This is why WE'RE fat!!

Unreal. Click on the title to link to a site that contains pages and pages of pictures of the most fatty, disgusting foods that people and restaurants have created. Now, some of you might think that a "picnic pop" or a breaded sausage and boiled egg patty looks good. This is why you are fat. I know, it's harsh, but it's true. Do you know how bad this stuff is? Do you care? Well, next time you want to eat something that is a fraction as unhealthy as this is, just look in the mirror and ask yourself this--"Do I look good...Do I feel good...Am I shortening or lengthening my life?" I'm not sure if you know this, but heart disease is the number one killer in America, and most of the time it's due to poor diet and lack of fitness, both which we have control over. I'm gonna make this short because it was straight to the point, and I gotta write today's cause I'm a bit behind anyway. So you found this blog in a search. What are you searching for? Check out how I turned my health around in less than a year and why I have made it my goal to help people improve the quality of their lives at:

www.premierhealthsource.com

Thanks for reading, and good luck with your quest to a better life. I'm here to help.

300

As I began my day this morning, my wife finished watching "The Chronicles of Riddick" and "300" started. In my ongoing quest to get more and more ripped, this 300 thing has had me thinking for some time. Every now and then someone will tell ask me if I'd heard of the training program that they had to go through, and someone will have something different to share with me. So seeing Gerard Butler ridiculously ripped up in that scene where he kicks dude into the pit--actually the look in his face, even though he was acting, provided some substance for me, and I have been thinking about it all day. Incidentally, a re-run of SNL was on just now, and the host was none other than Gerard Butler! A funny but noteworthy coincidence, and of course there was a skit and references made to the movie "300". So while we were watching, I felt it was time to let my fingers do the walking and find out more, since obviously he was no longer in that kind of shape in SNL, but how the hell did those guys look like that?

I stumbled upon a site, gymjones.com, where apparently these guys trained, and much of the program was explained in greater detail. If you click on the title of this blog you will link to the exact page. Holy crap it is insane. These guys trained together for 10-12 hours a day, 5 days a week for four months straight, restricted their calories to give them barely enough of what they needed to survive just short of foraging and hunting themselves, and were humiliated for their failures and weaknesses and acclaimed when they hit milestones. The team effort not only changed them physically but mentally as well and united them as an elite army which helped to really prepare them for the parts they would play.

I mean, even now as I am going into the 5th week of my custom program of a 2-hour extreme home fitness routine where I combine pre and post exhaustion techniques with a near perfectly laid-out nutritional schedule and my resting heart rate is that of a crocodile's, I am nowhere near what these guys look like...yet. I don't want to be writing forever, but check out the link to really see what I'm talking about, and check out their version of the fit test, aptly called "300" (which is 300 total reps of various lifts and exercises). But I will share a few quotes from this page which have really got me pumped.

"...appearance is a consequence of fitness..."

"...we prescribed random physical challenges to keep them off balance, to ensure they never knew what was coming, to cause a stress-reaction, to break them, to make them look bad in front of each other, which eventually led them to trust one another. Trust made them willing to go all the way to the edge in each other's company..."

"Butler commented that my idea of a workout is to 'go until you are actually in fear of your life and then go further. Then, you do more.'"

"...Butler summed up his experience with us when he said, 'Pretty much anything Mark Twight offered up was so difficult in the kind of way where you wish you had never been born - and even more than that, wished he had never been born.'"

Those are just a few good ones. Check out the link for more. There is a lot I took away from this reading, but more than anything else, and as I think of the people that I am currently mentoring and my own journey, I can say that your mindset is everything. No matter what obstacles are in your way or what you have to overcome to get to your ultimate fitness, health, and life goals, you must keep your focus and develop your mindset to even overcome what you believe yourself to be capable of. Only then will you begin to really believe that there is nothing you cannot achieve. Tony Horton said this (and I'm paraphrasing),"Get it out of your mind that you can't do something...rather, change the statement to 'I currently struggle with...'" It's absolutely true--things I thought were outside the realm of possibility I am smashing, and the things today that I struggle with I know for a fact I will accomplish in due time with hard work and dedication. Thanks for reading and enjoy the rest of your weekend!

Sleep Well?

I hope everyone had as good of a night's sleep as I did! Some of you forced yourselves to wake up when it was still dark to take advantage of deals, and I don't blame you. Some of you probably even stayed up all night for the same reason. Personally, I'm happy I got in a good 7 hours or so, and just remember that your sleep is just as important as your fitness and nutrition. Anyways, this blog is not really about sleep, but rather my discoveries this morning.

When I woke up, I began making my usual breakfast, and when I looked in the fridge I saw a few ziploc bags of turkey, one with my mom-in-law's awesome cornbread, fresh farmer's artisan cheeses from my cousin Sue, a brie straight from Wisconsin that my Aunt Marion brought, and of course, a pie combo sitting on the counter. So, what do we do to stay on track with our diets and still enjoy a week or so of these leftovers? Well, it won't be that hard although I have to admit I almost reached for the cornbread this morning! If you are monitoring your portions and scheduling your eating...(you have been reading and applying!)...then you can sub in a piece or two of cornbread or stuffing for a carb portion...and have a small slice of pie with a scoop of fro-yo for breakfast instead of cereal and fruit if you like, etc. Luckily for me, all of our leftovers are pretty healthy and comprised of no-butter, reduced or no added sugar, and plenty of whole grains instead of boring white flour.

The thing I would definitely advise against is starving yourself today. It is pointless, but just try not to gorge again like you did yesterday even though you might still feel hungry because your stomach is still expanded from the Thanksgiving feast. I read somewhere that since we ate a lot more in one sitting, even though you go back to regular eating habits, your stomach will take about two weeks or so to fully go back to its original size. So just get back to your routine and gear up for the next Holiday! Thanks for reading, and check back tomorrow! Have a great Black Friday and enjoy your weekend!

Good Eats

I'm still full, and we finished eating around 6 or 7! Like many of you, I indulged on a beautiful Thanksgiving feast. It was a bit healthier, but I can't deny the extra calories I enjoyed, and I feel no remorse. (Now, of course, I have to tie in some health info! lol!) The problem is for most of us that we seem to eat like it's Thanksgiving every day, taking in hundreds and sometimes thousands more calories than our bodies really need to support our daily activities, and this is why we put on extra fat, our cholesterol levels and blood pressures rise, etc. Really, most people don't know how to eat properly because we've never learned.

Earlier in the week, I thought about where this starts, and though it's not really our fault, we can learn and change our behavior to match what our doctors advise. When we are in grade school thru high school, we are served a standard lunch which most of the time contains too much sodium and saturated fat, we take numerous classes that challenge us mentally, some of us don't take gym class or weight training not to mention join any athletic clubs and/or teams, etc. Most of all, though, have you ever thought of some of the overweight and unhealthy gym teachers? How can you teach something you don't believe in or practice? And many of these same teachers instruct a one-semester health class where we don't come away with any tangible nutritional knowledge or staggering facts such as "Heart disease is the number one killer in America". Why even subject pregnant girls and other sexually active teens to a video about conception? Maybe I may be being a bit extreme, but we need to start thinking about these things, especially if we want our children to be healthy and live as healthy adults.

On a positive note, I would just like to say how thankful I am to have had the opportunity to host my first successful Thanksgiving and spend time with my family. Also, I would like to pray for those people who couldn't spend time with their families due to travel issues, illness, injury, or any other reason. I am truly in one of the poorest economic situations I've been in so far, but I thank God that I am as fortunate as I am because most other people in the world are going through way tougher social, economic, and political situations, and I pray for those to improve. Thanks to all of you who are reading this, and I hope I can help you make a positive impact in your own lives.

No Smokin' Tomorrow!

For the past few weeks or so, I've been gearing up to host my first Thanksgiving. I have to say that until this past weekend, I thought I was prepared. My whole gameplan revolved around smoking a turkey outside with mesquite wood chips and a nice barbecue rub. I've been foiled though! As tomorrow grew closer, I came to grips with the fact that there will most likely be snow and rain, and this wouldn't exactly make a perfect opportunity to barbecue...not to mention I'd probably get sick and it would be a real pain-in-the-ass. I found an alternate plan, though. While reading through a Men's Health magazine last week, I found a great recipe for a butterflied turkey roasted over panzanella, and I also discovered some great Alton Brown tips online for brining and roasting a whole turkey. Instead of picking up one 15-20 pounder, I bought two 12lb Butterballs from Costco at .99/lb. Awesome. So as I type, one turkey is in it's home stretch in a bucket of brine and the other has already been butterflied and awaits its fate.

As for the rest, I spent the day with my mother-in-law planning and prepping what we could today to get ready for tomorrow. This morning I made a few quick trips to a local grocery store, and also to Jewel where I picked up a few things I simply can't find anywhere else. Then I came home, made the brine and a quick and delicious veggie soup (with some leftover pork loin), worked out, and got on the appetizers. If you know me (as in current healthy Mikey) then you know I gotta make this healthy and delicious! So my wife made her famous home made roasted red pepper and garlic hummus, and together we also whipped up an awesome guacamole. My mother-in-law really busted it, organizing most of the logistics, helping me clean the turkeys, and prepping carrots, celery, cucumber, and cauliflower. After scanning an Emiril Lagasse recipe for a fresh cranberry sauce, I created my own version using fresh Ocean Spray cranberries, POM pomegranate, agave nectar, cinnamon, a touch of brown sugar, and fresh orange juice. It was so simple and it's gonna be a hit for sure! Anyways, there's plenty still to do tomorrow, so I'll say goodnight, and I'll let you know how it went tomorrow night! Thanks for reading and Happy Thanksgiving everyone!

What's holding you back?

Obviously, I've been having success with going from flab to fab, and I have been helping others do the same. There are, however, a handful of people that I've talked to and who say they are interested in getting in shape, or they are sick of being overweight, etc. Some of you have even purchased a home fitness program or have a gym membership. So what's holding you back from success? Is it work? Is it fear of leaving what you believe to be comfort foods? Or do you value the hours of time you spend on the internet or watching shows that do nothing for your health? Whatever it is, it's delaying your transformation, and it is sad. Think about this: what caused you to initially seek help? Why do you want to (or why do you like the idea of trying to) be healthy? There must be a reason. Don't you want to be able to go to the beach in the summer and not just sit around while everyone else is having fun? Don't you want to sleep better...work better...breathe better...feel better? If the answer is no, then just keep doing what you're doing. But if you truly want your health and your life to change for the better, contact me and tell me you've made the decision and you don't want to look back. From that point, all you have to do is follow directions, and I assure you that we will accomplish whatever goals you have. Together. Thanks for reading, everyone, and I look forward to hearing from you soon.

Your friend,

Mike Nickles
630.220.4084 cell
michaelnickles@beachbodycoach.com email

People Business

What do you do? What business are you in? Hold on...don't be quick to answer "insurance agent" or "bus driver" or "server", etc. Some of us do office jobs, some of us work retail, some of us serve drinks to drunk people at all hours of the night. Whatever your occupation, though, it's important to remember you are in the "people business". I first heard this a while back, but it really stuck with me. If you know me, you know that I'm kind of the jack-of-all-trades kind of guy. I've worked retail, fast-food, been a server and bartender, personal banker, insurance agent, graphic designer, and finally I'm on to personal trainer.

The greatest skills I've picked up have to do with people--listening, learning, reading, teaching, and providing solutions for people. The most important though is something I feel you can't overlook, and something that Chalene Johnson, celebrity trainer for Beachbody, highlighted in a webinar I was listening to. She said, "take an interest in people." What this means to me is something I already do but now am more conscious of: I genuinely care for the well-being of other people. I really do. It is important to me that the people I serve and help have been taken care of properly, and more importantly, if I can influence one person to make a positive change because they feel that I actually do care about them, then it's worth it. More often than not, I wonder about people that I've given my business card to that I haven't heard from, or people I've lost touch with for one reason or another. "Could I have done more to influence more of a response?" or "why hasn't this person tried to contact me yet?" are some of the questions I ask myself, and I hope that these people make some healthy changes, even if I don't ever speak to them again. So whatever you do, just remember you are in the people business, and when you approach it this way and genuinely care for your customers, I assure you that bigger successes will follow. Thanks for reading and have a great Monday!

Preparing For My First Thanksgiving

This year I am hosting my first Thanksgiving. Before this, my cousin Holly who is an awesome individual and an amazing host, has officially retired from her near 2-decade span of hosting. As the day grew closer, I began thinking about what to serve and how to serve it. I figured I could go the traditional comfort route and roast a 20-pounder with standard stuffing, mashed skin-on red potatoes, veggies, canned cranberry sauce, and my mom's pumpkin pie. Sounds safe, but I'm not happy with "safe". If you know me, you know I like to modify and put my own spin on things. I love getting creative and being resourceful, and for the past year now, I also eat healthy and love to promote health. So what I've decided to do is skin and rub down one 12 pounder to be smoked for 6 hours or so, and I'm going to butterfly another turkey and roast it over whole-grain panzanella, which will serve as a stuffing. I'm making the roasted reds as usual but using olive oil and no butter. We've decided to also serve a fresh salad with our own balsamic vinaigrette, whole wheat rolls, cornbread, steamed broccoli florets and organic carrots, homemade fresh cranberry and pomegranate sauce, and I'm going to make a low-glycemic-sweetened whole wheat pumpkin bread with low-fat pomegranate blueberry fro-yo as an alternate dessert. I didn't mention that we're serving homemade hummus and guacamole with multi-grain pita chips, carrots, and celery, and also shrimp cocktail for appetizers. I picked up MGD 64, and I plan to make some cocktails including pomegranate martinis, cosmos, and V-8 bloody marys. So we're gonna make this a good one, and I have to say that this weekend's shopping experience has been an interesting one, but as long as we prepare well, this will be a great Thanksgiving debut for us! Maybe this will give you some ideas on how to make your Thanksgiving meal a little healthier, otherwise I'm sure it will be great anyways. Let's face it-it's a holiday so enjoy yourself! Thanks for reading and have a great night!

Stick To The Script...

I was talking to a new trainee the other day regarding how to go about making better nutritional choices and how to integrate fitness. It's really all about scheduling and routine. Did you ever notice that the most consistent activities we all do is going to work. Because we know that we need to practice good attendance in order to keep our jobs and maintain our cash flow, we allow nothing but severe illness to get in the way of getting to work. How come, then, when it comes to our own health, we skip workouts and fail to maintain a nutrititous diet? If this sounds like you, then make a change by scheduling yourself as far as waking, eating, working out, and sleeping around your work schedule. You will find that you are more productive because you have prepared to do these things. An old saying that supports this is: "Fail to plan; plan to fail"

I personally do this and here is one of my typically scheduled workdays (when jasmine is off work):

8:00 am wake
8:30 am breakfast smoothie, make omelette for jasmine, blog, home office time
10:00 am workout
12:00 pm recovery drink, shower, shave, dress for work
12:30 pm lunch power shake
1:00 pm leave for work
2:00 pm work
4:00 pm snack nutrition bar
6:00 pm dinner (salad, wrap, or vegetable bowl)
10:00 pm leave work
11:30 pm arrive home, shower, personal time
12:30 pm sleep

Now, obviously the times aren't exact every day, but I do try to adhere to this schedule. Make your health a priority and try this technique to "stick to the script". Thanks for reading and have a great weekend!

A short on sugar

Yesterday I read an interesting and educational article about sugar and how it can be potentially harmful. The article starts out by reminding us that sugar doesn't cause diabetes; too much sugar does. Diabetes means that glucose can't be cleared from your blood, and when it isn't processed quickly enough, it leads to tissue damage and can cascade into far worse conditions including stroke and death. People with type I were born that way unfortunately, but being overweight is the primary precursor to type II diabetes in children and adults, and this means it can be prevented and/or eliminated by living a healthier lifestyle.

High-fructose corn syrup, once the scapegoat for our obesity epidemic, is actually just a cheaper form of sugar, which is why it is rampant in our food industry. Obesity itself, is caused by poor nutritional choices, overeating, little or no fitness, etc. There does happen to be a correlation to obese individuals and high-fructose corn syrup, and the obvious conclusion is that this sweetener is found in many not-so-healthy items that obese individuals abuse. Overall, if you are eating an appropriate amount of calories, even if those calories come from less-than-perfect food choices, the odds are that you will not become obese.

Too much fructose does raise fat levels in your body, but the levels found in fruits are natural and tolerable. It is a great idea to limit the intake of processed foods that contain fructose to minimize your body fat percentage. I am short on time but I thought I'd finish up with a fact for you: Men on high-fructose diets had 32% higher triglycerides than men on high-glucose diets. Your body can't metabolize the fructose as fast as you can eat it, so what your body can't convert is packaged as triglycerides. The main thing to take away here is that simply by maintaining a healthy body weight, you can keep safe triglyceride levels among other levels, and prevent a variety of health problems including diabetes, high blood pressure, stroke, heart disease, etc. Click on the title to link to mens health's official site and learn more. Thanks for reading and have a great day!

Dear Tony Horton

Today's blog will be a simple but meaningful one. Tony Horton, the celebrity trainer behind P90X and many other home fitness programs and more, is one of my facebook friends, so I took an opportunity to thank him, and here's my post:

Dear Tony, I just won 1,000 in the Million Dollar Body Game this past week and it is a testament to what you have taught me over the past year. You and P90X have changed my life by sharing with me a health conscious, fun, outgoing attitude along with THE most complete home athletic training program. period. I have truly been transformed and I love life more than ever, and am now continuing to influence and coach my family and friends and have a passion for health and fitness and the ongoing education that comes with it. I'm actually studying for the ACE test so I can be certified as a trainer to help make me a more complete coach! I can never possibly repay you for the value of...you. Thanks so much

Mike Nickles
Chicago, IL

I can't tell you how many things I have been able to change about myself, my family, friends, goals, priorities...the list goes on. Also, it is you who I have been able to influence that really keeps me going and your health is important to me. My mindset is this: If I can influence just one more person to make one small positive change in his/her life, then all of the hard work that I have done to improve my own health makes it worth every drop of sweat. Thanks for reading and have a great day!

10-Minute Solution

I woke up at a normal time...had normal intentions to do my insane 2 hour combo of shoulders and arms and max interval training. However, my brother-in-law has fallen extremely sick overnight, and that is definitely my first priority. Also, I have to leave for work around noon, so it is apparent I cannot complete my usual workout because I will have to take Victor in to see a doctor immediately, and you know how long that can be sometimes. So what do I do?

Often, many of us are faced with these same every-day obstacles that can keep us from doing what we need to do for our own health and well-being. At first, I convinced myself to take a day off and that I would catch up tomorrow. But something inside me knew that I would feel a bit off for the rest of the day if my body didn't get the exercise it craved. Instead, I chose to do a 10-minute shadowboxing routine from the One-On-One with Tony Horton Series. This workout combined 30 seconds of jumping rope with 30 seconds of shadow boxing, where I throw intense punches, elbows, knees, and kicks at an imaginary opponent. After just 10 short minutes, I was sweatin and I could feel my heart pumping blood, and I was done! I was able to find a solution to my dilemma, and I wanted to share this in a short blog before we left to the doctor, so maybe some of you can think of ways to fit in a workout or choose a healthier meal when in a tight bind.

Click on the title of this to go to my coach page and if you click "shop" you can check out the "10-minute trainer" series with Tony Horton. This is a series that is "no excuses" meaning if you have, time, combine 3 10-minute workouts, otherwise, do 1 or 2. This approach stacks different moves quickly so you can get a good burn even if you are short on time. Also, there is a calendar that will help you break up and combine different workouts as well as track your progress and hold yourself accountable. Anyways, off to the doctor! Thanks for reading and have a great day!

Fat body, skinny brain

Over the weekend, I picked up the December issue of Men's Health for yet another source of education. Yesterday, I was reading through when I came across a page on weight loss, and the most interesting thing I found was a note on a study of 94 people at the University of Pittsburgh. They scanned their brains and found that in the overweight, the brain was 4% smaller than that of healthy-weight people, and in the obese, they were 8% smaller! Unreal! You see, excess weight/fat restricts blood vessels and lessens lung capacity, depriving the brain of oxygen. So, in fact, by allowing yourself to become and remain overweight/obese, you are suffocating your brain! Crazy, huh? Now, if you drink a lot of alcohol and smoke cigarettes too, imagine the damage you are doing. Why would you want to do this to yourself? If you need help, please contact me. I can show you how to start making small changes that will lead to big results. This must be why, since losing over 75 lbs, I feel the best I ever have before, I am the most assertive, focused, and motivated than ever before, and I guess I'm smarter, too!

Here's a final tip from that same page in Men's Health: eat with people who are health conscious! Like other associations, eating works the same way. Researchers found that if an individual watches a skinny person orders/eats a lot of food, he/she would tend to order/eat more than usual, too. Likewise, if you watch an overweight/obese person eat, you will tend to eat healthier and eat less, and in some instances, less than you normally would. So eat with health-conscious people and you will naturally eat healthier. Seems logical enough...it's that whole "guilt by association" thing, I guess. Anyways, hope you learned some interesting stuff. Click on the title to link to the Men's Health website, and feel free to visit my coach site at www.premierhealthsource.com. Thanks for reading and have a great day!

I WON $1,000!!

Did I get your attention? If you click on the link above, you will see that I am one of a handful of winners in this month's Beachbody Million Dollar Body Game. As you may know, over the past year I lost around 75-80 lbs, and over half of that was with the help of P90X, the extreme home fitness program that helped me get ridiculous results in a relatively short period of time. Since revolutionizing my own health, I have been helping others to do this as a Beachbody Coach. There will actually be a complete segment on my transformation from Beachbody, and I can even win $10,000 for the quarter! Wow that would help my situation out a lot.

I really want to say THANK YOU to everyone reading this, and to everyone who has given me encouragement, support, and especially to you who have taken some of my advice and are allowing me to help you transform your health and life. Together, nothing is impossible, and truly, I could not do it without all of you. So if I haven't given you enough encouragement already or you are unsure of yourself, here is another reason to motivate yourself towards a healthier life! Thanks for reading, everyone, and have a great Monday!

Good Luck Chris

Good Luck Chris...and Chris! Tomorrow, my brother, Chris and one of my friends and co-workers, Chris are both starting P90X, the extreme home fitness program that helped me in my transformation and my brother-in-law Victor's as well. These two guys have each taken some direction from me as their coach and over the past several weeks have each lost between 20 and 30 lbs., are making wiser nutritional decisions, and are in darn good athletic condition. Tomorrow, they will take it to the next level with P90X, so I wanted to take this blog to wish them luck and give some tips as they dive into day 1, week 1.

It really is science, guys. The only thing that the program cannot do for you is get you in front of the TV and make you press play. You two have it, and anyone reading this can find that desire inside you if you really search for it. If you've read some of my past blogs, I have mentioned focusing on your "why". While you prepare before a workout, think about your "why" or write it down and tape it to your wall and keep it in your mind. If you want it bad enough, you will push through and make great things happen. Really, though, take it day by day in week one, and you will definitely reach and surpass your goals no doubt about it.

Use the free tracking tools, the recovery drink (it's worth it), and you can hit pause every now and then, but you will find yourself pushing farther and seeing more results than you ever have in your life. Please use me as a resource for information, support, technique/form, etc, because to me, the only thing better than watching you do this is helping you do this.

I will follow Chris and Chris and check in every 30 days and document their progress. I just want to say I'm excited to see what will happen. Click on the title of this blog or visit premierhealthsource.com to visit my coach page and learn more about P90X and why it is the most complete home athletic training system. Period. Please also feel free to contact me for a free home fitness consultation and analysis. I will find and/or design a program based on you and your lifestyle. If you take my recommendations, I will coach and help train you to reach your goals, too!

Anyways, Good luck once again to Chris and Chris, and I think there is an unofficial competition brewing...Thanks for reading everyone and thanks so much for all of your continuous support.

Fast-Made Home Food

You have a busy job, busy life, and no time, right? There's no way to avoid fast-food, and you're sure of it. Well, here are some techniques I've used that may help you and your family eat at home!

1. Make your list...if you don't already, use a list when you go shopping, and have a "shopping day" instead of shopping here and there during your busy week. I usually purchase the usual items we use weekly, monthly, etc, so we keep a pad and pen on the counter in the kitchen and as we run out of an item we write in on the pad. I've found this is better than making a list right before you leave to shop because you can be sure you won't forget it later. If you want, add a step and create your dinner menu for the week and just make sure you have or write on your list all of the ingredients you will need.

2. Have a "Cooking Day"...Instead of coming home after a hard day at work, prepping your ingredients, cooking your meal, and cleaning up, Use a day off to cook all of the meals for the week or until your next day off. Store your meals in the kitchen, and even write the menu for the evening and any special instructions on a magnetic dry erase board you can keep on your fridge. This way, if you are late, your family won't have an excuse to give up and order pizza!!

3. Easy Wraps For Lunch...Roast or grill boneless skinless chicken breast, then cut into 1/2 inch cubes or strips and store in fridge. You or your family can easily use this for different tasting wraps with a little sauce, lettuce, tomato, and cheese. Tell them to be creative! Serve with a baked carbohydrate snack such as sun chips or pirates booty puffs. Easy, natural, and delicious!

4. Pack Snacks!...I don't mean doritos or twizzlers. Your job demands that you perform your best, and your body appreciates you supplying it with nutrients so it can help you be your best. I schedule my snack about two hours into my workday, and I easily do this by having a zone perfect bar on the fly. I get 190 calories and great nutrition packed in them. After work, which is about 3-4 hours after I have had dinner, I might munch on some nature valley oats and honey granola bars, which I also had packed. These snacks give me what I need, and my body thanks me by letting me know it feels great! (When I want to look extra lean, I have shaved pounds in the past by not eating carbs with my dinner and omitting the granola bars, effectively allowing me to fast for the next 12 hours. I did this for 5 days and lost about 5 extra pounds for great pictures!)

Hope these examples help you with your busy life, and feel free to ask me about anything I've done or post your tips in a comment! By the way, I have purchased all of the specific items I mentioned in bulk at Costco, my favorite store in the world! Thanks for reading and enjoy your Saturday night!

Nitric Oxide??

Ok so my friend sent me this link cause he knows I'm nuts about fitness. It is a short article, info, and celebrity testimonial page highlighting the benefits and reasons why athletes train with nitric oxide enhancing supplements. Laughing gas? No not nitrous oxide....nitric oxide, according to wikipedia, is

"NO is an important messenger molecule involved in many physiological and pathological processes within the mammalian body both beneficial and detrimental.^[1] Appropriate levels of NO production are important in protecting an organ such as the liver from ischemic damage. However sustained levels of NO production result in direct tissue toxicity and contribute to the vascular collapse associated with septic shock, whereas chronic expression of NO is associated with various carcinomas and inflammatory conditions including juvenile diabetes, multiple sclerosis, arthritis and ulcerative colitis."

What does it all mean Basel? Well, if you read the whole Wikipedia page and can make sense of some of the language, it appears that Nitric Oxide is an important messenger molecule which helps deliver oxygen to muscles and organs. In the above paragraph it would seem that high, sustained levels are dangerous, but it is a volotile molecule that breaks down quickly until it is replenished, and since that is the case it would make sense that athletes could afford more because we use this up quicker. The product, force factor, claims to help you work harder, get more ripped, and build bigger and better without creatine, caffeine, or other potentially dangerous stimulants, and this seems positive and backed by medical professionals. Overall, this is still a mystery to me, but I opted for the 14-day trial for 4.99 s/h...I'll let you know how it works for me. If anyone has used this or is using this, please comment about your experience and results. Thanks for reading and have a great Friday the 13th everyone!

Offseason Endurance Training

Take a moment

Ok so it's Veterans Day and I believe it is appropriate to take a break, if even for a moment, to recognize the men and women who fight for our freedom. Whatever you are doing today: working, shopping, laying around, eating, exercising, etc., keep in mind that it is because of what our country has fought for that we can experience the luxury of doing these every day things. All of us to some degree have really gotten comfortable in our daily lives, and it is easy to take for granted all of the simple pleasures, vices, and liberties that we enjoy. It is for these reasons also that people from other countries like my mom and perhaps you, yourself, your parents, grandparents, etc, have come here for a better life. But it is the people that are dressed in camouflage no matter the branch that really protect us and fight for our lives. Please also take a moment to remember loved ones and all of the fallen soldiers because they died so that we may live a better life. And if you know someone who has served and you will see them today, hug them and thank them for serving for us. I'm going to make this short today because, honestly, I am having a hard time holding myself together. Thanks to all of the Veterans and all of you currently serving. We do appreciate you and we owe you our lives. God bless you and God bless America.

-In memory of Captain Mark R. Nickles

How bout pumpkin?

Yeah, how bout pumpkin? While researching a recent blog regarding weight loss and foods that help you do this, I came across a short paragraph regarding pumpkin? So here's the real deal, let's face it-it's not fun carving out a pumpkin unless Halloween's coming up, right? Plus, the other 11 months of the year where the heck are you going to find them? So pick up canned pumpkin. It is canned as a puree with nothing else added, which is perfect. Now here's the deelio-in 1/2 cup of pumpkin, there are only 40 calories, 0.5 grams of fat, 0 cholesterol, 9 grams of carbs...but wait-5 of those grams are fiber carbs!! That's 20% of your daily value of fiber! By the way, it contains 300% daily value of Vitamin A! Nice. So make a healthy pumpkin pie, and here are two other things I just tried this weekend which were outstanding:

1. Pumpkin Tomato Soup
You can get a little creative, but here's what I did:
Sautee 1 cup of celery and 1 cup of carrots until slightly soft, in a soup pot. Throw in some seasoning: garlic, cinnamon, ground cloves, salt, pepper, cayenne, to taste. Coat vegetables, then throw in 1 29oz can pumpkin and 1 29 oz can crushed tomatoes along with 6-8 cups of water and stir until blended. Heat to a boil, then cover and simmer for about 30 min. Throw in some corn for sweetness, about 2 cups, along with 1/4 cup of goat cheese to smooth it out. Simmer for another 20 minutes, then taste. You may need to tweak the seasonings and don't be afraid to try something new! This is how I even came up with this soup on the fly anyway!

2. Tasty Pumpkin Frosty
I used about 1/2 cup of canned pumpkin, 1/4 cup tart l/f vanilla frozen yogurt, 1 tbsp of blue agave nectar (a natural, organic, low-glycemic sweetener), and some cinnamon. stir this around and you have a delicious and creamy treat! Soon I am planning to create a pumpkin pie smoothie...2 scoops froyo, 2 scoops pumpkin, 1 oats/honey granola bar, 1/2 cup soy milk. Sounds good...try it!

Hey remember, get innovative with cooking and be resourceful. You will learn with every new thing you try, and you will master the things you tend to do all the time. Have some fun this holiday, and please post some of your delicious, nutritious creations! Thanks for reading and check back tomorrow!

Partner Up!

Ok so you've made the decision, you're getting in shape, eating better...but it's starting to get hard to keep your mental focus. What do you do? Well I don't have the best answer for this because everyone is motivated by different things and everyone has a different level of self-motivation. But here are some tips that I have used/experienced that have helped me out. Hopefully one or more of these will help you!

1. Partner Up! Working out with someone or attempting the same home fitness program as a friend will help you keep going. Odds are, when you are not exactly feeling up to it, you will still show up because you don't only have yourself to be accountable to and you don't want to let your partner down. Likewise, you wouldn't want your buddy to get results while you sit on the couch would you? If you work out at home, you can work out with someone else on WOWY (work out with you). This is a feature on teambeachbody.com, where a community of people who work out at home check in to workout, schedule routines, and even cool down and chat with people who have also just completed a work out. Luckily for me, my brother-in-law and I did a couple fitness programs together, at different times of the day. I knew I had to keep showin' up and really pushing myself because I didn't want to fall behind and honestly, I would tell myself, "if Victor could finish today, so can I".

2. Revisit your "Why" Sometimes when things seem tough, it is easy to fill your day with other tasks and you may find yourself conveniently missing your fitness routine. It is not because you don't need to complete your other tasks, but something has happened in your mind that has dropped fitness on your priority list. It is important to remember that without proper fitness, your health is not the best it can be, and without your health, what can you do? Further, remember the "why". Why do you want to be healthy? You want to be around for your kids...you are sick of feeling tired all the time...your doctor told you to do so. Those are some examples but you need to ask yourself. This simple thing can help you re-prioritize your health at the top of your list where it should be, and finding the time and getting rid of the excuses will be no problem. Personally, I focus on my health so that I don't have the same health problems that my dad has developed and so that I can live a long, healthy life with my wife and future children and not on the sidelines. That's enough for me, but within the past year my why also has changed to include staying healthy and fit for all of the people I have motivated and helped achieve their goals. What a great feeling.

3. Get a personal trainer. Maybe you just need a coach/mentor to help you by giving you intermittent, hands-on training and support. Also, you will be accountable to someone besides a friend/family member who you may be shrugging off. Your trainer will be able to help customize a routine that works toward your strengths, what you like/dislike, and a trainer can help you get outside your comfort zone and really get the results you are looking for. I am now available as a personal trainer and will be officially certified soon. So call/contact me, and I will be glad to help you achieve your fitness and health goals by working you through the difficulties and obstacles and by celebrating your successes.

There are certainly more methods like establishing a routine and sticking to a time schedule, etc, and if you have a method that helps you, please comment on this blog and share it because you will help someone else by doing so! Also, please set up a free profile on team beachbody by clicking on the title of this link which will take you to my coach page. Click "join" and scroll down through the chart and decide whether you want to set up a free or club membership. there are different perks with both, but you can do a lot with the free membership and you will be connected directly to me and I will give you free support! Thanks for reading everyone, and check back tomorrow. Start the week off right!

Better Lunch Choice

Good morning everyone! If you read regularly, you will notice that I just posted yesterday's blog hours ago. It was a long day, which I described for you in detail. I want to report in today about the experience I had yesterday at lunch. After my CPR certification around noon, I drove to Bolingbrook to visit my parents and to conduct a personal training session for my brother, Chris. I conducted a fit test with him to measure his current physical fitness level and to get him ready for P90X. On the way there, it was about time for me to eat, and I definitely craved a hearty lunch. I knew there was a Wendy's on the way, and I originally planned to get a grilled chicken sandwich and a side salad there. It was simple, fast, and a reasonable choice considering the venue. Then I started asking myself, "Well the area is always growing...maybe there is a better place..." I drove past the Wendy's and began scanning the area and found there were quite a few selections. I saw Jimmy John's and figured that was a great choice, but then noticed a Panera Bread and thought I would stop in to see what I could find.

I was happy to see that there was a nice "Pick 2" combination where you can pick 2 among soups, salads, and half sandwiches. I chose a low-fat black bean soup, served with a whole-wheat baguette and a fuji chicken salad which had field greens, thin-cut roasted chicken breast, select veggies, gorgonzola and a vinaigrette I believe. This was absolutely the perfect meal, and I washed it down with some ice water. I felt so great from the nutrition flowing through my body and from the polite suburban level of customer service that I even told the manager about my experience.

You see, eventually you will learn (or have learned) how to make better and better choices until you will only strive for the best nutrition and health choices you can find, and it's well worth it. Mix it up--there are some great ideas that you can put together, and obviously even some great choices to make on the road that are both delicious and nutritious. Remember, your body needs calories packed with nutrients to support your active lifestyle. Thanks for reading and please share your better choice! Feel free to contact me for a free home fitness consultation. I'd love to be part of your healthy life!

Long, Great Day

Wow so I'm bloggin' late today...been a long, good one. I started off with a nice weekend type breakfast: 3 nutri-grain eggo pancakes topped with low-fat frozen yogurt, blueberries, and agave nectar as the syrup. I had a cup of green tea and a glass of fresh orange juice. It was fun and delicious, and really helped me set the tone for the day. So there's an example of a way to have something like pancakes which seems almost inherently bad for you but, as it turns out, can be tweaked to a healthy, well-rounded meal.

At 9 am, I attended a class at the American Red Cross and attained my CPR/AED certification. I needed this skill/knowledge in order to qualify to be a Certified Personal Trainer. I found the entire course, from the online learning to the hands-on group learning segment which I completed today, to be extremely beneficial. I mean this because in the few hours it took to learn and practice some simple concepts and how they apply to an emergency situation, I find that I am better equipped to preserve and even save a life if needed. I also would like to point out that it may be a great idea to be CPR certified even just for your own personal development. Especially if you have children or will be having children, it is important to know how to handle situations like choking which are controllable with the right knowledge.

The best part of my day today was visiting home in Bolingbrook to help my brother, Chris, prepare for P90X, the flagship product that helped me reach my health and fitness goals and inadvertently helping my friends and family also "catch the bug" and begin this awesome program. Today I assessed Chris with a fit test and measurements and consulted him on some aspects of the workouts, what tools and techniques to use, and really tried to prep him mentally for the changes that will come along with following this program. It feels so good to be able to not only be living healthier, but also to be able to inspire and teach people how to live even a little bit better.

Finally, I picked up Jasmine from work after I finished at Costco (I won't get into my love for Costco again) and after arguing with the public safety guy again about what the difference is between parking and standing and why my waiting in the drop off/pick up area for my wife who was saving lives all day is ok and I am not gonna move...you get the idea...came home to family and a nice home-cooked, healthy meal of salad with homemade vinaigrette, baked cod with tomato and a sprinkle of cheese, and a hot green bean/broccoli medley. Wow, I'm a lucky guy. So after dinner I totally passed out and woke up about 11:30 and I wanted to get my blog in! Thanks for reading and please comment about a busy day you've had and the successes and challenges you face on a daily basis. Click on the title to find out more about P90X and why it is the most complete home athletic training program period.

Green Scene

Ok so I've been drinking 1-3 cups of green tea every day for a few months now. I drink Costco's Kirkland Signature Japanese Green Tea/Matcha blend, and it is delicious and until yesterday, I knew it was good for me, but not exactly how. It came up in yesterday's blog that it is beneficial for weight loss, and I thought I'd look a little farther into it. I found on yourtotalhealth.ivillage.com that

"...it's rich in antioxidants, promotes heart health, aids digestion and regulates blood sugar and body temperature. It raises the metabolic rate and speeds up fat oxidation, thus helping people lose weight. Drink it daily to boost your metabolism. Some research has shown that five cups a day is the magic number for fat loss. As an added benefit, the theanine in green tea is also a great natural de-stressor..."

Wow. Pretty awesome stuff, huh? So what is this theanine? I found on wikipedia that theamine:

"...is a glutamic acid analog or amino acid derivative commonly found in tea..."

also, thyamine levels are highest in the Japanese tea, Gyokuro, so I checked out Gyokuro on wikipedia and found out some interesting and cool stuff. First, this tea is grown under shade and not the sun, for at least 2 weeks before it is harvested.

"This causes the amino acids (Theanine) and caffeine in the tea leaves to increase, while catechin (the source of bitterness in tea, along with caffeine) decreases, giving rise to a sweet flavour. The tea also gains a distinct aroma from the covering process."

Wow, pretty cool methods and results, I thought. Click on the title to check out more information on Gyokuro. I know I quoted a lot in this blog, but I couldn't have put it in more accurate terms myself. Drink some green tea!! Thanks for reading and check back tomorrow! Happy Friday!

Beach Ready

Ok, so today's blog is the result of a real question asked from one of my friends and one of my blog readers!! Thanks!! The question is this:

"We are going to Cancun exactly one month from today. Aside from going to the gym every day between now and then and REALLY being picky about what I eat, how do I get fab in a hurry?"

Hmmm. This sounds like a common question and a coaching challenge. Well, the first thing to note is that everyone's body reacts differently as far as time goes and to various exercises, foods, etc. However, I think this is very doable, especially with the right foods, products, fitness, and most importantly, adequate rest and discretion on alcohol consumption. Here are some steps I would take if I was facing this challenge:

1. Evaluate what you are doing now in terms of both nutrition and fitness. What are you eating, how much are you eating, when are you eating certain foods? These are all things that I have had to tweak for my fitness routine. If you don't have a set nutrition routine, get one. The best way to do this is to first take a day or two and write down everything you are eating and really take a look at the nutrition. A great, free web tool to help you evaluate and plan your nutritional intake is http://www.myfitnesspal.com. Check out this site, set up a free profile, put in your specs, tweak your goals, and when you enter your foods in (you will find most in the database already) you will see the nutritional breakdown. Since your goal is to really tone down, try to really limit your carbohydrate servings (grains, etc) to 1-2 per day, 1 fruit serving per day, 1 fat serving per day, and 1 dairy serving per day. Also, eat your carbs/fruits in the beginning of the day to give you a morning energy boost and also to ensure you will be using these for energy instead of storing it as fat. Really load up on vegetables, about 4-6 servings including lettuce, carrots, broccoli, spinach, mushrooms, etc. Great stuff. If you have a juicer, it will be easier to drink 16 oz of carrot juice, for example, than eating mounds of salads. V8 will prob help if you don't have one. Also, eat plenty of good proteins. Lean meats like chicken breast, pork tenderloin, and fish are great, and if you are a vegetarian, eat plenty of beans, tofu, etc, and don't be afraid to pick up some protein powder. mix some with soy milk and that will take care of a few servings for you. Your total calorie intake should be a couple hundred less than what you estimate you use and burn in a typical day (you can get a good estimate also at myfitnesspal), and this will help you burn some stored fat. Try to eat 5-6 smaller meals throughout the day instead of 2-3 huge ones to keep your body burning calories and keeping your metabolism up, and try to eat your last meal 2-4 hours before bed and don't snack afterwards! This is a fasting technique that helped me get ready for pictures and I actually lost about 5 pounds in a week! I like a 12/12 fast but some people recommend a 8/16 fast, which means 8 hours during the day you can eat, and the other 16 (sleeping included) you don't eat.

2. Include some supplements, such as a slimming formula, meal replacement shake, etc. Click on the title of this to go to my Beachbody coach page and click "Shop" to check out the store. On the left of the popup window in the menu go to "nutrition" then "weight management" and you will be able to view and check out some of these great products. If you haven't already, first set up a free profile by clicking "join" on my page so you can join my team! I'm here to support you and it's FREE! There are tools on the web here that will also help, and you can connect with others who are trying to live healthier, too! Anyways, besides supplements, try drinking a cup of green tea every day. I do, and I saw a stat somewhere that this can help you increase your metabolism by up to 5%! Delicious, and can't hurt. Also, try eating half a grapefruit before meals. Research has shown this is a proven weight loss technique (learn more about this and other weight loss foods too!). Awesome!

3. For your fitness routine, up it a little bit and include strength/resistance training 3 times a week along with cardio interval training 4-5 times a week (no treadmill or elliptical because these don't actually do much for you). If you want to look like an athlete, you have to train like an athlete and BE an athlete.

Remember, small steps lead to big accomplishments and always keep focused on your goal to help you push through your workouts and use discretion in your diet. Please contact me if you want more explanation on any of the things I just covered, and I'll be happy to visit you and consult you in person as well. We can do this together!! Thanks for reading and check back tomorrow! Have an awesome day!

I love Costco!

People--if you shop for 3 or more, you should definitely shop at Costco. First, their standards on the products and produce they carry as well as their "Kirkland Signature" products are higher than anywhere else, they have a lot of great organic and all natural, healthy food choices, and the benefits just keep going on. If for some reason I can't make it there one week, I actually get upset. Kind of funny, but I love that place! Some of the things I love getting from there include Kirkland Organic Vanilla Soy milk, tiger prawns, oranges, apples, bananas, celery, mushrooms, carrots, broccoli florets, frozen chicken breast, ahi tuna, cod, matcha blend green tea bags, chobani greek yogurt...the list goes on. I have the executive membership which is 100 bucks per year with a percentage earned on purchases. after my first year as a member, they gave me a check for $175! so that paid for the first year's fee and I got some money back! Not to mention the savings when you buy in bulk. Take it from me, you can get so many health-conscious products, if you have kids you MUST shop here! I wish they had an affiliate program because I feel I promote them all the time! Please comment on why you love Costco! This is a short blog for today, but I wanted to take a moment just to rave about Costco! I know I'm a geek! Thanks for reading everyone, and have a great day!

Crampin' Up

Yesterday a co-worker told me about a muscle cramp he had and asked me about it. I started to think about it and realized, I don't really know the whole deal, so I thought I'd look into it and blog about it today. I found out that the skeletal muscles, (the ones we voluntarily control), are the most prone to cramping. Well, what exactly is a cramp? Well, when we use our muscles, they alternately contract and relax as we perform daily functions, exercise, hold our posture, etc. When a muscle contracts and relaxes on its own, it is called a "spasm". A spasm that contracts and holds is known as a cramp and this can be quite painful, especially if it lasts more than a few seconds or even several minutes. Often, the muscle appears hard visually or to the touch, and most everyone experiences this at some point in their life so don't worry, it's normal.

So what causes these cramps and how do we prevent them? Well, the exact cause of these cramps is not known, however certain conditions can increase the possibility, especially when it comes to athletics and training. Insufficient warming up, stretching, heat, and fatigue may play a role, and often these conditions lead to imbalances in electrolyte levels in your blood which can also support the cause of cramps. An obvious way to prevent this is to stay hydrated, stretch before working out or heavy physical labor, and if you will be getting really intense, incorporate a sports drink which contains electrolytes to help prevent cramping during exercise. I recommend G2, a lower-calorie form of Gatorade. Personally, I do heavy endurance workouts, and use G2 to stay hydrated, and I seldom have any kind of cramping issue. Occasionally, however, I start to feel a hamstring getting a bit tight. At this point, (and if this happens to you), I take a short break in my workout and stretch the appropriate muscle lightly and with lateral motion so that the entire muscle gets stretched back out and loosened back up.

Unfortunately, the occasional "charley horse" upon waking or watching TV seems inevitable, and do what you can to rub it out or shake it off--it will eventually go away. In the meantime, even if you don't work out that often or intensely, it is important to incorporate stretching and/or yoga weekly to maintain and increase your flexibility. Remember to stay hydrated as well and eat a balanced diet including fruits, vegetables, and quality proteins and some good fats. Click on the title to learn more about muscle cramps if you like, and remember: practicing good health is the best way to prevent everyday problems and future long-term conditions and diseases. Thanks for reading everyone, and if you want me to blog about a topic on your mind, please let me know! Have a great day!

Pineapple-Your Belly Thanks You

Recently, my brother-in-law, Victor and I have been taking in more protein, especially after workouts, and we eat lean meats in our dinners as well. After eating meat, Victor noticed some minor digestion issues including slower digestion and some excess gas. He did some research and jumped on a few online forums and discovered that sometimes the protein in meats is harder to digest, and that other people had started to eat some pineapple right after a meal including meats. This helped to digest the meat better and also reduced gas and other symptoms.

Why is this? Well, it turns out, pineapple isn't just for fruit salads and pina coladas. Pineapple contains bromelain, a proteolytic enzyme which breaks down protein. It has been used as a meat tenderizer and digestive aid for over a century, and this enzyme is even used to treat and eliminate blood clots and to clean away dead tissue from burns, abscesses, ulcers, and other surgeries! So pineapple rings on ham do more than just sweeten the meat, huh? Well, I hope you learned something, and click on the title to learn more about pineapple! Have a great day everyone and check back tomorrow!

The Whole Story

So what's up with whole wheat bread and baked goods? Well, first let's start with the grain itself. The part that is actually made into flour then bread, etc, is the wheat kernel, and this "whole grain" has four main parts: the germ, endosperm, bran, and husk. The germ is the part that grows into a plant, and it is especially rich in vitamins and minerals. Surrounding the germ is a soft, white inside portion of the kernel, containing starch and proteins that help nourish the seed as it sprouts. A protective coating called the bran contains the kernel. The bran is rich in nutrients and fiber. Finally, the husk is the dry outermost layer that is inedible for humans but can be used in animal feeds.

In earlier times, people milled wheat by grinding it with stones then filtering out the husk. What remained was the ground wheat flour still containing all of the nutrient rich, edible parts of the whole grain. However, as advances were made in milling machinery/technology, it was possible to remove the dark germ and bran, leaving a whiter, smoother texture of flour. This flour and the products it produced became more desirable for the bakers and consumers, and whole wheat was used less and less. This resulted in a loss of needed nutrients, and people developed deficiencies of iron, thiamin, riboflavin, and niacin, all nutrients that the whole wheat kernel provided in the past. If you eat white bread now, check out the label. It will say "enriched white bread". The "Enrichment Act of 1942" required that iron, thiamin, riboflavin, and niacin be added to refined grain products before they were sold, and was even amended in 1996 to include folate, or "folic acid" as it is also called.

This "enrichment" is often misleading. Enriched bread still has less Iron, Niacin, Vitamin B6, fiber, magnesium, and zinc. All great stuff!! Isn't it kind of silly, though? All of the nutrients are stripped out of the grain and then some get put back in later... Anyways, check it out for yourself...and start using whole grains in place of your standard choices! Look around your cabinets and you'd be surprised what you can replace. I find that whole grain products taste better and are more fulfilling. Also, they give us better energy for longer, and the nutrients are coming straight from the source so they are naturally better for us. Here are some examples of products and/or replacements:

-100% Whole Wheat Flour you can actually buy this flour at your supermarket and wherever whole foods are sold. Substitute for white flour in your cakes, pies, and cookies. You will be pleasantly surprised! I made an awesome banana bread with 100% wheat flour, brummel and brown, and 99% egg white product. Result was moist, delicious banana bread with no cholesterol, low-fat, and made with 100% whole wheat! tip: sift flour 2 or 3 times vs 1 with white flour

-100% Whole Grain Bread tip: look for 100%. Wheat bread doesn't mean much because all flour is made from wheat. If in doubt, check the ingredients. Whole wheat flour or crushed wheat are versions of whole wheat. "Enriched wheat flour" or "wheat flour" doesn't indicate that whole wheat is used. Also look to replace bagels, hot dog and hamburger buns, rolls, etc.

-Whole wheat tortillas/wraps tip: As with the breads, look for 100%. I use the flatout multigrain brand of wraps. they contain high fiber, flax, and a lower carbohydrate value.

-Sun Chips You probably eat these already! Instead of your run-of-the mill lays potato chips or cheese crackers, try Sun Chips. These are baked grain snacks which contain whole grains and are delicious.

-Frozen Items You'd be surprised, but here's a cool tip. You like Eggos? Look for the Nutri-Grain versions of these frozen waffles and pancakes. They are made with whole grains and are the better choice. Check out the nutritionals.

Look for the gems people! The healthier I find myself getting, the more fun I have searching for better whole foods with more and more nutritional value. I'm a geek maybe, but I'm high on life! Thanks for reading everyone and please comment with your whole grain products and ideas and help us all out! Click on the title of this blog to link to more whole wheat info and check back tomorrow!