Hidden calories!

I recently read about a story of a girl trying to lose weight. She was working with a trainer and a nutritionist. After weeks of a very strict diet and exercise program, her results were disappointing. Her trainer and nutritionist were puzzled. So, the team looked back at her exercise and food journal which eventually led to their discovery. I Can't Believe it's not Butter Spray was the cause of this girl's weight loss dilemma! You'll notice the nutrient facts say it has zero calories and fat; it does, but only in 1.25 sprays! Wow, really? Who sprays 1.25 sprays? One teaspoon = 20 calories and 2 grams of fat! Bummer.

Here's an article from Hungry Girl my client Maggie emailed me after I dropped this bad news on her:

Dear Hungry Girl, I use "I Can't Believe It's Not Butter" spray and it supposedly has ZERO calories. Does it really have no calories at all? How can that be? -- Spraying in Sacramento

Dear Spraying, The "I Can't Believe It's Not Butter" spray has ZERO calories if you use just a few spritzes. However, if you do what most of us do and spray to your heart's content, you can rack up calories and fat grams pretty quickly. Here's the scoop: 12.5 sprays is 10 calories and 1 gram of fat, 25 sprays (1 teaspoon) is 20 calories and 2 grams of fat, and 37.5 sprays is 30 calories and 3 grams of fat. In case you're curious, the entire bottle contains 900 calories and 90 grams of fat! Helpful hint: When it comes to this stuff, stick with spraying as opposed to pouring.

For my Cooper clientele

FYI!

Next time you go to any of the places listed below, show your Cooper Fitness Center membership card to receive special discounts and promotional offers!

Amy's Raw Chocolates

Dallas Children's Theater

AssureImmune

DolphinBlue.com

Backyard Auto Detail

Dunn Bros. Coffee

Blue Mesa

Firestone

Central Dentist

Jim Alphin Mf. Jeweler, Inc.

Chocolate Angel

La Madeleine

City North Townhomes

Maximo Cocina Mexican & Margarita Lounge

Complete Music

MoMe Yoga

Cooper Guest Lodge

Orpheus Chamber Singers

Cooper Wellness

Picasso's Pizza

Prego Express Italian

Purple Cow

Rockfish

Run On!

SMartHats.com

Smashing Times

SOVN European Sleep Systems

Studio Movie Grill

Team Sports & Performance Apparel

Woodlands American Grill

Dallas Partner Program

The perfect shoe for you

The shoes you wear during exercise are important and effect the biomechanics of your feet up to your shoulders. When you go into any athletic shoe store, you will notice the shoes are categorized into different activities: running, cross-trainers, basketball, soccer, shopping ;) just kidding.

Let's pretend you're at an athletic shoe store. You need a new pair of kicks for a specific activity. Look for your activity throughout the selection and start trying on - comfort is very important. At some places, like New Balance and Luke's Locker, employees "fit your foot"; they analyze your biomechanics while watching you walk and determine whether your arch is neutral, flat or high; whether you over pronate or supinate; are pigeon toed or have knock-knees.

So, get to shopping for the perfect shoe for your desired activity.

• RUNNING SHOES

-typically designed for ankle flexion

-neutral foot-strikers: you want a shoe that doesn't detract from how you run naturally; motion controlled shoes are not recommended.

-over-pronators: shoe must provide enough support that keeps your foot from rolling inward

-supinators: you need a soft and flexible shoe that rolls easily in order to protect your feet

• CROSS-TRAINERS

-used for aerobic dance or step classes, lifting weights or participating in other activities

-designed for forward and back and side to side movements

• TRAIL SHOES

-used for runners who run off road

-typically weather and water resistant

• BASKETBALL

-must be durable yet breathable

-lots of cushioning for load distribution (you'll need it if you're doing millions of jump shots)

-mid-foot, heel and high ankle support

As for my shoppers, you're best bet would be a:

• WALKING SHOE

-should be lighter and more flexible at the ball of the foot, thinner midsole and strong arch support

-as a walker, you push off with your heel and a low, angled heel helps stability maintenance

Vacation :)

Heading to Vegas tomorrow morning! Blog ya later ;)

Just because I'm gone this week, doesn't mean you're off the hook - get in the gym and hop on some cardio equipment. If you're on the treadmill, elliptical or bike shoot for at least 30 minutes. Try to get in 3 days of cardio before next week!

Thanks guys!

LOVE YOU ALL!

Saturday's Workout

After a hard week of exercise and office work, my client Kathryn and I met at the track for sprints. Kathryn does a great job of doing her cardio on the days she doesn't meet with me - an important element in reaching your weight loss goals. Though she does her cardio homework, I like to meet with her to do a different type of cardio: sprints. It's much harder and requires a lot more of your body. It's good to change up your cardio routine. Don't get stuck on the treadmill or elliptical.

Check out our workout and then our results!

Workout:

Dynamic warmup stretches

Agility drills

800 meter warmup jog

5 x 200 meter sprints

Cool down lap followed by static stretches

Results:

Duration = 51 minutes

Calories burned = 534 calories

"Here's to a good time"

A great idea came to one of my clients during one of our sessions: blogging about the places I go eat, what I ordered, if I made any changes to the order, if I liked it and and so on. I love going out to eat and making it an experience; I love good food, good company, good service and when I find a spot that meets my expectations I want others to go check it out too. So, this will be the first of a series of blogs on what to eat when you go out. "Here's to a good time": an easy way for you to plan your next dining experience.

Friday, June 18

My boyfriend and I went for an early dinner around 6:00 to Village Burger Bar in uptown. We both ordered "The Turkey Burger". (Turkey burgers are

typically lower in fat and total calories. Also, if you have high cholesterol and need to lower red meat intake, a turkey burger is a good alternative.) "The Turkey Burger "

comes with jalapeno jack cheese, dried cranberries, baby greens, tomato and mayo. I ordered it without the cheese and no mayo. I had to take the top part of the bun off, too buttery for me. Next time I'll order it without butter.

I love this spot - it's quick, reasonably priced, a fun location and can be a tasty healthy meal- if you make the right choices!

Here's to a good time!

Happy Hour

It's been a long week and all your friends are waiting for you at your favorite spot for happy hour. Sounds exciting!

Before you head out, there are some things you need to know about alcohol and it's effects on your health, fitness goals...aaaannnnd judgment.

First, excessive consumption of alcohol has negative long term effects on your health. Drinking one too many too often can result in heart disease, cancer, liver damage, pancreatitis...etc. If you don't believe me, Google the effects alcohol has on your health. Consider your body before you order that extra round.

Alcohol slows down your metabolism. Unlike carbohydrates, proteins and fat, alcohol cannot be stored in our body. Because of this, alcohol metabolism takes priority over other nutrient metabolism; this means all other processes that should be taking place are interrupted, therefore delaying proper nutrient digestion, thus slowing metabolism. Fatty food consumption seems to increase when consuming alcohol. And guess what? Alcohol inhibits the liver from metabolizing fat. This is not good - those fatty foods won't be properly metabolized, which is detrimental for anyone trying to lose weight. If you're trying to lose weight, excessive alcohol consumption won't allow it.

However, the case has often been made that moderate alcohol consumption is good for your health. Wine contains antioxidants that lower blood pressure, raise good cholesterol and is thought to protect against heart disease. Wine, again in moderation, also lowers risks of diabetes, certain types of cancers and slows neurological degenerative disorders like Parkinson's Disease and Alzheimer's Disease.

FUN FACTS you should know:

1 gram carb = 4 calories

1 gram protein = 4 calories

1 gram fat = 9 calories

1 gram alcohol = 7 calories

5 ounces of red or white wine is about 120 calories. If you drink the whole bottle, you're consuming about 480 calories. Ah!

1 Miller Lite ~ 96 calories

1 shot of Vodka ~ 60 calories

1 shot of Whiskey ~ 56 calories

1 shot of Rum ~ 64

1 shot of Tequila ~ 69 calories

10 oz. Margarita ~ 740 calories

1 Long Island Iced Tea ~ 780 calories

To see a list of the ten most fattening cocktails from "forbes", click here

*Hungry girl provides smart summer cocktail recipes. Try one!

*Zilch is an amazing product: 0 calorie, sugar free and carb free margarita mix! WOW!

*My client Maggie told me about Skinny girl margaritas.

Tips when ordering out:

*When ordering a margarita, ask your server if they serve a "skinny" margarita. Less calories!

*Instead of a regular margarita, about 750 calories, order a shot of Patron on ice and add 3-4 limes - tastes like a margarita and only has about 70 calories! You could even add a little Splenda to make it a bit sweeter. - Good idea Lindsay :)

*If ordering you're favorite liquor with soda, always ask for diet.

*Order soda water instead of tonic water

*Avoid adding juice to your liquor - a single Vodka cranberry is about 180 calories; a single vodka orange juice is about 125 calories. Instead: a single Vodka soda water has about 60 calories! A single Rum and Diet Coke has about 65 calories!

You can't drink for free.