Packing Tasty and Healthy Lunches for the Whole Family

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Packing your meals used to be a must if you wanted to eat while you were away from home. Nowadays, many people leave their homes without giving a second thought as to what they’ll eat during the day. While there are many options out there, I’ll bet not many people can claim their drive-through experiences are anything to rave about.

Same goes for our kids who eat from the school cafeteria. Few of them can say they love the food options they have. Is it worth it to rethink your lunch situation?

I think so, if :
1. You enjoy a good meal – definition of a good meal: satisfying, flavorful, and with a fresh look and taste.
2. You look at meals as the perfect pick me up for your day – wondering why your energy level heads for a nose dive in the middle of the afternoon?
3. You are health-minded – you want to eat better to feel better and promote optimal health.

Let’s take a fresh look at packing our meals first by breaking out of the mindset that packed lunches are ‘what I do when I’m dieting or trying to save money’.

While you may lose weight and save money if you go from a drive-through lunch to a packed lunch, I’d like you to consider packing your lunch primarily because you like to eat well. Eating well should be something we experience most days of the week rather than something reserved for only a couple of days of the week. After all, eating well nourishes our bodies, leaves us feeling energized, mentally alert, and ready to continue our day with a good attitude rather than a heavy stomach.

I’ll give you two other reasons why packing your lunch is the way to go. First, you get to eat what you like or at least what you say you like and how you like it. What am I talking about? So many of my clients report liking to eat good tasting, fresh food yet their days are filled with heavily processed meals in which we’d be hard-pressed to find a fresh veggie or a piece of fruit.

Second, you can enjoy more of your lunchtime to EAT, TAKE A BREAK, AND TAKE CARE OF YOURSELF. In our hurried lives, we find ourselves yearning for ways to carve out a little bit of time to take care of ourselves. Have you considered doing this in the middle of the day? Try it and you may find how renewing it is. Think of what you can do with that extra time during the middle of the day – you can go for a walk, schedule a workout, spend some time in thoughtful meditation or simply just BE. Packing your lunch could give you more time to enjoy eating your meal and take an actual break during lunch free of driving or waiting in line.

Join me on Saturday, August 28th at Noon to get fresh ideas on how to pack a satisfying meal for you and your family, what to pack, and most importantly how to tailor this practice to fit into your life. Reserve your spot by registering online or call the studio at (919) 401-8024.

Monica Gulisano, LDN, RD
Monica is a registered dietitian and licensed nutritionist at Empower Personal Training. She has extensive experience formulating evidenced-based nutrition interventions for people of diverse backgrounds, varying health status, and across the lifespan.

Back to School

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WOOHOOOOOO!!!! That’s what I said the day I got my first automobile – a mustard yellow 1992 Ford F-150…what a classic. It’s what my wife screamed as she held her hands up towards the sky going down Splash Mountain at Disney World this summer. And kids, that’s also what your parents say when its time for you to go back to school. Just kidding! but not really

Yes, it is that time of the year again. Time to put away the boogie boards, board shorts, and suntan lotion, and dust off the trusty backpack and trapper keeper…do people still use those? Got all of your school supplies and new school gear? Pens, pencils, and the biggest pack of Crayola crayons you can find? I remember back when I was the first kid in school to get the 128 pack. I thought I was so cool with my robin’s egg blue and burnt sienna. Good times. But I digress.

Anyway, the point is that the beginning of the school year usually brings about a great deal of change, and change, while often good, can be quite stressful. The stress and anticipation about the upcoming school year, if not managed properly, can pose quite the challenge to one’s health and wellness. This is true whether you preparing for your first day of kindergarten, middle school, or even your senior year. And parents, I probably don’t have to go out on a limb to tell you that you’ll probably be feeling some of the anxiety too.

Therefore, it’s important that we do our best to manage back to school stress by focusing on things that we can do to improve our well being. But that’s easier said than done, right? If you are looking for a few cool tips though, then check out this article. (link) It discusses back to school health and how parents can take steps to ensure their children are well rested, energized, and fully prepared for the rigors of the school year – just like our friend Billy Madison.

"Back to school. Back to school, to prove to Dad that I'm not a fool. I got my lunch packed up, my boots tied tight, I hope I don't get in a fight. Oh! Back to school... back to school... back to school."

Jamie Ives MA, CSCS, Master Trainer

Jamie has several years of experience in the fitness industry, working with clients of various ages, ability levels, and health conditions. He enjoys using his knowledge as well as his experience in exercise prescription and program design to help each of his clients reach their individual wellness goals and improve their quality of life.  For more information about Empower Personal Training, please call (919) 401-8024.

Nutrition and the Man

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It’s men’s health month here at Empower. With Father’s day just around the corner and the summer reaching peak all of us guys are still looking for ways to feel and look our best.

Do you have mid-day crashes? Do you wish you could just drop that extra 10 pounds? Do you feel lethargic through most of the day? Bloated (yes, this is not only a problem women have but the difference is theirs is hormonal, ours is something else.) If any of these things apply I have one cure all for all of it.

Nutrition.

That’s right. No matter how much you work out, no matter how many days a week you hit the gym, no matter how often you stare into the mirror and ask that dreaded question, if your nutrition sucks you’ll never even get close to six-pack abs or <10% body fat.

Nutrition is the one key that virtually everyone can improve on. Stop. Wait. Go back and read that sentence again. I’m talking to you, the guy who read that the first time and said my nutrition is pretty good. No it isn’t. It sucks. It may not suck as bad as others but trust me it still sucks. Everyone, E-V-E-R-Y-O-N-E can benefit from changes to their nutrition.

Here’s a nice quick article to read that can help you make some quick changes.

There are a few key fundamentals that are in this short article that are kind of hidden but can be applied to an even broader range of nutrition advice.

1) Just because it is low-fat doesn’t mean it’s okay to indulge in. (i.e. see Pretzels.)

2) If you gobble down a big burger or even a smoothie or high calorie protein drink after your workout you just set yourself back. I never understand why someone who completes a 30 minute workout needs to drink a 20 oz. Gatorade. My rule of thumb, if the workout isn’t over 90 minutes you don’t need a high calorie recovery drink. I’m not saying that recovery nutrition isn’t important, it most definitely is, but look at those labels. Most people, athletes not included, don’t need 25 grams of protein in their recovery meal. Be sensible. If it’s under 30, drink water, if it’s under 60 stick to low calorie supplement replenishment.

3) Coffee. I drink coffee. I drink it black. No sugar. No creamer. The average calories of a latte or frappuccino drink is roughly around 400-600 AT LEAST. That’s a meal right there. And it’s a high sugar, high caffeine meal as well which is probably the worst combination of ingredients you can put in your body at the same time. Without going into to many technical mumbo-jumbo terms what caffeine+sugar does to your hormonal levels looks like Pike’s Peak stuck in the middle of the Kansas flat-lands.

Nutrition is the Rosetta stone of fully unlocking your athletic potential. You can work out all you want and as hard as you want but without this one key factor you’ll never get to where you COULD go.

Mike Babbitt, M.F.A, M.A., CSCS, ACSM-HFI
USA Triathlon Level 1 Coach, Master Trainer
Mike is a Master Level trainer at Empower Personal Training. He has a unique approach to fitness that combines his scientific foundation of research and applied exercise physiology with his artistic experience as a professional stage actor. For more information about Empower Personal Training please call (919) 401-8024

Jump Start Your Metabolism

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Metabolism is a word that is often kicked around in day-to-day conversation as it relates to one’s fitness. How many times have you said or heard, “I’m not what I used to be, my metabolism must have slowed down?” The true definition of the word is the sum of the physical and chemical processes in an organism by which its substance is produced, maintained and destroyed and by which energy is made available. In short, your body takes the food you eat and converts it to energy you can use through a process called metabolism. Each person’s metabolic rate is different and can be influenced by how much food you consume, your age, your fitness level, your stress level and hereditary factors. Although it is true that your metabolism slows with age you can take measures to combat your body’s physiological changes. Try the two-step approach discussed below to jumpstart your metabolism and start receiving the many benefits of a healthy, strong body at any age.

Step One:
The first step you should take to immediately improve your metabolism is to eat light and often – starting with breakfast. Breakfast is just what it says – it is meant to break the fast from the night before and give you the energy your brain and muscles need to sustain all your daily activities. Your body is programmed to convert the foods you eat and drink into glucose to provide energy to every cell in your body. Your cells require energy 24 hours a day regardless of how often you eat to provide this fuel. When you skip breakfast or other meals, your body does not have glucose readily available so it starts to look toward your stored energy (glycogen) for fuel. Essentially your body goes into “starvation mode” where your glycogen stores become depleted and the body starts to look for its energy from other sources– first protein (lean muscle tissue) and secondly your fat stores. Once this process starts you begin to experience the immediate tell tale signs of a slowed metabolism: fatigue, decreased performance, mood swings, and a drop in strength. In order to combat this drop in energy you start to binge on the high fat, high calorie foods you crave in order to break this “starvation” – sound familiar? Unfortunately this cycle plays out many times throughout our fast paced lifestyle leaving us tired, uptight, miserable and out of shape. Over time a slowed metabolism can lead to weight gain and predispose you to other health risk factors.

Beginning with breakfast and ending with dinner you should make time to have small meals and snacks spaced every three to four hours throughout the day. A steady influx of nutrients will ensure that you “stoke” the fire of your metabolic rate. Good old fashioned slow burning carbohydrates consisting of whole grains, oats, fruits and vegetables, along with lean protein sources such as chicken, fish, egg whites and tofu are always the best food choices for energy throughout the day.

Step Two:
The second step to jump staring your metabolism involves incorporating exercise into your daily life. A full-body strength training regimen is a sure fire way to improve your metabolic rate by increasing your lean muscle tissue. Lean muscle is more metabolically active and therefore burns more calories throughout the day – even at rest. By adding just one pound of muscle to your frame you will be burning 30 – 50 more calories per day.

It is also helpful to ramp up your cardiovascular training and that might not be as hard as you think. Recent studies suggest you can receive many of the same benefits of cardiovascular conditioning with an interval training session. A sample treadmill interval workout starts with a few minutes of warm-up. Once your muscle tissue is warm and you start to break a light sweat, complete a 15-second sprint followed by a 45-second rest period. Repeat this cycle for a total of 15 minutes.

Other studies suggest that the shorter duration, higher intensity cardio sessions have a similar if not greater effect on cardiovascular improvements. This is good news for all of you with busy schedules. Now you can get the benefits of the traditional long, slow steady state cardio session completed in half the time! If time is of the essence you may even break-up what might be an hour-long workout into two half hour workouts throughout the day. Plan to incorporate cardio or interval training as well as strength training and be sure to allow at least a few hours in between workouts to recover properly. After settling into an exercise regimen, strive to keep the intensity level high and the exercises varied. If you continue to stress your body beyond your comfort level you will become stronger, feel more “toned” and ultimately increase your metabolism.

By making smart incremental choices throughout your day you can reap the rewards of a noticeable change in your metabolism. Eat breakfast and continue to eat light, frequent meals throughout the day, and add 30-60 minutes of exercise on most days of the week. You will soon be on your way to a faster metabolism and the positive results that come along with it: more energy, improved strength and a better-looking physique.

Matthew Alegre, CSCS Master Trainer
With over 10 years of experience in the health and fitness industry, Matthew has trained clients from a variety of fitness backgrounds. His expertise extends from those with special needs and disabilities to Olympic level athletes. For more information about Empower Personal Training please call (919) 401-8024.

VitaBot….How to Enroll

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VitaBot offers a tool to plan meals and give complete balanced nutrition information. In an industry focused primarily on counting calories, VitaBot was designed to shift the focus toward balanced nutrition. VitaBot uses advanced mathematics to “think” for the user, and helps them to easily put foods together, not just balance calories, but to balance micronutrients as well. VitaBot performs hundreds of thousands of calculations for every set of nutritional suggestions. The equations and the resulting suggestions are designed to allow the nutritional data to speak directly to the user, without personal interpretation.

The VitaBot program requires a one-time activation fee of $40 or a one-time Set-Up Consultation with our Registered Dietician and activation fee for $89. After activation, a re-occurring monthly fee of $20 for clients / $30 for non-clients is required to keep the account active. Please see your trainer or call the studio @ (919) 401-8024 to set up your VitaBot account.

I encourage everyone check out http://becomepowerful.vitabot.com and click on “Watch the Demo.” I truly believe that this system can make or break your progress and hard work at the Empower studio. Enjoy!

Matthew Alegre, CSCS Master Trainer
With over 10 years of experience in the health and fitness industry, Matthew has trained clients from a variety of fitness backgrounds. His expertise extends from those with special needs and disabilities to Olympic level athletes. For more information about Empower Personal Training please call (919) 401-8024.