For today’s post, I thought I’d share some exceprts from Dr. Ben’s (Eniva’s Vice Chairman & Chief Medical Officer) March newsletter.  It’s perfect timing actually, since today is kind of a gloomy gray MN day…imagine that. ;-b

But, Spring is just around the corner!!  So, let’s talk about Vitamin D: “The Sunshine Vitamin.”

Vitamin D is often referred to as “The Sunshine Vitamin” because your body produces it in response to being exposed to sunlight.  You also know Vitamin D is important for helping promote healthy bones and teeth in the body through facilitating calcium absorption.  What you may not know is Vitamin D is critical to regulating over 2000 genes in the body involved in multiple areas of health.  Vitamin D plays a critical role in supporting a healthy heart, healthy cellular replication, a healthy immune system, a healthy mood and mental health [giving it another nickname, "The Feel Good Vitamin"], comfort within muscles, and even promoting healthy blood sugar levels – to name just a few!

So, what makes Vitamin D so unique in how it works?

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“One Ounce, One Cell at a Time”
- Bob Britz

Wow!  This has truly been an inspirational week.

I started off the week sharing a story of how one of my very awesome Look Great at the Lake Boot Camp members made some changes in her life to fit in fitness for her family.  Then on Tuesday I introduced you to my friend Steve, his incredible philosophy of giving, and Send Out Cards – my new favorite feel good service.   Yesterday, of course, was my honey’s birthday – by the way, Janell is very appreciative of all the birthday wishes.

Today, I’m going to share with you an honorable experience I had Tuesday night.

Let me give you a little background though…

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Are you ready for some football?!

Super Bowl Sunday is just days away. My two favorite things about Super Bowl Sunday are the hilarious commercials and, of course, the party food.

Unfortunately, all that party food can add up to some serious calories and pack on pounds of fat. In today’s post, I’ll show you how, with just a few tweaks, to make some of those delicious treats healthier and more figure-friendly.

The following is a comprehensive list of both approved food choices and/or healthier substitutes for traditional party foods. Use this list to satisfy your taste buds while saving at least hundreds if not thousands of calories in the process. If you use these strategies consistently for parties and social gatherings over the course of the year, this could prevent 5-10 lbs of fat gain… easily!

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So, last night on our Look Great at the Lake Boot Camp grocery store tour we started talking about eggs and omelets. Personally, I’m a huge fan of eggs; I eat some type of “egg medley” almost every night for my last meal of the day. Anyway, later I was looking at my calendar and noticed that tomorrow is Benedict Arnold’s birthday. That of course made me think of Eggs Benedict. Yummy

Oh, by the way, I wasted a little time on Wikipedia and learned that the delicious egg recipe was not named after Benedict Arnold. There’s actually controversy over who invented the recipe. Whatever. I still decided that since my mind was on Eggs Benedict I would put together a post sharing a healthier alternative recipe – let’s face it, the Hollandaise sauce is good, but it’s where all the bad fat and excess calories come from. I also thought it would be fun to ask you to share some of your own ideas. Let’s really get the comments going on this post.

While there are a ton of different versions, Eggs Benedict is traditionally made with: Eggs, English Muffin, Green Olives or Bacon and Hollandaise sauce.

Try this for breakfast tomorrow (Note: males should have 2 servings)

Healthy Eggs Benedict

1/2 a Toasted Whole Grain English Muffin or better yet Ezekiel English Muffin
1 Fried Egg
1 slice of Canadian Bacon
1 oz. of melted 2% fat cheese of choice

If you’re going low-carb, substitute the English Muffin for a bed of cooked spinach. That’s really good! 

You see; you can still enjoy delicious foods when you make a couple simple changes to the recipe.

I’d love to see some other versions. Please share your ideas by posting a comment below. Thanks!

Have Faith & Take Action!

Justin Yule, B.S., CPT

Your friendly neighborhood Chaska / Chanhassen boot camp instructor and online personal trainer.

Burn 9x more fat at a fraction of the cost of other personal training programs.

P.S. – We don’t advertise this service a lot, but we do provide a complete Kitchen Makeover where we come to your house, clean out your fridge and cupboards, take you on a private grocery shopping trip, cook you a delicious meal, and help you prepare your food for the week. Shoot me an email to learn more.

Woohoo! The holidays are FINALLY over. For me it’s cause for celebration because everyone is looking to make a change. Positive change.

I know, unfortunately, that many people will make silly resolutions and change for a week or two and then go back to their old habits. It happens. But there’s no reason for that to be you.

And hey, you don’t have to change completely overnight. Small changes over time add up to HUGE results. They really do.

I also know you’re looking for simple solutions to make these changes easier. That’s why I love being a partner with Prograde Nutrition. They do one thing incredibly well: they make nutrition easy.

Look, supplements aren’t the end-all-be-all. You need to eat whole foods. You need nutrition from real food. And Prograde knows that. They preach it. But they also know there are gaps you need to fill. And that’s where their awesome products come in. They’ve got a very simple product line that provides the basics. They provide what you need, NOT the garbage and confusing “stacks” that many companies try and trick you into thinking you need.

This week Prograde is celebrating 2010 by offering something they’ve NEVER done before: FREE shipping on orders over $97.

This special only runs through this Friday, January 5th at 11:57pm EST so you need to hurry and place your order before you forget…before it’s too late. All the details are right here: http://justinyule.getprograde.com/specials.html

Last, thanks for being such a loyal reader. 2010 is going to be a happy and healthy year for both of us!

Have Faith & Take Action!

Justin Yule, B.S., CPT

Your friendly neighborhood Chaska / Chanhassen boot camp instructor and online personal trainer.

Burn 9x more fat at a fraction of the cost of other personal training programs.

PS – Again, Prograde makes nutrition easy. You get FREE shipping if you order over $97, but it’s only till this Friday so get on over to http://justinyule.getprograde.com/specials.html RIGHT NOW.

October is SUPERFOOD month!  We’re breaking down the Top 12 Superfoods for you.  We will touch on the nutrient contents as well as tips for each food.  Each week we are focusing on 4 Super foods.

Need to catch up?  Check out Part 1 and Part 2.

Remember a Super food has additional health benefits above and beyond providing your body energy from calories.

9)  Bison also known as buffalo

It’s tender like beef but sweeter and richer in flavor and is not raised like conventional beef cattle with hormone – and antibiotic-laced feed.  Bison can be eaten in place of red meat without the worry of added fat or cholesterol.  Nutritionists are beginning to recommend bison over beef for its superior nutrition profile.
Star Nutrients: Protein and Calcium
Tip: Heart Healthy – The American Heart Association recommends eating bison meat because of its nutritional profile and low-fat, low-cholesterol status.

Conjugated Linoleic Acid: Bison meat is one of the few meats high in CLA, which has been found useful in promotion weight loss.

HALF THE CALORIES:  BISON MEAT HAS HALF THE CALORIES OF PORK OR CHICKEN.

10)  Pumpkin and brightly colored sweet potatoes

These are sweet or savory year-round.  The bright orange flesh of pumpkins indicates that they are loaded with the powerful antioxidant beta-carotene.  One cup of boiled pumpkin provides 310 % of the recommended daily allowance of vitamin A.
Star Nutrients: Carotenoids and Fiber
Tip: Pumpkins are 90 % water.

11)  Soy

Soy can lessen the effects of heart disease and menopause.  Soybean based products contain all of the essential amino acids.  They are also an excellent source of B vitamins, potassium, zinc and other minerals, as well as soluble fiber and omega-3 fatty acids.
Star Nutrients: Protein, Phytoestrogens, and Omega-3 fatty acids
Tip: EAT MORE SOY!  Incorporate soy-based products in your diet by adding soy protein to a smoothie, using firm tofu in stir-fry and drinking soy beverages.  You can also look for soy-based cereals, breads, and yogurts.

12) Oatmeal

Oatmeal ‘s slow-burning complex carbohydrates prolong the feeling of fullness and prevent blood sugar from rising too quickly.  The soluble fiber in oatmeal fills you while lowering blood cholesterol.  Oatmeal also contains plant protein, essential for building muscle.  Oatmeal is one of the few foods rich in silicon, a mineral responsible for building beautiful skin, hair, bones and teeth.  Oats also contain phosphorus, essential for brain and nerve growth during youth.
Star Nutrients: Soluble fiber, Protein, Complex carbohydrates, and Silicon
Tip: REV UP YOUR OATMEAL:  Add one tablespoon each of ground flaxseed, bee pollen and wheat germ you really rev up the nutritional profile.  Add fresh berries and you’ve increased your nutrition substantially.

Well, there you have ‘em.  The Top 12 Superfoods.  Get them on your grocery list and start enjoying their benefits.

Believe & Achieve!

Janell Monson

P.S. – The content of this post comes from a great reference:  The Eat-Clean Diet by Tosca Reno.

October is SUPERFOOD month!  We’re breaking down the Top 12 Superfoods
for you.  We will touch on the nutrient contents as well as tips for
each food.  Each week we will focus on 4 Super foods.  Click HERE to read Part 1.

Remember a Super food has additional health benefits above and beyond providing your body energy from calories.

Read the rest of this entry »

October is SUPERFOOD month!  In the next 3 posts I will break down  the Top 12 Superfoods for you.  We will touch on the nutrient contents as well as tips for each food.  Each week we will focus on 4 Super foods.  Remember a Super food has additional health benefits above and beyond providing your body energy from calories.

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Janell is out of town reliving her glory days today.  It’s her 10-year reunion with her volleyball team that went to the state championship!  She’s pretty excited.  Congratulations babe!

But, have no fear, we’ve still got a great nutrition post for you today.  If you’ve been following Janell’s post you know she’s dedicating October to superfoods.  To take care of that today, we’ve got a post from Dr. Jeff and Dr. Katie Algajer from Discover Chiropractic in Chaska, MN.  Katie is a Look Great at the Lake Boot Camp member, and I’m going to be working with Jeff on some in-home personal training.  They’re a great couple and AWESOME chiropractors.  See what they have to say about superfoods…

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In today’s post we are going to talk about my Top 10 Grocery Shopping Tips to ensure success with your nutrition for the week!  This week’s post preludes a grocery store tour happening with our Look Great at the Lake Boot Camp members next week.  We will walk them through a local grocery store to show them how to put these grocery shopping tips to work.

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