Fav Food Gone Healthy

New segment to the 2daybefit blog to jump start your healthy, fun filled weekend. So, you've made the commitment to lead a healthier lifestyle - a regular workout schedule, a tight meal plan, even drinking less.  Good for you! I know it's working out great.

On the flip side though, let's be real, eating healthy can get boring and hard as hell! I know you're missing the pizza and chicken parm and burritos.  I'm here to say, you can have all that! Just not from Fat Sal's Eatery or Pedro's Picnic Place.  You can easily make healthier versions of your favorite meals. I'm talking half the fat and calories!

This Friday's "Favorite Food Gone Healthy" :

CHICKEN STIR-FRY

You'll Need:
2 tbsp extra virgin olive oil or coconut oil
1 crushed garlic clove
1 skinless, boneless chicken breast
1/4 cup low sodium soy sauce
1 tsp ground ginger
2 cups frozen Chinese vegetables, thawed
1/2 cup cooked brown or jasmine rice

You will:
- Heat oil in a medium sized skillet, medium temp;
- Cook chicken for 8 minutes on each side, then remove let it rest;
- In the meantime, heat crushed garlic in the same pan you cooked to the chicked;
- Throw in the vegetables, soy sauce and ginger, stir;
- Dice chicken and add to the cooking veggies, stir;
- Mix it all together in the pan until everything is well coated with seasoning and the veggies are to your liking.
- Serve over rice and enjoy!

#2daybefit
2daybefit.com
http://www.facebook.com/2DayBeFit

Milk, Does It Really Do A Body Good?

Ever noticed that humans are the only mammal to drink the milk from another animal?   A dog doesn’t drink the milk from a cat.  Seems silly, right?  So, is it really necessary for our bodies to have cow or goat milk?

Is it really milk if it comes for a nut, bean or rice. I’m just saying, white chocolate isn’t chocolate
if it’s white!

I digress.

Let’s get down to the nitty gritty.  Milk is crucial for infants in need of nutrients from their mother but, if you’re reading this blog, you’re not an infant anymore. So why are you still drinking milk? Let me show you the caloric breakdown in milk per cup:

Whole Milk - 150 calories
2% - 120 calories
1% - 100 calories
Skim - 80 calories

For those who drink milk with any of your meals, it’s like having another small meal in liquid form. At 150 calories, you’re better off just drinking a glass of milk as a snack in between meals.

According to an article in Bloomberg Businessweek, studies show that  “Milk fats are hard to digest, requiring the liver to secrete a form of bile high in sulfur to help break them down in the intestines.”  That doesn’t sound good at all.

Sorry to throw the cow under the bus but, if you’ve eliminated bad fats from your diet, yet, continue to gulp down milk then you’ve still been ingesting high levels of saturated FAT.

There’s ongoing debate on when humans should stop drinking cow’s milk.  Many agree at the start of puberty.  Again, if you’re reading this blog you’re not a baby...and, you’re trying to sculpt a lean, sexy physique.  Well, then, put the milk down and get yourself some damn water!  To learn about the benefits of water, read my earlier blog titled “H2-Oh!”  

#2daybefit
2daybefit.com
http://www.facebook.com/2DayBeFit

H2Oh!

Thirsty?

If you find yourself feeling parched, it’s because you need water.  Too often I see you guys out there with your 1 liter bottle and when I ask, how much water do you drink, it’s always the same answer: “This is my water for the day.”

Really? That’s all? But yet, you wonder why your ankles are the size of water balloons. Yup, you only have yourself to blame for those cankles. It ain’t the humidity. It’s because you are not hydrating your body well enough.

Women typically retain more water than men due to hormonal factors and gulping down H2O will facilitate the reduction of water retention.

Men, your bodies need it, too and how much you need depends on several factors to include: the state of your health, your activity level and where you live.  On average, men should consume roughly 3 liters of water a day and women, 2.5 liters. If you live in the desert or somewhere tropical you should consume more.  

Water doesn’t just quench your thirst. It is the basis of all chemical reactions in our body - including metabolic ones. Water also cleanses every nook and cranny of our bodies ridding it of toxins that add to weight gain and illnesses.  In addition, we burn calories cooling the cold water we drink.  I see you throwing a few extra ice cubes in that glass.

Up your water game with these few tips:
- Drink a tall glass of water upon waking up in the morning
- Drink water with every meal and snack
- Sip water while watching TV, working and commuting
- Add lemon, cucumber and strawberry slices
- If you’re on the go add crystal light (My favorite)

Drink up!

@2daybefit
2daybefit.com
http://www.facebook.com/2DayBeFit

It's not water weight, It's FAT

“Big Boned” used to be the number one excuse for extra padding on the body. Nowadays folks like to chalk it up to “water weight.”  

Reality check. You haven’t stepped foot in a gym in weeks, months or maybe even years. Still, you stand by the delusion of good ol’ fashion water weight.  Well, I’m here to tell you, with love, you need to lose fat. The first, and toughest, step is recognizing you need to hit the gym, work with a personal trainer or even head to the high school track for a few laps.  

It’s crucial to be focused on burning some calories and building muscle instead of “shedding water weight” when in fact you need to up your water intake but, that’s a story for another day.

But, hey, the proof is in the pudding, right?  Don’t take my word for it. Get up and get out to burn calories and lose that fat.

#2daybefit
2daybefit.com