Holiday Survival Guide – Part 2 – Set A Workout Goal

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Holiday Survival Guide - Part 2 - Set A Workout Goal

Holiday Survival Guide – Part 2 – Set A Workout Goal

Holiday Survival Guide: Part 2 – Set A Workout Goal

It is easy this time of the year to skip your workouts. Friends and family are visiting from out of town that you have plans with. You are hung-over from drinking too much, yet again, at the night before’s Christmas Party. All of which makes it easy to miss your regular workouts and just say the heck with it until January.

But, do you really want to have to start all over again in a month? Be sore after each workout again and lose all that toned muscle that you have worked so hard for to a layer of pudge?

We didn’t think so?

That is why it is important to set a workout goal for the next six weeks. Maybe you typically get in three to four great workouts each week. Awesome! But, it may make sense for you to cut back to two per week until January. So let’s set the goal of getting in twelve workouts between now and January 2nd. Sound doable? Great!

It doesn’t matter how you get in these twelve workouts. It could be two this week, four the following week, and one the week after. You’re still on track, actually one ahead.

Focus on maintaining your fitness over these next six weeks and you’ll survive the holidays without losing all your hard work.

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Old Fashioned Bread Pudding

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bread-pudding

Treat your Thanksgiving guests to a delicious dessert that’s not the same old Pumpkin or Apple Pie. No, it’s not healthy. But, it is ok to let yourself indulge this Thanksgiving. And your guests will love it much more than that gluten-free, organic, dairy-free, paleo, nonGMO cardboard that you had last year for dessert.

Recipe taken from: HeraldNews.com, submitted by Amy Golden
http://www.heraldnews.com/article/20151117/NEWS/151117427

Ingredients:

Bread Pudding:
1 loaf Cinnamon Raisin Bread, at least a day old, cut into 1-inch squares (about 6-7 cups)
1 quart half and half
3 eggs
1-1/2 cups sugar
2 Tbsp vanilla extract
1 cup raisins, coated in 1 Tbsp Bourbon
1/4 teaspoon pumpkin pie spice
1/2 teaspoon cinnamon
3 Tbsp unsalted butter, melted

Caramel Bourbon sauce:
2 Tbsp whole milk
2 Tbsp butter
1/3 cup light brown
1 Tsp bourbon
1 Tbsp flour
dash of salt

Preparation:
1. Preheat oven to 350°F. Place half and half in a large mixing bowl and add the bread that has been cut into squares. Press the bread into the milk with your hands until all of the milk is absorbed.

2. In a separate bowl, whisk the eggs, then whisk in the sugar, vanilla, pumpkin pie spice and cinnamon. Stir in the raisins, then pour over the bread and milk mixture, and gently stir to combine.

3. Pour the melted butter into the bottom of a 9×13 inch baking pan. Coat the bottom and the sides of the pan well with the butter. Pour the bread milk and egg mixture into the baking pan. Bake at 350°F for 35-45 minutes, until the liquid has set. The pudding is done when the edges start getting a bit brown and pull away from the edge of the pan.

When the Bread Pudding comes out of the oven, mix all of the sauce ingredients together and bring to a boil for 3 to 4 minutes, stirring constantly. Set aside for 5 minutes, then pour on warm bread pudding.

It’s delicious warmed with whipped cream or vanilla ice cream!

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PNF’s Holiday Fitness Survival Guide – Part 1

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Part 1 – How To Stay On Track At Thanksgiving Dinner

There probably is no better meal than Thanksgiving dinner, okay Christmas dinner is pretty good too. At least that is until you have finished eating and find yourself about to slip into your annual after dinner bloated food coma. You know, the feeling you get after eating so much that loosening your belt or slipping on your comfy sweat pants doesn’t even help. So you slowly make your way to the couch to sit down and talk with friends and family. And of course watch the annual football game, even though you could care less about the Dallas Cowboys.

No! How did this happen? You said to yourself that you wouldn’t let this happen again this year. You’ve worked hard all year changing your body. You’ve committed to a workout plan for the last ten months, changed your eating habits, and you have even lost two pants sizes. But, now you are nervous that you are going to slide back into your old habits. After all, this is the hardest time of the year for you and it seems like every year you gain at least five pounds between Thanksgiving and New Year’s. You said not this year, but so far you are not off to a great start.

So how do you prevent overeating this Thanksgiving and still enjoy all the delicious food that you look forward to?

Here’s how:
#1. Take smaller portions, but take some of everything.
#2. Skip the bread. That is why there is stuffing, so enjoy that instead.
#3. Eat a healthy breakfast. That way you will not be starving when it is time to sit down and eat, or craving sugary carbs. If you are eating later at dinner time, make lunch healthy too.
#4. Do not pick at the meal while it is being prepared.
#5. Go for a walk with the fam after the “big dinner”, or play a game of touch football with them. This will help you digest and burn off some of what you just ate.

Keep these five steps in mind as you enjoy your dinner. And if you completely blow it and overeat, it is just one day. Get back on track tomorrow. This journey isn’t about perfection, it is about consistency over time.

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Workout Smarter, Not Harder Using Heart Rate Zones

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myzone tv 1280 x 720.indd

Workout smarter, not harder.

The harder you workout the more calories you burn and the leaner you get, right? Well, not exactly.

Does keeping your heart rate in 80 and 90 percent range for most of your workout produce the best results? No again.

To look and feel your best everyday you want to keep you heart rate in to 60 and 70 percent range (blue and green zones if using MyZone). This is the range that allows your body to burn the most stored fat. When you reach the 80 and 90 percent range (yellow and red zones if using MyZone) you begin to burn sugars stored in the muscles, called muscle glycogen. When the body burns off its stored glycogen during a workout it causes you to go home and pig out because your body is depleted of energy. Additionally, working out in this high heart rate range tends to make you excessively tired and results in you being less active throughout the day. So while you may see calories burning like crazy on the screen and feeling like you are killing your workout, you end up burning less through out the day due to reduced overall activity along with being extremely hungry with a strong craving for carbs and sugar. So you end up eating more and this can turn you into a fit fat person overtime.

Also, working out in the higher ranges leads to chronic tiredness, aches and pains, injury, and burnout. None of which you set out to achieve when you began your fitness journey.

As you increase your fitness level you will find yourself having a harder and harder time leaving the 70 percent range. This is good. It is the result of an increased work capacity, meaning you are able to work at a high level for a long period of time without tiring easily.

The people who workout in the 60 and 70 percent range find that they feel great after their workout, leave the gym energized, and experience less injuries. They also tend to be leaner and look more fit than those who are always trying to stay in the highest heart rate zones.

So the next time you hit the gym for your workout remember, the yellow and red zones equal tired, injured, and excessively hungry. While the blue and green zones equal healthy, lean, and energetic people who are ready for whatever the day throws at them.

It is important to workout hard, but only hard enough.

Exercise of the Day – Slider Jack Push Ups

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Grab a pair of Valslides and give the Slider Jack Push Up a try.

Step #1 – Push up position with toes on slides.

Step #2 – Lower down and spread out legs.

Step #3 – Press up and bring feet together.

Step #4 – Repeat for reps!

Need a progression for your push-ups? Give this one a try.

Need a progression for your push-ups? Give this one a try.

Kettlebell Squat to Stand

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A simple exercise to add some variety to your workouts.

A simple exercise to add some variety to your workouts.

Tired of doing the same old squats each and every workout? Give the Kettlebell Squat to Stand a try for some variety and let us know what yo think.

Mike S

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mike_s“Pittsburgh North Fitness offered me a program of functional resistance training, sensible nutrition and the support and motivation that helped shed my excess weight fast. I have lost 42 pounds and am 5 pants sizes smaller than I was 5 months ago. The great thing is their program is also helping me to keep it off for good. Give PNF 30 days and see how they can change your life. They certainly have changed mine.”
– Micheal S.

Jackie S

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img_0125I walked into Pittsburgh North Fitness in the Spring of 2012 knowing that I needed a change. Unhappy and unhealthy, I unsuccessfully tried several times to change my habits. 18 months, 50 pounds, and 4 dress sizes later I can say that I have been successful because of Pittsburgh North Fitness. I love starting my day lifting weights and challenging myself with the ever-changing workouts. I not only look forward to the workout, but also to seeing the other people I am training with. I feel like I am part of a community, not an anonymous gym-goer.

The coaches at Pittsburgh North Fitness seem to have an insight into what it really takes to live a healthy lifestyle. They are knowledgeable about training, nutrition, and making it work in the real world. I can’t thank them enough for how they have changed my life.
– Jackie S., member

Carol S

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img_1999“When I joined PNF two years ago, I primarily joined to lose weight. What I didn’t expect was the increased confidence, improved health better eating habits and a different perspective on exercise for myself and my family. I have made many ‘gym’ friends, who along with the attentiveness of the PNF staff, help to encourage and challenge me each workout. And make it fun!”
– Carol S., member since 2014

Chris M

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img_0758“Since joining PNF in 2012 I have lost three jean sizes and over twenty pounds an have kept it off. At 52 I’m in better shape than I was in my forties thanks to the dynamic and knowledgeable team of trainers at PNF…I have also made many good friends that I look forward to working out with and make each workout fun.”
Chris M., member since 2012