Firestarter

 
"I have created Fire!"

FIRESTARTER Workshop
It's all about your metabolism …
what is your metabolism? What are ways to improve your metabolism? How can your metabolism work in your favor?  Everyone wants their metabolism to be working for them and to be at a higher rate, come find out why.
 
If you have ANY questions on metabolism you wont want to miss this!

Location:
University of Utah
LNCO 1100
255 S Central Campus Dr
Salt Lake City, UT 84112 USA

Directions:
Head east on 100 S
Turn slight left onto North Campus Dr.
Turn Right onto Central Campus Dr.
Stay right at fork and follow road to far South end of parking lot

Did I mention that you need your gallon of water today, just did! 

The Power of 7

That is the number of meals/snacks that should be eaten in a day.  With that said let me quantify this statement with, these are smaller meals and healthy choices!  Eating crap food seven times a day is still crap!  You need to eat several meals throughout the day with the most important being Breakfast, do not skip this meal. 

When you wake up in the morning, first thing is to down a glass of water, not just eight ounces but sixteen or more and then get ready for the day and have/grab your breakfast before you go. 

I have mentioned things like avocado, tomato, and cucumber or grain cereal, that is not processed, like steel cut oats.  In a couple of hours you can have a snack like almonds, pecans, carrots, tomato, or bell pepper, just go with easy stuff. Enjoy your lunch, however do not be surprised if you have had a snack or two before lunch.  The mid day is usually a tough time so ensure you have healthy choices for snacking and avoid the vending machine, it is all poison!  Have a good snack and be flexible, if you have a long day get an extra snack in there so you can make it home for dinner and that your not starving for the commute where you might be tempted to stop for the all-to-easy fast-food!  Fast-food is of the devil!  It is poison, danger!  Look at a previous post about preparing snacks/meals in advance so you have the healthy choices at hand.

Alkaline Ionized water is the best water for you, more will follow about this phenomenal water and where you can get it, benefits to your body, and why you need it today!

Have you drank your gallon of water today?  Stay on track you can do it!

Marketing Scam

Have a coke and a smile!?  McDonald is healthy food? This is the berage of commercials you were hit with during the Olympics, but especially during the closing ceremony.  The reason we have an epidemic of obesity, diabetes, and high blood pressure lies squarely with the marketing that has been presented to America on a regular basis.  Don't believe the hype:  A coke has 7 teaspoons of sugar in 12 oz. and it is like battery acid to your teeth and your body.

McDonald's menu is full of processed food and empty calories. Every commercial on TV is basically a lie to get you to buy something, they elude to things that are cool or how you need their product but in the end it is a lie.  Don't give in!

Do your research, found out what is really in the food you eat.  Read the label!  Pay close attention to the serving size, companies are now dropping the serving size so that their product does not seem so bad.  Be an educated consumer, grow your own food, buy from a local farmers market, and be responsible for your actions.  Take charge!  You are not a mindless drone swayed by the latest fad or marketing illusion.

Nuts about nuts

I love to eat nuts and they are not always healthy for you if they are not the right ones!  So do I eat the healthy ones?  The answer would be most of the time, however I like to eat the mixed nuts from the can and that is not good because they have added sugar and salt.  Stay away from these as much as possible, realizing they are not good for you even if they are the healthier nuts.

Almonds are a nut I have mentioned before and here is why, 10-15 of these bad boys and you get 25% of the Magnesium your body needs in a day.  Calcium, vitamin E and selenium are also found in almonds as well as being a great source of fiber

Walnuts look like a brain for a reason, have you noticed that when you look at them?  Walnuts are packed full of ellagic acid and polyphenols!  Research has shown that consuming walnuts are related to heart health, increased cognitive functions and fighting disease through the polyphenols.

Pecans are another great nut to eat because they have 20 essential vitamins and minerals!  Pecans are also linked to reducing cholesterol!  If you want the true benefits of these nuts they should be eaten in their raw organic form and not from a can, roasted, honey glazed or any other type of processing, the process changes the chemical composition of the nuts and thus they are not as healthy or can even be worse for you because of the sugar and salt!

When enjoying your nuts always remember to drink your gallon of water!

5 Minute Challenge

     Instructions:
 

- deep breaths for 5 minutes

- breathe in what you want

- exhale all the trash

- LISTEN

Try Something New

Try a new health recipe today, something with flavor from another country.  The first dish pictured has an Italian flair, since we are going with pasta.  I would recommend whole wheat past for this dish.  I always use EEOV (Rachael Ray) anytime I have to use an oil, I really like who light it is and it tastes great.  You can sub vinegar watered down for the white wine.  The horseradish gives a little kick, use more or less depending upon your taste.

Pasta
4 chicken breasts, cut into chunks or strips
2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
2 cloves garlic, minced
3/4 cup white wine
1 16-ounce box rotelle pasta, cooked
1 tablespoon toasted pine nuts
1 tablespoon basil, sliced into thin strips
2 tablespoons Parmesan cheese, grated 

Throw some pesto on there

Add the peppers:

12oz jar of roasted peppers

add water 1/4 cup or use juice from jar

1+ tablespoons of balsamic vinegar

1 teaspoon of horseradish

Jamaican Jerk Chicken is a great island treat, very tastee and healthy dish.  Use fresh fruits and vegetables for this recipe, remember that canned pineapple is in syrup so there is added sugar.  Spritz the pineapple and pepper with EEOV and grill.  I oft times grill the chicken with the skin on, animal fat is good for you, however if you want take the skin off after words, this also helps if you overcook the chicken the skin will be burnt but the meat underneath will still be good.  Mix the Seasoning and oil to apply on chicken or just dry rub and use no oil.

4-6 chicken breasts or thighs

1.5 Tablespoons of Jerk Seasoning

1.5 Tablespoons of EEOV

Enjoy one of these Olympic inspired dishes while watching or re-enacting your favorite Olympic event.  This was seen on Runnersworld and modified to be a little more healthy.

Pain recap

 Motion is the way we get around, the question is, are we moving correctly.  Proper posture is very important and holding our core in the correct alignment, this allows us to get a workout while at work.  There are eight chains that cross our bodies six positions, across three planes.

Pain in one area of your body may be caused by another area within one of the chains.  There are several alignment tests that can be performed with corrective exercises as prescribed by your personal trainer.  Wall test, Straight Leg Raise, Seated Rotation, Hurdle Step, and Overhead Squat are the tests to perform.

Remember, Align, Challenge, Stretch!

Did I tell you to drink your gallon of water?  Just did!

Nutrition

Tomorrows workshop is all about nutrition.  The workshop is called: Pizza, Diet Coke, and Veggies! one of these things is not like the other.

Our most popular questions about nutrition will be addressed tomorrow night. 

How much protein should I eat?  

Do carbs really make me fat?  

Is skipping meals dangerous?  

Am I eating enough?  

Why do I keep gaining when I eat so little?

...just some of the questions we will cover in this workshop.  Bring a friend, everyone is welcome.

This will be presented up at the U in the Carolyn Tanner Irish Humanities Building Rm# 101 at 7PM.  Everyone should be there!  We will see you there! 

Did I mention that you need your gallon of water today, just did!

Friends at OR

Some of the Progression7 crew hung out at Outdoor Retailer this weekend to strengthen relationships with some sponsors.  The weekend was successful and we even made a video or two while out there.  Jane worked hard with TruFit who has a mission very similar to ours and really wants to make a difference.

They have some cool training equipment that will hopefully be incorporated into some gyms throughout the valley.  Real X Gear with their Xtreme Cooling Towels was another great company that can help contestants as they go through the contest and more about them will follow in an upcoming workshop.

The biggest thing that was taken away from the expo was that you have to ask for what you want.  When you want something or need to achieve a goal, oft times you can get it done through the help of others.  No one can help you if they are not aware of a need, ask, let someone know what you seek and how you want to get there and see what happens.  You can do a lot, more than you know, however you cannot always do it all yourself.  Ask for help!

Jane says

First at OR Jane Williams, trainer extraordinaire, thew down on some of True Fits equipment and she rocked it by working form, being strong, and going thru the pain.  Way to go Jane

Plan and plan

 More can be accomplished in a day if you have made a plan for the week of what can and should be done.  Devote time each week to plan each day of the week and the tasks you need to complete.  In the evening review the plan for the day and the tasks you finished.  Look a head to tomorrow and adjust your plan to compensate for something you may have missed. 

 Make notes so when you review your week and plan for the next you will know where you have been and if you are on track for where you are headed!

Remember to add a gallon of water to your daily routine!!  Put it on your schedule!

Kiss Pain Goodbye

I can’t wait to be part of the Health & Fitness WORKSHOPS by Jeromy Williams.  The first one is Thursday, Aug. 2^nd, at 7pm (“Kiss Pain G’bye” – all about proper Kinetic Movement and Brain Function to avoid surgery and stay active without pain and without drugs to cope).

I believe in No Pain, No Pain

There is a pain you have to endure but that is only when I am working as an athlete to achieve a goal, finish a race or train harder.  However I want to avoid injury.

Come listen to this workshop and learn how your body movement should be

This will be amazing!

Contestants watch for an email about the other topics.  They are fun, entertaining, but more importantly consist of real science, current research, and strong statistics that will help you with the best results during the contest.

Carolyn Tanner Irish Humanities Building
University of Utah
215 S. Central Campus Dr.
SLC, UT 84112

The Core Crew

Big ups to everyone who helped out with the initial weigh in!  We are so excited for another contest to begin!  Congratulations to our contestants who are putting themselves out there to make a difference in their lives, we welcome you and introduce you to "The Crew"  So much more will follow on the website, however be sure to follow this blog so that you can get all the latest information as well as daily (most days) tips.