MidwestFit.com

Alright, so we found this article on Gizmodo and thought it was pretty interesting. We have always thought that popcorn could be a decent snack every now and then but some new information may confirm that it is actually even better than that…Though the articles title suggests it is healthier than fruits and vegetables, we don’t recommend that. Veggies and fruit are pretty essential ingredients in a healthy diet so please don’t replace them with popcorn. BUT popcorn could be a great source of whole grains. Check out this interesting read here.

-The MidwestFit Team

Ahh yes, the good ole lunch break. Most of your office is probably heading to a nearby eatery to grab a quick bite and there is a very good chance that those eating out won’t be eating the healthiest food there is. Although lately a lot of big cities and downtown areas have started to see an increase in healthier lunch options (like Freshii…mmm), so that is a good thing. But even if we have a hearty, healthy meal for lunch at the office, does that mean we are being as healthy as we can be? I mean after all, most jobs require you to sit at a desk for 8+ hours a day and that is not very active, which means not a lot of calories are getting burnt at work. So how can we stay healthy at the office? Well we are going to throw you some tips below to make things a bit easier for you….Enjoy.

Plan. Planning your meals is one of the best ways to stay healthy. You won’t get caught at lunch trying to figure out what to eat and thus will be less likely to make a bad decision. So when you hit the grocery next, have a list of meals for the week and prepare them on Sunday or the day before you plan to consume them. A food schedule is also a great way to keep track of those calories. So please…plan, plan, plan!

Eat a big breakfast. Eating a big (healthy) breakfast will stage off hunger for long, and likely will keep you from over-eating throughout the entire day while you are at work. Try and get some good protein and whole grains in. Maybe you could have some eggs, whole wheat toast, and a tall glass of orange juice. If you are a cereal nut, take a look at some of the Fiber One options and Kashi.

Snack time is a good thing. Wait? I thought eating between meals was a bad thing? Umm no, it is quite the opposite folks. Eating healthy snacks between meals will help reduce your calorie intake when you do have a meal. It will also boost your metabolism (we will get into that more later).

Here are some healthy snacks:

-Nuts (almonds, peanuts, walnuts)

-Fruit (regular or dried)

-Light Yogurt

-Protein Shake

-Veggies (carrots, celery, broccoli)

-Fat Free-Sugar Free Pudding

-Fiber One Bar (or something similar, maybe a Clif Bar)

-Orville Redenbacher’s Smart Pop

And there are plenty more out there, just be smart…

Split your lunch in half. Eat lunch around 11:30 or 12, but only consume half. Then when 2:30-3:00 rolls around, consume the other half. That way, you aren’t gorging yourself and you will most likely not be “starving” for dinner. Thus, no food binge at night. Also, this means you will consume at least 4 meals in the day. You should try and consume 4-5. Doing this is much better for your metabolism than consuming 3 large meals a day. Seriously, look it up.

Take your time, it isn’t a race. There is a delay from the brain to the stomach. Therefore, if you eat fast, you will over eat. So eat slowly and take your time. Have a bite, then wait a minute before you have another. This will let you know when you are truly full and that way you can save some of your meal for later. Even better, this helps you save money!

Put down the soda! Quit drinking that diet coke all the time. Especially quit drinking that regular coke! Instead, grab yourself a diet green tea (100% all natural). Green tea is known to boost metabolism. Also, have a cup of joe. The caffeine in the coffee will get your heart pumping and burning cals and it is a better way to get caffeine than from a diet soda. Either way, always be sure to take in water throughout the day. But you already knew that.

Split up your workouts. Yes, this requires getting up early. But try doing your run or bike in the morning, and your strength exercise later in the day (or vice versa). Either way you split it up, doing 2 workouts a day will rev your metabolism and you will be blasting fat 24/7!

Okay, so hopefully that was pretty helpful.

We are always looking for ways to boost metabolism, whether it is through our intense runs or tough circuits. But one of the best ways to get your body burning fat, is combining good exercise with good nutrition. So, we wanted to share a quick article that shows a few things you can put into your body to help get the most out of it.

15 Fat-burning Foods

-The MidwestFit Team

We absolutely love chocolate milk here at MidwestFit, and for all those looking for an excuse to drink it, here you go!  In an exercise physiology class of mine we studied an experiment performed with the IU Cycling Club that covered all of the benefits for drinking chocolate milk between exercise bouts.  Give this similar article a read!  Chocolate milk has the perfect balance of carbohydrates, protein, and sodium (still drink your water of course) to use in between your exercise bouts to replenish your blood and muscle glucose levels, to repair your muscles, and to get you ready for your next workout!

Benefits of Chocolate Milk

Have a great weekend!

- MidwestFit Team

Here’s a great recipe for some smoked salmon.  It’s grilling season, so here’s one to grill with and keep healthy!

Salmon is a rich source of omega 3 as well as protein. Couple that with sprouted grain tortilla and fresh arugula and you’ve got yourself a healthy, balanced meal that’s ready in only 5 minutes.
Servings: 2

Here’s what you need:
1 Sprouted grain tortilla
1 Tablespoon low fat cream cheese
4 oz Smoked salmon
1/2 cup Arugula
Dash of salt and pepper
Spread the cream cheese evenly over one side of tortilla. Place the salmon in the center of the tortilla. Top with arugula. Add a dash of salt and pepper.
Roll the tortilla and slice in half.

Nutritional Analysis: One serving equals: 175 calories, 6g fat, 12.5g carbohydrate, 3g fiber, and 16.5g protein.

WARNING: We are not responsible for anything you may be allergic to or any other health issues you may have with the food we suggest to eat. The responsibility is up to you to make sure what you put in your body is healthy and safe for you personally.

Your diet should be filled with vegetables, with asparagus at the top of the list. This asparagus recipe is easy to make and tastes great. Serve it with a piece of white fish, chicken breast or other lean meat for a healthy meal.
Servings: 4

Here’s what you need:

• 1 bunch asparagus
• 2 teaspoons olive oil
• 1 1/2 Tablespoons garlic, minced
• dash of salt and pepper
• 2 teaspoons lemon juice

1. Preheat oven to 425 degrees F. Cut off the tough ends of the asparagus.
2. In a casserole dish, combine the asparagus, oil, garlic, salt and pepper. Bake for 15-20 minutes, until tender.
3. Remove from oven and mix in the lemon juice. Serve and enjoy!

Nutritional Analysis: One serving equals: 47 calories, 2g fat, 5g carbohydrate, 2g fiber, and 3g protein.

WARNING: We are not responsible for anything you may be allergic to or any other health issues you may have with the food we suggest to eat. The responsibility is up to you to make sure what you put in your body is healthy and safe for you personally.

A common mistake in people trying to lose weight is the practice of skipping meals. Breakfast being one of those meals skipped. In other cases, people will eat a very light breakfast (nutrition bar, bowl of cereal, etc.). This is a mistake. Actually, losing weight is accomplished by NOT skipping meals like breakfast and instead eating 4-5 smaller meals a day. But think of breakfast as filling your car up with gas before a road trip. You are the car, breakfast is the gasoline and your day is the road trip. You wouldn’t put $5 of gas in your tank at the beginning of the trip just to have to put more in after a few miles would you? So eat a hearty, healthy breakfast and be more prepared to make healthy choices throughout the day.

Here are some articles talking about the benefits of eating breakfast:

Don’t Skip Breakfast

Benefits of Eating Breakfast

Lose Weight: Eat Breakfast

-The MidwestFit Team

I know a lot of people generally consider eating any sort of salad to be healthy, but in reality a lot of salads out there are not. For instance, salads drenched in dressing practically ruin the entire purpose of trying to eat healthy by choosing a salad and romaine/ice berg lettuce has less benefits than spinach lettuce (Here is an article on benefits of spinach lettuce: http://www.cookingnook.com/health-benefits-of-spinach.html). So, we wanted to share this website with you that has a nice recipe for a healthy spinach salad. The salad takes a little longer to prepare than most. Usually when this is the case, I try and make a large amount and save some for multiple meals throughout the week.

Here is the site with a healthy spinach salad recipe: Healthy Spinach Salad Recipe

Enjoy!

Very simple, yet healthy.  Can also be topped with cut up grilled chicken breasts to add more protein to the meal, or a glass of skim milk.

Ingredients:

1. Whole Grain Pasta
2. Tomato Sauce of your choice (add some garlic sauce and black pepper for more taste)
3. Steamed Broccoli or other veggie of choice (or grilled Chicken)

WARNING: We are not responsible for anything you may be allergic to or any other health issues you may have with the food we suggest to eat. The responsibility is up to you to make sure what you put in your body is healthy and safe for you personally.

To a lot of people’s surprise, it can be pretty easy to eat unhealthy at Subway. In fact, it is probably a lot easier to be unhealthy than healthy. So, we figured we could post an example of one of our Subway meals for those of you taking advantage of the “Februany” deal going on where all foot long sub’s are just $5.

For starters, that foot long sub for $5 should actually be two meals for $5. Since we like to have small meals, 4-5 times daily as opposed to 3 large meals (doing this helps keep your metabolism burning) then eating a foot long for one meal is pretty much breaking that rule. So we like to get a healthy foot long, eat 6″ for lunch and either save the rest for dinner later or even lunch the next day.

A good thing Subway does is lay out what is healthy and what is not. This is usually on a little sticker sign where you start your order. Problem is, a lot of people do not abide by it. For instance it says to avoid cheese and fatty sauces (i.e. Ranch, Chipotle, etc.). Their website also does a very good job of laying out all the nutritional facts about their subs. Anytime I plan to eat at a “fast food” chain like Subway, I go and look at the nutritional information. A lot of times this keeps me from going out to eat altogether or in Subway’s case, it keeps me from making a bad decision in the ordering line. Here is the nutritional information site: Click Here.

An example of a fairly healthy sub (around 300 calories): Turkey Breast on 9-Grain Wheat.

Add:

Veggies – Green Peppers, Banana Peppers, Pickles, Spinach Lettuce, Onions, Tomatoes

Sauce – Avoid a sauce if you can. But if you can’t, get something like light mayonnaise and tell them to just put one strip down the middle. It keeps you from getting to much and is just the right amount. You can also opt for a healthier choice like mustard or vinegar as suggested by one of our visitors in the comment section.

Try and avoid cheese as well, but a little isn’t going to kill you.