New Services Offered!

I am going to make a serious effort to do more posting..promise.  I know my readers are mainly interested in recipes and workouts but I wanted to give you an update on services offered by yours truly and SBS Nutrition and Fitness.  I am now pleased to offer massage therapy in addition to my flexibility training.  Anyone in central Florida looking to become more flexible, feel better, and relax and general, give me a call and I will get you on your way.  What I have discovered is that many people are so immobile and tight that they are unable to exercise properly until some of the tissues get loosened up.  I had my first experience with a new massage therapy client and he was very pleased with my techniques and is feeling MUCH better after only one session.  I am very pleased to be expanding my services and this is just one more way I can help people feel better, and improve overall fitness.

I can't stress enough the importance of stretching to improve flexibility if you are participating in any exercise program (and even if you aren't!).  The problem is that most people won't stretch themselves because they are in too much pain to do so.  And if you are in serious pain, please seek a doctor!

On that note, I will be sure to update with more workouts and recipes in the coming weeks.  Any feedback is definitely taken into consideration, so if there is something you want to see..let me know!

Today's workout..a little crossfit!

All I could say after this workout was "ermahgerd." I am definitely going to be sore. I wanted to emphasize a little chest, and then hit some cardio via some good old crossfit.

Warm up:
Cable cross over (high): 4 sets of 12
Cable cross over (low): 4 sets of 12

Incline dumbbell press: 4 sets of 12
Incline barbell press: 4 sets of 6

Crossfit WOD:
5 x pullups
10 x pushups
15 x body weight squats
AMRAP 20 minutes

I lost count but I think I completed about 12-13 rounds. Switched to knee pushups after 3 rounds and was completely spent by the end. These crossfitters are no joke. I'm all for it as long as the form doesn't get so bad that someone gets hurt!

Tomorrow is Friday and you know what that means... DEADLIFTS!!!

HIIT Cardio: Maximize Your Fat Burn

Let's explore a little further...what is HIIT?  How long?  What intensity?  Why should I do it?

What is HIIT:
I have answered before what HIIT is but to refresh:  High Intensity Interval Training.  Before you scoff and say "I can't do HIGH INTENSITY I am just a beginner," hear me out.  This type of cardio can be done by anyone because it is based on your individual tolerance.  I recommend that you get yourself an inexpensive heart rate monitor and use that to track your progress unless you are one of those freaks like me who judges based on feeling like throwing up!

Duration:
You only need 20-30 minutes to perform you intervals.  They will be short in duration, with each interval lasting approximately 60-90 seconds.  You can alternate work intervals and rest periods until you reach your total time.  The rest period should be long enough for your heart rate to return to 60-75% of your max heart rate or in simple terms, you become "conversational" again.  If you still feel like you can't talk then your heart hasn't recovered enough.  TIP:  Make sure you have some motivational music on for those work intervals to get you really moving!

Mode:
Many have asked what is the best machine for me to use for cardio?  Well the answer is there is no answer.  You can perform HIIT cardio machines such as the elliptical, treadmill, spinning bike, stair mill, or stair stepper, or you can also swim or do sprints outside.  No matter your preference of mode of exercise, you should be able to perform HIIT cardio.  As long as you are taking your heart rate up for a period of time and then letting it recover, you are doing it.  Many bootcamps are run as a HIIT cardio type of routine (and you could argue P90X and Insanity are variations of HIIT).

I like to do HIIT on the elliptical that has the arm movement incorporated so I use my total body.  In the following picture you can see my calorie burn in only 25 minutes.  I set the resistance to 10 (out of 20) and used the intervals on a program to keep track of time.  I alternated 1 minute of work with 1 minute of rest for 20 minutes with a 2.5 minute warmup and cooldown.  On the work minutes I kept the RPM around 85-90 (bustin it!) and on the rest I just tried to keep moving.

25 minute HIIT on elliptical calorie burn

Finally, I wanted to show you all my breakfast today.  I am switching things up a bit and trying organic wheat bran in the morning instead of oats.  It will take some getting used to (I love oats!) but let me give you some reasoning.

Organic Wheat Bran (1/2 cup):  20 g carb (14 g fiber), 0 g fat, 4 g protein, 60 kcal

Whole Grain Oats (1/2 cup):  27 g carb (4 g fiber), 2.5 g fat, 5 g protein, 150 kcal

You could also sub an oat bran as well.  Consider switching to an organic bran over the "whole grain." Basically you are getting the part of the grain that contains the best source of insoluble fiber.  Insoluble fiber is good for keeping the digestive system working properly and giving you the extra "roughage" you need.  I would say that most out there are not taking in enough fiber, so this is a great way to up your intake.

Here is my breakfast:

1/2 cup Organic Wheat Bran (cooked with water)

1 packet Truvia

1/2 Tbs. 100% natural cacao

1 scoop whey protein (peanut butter flavor)

Dunkin' Donuts French Vanilla roast with 1 packet Truvia...delish!

Gets my day started right and kills the chocolate craving!

Keep the comments coming because they fuel the content!  I love to hear what you guys think.  One simple YES could change your life forever..

FOR WOMEN ONLY! Men Have Been Warned...

Annnnnnnnnnndddddd I'm BACK!  Whew thanks again Apple for being the absolute best company in the world and saving my laptop :)

Men have been warned, this post pertains to women!  Although if you are smart, you might continue reading and gain some very useful insight that might save your life one day...

In light of some recent requests and speaking with women in my life, I have come to the conclusion that many sources of information regarding health and fitness ignore a topic that should be covered.  Maybe it is due to more men writing fitness articles than women, but I am going to go out on that limb and talk about all kinds of controversial topics so here we go.  Periods, menstrual cycles, mother nature, that "time of the month," or whatever you want to call it.  Let's just get it out in the open.  We (women) all have them, at least most of us do.  The reason I bring it up is that often it affects workouts with female clients and I know there are those of you out there who just can't workout for 3-5 days every month.

First, make every effort you can to continue to get moving and get your workouts in.  The key here is increasing BLOODFLOW.  Which, now that I type it, may seem counterproductive but let me explain. When you lay on the couch in the fetal position because you feel like your insides are being ripped out of your body, all you can feel is the pain.  If you can bring yourself to take the dog for a walk, your internal bloodflow will begin to redirect to working muscles, and also your uterus.  This sets off a cascade of effects resulting in released "good feeling" endorphins, reduced cramps, and elevated mood. If your mood and fatigue improve, then so will everyone else's in your life..

I do realize that some of you girls reading this may think there is no way you can exercise.  The pain is just too intense.  For this, I am going to suggest a different remedy.  There does exist a solution to the inconvenience of a heavy menstrual flow and/or cramping.  This remedy is not coming from a doctor and I recommend anyone to consult their physician before trying any new vitamins or supplements.  In other words, I am just sharing what works for me!

As most of you know, I do take a number of vitamins daily to improve my health and workouts, and supplement my diet.  However, on the first day of the month that I feel symptoms start, I start a specific vitamin cocktail that saves my butt and allows me to keep rocking my workouts.  I take this one time a day for the duration of the cycle (usually 4-6 days).

-------******** I AM NOT A DOCTOR! ******** ---------

WOMEN'S MONTHLY COCKTAIL:
200 IU Vitamin E
8000 IU Vitamin A
50 mg Zinc
18 mg Iron (note: I always take 18 mg of iron daily but I take an additional one with the cocktail)

-------******** THIS IS NOT A PRESCRIPTION! *******-----------
-------******** INSERT OTHER DISCLAIMER HERE!******------

Now, I am going to give credit where credit is due.  My client Angel gave me the tip of taking these vitamins TOGETHER.  I was taking zinc, iron, and E but not together and vitamin A only occasionally.  Please, please, please be careful with vitamin A as it is very toxic when taken for a long duration.  Vitamin E and A are both fat-soluble vitamins, meaning that the are not excreted through water-soluble means such as urine and can build up in the body quickly.  So as soon as you are done with your monthly cycle, I recommend you go back to your regularly scheduled vitamins.  I also take other vitamins and I continue with those like normal.

All things considered, I encourage you to give a shot and see if it helps you out.  The more excuses you can eliminate for getting your workouts in the better!  Remember, one simple YES could change your life forever..

For more info on VITAMINS:
http://www.nlm.nih.gov/medlineplus/vitamins.html

One Food You Can't Afford Not to Eat

Alright this is a quick one but I have to put this out there. If you haven't done so already get your butt out of bed, off the couch, or out of the chair in front of the computer and MOVE. Ok now go to the nearest grocery store and buy some KALE. You have no excuse not to. Honestly I just bought some the other day and I got a whole bunch of it for like $3 and it was even organic. Even if you shop at Walmart they sell it there!

"but I don't know how to cook kale."

Before cooking...look at all that GREEN

First, don't start a sentence with a but, instead start with YES. So here is the deal. You can get fancy and try recipes or you can do this. Break the kale into pieces, toss with some olive oil and seasoning of your choice, put it on a pan and bake. I bake mine at 400 degrees for 10-15 minutes. Time will depend on how crispy you want the kale and how much you are cooking. With the right seasoning (I use BBQ a lot) this little snack can take care of a craving and it is a serving of vegetables! I included pictures of my kale before and after baking. Don't ask me about calories...more to come on that in the next post!

All ready to enjoy!!

Welcome to SBS Nutrition and Fitness!!!

Hello there!  Wow this has been a long time coming and let me say...I am so HAPPY that this moment has finally come. SBS Nutrition and Fitness is up and running and live for you to view!  Be sure to check back often as I will be making updates to the page often and you will see many new options on the page.  Be sure to subscribe to updates as this page will be a GREAT SOURCE for all your nutrition and fitness info.  My goal for now (due to life being hectic as a new start-up!) is to add some new content at least twice per week.  As always, I appreciate comments, concerns, questions, and criticisms!  That being said...

WHO IS EXCITED FOR SUMMER?!  I know this girl is and you can be certain that I will be keeping you up to date and summer workouts.  It is bikini season and time to break out the two piece and show off how hard you worked this winter!  As for me, no more cold winters to pack on the "winter weight" so I will be keeping the bikini shape all year long!

That's all for now because I have a workout to get to!  And if I didn't get it in that would make me one heck of a hypocrite wouldn't it??!!