The Master Cleanse Challenge- Starts December 6th

Do you want to lose weight, feel better, increase your energy or just need a jumpstart? Why not be a part of the Master Cleanse Challenge over the Holiday Season and start your New Year off right with a NEW YOU! Follow Michelle and Brandyn as they tweet, post and blog their way through this 30-day challenge with updates about their successes and challenges. Feel free to participate yourself and send us updates on your progress....we'd love to hear about it. See details about diet, recipe and workouts below and check back for updates!

The Master Cleanse Diet

Ease In Diet- (3 days)
Day 1: only consume fresh vegetables and fruit (60/40 balance)
Day 2: Break down all food into juice, soup, or broths
Day 3: Juice enough oranges to make 2 liters of orange juice (mixed with water to taste). Add maple syrup to increase caloric intake.

Lemonade Diet (7 days)
2 tablespoons fresh lemon juice
2 tablespoons rich maple syrup
1/10 teaspoons cayenne powder
8 ounces of pure water
- drink at least 6-12 glasses a day
- refrain from pre-mixing the juice in large batches. It kills the enzymes
from the lemon juice.
- drink pure water throughout the day

Salt Water Flush (optional)
2 teaspoons of non-iodized sea salt
1 liter of pure water
- drink on an empty stomach in the morning

Herbal Laxative
3-5 tablets taken at night

Ease Out Diet (3 days)
Day 1: Orange Juice mixture from Day 3 of Ease In
Day 2: Break down all food into juice, soup, or broths
Day 3: only consume fresh vegetables and fruit (60/40 balance)

General Workout
Day 1: Cardio (3-5 mile run)
Day 2: Weights plus (15-20 min interval sprints)
Day 3: Interval sprints (3 miles/run 60 sec/walk 60 sec)
Day 4: Weights plus (15-20 min interval hill climbs)
Day 5: Cardio (3-5 mile run)
Day 6: Weights plus (15-20 min interval stair climb)
Day 7: 30-45 minute cross training
- cycle back to day 1 once day 7 has been completed

STAY TUNED

What time of year is the hardest to stay on track with a diet/fitness regime? I think we would all agree it is during the holidays in December. Well starting December 6th, Michelle and Brandyn are going to embark on a challenge that would amaze anyone who enjoys good food with their festivities. Check back soon to find out the details of their challenge and exactly what they will be doing.

ENROLL NOW

Enroll between Thanksgiving and Christmas
and enrollment is FREE! What better time than the holidays
to start burning extra calories and get in shape?
And remember, with your enrollment you will receive a
FREE PERSONAL TRAINING SESSION
Come in today and ask us how to get started!

Turkey Trot

We had a wonderful turn out at the Turkey Trot on Thanksgiving day and everyone had a great time. We're so glad so many people came out to kick start their metabolisms before the holiday celebration and hopefully you were able to enjoy that pumpkin pie guilt free!

Fall Series #2 -- work on your arms!

• Sit in armless chair. Keep feet flat and even with shoulders.
  

· Hold hand weights at sides, arms straight, palms facing toward your body.

· Slowly bend one elbow, lifting weight toward chest. Be sure to rotate palm to face shoulder while lifting weight.

· Hold position for 1 second. Slowly lower arm to starting position.

· Repeat with other arm. Alternate until you have repeated the exercise 8 to 15 times on each side.

· Rest. Then do another set of 8 to 15 alternating repetitions.

Pumpkin Pie

Hi everyone!

So, fall is definitely here. Let the parties and calories begin! This time of year can be stressful from a health perspective--particularly if you're in the middle of a strict regime or just trying to stay at a healthy weight. You don't want to blow all your hard work, but at the same time, you want to enjoy the holidays. Consider this post the launch of a little "mini-series" I'll be doing on how to stay looking good withOUT depriving yourself of everything good and festive.

To kick it off, I'm including a yummy looking pie recipe that I found at http://www.suite101.com/

Check it out and stay tuned for more updates between now and the end of the year!

Pumpkin Pie Ingredients

• 2 9-inch unbaked pie shells


• 2 standard (398 ml) cans pumpkin


• 6 large eggs (equivalent to 7 medium eggs or 8 small)


• 1 cup skim milk


• 1 cup raw organic cane sugar or natural, unrefined Demerara sugar


• 4 teaspoons cinnamon


• 1 teaspoon ginger


• 1 teaspoon cloves


• ¼ teaspoon nutmeg


• ¼ teaspoon salt

Pumpkin Pie Directions

Preheat oven to 425 Fahrenheit (218 Celsius). If pie shells have just come out of the freezer, warm them in the oven for a couple of minutes, just until warm to the touch.

Beat eggs lightly with a whisk. Add all other ingredients and beat until smooth. Pour into pie shells.

Bake 15 minutes and then reduce temperature to 350 Fahrenheit (176 Celsius) and bake for another 45-60 minutes. Test for doneness with toothpick starting at approximately 45 minutes after lowering the oven temperature, and every 5 minutes thereafter. The toothpick should come out clean or nearly clean when the pies are done

Pumpkin Pie Health Benefits

Pumpkin isn’t just tasty, it also provides a number of health benefits. Pumpkin contains dietary fiber, antioxidant vitamins including C and A, Omega-3 fatty acids, folate, potassium, and manganese, all at just 79 calories per cup. As such, pumpkin is a great choice for healthy cooking and baking.

Interesting story about Exercise and Pets

Check out this interesting story about some perks to exercising with you pet!

One up-and-coming trend combines man and beast for a program that helps people and their pets get fit together. There's even a medical study to show it can work.

In a 12-month study, experts at Northwestern University's Feinberg School of Medicine in Chicago demonstrated that both people and pets were more successful in staying with a weight loss program when they did it together. (Besides, you know how Fido hates to go to the gym alone!)

Both the people and their pets were placed on a balanced, low-calorie diet and given a 30-minute moderate activity plan to do together, three times a week. When compared to dogs only and people only, the combined people-pet group lost the most weight -- the people, an average of about 11 pounds, the dogs, about 12 pounds.

found at: http://www.medicinenet.com/script/main/art.asp?articlekey=59844&page=2