I have been getting a lot of requests for “healthy” alternatives to snack foods. Usually my response would be, “Don’t snack, have a small meal”. Well, I will share with you today a wonderful, homemade snack/meal alternative that is balanced and healthy!

Banana Based Cookies

Ingredients:

• 3 Ripe Bananas
• 1.5 Cup of Oatmeal or Organic Granola
• 2 Scoops Advocare Muscle Gain Protein Powder
• Silk Almond Milk as needed

Directions:

1. Mash the peeled bananas in a mixing bowl until pureed.
2. Mix in the Muscle Gain (if you need more moisture add a little Silk Almond Milk).
3. Finally, add your Oatmeal/Granola.
4. Ball up the cookie batter into 1″ balls and place on a cookie sheet coated with cooking spray and lightly press them flat.
5. Bake in a Pre-heated oven on 350 degrees for 15-20 minutes, until golden brown.

Optional add-ins: dried fruit, nuts, cocoa power, cinnamon, pumpkin spice, etc. Make them your own and share with us!

Enjoy!

You are in luck today! I will give you 5 tips that will help you improve your decisions, speed up your metabolism and get you closer to the body you want!

Problem 1: One of the most common mistakes when venturing out to the grocery store is shopping without a plan or list. By doing so you are more likely to buy junk and foods that you should NOT be eating. By doing that, you’ve already set yourself up for failure before you’ve even begun. Opportunity always prevails . . . if bad foods are around your house – you’ll eat them.

Solution 1: Decide on a few healthy meals you would like for the coming week, list the necessary ingredients from your recipes, throw some additional healthy/natural/organic foods on there for emergencies and Take The List With You!

Problem 2: When many people decide they want to start “exercising” in order to drop some weight/fat what do they do? CARDIO! Now, I am not saying that your typical cardiovascular exercise is bad for you, I am simply saying that if you have a Goal that you should modify your Steps to get there appropriately. Steady State Cardio is actually one of the worst ways to try and lose body fat. Our bodies adapt very easily and fairly quickly to regular activity. An hour walk/jog outside or on the treadmill may burn 500 calories now, but in a month or two . . . maybe 300 calories if you are lucky!

Solution 2: High Intensity Interval Training (a.k.a. HIIT) has been proven to boost fat loss and improve your bodies’ metabolism. Choose a form of cardiovascular exercise (i.e. elliptical, bike, stairs, hills, track, etc.) and perform a 1:2 minute ratio of high intensity to slow – moderate speed and repeat 5 – 10 times. Don’t be alarmed by the term High Intensity now. High Intensity for one person may not be the same for you. High Intensity is relative to your current athletic capabilities. This form of cardiovascular training not only effective in boosting your metabolism, burning body fat and improving the health of your heart and lung; it is a great time saver as well. Ever hear the motto, “Work Smarter, Not Harder”?

Problem 3: Peer pressure is a powerful aspect of our society and it affects all of us. It most definitely affects our health as well: going out to dinner, fast food restaurants, partying, drinking, lounging around. All of these things can usually be traced to a form of peer pressure when you are trying to improve yourself.

Solution 3: Start hanging out with healthy and fit people. “You are as good as the company around you”. Now I am not demeaning the lifestyle choices of anyone. I am simply bringing to realization the fact that if you have certain goals you want to surround yourself with people that not just support you, but that are living the lifestyle in which you would like to emulate.

Problem 4: “Working out is boring”, “I don’t like to lift weights”, “I don’t want to get BIG muscles” . . . I could go on, but I will spare you. First, for those who are afraid of getting BIG muscles. That will only happen if you are lifting, eating and supplementing in a certain manner. If you are unsure of how to lift weights for your goals, consider hiring a professional for a short/long term.

Solution 4: There are many things you can do to be active, condition your body, boost your metabolism and improve your overall health. To list a few: swimming, sports, canoeing/kayaking, biking, hiking, group classes, etc. Now if none of these interest you there is not much to be said. If you have a goal, but you do not want to do what is necessary, how can you expect success?

 GOAL – PLAN – ACTION – SUCCESS

Problem 5: “I can’t do this”, “This is too hard”, “I am not seeing any results” . . .

Solution 5: The most important piece of advice I can give you is to Keep Trying, Never Give Up and Give It Your All. If this were easy, everyone wouln’t be doing it . . . no body would need to do it anymore!

“In order for us to Attain a New Way of Life we must first Break our Old Habits and then Build New Habits. That is when True Success is Attained.”

-John Rosabella

“Many of life’s failures are people who had not realized how close they were to success when they gave up.”

-Thomas Edison

The things we decide to and decide not to put into our bodies, as well as the things we decide to do and not do for our bodies all have a dramatic and life-long lasting effect on our health. Eating a pizza or drinking the night away cannot just be “burned off” by walking or jogging an extra 30 minutes the next day. The toxins we introduce to our bodies can take days, even weeks to filter out of our systems and bodies, not to mention the permanent damage that is left behind every time your body is put through this stress.

These negative effects will not only damage your body and health, your children’s body and health, but they will effect both of your banks as well!

Check out this article:

http://www.everydayhealth.com/heart-health/heart-failure-price-tag-to-rise-to-70-billion-by-2030.aspx?xid=aol_eh-news_19_20130322_&aolcat=HLT&icid=maing-grid10%7Chtmlws-main-bb%7Cdl31%7Csec3_lnk1%26pLid%3D303386

Date:  Sunday, May 19, 2013
Time:  1:00 PM
Location:  Estero Community Park off Corkscrew Road  (Map)
Register for tickets

All are welcome to bring a tasty side dish.

Bring a friend to be entered into a raffle to win a 24-Day Challenge.

All Non-Member Guests receive a 2-week VIP membership which includes:

• 24 Hour Access
• Unlimited Boot Camp
• Fitness Consultation
  Value of $150.00

Click graphic below to enlarge

Click to enlarge