stores will swing wide open for sugar-plum visioning shoppers seeking bargain treasures for their family. People load up their sleighs with TVs, computers, appliances and toys that the family will enjoy.

However, this year I want to encourage you to take a different path. Many stores also have great Black Friday deals on exercise equipment that could help to change your family’s future.

For our family, it has been very helpful to have a few pieces of exercise equipment. When we had our kids, we had lost all our motivation to stay healthy, partly because we could not find the time to get to the gym. Once we decided to make a change, we got an elliptical machine and a few weights and committed to work out together. The difference has really been transformative as we have never been more fit and are having a blast doing it together.

So, instead of using those Black Friday deals to get that 42” LCD TV that will contribute to a sedentary lifestyle, choose to give a gift to the healthy you and your family. Here are some of the best fitness deals for Black Friday (click on the store to go to their ad):

Sports Authority

Proform 18.0 RE Elliptical machine: $799 (save $1200)

Proform 290 SPX Indoor Cycle: $199 (originally $499)

Bowflex Select Tech 552 Dumbells: $300

Dicks Sporting Goods

Fitness Gear 225 pound weight set: $150

Powerblock Adjustable dumb bells with stand: $299 (great for limited space!)

Walmart

Perfect Sit Up: $44.77 (about 30% discount)

Costco

Reebok Upright Bike with Ipod Port $200

Body Media Fitlink Armband (body wellness monitor with activity manager): $200 (normally $229)

Kmart

Marcy 80# Combo Bench 89.99 (save $40)

Body Champ Cardio Dual Trainer 189.99 (save $60)

Academy

Horizon T100 Treadmill 299.99

Everlast 4-pc Heavy Punching Bag 49.99

As it gets closer to Thanksgiving, more of the big deals will come out. Keep watching www.blackfriday.com and http://www.blackfriday.info/ If you hear of any great deals, post them here in the comment section below. Happy HEALTHY Shopping! Black Friday Deals Shopping Black Friday Deals Shopping Black Friday Shopping Deals Black Friday Shopping Deals Black Friday Shopping Deals Black Friday Shopping Deals Black Friday Shopping Deals Black Friday Shopping Dealks Black Friday Shopping Deals Black Friday Shopping Deals Black Friday Shopping Deals Black Friday Deals Shopping Black Friday Deals Shopping Black Friday Shopping Deals Black Friday Shopping Deals Black Friday Shopping Deals Black Friday Shopping Deals Black Friday Shopping Deals Black Friday Shopping Dealks Black Friday Shopping Deals Black Friday Shopping Deals Black Friday Shopping Deals Black Friday Deals Shopping Black Friday Deals Shopping Black Friday Shopping Deals Black Friday Shopping Deals Black Friday Shopping Deals Black Friday Shopping Deals Black Friday Shopping Deals Black Friday Shopping Dealks Black Friday Shopping Deals Black Friday Shopping Deals Black Friday Shopping Deals

Insanity Week 4- The Struggle To Maintain Focus

We finally made it to rest week. I must say, I probably feel a little bit softer than I did at the beginning of Insanity. I think the reason for this is that I have not been as disciplined with the nutrition side of the program as I should be.

 

Since nutrition is 70% of a weight loss/ fitness program, it is not fair to expect to see results from an exercise program without focusing in on this crucial component. It is too easy to get into the mindset that it is ok to eat extra because “well, I got my workout in.”

 

However, just think about that fact that it takes about 30 seconds to eat a cookie with 300 calories, but it is going to take 30 minutes of exercising to burn that same amount. That is why it is so much easier to get fat than to lose it!

Another factor may be timing. With the change of summer into fall, my extraneous activities have definitely gotten more sedentary. The extra evening walks, swims with the kids, and afternoon jogs have been reduced to almost zero.

 

So, now that our family birthday season is done, Susan and I are going to renew our resolve to avoid the extra snacks, stop eating the kids crumbs, and avoid the leftover sweets. Just like everyone else, we struggle to stay on track over the winter months.

 

So, next week is “rest week” which means we have a light exercise regimen. That means we are going to have to be extra careful to eat right, avoid grazing like cattle and try to get some extra movement in.

 

Hang tight with your program! Remember, the hard workouts are not an excuse to indulge the sweet tooth. Those holiday treats are just going to end up hanging over your belt in January!

 

In the comment section below, help us with ways you plan to avoid the extra weight gain over the holidays.

World's Greatest Fitness and Weight-Loss Apps

Back in the old days, if you were really serious about losing weight you would have to get a food calorie dictionary and start keeping an old-fashioned pencil and paper list. If you wanted to keep track of your heart rate, you’d put your finger on your wrist or neck and attempt to take your pulse while running.

A lot has changed in the past 25 years. Heck, a lot has changed in the past 25 weeks. So, knowing there are a lot of other geeks out there, I decided to put together a list of some of the best apps around for nutrition and exercise.

Exercise:

Loops (Livestrong): Web : This app allows you to search for and create exercise loops wherever you happen to be. This app is especially good if you travel a lot to large cities and have no idea where to go for your daily walk or jog.

Target Heart Rate Calculator (American Cancer Society): Web : I recommend working out with a heart rate monitor to be sure you are keeping the right intensity level. This site will calculate your target heart rate for you.

Physioadvisor (iphone): This app helps you develop your work out program with common physical therapy exercises. You can search by numerous categories and body parts to help you develop a comprehensive program.

GPS Motion X (iphone): I used this one a lot before Susan bought me a new Garmin watch for our anniversary (I know, she is quite the romantic!). However, if you don't have a watch and are going to run with your iphone anyway, this app will give you your pace and a plethora of other workout tracking info, all while still playing your music. Obviously, though, this app is worthless if you have an ipod touch...unless you just run circles in a wifi hotspot.

Nutrition:

Calorie Tracker (Livestrong): Blackberry / iPhone / iPad: One of the problems with using a calorie tracker is the frustration with not having the foods you need to track. I have found the livestrong app to have a pretty comprehensive data base so that you can find just what you are looking for, or at least get pretty close.

Menu Planner (National Heart, Lung and Blood Institute): Web. This menu planner is only available online, but helps you plan your meals. There is a large variety of food options and serving sizes and calculates the number of calories for you. This one may be really good to help you pre-plan those dangerous holiday meals.

Text-2-Eat (Livestrong): Text messaging. This one is fun, and you don’t even need a smart phone! You just text a food you are considering (or just ate J) to 35242 and they will text you back with the item, calories, fat and protein.

If you want more ideas, I got most of these from an online story by MD Anderson. It has several other categories including kids nutrition and smoking cessation. So, follow this link and "app" to your healthy hearts content:

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Healthy Living and the 38 Things I've Learned In 38 Years

Today I completed my 38th trip around the sun. Here are the 38 random things I have learned during these revolutions:

1. Being lazy feels good now, but regretful later.
2. People that love you don’t care what you look like or what you do.
3. Just because you’ve lived 38 years it doesn’t mean you have to have a 38” waist.
4. Learning doesn’t stop when you are out of school.
5. Doing something for someone else is more gratifying than doing what you want.
6. Winning isn’t everything, but striving to be your best is.
7. The woman is ALWAYS right
8. Mom’s should be the ones getting the birthday present. They did all the work on that day.
9. A man’s home isn’t HIS castle....at least as long as there is a big fat mortgage.
10. Having to work hard for a goal makes achieving it more satisfying.
11. Genetics are never an excuse for bad behavior.
12. Pain is not an excuse for lack of movement.
13. Having children is a greater achievement than all other things I have ever done, combined.
14. Having money doesn’t change you, it just magnifies who you already are.
15. Home is not where you are, it is who you are with.
16. The dishwasher may have been the world’s greatest invention.
17. To make exercise a habit, do something you enjoy. To make it worthwhile, do it HARD!
18. Having hope makes any circumstance tolerable.
19. Giving your money is great. Giving your time is priceless.
20. The traditions you create with your kids will be their most treasured memories.
21. Don’t wish your life away, enjoy the present.
22. Time really does go by fast.
23. Doctors make the worst patients.
24. Doing something you are passionate about always beats doing what makes the most money.
25. Nothing tastes as good as it feels to be healthy.
26. Mothers-in-law sometimes are the best. Just know you are entrusted with her greatest treasure.
27. A happy wife makes a happy life.
28. I can endure just about anything for 1 minute or less. 
29. A healthcare worker is more respected if they look like they take their own advice.
30. The Bible has the best answer for any question.
31. Seeing isn’t always believing.
32. Indulge sparingly, enjoy always.
33. Friends can be short-lived but family is for life.
34. “No man is a failure who has friends.” (Angel from Its a Wonderful Life)
35. Food is not an aphrodisiac, an antiseptic, or an anti-depressant. It is fuel. That is all.
36. Once you have children, your hobbies can wait. You have more important things to do.
37. Your future is too high a price to pay for short-lived pleasure.
38. Whenever I feel out of control, remember God is in it.

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