Six Ways to Eat HealthIER on a Budget

1. Decrease the amount of animal products you consume. Dry beans and brown rice (Combined, makes a complete protein) is one of the healthiest and cheapest things you can buy. Additionally, you may be able to decrease your portion sizes of animal products which can help you lose weight, and lower your cholesterol and blood pressure! Many “American” portion sizes are nearly DOUBLE what is appropriate. 

2. Consider buying dry goods in bulk. Plain, raw and unsalted nuts and specialty grains can be pricey, but much cheaper when you buy in bulk. Amazon and Costco can be great options. I always buy raw, unsalted almonds from Costco. You can also try my favorite Lundberg Short Grain Brown Rice on Amazon. The short grain brown rice has a better texture and taste in my expert opinion!

3. Drink more water and less of everything else. Coffee, tea and alcohol can inhibit your absorption of important nutrients. Alcohol can slow down your metabolism. Fruit juices are high in sugar and calories and devoid of fiber. Water is pure hydration and practically free!

4. As much as possible, stay away from anything that is packaged. Mainly shop the perimeter of the grocery store. Buy produce, animal proteins, legumes, nuts and grains. Whole Foods can actually be competitive when compared to more “bargain” grocery stores like Giant and Safeway for produce and even some animal products. Like all grocery stores, the cost mainly increases when you start buying the packaged and processed products at Whole Foods. 

5. Cut out foods that you don’t need and foods that can be replaced with healthier options. Have a sweet tooth? Grab some more fruit. Love chips? Go for plain popcorn instead AND pop it yourself. Un-popped popcorn is exponentially cheaper than chips. Fruit is cheaper than…well, prescriptions and hospital bills.

6. Purchase a combination of fresh and frozen vegetables and fruit. Fresh is always best, but frozen is a close second and usually a bit cheaper. My favorite frozen veggie is spinach. Quick to defrost and you can add it to nearly ANY dish! I also love adding frozen mixed berries to my oatmeal in the morning! 

Need guidance on what to eat? Want an extra boost to help meet your fitness goals? Need some creative ideas on healthy meals? Want education on nutrition that you never received in school? Do you find Doctor’s appointments valuable, but have never visited with a professional in nutrition? Doctors are indispensable resources to the health of our communities, but they aren’t a one-stop shop! You need a Registered Dietitian to help maximize your nutrition. Book an appointment with our favorite Registered Dietitians at Food Jonezi! 

Lundberg Farms USDA ORGANIC Short Brown Rice Gluten Free 12 LB

Back to Life: 8 Week Transformative Program COMING THIS FALL!

Go to www.fight2bfitdc.com for details!! 

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PSA-Eat Right, Stress Less and Move!

When you lose someone young in your life it reminds you or teaches you how precious and fragile life truly is. For me it has been new territory. It's a pain like nothing else I have felt. However, it has put me on a new mission and it has intensified my passion for health and fitness. 

We talk about the dangers of drugs, alcohol abuse and violence as Life and Death issues. However, these are not the only factors that are taking so many young lives. 

We may not know decisively what are all the causes of cancer and other diseases, but we know the risk factors.

• Poor diet
• Lack of exercise
• Stress
• Environmental toxins

Nothing may be promised, but we give ourselves a better shot if we take care of our bodies.

Good schools and extracurricular programming don’t ensure children won’t grow up to live lives filled with drugs and violence, but it helps. It helps A LOT.

Eating whole foods. Shopping the perimeter of the grocery store. Staying away from processed foods. Buying foods in their natural forms---real chicken, eggs, fruits, vegetables, whole grains---make a difference. Hitting the gym a few times a week instead of happy hour makes a difference.

IT IS about Life and Death.

For the record, I am not a perfect role model of fitness and nutrition. Just earlier today a gym member caught me stuffing my face with ½ price Halloween candy! I’m quite normal. However, 90% of the time I keep bread, sweets, cheese and processed foods out of my house. If it’s there I will eat it and I will eat it fast. For me, moderation is key and keeping junk out of my house and only eating it occasionally and as a treat, is essential.

I don’t owe these habits to my own strong will. As a child, my parents told me when I had enough and NO when I tried to sneak junk into the grocery cart. My parents are an example of why it is so important to instill healthy habits in our youth. These habits are hard to break.

It is my belief that good health is at the core of every strong community.  With good health we have the potential to be good teachers, parents, activists and leaders. With good health we can be here to move mountains, build bridges and break ground. 

#longevity #rememberingthosewehavelost #gonetosoon #health #fitness #fight2bfitdc #fitdc #blacklivesmatter

Affordable and Maybe Even Trendy Workout Clothes!

Somewhere between middle school gym socks that went up to your knees, throwing whatever you could find on in college IF you even worked out and saving your money for cool clothes for your first REAL job, having cool clothes to go SWEAT in somehow became the THING. With Lululemon's $100 pants, $70 tops from Lucy, and $100 Nike sneakers, you can have an outfit to stink up that will run you more than a fresh suit for that important interview.

If you care more about something comfortable and effective, here are some tips for purchasing workout clothes that are affordable and may even have you looking like one of the cool kids in the gym!

1. First of all, there are few things that are worth splurging on.

• Shoes! You may not have to spend $100. I think the most I have spent is somewhere between $70-$90. However, you do want good shoes to avoid injuries and enhance performance. Check out New Balance and Asics. My favorite running shoes are the New Balance 1010s. Still trying to figure out what my favorite training shoes are. Right now I am wearing the Asics Gel-Fortius that I'll give a B+. A little stiff, but they do the job! You may also consider getting fitted for shoes at a place like Pacers. (I have bought shoes from Amazon, Foot Locker and even EBay)
• Workout gear to run in the cold in. Check out my previous blog http://foodfitpolitics.blogspot.com/2013/02/running-in-cold.html for more on this. And check out Marshall's!

2. Check out large discount stores that carry name brands. I will often head to the local Marshall's where I can find Under Armour and Nike gear for half the price or even less! Other stores to check out include Ross and TJMaxx.

3. Fabletics! Kate Hudson started a company making women's workout gear that is advertised as "Quality You Know for Half the Price." Become a member for free, first outfit is only $25, earn reward points for all purchasing, referring friends, and writing reviews! Your points WILL add up quickly and result in a free item! Click here to check it out! http://www.fabletics.com/index.cfm?action=friends.main#

4. Shop the sale and clearance racks at Macy's and other department stores. You should be able to score some deals that are 50% off on high quality brands.

5. Check out Modell's, City Sports, EastBay (I do not recommend the EastBay brand pants or Compression Shorts), Ebay, and Amazon that have discount rates and regular sales online and in store. And I almost forgot, Old Navy! While a lot of their clothing is of lesser quality, they do have some great workout tops that I own!

Foam Rolling-Relief for Sore Muscles!!

In this morning's Fight 2B Fit DC Beginner Level boot camp we broke out the tennis balls and took part in self-myofacial release better known as foam rolling.

Foam rolling can be done before and after a workout. The main purposes of foam rolling include:

• Improved circulation
• Injury prevention
• Breaking up of "knots"
• Muscle tightness
• Identified soreness (which is a sign of poor circulation)

When foam rolling you can use an actual foam roller, tennis ball or lacrosse ball. I would recommend using a combination of both. Foam rollers generally come in 3 different colors to represent 3 different densities white being low density, blue being of medium density and black being of high density. Tennis balls and lacrosse balls will dig in a little deeper and help break up knots that cannot be reached with foam roller. When first starting a tennis ball, that has more "give" than a lacrosse ball, is a good place to start. If you are willing to make the investment, you can also look into a Rumble Roller which is AMAZING! The rumble roller is a foam roller with little nubs all over it, so it's like getting a lacrosse ball and foam roller in one!

So without further adieu, here is how you perform self-myofacial release:

1. Start by searching the tissues for tenderness. If tenderness is identified, hold foam roll on the "hot-spot" for 10-12 sec. Repeat by coming back to area 3-5 times or until tenderness has subsided.

2. If tenderness is too much to handle you can stop, use a lower density device or if you are able, put less body weight on the device

3. If no tenderness is identified while SLOW rolling, continue in a smooth rhythmical manner. Be sure to roll the entire length of the muscle when using a foam roller.

4. Maintain a tight stomach by pulling the belly button back towards the spine. 

5. Do not perform under the following conditions:

•  Feelings of nausea
•  Dizziness
•  Pain
•  Acute rheumatoid arthritis
•  Painful varicose veins

6. You can perform SMR massage 1-2 x daily.

Here are some pictures on foam rolling your different muscles. However, the picture showing the piriformis rolling, should have you leaning to the side of the leg up i.e since the pictured man has his left leg up he should be leaning to his left side. Also, remember that rolling your hamstrings with a ball will be much more effective than with rolling with a foam roller.

Foam Rolling Exercises

Enjoy the massage!

Eating Healthy

For me, food has always been one of the great joys of life. I love to eat. Each day my schedule is built around my meals. I look forward to eating. I can recall the textures, smell and taste of foods I had over 20 years ago. With this being said, I have done my research and have educated myself on the chemistry of foods and how they affect the body. I am NOT a dietician, but from my experience, research and education this is what I will tell you.

Here are a lists of food items and meal ideas for each meal of the day.

Early morning Pre-Workout
• Small piece of fruit
• Small bowl of plain oatmeal w/raw nuts and fruit

Breakfast
• 2-3 Boiled eggs with a bowl of mixed fruit
• Veggie Omelet
• A bowl of plain oatmeal w/raw nuts and fruit
• Plain greek yogurt w/added fruit and raw almonds
• Mini quiches w/no crust made in a muffin pan
• Jay Robb Egg White Protein Shake w/water, fruit and veggies

Mid-Morning Snack
• Mixed fruit and almonds
• Apple Slices or Baby Carrots w/small amount of peanut butter
• Baby carrots or Cucumber w/hummus

Lunch
• Salad w/at least kinds of vegetables and baked/broiled chicken slices
• Pork Chop with spinach and a sweet potato
• Salmon with black ancient rice and garlicky kale

Mid-Afternoon
• Veggie and fruit smoothie (with no yogurt or juice, just water or coconut water)
• Side salad
• Mixed dried fruit (unsweetened) and raw nuts

Dinner
• Salmon, asparagus, red potatoes
• Cooked mixed veggies and seasoned chicken
• Ground Turkey Balls w/kale salad (kale, olive oil, crushed garlic, radishes, carrots, scallions, low sodium black olives, lime juice & cucumber)

Additionally, here is a list of foods to stay away from
• Bread
• Cheese
• White rice
• Crackers
• Pasta
• Cold Cuts
• Sweets
• Pizza
• Chips
• Russett Potatoes
• White flour
• Juice and soda

Perhaps, choose 2 items to cut out each week until you complete the list. Remember it is about moderation. This doesn't mean that you can never eat these foods again, but you have to limit them. However, cutting these foods out completely (at least 80-90% of the time) at the beginning of your health and fitness journey can help create long lasting habits. Get your body and your mind use to eating healthy and adjust your taste buds to crave healthier foods. It takes time and discipline, but here are some tips to make it a little easier on yourself.

1. Plan your meals. If you know what you are going to eat in advance you are less likely to more poor, convenient choices.

2. Don't bring junk into your home. If there is no ice cream in your freezer, you are going to have to go out of your way to get it.

3. Drink plenty of water. Sometimes you aren't actually hungry, but you are slightly dehydrated. Especially in the summer and when you are engaging in increased activity this is extremely important. You should be drinking enough water for your urine to run clear.

4. Focus on eating lean meats and vegetables. This should be the large majority of your diet!

5. Check out recipes and enjoy what you eat. You should enjoy what you eat. There may be things you have to just get use to eating. However, you should also find healthy recipes that you can truly enjoy. When you find things you enjoy, you'll want to do them more often and make them a habit!