Go Wild Fitness

Tired of cooking this summer? Slaving away in a hot kitchen can be especially unappealing. Salads are easy to throw together and a healthy way to beat the summer heat. Here’s a new twist on an old favorite!

Asian Lettuce Wraps
2 cooked chicken breasts, shredded
3 -4 ounces rice sticks (located in the Asian food section)
Several large lettuce leaves (Boston, red leaf or romaine)
1/4 cup chopped cilantro
3 green chopped onions
1 can water chestnuts (optional)

Sauce:
4 tbsp sesame oil
2 tbsp cooking sherry
3 tbsp soy sauce
4 tbsp honey2 tsp minced fresh ginger

Instructions:
Whisk sauce ingredients together and set aside for dipping.

Heat 2-3 cups of water to boiling in sauce pan. Turn off heat and add rice sticks. Leave to soften. Next, shred the chicken.
Lay a lettuce leaf on each plate. Fill with chicken, rice sticks, cilantro, green onions and water chestnuts, if desired.

I hope this inspires you to do some summer cooking of your own. Cooking at home can be much healthier than eating out. You can also spend time bonding with your family and save money! Here are some of my favorite recipe resources:

Recipezaar
All Recipes
Food Network

With summer officially underway, it has never been a better time to start exercising or to continue with your fitness routine. Whether it is running on the treadmill at home or going a boot camp workout at the local gym, fitness is the key to a healthier and happier life. There are many exercises that you can fit into your daily routine. Gardening or walking your dog daily is helpful in promoting your health. If those activities are not challenging enough for you, you may find joining a gym to be a motivating and a fun experience.

Joining a health club gym has many benefits and it does not necessarily mean that you have to compete to look like bodybuilders. Regular exercise can help improve your mood, help manage your weight, strengthen your heart, fight chronic disease and other endless possibilities. At the gym, you will find a variety of tools and amenities that will help you work out at a pace that you find comfortable. Nowadays, gyms also offer a variety of classes including: spinning, aerobics, weight training, dance classes and even spas to help you relax.

Exercising together can be a great experience and you will get the satisfaction of knowing that you are being healthier. So even though the hot summer weather is here, it doesn’t mean that you should stop yourself from the benefits of exercise. Just don’t forget to stay hydrated during your workout. Grab a friend, hit the gym and have some fun!

I know there should be people like me that are new to the fitness (workout) world, lol.

I really want to have a fitness plan started next plan especially that summer is around the corner (oh yes!)

So, I went online and try to find some info on how to start a basic fitness plan as a beginners and here are the result:

• Start slow, don’t rush you have plenty of time ahead of you
• Join the gym they will show you how to start off using the machines, and taking fitness classes are fun and you don’t feel lonely
• You can find a fitness partner until you feel that that you don’t need no support
• Eat well before you exercise because if you don’t you will end up loosing your muscle instead of your fat

Protein is any of a class of nitrogenous organic compounds that consist of larrge  molecules composed of one or more long chains of amino acids and are an essential part of all living organisms, esp. as strutural compounts of body tissues such as muscle, hair, collagen, etc., and as enzymes and antibodies. Protein can be in food such as:

• meats (roast beef and roast chicken)
• fish
• poultry
• legumes (dry beans and peas)
• tofu
• eggs
• nuts and seeds
• milk and milk products
• grains, some vegetables, and some fruits (provide only small amounts of protein relative to other sources)

Protein is very important when it comes to muscle growth and body building. if you don’t have enough protein in your body, there is no way that you can build body mass.

Here is a great video  that show how to make a protein shake.

If you are hungry at night or in between meals, this would be very great.

Whether or not you have a significant other, these are great ways you can spend your valentines’ day with your love one(s) and excercise at the same time.

• ride your bicycle with your kids and/or husband
• take the cat, puppy, or dog (or the animal you have) to the park and run
• do some pilates at home with your husband, wife, friends, the whole family (or anybody you can think of)
• Walk with friends or someone that is dear to your hear

Happy Valentines’s day to you all and show some love to the people you care about…

Today I just want to mention why exercise is important.

Skinny, overweight, in-shape, no matter what we NEED to excercise!

Here are some reasons:

1. It helps prevent diseases
2. It helps prevent from gaining weight
3. Strengthens and tones
4. Lower your body fat
5. It helps you lose weight
6. Sweat cleans out toxins and breathing cleans out energy
7. LOOK YOUNGER!

…………. start doing your part!

Here are some few tips:

• Loose weight slowly
• Excercise
• Once you reach target, add 250 calories a day to your existing daily meaning that if your calories intake  was 1600 now it shoud be 1850. However be careful of your portion size!
• Track your weight frequently to  see what needs to be ix, add, or remove to your fitness plan

I hope this help!

I found this a great video on youtube that teaches you how to properly perform the side plank exercise correctly to increase core muscle strength and tone in this free exercise video on core muscle toning. I thought it was interesting and informative. Enjoy!!!!

Hate to workout but still want to lose weight?

Back in November 2007, I hated my physical appearance and I was not feeling good in my own body at all. I finally decided to drop the excessive weight and went on a very simple but quite challenging diet. My starting weight was 165 pounds and as of November 2008, my weight was 130 pounds. I have lost a total of 35 pounds. Yeah!!!!!!
Here are my  few tips:

• Eat half of what you would often eat (cut down your food portion in half, if you eat a lot then more than half but it is better to start off with half and then more if you would like).
• Stop any juice with high fructose corn syrup and go for 100% natural and organic juice (I make my own :))
• Stop drinking sodas
• Start drinking a lot of water (this is a must).
• Stop eating pass 6 or 7pm (I’ll will do a post on that).
• When hungry eat good snacks like granola bars, or fruit, or even vegetables.
• Stop eating junk foods  and fast food and start cooking yourself , at least you would know what is in your food!!!
• Watch your calorie intake.
• Start reading your labels
• Don’t keep yourself from eating food that you like, but do so in moderation.
• Stop or decrease you intake of white food such as bread, potatoes, rice and  pasta, and convert them all  to whole wheat.

I am very lazy when it comes to exercise. I tried after 2 or 3 months of being on the diet but I gave up after only 2 weeks. All the weight that I lost was mainly based of what I have mentioned above. Right now I am very please with my current weight so I plan on doing a weight training for toning because I did not workout when I was dieting.

PS: this is what works for me and it might not work you. Take into account anything you think might be suitable for you. Remember that one size does not fit all. Please, if you happen to follow any of these great tips, let me know the outcome.

Thanks !

\”Get up by Mary-Mary\”