Welcome to Donna's Fitness Blog....let's discover our health together


The Purpose of this blog is to travel the journey of life and discover our optimal health together.

Call Donna Lidman (780) 231 9311 or email donnafit@me.com

Sunday, 6 November 2011

The Best FAT BURNING FOODS!

Almonds and other nuts (with skins intact)
Build muscle, reduce cravings
Dairy products (fat-free or low-fat milk, yogurt, cheese)
Build strong bones, fire up weight loss
Eggs
Build muscle, burn fat
Turkey and other lean meats
Build muscle, strengthen immune system
Berries
Improve satiety, prevent cravings
Enova oil (soy and canola oil)
Promotes fullness, not easily stored as fat
Peanut butter 
Boosts testosterone (a good thing even in women), builds muscle, burns fat
Fatty fish (such as salmon, tuna, mackerel)
Trigger fullness, fire up fat burning
Grapefruit
Lowers insulin, regulates blood sugar and metabolism; be sure to eat the fleshy white membranes
Green tea
Fires up fat burning
Chili peppers
Spikes metabolism
Spinach and green vegetables
Fight free radicals and improve recovery for better muscle building
Whole grains (quinoa, brown rice, whole grain cereal)
Small doses prevent body from storing fat
Beans and legumes
Build muscle, help burn fat, regulate digestion
Whey
Builds muscle, burns fat

Thanks to Women's Health Magazine for the recap list!

Tuesday, 1 November 2011

Which candy bar is best to eat????

Best Chocolate Candy Bar

Eat This! Nestlé Crunch Bar
220 calories 
12 g fat (7 g saturated)
 24 g sugars
The Crunch bar has nearly half as much sugar as the 3 Musketeers.
Not That! 3 Musketeers
260 calories 
8 g fat (5 g saturated)
 40 g sugars
It's not the fat that does this bar in; it's the sugar. Forty grams is more than 2 Twinkies' worth - and it's nearly double the quantity you'll find in a Crunch Bar.

Best Breakable Candy Bar

Eat This! Kit Kat Bar
210 calories 
11 g fat (7 g saturated)
 22 g sugars
Spread the love. Just because there are 4 pieces in a package doesn't mean you need to eat them all yourself.

Not That! Hershey's Milk Chocolate Bar
270 calories 
16 g fat (10 g saturated)
 31 g sugars
Bite-size piece might work for s'mores, but eat a whole bar as a snack and you just sacrificed half .

Here are some other great 100 calorie snacking options

Starbucks Tall Skinny Latte
Score your caffeine fix along with a hunger-crushing 10-gram shot of protein and about a third of your daily calcium needs.

Banana
Naturally prepackaged goodness you can take anywhere, with the added benefit of cramp-preventing potassium.

1/2 C Edamame (measured shelled)
Eating this protein-packed pick-me-up out of the shell will help make the snack last longer.

3 C Air-Popped Popcorn
Go ahead, nibble mindlessly as you zone out in front of Bravo. Even if you're watching trash, you won't be eating it.

Quaker Instant Oatmeal (regular flavor)
This speedy fiber- and protein-packed breakfast also makes for a warm, filling snack.

Yoplait Light Yogurt (fruit flavors)
This bone-building goodie provides 20 percent of your RDA for calcium and vitamin D.

9 Shrimp And 4 Tbsp Cocktail Sauce
The perfect appetizer--and no one at the table will know you're counting calories.

Sargento Light String Cheese Snacks
Any food you can play with is a great distraction; plus, the protein battles mid-afternoon hunger pangs.

Thanks to Women's Health Magazine for this information!!!!!!

Saturday, 29 October 2011

Why should you STRETCH????












Don't run out at the end of your workout.  Take the time and stretch.  Studies show the best way to improve your sports performance and to avoid injury is to take the time and stretch!!!!  The best time to stretch is at the end of the day or after a workout when O2 and blood is flowing to the muscles.  Stretching also helps elevate muscle soreness after a workout.  The older we get the more important it is to stretch everyday!!

Target to stretch 5-10 mins a day and hold each Static Stretch for a minimum of 20 seconds.

Start any work out with a warm up that includes dynamic stretching (moving the muscles through a range of motion - like arm circles and trunk twists, calf raises and leg lifts).  Always do static (passive) stretches after the work out when the muscles are warm. Stretching after a hot bath works great too!

Here is a link demonstrating key stretches for flexibility.
 Stretches and Flexibility exercises

Friday, 28 October 2011

What does a 100 calories look like???







Check out this link form  Women's Health Magazine and see what 100 calories looks like.  Test your self you might just be surprised by how quickly those little "candies" add up!!

Women's Health

Try and keep a few health snacks on had to keep away the binging!

Rasberries, strawberries, apples
Greek Yogurt, dark chocolate (70%)
Dried Mangos, Dried tart cherries
Soya chips, rice cakes or popcorn
Kashi "chewy" granola bars
Gum and real licorice

Sunday, 23 October 2011

The Abs DIET 12 super foods



* Incorporate two or three of these foods into each of your meals and at least one of them into each snack.
* Diversify your food at every meal to get a combination of protein, carbohydrates, and fat.
* Sneak a little protein into each snack.

A - Almonds and other nuts (with skins intact)
Superpowers Builds muscle, reduces cravings
Fights Obesity, heart disease, muscle loss, wrinkles, cancer, high blood pressure

B - Beans and legumes
Superpowers Builds muscle, helps burn fat, regulates digestion
Fights Obesity, colon cancer, heart disease, high blood pressure

S - Spinach and other green vegetables
Superpowers Neutralizes free radicals, molecules that accelerate the aging process
Fights Cancer, heart disease, stroke, obesity, osteoporosis

D - Dairy products (fat-free or low-fat milk, yogurt, cheese)
Superpowers Builds strong bones, fires up weight loss
Fights Osteoporosis, obesity, high blood pressure, cancer

I - Instant oatmeal (unsweetened, unflavored) (I prefer steel cut oats)
Superpowers Boosts energy, reduces cholesterol, maintains blood sugar levels
Fights Heart disease, diabetes, colon cancer, obesity

E - Eggs (the whole egg)
Superpowers Builds muscle, burns fat
Fights Obesity

T - Turkey and other lean meats
Superpowers Builds muscle, strengthens immune system
Fights Obesity, various diseases

P - Peanut butter (all natural no sugar)
Superpowers Boosts testosterone, builds muscle, burns fat
Fights Obesity, muscle loss, wrinkles, cardiovascular disease

O - Olive oil
Superpowers Lowers cholesterol, boosts immune system
Fights Obesity, cancer, heart disease, high blood pressure

W - Whole-grain breads and cereals
Superpowers Prevents body from storing fat
Fights Obesity, cancer, high blood pressure, heart disease

E - Extra-protein (whey) powder
Superpowers Builds muscle, burns fat
Fights Obesity

R - Raspberries and other berries
Superpowers Protects heart; enhances eyesight; improves balance, coordination, and short-term memory; prevents cravings
Fights Heart disease, cancer, obesity

Metabolism Boosters



 Eat a good Breakfast - The heartier the better!  Everyday!  Think protein and health carbs - egg, greek yogurt, steel cut oats, whole grain toast, peanut butter, berries.

Brew up some green tea - The ingredient ECGC promotes fat burning.  Steep it for 3 minutes, drink it hot and drink it often.  Try for 3-5 cups per day....over a year that could mean a 5 pound weight loss.

Grab some Metal - IRON  You need iron to carry O2 through your body and your monthly period can screw that up and then your energy tanks.  Stock up on iron fortified cereals, beans, leafy greens - spinach, kale, broccoli, bok choy.

Mix things up with exercise intervals - Bursts of speed in your cardio can stimulate fat burners.  20 mins of cardio with 10 "can't talk sprints" over that 20 mins is far more effective to melt fat than 40 minutes of cardio in the zone.  Hint - that is why we do 30 sec cardio intervals in my bootcamps!!!

GO TO BED EARLY - SLEEP!!!!!  Having 8-9 hours of sleep every night resets our hormone levels - cortisol, grehlin, Estrogen etc - that then makes our bodies "better butter burners".  Turn out the ligths, turn off the TV & computer.   Get some SLEEP!!!

See this link to Women's Health for the complete article   Women's Health