Recipe Exchanges

I enjoy food - even the not so good stuff. But there are ways to enjoy your favorite treats with out as much guilt. A great cooking substitute for cakes and bread is applesauce. Use applesauce instead of oil or butter or go half and half. 1 cup of applesauce = 1 cup of oil. I've never tried it, but refried beans (well blended) also make a good substitute. I like to use flax seed instead of oil in whole wheat pancakes (3TBS of flax per 1TBS oil), throw a banana in there and you've got banana-nut pancakes! Use low fat sour cream or plain yogurt instead of Mayo. I use garlic salt or sea salt instead of regular salt in a lot of my cooking. There's lots of healthy alternatives out there! Even food manufacturers are adjusting to include more whole grains. Mac and Cheese even has a whole grain alternative - 5g of fiber per serving! Just use fat-free milk instead of 2% and maybe a butter alternative such as "I cannot believe it's not butter." Remeber - always in moderation and enjoy!

Muscle vs. Fat

Women don't have enough testosterone to "bulk up." The reason many women think they bulk up when they start lifting weights is because they are putting muscle on (which is awesome - 5lbs of lean muscle mass can increase your metabolism up to 200 calories a day!) but then they are not getting rid of the fat. Muscle does not turn into fat, and fat does not turn into muscle. They are 2 completely separate entities. You want to burn fat and build muscle. Build muscle by lifting weights, and burn fat through cardio. I like to say you can do a million sit ups a day and get a six pack, but it will remain hidden under the layer of fat. So muscle is good, don't be afraid to lift weights, just make sure you are doing your cardio as well.

Cardio Workout

Ever get winded just going up a flight of stairs? If so, intervals at a moderate to high intensity are a great way to conquer that. Every body's heart rate is unique, but thankfully it is something we can train, and increase. Start simple and make sure you get a good warm up in. From there, try using sprints or hills or a combination of both to get your heart rate up as high as you can. If new to intervals, try and maintain this intensity for 3o sec. - 1min. If you are already in good shape shoot for 2-3 minutes. Make sure you give your self enough time to recover in between. You want to let your heart rate come down. Repeat 3-5 times or more if in good shape. Shoot for 1 - 2 x a week.

Cardio Tips

Build a base, and go for quality over quantity. Start easy! If you are just starting, work in your lower heart zones for a couple of weeks to build a base, from there start adding a harder day or two. Over all you should have a balance between easy days, moderate days, and hard/interval days. I absolutely LOVE Polar Heart Rate monitors - awesome tool!!! (try ebay)

Weight Lifting Tips

Try to hit every major muscle group 2x a week, with 36 hours rest between muscle groups. Work larger muscle groups first to prevent early fatigue. Make sure to always work opposite muscle groups for balance. Major Muscle groups; Upper: Chest/Back, Shoulders/Lats, Triceps/Biceps. Lower: Work an overall leg (squat/leg press), then Hamstrings/Quads, Abductors(outer thigh/saddlebag :)/Adductors(inner thigh), Glutes/Calves.

Nutrition Tips

Try to eat smaller meals every 2-3 hours to help increase your metabolism. Think of animals - what do they do all day? They graze - meeting their current metabolic needs. Small frequent meals with a balance of protein, fat, carbs, and fiber, will help you fill fuller longer. www.calorieking.com is another awesome tool - only $55 for an entire year!