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.