nutrition

Addicted to Fitness Show Notes – 2016 Health & Fitness Accomplishments

I’m taking the show notes back this week as Shannon recovers after a stellar Christmas Day performance at our place. The woman is a hell of a host let me tell you. You all hear how passionate she is about exercise each week on the podcast so I’m sure you can imagine her engineering an all day Christmas extravaganza. With one holiday in the books, and New Years well in sight, Shannon and I thought it be appropriate to look back at our 2016 health and fitness achievements on this week’s episode of Addicted to Fitness.

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Listing our achievements for 2016 made us grow nostalgic of all we were able to accomplish in the past year. We reminisced about the first Elemental Training Tampa (ETT) mudrun, coaching Carmin at Mike Calta’s Punchout 2, Shannon purchasing and loving her Peloton cycle, my tumultuous year of jiu-jitsu and Shannon’s dedication to a healthier way of eating (she’s already lost of 10 lbs!). Another achievement Shannon and I discuss is ETT’s first Facebook Live workout, which is happening December 26th at 11am EST. All you have to do is go to ETT’s Facebook page and you can take part in a intense HIIT workout that will help you work off some of those delicious Christmas calories.

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This podcast itself is most definitely an accomplishment for us in 2016. Producing a weekly health and fitness podcast was a goal I set before this year started and I’m proud to say we were able to accomplish it. We’d love hear what goals you accomplished this year. Please feel free to share them with us in the comment section, on our various social channels or you can email them to us at elementaltampa@gmail.com. Your feedback and support has helped us grow into a 5 star rated podcast and we are extremely grateful. Keep rating, reviewing and sharing the podcast and let’s stay healthy as we transition into another year.

Links for this week’s episode

iTunes: https://itunes.apple.com/us/podcast/our-2016-health-fitness-accomplishments/id1121420986?i=1000379331633&mt=2

Android: http://subscribeonandroid.com/addictedtofitness.libsyn.com/rss

Website: http://addictedtofitness.libsyn.com/our-2016-health-fitness-accomplishments

What’s on the Menu

Spaghetti and meatballs. I feel like those two have been perpetually linked since the beginning of time, or since pasta has been a thing. Fortunately, we’ve discovered that meatballs don’t always need a refined carb counterpart. This week’s look into Shannon and I’s menu features turkey meatballs paired with garlic sautéed baby bok choy instead of pasta. Bok choy is a great pasta alternative because it’s a cruciferous vegetable that is loaded with vitamins A, K, and C and contains over 70 antioxidants, which is why some researchers believe it can aid in cancer prevention (source). Expanding our food choices, especially when it comes to vegetables, is crucial to optimizing our health and developing as a species (source). The next time you go grocery shopping, forget the box of barilla and go for the bok choy. If you are already a bok choy fan, let us know what dishes you incorporate it into. We’re always looking for new recipes.

 

What’s on the Menu

This week’s peak into my daily nutrition features my non-dairy version of bulletproof coffee. For those that aren’t familiar with bulletproof coffee, it’s essentially a mixture of coffee, MCT oil and grass fed butter that was made popular by Dave Asprey. The idea behind this concoction is that it keeps you satiated longer unlike many common breakfast foods (i.e. cereal, doughnuts, bagels). Also, some people say that the MCT oil, which is a source of energy itself, can prolong the caffeine effect of coffee. Either way, as someone that makes a conscious effort to get the majority of his calories from fat, this seems like a good idea, but I can’t handle that much dairy right when I get up. Which is why I was ecstatic when I learned about a non-dairy version of the upgraded coffee during our interview with Anna Vocino on the Addicted to Fitness podcast. I’ve been using this recipe almost every morning for the last 3 months and I’ve had no problems, and unlike bulletproof coffee, this recipe contains a significant amount of protein. Give it the once over and let me know if you prefer it over the traditional bulletproof coffee recipe. 

Recipe
1/3 cup of Trader Joe’s Reduced fat canned coconut milk (90 calories, 9g of fat, 1g of sugar)

1 tbsp of Trader Joe’s Coconut oil (120 calories, 14g of fat, 0g of sugar)

2 tbsp of Great Lakes Collagen Hydrolysate (45 calories, 11g of protein)

12 ounces of black coffee (>2 calories)

*Pour all ingredients in a blender or shaker bottle and combine till well mixed 

= 317 calories, 30 g of fat, 11 g of protein and 1g of sugar

coffee-concoction

Thanks to author Anna Vocino for providing this recipe

Addicted to Fitness Show Notes – Interview with Swerve Sweetener President & CEO Andress Blackwell

Notes by Shannon.

This week’s podcast is going to be sweet.

It all started with the discovery of Swerve Sweetener. Picked up on a whim, we tried this sugar alternative after seeing it in a blog recipe. After making one kick-butt pumpkin pie, our interest was piqued.

Could this product that tastes comparable to sugar (you can use it 1:1 in most recipes to substitute regular sugar), with zero effect on blood sugar & insulin response, be too good to be true?

We put the question out into the world (and social media) and got a response. A response from the folks at Swerve Sweetener no less, offering up an interview with their President and CEO Andress Blackwell!

swerve-flat

Picture courtesy of Shannon Palmer

The quest for more information about this sugar substitute, which we have previously chatted about in a past episode, is what led to this week’s interview. Nick got the chance to ask those questions that had been nagging at us for weeks:

  • Where did the development of this particular sugar alcohol – erythritol – come from?
  • How was it different from other sugar alcohols that can cause some… gastric issues?
  • Where has it been tested? Will there be more tests in the future?
  • What’s the mission for the Swerve Sweetener team?
  • Who could benefit the most from a sweetener like this?
  • Where can you find this product now?

Nick got the answers to these questions and more in the interview.

As for where you can find this product to try it out for yourself (just in time for the holidays no less!), you can use the store locator feature on their website to find a retailer near you.

We’re not the only podcast talking about sugar substitutes. Friend of the podcast, Vinnie Tortorich voiced his opinion in an episode of his podcast not too long ago. (If you know Vinnie, you might very well be able to guess what his vote on any sugar-like product would be.)

Our main takeaway, though? It’s easy to see how something like this could come in handy as an extra tool to battle the overwhelming amount of sugar in our diets around the holidays (and the rest of the year). There’s a good chance I’ve got a couple batches of favorite holiday cookies baking up in the oven right now. It’s tradition after all.

But don’t take our word for it! Listen to the interview and let us know if this is a product you might be using to sweeten up your life in the future.

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President & CEO of Swerve Sweetener, Andress Blackwell

Have a topic or interview you want to hear us discuss in a future podcast? Send us an email – elementaltampa@gmail.com – or give us a head’s up on our social channels. Thanks so much for all your support and don’t forget to tell us what you think either on Facebook or by leaving a review in the iTunes store. We love your feedback! Thanks for listening and stay healthy this week peeps!

Links to this week’s episode

iTunes: https://itunes.apple.com/us/podcast/interview-president-ceo-swerve/id1121420986?i=1000378846236&mt=2

Android: http://subscribeonandroid.com/addictedtofitness.libsyn.com/rss

Website: http://addictedtofitness.libsyn.com/an-interview-with-the-president-ceo-of-swerve-sweetener-andress-blackwell

 

What’s on the Menu

There is a food craze going on that may seem new, but is in fact as old as time. This particular food item can be found in high end restaurants AND in the middle of the Serengeti. Celebrity chef, TV host and all-around badass Anthony Bourdin calls it “God’s Butter.” Shannon likes to call it “meat jelly.” I just call it DELICIOUS! If you haven’t figured it out yet, I’m talking about bone marrow. This often overlooked culinary delight can be found inside the bones of ruminants (cow, deer, etc.) and for the longest time was discarded by most Americans in the late 20th century & early 21st century. It seems like we’ve finally discovered the richness, in both nutrition and taste, of this somewhat forgotten food item. One ounce of beef bone marrow contains nearly 15g of fat (mostly monounsaturated), 2g of protein and 140 calories. It also contains important sources of fat soluble vitamins and minerals like calcium and iron (source). The exact amounts of these nutrients is hard to find but it’s believed that consuming bone marrow can improve gut health and even help treat individuals with cancer (source). I’m not quite prepared to call bone marrow the next miracle treatment for cancer, but I am willing to order it every time I see it on the menu.

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Bone Marrow starter from Edison Food+Drink Lab

Addicted to Fitness Show Notes – From the Vault: Sleep Supplements & Biggest Loser

Guest post by Shannon.

As we draw closer to the holidays and the close of another year, it’s a great time for a flashback.

One of the great things about podcasting is that you have a store of regular discussions to look back on and relive. Thus, we bring you one of the Vault episode from the earlier rendition of the podcast known as the ETT Wrap Show.

In this podcast episode, Nick and I review his and the ETT race team’s performances in the Mud Endeavor 5k, how he avoided serious injury and how this race gives other obstacle course races, like Tough Mudder, a run for their money.

 

NOTE: The next ETT team competition is going to be the 2017 Gasparilla 5K on Feb. 25th in Tampa. Want to join the team? Register here and when you choose a team, look for Elemental Training Tampa.

We also get into my constant battle with getting back to a normal sleep routine after enjoying a total lack of sleep structure on vacation. Could simply getting out of an established routine be to blame or is work stress adding to the challenge? We reference a Primal Blueprint podcast and explain the cortisol effect and what supplements can help depleted adrenal glands.

Getting more into news, we chatted about a New York Times article describing former “The Biggest Loser” contestants’ post-show weight gain. A bit of friendly debate around whether a calorie deficit diet really is the best way to keep weight off, follows. It’s a common practice by celebrity trainers, but health experts don’t necessarily agree, opting for quality over quantity.

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We’ll be bringing you an all new podcast next week, so keep listening for more health and fitness information each week. Let us know if you have any topics you want to hear. Send us an email – elementaltampa@gmail.com – or give us a head’s up on social. As always, rate, review and share the podcast. We love and appreciate the support. Stay healthy this week peeps!

Links to this week’s episode

iTunes: https://itunes.apple.com/us/podcast/from-vault-mud-runs-sleep/id1121420986?i=1000378584024&mt=2

Android: http://subscribeonandroid.com/addictedtofitness.libsyn.com/rss

Website: http://addictedtofitness.libsyn.com/from-the-vault-mud-runs-sleep-supplements-the-biggest-loser

 

 

What’s on the Menu

One of the big components of eating healthy is cooking the majority of your meals at home with whole ingredients. As a working professional I know that meal planning & grocery shopping for an entire week of meals can be time consuming. Fortunately, services like Blue Apron can have all the ingredients you need to make wholesome meals, that meet your dietary preferences, sent right to your door. Plus, if you’re a avid podcaster listener, I’m sure you’ve heard the host give out a Blue Apron promo code to get you a couple free meals. No, I’m not a paid endorser (I wish I was honestly), I just know services like these can reduce individuals reliance on ordering takeout or going out to eat. Shannon and I go into more detail about this awesome service, and meal prep in general, in a past episode of the Addicted to Fitness podcast. Give it a listen and let us know if it convinced you to give Blue Apron a try.

blue-apron

Addicted to Fitness Show Notes – Holiday Eating & Travel Survival Guide

This post coming at ya from Shannon.

Along with the twinkling lights and chipper holiday music, the holidays bring some health challenges for many people – food, drinks, more food, travel and visits, and seemingly less time than normal.

This all adds up to some serious challenges for keeping your health and fitness goals intact. In fact, the urge to throw your hands up and surrender to the over indulgence for the balance of the year is overwhelming tempting.

This week on the Addicted to Fitness podcast, we’re bringing you some proven tips and tricks on how to battle the food and travel obstacles.

We also get chatty about:

  • ETT news including welcoming a new client and our recent group workout recap.
  • Yoga with a Twist at the Epicurean: A meal is donated to a child in need, via Feeding Tampa Bay, for each ticket sold. Yoga hosted by Megan Blizard of the Conscious Coconut, each month.
  • Friends get the Peloton bike.

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Now for those tips.

You’ll have to listen to get all the details (we use these ourselves and have truly put them to the test), but here’s a quick rundown:

  • Enjoy your holiday – Eat like it’s a holiday on the day. Then, get back to it the next day and remember your body can take a day of splurge, just don’t forget to take care of it after indulging.
  • It’s not just about what you eat, it’s also about how much you eat – Tryptophan making you tired is not exactly true, it’s your digestion working hard that’s really slowing you down.
  • Order light when you’re out – Share an entree or appetizer versus going for the full meal.
  • Pack your own snacks  when traveling – Control what you eat on the go and be prepared when your stomach starts rumbling with some healthy snacks.
  • Drink loads of water – Dehydration can lead to illness and fatigue, so be sure you’re traveling with plenty of water.
  • Plan a pre-travel workout – Specifically target this around stretching out your muscles and joints to prepare for being cramped in tight spaces while traveling.
  • Hit it hard after the feast – Once you’ve digested your food and had a good night’s sleep, tackle a kick-butt workout the next day to start burning off the excess from the day before.

Don’t forget to get in that holiday spirit!

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After you listen to this episode, tell us what you think either on Facebook or by leaving a review in the iTunes store. Stay tuned this holiday season as we continue to bring you interesting and helpful health and fitness information each week. Have a topic or interview you want to hear us discuss in a future podcast? Send us an email – elementaltampa@gmail.com – or give us a head’s up on our social channels.

We truly enjoy producing the podcast and hope you enjoy listening. Thanks again for all your support!

Links to this week’s episode

iTunes: https://itunes.apple.com/us/podcast/how-to-survive-holiday-eating/id1121420986?i=1000378331756&mt=2

Android: http://subscribeonandroid.com/addictedtofitness.libsyn.com/rss

Website: http://addictedtofitness.libsyn.com/how-to-survive-holiday-eating-travel