What to do if you ate too much over the holidays

Woman Over Eating

One of the best parts of the holidays is the food. From turkey to ham to mashed potatoes and gravy to sweet treats, it’s easy to overindulge on all the delicious food. If you ate too much over the holidays, you’re definitely not alone! But chances are, you’re probably miserable and have gained at least a couple pounds, if not more. Overeating during the holidays can run you down and make you tired, so here is an easy and inexpensive way to combat overindulging on all the holiday deliciousness.

Go On A Juice Cleanse

Juice cleansing, or juice fasting, is a popular way to detox your body after a weekend (or more!) of bad eating. If you overate during the holidays, you probably don’t even want to see food again for awhile, so a juice fast is a great way to get rid of the built up fats and toxins in your body. Most juice cleanses are 1-3 days, and you probably won’t need to go any longer than 3 days.

Although there are plenty of juice cleansing regimens out there with pre-made juices that you can purchase, they are quite expensive and actually unnecessary. You can use store bought juices as long as they don’t contain any (or a lot of) sugar. Vegetable juice like V-8 is awesomely satisfying, and fruit juices that aren’t from concentrate are great for the sweet tooth. You can also purchase a juicer if you don’t already have one and juice straight from fresh fruits and vegetables. This is an excellent way to do a juice cleanse as naturally as possible.

You can also drink as much unsweetened tea and water as you like. After your juice fast, you’re likely to feel tons better!

Sample Juice Cleanse Menu

Breakfast:

  • 1 cup green tea, unsweetened with no cream
  • 1 8 oz. glass of grapefruit or orange juice

Lunch:

  • 1 8 oz. glass of green juice (Kale, Parsley, Celery & Apple)
  • 1 8 oz. glass of vegetable juice (Carrot, Cucumber, & Beets)
  • 1 4 oz. glass of cranberry or pomegranate juice

Snack:

  • 1 8 oz. glass of strawberry-banana juice

Dinner:

  • 1 8 oz. glass of vegetable juice (Your favorite veggies will do)
  • 1 4 oz. glass of carrot-celery juice
  • 1 4 oz. glass of blueberry or orange juice

After your initial juice cleanse, switch to eating small portions of fresh foods like salads, lean meats and steamed vegetables. You can also replace one meal a day with a glass of juice – for example, swapping out a lunch salad with a large glass of vegetable juice – to stay detoxed and feeling fabulous.

If you are in New York City and interested in joining an all woman’s boot camp  please visit  NYC ADVENTURE BOOT CAMP, mention that you found us through our blog for and extra 15% off a membership. Come work out like a GIRL!!!

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Holiday Cocktails, what to avoid!

womencocktails

It is only fair that you get to have a cocktail or two during the holidays (hey, it’s a party, right?!), but you’d be surprised at how many calories and carbs a single cocktail can pack. Avoid these fattening cocktails and choose a lighter option instead that will leave you missing the calories – not the alcohol. On second thought, you won’t even miss the calories.

Don’t Drink: Long Island Iced Tea

Sporting 200 more calories than a Big Mac, the Long Island Iced Tea is the most fattening cocktail out there at 780 calories. This is definitely one you want to skip.

Instead, Drink: Rum And Diet Coke

At about 100 calories for a 5 ounce glass, you can enjoy a couple of these totally guilt free. Why drink 800 calories worth of liquor in one drink if you can have more for less?

Don’t Drink: White Russian

Liquor and cream? Think over 500 calories. Ouch!

Instead, Drink: White Wine Spritzer

Okay, so it’s not creamy, but you’re not going to get a creamy cocktail for under 80 calories – but you can with a dry white wine spritzer!

Don’t Drink: A Margarita

Margaritas are awesome. They’re also 550 calories each. Do you really want to use all your liquor calories in just one drink?

Instead, Drink: A Mimosa

This popular morning favorite can be sipped any time of day, especially for just 150 calories. You can drink almost four mimosa to a single margarita!

Don’t Drink: Pina Colada

With coconut milk, a sugary pre-mix and lots of rum, this cocktail easily packs a whopping 640 calories!

Instead, Drink: Skinny Colada

This is one cocktail substitute that will still allow you to get your pineapple and coconut fix, with a fewer calories. By substituting pineapple and coconut flavored vodkas and club soda, you can get all the pina colada flavor for just 170 calories.

Don’t Drink: Mai Tai

At 350 calories, you could definitely do worse than a Mai Tai, but why even go that far?

Instead, Drink: Summer Peach

Still fruity, still fun, but at 150 calories each, you can have two Summer Peach cocktails for less calories than a single Mai Tai.

Just because you’re watching your waistline (or trying to lose weight come New Year’s!) doesn’t mean you can’t enjoy a few cocktails during the holidays. Just be smart about what you choose and remember to always drink responsibly!

If you are in New York City and interested in joining an all woman’s boot camp  please visit  NYC ADVENTURE BOOT CAMP, mention that you found us through our blog for and extra 15% off a membership. Come work out like a GIRL!!!

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Want flat abs?

hoolahoop

Hundreds of exercises and complicated pieces of equipment tend to claim to ‘iron out’ your stomach yet you can spend months doing them and not see any results. Keep reading to find out what really works to flatten out your stomach.

First of all, it is important to  keep in that that the abdominal exercises aimed to tone your tummy and create that ‘six-pack’ look do not remove flab. You can exercise your abs nonstop and have rock-hard muscles, but if you’ve got a layer of fat covering them, they’ll never be able to see them. And, vice versa, if you have a flat abdomen but don’t exercise, your tummy will lack tone and definition.

This doesn’t mean, however, that abdominal exercises are not worthwhile unless you’ve got a supermodel-flat stomach. On the contrary, they help to strengthen your core and in doing so, encourage good posture; plus, if you’re on a weight-loss program, reducing fatty tissue and strengthening muscle will boost your metabolism, and this will mean that when your stomach is flatter, it will have better tone and definition.

Build Up Your Abs

The abdomen consists of one long segmented muscle, but has three parts: the upper abdominal, the lower abdominal and the side abdominal. Each one has two corresponding ‘sides’ and this makes the ‘six-pack’ definition we’ve come to recognize. The deepest abdominal muscle, the one that holds the whole six-pack together, is known as the transverses abdominal.

Another question concerns whether or not you really want one: it’s possible to have a toned, flat stomach without the six-pack look and it’s also possible to look overly muscular with one. The best plan is to exercise your abs until you like what you see, then switch to a ‘maintenance’ regime: when you’re building up your abs you should, as with any major muscle group, exercise them only every other day; for a maintenance program, switch to three times a week.

Tightening the abdominal muscles without increasing muscle mass elsewhere (particularly on the back) can cause shoulders to roll forward and round your upper back, which will lead to back pain and posture problems. The key to avoiding these and to get the most from your workout-is making sure that your abs are engaged that is contracted (by pulling your tummy in) during your workout.

Breathing properly is important as well, you should exhale when you’re doing the work (the part where your abs are being squeezed). Also, keep in mind not to arch or flatten your back during any lying down exercises, there should be a gap of at least a figure’s width between the small of your back and the floor. You should do your abdominal exercises towards the end of your workout when you’ve already targeted other muscle groups-otherwise they will be too tired to do their job properly supporting the rest of the body.

Trim Your Waistline

It’s not all about abs, though. Some of us just want our waistlines to look a bit trimmer, and if that’s you, consider stretches (on top of a general aerobic-i.e.-burning- workout). Pilates is a good system for waist-toning because it concentrates on the ‘core’, and also often involves stability balls-those large, inflatable grown-up beach balls that you often find in gyms. Good gym exercises include sitting on the ball with one foot on the floor and the other stretched out in front, holding for a count of ten and then swapping over.

Who doesn’t like having fun while exercising? Bring back the hula hoop! The hula hoop movement rotates the hoop around the hips and waist using circular trunk movements, targeting the abs, hips, and waist. Also, because the movements are circular and not linear, the body works in all directions, allowing the arms to stay the same distance apart. Plus, it’s just plain fun!

If you are in New York City and interested in joining an all woman’s boot camp  please visit  NYC ADVENTURE BOOT CAMP, mention that you found us through our blog for and extra 15% off a membership. Come work out like a GIRL!!!

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Lose That Belly Fat the Healthy Way

 

If you’re on a mission to learn how to lose belly fat in a healthy way, there are some important things that you need to keep in mind about the process.  One of the biggest mistakes that many people make is rushing the process. While it’s great that you want to get to your end goal in record time, you must remember that the faster you lose the weight, the greater the chances are that it’ll be coming right back on a short time later.

Slow and steady is generally the best approach as then you can be sure that you’ve lost the weight for good. That said, this doesn’t mean that progress has to be so slow it’s hardly noticeable.  You’re simply looking to move away from ‘quick fix’ approaches in your quest to learn how to loose belly fat and use tried and true methods that will serve you well for years to come.

Let’s look at the main points to remember about how to loose belly fat safely.

Keep Track Of Your Calories

As annoying as you may find it to be, if there’s one thing that you can do that will literally guarantee your success, counting calories is it.  If you prefer not to count calories, you could count serving sizes as well provided you have a good grasp over what those are. Since whether you gain or lose body weight does essentially come down to your calorie balance at the end of the day, this is one thing that you do really need to get right.  Taking in too many calories, even if it is considered healthy foods, can still jeopardize the weight loss success you’re after.

With so many calorie tracking applications out there, either online or through your phone, there’s no excuse for not doing this. It only takes 20 seconds to enter into the system. Keep in mind that if you go two weeks without seeing any weight loss, that indicates you’re taking in a few too many calories and should reduce them back by 10% or around 200 calories.

Focus On Protein and Vegetables

The next thing that you should be doing is making sure that you are focusing primarily on protein and vegetables to make up the bulk of your diet plan.  The reason for this being that protein is the one nutrient that will speed up the metabolism when you eat it because it’ll cause the body to burn off a larger number of calories through the digestion process.

For every 100 calories of protein you consume, expect the ‘net’ intake to be around 75 of those. Furthermore, protein is a highly satisfying food, so after a meal high in it, you’ll notice that you aren’t hungry for hours afterwards.

Vegetables on the other hand help provide some bulk to your diet so you feel like you’re still eating relatively decent sized meals.  If you’re trying to live on meals so small they wouldn’t fill up a 2 year old, you know you’re headed for trouble. Adding more vegetables solves this problem and because they are so incredibly low in calories and high in fiber, they hardly add any calorie value to your daily diet.

Finally, they are also the most nutrient dense food you could consume, so from a health standpoint, a must while learning how to loose belly fat.

Time Your Carbs Appropriately

Moving along, one area of the diet that many people seeking fat loss success make a mistake with is their carbohydrate intake.  They come to believe that in order to see results, they need to be cutting carbs out of their diet entirely. This, however, isn’t the case. While you don’t want to be eating a high carb diet as that will leave you with fluctuating blood sugar levels and a higher risk of fat gain, you don’t have to banish carbs from the picture either.

The key is to understand what type of carbohydrates to eat and when to eat them. For selection, choose carbs that are as unprocessed as possible. If you can eat them “straight from the ground” that will be your best bet for success. Good examples include oatmeal, sweet potatoes, brown rice, quinoa, as well as barley or buckwheat.  All of these have minimal processing and will work best to support your lean body goals.

Secondly, make sure that you time eating these carbs when you’re most active.  Since the primary function of carbohydrates in the body is to provide you with a fuel source for physical activity, it only makes sense to eat them when you’re going to be highly active. Eating a bunch of carbs before you go lie down for the night wouldn’t be a wise move if you want to lose that belly fat. Instead, eat carbohydrates before and after the workout, as well as at breakfast.  These are the key times during the day when you’ll really need them.

Adapt

Finally, the last secret to learning how to loose belly fat safely and effectively is to always be adapting.  Assess your progress at regular intervals and if you feel as though something isn’t quite working as properly as it should be, adapt the diet so it is.  Far too many people stay on a plan that isn’t really doing them any justice and actually make them waste valuable time that could be spent making some serious progress.

Your body does adjust to the calories being burnt during physical activity as well to the calorie intake you’re eating; however, if you find that you’re hitting a fat loss plateau, change the routine up a bit.  By doing so, you can either boost your calorie intake for a few days to jump start it again or consider decreasing your calorie intake further to promote faster fat loss progress. Boot Camp is a great way to stay active and lose belly fat the healthy way, we change up the routine constantly so that your body can keep working harder. NYC Adventure Boot Camp is here to help you combat belly fat.

So there you have the main points to keep in mind if you want to learn how to loose belly fat safely.  Plan out your approach and you can easily keep track of your diet and make sure that you see the results you are after.

If you are in New York City and interested in joining an all woman’s boot camp  please visit NYC ADVENTURE BOOT CAMP, mention that you found us through our blog for and extra 15% off a membership. Come work out like a GIRL!!!

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Get Bikini Ready In 4 Weeks With These Exercises

 Who doesn’t want to look good in a bikini? Summer is in full effect and that means that it’s time to get that body in good shape. If you haven’t already begun a steady workout regimen, then there is no time like the present. You can whip that body into shape and enjoy a bikini ready body before the end of summer—it really is achievable with the right exercises.

If you are diligent about this program and really push yourself at least five days a week then you can literally transform your body in just four weeks time. Yes this requires dedication and it’s not going to be easy, but it’s all about how bad you want it and so it is hopefully worth the effort. Push for high intensity workouts that incorporate as many of these exercises as possible each and every time. This is how you change your body into the bikini version that you’ve always wanted.

  • Jump Rope: This is just an all over good exercise. It’s cardio and a very accessible type at that. You will also find that you work the biceps, the shoulders, and of course the legs as you work through this exercise. No matter where you are you can pick up a jump rope and crank out this comprehensive exercise.
  • Running: Cardio is a must if you want to shed some fat to get to the lean muscle that you want. So if you want to burn the most calories and the most fat, then running is by far the best way to go. If you are newer to this then start with a run walk combination and then work your way up if you have to.
  • Squats: Nothing is better for the glutes than pushing through some squats. These can be done in a variety of different ways, from various angles, and using weights to increase the intensity. This will not only help you to shed some fat but also to build some crucial muscle in this stubborn area.
  •  Interval Training: Combining high intensity intervals of cardio plus strength training is an excellent overall workout. Work though this like an obstacle course and look for boot camp courses that do this. You will find that you feel challenged and you are combining various intervals of the two most critical aspects of your workouts.
  •  Tricep Extensions: If you don’t want that stubborn layer of fat hanging over the side of your arm anymore, then get those triceps into shape. You can do this with overhead tricep extensions. For an additional challenge try to do this while lying down and balancing yourself on an exercise ball, and then you incorporate several exercises at once.
  •  Push Ups: These are not easy but they are highly effective. What you may not realize is that you are not only getting in a good arm workout, but also strengthening the core as you push up and down while balancing your entire body.
  •  Bicep Curls with Front Lunges: The key to good exercises is to combine movements and this is no exception. You not only work through a bicep curl but you add in the legs with front lunges. This is great for going after those stubborn areas and giving them fantastic tone.
  • Lying Straight Leg Raises: You are lying down with your legs up at a ninety degree angle and then you slowly raise your body up using only your lower half. It sounds easy enough but by the next morning you will feel this in your abs—and that means that it’s working for you!
  • Bicycle Crunches: One of the best abs exercises out there, this is the type that you want to take your time with. Slow down and work each side and then switch. If you do it right then you will feel an intense burn in the abs even during the workout.
  • Shoulder Raises with Side Lunges: You are again creating a compound exercise so you work the shoulders and the legs with this combination. You want to really work at perfecting your technique and ensuring that you get the most out of it.

 This combination of exercises will take you to where you want to get and that is bikini ready. You may think it’s impossible but in no time at all you are going to burn calories, shed fat, and really build up some key muscle tone.

How are you feeling about your fitness level? Do you have any goals that you want to reach this summer? Please contact me, Stacy Papakostas for a FREE consultation.

If you are in New York City and interested in joining an all woman’s boot camp or Fitness Boxing Classes please visit NYC ADVENTURE BOOT CAMP, mention that you found us through our blog for and extra 15% off a membership. Come work out like a GIRL!!!

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