National Chips & Dip Day!

Happy National Chips & Dip Day!

I can't decide if you are more surprised that this is actually a holiday or that I would actually observe it...But either way, it is a holiday (google it!), and I plan on celebrating!

Here's everything you will need:

- Whole wheat tortilla shells

- Lime juice

- Chili Powder

- No-calorie non-stick olive oil flavored cooking spray

- Fat free refried beans - 1 large can

- 1/2 packet of Hidden Valley's Fiesta Ranch Salad Dressing Mix

- Fat free sour cream, 8 oz. container

There are a lot of chips out there that claim to be heart-healthy, low-fat, or reduced calorie. While the nutrition stats may look better than the full fat version, many of you know the truth: they are often reduced in taste too.

Here's the best answer - do it yourself! In 15 minutes or less, you can have your own healthy tortilla chips that taste better than any full-fat version right out of the bag. Here's what you need to do.

Head to the store, and buy some whole wheat tortilla shells. Preheat your oven to 400. Lightly spray both sides of the shell with no-calorie non-stick olive oil cooking spray and lime juice. Season with chili powder to taste. Cut the shells into wedges and place them on a cookie sheet in the oven. (This also really helps with portion control - if you only want one serving, just use one shell! It's that simple!) Most of the time, these chips will be done in about 5 minutes. Take them out when they are crisp and starting to brown slightly around the edges.

Don't worry - I didn't forget about the dip. Here's a great recipe that James and I learned about over Christmas break from his sister, Emily!

Preheat oven to 350. Spread a large can of fat free refried beans into a baking pan. Next, pour 1/2 packet of Hidden Valley's Fiest Ranch Salad Dressing Mix into an 8 oz. container of fat free sour cream. Stir until completely mixed. Spread a light layer of the sour cream over the beans. The dip should be done in 10-15 minutes.

Enjoy!

Shakeology

Team Beachbody has done it again. They've come out with a new product destined to revolutionize how the fitness industry works. Introducing the world's healthiest protein shake - Shakeology! With 70 of the world's healthiest ingrediets, you get the ultimate super shake. Not only will it help you lose weight and feel energized, but it's been proven to lower cholesterol and regulate your digestive system! Not to mention, it tastes delicious! (The chocolate flavor is incredible!)

Here are the 4 key ingredients you need to know about:

1) Protein and Essential Amino Acids
* Help build and repair muscles
* Reduce hunger and food cravings
* Help keep blood sugar steady
* Support brain function to help promote alert thinking and reduce anxiety
* Promote healthy skin, hair, and nails

Shakeology includes whey protein isolate, an easily absorbable source of high-quality protein that's ideal for building and maintaining lean muscle mass. It also helps keep your blood sugar steady, reducing hunger and junk food cravings. Essential amino acids, found in protein, help the body repair muscle tissue and heal wounds; support the brain to promote calmness and alertness; and reduce hunger pangs. The whey protein in Shakeology provides a highly bioavailable source of essential amino acids.

2) Prebiotics and Digestive Enzymes
* Aid digestion
* Help boost the immune system
* Increase absorption of nutrients
* Help keep you "regular"

Shakeology contains many ingredients that are beneficial to the digestive system. Prebiotics, natural components of certain plants, help support the "friendly" bacteria in your digestive tract. They may also help with the absorption of minerals such as calcium. Digestive enzymes, from plant sources such as pineapples and papayas, help your body break down food into its individual components, making the nutrients easier to absorb. Cooking can destroy food's natural digestive enzymes, so there's a good chance that you don't get enough of them in your diet.

3) Antioxidants and Phytonutrients
* Get rid of harmful free radicals
* Help decrease inflammation
* Help boost your immune system
* Potentially decrease the risk of degenerative diseases
* May even increase longevity

Many of Shakeology's fruit and vegetable sources have been chosen for their high concentration of healthy natural substances known as phytonutrients, including flavonoids, polyphenols, anthocyanins, and catechins. These substances have antioxidant properties, meaning they help get rid of molecules known as free radicals, which damage cells and may be a key component of the aging process. In laboratory tests, phytonutrients have shown promise in helping prevent a wide variety of degenerative conditions. What's more, studies suggest that the natural mix of phytochemicals you get from whole-plant sources is more effective than taking them individually as nutritional supplements.

4) 23 Vitamins and Minerals
* Get a wide range of essential nutrients
* Get your necessary vitamins every day
* Make up for dietary deficiencies

Most of us don't get the complete range of essential vitamins and minerals in our daily diets. Some important vitamins, such as vitamin C and the B vitamins, are water-soluble, meaning they're flushed out of your body after a short time and need to be replenished regularly. Others, like vitamin E, can be difficult to get enough of in food. Shakeology provides all these nutrients in an easy-to-take, easily absorbable form, so you never have to worry.

With just 140 calories, 1 gram of fat, 9 grams of sugar, and 17 grams of the highest quality protein, you get a well-balanced meal that will keep you full for hours.

Head to Team Beachbody Coach - Michelle Myers to get yours today. Click on NUTRITION, then Core Nutrition, and scroll to the Shakeology Starter Pack. You will get a 30-day supply delivered to your door! Be one of the first to check it out.

Feel free to email me at coach.chelle@gmail.com if you would like more information.

Gettin Crabby at Lunch!

Chicken salad, tuna salad, seafood salad...they all seem healthy enough. But don't be fooled! Most of the time, they are so full of mayonaise that the healthy ingredients are no longer a good choice! But made correctly, these salads can make a great healthy lunch.

Rule #1 - Hold the mayo! This recipe has ingredients that are high in flavor but low in calories—lime juice, ginger, cilantro and chile peppers among them—to make this crab salad both nutritionally sound and absolutely delicious. If you want to skip the pita, serve on a bed of Boston lettuce or mixed greens. But the whole wheat pita pinwheels work great to make a healthy well-balanced meal.

Makes 2 servings, 1 1/4 cups salad each

1 tablespoon red-wine vinegar

1 tablespoon extra-virgin olive oil

1 teaspoon lime juice

Freshly ground pepper to taste

1 teaspoon minced fresh ginger

7 ounces cooked crab meat, drained - (Imitation crabmeat works great too)

1/2 cup finely chopped celery heart with leaves

2 tablespoons minced red onion

1 tablespoon chopped fresh cilantro1 teaspoon minced jalapeño pepper, or to taste

2 6-inch pita breads, warmed and cut in half crosswise

2 large lettuce leaves, torn in half

1. Whisk vinegar, oil, lime juice and pepper in a medium bowl. Add ginger, crab, celery, onion, cilantro and jalapeno; toss well. Line pita halves with lettuce and fill with crab salad. Garnish with parsley if you are serving for guests.

NUTRITION INFORMATION (Per serving):

339 calories

10 g fat (1 g sat, 6 g mono)

70 mg cholesterol

38 g carbohydrate

28 g protein6 g fiber

728 mg sodium

250 mg potassium.

And don't forget your 100 push-ups today!

One Week 100 Challenge!

Most of the "reasons" people give for not working out involve not having enough time. (Reasons goes in quotes because most of the time, they are really excuses!) However, I do understand that time is precious, and most people desire to get a great workout in the shortest time possible. With that in mind, I want to give you a one week challenge - especially if you are one of those people who doesn't work out because you don't have enough time.

Push-ups are in practically every one of my strength-based workouts. They tone the entire upper body (chest, shoulders, biceps, triceps), and it also strengthens your abdominal muscles and lower back. It's a fantastic total body exercise! Plus, they can be adapted to any level of strength.

Regular push-up too hard? Try it from your knees.

Think it's too easy? Lift one leg and switch every 5 reps, try it with one arm, or clap inbetween push-ups! There's always a way to challenge yourself.

So here's the challenge: For the next week, do 100 push-ups every day. You don't have to do them all at once. You can do 25 before you leave for work, 20 on your lunch break, 15 on an afternoon break, 20 when you get home from work, 10 right before dinner, and 10 right before you go to bed.

Break it up however you need to - just get them done!

I'm starting this today, and I want to ask you to join me. By this time next Wednesday, can you do 700 push-ups? I guarantee you will feel stronger!

Is your tea GREEN?

Happy St. Patrick's Day! In honor of the green holiday, I just have one question: Is your tea green?

There are no drinks (besides water - of course!) proven to have as many health benefits as green tea. The Chinese have known about the medicinal benefits of green tea since ancient times, using it to treat everything from headaches to depression. In her book Green Tea: The Natural Secret for a Healthier Life, Nadine Taylor states that green tea has been used as a medicine in China for at least 4,000 years. Today, scientific research in both Asia and the west is providing hard evidence for the health benefits long associated with drinking green tea.

For example, in 1994 the Journal of the National Cancer Institute published the results of an epidemiological study indicating that drinking green tea reduced the risk of esophageal cancer in Chinese men and women by nearly sixty percent. University of Purdue researchers recently concluded that a compound in green tea inhibits the growth of cancer cells.

There is also research indicating that drinking green tea lowers total cholesterol levels, as well as improving the ratio of good (HDL) cholesterol to bad (LDL) cholesterol.To sum up, here are just a few medical conditions in which drinking green tea is reputed to be helpful:high cholesterol levels cariovascular disease infection impaired immune function..........What makes green tea so special? The secret of green tea lies in the fact it is rich in catechin polyphenols, particularly epigallocatechin gallate (EGCG). EGCG is a powerful anti-oxidant: besides inhibiting the growth of cancer cells, it kills cancer cells without harming healthy tissue. It has also been effective in lowering LDL cholesterol levels, and inhibiting the abnormal formation of blood clots. The latter takes on added importance when you consider that thrombosis (the formation of abnormal blood clots) is the leading cause of heart attacks and stroke.

Links are being made between the effects of drinking green tea and the "French Paradox." For years, researchers were puzzled by the fact that, despite consuming a diet rich in fat, the French have a lower incidence of heart disease than Americans. The answer was found to lie in red wine, which contains resveratrol, a polyphenol that limits the negative effects of smoking and a fatty diet. In a 1997 study, researchers from the University of Kansas determined that EGCG is twice as powerful as resveratrol, which may explain why the rate of heart disease among Japanese men is quite low, even though approximately seventy-five percent are smokers.

Why don't other Chinese teas have similar health-giving properties? Green, oolong, and black teas all come from the leaves of the Camellia sinensis plant. What sets green tea apart is the way it is processed. Green tea leaves are steamed, which prevents the EGCG compound from being oxidized. By contrast, black and oolong tea leaves are made from fermented leaves, which results in the EGCG being converted into other compounds that are not nearly as effective in preventing and fighting various diseases.

New evidence is emerging that green tea can even help dieters. In November, 1999, the American Journal of Clinical Nutrition published the results of a study at the University of Geneva in Switzerland. Researchers found that men who were given a combination of caffeine and green tea extract burned more calories than those given only caffeine or a placebo.Green tea can even help prevent tooth decay! Just as its bacteria-destroying abilities can help prevent food poisoning, it can also kill the bacteria that causes dental plaque. Meanwhile, skin preparations containing green tea - from deodorants to creams - are starting to appear on the market.

So whether you like it hot or served over ice, give green tea a try! (But beware for versions at coffee joints - they can be full of sugar! Be sure to order it plain, and sweeten it yourself with Splenda or Stevia.)

Bombs Away!

Dive-bomber pushups are a great variation of the classic pushup. They require control, promote strength development and endurance and help teach the body to “flow” through the movement. If you’re body is rigid or stiff, divebombers become very challenging. Teach yourself to flow through the motion, and you’ll find it to be much more effective.

Step 1:

Begin in the “dive-bomber” position by first starting in a classic pushup position. Spread your feet apart, keep your legs straight and push your butt up into the air. Drop your head between your arms.

Step 2:

Flare your arms out and lower your nose and chest to the ground.

Step 3:

Flatten out your body so that it’s parallel with the ground. Imagine you’re trying to do the limbo.

Step 4:

Drive your torso straight up, so that you’re looking directly ahead. Keep the hips low to the ground and your hands directly below your shoulders.

Think you’re finished? Not so fast.

Step 5:

To perform a true dive-bomber pushup, repeat the above steps in reverse order until you’re back to your original starting position. Imagine as if you’re swooping down to the ground, then reversing that swoop back to the starting point, staying as fluid and smooth as possible.

If you’ve never done a dive-bomber before, start with just a few and see how it goes. As your strength progresses, which will happen very quickly, increase the number of repetitions. Jusr think - nose, lips, hips!

EXTREME-ly Good Breakfast

Cinnamon Ricotta Crunch

Ingredients:
1 cup - skim ricotta cheese
1 tsp - ground cinnamon
2 TBSP - slivered almonds
1/2 cup - berries of your choice (Blueberries are my favorite!)
**Optional** - Sometimes, I add 1 packet of Splenda for a ltitle extra sweetness.

Directions:
Place ricotta cheese into a cereal bowl. Mix in berries, cinnamon and optional Splenda. Top with almonds, and enjoy!

This is a GREAT recipe from the burn phase of ChaLEAN Extreme - an insanely awesome workout from Chalene Johnson, the creator of TurboJam. This 12-week workout program comes complete with 12 weeks of workouts and TONS more recipes like the one above. If you are interested in purchasing, let me know or go ahead and get it from my website - Michelle's Team BeachBody. 

Here's a little more info:

The secret is “Lean Phasing”. The proven circuit training techniques in the ChaLEAN Extreme workout system shifts the fat-burning focus from cardio to resistance routines. Muscle burns fat™ and the more muscle you have the more fat you burn. It’s simple science, it’s all about increasing your body’s metabolism.

MYTH: Lifting heavier weights will make you bulk up.

FACT: Lifting heavier weights makes you lean because the more muscle you have the more fat you burn.

Not a single woman in the Chalene Extreme test group ended up with larger measurements. They all finished leaner, toned, and smaller.

You can burn up to 60% of your body fat in just 3 months! ChaLEAN Extreme is so effective you even burn fat while you’re asleep! Say goodbye to workout plateaus, where you just can’t seem to continue to get results. Say hello to ChaLEAN Extreme! (Email me at coach.chelle@gmail.com for details or head to my Team BeachBody site today!)