Motivational Monday

"You will never win if you never begin.  "

-Helen Rowland

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Fitness Tip of the Week:

• Have you ever been working out and asked yourself, "Why am I not losing fat in my stomach, arms, legs etc.?"  Try Carb Cycling!  This optimizes your body into burning fat first!  Never heard of Carb Cycling?  Well, it is a very simple concept that basically rotates between days of eating lower amounts of carbs and days of eating higher amounts of carbs.
• Your body burns energy from two main sources, carbs and fats.  When your body is depleted or does not have anymore carbs to burn, it starts burning fat for fuel.  Now most people would then say "Well then I'm going to cut carbs out completely."  Do Not Do This!  If you cut carbs out for too long your metabolism slows down and you stop burning fat. This is where people start gaining and storing fat. 
• In easy terms, the low carb days your will be burning more fat as fuel and on high carb days, you will be giving your metabolism a huge boost which will allow you to burn even more fat and more weight moving forward.  Look into it!  This is a great way to help achieve your goals in a shorter amount of time.

Smoothie Recipe of the Week:

• Chocolate-Raspberry Smoothie
• 3 pitted dates
• 1 cup unsweetened chocolate almond milk (such as almond breeze)
• 1/2 cup frozen unsweetened raspberries
• 1 tablespoon unsweetened cocoa powder
• 1 (5.3 oz.) container vanilla soy yogurt
• 1/2 banana, sliced and frozen
• Dash of instant coffee or espresso granules (optional)

Visit This Link to View the Full Recipe

Lunch Recipe of the Week:

• Tuna-Artichoke Salad
• 1 (6 ounce) jar artichoke hearts, drained and chopped
• 1/4 cup chopped fresh dill
• 1 tablespoon olive oil
• 1 tablespoon lemon juice
• 2 cloves garlic, minced
• 1/2 teaspoon ground black pepper
• 1 cup chopped fresh spinach
• 1 (5 ounce) can tuna, drained
• 1 red bell pepper, chopped

Visit This Link to View the Full Recipe

Dinner Recipe of the Week:

• California Grilled Chicken
• 3/4 cup balsamic vinegar
• 1 teaspoon garlic powder
• 1 tablespoon honey
• 2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
• 2 teaspoons Italian seasoning
• Kosher salt
• Freshly ground black pepper
• 4 boneless skinless chicken breasts
• 4 slices mozzarella
• 4 slices avocado
• 4 slices tomato
• 2 tablespoons freshly sliced basil for garnish
• Balsamic glaze, for drizzling 

Visit This Link to View the Full Recipe
               

Exercise of the Week:

Flutter Kicks (3 sets of 30 seconds):

Stretch of the Week:

    Foam Rolling Hamstring Stretch(15-30 second hold):