Here is a question I get on any given day.  “Should I eat breakfast before my workout or after?”

ANSWER: If you plan on working out shortly after waking, say within 30-45 minutes eat after your workout. If your workout is going to take place a couple hours after waking, eat something light within 30 minutes of waking.   Yep it is that easy.

But wait their is more ” What should I eat?” If you have asked me this, you know my common answer is Oatmeal but that is kind of boring so let me go over a few more things to add to the list.

We all know breakfast is important… Right? Of course we do.  I will save the reason why for another post but if you aren’t familiar with the quote “Breakfast is the most important meal of the day” you need to stop reading and Google the importance of breakfast.

And take a quick note of this….Get at least 7 grams of protein for breakfast. Your muscles need it to repair. Whether you are working out before or after  breakfast it is important for the guys and the ladies. I put a chart on the bottom to help you out.

Okay here we go.

• Fruit and Cottage Cheese Combo

Low Fat Cottage Cheese your favorite fruit and your set.

• Eggs with peppers

I personally love eggs but if you don’t, skip this one. Egg whites are your healthier choice rather than the whole egg.  Scramble with with some olive oil, cut onions, green peppers, pinch of black pepper, spritz a little lemon on and eat with a piece of whole-wheat toast.

• Whole Grain, High Fiber Cereal

Any cereal will do that is whole grain and high in fiber, I prefer Kashi Golean Crunch. Add low-fat milk or soy milk (which has 1/3 the saturated fat of 1% milk), perhaps some berries if you like.

• Oatmeal, flaxseed, blueberries & almonds

To me, this is the perfect breakfast that is why I always refer to it as my ultimate suggestion.  The only difference between steel-cut oatmeal, and the instant kind is the fiber. After microwaving the oatmeal, add ground flaxseed (flaxseed helps fight everything from heart disease and diabetes to breast cancer), frozen blueberries, and crushed almonds.  That’s four power foods, full of fiber and nutrients and protein and good fats, with only a couple of minutes of prep time. It even taste good!

• Scrambled tofu

If you didn’t like the eggs suggestion you can use tofu instead. Add some peppers, broccoli, green peppers, all cooked in olive oil. Very fast but I won’t say it is delicious. I personally cannot stand tofu or this recipe but it is perfect for non tofu haterz

• Fresh berries, yogurt, granola

Get low-fat yogurt (not non-fat, it has too much sugar) or soy yogurt, cut up your fruit add some healthy cereal and it is ready to go.

• Grapefruit with whole-wheat toast & almond butter

Sara loves this for a quick breakfast, sprinkle on a little bit of sugar to make it bearable.  The almond butter is healthier than peanut-butter, with lots of extra protein to fill.

• Fresh fruit salad

Fresh or frozen fruit sliced, diced, smashed, cut, ripped, and grated up.  Okay maybe not all mutilated but this is quick and will help keep your skin looking young well into your 80′s.

• Protein shake plus some

This is a great one for the guys. Ladies beware that too many of these throughout the day will cause you to gain weight. I use wal-mart brand protein powder (a lot cheaper than the big brand names), but any protein works well. Blend up with low-fat milk or soy milk, some frozen blueberries, and perhaps some almond butter or oatmeal. That may sound weird, but it’s actually pretty good, and pretty filling. A little ground flax seed never hurts.

• Fruit Smoothie

My wife and I make a lot of these every week. They are perfect for anytime during the day. Grab some frozen fruit, add a little low fat yogurt,  small amount of  “Simply Grapefruit” 100% pure squeezed grapefruit, soy milk. Then let blend for a couple minutes and enjoy.

Again as always having a blast bringing you my latest thoughts.

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With the Holidays almost here a New Year is soon to follow. I have to admit this is one of my favorite times of year for many reasons. I see a lot of determined souls who are ready to get fit and about 20% make it happen. This is exciting because it brings Oklahoma closer to becoming healthier.

Now it is true that I would like to take the entire state of Oklahoma under my wing and help them with their weight loss goals but this is impossible.

I am going to layout the important steps to finding a world class fitness professional in your area. So if you or someone you know is going to be putting their weight loss in the hands of someone else please read this carefully.

I will try to keep this short but it is my passion and i do not want to see anyone set up for failure when it comes to their health and fitness.

ENJOY!

Where Do I Find a Personal Trainer:

There are many different ways to come up with a list of Personal Trainers in your area. Obviously the easiest would be to Google personal trainer and your zip. But this may leave you with a list of crap.

If you know someone who has used a personal trainer,  get more info from them about contacting them.  If you are a member of a gym you are probably surrounded by more than one trainer.

OK! Now you have a list of possible Trainers.  What to look for next—->

Personal Trainer Certifications:

Guess what? You can go online and get a trainer certification for about sixty bucks.   You think that is bad.  Some states don’t even require a certification.

Don’t take the certification lightly, you are trusting someone with your life.

A personal trainer should hold a current NCCA-accredited certification. This will give you the assurance that you are working with a professional who has the knowledge and skills to provide you with a safe and effective workout.

The National Commission for Certifying Agencies (NCCA) has 26-years of experience accrediting allied health professions such as registered dietitians, nurses, athletic trainers, and occupational therapists. Currently, only 10 of nearly 70 certification agencies have achieved this recognition. Here are the most common in Oklahoma.

National Strength and Conditioning Association
American Council on Exercise
The American College of Sports Medicine

Never be afraid to ask to see a copy of a personal trainer’s certification to ensure that it is current.

Ask For References:

Ask the personal trainer for names, phone numbers, and even testimonials of other clients he/she has worked with, particularly those who share similar traits and goals. Trainers may be more likely to empathize and understand your unique challenges and needs if they’ve worked with similar clients. If available, call previous clients to see if they were satisfied with their training experience and results. Inquire whether the personal trainer was professional, punctual, and prepared, and whether the client’s individual needs were addressed. Talk to fellow members of your health club or friends who are currently working with trainers for their recommendations.

Talk  To The Trainer: (this one is important)

Developing a personal, yet professional relationship with your trainer is very important. Trust your instincts. Ask yourself if you think you could get along well with the trainer and whether you think the trainer is genuinely interested in helping you. The personal trainer you select should motivate you using positive, not negative, reinforcement. Most importantly, that trainer should be someone you like.

Get off the beaten path when it comes to your first conversation. If you base the entire conversation around fitness you may be in for a real surprise when your trainer starts to tell you about his wild weekend of partying. I have seen this happen many times and it sucks if you and your trainer have nothing in common.

$$$.$$:

Personal training fees vary based on a trainer’s experience and reputation, facility prices and geographic area, but they are well worth the investment. Although you may meet with your trainer more frequently at first, your financial investment should decrease as you become more independent, knowledgeable, and fit.

If you aren’t comfortable shelling out 400+ a month on personal training you might look into finding a Boot Camp in your area. These are usually run by very respected fitness professionals. You still get the same expertise as a one-on-one session and amazing results but at a more affordable price.

Professional Liability Insurance and Business Policies:

Many personal trainers operate as independent contractors and are not employees of a fitness facility. Find out if the trainer you want to hire carries professional liability insurance. A reputable personal trainer should make sure you understand the cancellation policy and billing procedures. The best way to avoid confusion and to protect your rights is to have those policies in writing.

Is This Someone You Can Work With:

Do you like to exercise in the morning, or in the evening. Can a personal trainer accommodate your schedule? What about the trainer’s gender? Some people do better working with a trainer of the same sex; others prefer the opposite sex. The knowledgeable and experienced personal trainer who fits your style is the one to hire — because that is the professional who will help you achieve the best results.

I hope this helps clear up some of your questions about finding the perfect fitness professional. If you have more questions about finding a personal trainer or local boot camp you can send me an email here.

If you are in the Oklahoma City Metro area and would like to come check out my boot camp click here to find out more or check us out on facebook.

Cant wait to bring you more healthy articles to help you with your journey forward. If you would like to see an article about something please drop me a line.

Trainer Ben

Dedicated To Joe F.

Is this you? “I’ve done good all week long with my eating and exercise.  The weekend is here and I just want to relax and have some fun.  All your hard work at the gym in boot camp goes right out the window!  **Shoulders Shrug** Oh well, I’ll start over again on Monday.” I hear this one a lot but I will lay out some simple plans to follow.

How many of you plan your weekend out from top to bottom? Of course your weekends aren’t planned  out as well as the weekdays are. Weekends are less structured and vary from week to week. You may have a wedding one weekend, go out to the movies another; enjoy a road trip the next weekend.

These weekends usually lead to poor meal planning. Without a plan, you’re more likely to stray from the healthy habits you have been working so hard to develop. There is little to no time for exercise either.

So how can you avoid gaining weight over the weekend after you have successfully lost throughout the week?

Here’s a few easy tips.

*Plan out your weekends around being active, like riding your bike, going to the park. That way you get to spend time with the family and incorporating a little bit of exercise. If you plan on being away from the house for a few hours pack a healthy lunch, or take your favorite protein shake.

* Don’t forget to bring along a water bottle to your weekend activities. This is very critical during the weeks as well as the weekend. Also, having water will replace those urges for unhealthy sodas and juices.

*If most of your weekend is spent shopping at the mall your biggest threat is the “FOOD COURT”, but you are in luck. Find you a healthy choice like Subway and just watch you portion size.

*Plan Ahead!!! Maybe you are taking your amazing Wife or someone close to you out for a nice dinner. Find the restaurant’s menu online and make a healthy choice before you get there.

*Keep a weekend food and exercise journal. Use it to pin point your problem spots, evaluate them and attack your weaknesses.

* Batch cook some of your favorite foods over the weekend. This keeps you thinking about healthy choices and supplies you with enough food for the week so all you will have to do is reheat.

*Monday through Friday you should hit your workouts extremely hard, but on the weekend take a day off, and the other day, go for something lighter like a walk or a swim.

* Ladies If you’re going to a social event (wedding, birthday party, girls night out) with foods out of your healthy weight loss plan, eat a light snack beforehand. While at your function you won’t feel as famished and can enjoy a few light treats and not be tempted to go overboard.

* Avoid alcohol. For some this is much easier said than done, but alcohol calories will add up big time after only one drink.(If you absolutely must get your “CRUNK” on at least do it with as few calories as possible. Don’t add juices and cream to your drink)

Stop the viscous cycle of gaining over the weekend, losing during the week, which in fact keeps your weight loss at a plateau.

“Starting over on Monday,” should be a thing of your old life.

Start Fresh every day!

Keep your health the number one reason that you remain on course for a healthy lifestyle.

Come back often to read more about a living a healthy lifestyle.

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If you haven’t checked out Oklahoma City’s #1 Indoor Boot Camp and would like to…click here.

Looking forward to bringing Oklahoma more and more healthy articles.

Oklahoma City Personal Training

Hey everyone I have a few minutes before boot camp and thought I would fill you in on a Trainer Ben “TOP SECRET”.

Enjoy!!!

So I am really excited about this post for several reason but I am also sorry I didn’t write it sooner.

As a fitness professional I am expected to know everything about nutrition, food labels, and how to shop at the grocery store…  Well I do. But what I don’t  know is how you can make grocery shopping enjoyable, cheap, and speedy. And to be honest how many of us have time to read the labels to make sure we are actually eating something healthy.

If you would of asked me six months ago to explain my grocery shopping experience it would go something like this.

• Spending two days in a recipe book (I have A.D.D. small shiny things distract me) it does take two days
• Finally coming to the realization that everything takes too many ingredients and making a list of the same old repeated meals
• Shopping for two weeks worth of dinners just wondering if I can suffer through one more night of  fish and broccoli
• Spending two hours shopping going from the bread to the milk then back to the bread (you may know what Wal-mart I shop at)
• Cussing under my breath at the broken cart because it keeps steering itself towards on coming traffic (I can’t fix this problem just had to throw it in)
• Then spending way to much $$$ on boring meals

OK so you get the point. I’m sure your experience is the same or even worse especially if you have kids.

I have good news I know how to turn that shopping experience into this shopping experience…

• Pre-made grocery list for any size family
• Weekly meals that are never repeated
• The healthiest low fat ingredients (perfect for my boot campers wanting to shed some extra weight)
• You can expect to pay no more than $35-$40 at the grocery store for one weeks worth of dinners.
• Less time at the grocery store because everything is listed in its section of the store (I now spend about 20 minutes shopping for two weeks worth of meals)
• Easy to change out meals if you have a picky eater in the family
• Your shopping cart will look like a nutritionist went with you to the store.
• Great tasting meals
• More time with the family because the meals take just a few short minutes to make.

My SECRET WEAPON is a site called —–> E-Mealz.com

(Read the entire post it is sure to make your life a lot easier)

There are just so many amazing features to this program, you will be amazed!

With E-Mealz, not only will you be saving time by not having to plan your meals out, but the meals are extremely easy to make that you will also save time in the kitchen. Most importantly? The menus are designed to be easy on your wallet so while we’re all feeling the pinch of the economic crisis, E-Mealz will help you to greatly reduce your grocery bills. Doesn’t get much better than that!

Another thing I love about the service is the variety. I used to make the same, boring meals over and over again for lack of ideas. With E-Mealz, you will get a new set of meals each week and your family will never get tired of the same boring meals that you used to prepare.

There are dozens of plans to choose from. They even have the points system plan, which gives you points information for everything you serve. If you’ve done Weight Watchers, you know it can be tough to figure out how many points are in a homemade recipe. Once again, another time saver! Just look at the menu for the day, program the points into your tracker and wham… blam… your done!

When something is so quick and and easy  it usually suffers in the taste category, kind of like this protein bar I have been choking on for the last two hours. Great source of protein but smells like… well, you get the idea.

Not with E-Mealz the meals are not only easy to prepare and low-cost, but they are absolutely delicious.

You can customize your plan to fit your family’s needs. Choose your plan by store, by how many people you will be feeding, by specialties such as low-carb, vegetarian, low fat, and more.

Now, let me explain how the plans work once you subscribe. Each week, you’ll be given a menu to print out that lists all of the meals for the week. Then, you’ll have a second sheet that lists the items you need to purchase for each meal.

What I love about the set-up is that the grocery list items are numbered by meal. So, for example, let’s say your family plans to eat out one night during the week and you don’t need meal #5 on your list. You simply run down your grocery list and cross off all of the items that have a #5 listed next to them.

Items are also listed by aisle, so you don’t have to pour over your list trying to find a frozen food item that’s mixed in with a dry goods item. It’s so easy! Click here to see a sample for any of the available plans.

Okay, here’s the part that I know you’re going to love the most. Are you ready to hear how much it will cost you to get all of the above services? To make your life easier and save you money at the store? $1.25 per week!!! Can you believe that? Told you I was excited about this review.

There’s something far more important than anything I’ve mentioned here that you get when you use E-Mealz: More time with your family. Dinners together at the table (so important!). And less stress so you can enjoy that time even more. You can’t put a price on that!

Dave Ramsey and Trainer B. approve this message.

Hope you enjoyed this review and seriously go check out E-Mealz it is a huge time and money saver.

After shopping healthy be sure to check Oklahoma City’s #1 Boot Camp for all your fat burning needs.

Trainer B.

If you enjoyed this please leave a comment below…

I wanted to drop you a quick blog post to encourage you to not become another holiday weight gain statistic.  I have heard that the average American gains between 4-9 lbs from Thanksgiving to Jan 1st.  Even though Jan 1st is great for my business, I get TIRED of hearing everyone complaining and moaning about being heavier after the holidays!

It is OK to binge ONCE in awhile.  Use it as your 1-3 cheat meals/week.  By limiting the over indulgences to a couple times a week, your body won’t be overwhelmed and should be able to recover and burn those extra calories off.

Believe me, I love Sweet Potato Pie and Apple Pie, but I love be physically fit more.

So the questions is “How do I enjoy Thanksgiving and avoid gaining 5 – 10lbs in one day?”

”By making wise food choices. Cooking the stuffing outside of the turkey reduces its fat content, as does
baking sweet potatoes, instead of loading them with butter, sugar and marshmallows in a casserole. More Healthy Recipes

Pumpkin, an excellent source of beta carotene and vitamin A, is much healthier served as a custard, instead of a pie in a fat-laden crust. However, we have to be realistic,  ”For one holiday meal, people should be allowed to eat their favorite foods.” So, if you can’t do without
Aunt Martha’s candied yams, have some —but wisely. ”Eat small amounts of your favorites, and don’t eat until you’re stuffed, only until you’re satisfied.”

Also, keep up your exercise program. ”Many people stop working out  when they get busy around the holidays, but that’s just when they should be going”. ”Exercise keeps weight down, suppresses the appetite and relieves holiday stress.”

A few things you can do to avoid gaining an extra 10-15 pounds this season is: Mentally be prepared to say “No Thanks, Ive had enough”. Find smaller plates or a small saucer,so you don’t want to over-eat? Also remember, you don’t have to eat at everyone’s house you visit. Or you don’t have to eat everything they bring to your house.

Now, what happens if you do over-eat and you don’t follow any of my suggestions. WELL – I guess I will see you “Black Friday” at 5:30am in Boot Camp, which is where you should be anyway.

Boot Camp will stay right on schedule for the Holidays, don’t worry i wouldn’t let you get away from burpees for more than a day. I have posted the schedule Below and remember to bring a friend.

“Wednesday 25th” Morning 5:30am-6:30am Evening 6:00pm-7:00pm

“Thursday 26th Thanks Giving Day” OFF

Friday 27th “Black Friday” Morning 5:30am-6:30am Evening 6:00pm-7:00pm

Trainer Ben

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