No Need to Fear Halloween!

Aaaaah...its that time of year again! Costumes are being dusted off, candy bowls are being stocked with miniature treats, and parents are wondering how to maintain their healthy habits with so much temptation around. Halloween doesn’t have to be a holiday that you come to fear, after all there are many healthy and delicious treats out there to satisfy your sweet tooth.

If you are a chocolate lover, try this:

Chocolate Covered Brownie Bites: Dip bite-size piece of brownie into melted chocolate for an easy treat to satisfy your chocolate craving.

**Limit to 1-2 bites. This is only to curb chocolate craving**

Dark Chocolate Fondue: Dip some of your favorite pieces of fruit into melted chocolate

**Limit to 5 pieces of fruit**

Treats You and the Kids will Love:

Mini Ice Cream Sandwiches: ( Vanilla Wafers & fruit sorbet or frozen yogurt)

Carmel Apples

Guilt Free Options:

Shortbread cake: (Shortbread square, strawberries & blueberries, topped w/ spoonful of whip cream)

Strawberry Parfait: (Yogurt, strawberries, granola or a few cookie crumbles)

Now that you have some options to indulge in, you have more time to worry about the important things come October 31st!

Visit www.tntgetfit.com for more helpful tips!

Sources: www.eatingwell.com, www.family.go.com/food/recipe, www.cookinglight.com

Breakfast is the Key to Success!!

“Those who think they have no time for healthy eating, will sooner or later have to find time for illness.” – Edward Stanley

Breakfast, breakfast, breakfast, is the most important meal of the day simply because it determines how your child will feel going into their busy school day. This why it is so important that you, as a parent, take this opportunity to feed your child the healthiest and most nutritious meal possible.

Studies have shown that breakfast provides the nutrients that improve academic performance, increase attendance, and decrease hyperactivity. In a nutshell, it is one of the key factors in determining how well your child will perform in school. Children who eat a healthy and well balanced breakfast are also proven to have more energy and a healthy body weight as compared to children who do not eat it.

It is not hard at all to come up with quick, simple, healthy and delicious dishes that your child can eat in the morning to prepare them for their day. Some simple ideas are:

● Peanut Butter on whole wheat bread

● Bagel with cream cheese

● Oatmeal with apple sauce

● Pita bread with yogurt

All these meals come with enough nourishment to give your child’s brain the energy it needs to retain information in the class room. Breakfast is a habit that not only will your child thank you for,but their stomach will too!

Helpful Tips:

1) Make breakfast the night before (slice fruit, boil eggs)

2) Have a set bed time for your child

3) Give your child a set time to wake up so they will always have time for breakfast

For more information or for more Breakfast ideas email info@tntgetfit.com

Source: http://www.livestrong.com/article/466795-benefits-of-eating-breakfast-for-students/

Making Healthier Decisions

Life doesn’t just happen. It is a result of the choices you have made up until this very point in your life. Are you happy with your life? Are you searching for something more to complete you? Are you happy with your health? Your current state of health is a result of your daily decision making. If you are constantly choosing to watch TV instead of work out or you have gotten in the habit of snacking on junk food, you can not be too happy with your current state of health. Healthy living is really not as difficult as people would have you to believe,but it takes discipline! That is one of the hardest things to master because we want to have the freedom to eat, act, and go as we please.

Let me say this, when you jeopardize your health by constantly making poor decisions, eventually you will become imprisoned by illness, obesity, or unhappiness. Make better decisions and enjoy the freedoms of living longer, having a better self image, and experiencing the joys of great health!

“Excellence is not a singular act, but a habit. You are what you repeatedly do.”

For more information visit www.tntgetfit.com

Facts from http://www.fitnessmagazine.com/recipes/healthy-eating/on-the-go/healthy-fastfood

How Important is your Pre-Workout meal?

Pre-Exercise Nutrition

Pre-exercise fuel is important in order to prevent hypoglycemia (low blood sugar), settle your stomach and absorb some of your gastric juices, ward off hunger, fuel your muscles and glycogen stores, and give you peace of mind that you are well-nourished. How much you might want to eat will vary from person-to-person, but most people get good results from 0.5 grams of carbohydrate per pound of body weight one hour before moderate exercise, or 2 grams of carbohydrate per pound of body weight four hours beforehand. So, for an adult weighing 150 lbs, this means about 75-300 grams of carbohydrate (300 to 1,200 calories), but you do not eat tons of food to notice a benefit.

For example, for an 8 am event you should:

● Night before: Eat a carbohydrate-rich dinner (bread, pasta, potatoes, rice, vegetables, fruit) and drink extra water throughout the day before the event. If you know that you will likely feel jittery and unable to tolerate food in the morning make sure you eat well and have an extra-large bedtime snack in lieu of breakfast.

● Morning of: Around 6 am have a light 200-400 calorie meal depending on what settles best with your stomach. Meal ideas: yogurt, banana, one or two energy bars and plenty of water or tea/coffee (if you can tolerate the caffeine). If you want a larger meal, eat familiar foods between 5-6 am. Don’t experiment with new foods the night or morning before a hard workout or an event.

You must also be wary because pre-exercise food can potentially create gastrointestinal distress; in fact, 30-50% of endurance athletes have reported adverse reactions (gas, intestinal cramping, heartburn, vomiting, bloating, stomach pain, diarrhea) to their pre-workout meal. The best solution for choosing what to eat before exercise is often trial and error with your diet prior to your training workouts. If you do experience GI problems make sure you are not consuming too many high protein and high fat food items prior to your workout, stick to the tried and true high-carbohydrate, low-fat options (bagels, bananas, English muffins, etc.).

Studies have also suggested that caffeine may enhance high-intensity, endurance performance, but this must also be monitored since this too will vary from person to person. If you were worried about dehydration from your pre-race cup of coffee, that probably should not be much of a concern since research suggests it likely does not contribute to dehydration, and is okay for athletes, even in hot weather.

Reference: Nancy Clark’s Sports Nutrition Guidebook, 4th Edition, 2008.

Stop Smoking

Life’s Simple 7: Stop Smoking

How does Smoking Impact My Health?
If you want to live a long and healthy life, breaking the nicotine addiction will be very important. Smoking not only damages your entire circulatory system, but it increases your risk for coronary heart disease, hardened arteries, aneurysm and blood clots. Smoking can often be referred to a line of tumbling dominoes, one risk leads to another and another. Certain risks from smoking lead to additional risks for heart attack, stroke and peripheral artery disease. Being active can become a hardship if you smoke because your lung capacity is reduced making it harder to get the physical activity you need for better health.

Do you realize the cost behind that cigarette?
Cigarette smokers have a higher risk of developing cardiovascular disease. Smoking is one of our nation’s top causes of early death. What you should know is that your lungs can begin to heal as soon as you quit. The next time you reach for a cigarette take a moment and think that over your lifetime, smoking will only add to your life by taking away your good health. Satisfaction from smoking is short-lived because at the end of that cigarette is a shortened life!

TNT’s Tips to Help You Stop Smoking?
· Do whatever it takes to quit!
· Take one day at a time
· Replace the craving for cigarettes with healthier options
· If you slip and have a cigarette don’t feel like you’ve failed…give it another chance!
· Find a local support group
· Talk to your kids about smoking! Many people begin their addiction during adolescence and spend years wishing they had never started.

To learn more about this Life’s Simple 7 Stop Smoking tip and others go to http://www.mylifecheck.org/ and for more information or tips from TNT visit http://www.tntgetfit.com/

Reduce Blood Sugar

Life’s Simple 7: Reduce Blood Sugar

How Important is Understanding My Blood Sugar?
Understanding proper blood sugar levels is easy, simply remember the number 100. If your fasting blood sugar level is below 100, you are in the healthy range. If not, your results could indicate diabetes or pre-diabetes. The food that we eat is turned into glucose, which essentially means blood sugar. Our bodies use this glucose for energy. The human body makes a hormone called insulin, which helps in turning the food you eat into energy for your cells within your body.

The insulin that your body produces is extremely important because when your body stops making insulin or the insulin stops doing its job, your energy supply and blood sugars are no longer stable and serious health problems like diabetes can result. Due to your body not being properly fueled this can result in feeling overly tired. Over time, high levels of blood sugar can damage your heart, kidneys, eyes and nerves.

Why is Reducing Blood Sugar Important for My Health?
Lowered blood sugar helps protect your vital organs. When you reduce excessive sugars, you are giving yourself the best chance for a healthy life. Diabetes is considered by the American Heart Association, as one of the six major controllable risk factors for cardiovascular disease. When your blood sugar is not under control certain risk factors rise. These risk factors consist of obesity, high blood pressure, abnormal cholesterol, high triglycerides, the risk of heart disease and stroke.

TNT’s Tips to Help Reduce Your Blood Sugar
· Focus on your eating habits, your weight and maintain an exercise program
· Always keep your medication in check
· Work closely with your healthcare provider to manage your blood sugar or diabetes and control any other risk factors
· Reduce consumption of simple sugars that are found in soda, candy and desserts
· Get regular physical activity
· Remember small changes add up to BIG improvements in your health!

To learn more about this Life’s Simple 7 Reduce Blood Sugar tip and others go to http://www.mylifecheck.org/ and for more information about how TNT can help you keep your blood sugar level under control visit http://www.tntgetfit.com/

Lose Weight

Life’s Simple 7: Lose Weight

Being overweight or having to much fat puts you at higher risk for many health problems that include high blood pressure, high blood cholesterol and diabetes. If you have too much fat especially if a lot of it is at your waist you are at even more of an increase for health problems. It’s important to remember that you’re not alone! More than 2/3 of our American adult population is overweight, with 1/3 of us in the obese category. Why are these statistics especially concerning? Obesity is now recognized as a major, independent risk factor for heart disease.

Why is it important to know your BMI?
Your BMI or Body mass index assesses your body weight relative to height. This measurement is useful because it takes your body composition and correlates that with the body fat in most people. If your body mass index is 25.0 or higher, you will benefit by bringing your number down below 25. If your BMI is 30.0 or higher, you are at significant risk for heart health problems. To calculate your own BMI visit:

Every extra pound matters!
Have you ever walked around with a 5 pound weight attached to you for day? Now imagine carrying around a 30-pound weight in your purse or briefcase all day! That would be quite a strain on your body! Well the fact is that if you are already overweight by 5 pounds you are putting your body through that every single day! When you shed extra fat and unnecessary pounds, you reduce the burden on your heart, lungs, blood vessels and skeleton. Just losing one pound or even one percent of body fat allows your body the gift of active living by lowering your blood pressure and helping yourself to feel better!

TNT’s tips to loss the weight and keep it off:
· Know your calorie needs
· Know and understand your healthy BMI
· Maintain regular physical activity (30 minutes/day)
· Use a food journal to track your meals and calories


To learn more about this Life’s Simple 7 Lose Weight tip and others go to http://www.mylifecheck.org/ and for more information about how TNT can create your own Nutritional Plan visit http://www.tntgetfit.com/