Measure for Fitness!

A nutritionist will always tell you to measure out your food and keep a food journal as soon as you start to see them. Why? Because it's one of the easiest ways to limit the amount of calories you are eating.

Everyone should always measure out how much food they are eating, whether in cups, ounces, teaspoons, etc. A lot of people think they can just eye it up. That they know visually how much 1 Cup of a certain food looks like. Well the chances are they don't, and they are just kidding themselves. In my first few session with clients, I always do an exercise about visual measurement inaccuracy. I give them a large amount of an object (right now it happens to be foam hearts) and ask them to pull out a 1/2 Cup of hearts. Everyone to this day always pulls out more than a 1/2 Cup. Now, if you're visually measuring everything in your day...that will add up to a lot of extra calories by the end of the day.

Everyone should write down what they're eating. Even if you don't have the caloric information, that's okay. By writing down what you eat, you are making yourself accountable for what goes in your mouth. Let's face it, even if you have no idea what foods are best to put in your mouth, you probably know the bad ones. If you're writing down what you eat, it makes you think twice before you grab that bag of chips, cookies, or other sweet and salty snacks.

These are two simple and quick ways to decrease calorie intake. Here are some things everyone should have in their kitchen and house.

- paper and pencil - to write down what you're eating
- food scale
- dry measuring cups in 1/4, 1/3, 1/2, and 1 Cup sizes
- 1 Cup liquid measuring cup
- teaspoons in 1/4, 1/2, 1 tsp sizes
- 1 Tablespoon

All of these tools can be found cheap, even the food scale. It really doesn't take any time out of your day, plus you'll really know what you're getting. Measure rather the eye what you eat.

Exercise in Onzie Yoga and Active Wear Made in USA

Form fitting, flexible and Made in USA, what's not to love?

A lot of people ask me what they should be wearing to work out or exercise in. As a personal trainer I'm all about comfort. I hate to say it but "men like me" just usually toss on some shorts and a t-shirt and don't think much of it. 

Onzie provides comfortable fitness clothing and hot yoga gear!

It's a fact that women will work out longer if their workout gear is comfortable. I tell them the key to having a good workout is they have clothing that exemplifies comfort, quality and flexibility. The perfect example of this would be yoga gear-- in fact I'm a big fan of Onzie Yoga & Active Wear. You can see the new Spring 2012 fashion line that has been released online at their website TheOnzie.    These clothes are form fitting yet flexible, great for yoga, exercise, working out, walking the dog, cleaning the house, anything involving activity.  What's better than that? Oh yeah, they are Made in the USA.

Atlas Trainers Low Fat Recipes

Here at Atlas, we take nutrition seriously! Diet and exercise work hand in hand to a happier, healthier you! Here is a recap of our favorite recipes as shared by our Nutritionist! Make sure to share them with your friends and family and if you know anyone in the Baltimore area that needs help reaching their weight loss goals, have them contact us! 

 Mixed Berry Smoothie Recipe   only 168 calories and uses real fruit!

Salsa on your Salad    a great idea for a tasty dressing!

BBQ Rubbed Chicken! 

Image Couresty of: How Long to Grill Shrimp here.

Grilled Shrimp   a great recipe for the grill, as the weather is getting warm!

Spicy Chicken     a little spice makes your food burst with flavor.  Eat less but taste more!

Football and Baseball Athletes Use Personal Trainers

Do you ever wonder why athletes stay in shape?  It's not just because they are running around all day in their jobs, but because they are dedicated to obtaining good fitness results, even in the off season. The truth is, although they may have private work out rooms in their homes, or get endorsed by free gyms almost all of them train with a personal trainer.  This isn't because personal trainers are for the rich, in fact, personal trainers offer affordable packages for everyday people like you and I! 

The reason Athletes se personal trainers is simple:

• In a nutshell, they get more results using a personal trainer than not. 
• They do the correct exercises - all athletes are  people, and every person's body needs a different workout.
• Proper implementation and instruction of an exercise - the right form obtains more from the exercise itself. 
• Expert diet and nutritional consulting, coaching and development.
• Personal Trainers can work on conditioning key problem areas, ie: sports conditioning.

Imagine if a football player went into the gym and only did cardio and squats. What do you think would happen?  He would lose weight, and build leg muscle, leaving out important areas such as arms, abs, back and upper body muscle conditioning. In fact doing one exercise such as squats too much or at too high of a level or the wrong way, may in fact cause damage to his muscles if he doesn't know any better. Poor guy, he'd be on the IR list in no time!

Apply this same theory to you or I. Do you ever wonder why your friend or family member has been going to the gym for three years but still complains about her target areas? This is because she or he may be doing the wrong exercises without knowing it!   This truly why so many people get frustrated with working out on their own.  They do not obtain results quick enough, but it's only because they do not know what target areas they should be working on.

Men's Fitness did a great excerpt on gridiron fitness workouts in order to obtain a Football body. Essentially their workout consisted of repeat exercise routines and compound movements.  Here at Atlas, we apply the same principles on small scale to target the areas your body needs to stay in tip top shape. Once we help you reach your fitness goals, our job is still not done. We must then help you meet and exceed them.  We don't just throw you onto the baseball bench or the end zone--we work with you every step of the way.

Much like football, or baseball, Atlas is always planning for the winning team-YOU!  Don't delay, call Mike today for a free consultation at 410-256-3662.

This post was sponsored by our friends over at  FF-Winners.com which are all about football! They have great posts on college and professional football. They give winning expert and computerized advice using artificial intelligence algorithms about the outcome of NFL games and player performances. Click Here for Winning Fantasy Football Advice.  Nothing like having one up on your office fantasy football game. 

Everyone Needs Breakfast

In my last few posts I've been blogging about topics that many of you have heard before. However, I believe they can always use repeating. Why, you ask? I believe that sticking to the basics is what can give everyone a healthier diet and lifestyle. The basics can really be easily applied to one's hectic and busy lifestyle. Here are some fun facts about breakfast and a simple way to make breakfast fit in your morning.

So what happens to the body when we skip breakfast? Keep in mind that the body starts fasting once you've gone to sleep. So your body is receiving little nutrients while it rests. If you skip breakfast, your body is still in a fasting mode which affects many systems in the body. The number one place that's affected is your brain. Your brain responds by depressing reaction time, alertness, and productivity level, so it can conserve what nutrients it has left. Your body also slows your metabolism, because it thinks it's in a “starve” state. This slower metabolism continues throughout the day, even after you have eaten your first meal. This slower metabolism can cause weight gain.

Okay so let's set Negative Nelly aside, and talk about the good part of breakfast. Studies by the Mayo Clinic and NIH show that eating breakfast improves overall health and decreases risk of chronic diseases. On the short term basis, eating breakfast increases your energy levels, and increases productivity and attention spans. Increased productivity will look excellent to you boss!

Here are two excuses that I hear regularly from clients about why they skip breakfast...

1. They don't feel hungry in the morning. This is quite a simple fix. Usually people that don't feel hungry in the morning ate too late the night before. Your entire body rests when you sleep. Your heart and breathing slow, and so does your digestion. So you wake up still feeling full. Try to not eat any later than 7:30pm. Not eating as late at night usually does the trick for a suppressed appetite in the morning.

2. There is not enough time to eat breakfast. Many of us have fast paced lives, with little time to always take appropriate care of ourselves. Well after this article, you will have a new healthy breakfast option that will only take 5 minutes of your time.

I am a huge fan of spinach, frozen-fruit smoothies in the morning, which take less than 5 minutes to make. And don't worry, the spinach taste goes away in the blender. Place spinach, frozen fruit, and skim milk in a blender and blend until smooth. Pour into a reusable cup with a straw and you are out the door and sipping breakfast on your way into work. Clean up is easy, just rinse out the blender cup and place in the dish strainer. Somebody is still going to tell me that despite this quick breakfast meal, they have absolutely no time in the morning to make breakfast. The smoothie can be made the night before and placed in the fridge overnight. If it's not cold enough for you, add a couple of ice cubes and run. See? Problem solved! Everyone needs (and has time) for breakfast. In a handful of sips, you will have already eaten 2 servings of fruits and vegetables in the morning, and have drank 10 g of protein. A smoothie can be a great way to start your day out healthy and right.

Now with one of the basics dissected, it can be really easy to start on a healthier diet plan. Saved by the smoothie!

Mixed Berry Smoothie

Ingredients
- 1C fresh spinach
- 1C frozen mixed berry blend
- 1C fat-free milk

Instructions

Prep Time- 5-6 minutes
1. Place all ingredients in blender
2. Blend until smooth, approximately 3-5 minutes
3. Enjoy!

Nutritional Info
1 serving- makes approximately 16 oz

Calories- 168
Fat- 1g
Carbohydrates- 30g
Protein- 10g