Our portion sizes are out of control!!

Did you know that when you go out to eat, that entree you just order is probably 4-5 servings- yikes!

The truth of it all is that we all eat too much food.

“Duh, Nicole.  I could of told you that” you might be thinking.

We generally only need about ¾ of a plate of food.  But most people go for seconds or thirds.

Are we really hungry?

Have you lost touch with your belly full meter??

Start listening to when you just start to get full then push the plate away.

Just that small act will have a HUGE impact on your waistline!

Here are some tid bits for ya:

Americans consume more calories per person than any other country in the world.

In 1970, the average American ate 2,170 calories per day.

In 2008, the average American ate 3,330 calories per day – no wonder obesity is so prevalent.

To burn 1 pound, you need to burn 3,500 calories.

You can burn anywhere from 600-800 calories in our SIU Boot Camp or Fusion classes. That’s 4 SIU Classes per week for 1 lb of weight loss.

Start by pushing that plate away when you just start to get full and then let me know the effect it has on you.

I look forward to hearing from you!

Your Fitness Professional,

Nicole Simonin, CPT, PTA, LWMC

P.S.  Grab your Complimentary Week Pass so you can get the inside scoop on what SIU can do for you!

About the Author:

Nicole Simonin is a local South Jersey fitness expert recognized for her well-rounded approach to health and fitness.  Nicole’s mission is to spread the truth about weight loss and how to become healthier.  Nicole’s S.H.A.P.E. Method Boot Camps have been helping many South Jersey residents reclaim their body.  To learn how Nicole can help you achieve your fitness goals, visit www.ShapeItUpFitness.com Get your Complimentary Week Pass while you are there.

Want to help me spread the word about health and fitness?  Forward this to your friends and family or share it on your Facebook, Twitter, etc. Thanks in advance!

 

 

How often do you take the time to be proud of yourself?

Do you acknowledge the steps (no matter how big or small) that you take towards better health?

Parking far from the entrance of a store…taking the stairs instead of the elevator or escalator….making healthy food choices…drinking lots of water each day….making your workouts a top priority…

We tend to focus on the negative and skip over the positive.

“I don’t like my thighs” or “ I don’t like that my stomach pouches over my jeans”….Does this sound familiar?…

What about looking at all the positives???

What body part on you DO you like?..

Pick one….and then pick another.

Every time you hear that little negative voice start to grumble tell it to be quiet.

Look at the small things you do each day to get you one step closer to better health.  Celebrate these small victories!!  You deserve that feeling of accomplishment. This will help fuel your motivation and ultimately your results!

Did you parents used to tell you to save your pennies because one day it’ll add up?

Same thing with healthy lifestyles.

The small victories will lead to more small victories which will snowball into a HUGE victory.

Doesn’t that excite you???

Don’t you want to have more energy and a healthy body… you DESERVE to have that!

So go after it…one step at a time!

Your Fitness Professional,

Nicole Simonin, CPT, PTA, LWMC

P.S.  Grab your Complimentary Week Pass so you can get the inside scoop on what SIU can do for you!

About the Author:

Nicole Simonin is a local South Jersey fitness expert recognized for her well-rounded approach to health and fitness.  Nicole’s mission is to spread the truth about weight loss and how to become healthier.  Nicole’s S.H.A.P.E. Method Boot Camps have been helping many South Jersey residents reclaim their body.  To learn how Nicole can help you achieve your fitness goals, visit www.ShapeItUpFitness.com Get your Complimentary Week Pass while you are there.

Want to help me spread the word about health and fitness?  Forward this to your friends and family or share it on your Facebook, Twitter, etc. Thanks in advance!

 

 

“I don’t have the time to workout”….

If I had a nickel for every time I have heard this I would be an extremely rich woman.

There are 1,000 of excuse you can say to yourself to not workout OR worse to talk yourself out of a workout.

Take a minute and think of all the excuses you have not to work out or to eat right.  Write them down (if you have the time J)…then once your done….tear them up!  There are a waste of your time and energy.

How much time do you spend watching tv?? Or surfing the wide web (aka internet for those youngsters)??

So be honest with yourself…it’s not because you don’t have the time…it is because you are not willing to trade in that tv/internet (or whatever) time for your health.

We all are given 24hours day.  There is no getting around that.

How do you balance those hours?…those minutes?

Stop making excuses.

If you want to change your physical body and become healthier then stop making excuses and start making a commitment.

Make the commitment to yourself.

Maybe take the stairs at work.

Or order a salad instead of chicken tenders for lunch.

Hold yourself accountable for YOUR actions.

You CAN fit in a workout and healthy eating.

Make it a priority.

You are worth investing the time and energy into this!

So get going…stop reading this blog and take a step to change your life

 

Your Fitness Professional,

Nicole Simonin, CPT, PTA, LWMC

P.S.  Grab your Complimentary Week Pass so you can get the inside scoop on what SIU can do for you!

About the Author:

Nicole Simonin is a local South Jersey fitness expert recognized for her well-rounded approach to health and fitness.  Nicole’s mission is to spread the truth about weight loss and how to become healthier.  Nicole’s S.H.A.P.E. Method Boot Camps have been helping many South Jersey residents reclaim their body.  To learn how Nicole can help you achieve your fitness goals, visit www.ShapeItUpFitness.com Get your Complimentary Week Pass while you are there.

Want to help me spread the word about health and fitness?  Forward this to your friends and family or share it on your Facebook, Twitter, etc. Thanks in advance!

 

 

It’s 5:30pm and you are staring into your pantry….”hmmmm, what should we have for dinner?”

What usually follows?…

Just grab whatever you can find…

or maybe you pick up the phone and order a pizza for delivery?

We all have done this one time or another.

But if you do this on a daily basis and your waistline is expanding, it’s time to make a plan!

A Meal Plan that is.

It all starts with figuring out what you want to eat.  This is done in advance… before you go grocery shopping.

Take 20 minutes (right now…well after you read this , sit down and plan out your meals for the week.  Knowing what you are going to eat for the week and having all the ingredients will take the stress off you and help keep you on your fitness goals.

Plan to make simpler meals on nights that you know you are rushing home or short on time.

Have a quick, healthy backup meal on hand for those nights that time is not on your side.

Check

out the internet for great healthy recipes. There is a wealth of information at your finger tips. Take advantage of it.

Your “Chef” Tools

A big help in the kitchen is to make sure you have the correct cooking tools and have them handy.

You don’t need to blow your budget. Keep it simple.

A good skillet, sharp knives and some Tupperware are a few ideal kitchen items.

Prep Your Food in Advance

As soon as you get home from the grocery store, slice, dice and store your foods.  This is great for veggies and your lean proteins.  Makes them easy to grab and to snack on!

Also, plan your weekly meals to include similar foods. For instance, if you bake a bunch of chicken you could have baked chicken on Monday, Chicken Wrap on Tuesday, Chicken Soup on Wednesday, Chicken Tortilla on Thursday and Chicken Parm on Friday.

If you don’t like to grocery shop, order your items online and have them delivered. You could join a co-op that will drop off your food to you.

Don’t like to prep, grocery stores now sell diced, chopped and minced foods for your convenience.  The are usually a bit more expensive but well worth it if you are trying to save time. I like to go to the salad bar and get some pre-chopped veggies like onions (I hate cutting them).  You could also invest in a food processor.

Don’t like to clean a ton of dishes?…(like me …stick to one dish meals or cook several meals at one time so you only have to clean up once. Crock Pot… need I say more.

Pantry Essentials

You can make a quick and healthy meals with the following staples:

• Black/red beans
• Canned tomatoes
• Whole wheat pasta
• Whole grain rice
• Quinoa
• Low sodium chicken or vegetable stock
• Marinara sauce
• Sweet potatoes
• Fresh Mushrooms
• Celery and Carrots
• Frozen chicken/ turkey and fish
• Frozen veggies
• Frozen Fruit

This doesn’t have to be a daunting task.  It’s like anything else.  Once you do it a couple of times you’ll find more short cuts

and have more time enjoying your meal with family and friends while keeping you on track with your fitness goals.

Nicole Simonin,

Fitness Professional, CPT, PTA, LWMC

I want to hear from you! Do you have a helpful tip for planning or making healthy meals?  You can leave a comment below.

Please feel free to forward this to a friend