How to Start Eating Healthy and What to Eat

Healthy eating continues to be a priority for me (thank goodness). I just have always had a hard time when it comes to my own personal diet. After working all day (in the kitchen), I usually have no interest in cooking for myself and would prefer a 30 minute nap.

Healthy eating continues to be a priority for me (thank goodness). Whereas in the past I would pick foods that were simply easy to grab and go – without much thought of their nutritional content – all of this planning has helped me to pick foods that are good food choices.

Going through culinary school, of course we learned all about eating a balanced diet, including eating healthy foods, the necessity of meal planning and all kinds of other tips for healthy eating habits. I just have always had a hard time when it comes to my own personal diet. After working all day (in the kitchen), I usually have no interest in cooking for myself and would prefer a 30 minute nap.  It’s true. If you are a regular reader of this blog, you know that.  If this is your first time reading this blog, here are a few other articles that will be of interest to you: 10 Tips to Healthy Eating, Top 10 Nutritional Tips to Get Your Summer Ready, Healthy Breakfast Foods and a Quick Workout.

The best advice I can give to start eating healthy is to plan ahead. Wherever possible, think about your week – and I mean every aspect of it. When will you be flying out the door just before a meal? Will you be hungry while you are out? Should you pack snacks in your car (i.e. healthy snacks such as those loaded with protein). Are the calories good calories or not? Are they loaded with fat?

Eating well does not mean eating bland. One of the recipes that I have started to make on Monday nights, and can eat throughout the week, is this Turkey Chili.  This has saved me a ton of time and prevented me from making bad choices.  There’s even a trick in here for picky eaters.

Healthy Turkey Chili:

• 1 lb of ground turkey (93% lean)
• 1 Large Jar of Bertolli Spagetti Sauce
• 1 Small jar of Salsa
• 2 Green Peppers
• 1 Large Onion
• 2 Regular cans of diced tomatoes
• 1 Can of Dark Red Kidney Beans
• 1 1/2 Tb Chili Powder

Turkey Chili Cooking Instructions:

• Prepare your ingredients. Mince your onions, chop your peppers, and drain your kidney beans.
• Place a large sauce pot on the stove top and turn on the heat to medium high.
• Once the pan is hot add your ground turkey and brown your meat. It’s okay if it isn’t completely cooked through because it’ll be on the stove top for 3 hours.
• Next add your diced onions and peppers. and let saute in the juices from the ground turkey.
• When the veggies are tender add your cans of tomatoes, chili powder, spaghetti sauce and salsa.
• Let simmer 1-2 hours.
• Add your drained beans, season with salt and pepper if needed, serve and enjoy.
• Prep Time: 15 minutes Cook Time: 2 hours Yields: Lunch for a week.

Tips and Tricks:

• To knock down prep time to just a few minutes you could always use one bag of frozen, chop onions and peppers.
• If you are feeding this to a picky eater you are blend the spaghetti sauce and the salsa so it’s less chunky and more edible for the picky eaters of the house.
• The most flavor comes from what ever flavor salsa and sauces you buy. I like to buy spicy salsas and usually a simple garlic spaghetti sauce. But you could do mild and a mushroom marinara sauce.

Now of course, if you have been reading this blog regularly you also know that a great deal of my inspiration has been from my personal trainer and personal coach, Danielle. She also regularly writes about our experiences together and has been doing some work on her own.  See – even the trainer needs to train!

To get herself swimsuit ready this summer, she has a few tips when it comes to fat-burning workout techniques.

Words from a Personal Trainer

I have been training very hard & watching my nutrition over the last 2 months, and let me tell you what, I am swimsuit ready! I have been limiting the adult beverages, planning out my meals, & consistently working out hard in the gym.  When I went Memorial Weekend shopping I was so excited to see that I was down 2 clothes sizes, I was in such a great mood I bought more than enough.

My workouts over the last 2 months have been focused on burning and building. I have been trying to burn as many calories as possible & tone up my legs. Here are 2 great exercises to get your legs looking long and lean!

Lunges: These are amazing for you’re the front and back of your legs & for giving you nice round glutes! Make sure you keep your chest up, keep your hips pressed forward, & work to get your back knee to touch the ground. Touching that back knee makes all the difference in the world! Do 3 sets of 15 each leg.

Squats: It’s all in the hips! Feet wider than shoulder width, hands behind your head, elbows out, & bend at the hips first. As you squat keep your chest up & eyes in the mirror. Take your hips all the way parallel with your knees then press back up. This full range of motion will give your legs a nice long toned shape! Practice sitting on a bench first. Do 3 sets of 25.

ABOUT THE AUTHOR:

Danielle Korb owns Sweat Training, a personal training studio on Montgomery Road in Pleasant Ridge. Danielle’s passion for health and fitness combined with 12 years experience of coaching/personal training has helped her to create a company that is truly unique. At Sweat Training we train people that crave the desire to train like an athlete and we specialize in high intensity and resistance training.

At Sweat Training our boot camps & personal training are designed to challenge both men & women, training everyone in small groups to create a team atmosphere. This atmosphere creates camaraderie, competition, encouragement, motivation & affordability. At Sweat Training our clients are more like teammates & our trainers like coaches. This is a great place to train with your significant other & be social with friends. No Contract Obligation & Pay as you go. Trialing a Session is FREE for Rookies. Follow us on Facebook, Danielle Korb Sweat or call 513.Go.Sweat.