Makeover: Changing from the Inside.

11:01 AM Remy Maguire - Manifest the Best 1 Comments

I saw Dr. Joey Shulman speak in Toronto and found myself hanging on her every word. Dr. Joey is the author of Winning the Food Fight:Every Parent's Guide to Raising a Healthy, Happy Child, The Natural Makeover Diet, and The Last 15. I wholeheartedly agree with her approach to weight loss and total body health. Instead of focusing on what NOT to eat she advocates eating for health and all the wonderful things the right foods can do for you; smooth, unblemished skin, clear, bright eyes, and a feeling of energy and vibrancy everyday! I especially appreciated how easy to understand her nutritional advice is, and how easy to practice.

Dr. Shulman writes, "once you start taking care of your internal health, your natural beauty will shine through each and every time in the form of wrinkle-free skin and a radiant complexion, sparkling eyes, strong nails, shiny hair and a natural shift towards a healthy body weight." She believes women have for too long relied on expensive cosmetic procedures to enhance their looks when for far less money and pain the most beautiful you is revealed my taking natural steps, not surgical ones.

Dr. Shulman outlines a four step process that conquers what she calls the top three "beauty robbers":

1. Faulty Digestion
2. Chronic Inflammation
3. Free Radical Damage

The "Four Steps" include:

1. Cleanse (for five days)
2. Nourish
3. Moisturize
4. Maintain

Before making many of the suggested dietary changes, Dr. Joey recommends preparing your body, cleaning the slate, in order to fully see and feel all the health and beauty benefits. The Five Day detox contains 8 elements which are:

1. Eliminate all grains.
2. Eliminate all dairy products.
3. Eliminate all red meat.
4. Eliminate all white sugar.
5. Take a minimum of 3 capsules of "friendly bacteria" (probiotic) daily with food.
6. Increase consumption of phytonutrient-rich foods and take a greens supplement.
7. Drink at least 8 glasses of water or herbal tea daily (no juice, soda, coffee or alcohol).
8. Consume 1 tbsp. of ground flaxseeds daily.

I am undertaking this 5 day cleanse Monday through Friday of this week. I am usually very skeptical of anything involving "detox" or "cleansing". I have never felt that any of these type of products or crazy fasts could be good for anyone. But, this is different. I completely understand giving the body a break from some potentially irritating foods. I don't see anything unadvisable going on here. My initial thought was that I'd have no problem sticking to it -- I rarely eat red meat or dairy, I drank enough this weekend too sink a fish and I'm excited to see if cutting bread out of my diet has any drastic effect. Truly, I think I'm in the best shape of my life. I eat very well and I exercise daily. But, I almost always need a nap in the afternoon after an early work day, my belly feels bloated after most meals and I suffer from pretty serious cravings for chocolate and bread. According to Dr. Joey and many other nutritionists and experts I am learning from, these things are often effects of our diets and can actually be fixed by tweeking what and how we eat. I'm in! The only thing I'm not sure I can do without is coffee. But, I'll try. I'll keep you posted on how it goes.

Day 1: I omitted one fruit from my early morning snack and added a tablespoon of crushed walnuts. Tasted great, crunchy and earthy and kept me full until breakfast. I made a smoothie with almond milk, whey protein powder, peach, 1/2 banana and a cup of frozen berries. I added a tablespoon of crushed flax seed and skipped the yogurt. For lunch I substituted my usual open faced turkey sandwich with a pile of black beans, avocado and more flax seed and almonds on my salad. i thought I'd be hungry but I was surprising stuffed before finishing my plate. So, I didn't! I wrapped up the left-overs for later -- highly unusual behavior already! Instead of reaching for my post-lunch chocolate I walked to store and bought a handful of sweet cherries. I found this to be a delicious way to keep my sweet tooth happy and healthy! Monday night pizza would need a major make-over to fit the plan and I can't even imagine a crustless pie, weird. I decided to just steam up all the veggies in the house and from the garden, kale, broccoli, garlic, onion, green bean and celery stir-fry with olive oil and tofu. Boring! Add hot salsa and avocado and it's pretty darn good. A cuppa tea and I made it through day one!

Day 2: I knew this couldn't be that easy. Tuesday mornings I get to sleep in and I LOVE putzing around the house drinking coffee and doing little else. Ok, I admit it I already kinda "cheated". But, I have an excuse! I'm not trying to lose any weight and I already eat like a champ. I think my alkaline levels are pretty strong so I felt fine about indulging in a small cup of java. It was only one! I usually finish a pot. I say, success. I ate alot of the same foods as I did yesterday and made a veggie quiche with sweet potatoes for dinner. I wonder if I'm eating too many eggs?

Tomorrow I'll have left over quiche and fruit for breakfast and smoothie for a snack, gigantic bean-y salad for lunch and something fishy for dinner. I'll keep adding the flax and taking the probiotics. So, far so good. Things are definately, um, moving along. (My poor husband!)

Women, Weights and Results!

10:50 AM Remy Maguire - Manifest the Best 0 Comments

What's Estrogen got to do with it?!

We can thank our special hormone for keeping women protected with a little extra fat. That's all well and good for baby making and feeding, but, not when we are trying to lose unhealthy extra weight. And when we approach menopause and are no longer childbearing what do we get? Explosive weight gain! Women on average gain 10lbs every decade and loss 5lbs of muscle. Great@$*$#!

So, what can we do?

Well, here are some helpful facts about hormones, women, weights and results.

Fact: Muscle is more metabolically active than fat. Individuals with more muscle mass have a higher resting metabolic rate and are usually leaner.

If we can thank Estrogen for our fluffiness we can thank our minimal amount of Testosterone keeping us from bulking up. So don't worry about looking like he-man.

Although genetics plays a huge part in how our bodies are built and shaped we do have some control over how they look and certainly how they feel. There are 3 different types of body shapes, ectomorphs - long and lean, endomorphs - short and compact, and mesomorphs who are a combination of the previous two.

This gentically inherited body shape determines alot about us, from body temperature, to muscle length. Although we can't change our inherent shape, we can through strength training, change the shape of our muscles. Hyperplasia, changing muscle shape (versus hypertrophy building muscle) happens with high intensity exercise. So to get results and shape your body : WORK IT! HARD!

Luckily for women, we have about 20x more growth hormone than men. Growth hormone is released during short burst of intense training. Growth hormone mobilizes fatty acids in other words, using fat for fuel And that's a good thing when trying to tone up muscles and lose body fat.

So, now what? There are lots of different types of training systems. All of them produce results. Pick you favorite, or just pick one and try it for a month. Then try something else. Don't be afraid to grab the big dumbells -- I promise it'll do your body good!

Here are a few examples...

Plateaus: This is the most common type of training. Lift the same weight and perform the same #of reps for all sets.

Pyramids: Increase the weight as you decrease the # of reps. Reverse Pyramids: As you decrease the weight, increase the # of reps. This type of training is especially effective and fun.

Compound: Follow a single joint exercise by a multi-joint exercise. Ex. Bench Press to Tricep pushdown.

Supersets: Take little to no rest between exercises using opposing muscle groups. Ex. Chest fly to Bent over Row.

Giant Sets: Do 3 or more exercise for the same body part all in a row and then rest.

Forced Reps: Do as many reps as you can at a certain weight, and then a couple more!

Pre-fatique: Especially good for abdominal exercises. Work small muscles then bigger muscles. Ex. Low ab leg drop-oblique side crunches-plank.

HIT(High Intensity Training): Great for Legs! Ex. Choose 8-10 exercise for your legs, perform 1 set of each to failure, or about 8-10 reps at 60-70% of your 1-rep max. This type of training should probably only be done 1 x / week 'cause it's HARD!

I'm currently doing HIT for legs 1 x /week, Reverse pyramids for Triceps and Biceps twice a week, And Supersets for chest and back twice a week. So far so good! It's fun and I am definitley getting stronger!

I'd love to hear what you're up to!

Real men don't eat quiche

8:19 AM Remy Maguire - Manifest the Best 0 Comments

This recipe is really, um, loose. My friend and co-worker Alissa gave me this recipe idea and I love it! You can basically just toss in whatever you want! I decided to make mine meatless this time. I served this dish for dinner with a side salad of baby greens, sliced apricots (so good right now), fresh picked (on our last bike ride) blackberries, and a store bought all-natural pear gorganzola dressing.

Here's the dish....Makes 4 servings.

Wash and slice thin, about 1/4 inch thick 2 small sweet potatoes, or 1 large one.

Bake these on a cookie sheet at 425 degrees for 7-10 minutes on each side.

Meanwhile, saute your favorite veggies in a skillet on med-high. I used a bunch of garlic and italian spices with broccoli florets, frozen spinach, zucchini, onion and mushrooms. Not need to add extra liquid as the frozen spinach will make enough to keep the mixture moist. You may need to drain the veggies if it looks too watery.

I used four eggs and a small container of egg whites to make four good sized servings. Wisk the eggs with salt and pepper and spices to taste.

Next, layer the bottom of a baking dish with the sweet potatoes. Cover them with a layer of veggies. Pour in some eggs. Then more veggies, more eggs, until the dish is nearly full. If you're into cheese I recommend putting a slice or two of swiss cheese on top half way through baking.

Bake at 375 for about 30 minutes or until eggs are solid. I made this dish ahead of time and chilled in until dinner. Just pop it back in the oven to warm slightly before serving.

Awesome! Chardonnay would go nicely here:)

Enjoy!

More on Cardio Training

6:43 AM Remy Maguire - Manifest the Best 0 Comments

Here's some of the nitty gritty details that will help you desigh your own interval training program.

An Example for racers, casual or serious...

1. run mile long, or increments of miles, repeats (intervals) at about 10-25 seconds faster than the average of your 5k and 10k time.

2. Do no more than 10-15 repeats and begin with less.

3. Increase the pace when this becomes easier, more comfortable.

4. Use various lengths of time and distance, 400m, 800m, or several miles.

5. As a beginner keep total distance 1.5 - 2 miles total.

Key interval training tips...

1. It is very important to avoid fatigue when pushing your body like this or when you're dedicated to any type of exercise. Rest, rest, rest.

2. Vary your training. Take long runs, short runs, fast runs and slow runs.

3. Train longer, do longer interval for longer events.

4. When doing long intervals of 3-5 minutes you should reach 80-90% of your heart rate max by the end of the workout.

5. LISTEN TO YOUR BODY

Field Test to determine Heart rate max and Lactic training zone...

1 Warm-up for 3-5 minutes then perform an 8 minute major burst of effort (well paced) This is your highest level of effort for this duration.

2. Do this twice.

3. Calculate your average heart-rate between both efforts.

4. Divide by .85

5. The goal is to determine a usable Lactic Threshold.

Cardio Strategies for Fat Loss and Improved Stamina

1. Balance you workouts. Plan some high intensity and some low intensity during the week. Be sure to incorporate some interval work.

2. Try Hill Training. Run on an incline. Pedel against heavy resistance. Challenge your body to work with load.

3. Don't forget to strength train! Either in the weight room, or a group class or outside in the park. Build your muscles!

4. Get Explosive! Include some power and quickness drills to develop speed, strength and added injury prevention. Ask a trainer how. i.e box jumps, cone drills, 1-legged exercises.

5. Taper. Not just before a race. Take time out all year long to give your body the rest it needs to recover and GROW. Take a long walk, or a hike. Feel good about enjoying a day on the coach or the beach. Your body will thank you by building up need energy to power it up next time you train!

Greek and Easy!

11:20 AM Remy Maguire - Manifest the Best 0 Comments

Here's last nights dinner menu. It was easy and fun to prepare, uses only a handful of ingredients, none of which cost more than a few dollars.

Chicken Souvlaki with Tabuleh, taziki and Pita

The usual meat for this dish is lamb, or pork, but I was in the mood for chicken. Either way, chunks of the meat are marinated in a lemony mixture, skewered and grilled. I love veggies and added peppers and onion chunks to the kabobs.

Serves 4

Wooded skewers
1 lb of lean meat, chicken, lamb, or pork
1/4 c fresh squeezed lemon juice
1/4 c olive oil
2-4 garlic cloves, minced
1 tbsp oregano
salt and pepper

1. Trim fat from meat and cut into 1 inch chunks. Set aside.
2. In a big bowl, whisk together lemon juice, olive oil, garlic, salt, pepper, and oregano. Add the meat and marinate in the fridge overnight or at room temp. for about 30 minutes.
3. Soak the skewers in cool water for 10 minutes to prevent burning.
4. Remove meat from marinade. (Boil the marinade reserves for 5 minutes if you want to use for basting to kill any bacteria)
5. Skewer it up! Broil under preheated broiler about 6 inches from heat. Turn and baste halfway through cooking. About 5-10 minutes on each side. I like a nice dark brown coat on the meat.

Serve with Tzaziki....

2 cups plain yogurt, yogurt cheese, or greek style yogurt
1 small unpeeled grated cucumber
2 garlic cloves (adjust to your taste)
1 tbsp chopped dill
salt and pepper

Just mix this all up and store in the fridge until serving. This will keep about a week in the fridge. This meze or appetizer is a great accompaniment to the souvlaki but can also be served with pita chips for a snack that's full of healthy B vitamins and minerals.

Tabuoleh Salad (this is one of my favorite things to eat, so fresh tasting and easy to make) It is also easy to make, just chopped up the ingredients really well and mix to your liking. Just be sure to add enough juice and olive oil to coat the salad and keep it moist.

A big bunch of parsley
a few sprigs of mint
chopped tomato
chopped cucumber
lots of lemon juice
olive oil

I served this meal with warm pita bread. It was a huge hit!!! I was going to save one of my skewers for lunch today but it was so good I had to eat it last night:) Ah well, I have lots of tzatziki and pita to eat instead:)

Cardiovascular Training

9:07 PM Remy Maguire - Manifest the Best 0 Comments

I can't believe the number of pages of notes and stick drawings I have from the conference! I'm going to do my best to review and report all the best stuff. The first class I took was all about Cardio Programming -- and how to develop a great routine that will really give you the benefits and results you want -- increased lung capacity, stronger stroke volume (how well your heart pumps) and faster more energetic cardio performance not to mention optimal calorie burning!

Firstly, let me say something I know I've mentioned before. I often hear people talking about the "fat buring zone" and have even had a client tell me she didn't want to sweat or get out of breath because then she wouldn't be burning fat. Wrong, wrong, wrong. Sorry to be tough but it's true. This is a long standing myth based on twisted facts. Truth is...If your goal is to lose fat you have to burn more calories which means you have to work a little harder. Harder exercise burns MORE calories in the same amount of time, however, it burns less fat per calorie. This is where the confusion comes from. More carbs, sugars, glucose is burned when you exercise at a higher level but absolutely more fat and calories are burned in total. So, go BIG, go HARD and you'll reap the benefits of fat loss, energy increase and cardiovascular improvement (in less time!) I promise it's only hard for awhile, maybe a minute at a time, and ANYONE can do it. And don't worry, you don't have to work this intensely all the time.

Second point: Switch it up. Don't do the same thing all the time or guess what- you get the same thing. And that won't get you too far. So try to balance your week's work. For example, if you take my Spin class on Monday night and work super hard intervals getting your heart rate and work load up to it's max, go easier on Tuesday, maybe go for a swim or longer slower jog. You only want to work at super high intensities once or twice a week.

What is super high intensity? About 80-90% of your maximum heart rate. Or a 7-9 on the RPE scale (rate of perceived exertion).

Best way to do these high intesity workouts is with intervals or "surges". Once or twice a week plan to go "full on" and push your body's limits. This can be done outside, on a track, on any cardio machine or in the pool. Warm-up, then increase your effort and intensity to a high level and then recover. This is an interval...work/rest. The time you spend in each place, rest or work depends on your fitness and your goals. This is the best way to improve speed, cardio capacity and a fast and efficient way to burn tons of calories. A novice or newbie to this type of training will see improvements of 20-25% in 12 weeks! An experienced runner about 5-10%. Every 1% increase in training means a 1/2% - 1% improvement in race performance. Awesome! Everyone will be buring more calories with this type of work. So, if your goal is weight and fat loss this type of training should be a part of your routine. Start slow and easy: warm up for a few minutes and then push your pace to a point where your breathing is labored and you don't want to talk for 15-30 seconds then take a minute or two to return your breathing to almost normal and do it again!

So what are you training for? A marathon? For time or just to finish? A 5k? A run in the park with your family? No matter what, we all want to perform at our best whether its a race or the pace of daily life.

Make a plan. Build a structure with your workouts. Train really hard sometimes. Rest. Listen to your body.

If you have any questions or would like help designing you own interval program or weekly cardio plan shoot me an email at remy@nwpersonaltraining.com I am more than happy to help!

Can-Fit-Pro!!

1:07 PM Remy Maguire - Manifest the Best 2 Comments

On my way home from a four day fitness conference in Toronto, Canada -- the largest one in the world! Toronto is an incredible city. Sidewalk cafes and restaurants lined the downtown streets and people biked and rollerbladed everywhere! (Yeah, rollerblading is still cool in Canada:) Most of my time was spent attending lectures and workshops but I was able to take a run by the waterfront and enjoy some of the nightlife. I'm currently plopped down in the Charlotte, NC airport with achey muscles and a brain reeling with learning. Anxious to spend the long flight home reviewing all my notes so I can be sure to remember the best of all the information I absorbed. Be home soon and I'll write more about it -- if you are one my clients -- I'm thinking Kettlebells and fancy push-ups -- it's gonna be GOOD!!

Cilantro Shrimp

12:31 PM Remy Maguire - Manifest the Best 0 Comments

Here's the recipe I made for my husbands birthday dinner. It was a hit! I served this with steamed snap peas and homemade thai salad rolls. We made the rolls together and it was lots of fun -- could be a great way to get kids in the kitchen making healthy food too! I substituted a combo of bottled sweet thai sauce and chiracha instead of making the sauce for the rolls -- easier and yummy!

Cilantro lends a pleasant grassy edge to a simple shrimp dish. Look for sambal oelek in the Asian section of supermarkets or specialty stores, or substitute hot sauce. Serve with steamed bok choy or sugar snap peas.

Yield: 4 servings (serving size: 1 cup shrimp mixture and 3/4 cup rice)
Ingredients
1 tablespoon dark sesame oil
3 cups (1-inch) slices green onions
2 tablespoons minced peeled fresh ginger
5 garlic cloves, minced
1 pound large shrimp, peeled and deveined
3 1/2 tablespoons lower-sodium soy sauce
1/2 teaspoon sambal oelek (ground fresh chile paste) or hot sauce
2 cups chopped fresh cilantro
3 cups hot cooked brown rice
Preparation
1. Heat a wok or large skillet over high heat; add oil to pan, swirling to coat. Add onions, ginger, and garlic to pan; stir-fry 1 minute. Add shrimp; stir-fry 2 minutes. Stir in soy sauce and chile paste; stir-fry 1 minute or until shrimp are done. Remove pan from heat; add cilantro, stirring constantly until cilantro wilts. Serve over rice.

Nutritional Information
Calories: 356
Fat: 6.9g (sat 1.2g,mono 2.3g,poly 2.8g)
Protein: 29g
Carbohydrate:44.3g
Fiber: 5.1g
Cholesterol: 172mg
Iron: 5.1mg
Sodium: 653mg
Calcium: 143mg

Victoria Abbott Riccardi, Cooking Light, AUGUST 2010


These refreshing salad rolls have wonderful textural appeal from crunchy sprouts, lettuce, and carrot and lightly chewy rice paper. Mint and cilantro give the vegetable mixture bright taste. For a milder dipping sauce, seed the Thai chile pepper. Allow the sauce to stand for about 30 minutes before serving so the flavors can meld.

Yield: 8 servings (serving size: 1 roll and about 2 teaspoons sauce)
Ingredients
ROLLS:
8 (8-inch) round sheets rice paper
2 cups thinly sliced Bibb lettuce leaves (about 4 large)
2 cups cooked bean threads (cellophane noodles)
1 cup fresh bean sprouts
1 cup shredded carrot (about 1 large)
1/2 cup coarsely chopped fresh mint
1/2 cup fresh cilantro leaves
1/4 cup thinly sliced green onions

SAUCE:
1 tablespoon sugar
3 tablespoons fresh lime juice (about 1 lime)
3 tablespoons water
2 tablespoons fish sauce
1 garlic clove, minced
1 Thai chile, thinly sliced

Preparation
1. To prepare rolls, add hot water to a large, shallow dish to a depth of 1 inch. Place 1 rice paper sheet in dish, and let stand for 30 seconds or just until soft. Place sheet on a flat surface. Arrange 1/4 cup lettuce over half of sheet, leaving a 1/2-inch border. Top with 1/4 cup bean threads, 2 tablespoons sprouts, 2 tablespoons carrot, 1 tablespoon mint, 1 tablespoon cilantro leaves, and 1 1/2 teaspoons green onions. Folding sides of sheet over filling and starting with filled side, roll up jelly-roll fashion. Gently press seam to seal. Place roll, seam side down, on a serving platter (cover to keep from drying). Repeat procedure with remaining roll ingredients.

2. To prepare sauce, combine sugar and the remaining ingredients in a small bowl, stirring with a whisk until sugar dissolves. Serve sauce with rolls.

Nutritional Information
Calories: 83
Fat: 0.3g (sat 0.0g,mono 0.0g,poly 0.1g)
Protein: 2.3g
Carbohydrate: 18.5g
Fiber: 1.1g
Cholesterol: 0.0mg
Iron: 0.7mg
Sodium: 371mg
Calcium: 22mg

Victoria Abbott Riccardi, Cooking Light, AUGUST 2010

Poached Halibut

12:25 PM Remy Maguire - Manifest the Best 0 Comments

With oven-roasted veggies and mint tea broth....

I've been trying to cook a couple new recipes every week. I made this last night and enjoyed it. I'm afraid it was perhaps too light tasting for my husband but he rated it a 6, which means he liked it and would eat it again but maybe not very often. (His favorites so far have been the Cilantro Shrimp and Porkchops with Two melon Salsa).

From Cleaneatingmag.com, so you know it's healthy!

Serves 4 and takes about 35 total time to prepare.

INGREDIENTS:

Olive oil cooking spray
Sea salt and ground black pepper, to taste
1 baby eggplant, sliced into 1/4-inch rounds
1 pint grape tomatoes
4 cloves garlic, whole
1 small zucchini, sliced into 1/4-inch rounds
2 cups low-sodium chicken or vegetable broth
2 high-quality mint tea bags
1/2 bunch basil
4 6-oz halibut fillets
1/4 cup pine nuts, toasted
7 to 8 basil leaves, cut into thin strips, for garnish

INSTRUCTIONS:

Preheat oven to 400°F. Prepare 2 sheet pans by misting them with cooking spray, then sprinkle with salt. Arrange eggplant slices in a single layer on half of 1 sheet pan, and place tomatoes and garlic on other half. Spray tops lightly with cooking spray and season with salt and pepper. Place pan in oven for 10 to 12 minutes. Flip eggplant slices and toss tomatoes. (Tomatoes will blister as they cook.) Continue to cook for 5 to 7 more minutes. Remove pan from oven and place tomatoes on top of eggplant to flavor eggplant and keep slices moist.

Keep oven at same temperature. On second sheet pan, lay zucchini slices in a single layer. Sprinkle with salt and pepper and mist lightly with cooking spray. Place pan in oven for 10 to 12 minutes. Flip zucchini and cook for 5 more minutes.

While vegetables are in oven, pour broth into a 10-inch skillet and bring to a boil. Add tea bags and basil and season with salt. Allow to simmer for 7 minutes, then remove tea bags. When vegetables are close to being ready, bring broth to a simmer and place fish in skillet. Cover with parchment paper. Poach fish until it is white and a toothpick inserts very easily, about 12 minutes. Place fish on a plate and strain broth into a small bowl; adjust seasoning if necessary.

To serve, divide vegetables into 4 shallow bowls, place fish on top, then pour broth over fish. Garnish with pine nuts and basil leaves.


NUTRIENTS per 6 oz fillet and 1 cup broth and vegetables:

Calories: 350
Total Fat: 14 g
Sat. Fat: 2 g
Carbs: 16 g
Fiber: 7 g
Sugars: 5 g
Protein: 42 g
Sodium: 210 mg
Cholesterol: 55 mg