If you live in the Boston area, today is just a weird day.  It’s warm, unseasonably balmy you might say, but gray and rainy.  Not the best of combinations.  It’s just one of those days where you’re like, “C’mon, when is it going to get NICE outside?”

Because it was warm out, you may have been in the mood for salad and frozen yogurt (yes, Sudbury needs a place for that desperately), but the gray and rainy part of your brain may have gotten the best of you…and you MAY have given in to your kid’s mac & cheese.

Whatever today has brought you so far in terms of what you’ve put in your mouth, tomorrow is yes, you got it,  another day.  A brand, spankin’, new day.  I’ll even go so far and call it Clean Slate Wednesday.

So it’s time to let today be in the past, and tomorrow will be your bright and sunny future.  Here are 5 Tips to ENSURE that tomorrow WILL be a day filled with lots of healthy food and more energy than you know what to do with:

1. Be Prepared.  Like a good boyscout, always be prepared, and arm yourself with an abundance of healthy foods in your fridge, pantry, office, and on-the-run.  Set yourself up for success by having smart, healthy, nutrient-dense foods all around you.

2. Start Your Day with Breakfast, NO EXCEPTIONS.  Get your metabolism furnace revving, and fuel your body with a protein-rich meal first thing in the morning.  Starting your day with a 300-400 calorie breakfast sets you up for success, and will keep you on track throughout the day.  Those who skip breakfast tend to graze, eat erratically, and overeat…all things that will not set you up for successful weight loss.

3.  Drink Water When You Think You’re Hungry.  Here’s one of my favorite Bonnie original quotes,” Sometimes when you THINK you’re hungry, you’re actually just thirsty.”  Often times thirst can mimic hunger, so don’t take the chance of ingesting unneeded calories when your body is just thirst and craving some good ol’ water.  Drink a glass of water before each meal.  A great way to slow down your eating and become more mindful of what you put in your mouth.  Aim for 80 ounces of water each day.

4.  Eat Your Daily Dose of Fiber.  This is key because fiber will fill you up without fattening you up.  Aim for 25-35 grams/day.  An apple is always a great choice, a perfect example of a nutrient-dense food with 100 calories and 5g of fiber.  Be sure to drink plenty of water with your fiber-rich foods to aid with digestion.

5.  No Late Nite Eating.  I always say, “MOUTHS SHUT” at 8pm, 9pm the very latest, which is approximately 2 hours before you go to bed.  No need to lie down with a stomach full of food and calories.  Your body doesn’t burn calories efficiently at nite, and your body tends to store those extra calories as fat.  Trust me, you’re much better off  stopping eating 2-hours before bed, and waking up in the morning feeling hungry and starting the fueling process with a protein-rich breakfast.

If you follow these tips you will feel EUPHORIC.  You know that feeling when you’re on just such a natural-high from eating well and exercising (yes, don’t forget to get a little workout in!)?  You feel like you can conquer the world.  You feel totally in control and powerful, and like you can take on any task.  It’s an awesome feeling.

So here’s to that awesome feeling…..

Good Luck.

Love & Lunges,

Bonnie

 My tip of the day is to LAUGH!  Laughing is good for your health!!!

According to the University of Maryland School of Medicine in Baltimore (Fitness Magazine March 2011), “a case of the giggles causes blood vessels to relax, boosting blood flow to your skin for up to an hour…and this rosy flush is just as radiant as the one produced by 30-minutes of aerobic activity.”

This does NOT mean that you should give up exercise for laughing…this just means that you may get that nice red, rosy face from a good ol’ laugh AND some jump rope rounds.

There’s nothing like a good laugh.  So DVR America’s Funniest Home Videos, or watch some great comedies on TV like: Everyone Loves Raymond, Perfect Couples, Modern Family, or How I Met Your Mother…or watch some old videos of your kids learning how to ride a bike (the video of my 5-yr. old daughter earning how to ride a bike is hysterical because of my husband huffing and puffing chasing after her and telling her they need to rest, and her saying to him, c’mon dad!!! Watching it over and over ALWAYS makes me laugh out loud!).

So smile today, take a deep breath, think about how lucky you are to have what you have, and how truly blessed your life really is…

And then top it off with a great laugh…and maybe a few jump rope rounds too.

Love & Lunges,

Bonnie

•  Clean out your fridge. 
• Dump the junk. 
• Ditch anything that doesn’t fit into the Bonnie’s Bootcamp monday-friday eating plan. 
• Get rid of any tempting leftovers from the weekend (aka bday cake, desserts, pizza, chinese food, etc).
• Fill your fridge with lots of healthy choices so you don’t feel deprived. 
• Stock up on fruits, vegetables, whole grains and lean protein.
• Get in a 30-minute workout, even if its just a brisk walk outside to make you feel better both mentally and physically. (the earlier in the day you can do this the better.  As soon as you do it, you’ll feel SO much better and WANT to eat healthy foods).

bonnie

C’mon,  you know you’re in one.  

The weather can’t decide if it should be frigid, just plain cold, or balmy, which really screws up your outdoor running plans as well as overall motivation to workout.  The snowbanks are melting, but there’s still plenty of nasty black snow all around, which kind of bums you out in general.   And lastly, your kids have been on-and-off sick since January, and just when you think everyone is clear of germs, you come down with a bad cold which really throws a wrench into your “Get Fit in March” plan. 

Whether you’re not working out hard enough or just not enough in general, or you’re eating a little bit too much comfort food and not enough fruits and vegetables,  it’s time to snap out of it before it’s warm enough to wear shorts outside.

Here are a whopping 12 tips for you that will hopefully re-light your exercise spark, fire up your motivation, and get you out of your March Slump:

1.  Always make your workouts a priority and schedule them into your day like an important meeting.  Don’t let anything get in the way of your “workout meeting.”  Just like your kids can’t (or shouldn’t!) miss the morning school bus, you can’t (or shouldn’t!) miss your daily workout.

2.   Commit to working out first thing in the morning.  Statistics show that  people who workout in the early morning tend to maintain it as a permanent habit.  Try it for 21 days-the time it takes to form a habit. (lay out your workout clothes next to your bed, so when you wake up you don’t even have to think. YES I DO THIS EVERY MORNING FOR BOOTCAMP!!!!  I’ve even heard of people sleeping in their exercise clothes so they just wake up and go.).

3.   Go thru one of your Fitness or Shape or Flex magazines and cut out a picture of how you’d like to look by Memorial Day Weekend (J.Lo is always my inspiration!).  Tape it to your fridge.  front and center.  This will hopefully deter you from eating something you shouldn’t.

4.  Tape of picture of YOU to the fridge that will inspire you.  Maybe it’s a pre-baby photo or your wedding picture that will really incite you to action.

5.  Stand in front of a full-length mirror in your bathing suit.  Are you happy with what you see? If yes, stop reading this.  If not, I bet the treadmill is looking awfully nice.

6.  Get a workout buddy and go to a group fitness classes together.  The power of a group is motivating!  Try something NEW.  You can keep each other accountable while chatting up a storm AND burning some calories.  Women are expert multitaskers.

7.  Indulge in a personal training session (you can even split it with a friend to lessen the cost) to really spice things up and motivate you.  You’ll never work as hard on your own as you would with a trainer, so even if you meet with them 2x in March,  it would be enough to challenge you, get you super-sore, and hopefully keep you on a roll.

8.  Just get outside and WALK! Now that the icy sidewalks are melting away, it is much safer to just cruise around the neighborhood and get some much needed fresh air. Being couped up inside all winter can make anyone lethargic and blah, so bundle up and get moving…you’ll feel so much better.

9.  Try on your spring clothes from last year.  Do you like how they look?  Better yet, invest in a few new outfits that show some skin…that should motivate you to get your butt moving!

10.  Start drinking some GREEN JUICE.  Make your own concoction or buy some delicious Green Lemonades from www.drinkjoos.com .  Ordering some is on my to-do list!  Drinking them is like having an IV of greens directly into your body that will automatically energize you and put a spring in your step.

11.  Sign up for a race that you NEED to train for.  Sign up for a 5k, 1/2 marathon, triathlon, or Warrior Dash.  With a definite goal, you will be more apt to motivate and work harder because you want to succeed on race day.

12.  Make a fresh, new workout mix.  Be sure to put warmup, fast paced, and cool down songs to keep you pumped up the entire workout.

Here is my super awesome March music mix:

• Knock You Down-Keri Hilson
• Stronger-Kanye West
• La la La-LMFAO
• Yes-LMFAO
• Bang Bang-K’naan & Adam Levine
• Buzzin’-Mann
• On The Floor- J.Lo & Pitbull
• Rock that Body- Black Eyed Peas
• Magic- B.O.B
• Young and Proud- Ace of Base
• Closet Freak- Miss Lawrence
• Gangsta’s Paradise- Coolio
• Fighter- Christina Aguilera
• Young Forever- Jay-Z
• Jar of Hearts- Christina Perri
• Can’t Believe It- T.Pain

Hopefully some of these tips will inspire you to make a positive change.  Daylight Savings is here in a few days, so there are definitely brighter days ahead!!!

Love & Lunges,

Bonnie

Yes, your Tuesday Tip Day is to BLAB, BLAB, BLAB all about your fitness goals!!!

According to Fitness Magazine, March 2011, sharing your goals with a friend increases your odds of success. 

DUH…THAT’S WHAT I’VE BEEN TELLING YOU ALL ALONG!!!  Because, c’mon…it’s kind of embarassing to tell your friends your fitness goals and then totally slack on them and look LAZY!  I say it will make you 1000x more accountable, but you’ll have to see for yourself if you don’t trust me.

Once you tell your friends your fitness goals, you are suddenly ACCOUNTABLE…and now your friends may check in on you and ask you how you’re doing on your path to achieve your goals.  Well, at least your good friends will ask you!

However big or small your goals, don’t be afraid to share them with your friends.

•  if you want to train for a 5k, tell your friends that you signed up for the Couch to 5k app on your iphone, and are following it religiously.   http://www.coolrunning.com/engine/2/2_3/181.shtml  I love checking in on my friend, Gabby, and hearing her success. 
• If your goal is to do 10 “real” pushups, then don’t be afraid to show off to your friends when you reach that goal.  Good friends will be totally psyched for you! (the not so good friends will just be jealous!)
• Maybe you want to cook 1 new recipe each week.  Share the recipe with your friends!  Everyone loves a new recipe, and will really appreciate if you make some extra for them!
• 100 cardio workouts in a row.  Yes, i do have  a friend that has made this goal for herself and has been following it religiously! (and yes, she’s down a whopping 12 pounds in 4 weeks.  great job lisa bradshaw!)

You get the gist….so set some goals for yourself and spread the word amongst your friends.  Tell your Facebook friends…then you’ll really have alot of people checking in on you!!!!!  You’ll be amazed how the accountability of it all will really make you stick with it.

March is an important month to stay focused.  If you can get thru the slush and ice, Daylight Savings will be here in a couple weeks, and there are brighter and hopefully warmer days ahead, which means you’ll be exercising outside sooner rather than later!

Good Luck!  Feel free to share with me your goals and i’ll gladly remind you of them.  And if anyone will listen, i’ll share mine with you too.

Love & Lunges,

Bonnie

According to Researchers at Brigham & Women’s Hospital and Harvard Medical School in Boston (and they are really smart, so i believe them!), eating just one to two 3-ounce servings of fatty fish weekly can reduce the risk of dying from heart disease by 36 percent.

WOW.  now that statistic is enough for me to get my butt to the grocery store to get some fish that is rich in heart-healthy omega-3 fatty acids!!!  Your best bets are salmon, tuna, or mackerel.

For a super easy and bootcamp-approved clean eating piece of fish, try this technique from food writer and cook Mark Bittman, author of The Food Matters Cookbook.

1. Place a 4-oz. piece of fish in the center of a rectangular piece of aluminum foil (about 12×18 inches).

2. Sprinkle it with 1 teaspoon each of sesame oil and soy sauce, and then loosely fold the foil to seal the fish.

3. Put the fish packet in a baking dish and cook at 450 degrees for about 20 minutes.

The good news about this recipe is that a 3-4 oz. serving of salmon is only 173 calories, 10g fat, and a whopping 23g protein. 

Pair it with a nice green salad of red onions, tomatoes, and a light sprinkle of feta, drizzled with a dijon balasmic vinegarette for a light and delicious meal under 350 calories.

Bon Appetit!

Love & Lunges,

Bonnie

Absolutely Delicious!

As i’m sitting here in my nice warm house looking out at the snow crazily falling  to the ground (yes, over 2 feet so far, and more coming), all i really want to do is curl up on the couch in my Snuggie and watch Lifetime movies.  But there’s this thing called REALITY, so the whole Snuggie and Lifetime thing relaxing on the couch isn’t really happening…but it’s nice to dream about it.

Second best Therapeutic option=COOKING. 

 Here’s my mother-in-law’s recipe, hence the name of this recipe, “Jane’s Balsamic Chicken.”  It will make your entire house smell AMAZING.  It’s really easy to make, of course super healthy, never comes out dry, and a definite “go-to” recipe for your next dinner party.  Bon Appetit!

 Jane’s Balsamic Chicken (serves 4)

•  Olive oil
• 1 chopped onion
• 4 garlic cloves crushed (or 1 TBSP jarred)
• 4 chicken breasts, pounded well
• ¼ cup balsamic vinegar
• 1 red pepper chopped
• 1 pkg. sliced mushrooms
• 1 can (14.5 ozs) Italian Seasonings diced tomatoes, not drained.
• Salt & Pepper to taste.

1.     Heat olive oil and sauté garlic over low heat; add chopped onion over medium heat and sauté for a few minutes, until translucent and carmelized.
2.    Add chicken-about 4 mins/side on medium/high until browned.
3.   Add peppers, vinegar, mushrooms & tomatoes.
4. Cover for all veggies to soften (about 5+ minutes), and then cook for 25+ minutes uncovered for chicken to cook thru and flavors to blend together.
5.   Season with salt and pepper.
6.  Serve over brown rice, or for a low-carb option, eat solo.

The month of December is filled with tons of holiday parties and extra socializing.  To me that translates into alot of fun, but also alot of extra calories.  Too much food.  Too much fat.

There’s always the stress of, “what to bring to so-and-so’s house? she wants me to bring a dessert.” YIKES.  you can already feel your skinny jeans getting tight, just thinking about all of the butter and sugar that is going to go into the dessert you are planning to bring.

DON’T DO IT.  Don’t make the triple fudge brownies or the turtle cheesecake.

Instead, bring something that is somewhat “healthy,” a perfect combination of “good” and “not so good.”  I like to think that the “good” will balance out the “not so good.”  Whatever you do decide to bring, always remember to eat consciously and in moderation.

Here are some of my FAVORITE examples of sweet treats that won’t bust the button off your pants, and will even get you re-invited back next year:

1.  Thinly sliced apples dipped in caramel.  I LOVE caramel. and i LOVE organic Honeycrisp apples from Whole Foods.  You put the 2 together, and you have a decadent treat.  Whole Foods sells a tub of caramel (near the apples), that is amazing.  I brought this dessert to a friends house this weekend and it was devoured.

2.  Peanut Butter & Co. Dark Chocolate Dreams.  Once again, another terrific dipping/spreading option with thinly sliced apples or bananas.  This is my new favorite treat, maybe even more than caramel, because it has good health benefits.  But beware, don’t start eating it out of the jar…you may eat the entire thing.

3.  Fresh Strawberries dipped in Dark Chocolate.  Love those. or dried apricots (good fiber).

4.  Air popped popcorn drizzled with white chocolate, milk chocolate, dark chocolate, and/or caramel.  Great mix of salty and sweet, and air popped popcorn is super low in calories so it will counteract (sort of) all of the stuff you drizzle on it.

5.  mini cupcakes.  I love white cupcakes with white frosting.  the small size allows for better portion control.  In this case, there’s no “good,” and “not so good.”  The cake and frosting are both “not so good,” loaded with sugar and butter.  Regardless, enjoy every bite, but no more than 2.

Love & Lunges,

Bonnie

This is a super hearty soup that is loaded with protein and is perfect fuel for your muscles on a cold winter nite.  The beans and carrots add fiber and beta carotene, and the heart-healthy red-wine is an extra bonus.  Quick and easy to make in a crock pot, this is a must-have recipe.  For an even heartier “man’s meal,” you can enjoy the stew over whole-wheat fusilli.

Ingredients:

• 16 ozs. All –Natural LEAN Turkey Sausage, sliced thinly on the diagonal  (I used Wellshire turkey andouille sausage. They come in a pkg. of 4 and I used 5 sausages.  Makes for a VERY  smoky and spicy stew!  I recommend a basic turkey sausage that isnt so spicy. Choose a brand that is 93% lean).
• 1 can red kidney beans-no salt added, drained.
• 1 can pinto beans-no salt added, drained
• 1 can cannellini beans-no salt added, drained
• 8 oz. can tomato sauce
• 3 carrots, sliced into thin rounds
• 1 onion, halved, and then very thinly sliced
• ½ cup+ dry red wine or beef broth (I used a hefty ½ cup of red cooking wine since that was all I had!)
• 1 heaping teaspoon jarred crushed garlic
• 5 hefty shakes of thyme (feel free to use fresh!)

Add all ingredients into a crock pot.  Cook for 4 hours or until carrots are tender.  Enjoy!!!

Depending on which type of sausage you get, will determine how spicy this stew will be.  If your stew comes out too spicy for your liking (believe me, andouille sausage is very spicy and will do this!), then you can easily eat this over some whole-wheat pasta to cut the heat.

Many thanks to fellow bootcamper, Bonnie W., for sharing her recipe with me which i tweaked to make a bootcamp original. If you have a recipe that you love that you think I will love too, please take a risk and share it with me!

Love & Lunges,

Bonnie

1.  Total sugars should never be more than ½ the total carbs.  So if you’re eating a cereal that has 45g carbs/serving, the sugars should be less than 22g.  This rule is especially helpful when buying granola bar type foods. MOST are loaded with added sugar, so become an expert food label reader. Beware of foods with ADDED sugar listed in the ingredients.  The big exception is with natural sugars found in fruits and dairy…then this rule doesnt work as well. 

 2.  Salt:Calorie Ratio should be about 1:1, and NEVER more than 2:1.  So for example, my 2 favorite crackers: Seaweed Rice Crackers have 120 cals/serving and 40mgs sodium=AWESOME.  Triscuits have 120 cals/serving and 180mgs sodium which is still within the boundaries, but not nearly as good as the rice crackers.  Total sodium per day should not be more than 2400 mgs.  A low sodium diet=1500 mgs.

 3.  Fiber: always check how many grams/serving.  Aim for 25g/day.

4.  Serving Size:  Be aware of what an actual serving is.  Calories add up quickly!

5.  Servings per Container:  Be aware of how many there are…just in case you eat the whole bag or box!

This is an example of a very healthy food label!!! Before i saw that it was a label for carrots of some sort, i had thought that maybe it was for some sort of a “coleslaw” mixed with vinegar and a drop of sweetener because it is very low calorie but had a little bit of sodium and sugar.

Sugars= 1/2 the carbs (natural sugars i would assume as the only ingredient listed is carrots)

Salt: 55g/45 calories=fine since its less than a 2:1 ratio, and only a little higher than 1:1. in general, total sodium is low for 1 cup serving size.

Fiber:3g=good

Serving Size:1 hefty cup

Servings per Container: even if you eat the entire jar, you’d only be up 110 calories!  And you’d be up 6g of fiber.

So now you have even MORE to think about next time you go to the grocery store!! 

Take the time to read the food labels and see what you’re really putting in your body.  The fewer ingredients the better.  The more you can pronounce the better.  And do your kids a favor, stay away from those yogurts with tons of artificial coloring.  If they are eating red and blue yogurts, all i can say is YIKES.

Love & Lunges,

Bonnie