Animal-Free Egg Nog x Last Minute Stocking Stuffers

Greetings,

I hope you're enjoying your egg nog, fruit cake, and those infamous Christmas cookies with white and red icing. I decided since its the holiday season, I won't bore you with details of your favorite pastime meals/drinks. I’m not going to tell you that 1 cup of egg nog has 343 calories and contains 19 grams of fat (11.3 grams are saturated fat). Why would I do that? No, not in the Xmas season. Everyone deserves a break.

And, for those of you who are last minute shoppers like me, I have the perfect solution - MTH Fitness Gift Certificates. Yes, give the gift that will last for a lifetime. Who needs another sweater or a car with a big red bow? Why ask for a gym year membership, when you’ll only go for one month? Give the gift where a person can actually see results. Give that gift says, “Honey, I love you. But…”

Contact me asap to get your gift certificates before the big day.

For an alternative to the egg and milk nog, there’s a vegan version called Analog Nog. It’s much healthier and it’s completely dairy-free. For the recipe, you can skip to the 1:58 mark on the video.


From the staff, employees, owner (all 1 person) at MTH Fitness, we wish you a safe and healthy happy holidays!

Marcus T. Hodge
Certified Personal Trainer
Certified Fitness Nutrition Specialist


P.S. Next round of Fat Blasting Boot Camp starts in early January. More information will follow shortly. Get ready!!

6 Quick Fat Loss Thanksgiving Tips

If there has ever been a time to have a "cheat day" I must admit Thanksgiving may be it. The wide assortments of all of your favorite foods in one sitting are what dreams are made of.

However, we can still enjoy the delicacies and not lose focus of our goal. Here are some quick tips to keep the fat off:

1) Do NOT save your calories. If you skip breakfast and lunch in preparation for dinner on Thanksgiving, you’re going to overeat. Continue your regular routine of having a healthy breakfast, lunch and even your afternoon snack.

2) Drink 1-2 cups of warm or room temperature water prior to the big meal. This will help curb your appetite and will aid in the feeling of satiety.

3) Eat slowly. Research has shown that eating slowly, putting your fork down between bites, and tasting each mouthful is one of the easiest ways to enjoy your meal and feel satisfied with one plate full of food.

4) Before you dig into your mother's homemade macaroni and cheese, opt for the turkey, chicken, lean meats and collard greens. The best meal to consume 3 hours before bed should consist of protein and vegetables only. Eating carbs late at night have been proven to add inches around the midsection.

5) After having your meal, just don't sit there. Go for a walk, play a game of family flag football, or even go to the Black Friday midnight store sales. Be active!

6) Finally, yet most importantly portion control. Eating half, a third, or even a quarter less then you did last Thanksgiving will make a difference. Before you fill your plate, survey the buffet table and decide what you're going to choose. Then select reasonable-sized portions of foods you cannot live without.


Have a safe and healthy Thanksgiving!

Decision 2010

I’m sure many of us went to polls to place our vote yesterday, Election Day. Whether you voted Republican, Democrat, or Independent - you had strong conviction about your DECISION. You elected the candidate that you felt would be best for you, your family and your future.

How about the daily decisions we face day to day- stairs or elevators, dressing or no dressing, gym or TV, buy those new pairs of shoes(red bottoms) or pay our rent(so, I heard), spend time with our loved ones or hang out with the boys, upgrade to the new 2010 Audi R8 coupe or drive your current car to the wheels fall off, invest in our 401K, buy gold bars or just simply put the money under our beds(1920s style), etc, etc. I’m sure you get the point.

Now, let’s consider the decisions that will affect the most important and invaluable aspect of our lives – our health.

Would you rather eat a chocolate chip cookie
OR
Make 6.4 trips up and down the stairs of the Statue of Liberty?


Would you rather eat a Nachos Bell Grande
OR
Walk leisurely for 3 hours and 13 minutes?


Would you rather eat a Burger King Chicken Sandwich
OR
32 minutes jumping rope AND running up and down the 108 steps of the Philadelphia Art Museum 7 times as Sylvester Stallone did in the movie Rocky??


How about eating only 1/3 of a white bagel
OR
Spend 41 minutes raking leaves??


Last but not least, you can have 3 itty-bitty Dunkin Donut holes
OR
Spend 21 minutes at a moderate pace on the StairMaster


Making the right choices TODAY, will greatly improve your future!!

Yours in health,
Marcus
Certified Personal Trainer
Certified Fitness Nutrition Specialist

Inspirational! Never too young and DEFINTELY never too old . . .

For those of us who may need a little inspiration to start living healthier, check out this video of Ernestine Bernard. All I have to say - she runs more miles a week than her current age, 80 miles >72 yrs old!

Before and After - Food Journal

If you know anything about MTH Fitness, you know that we stress the importance of a eating balanced, equally spaced, and well planned meals. And, to make clients accountable, I REQUIRE them to send a daily food journal. Diet and exercises are practically best friends.

Now, a particular client had a goal to lose weight. We noticed that she did lose some weight but not as much she should given the time she participated in the program. Her biggest issue was her diet. As you can see from the “BEFORE” diet - she ate erratically, plentiful, and her largest meal was her last meal. (See “Eat like a King. . . for more details)

After she and I being both frustrated, she finally decided to buckle down. In the 2 weeks that she’s changed her diet, she doubled her weight loss in 2 weeks compared to the 4 weeks prior. Check her “AFTER” journal. Although, this is not the ideal journal-there is marked improvement. Her last meal is now at 6pm compared to 8pm. There’s more simplicity and less processed foods. Instead of eating 7x a day it’s down to 4x. Just changing these 2 factors alone has been noteworthy.

Are you making any changes in the way you eat? Are you eating every hour on the hour? Are you allowing your digestive system the adequate time to rest before the next meal? Are you eating right before you go to sleep?


Yours in health,
Marcus

BEFORE
8:00am
Protein Shake
Apple

11:30am
Fruit Mix (mango, grapes, apple, pineapple, cantaloupe)

2:30pm
hot and spicy soup
Shrimp & Broccoli - no rice

4:00pm
4 apple slices half cup of yogurt and granola

5:00pm
5 crackers and cheese

7:15pm
hand full of crunch and munch....

8:00pm
Small lean pork chop
Spinach
small portion of brown rice
plantains

3 bottles of water
1 glass of green tea & lemonade


AFTER
9:30am
mixed fruit (large)

2:00pm
Caesar Salad

4:40pm
Trail Mix

6:00pm
1 Sushi Roll
1 half of a granola bar

4 bottles of water
2 glasses of green tea (cold)

If you’re going to drink soda, drink this one. . .

While I was in the pizza shop eating a WHOLE WHEAT slice of pizza, I had a craving for a carbonated drink. I was getting bored with the flavored seltzer water, so I went for the next best drink-ginger ale. Or, so I thought.

The ginger root has numerous benefits. I’m sure there’s been a time when you had a stomach ache and someone suggested drinking ginger ale. There’s a reason for that, it works. It helps to ease digestive discomfort, effective for nausea and vomiting during pregnancy, it provides natural anti-inflammatory effects, and possibly protects against colorectal cancer and ovarian cancer.

Now, one would assume if you drink GINGER ale that one of the first ingredients listed on the back of the can . . .will be GINGER. That’s not the case. The Canada Dry ginger ale contained the following:
Carbonated Water, Citric Acid, Natural Flavors, Sodium Citrate, Sodium Benzoate, Malic Acid, Aspartame, Caramel Color (wth?)

If you can’t readily identify the majority of the ingredients of whatever you’re consuming- 9 times out 10 it’s probably full of UNnatrual products. Another trick is if you have to sound out each syllable of the ingredient as if you’re in first grade again. i.e As-par-ta-me

Canada Dry’s counterpart, Schweppes, was not much better containing Hexametaphosphate, Red 40, and Blue 1.

Check out this simple, easy and non-sugar laden homemade Ginger Ale.
Real Ginger Ale Recipe
Ingredients:
1-inch piece of ginger root, peeled
1 medium tangerine, quartered
1 pint of red grapes, with seeds
2 cups of watermelon, with rind, cubed
4 ounces of sparkling mineral water
Directions:
Push ginger root, tangerine, grapes, and watermelon through a juicer.
Add mineral water to juice and stir well.
If you use a strong blender in place of the juicer, use some of the sparkling mineral water to get the ingredients going and add the remaining water once the ingredients are blended together. Depending on the strength of your blender, you may need to use a strainer if you prefer a clear ginger ale.

Fat Loss andToning Boot CAMP

Fat Loss and Toning Boot Camp IN WESTCHESTER and MANHATTAN!

What should you expect??


- A fun and challenging workout
- Faster Metabolism to Burn More Fat at Rest.
-Reduce Your Midsection by 1-3 inches.
-Increased Muscle Tone and Flexibility.
-Look and Feel Younger with More Energy.
- Look and Feel Better in Your Favorite Clothes.
-4-12 Pounds of Weight Loss.
-3-6% Decrease in Body Fat.
-Reduce Your Cravings for Fats, Sugars and Junk Foods.
-Increased Sense of Overall Well-Being.
-And Much, Much More...


Please Bring a Towel, Exercise Mat, Water and LOTS OF ENERGY!


The class will train 2x a week for 40 minutes each session. Classes are indoors with a bathroom/changing facility on the premises.

If you buy 10 sessions in advance, classes are only $15 per class. If you want go on a class by class basis, it's only $20.

How much is your health worth????

Manhattan classes are held in Washington Heights, cross street W.180th and St.Nicholas. It's on Tuesdays and Thursdays at 6pm sharp!
Westchester are held White Plains, 5 minutes from the White Plains Galleria. The classes are Mondays at 7pm sharp, and Wednesdays at 815pm sharp!

For more details, email marcus@mthfitness@gmail.com

How many calories did you burn shoveling snow?

For all you brave souls that took to the streets and shoveled snow these past two days-your work was not in vain. Besides digging your car out or clearing your walkway, you also burned a decent amount of calories.

If you're 5'5, 180lbs, 28 year old female you burned an estimated 336 calories in that one hour. That's equivalent to one Snickers bar, 3 cans of soda, 5 apples, or an unlimited amount of water ;-)

You don't have to go to the gym to get a workout. Just doing day-to-day activities, and not sitting on your. . . all day, can make a difference.

To see you how much calories you burned, check out this Fit Day website --->http://www.fitday.com/WebFit/burned/calories_burned_Shoveling_snow_by_hand.html

I know it's cold outside, but get OUTDOORS. . .

As creatures of habit, we have a tendency to stay indoors during the late autumn and winter months, and be outdoors during the warmer months. However, that habit may be to our detriment. When we go from home to work, work to home we fail to receive the much needed benefits of the SUN.

Per Jan W. Kuzma, Director of the Sentinel Research Services, “It (sun) has incredible health-giving properties such as killing germs, helping our bodies manufacture Vitamin D, and improving the function of our pituitary, hypothalamus, and pineal glands”. FYI, the pineal glands produces melatonin, a hormone that affects the modulation of wake/sleep patterns and photoperiodic (seasonal) functions. And, you wonder why you're so sleepy during the winter. . .

Although milk, cod liver oil, and supplements can supply vitamin D, solar radiation is still a main source for humans even at high latitudes. Personally, I’ll rather skip the cod liver and bask in the sun rays ;-).

So, instead of “hibernating” in your cubicle/office- bundle up and take a quick 15 minute walk for lunch. Or get up early, and catch some early sunshine.

Your body will thank you later!!

Sit in front of computer for most of the day??

If you're like most Americans you spend at least 5-7 hours in front of a computer monitor, whether it's for work or leisure.
Studies have shown extended periods of this activity can be detrimental to one's eyesight, lower back, and wrists, amongst other issues. This is pertinent especially if you're sitting like "Mr. I LOVE MY JOB", photoed above.


Now, to reduce the risk of injury let's look at the ideal ergonomics for computer monitor viewing. Take a look at "Simply Sue", her lower back is supported, her wrists straight, her feet are flat on the floor or on footrest, viewing angle is at least 18".

Look at your posture in front of your computer monitor.

What changes do you need to make???

MTH Fitness Facebook Group Archive - 5 Calories

But, its only 100 calories?!

That was the response of one of the dedicated clients. She has been consuming these "low-fat" crackers as her daily snack. I commended her for looking at the calorie content, but she neglected to look at the "Serving Size". This is often over-looked and can lead to excess calorie consumption.

The manufacturer cleverly wrapped 5 crackers into a single package. So, one can easily assume that 5 crackers is 100 calories. Au contraire, we looked at the Serving Size and it stated one serving size is 2.5 crackers.(Who eats .5 of a cracker???)

So, that single package of 5 crackers was not 100 calories, but 200 calories.

Let's watch the Serving Size, it could be a huge determining factor when reaching our goals!!!

MTH Fitness Facebook Group Archive - 4 Fat

Fat here, Fat there, Fat everywhere. What's good for you? What should you avoid? But, why?

a. Saturated Fat (no bueno) - This is mostly found in products that contains animal products. It helps to raise your bad (LDL) cholesterol levels and lower your good (HDL) cholesterol levels. Saturated fats are mainly found in foods like meat, poultry with skin, butter, lard, cream, baked goods, and should be consumed VERY MINIMALLY.


b. Trans Fat ( muy NO bueno) - This is the WORSE of any type of fat that we can consume. These fats can be found in snack foods, fried foods, margarine, and amongst many other unhealthy food. It aides in increasing your risk of developing heart disease. Be careful with reading the “Nutrition Facts” that states Trans fat with 0 grams. If you read the “INGREDIENTS” section of the label, this could be listed as “partially hydrogenated oil”. This fat contains no nutritionally value and should be COMPLETELY AVOIDED.

c. Polyunsaturated and Monounsaturated (bueno)- These are the healthy and complex fats. These fats are mostly found in nuts, grains, olive oil, avocados, fish, and seafood. These fats happen to be the most essential because they aid as in absorbing essential vitamins A, S, E, K, and prevent deficiencies of these vitamins. These fats are believed to lower cholesterol and may assist in reducing heart disease. It also aides in providing essential fatty acids for healthy skin and the development of body cells. Although healthy, FAT is still FAT. This fat should be consumed in MODERATION.

Next time you go shopping start to read the labels, you’ll be surprised to see what you’re consuming!!

MTH Fitness Facebook Group Archive - 3 H2o

8 cups of water may be too much of or not enough . . .

As I was watching football this past Sunday evening, it dawned on me: Should a 6'3, 224lb Linebacker and 112lb cheerleader consume the same "required" 8 cups of water per day? I found that to be strange and somewhat nonsensical. So, I decided to do some research. I noted that an individual should drink half their weight in ounces.

Since there is 8 oz in 1 cup, the linebacker and cheerleader should drink 14 and 7 cups of water, respectively.

Here is the formula: [Weight in lbs * 0.5] divided by 8= Daily water intake

On the days you exercise or engage in any activity that makes you sweat, you'll need to drink extra cup or two of water to compensate for the fluid loss.

MTH Fitness Facebook Group Archive - 2 Break

Breaking Through a Plateau

Yesterday, one of my friends asked me about breaking through a plateau. I assume this happens to a lot of us as we try to reach our health goals. So, I figured I'll share so it can be help to someone else that has the same problem.

Plateauing in terms of exercising/dieting is when the body reaches a level, period, or condition of stability or maximum attainment.

Usually when people plateau the muscles/body are saying,"I'm bored. I'm tired of doing the same thing. Get me out of this rut". So, what I recommend is trying something new and different. It could be your same workout-but just rearrange the order, change the tempo(fast/slow), lift a heavier weight with fewer reps or vice versa. Or, you can just simply change the days you do certain workouts: if you do cardio on mon wed and fri, switch it to tu thu sat. And, do your strength training in the days between.

MTH Fitness Facebook Group Archive - 1 Sleep

Less Sleep increases your risk for Obesity!

Today, the U.S. News reported "short sleep time may be a contributor to the obesity crisis in the United States, Jean-Louis said. Previous research has found that people WHO SLEEP LESS THAN 7 HOURS a night are at increased risk for obesity."

So, let's get at least 7 hours of shut eye and keep the pounds off!