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What’s the first thing you do when you’re feeling dragged out and ready to stop and drop? Some people grab a candy bar and others grab a cup of coffee. You can get energy without coffee or sugar and the energy lasts even longer. Unlike both, you won’t come crashing down, create a dependency or interrupt sleep later. Caffeine affects the neurotransmitters, blocking ones that make you feel drowsy and boosting those that make you feel alert. However, there are better ways to give your body a boost that are more long-lasting and can even help you get a good night’s rest.

Try a piece of fruit.

Yes, fruit has sugar, which does help you feel more energetic, but it also has fiber. Fiber slows and helps regulate the absorption of sugar into the bloodstream. It gives you a constant flow of energy. Make that fruit colder and you have a treat that can really boost your energy level. Try freezing grapes and have a few as a snack as an energy boost. The fiber helps you feel full. Apple slices with a touch of peanut butter can also bring a more lasting boost of energy.

Don’t forget water.

Water is a natural boost to your energy, especially for those who are mildly dehydrated. The older you are, the more like that is to happen. Mild dehydration can bring on mind fog, cause exhaustion and even mimic the signs of dementia. If you don’t like plain water, try making infused water and keeping it on hand. You can infuse it with fresh fruit, herbs, spices or vegetables, to add flavor but few if any calories.

It has similar energy boosting effects to coffee, tea is a good alternative.

Tea, especially green tea, has similar effects to coffee, but doesn’t leave you feeling jittery. While scientists have discovered benefits in coffee, tea has even more, especially green tea. The more green tea you drink, the more benefits you get. There’s a direct correlation to the amount green tea consumed daily and longevity. Herbal teas, like ginger or peppermint tea can also boost your energy level.

• Just move! Get your blood circulating to increase your energy level. If you’ve ever driven long hours and found yourself moving around, trying to stay awake you know intuitively that moving helps boost energy levels.
• Eat some protein and fruit. A cup of Greek yogurt with berries, banana slices and nuts provide the carbs for instant energy and the protein and fat to keep your energy level higher, longer.
• Go out in the sun. Getting your daily dose of sunshine can boost your energy and your mood, especially if you take a walk in a park or where there’s lots of green. It increases energy, while providing relaxation. Walk barefoot on grass if you can.
• Sniff a whiff of essential oils or pack a lemon or orange peel in a plastic bag. Some scents can make you feel revitalized. Cinnamon, citrus and peppermint are good ones. Dab some oil on a cotton ball and seal it in a plastic bag. Open the bag and sniff when you need a boost.

For more information, contact us today at Next Level Fitness

Like other types of dairy, cheese provides vitamin A, calcium, healthy fat and protein. Also like other types of dairy products, it’s even better if the milk comes from cows that are grass-fed and organic. There’s a growing body of evidence that questions the benefits and whether cheese is bad for you that considers other factors, like the amount of cheese you eat. For instance, it’s high in fat, so overindulgence can pack on the pounds. Some types of cheese are also better for you than others are.

Cheese is made from milk that has added salt, good bacteria and an enzyme, rennet.

There are eight different types of cheese and within those categories, many variations. Fresh cheese is one that’s ready to eat and doesn’t require aging. They include cottage cheese and ricotta. Mild semi-soft cheese is aged from a few days to a few months. These include Monterey Jack and Havarti. Soft ripened cheese gets softer with age and include Brie and Camembert. American or French goat cheese are surface-ripened. The outside is a rind with the interior soft or runny. Semi-hard cheese is the broadest category and include Swiss, cheddar and Colby. Hard cheeses are well aged and include Gouda and Parmigiano-Reggiano. Blue cheese is easy to recognize and includes Roquefort and Gorgonzola. Washed rind cheese, the final category, have an orange-pinkish rind from being washed with brine, beer or other alcohol. Limburger and Muenster are in that group.

There are some cheeses that even lactose intolerant people can eat and ones that are better for dieters.

The longer cheese is aged, the less lactose it contains, so it doesn’t have the same effect on those that are lactose intolerant. Muenster, Camembert, Brie, cheddar, Provolone, Gouda, Blue, Parmesan and Swiss are the ones with the least amount of lactose. If you’re trying to lose weight, cheese with higher calories include Parmesan, Cheddar, Monterey Jack, Fintina and Romano. Those that are lower in calories per serving include Mozzarella. Feta and goat cheese. The healthiest types of cheese include Mozzarella, blue cheese, Feta, cottage cheese, Swiss cheese, Ricotta and goat cheese.

It’s not always the cheese that’s the unhealthy part of the food.

Cheese is often used in dishes that aren’t the healthiest. It tops loaded fries, pizza and other high calorie, not so healthy foods. Not all cheese is real cheese. For instance, those American cheese slices people often use are really cheese food. They contain additives to give them a longer shelf life. In fact, those additives are over half the ingredients of the product.

• Some of those additives include sodium phosphate, sorbic acid and calcium phosphates. Calcium phosphates increase the firmness of the cheese. Calcium phosphates also are used in fertilizers.
• If you’re going to eat cheese, eat full fat cheese. Low fat cheese has other additives to make it taste good. It also is missing the healthy fat that keeps you feeling fuller and provides benefits for your body.
• If you want shredded cheese, do it yourself. Don’t buy the pre-shredded kind. In order to keep from clumping, manufacturers use additives to prevent that. Shredded cheese is also subject to mold quicker. Block cheese is cheaper, lasts longer and you can freeze it.
• Cheese made from the milk of grass fed cows is healthier. It contains more conjugated linoleic acid (CLA), which makes it heart healthier. It also contains more omega-3 fatty acids and the optimal ratio of omega-3 to omega-6.

For more information, contact us today at Next Level Fitness

It’s getting warmer and that means beach weather is just around the corner. If you’re out of shape, you’ll miss out on a lot of the fun. It takes energy to keep up with all the summer activities and of course, you want a beach ready body, too. You can start today to get ready for summer by making a few changes and sticking with a fitness program and program of healthy eating. If you’re completely out of shape, you need to start slowly and work toward peak intensity. This is the perfect time of year to start eating healthy, since fresh fruits and vegetables are readily available.

A few months can make an incredible difference.

After just one week of exercise, you’ll start noticing mental changes. You’ll feel more confident about yourself. When you stick with working out for two weeks, you’ll notice improved stamina and more energy. After a month, if you’re eating healthy and working out, you’ll start noticing some changes in your body, like more muscle mass and less fat, and potentially a weight loss of 2-4 pounds, using 1-2 pounds a week as a healthy weight loss goal.

In just two months, you’ll lose up to 20-pounds or more.

It’s hard to say exactly how much you’ll lose or project exactly how your body will look, since everyone is different, but it definitely will look better and you’ll feel more energetic. You’ll burn more calories 24/7, since you’ll have more muscle tissue, which requires more calories to maintain than fat tissue does. Muscle tissue weighs more per cubic inch than fat does, so one pound of muscle takes less space. That means you’ll look thinner, even if you didn’t lose a pound and if you lost 20 pounds, it will look like you lost a lot more.

As you get fitter, start getting more active.

You’ll have the energy to do more active things, plus workout at the gym. That means you’ll make even more progress. Keep the extra activities fun and don’t focus on strength building two days in a row. Your personal trainer can help you with your workout program in the gym and maybe offer suggestions of activities that are both fun and geared toward fitness, like swimming. The more active you are, the more energy you’ll build.

• Even if you aren’t trying to lose weight, healthy eating should be a key priority. You need a well-balanced diet to build muscle tissue and to boost your energy level.
• Working out can help improve your body’s appearance even if you don’t have to lose weight. It can tone your derriere, tone arms, flatten your tummy, build more attractive legs and help hide cellulite.
• Have fun with the kids. You’ll have more energy, so playing in the park, taking them on hikes and riding bikes or hula hooping with the family can be part of your exercise program, plus get the kids more active.
• Don’t forget to include flexibility training. Not only does it help prevent injury, it also makes you more graceful and agile. It can shave years off your silhouette as you gracefully walk on the beach.

For more information, contact us today at Next Level Fitness

Getting the right fuel before a workout is important. It can keep you going at peak performance until the end. However, you have to choose the right foods to eat after a workout, too. You need fuel to repair muscles and replenish the muscle glycogen you depleted during your workout. Consuming the right type of food after you workout can replenish the muscle glycogen that you depleted when you were exercising. It also helps boost protein synthesis, which helps repair and build new muscle tissue, while restoring fluid and electrolyte balance.

You need both carbohydrates and protein.

After you workout, you need the quick energy of a carbohydrate, plus protein to rebuild muscles. Try to eat as soon as possible after your workout if you had a tough session. The snack should consist of 20-30 grams of protein and 30-40 grams of carbohydrates. You can wait longer and just eat a well-balanced meal if your workout was lighter, like jogging.

Some good options after a workout can be simple.

Eggs are an excellent source of protein and that makes a hard-boiled egg and easy choice. It comes in its own container, so just peel it, slice it and put it between two slices of whole wheat bread or on crackers. Slices of cheese on crackers or chicken breast on whole wheat are two other options. Plain Greek yogurt with fresh fruit chopped in it is another good option. The fruit is the carbs and the yogurt is the protein.

Other simply to carry options for a post workout snack can include peanut butter and apples.

Peanut butter is a great source of protein, but make sure you opt for the natural peanut butter. It only has one ingredient and that’s peanuts, although some may have salt in it as well. As noted before, other protein sources include Greek yogurt and cheese. Tuna and chicken breasts are also good choices. The carbohydrate part of the mix can be whole grain bread or crackers, fresh fruit or vegetables. Roasted sweet potato slices with a yogurt dip also make a good after workout snack.

If you’re working out at home or have access to a freezer, a frozen banana dipped in dark chocolate, then rolled in crushed walnuts not only provides both protein and carbs, it also acts like a natural anti-inflammatory.

Make a healthy, easy to transport tuna salad. Just use tuna, onions, celery and dressing made from mayo, Greek yogurt and mustard. Mix and put on one slice of whole grain toast after a tough workout.

No matter how tempting it may seem, deep-fried wings and other similar types of protein won’t do. You need a healthy source, like baked chicken breast or other lean meat.

What could be easier than a bottle or container of chocolate milk after a workout. It offers two times as much carbs and protein as sports drinks. It also helps replace the sweat you lost during your workout and offers even more nutrients.

What are trans fats? They’re partially hydrogenated oil and at one time were touted as healthy. Crisco is probably one of the best known hydrogenated vegetable oils. It came to market in 1911 and was touted as healthy, since it was made of vegetable oil. Even up to the 1980s, people promoting healthy living promoted the oils containing trans fats. Burger King’s switch to partially hydrogenated oils—trans fats—was described by the Center for Science in Public Interest as a “great boon to Americans’ arteries,” but by 2018 the FDA banned the fats in the USA. Crisco has changed its formula to remove most trans fats.

Trans fats are still in foods.

Even though it may be banned, small amounts of manmade trans fats still are in foods, primarily because of processing methods. It may be in food before the ban that’s still on the shelves. Remember some snack foods seem last forever on the shelf. One reason is that manmade trans fats is created to extend shelf life. Natural trans fats found in animal products may actually be good for you, but manmade may cause insulin resistance and other physical problems.

Think microwave popcorn and fast foods.

If it’s fried, it may contain trans fats. Fried chicken, French fries, donuts and other stop and chomp foods may contain trans fats. When oil is heated to high temperatures, the amount of trans fats it contains increases. Each time it’s reused and heated the amount continues to increase. Butter substitutes produced before 2018 may have trans fats. The high melting point of trans fats makes it a good option for microwave popcorn, too.

Bakery good, like cakes, pies, muffins and pastries are made with margarine or vegetable shortening.

If you want a flakier pie crust or softer pastry, margarine or vegetable shortening is good to use. It also is cheaper and has a longer shelf life, making it ideal for manufacturers. Partially hydrogenated oils are no longer part of vegetable shortening or margarine, so the amount of trans fats they contain is diminished. Fried donuts and other fried sweets may still contain it.

• Nondairy creamers contain mostly sugar and oil. Traditionally it was partially hydrogenated oil for a longer shelf life. While the liquid form has changed to fully hydrogenated oil, there are still some powdered non-dairy creamers you may have in your cupboard, since they last longer.
• Trans fats can also be found in smaller amounts in a range of other foods manufactured before the FDA ban went into full effect.
• Trans fats cause inflammation and inflammation can lead to heart disease, arthritis, some types of cancer and diabetes. Both butter and margarine contain trans fats, but butter’s is natural and margarine’s is manmade. Studies show inflammatory markers increase with margarine, not butter.
• Read the labels for ingredients and serving size, particularly potato and corn chips, canned frosting, crackers and pizza and avoid those with partially hydrogenated oil. Companies are allowed to say they have 0 trans fats if the content is as high as 0.5 grams per serving.

For more information, contact us today at Next Level Fitness