Bonus Bucks!

Shopping for the holidays? Check out this offer from Richmond Balance:

If you purchase a gift certificate for a friend or family member, Richmond Balance will match 20% of your purchase with "Bonus Bucks" that can be spent on various items at the gym!

Bonus Bucks can be used on your own membership, additional personal training sessions, waters, Gatorade and merchandise.

Annual Gym Membership: $687.00
Bonus Bucks: $137.00

6-Pack of Personal Training: $390.00
Bonus Bucks: $78.00

12-Pack of Personal Training: $720.00
Bonus Bucks: $144.00

Want to know more? Give us a call at: 804.343.1234

We're going Rock Climbing!

Join us at 9:45 am on Saturday, December 12 at Peak Experiences Climbing Center.

We’ll spend 90 minutes climbing and having fun together. Peak Experiences is one of the largest indoor wall-climbing facilities on the east coast. There are a number of different walls to choose to climb depending on your preference and skill level.

Come on out! The cost is only $25.00 and includes a harness, all the necessary climbing gear, and a certified belayer (the person who stands at the bottom of the wall and holds the ropes).

Give us a call at the gym so we can add your name to the list, 804.343.1234
Bring a friend!

5 lb. Challenge!

Just a couple weeks until Thanksgiving and a little bit more than a month until Christmas and Hanukkah!

Regardless of which holidays you celebrate, there's no denying that all kinds of sweet and savory treats will abound.

So, in the spirit of both celebrating and staying healthy, Richmond Balance is hosting its annual 5lb weight challenge!

Here's how it works: coming into the gym during staffed hours the week of November 15-21 to "weigh in" with a Richmond Balance staff member. We'll record your pre-holiday weight. Then, after the dust settles from New Year's, come back during the week of January 2-8 and if you've lost 5lbs, you win a free membership for the month of February!

Come sign up today!

October-Breast Cancer Awarenes Month

Hi everyone,

Did you know it’s Breast Cancer Awareness Month?

During October, individuals, businesses and corporations everywhere are raising funds, awareness, and remembering those in our lives who have been or are affected by breast cancer.

This year, I am personally more aware of breast cancer than I have ever been as I celebrate my aunt’s successful fight after having been diagnosed with abnormal cell growth in her breast, several months ago.

Chances are, you have a story too about someone whose life has been affected because of breast cancer.

So, in support of the fight against breast cancer, Richmond Balance is donating a portion of all new membership fees to the Virginia Breast Cancer Foundation. Each new member also has the option to make their contribution in honor of or in memory of someone.

There is much that we can do to help fight this global battle of breast cancer!

Prevention
Breast cancer prevention is real and important. Women should perform self-examanations monthly and report any abnormalities to a doctor immediately. Cancer is most treatable in its earliest stages, so knowing your body and being able to detect any breast differences (shape, masses, discolorizations) is crucial. Women over the age of 40 should get yearly mammograms too. Check out this page on the American Cancer Society’s webpage to learn more: http://www.cancer.org/docroot/CRI/content/CRI_2_6x_How_to_perform_a_breast_self_exam_5.asp
Diet and Exercise
Being a gym, of course we have to say something about eating healthy and working out, right? Right! But it just so happens that eating well and getting regular exercise plays a vital role in lowering your risk for all kinds of cancer.

The following is recognized as important elements in cancer prevention:

Eating lots of fruits and veggies: at least 5 servings a day!
Avoiding unprotected sunlight for long periods of time: Put your sunscreen on!
Keep alcohol consumption to a minimum: Not only good for cancer prevention but also cutting out calories that make it hard to drop pounds!
Make sure you’re getting at least 30 minutes of heart-pumping exercise 5 days a week: Come check out our treadmills-they’re really nice!

This month is the perfect time to get healthy and be part of doing something to make sure others stay healthy too. Learn more and make a difference by giving us a call at 804.343.1234

Did You Know?

For your enjoyment, a few very random facts about food, health and fitness.

There are 206 bones in the human body. 25% of them are in your feet.

A 12-ounce can of soda can contain as much as 13 teaspoons of sugar! That’s an entire day’s worth of sugar!

The first marathon allegedly took place in 489 BC, when a messenger ran from the town of Marathon to Athens to warn them of an attack.

The average person’s body holds 1.3 gallons of blood.

In one study, peppermint was shown to make people feel more energized after working out.

The best time to shop for shoes is in the aternoon; your feet swell during the day, so a pair that felt right in the morning may be tight in the afternoon

The pigment in spinach leaves can be used to make ink.

Apples are fat, sodium, and cholestrol free.

Chili

In celebration of fall (and because I like it so much), I’m posting a chili recipe. I had my first bowl of seasonal chili last week and I’m hoping to eat many more!

I know lots of people have a chili recipe that has been passed down from a family member or perfected over time. If you are this person, I admire you and hope you’ll share your secrets to perfect chili with me.

On the other hand, if you’re like me and don’t have a personalized recipe, you may want to check out the one below.Not only is this is a healthy recipe but a fast one too! The nutritional info is at the bottom.
It’s a white chili, which means it doesn’t use the traditional tomato base. Instead, it calls for white beans, chicken (or turkey), broth and a medley of spices. If your tastebuds can handle it, it's not a bad idea to throw some spice from chili peppers in too. Some studies have shown that spicy food speeds up your metabolism and can help you burn more calories.

Remember, there are no rules for making chili so spice it up, top it off with a dollop of yogurt, add some veggies or crush whole wheat tortilla chips in it. Anything goes!

Let me know what you think in the comment box below. Enjoy.

White Chili- taken from http://www.eatingwell.com/

Ingredients
1 tablespoon canola oil
1 1/2 cups chopped onion
2 4-ounce cans chopped green chiles
1 teaspoon dried oregano
1 teaspoon ground cumin
1/8-1/4 teaspoon cayenne pepper
3 15-ounce cans great northern beans, rinsed
4 cups reduced-sodium chicken broth
4 cups diced cooked skinless turkey, or chicken
2 tablespoons cider vinegar

Preparation
Heat oil in a large pot or Dutch oven over medium-high heat. Add onion; cook, stirring occasionally, until softened, about 5 minutes. Stir in chiles, oregano, cumin and cayenne. Cook, stirring occasionally, for 5 minutes. Stir in beans and broth; bring to a simmer. Cook, stirring occasionally, for 20 minutes. Add turkey (or chicken) and vinegar; cook for 5 minutes more. Serve.

Nutrition
Per serving : 453 Calories; 6 g Fat; 2 g Sat; 2 g Mono; 68 mg Cholesterol; 44 g Carbohydrates; 44 g Protein; 9 g Fiber; 213 mg Sodium; 965 mg Potassium

Nifty Fitness Tracker

Made a cool little discovery today. If you go to this page on the WebMD website, you can measure and keep track of your health efforts. It’s super simple and even a little bit fun!

Here’s what you do:

1.Put in your personal criteria (gender, age, weight,)
2.Enter your current level of fitness
3.Select your goal (ie. Lose 1 lb. per week, maintain your current weight)

Once you’ve filled all that in, click calculate. You’ll see your results in a column on the left. It will have calculated your BMI, necessary caloric intake (based on your fitness goal), and will tell you your ideal weight and heart rate range. How cool is that?

Step 2.
This is where you check out the column on the right. You’ll see two categories, “Add a Food to Your Plan” and “Add an Activity to Your Plan”. These tools let you measure the amount of calories per food item and also give you an idea of how many calories you are burning. All you do is enter the food and/or activity and the number of calories pops up. I was impressed with the number of options in the activity box. You can calculate how many calories you’re burning while cleaning your house, sitting at your desk, or running a mile. Handy, right?

Last thing on the page are two scales that look like speedometers. The green one measures your calories from food and the orange one measure the calories from fitness. There’s also a little bar that show where you are on your daily caloric intake and lets you know how many you have left. Read: lets you know how many more scoops of ice cream you can have.

So try it out and let us know what you thought! You can leave your comments below.

Happy Fall!

Fitness in the US vs China

When was the last time you actually played at a park? Not just sitting on the bench and watching your kids while you write emails on your BlackBerry but actually climbing up the tiny ladders and spinning on the merry-go-round.

…Chances are, it’s been awhile. Because playgrounds are for kids, right?

Maybe not. In China, the government initiated a Nationwide Physical Fitness Program that encourages both children and adults to participate in at least an hour of physical activity every day. Part of the program included building new public fitness areas and centers. Some of the areas include outdoor venues specifically designed with stationary exercise equipment.

Playgrounds for adults. So cool.

The cultural contrast between working out in China and working out in the United States is an interesting one. I’m no anthropologist, but I’ve spent some time living in both China and the U.S. and I’ve noticed a few things:

1.Some of us (maybe most of us?) Americans prefer to hide while we’re exercising. Unless we’re running down the road with our $100 Nikes and Ipod, we generally prefer a well air conditioned gym, fancy pool, or scheduled yoga class. God forbid we do Pilates on our front lawn in front of the neighbors, right?

2.In China, its likely (and culturally acceptable) to see dozens of people walking around early in the morning, stretching on the streets or shamelessly using special exercise equipment built specifically for outdoor venues. Tai Chi an ancient martial arts form that focuses on balance, relaxation, and coordination is commonly practiced in parks, on sidewalks, and on streets.

So maybe we’re not going to do any crunches in front of Ukrop’s but the idea of using what’s around us to contribute to a healthy lifestyle is a good one. So get on a swing and reset your record for “how high you can go”. You might be surprised.

Nutrition Facts are more than calories

Do you ever find that you know exactly how many calories are in a food you eat but you can't name one other thing about that food? I cannot tell you how many people I have come across that are like the calorieking database. Nutrition Facts panels have a lot more information than just how many calories are in the product. Here are some other things you may want to key in on:

1. Serving Size
Just because a product has fewer calories listed than another product does not mean that it really is a lower calorie product or even that it is equivalent to another product. For example, a granola cereal may state that it contains 200 calories and another puffed rice may say the same. However, when you look at the serving size, the granola cereal may have 200 calories in only a 1/2 cup portion while you could have 1 cup of the other! Of course it would be easier if foods from the same group had standard portions, but since they don't, be aware of the differences.

2. Fats
A healthy diet consists of 20-25% of your calories from fat so choosing nonfat foods all the time would not be a healthy choice. Low fat foods are ideal -- you get a little bit of fat to help you absorb vitamins and minerals but you are also cutting back on the saturated fat from your diet. There of 4 types of fats -- monounsaturated, polyunsaturated, saturated, and trans. The first two are the fats that you wan to get the 20-25% of your daily calories from. The saturated and trans fats should be kept to less than 10% and less than 1% respectively. Why are they so bad for you? Saturated fat can increase your LDL (bad cholesterol) and trans fat goes even farther to lower your HDL (good cholesterol) and raise your LDL. When it comes to trans fat, food labels can be very sneaky. If a product has less than 0.5g trans fat in a serving, a label can claim that it is trans fat free! That may be okay if you only eat a serving of this food every once in a while but when your diet only allows for approximately 2g a day, there really is no room for this. You can figure out which foods contain trans fat but don't list it in the nutrition facts by reading the ingredients list and looking for the words "partially hydrogenated oil". That is a red flag that there are trans fats in the product and it may be a good idea to put the product back on the shelf and find an alternative.

3. Fiber
Listed under total carbohydrates, you can find two types of fiber -- soluble and insoluble. Some packages just list total fiber but others break it down into these two categories. Fiber is found in foods that contain fruits, vegetables, whole grains, and nuts. It is a fibrous substance that adds bulk to your food and will help you to stay full longer as it slows the digestive process. It is a great thing to have in a snack to hold you over until the next meal but not such a great option if you eat it pre-workout. Since it does delay digestion, it can cause stomach discomfort as your body will be trying to digest and work out at the same time. So, in summary: choose fiber whenever you can except when going to work out within the next hour or two.

4. Ingredient List
This is right below the box of nutrition facts. Here you will find the list of ingredients in the product in order of their amount (in weight) from greatest to least. This is a great place to check out what you are really eating. If you are looking for a wheat bread, you want to make sure that the first ingredient is 100% whole wheat. If you are looking for a cereal and want to know how healthy it is, see how close sugar is to the beginning of the list. If it is the 2nd or 3rd ingredient then you know that most of the calories are coming from sugar and not whole grains.

While there is much more that a nutrition panel can tell you, these are a few highlights that you would want to focus on. Yes, it does take a little more time in the grocery store to look at the food labels, but once you know what is a good choice, you won't have to read it the next trip.

How Much Protein do I really need?

I'll just start with the facts: protein can be confusing. The Atkins diet greatly contributed to the idea of a high protein, low carb diet and you often hear athletes talking about protein and protein shakes all the time. The answer about how much you really need is basically that it depends. It depends on you -- one answer does not fit everyone. The dietary guidelines recommend that adults eat 0.8g/kg of body weight. Ok... now in pounds that is about 0.4g/lb. When I computed this for myself, I found it to be fairly close with the estimate -- about a 4g difference between estimating with pounds versus kilograms. This may surprise you that the amount of protein you need is probably not even close to 100g a day. Most Americans get almost 200% of the amount of protein they need. However, there are some exceptions to when you need more protein in your diet. If you are seriously looking to put on muscle in the gym, body builders often aim for 1g/pound but it may be more reasonable to stay closer to 0.5-0.8g/pound.
So, maybe you are thinking you are eating too much protein or maybe not enough. To evaluate your protein intake, you need to take a look at what you are eating. Protein is not just found in meat although it is one of the best sources. Generally, 1 oz. of meat is equivalent to 7g of protein. Meat is classified in the mypyramid recommendations as "meat and beans". Also in this group is seeds, nuts, eggs (whole and egg whites), and of course as the name suggests, beans. Based on the 2,000 calorie diet that most people need, it is recommended to consume 6 oz. equivalents of this group. The ounce equivalents of the meat and beans group differs for the non-meat foods but mypyramid.gov/pyramid/meat does a great job of outlining how much equals an ounce. It may surprise you that there are other sources of protein in your diet that contribute quite a bit of protein to your daily total. Milk has 8g in each cup and pasta has 7g in one cup. If you notice that you are eating too much protein, look at the rest of your diet. Does your lunch consist of a deli sandwich with an inch of meat on it? If so, it is possible that your diet is lacking in fruits and vegetables. Cut back on some of the meat, load up on veggies, and also only eat half the sandwich. Instead of that other half, try eating some fruit on the side. Is your diet lacking in protein even though you eat meat? You can increase your protein intake by choosing higher protein items of the same foods you already eat. For example, select Greek yogurt over the regular style. Many brands pack 15g of protein into one serving. You can also try pastas like Barilla plus that boasts of the extra protein in each serving.
If you are still questioning what a day's worth of protein looks like, here is an example:

For a 140 pound woman who is moderately active, she would need 56g of protein.

Breakfast:
1 cup light yogurt
1 banana
1/2 cup granola cereal

Snack
1 cup grapes
1 mini bagel with jelly

Lunch
2 slices wheat bread
2 oz. turkey
tomatoes, onion, lettuce, green peppers, and avocado
1 cup strawberries
1 oz. wheat pretzel twists

Snack
3/4 cup baby carrots
2 tbsp. hummus

Dinner
2 cups romaine lettuce with tomatoes, cucumber, and onion
2 Tbsp.light dressing
1 cup wheat pasta
1 cup sauteed zucchini and summer squash with diced tomatoes
2 Tbsp parmesan cheese

Snack
1/2 cup frozen yogurt

For more information on good sources of protein or if you are meeting your needs, feel free to
e-mail me with questions.

Want A Free Gym Membership?

Richmond Balance is offering all members a FREE Gym Membership For One Year !!!!!!

Membership Referral Program:
Sign up 5 new members at Richmond Balance between August 1, 2009 and November 1, 2009 and receive a FREE gym membership valued at $588.00.

Rules and Regulations:

1) Offer only valid for referrals that sign a one or two year membership contract at Richmond Balance.
2) Members that sign up on a Partner/Family Membership or Add-on Members will be counted as separate members.
3) Offer not valid on Open Membership, Classes Only, or Personal Training Membership Contracts.
4) Offer not valid with any Corporate Membership Program.
5) Unless the new membership is paid in full, the enrollment charges and at least 2 monthly payments must be processed before the existing member is eligible to receive/ start free year.
6) Limit one free year per member.
7) Free year will start once the existing member has met their initial membership obligation terms.

Taking Advantage of Your Local Park

Remember those days when you were younger and you played on the playground and got in exercise? Don't know how to take advantage of your local park areas as the place to get your exercising in? Here are some tips to take advantage of those outdoor resources that are available to us everyday.

1. Take a look around your local park and pay special attention to any hills, stairs, or flat terrain areas. Paying special attention to this will allow you to access what natural resources are available to you to make your exercises a little more challenging. (i.e- doing lunges up stairs)

2. If there are trails available consider bringing your bike with you to get a good cardio workout.

3. Some parks have exercise stations at certain points to do muscles toning exercises. If you come accross these take advantage of them. They don't require any additional equipment and you can get an excellent workout without getting bored. If the park does not have exercises stations utilize the benches and bars at the playground to do pushups, tricep dips, pullups, and etc.

4. For cardio, utilize the trees, benches, and other items and natural resources as markers for sprinting and jogging. For example, sprint from one tree to another then jog back to the first tree. Continue to do this enough times to reach your target heart rate.

Don't forget to stretch after each workout and take in the natural resources around you as the atmosphere can be an excellent stress reducer.

Catching up on Calcium for your Health

If you watch tv much, you may have seen the "Got Milk" commercials or the commercials that boast that drinking calcium can help you lose or maintain your weight. While there is some current research coming out that is suggesting that incorporating dairy into your diet can be beneficial to maintaining a healthy weight, it is definitely not a magic weight loss drink.

However, the calcium in milk and other dairy products has tremendous health benefits. Men and women age 19-51 need 1000mg of calcium every day. Did you know that 90% of adult women and 73% of adult men do not meed these guidelines? Calcium is critical to the health of your bones and teeth, and it also plays a key role in muscle contraction.

So how do you make sure you eat 1000mg of calcium each day? Milk provides 30% of your daily value (DV) so 1000mg can look like a little over 3 cups of milk each day. Not a milk drinker? Not a problem. Other dairy products like low fat cheese and yogurt are also good sources of calcium. You may need to check the label of some yogurts to see how much calcium you are getting as different types contain different amounts. For example, Greek yogurt is higher in protein than a regular yogurt but it is lower in calcium than a regular yogurt. Also, be conscious of serving sizes. MyPyramid for dietary guidelines (www.mypyramid.gov) recommends 3 cups of dairy a day but one yogurt cup may not equal one cup of dairy. Many yogurts come in lunch box size cups that are only 4 or 6 oz. and while they boast few calories, they may not be providing your body with enough calcium. If you don't like dairy products, you can look for fortified cereals and orange juice. These have calcium added to them so you get the health benefits of dairy even if you can't tolerate or just don't like milk products.

Sometimes you may find that as hard as you try, your diet is just not meeting the recommended amount of calcium. You can look into calcium supplementation but you should talk with your doctor or a nutritionist first to make sure it is really necessary. These pills are usually best absorbed when taken periodically through out the day instead of only at one time. Your body can only take in so much calcium at a time so even with food, it is best to spread out your calcium through out the day.

On an additional note, the main health benefit of calcium is its effect on bone density. You can do even more for healthy bones by participating in weight bearing exercise a few times a week. Activities like running, walking, and lifting weights are a great way to strengthen your bones. Healthy habits today can have huge benefits in the future when you have strong bones from eating enough calcium and putting time into exercise. Check out the website www.nationaldairycouncil.org for more ways you can incorporate dairy into your day.

Short On Time?

Short on time? Don't have the 45 minutes or 60 minutes to spend in the gym breaking a sweat? That's when compound exercise movements need to be added to your exercise regime for those just in case moments when you don't have the time. Here are some compound movements listed below to work every major exercising muscle of the body.

Shoulders and Arms:
Bicep Curl- Shoulder Press- Overhead Triceps Extension

Back and Triceps:
Bent Over Rows-Triceps Kickbacks

Legs and Abs:
Plank- Gluteus Maximus Kickbacks

Entire Body:
Bupees ( A combination of a pushup, plank, squat, and a plyometric jump)
Plank-Pushup-Squat- Plyometric Jump

All of the movements should be performed at once and should transition smoothly into the next movement and exercise. For example, for the burpees you should go from a plank position, then perform a pushup, then stand in a squat position to then perform a plyometric jump.

Depending on the amount of time that you have be sure to complete each exercise for each body part for at least 10 repetitions.

Taking advantage of fruit while it's in season

You know how frustrating it can be when you go to the grocery store in the winter and there are very few fresh fruits to choose from so why not take advantage of the abundance of fresh fruit that you can buy right now? You can currently buy a variety of summer fruits like watermelon, cantaloupe, strawberries, raspberries, and the one I will highlight -- blueberries. All fruits are a key part of a nutritious diet. Fruits are packed with nutrients and they also provide plenty of water and fiber for your diet. When you are looking for a filling snack, you want to choose something with water, fiber, or protein to hold you over until your next meal. Water adds volume to the food you eat and fiber slows down the digestive process so fruit is a perfect snack.

As I mentioned, I wanted to shine the spotlight on blueberries. Their peak season is in July and now is the perfect time to enjoy them. A study at Tufts University showed that this fruit provides more antioxidants than any other fruit. What are antioxidants? They are substances that scavenge free-radicals that would cause cell destruction if it weren't for their work. Daily life -- whether it's just metabolizing food, walking to the store, handling the stress of work, or lifting weights can create free radicals. Needless to say, antioxidants are crucial for your health! The deep blue color of blueberries comes from anthocyanins which is the pigment that provides these antioxidants. Blueberries are a nutritional powerhouse as they have been shown to improve brain functioning, decrease the risk of cancers such as breast and prostate cancer, and decrease the risk of macular degeneration with age.

So, how can you incorporate more blueberries into your day? Try some of these:

- Top cold or hot cereal with a cup of blueberries for some added natural sweetness
- Layer blueberries, low fat granola, and yogurt for a breakfast treat
- Make a fruit salad with raspberries, blueberries, and strawberries and top with sliced almonds for an added crunch
- Make homemade biscuits but change the recipe by adding 2 Tbsp. sugar to the recipe and pour in a cup of blueberries
- Make a blueberry crisp with an oatmeal crunch topping
- You can always eat them just as they are -- they go great with salads, sandwiches, and just about anything you would eat at a meal

Enjoy blueberry season while it's here -- it won't last long!

Eating Healthy at Restaurants

If you’re trying to incorporate more healthy foods into your diet or trying to lose those last 5 pounds, you know that it takes planning and effort to make it work. It can be hard enough to get to the store, buy the healthy foods and then cook them yourself, but what do you do when you have no part in how your food is prepared? Eating out can be a challenge to even the most health conscious but you CAN find ways to incorporate a meal out at a restaurant into a healthy diet. Here are some tips to make the most of the choices on the menu:

Drinks
Before you reach for your first forkful of food, you can consume almost 300 calories in alcohol, sweet tea, or soda. This doesn’t mean that you have to forego having a drink on a special occasion, but maybe while you are aiming to lose weight it means that these drinks are consumed less often. Even then, you can choose lighter drinks like a 6 oz. red wine, a 6 oz. bloody mary, or a 12 oz. light beer. If you are not tempted by alcohol, it is still important to pay attention to what other drinks you consume and in what portions. Sometimes a glass of soda can hold 20 oz. of soda or 250 calories of pure sugar! So what would be a better choice? Diet soda would be better than regular soda calorically but you could be even healthier and choose water with a fresh squeezed lemon or an unsweetened ice tea. Water may not sound too exciting but it is essential to be well hydrated when working out, and it will save you calories for your actual dinner. On top of that, regularly ordering water over another drink can put quite a bit of cash in your wallet.

Appetizer
Appetizers can be tempting especially when you’re really hungry. Look for appetizers that are more vegetable based instead of cream based like a dip. Instead of ordering a spinach artichoke dip, try ordering something like bruschetta and split it with a friend. A salad would be a great choice for an appetizer and many even come with your meal. The thing to remember about salads though is that not all salads are healthy. I know this can be surprising, but sometimes you would be better off eating a hamburger than a salad when the salad is covered with cheese and full fat dressing. For an appetizer, look for a salad that is basically lettuce or spinach with vegetables like tomatoes, onions, cucumbers, and carrots. Then choose an oil based dressing like an olive oil and vinegar dressing unless the restaurant happens to have a light ranch or other light cream based dressing. Even then, ordering your dressing on the side can be a huge calorie saver. By dipping your fork in the dressing and then spearing a piece of your salad, you will truly taste the salad and the leaves won’t be swimming in dressing.

Entrée
This is the most substantial part of the meal so you want to make sure that the choice you make is a good one. The key words to look out for are fried, battered, creamed, and cheesy. These are often the things that add to the high calorie and fat content of many dishes. You have to remember that most restaurants are not looking out for your health – they just want it to taste good so you will come back and eat some more. This doesn’t mean that you have to eat something really tasteless though. Good options are a vegetable based soup, a grilled or broiled piece of meat or sandwich, vegetable side dishes over starchy ones, and salads if you haven’t had one as an appetizer. Even then, it is often a good idea to ask how the food is prepared and most restaurants are willing to accommodate your needs if you have a different preference. Vegetables at steakhouses can be smothered with butter making it a less healthy side dish, but you can ask for your portion to be prepared without butter.
Portions are another big thing to remember when eating out. Did you know that the correct serving size for pasta is ½ cup? The serving of pasta at most Italian restaurants is at least 6 of those! Remember that just because it is served to you, you don’t have to eat it. Cut your entrée in half and pack up half of it before you even begin eating. You will still have a substantial amount to eat and you will even have a meal for the next day.

Dessert
This is a hard one… many times there is just not a “healthy” dessert on the menu. Occasionally you can find fresh fruit with frozen yogurt but most often the desserts are pretty decadent. Instead of ordering your own dessert, see if someone else or even two others will split it with you. Often a few bites after a big meal are all you need to satisfy your sweet tooth. If you think you can pass up dessert all together, you could just order a coffee if the rest of the table is set on indulging.

A few last tips. . .
When you know where you’re going to go ahead of time, why not check out the restaurant’s website? Many restaurants now list their nutrition facts online and these can be a great place to figure out what you want to eat at your next meal. You may be surprised to find that something you thought was really healthy is packed with fat (could they possibly add butter to it?) or that something you avoided isn’t actually too bad for you. Lastly, remember that it’s okay to indulge every once in a while as long as you don’t make it a regular habit. If you do go overboard one night, just get back on track the next day. You can even cut 100 calories out of your diet and kick up the exercise a notch (even just 10 extra minutes of cardio) for the next 3 days and you will be back on track with a healthy eating plan.

Richmond Balance Reach The Beach Challenge

Reach The Beach Challenge

FREE TO ALL MEMBERS!

What is The Reach The Beach Challenge?

A five week challenge for a grand prize of an ALL EXPENSE PAID TRIP to Richmond Balance's " Get Fit Beach Weekend" in Virginia Beach.

What is "Get Fit Beach Weekend"?

A weekend of fun daily workouts on and off the beach, nutrition classes, healthy meal preparation lessons, as well as fun and the sun and various other activities.

Challenge Start Date: Monday, June 15th, 2009

Challenge End Date: Friday, July 17th, 2009

Participants will be able to accumulate points over five weeks for participating in various activities. The member with the most points at the end of the five weeks wins the ALL EXPENSE PAID TRIP!

A " Mandatory Reach The Beach Orientation" will be held June 14, 2009 @ 2pm.

For more information or to signup contact bwebster@richmondbalance.com.

Weight Loss: Exercising And Scale Rising......

So you have been seeing a personal trainer, exercising five days a week, and making tremendous healthy changes in your diet and your weight increases! First and foremost, there are a couple of questions to ask yourself before panicking. Ask yourself, did I really need to loose weight in the first place? How do I feel? Has my body fat or my basal metabolic index decreased? Has my cardiovascular endurance improved? Am I stronger?

All of these questions are what you should ask yourself before panicking and feeling like a failure at your weight loss attempt. Many factors can contribute to you seeing the scale rising as opposed to decreasing.

An example is you converting your fat into muscles and naturally as a result of the muscle weight you gain weight. In reality, you have benefited far more in gaining muscle than loosing those couple of pounds. Muscle is far more beneficial to have as the more muscle you have the higher your metabolic rate (metabolism) will be. So you will burn more calories at rest having muscle as opposed to having less muscle.

Your BMI, bodyfat, circumference measurements, and how you feel are important indicators in attempting to loose weight. NOT THE SCALE. So slowly try to wean off the numbers on the scale being the most important indicator for weight loss success, and look into other avenues to measure success.

Pacing Yourself

One of the most important things people neglect when conducting a fitness regime is exercising at the proper intensity. Pacing is also very important when exercising so you can receive all the benefits of physical activity from exercising. Determining your target heart rate or using Borg's Perceived Rate of Exertion can help you monitor your fitness level as well as monitor your fitness progress in any type of program. Target heart rate is defined as staying within 50-85 percent of your maximum heart rate during exercise. Using Borg's method is an alternative that is measured using conversational talk. Ultimately, you want to be able to hold a conversation with someone but not be able to sing when exercising.

How To Determine Your Target Heart Rate:
To determine your target heart rate subtract your age from 220. This number is your maximum heart rate. As mentioned before you should aim for 50-85 percent of that number.

Example: 22 year old
220-22= 198 Maximum Heart Rate
50% of Maximum Heart Rate=198 X 0.50= 99
85% of Maximum Heart Rate= 198 X 0.85= 168

When initially beginning an exercise program aim for the lower percentage of your heart rate at 50 percent. As time progresses, slowly increase your target heart rate zone gradually to progress to 85 percent of maximum heart rate.

The Truth About Trans Fat

We all have purchased a food that has claimed or highlighted, that it has zero grams of trans fat per serving. In fact, that zero that is on the label doesn't really mean zero and can sometimes mean almost half as much of fat. What the ordinary person (us as the consumers) don't know is that many companies are taking advantage of the FDA trans fat labeling rules. According to the FDA, products only need to have less than 0.5g of trans fat per serving to claim zero grams of trans fat. The American Heart Association recommends a limit of 2g of trans fat per day based on a 2,000 calorie diet. Just imagine, just one of these so called "zero grams of trans fat" servings each meal could equal more than the recommended daily amount per day just over the course of three basic meals! Look closely at the ingredients that are referred to as partially hydrogenated or shortening and you have found the trans fat! So for us as the ordinary consumer this means that we have to start becoming more aware that labels don't always tell the full story. Search for how much trans fat is in each serving and don't just go by the headline "zero trans fat", anymore. It is nearly impossible to eliminate all trans fat from ones diet, but it is possible to start by reducing consumptions and becoming aware of labels.

The Proper Recovery

Are you trying to build muscle or turn fat into muscle? The proper way to turn fat into muscle or build lean muscle mass is to remember that recovery is the key. Every time you work out you destroy your muscles, then your rest and recover, and as a result your muscles get stronger and bigger. Basically in order for your muscles to grow they must be broken down or stimulated by some type of overload and then be given an ample time of rest and raw ingredients to repair themselves before the stimulation is applied again. In order to optimize recovery you should pay special attention to sleep, nutrition, and supplementation.

Sleep: First and foremost your muscles grow at night, so if you are not getting enough sleep you muscles will not be able to recover. Try to shoot for at least 7 hours of sleep overnight.

Nutrition: Since you are loosing those nutrients in those calories you are burning when you work out it is important to remember to restore those nutrients. This is where it becomes important to have as much carbs and protein as possible. If you eat small meals throughout the day try to eat at least six that are balanced in carbs, protein, and fat. Breakfast is very important! Be sure to eat breakfast as soon as you wake up as your body is put into a catabolic state from the previous 8 hours of not eating. Also, be sure to eat before you go to bed as the body will need the nutrients to help you grow.

Supplementation: Multivitamins are excellent to supplement when working out. They contain many antioxidants which help replace those lost when working out. If you are deficient in certain vitamins multi-vitamins help replenish those.
Protein Powder: It is difficult enough to get enough protein with diet alone these days, if you are not a carnivore. Thus protein powder helps you with getting enough and more.
L-Glutamine: L- Glutamaine is a supplement that is proven to aide in naturally increasing your growth hormone levels and aide in helping your muscles recover faster.

So if you pay attention to your sleep, nutrition, and supplementation you will get the proper recovery for your muscles.

Lose Weight Faster With High Intensity Interval Training

What is HIIT?
High Intensity Interval Training is an exercise method that has the potential to allow an exerciser to double their amount of weight loss than any other type of aerobic exercise. HIIT involves performing sporadic bouts of high intensity running followed by a recovery of walking for a couple of minutes. One can determine their high intensity of running by using a percieved effort scale 0f 1-10. One representing no effort and ten representing maximal effort . The idea is to aim for about 8-9 on a percieved effort scale to acheive a HIIT workout in minimal time.

How to begin HIIT?
Initially if you are beginning HIIT make your work sessions shorter than 2-4 minutes and work your way up. Whatever you can handle until you reach your goal duration. As you become more conditioned you will be able to increase your work periods while reducing your recovery periods over time.

In addition to getting a high intensity fat burning workout done in a short period of time, HIIT helps spare valuable lean muscle mass which is a key component in determing you Resting Metabolic Rate (RMR). This in turn can have a huge impact on your metabolism as greater muscle mass is equivalent to a higher metabolism.

BOOTCAMP

Are you up for a challenge? Richmond Balance is looking for 15-20 participants to participate in Bootcamp. This is an intense 8 week program with outdoor classes held every morning at 5:45am Monday-Friday. The classes will last for a duration of 60 minutes and are geared towards individuals who are looking for more out of their normal fitness regimens. Expect a combination of plyometrics, intense cardio, sports training, strength exercises, and endurance training. Be prepared as this program will test your physical limits and capabilities!

Program Run Dates: April 6th-May 29th

Classes run Monday-Friday @5:45am

Cost: 8 Weeks/ $200

Remember only the strong survive!

What's Up With Vitamin K?

Although it is certainly not the most familiar vitamin of the vitamin alphabet, it doesn't mean any individual cannot reap the benefits of it. Vitamin K is known as the blood clotting vitamin that has also been proven to help maintain healthy strong bones in individuals. Bottom line is, Vitamin K is the key for the body's synthesizing of osteocalcin; which is a vital component for building bone metabolism and bone mineral density.This in return helps prevent injury and build stronger bones.

Not sure where to get Vitamin K?
Vitamin K can be found in a variety of food sources as well as beverages. The best sources of Vitamin K are from green leafy vegetables. Foods that contain the Vitamin K are chicken liver, pork liver, milk, and eggs. A good beverage source to get Vitamin K from is from green tea.

How much Vitamin K to get?
Requirements vary by age but the RDA for men is 75-120 mg daily, and for women is between 75-90 mg daily.

How To Tackle Your Favorite Sweet

We all have that favorite dessert or sweet that we just can't get enough of, and sometimes over indulge in when we get it. Rather it be chocolate, ice cream, doughnuts, or candy we all have them. The secret to avoid over doing it when you feel to urge to chow down on what you know is not good for you, is to chow down on the healthy sweet alternative.

For example, the next time you feel the need to buy a box of chocolates for whatever reason, purchase a huge bag of grapes and pop those into your mouth as you watch television.

The idea is to psych your mind into believing that you are eating your favorite dessert. If you continue to make the habit of indulging in healthier alternatives your old sweet will become less and less appeasing to you. The old expression, "you cant get rid of a bad habit overnight" holds true, and finding a solution to your sweet craving is far better than just finding a temporary remedy.

Sports Drinks: The Healthy Way

Many people prefer to drink sports drinks rather than water because they just plain taste better and they quench your thirst. There are a couple of important things to remember when substituting sports drinks for water. One being the overall purpose is hydration; therefore the drink should contain a small amount of sodium, carbohydrates, and potassium.

Here are some things to remember:
~Carbohydrates for sports drinks should contain between 14-19 grams per 8 ounce serving. A drink that has more carbohydrates could cause cramping, nausea, or diarrhea.

~The sodium level for sports drinks should be between 100-110 milligrams per 8 ounce serving.

~ One thing to remember is you don't sweat out vitamins when your sweat; therefore there is no need to buy sports drinks that include vitamins- although it wouldn't hurt.

~Water is adequate to drink if you are working out for less than an hour, if more than an hour than an sports drink will make up for the loss of sodium while sweating.

The important thing to remember is that when replenishing liquids with sports drinks be aware of what you are drinking and what your body needs.

Beat Your Cardio Boredom

Most of us don't enjoy doing cardio for one reason; it can become too boring. Whatever your fitness level may be cardio can be enjoying and you can progressively improve your stamina. Here are some suggestions to create an cardio workout that is not boring.

Begin setting the tone by creating and setting a goal. Make sure it is manageable, measurable, and attainable. If its running a marathon, or even just improving your running form, start by setting a goal. An ideal goal is measurable but also attainable . For example, if weight loss is your goal start by breaking down cardio such as running 3X a week for 30 minutes. Once your able to run for a straight 30 minutes set incremental goals to increase your minutes, or decrease your time.

Next, create a foundation. Implement steady times and days that you will do cardio. Also try involving others by doing cardio in groups for competition, or involving the outdoors. Once you create a steady foundation and something refreshing to look forward to you will completely avoid boredom.

Here are some suggestions of some alternative cardio workouts:

Workout 1:
Burpees
Jumping Jacks
Assisted Partner Sprints ( Have a partner pull you back while you propel forward)
Jump Rope
Lunges

Workout 2:
Interval Sprints
Mountain Climbers
Stair Runs
Jump Squats
Clap Pushups

Keep in mind that cardio will always be cardio and most of the time many of us don't enjoy it. As long as you mix up your workouts and set a goal you can overcome cardio boredom.

Continue To Stay Active and Eat Well While Traveling

Although most of us these days may not get the opportunity to travel, when the opportunity arises you may wonder how to eat well and continue to stay active while your normal routine is disrupted. In truth, it is simple as long as you have discipline and become aware of some easy ways to stay on your routine.

First and foremost, lets face it most of the time you will not have access to a treadmill, weights, or anything that includes your normal fitness routine or you may be limited with the fitness equipment that is available. This is the perfect time to pull out those still effective workouts that require no equipment, just your body and space. Some examples of some upper and lower body exercises include pushups, tricep dips, jump squats, lunges, and hip thrusts.

Secondly, is eating. Pack, pack, pack. Not only will you save time and money but you will also save hundreds of calories if you pack non-perishable healthy snacks such as almonds, dried fruit, and etc. This will help to avoid excessive overeating when going out to eat and the risk of picking up something unhealthy fast.

Third, is drink lots of water. Actually always keep a bottle on hand. You can never drink too much water and on the other hand it will decrease your appetite and hunger.

Fourth, is when going out to dinner and to drink avoid eating too much and consuming too much alcohol. When you order at a restaurant skip ordering appetizers, and order an entree that you can share with someone or several people. For drinking, stick to low calorie drinks such as light beer, wine, and simple cocktails made with low mixers.

By becoming more aware of your surroundings and simply adjusting a couple of things while traveling, your healthy lifestyle will be easy to maintain.

Exercises You Shoulden't Do Without......

Lets face it....... As much as we try to mix up our fitness regime or routine there are those exercises that we just seem to love and can't get enough of. Overall we strive for challange and an effective workout that can ultimately be done IN and OUT the gym. Here are some top exercises that you shoulden't do without.


1. Running- Not only is it great for your cardiovascular endurance but also overall body strength.

2. Abdominal Exercises- Whether you want that flat tummy or a six pack, don't skip those abdominal muscles. This is one of the easiest parts of the body where fat is easy to accumulate.

3. Push ups- Good old fashioned push ups! You can always incorporate variety such as wide, close to work the triceps, elevated, and so on. Push ups are an excellent body strengthener for the entire upper body.

4. Lunges/ Squats- A good combination of both will give you an easily effective lower body workout. Most people use weights but with your own body weight or the bodyweight of another you can easily achieve a burn in the legs.

5. Walking- Usually done everyday by those with non sedentary lifestyles, but one of the easiest yet effective workouts to not do without. Individuals who have chosen to walk daily over years have been proven to have a stronger bone density, thus resulting in stronger bones.

6. Yoga- One of the popular approaches to working out that works the entire body at all levels while incoporating a great amount of flexibility.

Are You Getting Enough Fluids?

If you are a regular exerciser getting enough fluids is important. Many people have no idea of the amount of fluids they should be getting daily and relying on thirst is NOT a good indicator of when to drink liquids. It is recommended that the average intake for fluids from foods and beverages is 3.7 L for adult males and 2.7 L for adult females. These recommendations vary of course depending on physical activity.

Recommended fluid intake two hours prior to exercise is 17-20oz. Every 10-20 minutes during exercise it is recommended that you dink 7-10 oz of liquids, and following exercise drink 16-24 oz. (These recommendations are based on the National Athletic Association).

A good indicator to see of you are getting enough fluids (especially water) is to check urine color. A dark color means there is dehydration. ( Keep in mind vitamins, and medications can affect color). A pale yellow, or no color at all means that you are headed towards a state of hydration.