10 Secrets to Mastering Healthy Grocery Shopping
“Have you ran out to the grocery store for bread, milk, and eggs, and come back with bread, milk, chips, cupcakes, soda, and forgot the eggs?” You are not alone. Grocery shopping is a never ending battle between intention and temptation. Unfortunately for most of us, temptation usually wins out. The following tips are designed to help you track down the most nutritious foods, and avoid the most tempting distractions and impulse buying traps.
1. Timing is Everything – try to establish a routine for grocery shopping same time and day of the week. Try not to shop when hungry or stressed. If possible, leave the kids at home. If you have to bring the kids, resolve to not give in to the pestering for candy etc. Instead, play a game where they get to pick out a healthy snack. Studies have shown, people spend less if they routinely shop. We tend to spend more when we just run out to grab a few items.
2. Come Prepared – start by taking inventory at home. Include spices, cooking oils, and condiments. Make a list and stick to it. Only deviate if it is a healthy choice. The list should include fresh fruits and veggies, as well as fresh frozen or slightly processed fruits and veggies that will keep longer than the fresh ones. For example, dried fruit, low or no sugar fruit juice, frozen peas, steamed or microwaveable vegetables. The next week, “rotate” your fresh fruits and vegetables to include different choices. Include some whole grains, lean proteins, and low fat dairy items. For every item you choose, try to think of at least 3 different ways you can incorporate that item. For example fresh baby spinach leaves can be used is salads, added to eggs, added to pasta sauce, or a grilled chicken wrap. This way, you will be more likely to use all the fresh food you are going to purchase. The biggest expense when it comes to grocery shopping is wasted food.
3. Hit the Walls Running – Shop the perimeter first to get to the whole food action. Beware of the bakery which is usually located right near the fruits and veggies. Also avoid the caramel dip tucked next to the apples, and the full fat dips placed near the bags of spinach. Marketers call this “vignetting.” It’s the same thing as the boutique that sells you a $35 scarf to go along with the $40 blouse you just got on sale. Most grocery stores get more deliveries on Friday afternoon or Saturday morning, so you will get a larger selection if you shop the 1st and avoid the after church crowds.
4. Rethink the Fresh Fish – fish labeled fresh does not mean off the boat, it just means it was not frozen. Most grocery stores get their fish delivered at the beginning of the week, but do check your grocery store for their schedule. Frozen fish does not go bad, and commercial freezing techniques minimize textural damage.
5. Counter Attack the Deli Counter - when buying deli meat choose fresh over the processed versions for lower fat, sugar, and sodium. Avoid the pre-made deli salads such as the coleslaw, potato salad and macaroni salad. Choose the hummus or bean dip instead.
6. Be a Cheese Whiz – most grocery stores have 2 cheese sections. In the domestic section, shop the lowest fat possible. Keep in mind, these are usually ready to eat items there. If cheese is a “gateway” food for you, better to shop the imported section. The choices there will be higher in fat, however, studies have shown that people usually serve smaller portions of the more expensive, full-fat variety, therefore consuming less.
7. Don’t get Butchered by the Meat Department – Choose select cuts, which are the leanest, most healthful, and most affordable meats you can find. Prime cuts are often marbled, which means more fat. Most meat is packaged in family sized cuts. Ask the butcher to package the exact amount you need. Beware of the sale items and the 2 for 1 deals. While cost effective, they can sometimes be at the end of their life. Check the expiration date.
8. Attack the Interior – this is not the place to browse! Know ahead of time what you want and where it is. For example, the unshelled nuts are often hidden between cookies and chips next to the chocolate covered nuts. Vitamin water, sports drinks, and all natural sparkling sodas are usually on the same isle as the regular and diet sodas.
9. Look high and Low for the Healthier Choices – all of those high sugar cereals are lined up right at our waist level, which corresponds to a child’s eye level. In any store, some products are placed at an adult’s eye level because the manufacturer paid a “placement fee”. Heavily promoted items are more likely to be unhealthy. Watch out for “Healthy” items that really are not – keep in mind, “Organic” does not always mean low fat, sugar, or sodium. Watch out for the “Snackwell” phenomenon; you eat more because you think it’s healthy! If it’s organic cake – it’s still cake and should be considered a once in a while treat.
10. Check Yourself Out – this does not necessarily mean the self check-out. This means beware yet again of the temptations lined up at the checkout line. One study noted that only 12% of customers made last minute, impulse purchases at the self-checkout station vs. 47% at the cashier!
Time these helpful tips and take the stress out of navigating the grocery store. And remember, if you can resist it at the grocery store, you only have to resist it once. If you buy it and take it home, you have to resist it every hour of every day!
To learn more about how TNT can help you reach your health and weight loss goals, visit us at www.tntgetfit.com or contact a Health Educator to schedule your FREE Health Assessment - 704-549-9550
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12 Healthy Holiday Secrets
Ha! If it were only this easy! Navigating through the holidays can be challenging when you are trying to stay on track to reaching your healthy lifestyle goals but we have 12 tips for you to help you maintain throughout the holiday season:
1) Balance your meals
2) Eat a healthy breakfast every day, and especially on the day you are going to eat a lot. Don’t starve yourself. You will only eat more at the meal.
3) If you don’t love what is in front of you, don’t eat it! Save that for the really special treats.
4) Track your food every day
5) Regift your food!
6) Review your weight loss goal every day. Think how you will feel after the new year if you have not gained weight.
7) If you overindulge, don’t feel guilty. Get back on track.
8) Keep healthy snacks on hand at all times.
9) Keep moving. Add exercise whenever possible
10) Set those saboteurs straight. Make sure people know about your maintenance plan. Tell them you are doing it for health reasons
11) Gauge your weight by how your clothes are fitting.
12) Create healthier versions of the food you love.
Total Nutrition Technology Partners with Metro Fitness Charlotte to Offer Customized Nutrition
PRESS RELEASE
Total
Nutrition Technology Partners with Metro Fitness Charlotte to Offer Customized
Nutrition
CHARLOTTE,
NC (December 17th, 2014) - - Total Nutrition Technology, a company
specializing in helping people lose weight, manage their health and enhance
their sports performance, has partnered with Metro Fitness Charlotte to offer customized
nutrition programs, comprehensive testing and One on One educational coaching
at two of their area locations. Total
Nutrition Technology will be offering services for all clients of these
locations starting on December 19th, 2014. In addition, TNT Inc. is a credentialed BCBS
provider so they can also accept insurance for those with wellness needs.
Metro
Fitness CLT is Charlotte’s premier fitness brand with three locations serving
the area. The flagship location, Metro Fitness Club, opened in 2010 and is
located in Myers Park in Tranquil Court. The 8,000 square space features a full
service fitness club in addition to personal training, group fitness classes,
CrossFit and massage therapy. Metro
CrossFit is a dedicated CrossFit gym located the Elizabeth neighborhood, opened
in 2012 and offers over 40 classes each week. This 6,000 square foot gym also
boasts a 70foot turf run, 40 feet of rack systems, Olympic lifting platforms
and more. Conveniently located on Carmel
Road near the intersection of Highway 51, Metro Fitness 51 opened in 2014 to
provide the South Charlotte community with innovative and results driven classes
including CrossFit, kickboxing and circuit training.
For more information about the specific locations Total
Nutrition Technology will be working out
please see the following websites:
- Metro Fitness Club Myers Park (www.MetroFitnessClub.com)
- Metro Fitness 51 - Carmel Road (www.MetroFitness51.com)
About
Total Nutrition Technology
Celebrating
22 years in business, Total Nutrition Technology provides comprehensive
nutrition and exercise programs for individuals interested in achieving optimal
health and specific sports performance goals. In addition to sports nutrition,
they also offer specialty programs that target unique health needs for youth,
pregnant and nursing moms, adults 50+, professional athletes and corporate
businesses wanting to improve the health of their workforce.
Total
Nutrition Technology has multiple locations in the Charlotte, NC area and
licenses its proprietary program to health professionals across the
country. Thanks to online technology, Total Nutrition Technology health
educators are also able to help clients across the U.S. with their health
goals. For more information, visit www.tntgetfit.com or call (704) 549-9550.
10 Ways To Increase Your N*E*A*T
N*E*A*T
Non-exercise Activity Today
For many of us, there just aren’t enough hours in the day to eat breakfast, make sure the kids eat breakfast, get ready for work, get the kids ready for school, work, pick up the kids, take them to soccer or dance or piano, do the groceries, do the laundry, cook dinner, help with homework, answer emails, get lunches ready for the next day, and so on……and so on……
For times like these, and other times in our lives when our schedule gets disrupted, it’s time to try N*E*A*T. This stands for non-exercise activity today. To put it simply, these are just tricks to increase our calorie burn during the day. These types of activities do not replace the more formal types of cardiovascular, resistant training, or flexibility exercises. That type of formal exercise can do so much for our health and physique. N*E*A*T activities, are simply a way to sneak in physical activity throughout the day without compromising our time at all.
N*E*A*T activities do serve a very useful purpose however. We have already learned it takes 3500 calories to burn off a pound of fat. If we just increase the calories we burn to 10 extra calories a day, we would burn the equivalent of over 1 extra pound a year. Doesn’t sound like much does it? What if we were to increase it to 50 extra calories a day? Now we have just increased our calorie burn to 5 extra pounds a year. What if we increase it to 100 extra calories a day? Now our calorie burn is over 10 pounds a year.
Still, how do we do this without disrupting our already overbooked days? Here is my top 10 list.
- Whenever you have to walk anywhere – walk faster
- Whenever you walk anywhere – take bigger steps
- When waiting in line at the bank or while pumping gas - do calf raises
- When waiting in line at the grocery store- pick up a can and do bicep curls
- When using the bathroom – do the “dirty potty squatty”
- When riding in the elevator – do knee raises
- When brushing your teeth – do squats
- When rinsing off dishes – do hamstring curls
- While waiting for the microwave to beep – do wall push-ups
- When getting up from a chair with arm rests do – do a triceps dip
There are so many more. What are some ways you sneak exercise into your daily activity? I challenge you to add to the list!
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The Gift of Health
Give yourself the gift of health this holiday season...
Contact TNT today to learn more about this year end special and schedule your FREE consultation!
Total Nutrition Technology provides comprehensive nutrition and exercise programs for individuals interested in achieving optimal health and specific sports performance goals. We also offer specialty programs that target unique health needs for youth, pregnant and nursing moms, adults 50+ and corporate businesses wanting to improve the health of their workforce.
Total Nutrition Technology has eight locations in Charlotte, NC, one office in Asheville, NC, and the technology to work with clients anywhere in the U.S. TNT also licenses its proprietary program to health professionals across the country.
10 Holiday Party Survival Strategies
By: Susan Connor, RN & TNT Health Educator
The holidays are a busy time of the year. The calendar is typically full of family get-togethers, holiday parties and the temptations that come along with the holiday season. This can prove to be a challenge for anyone especially if you are in the middle of working towards a health and nutrition goal. But we have you covered! Here are 10 tips to help you stay on track at holiday parties.
1) Never go to a party hungry
2) Bring a healthy dish to share
3) Choose a small plate
4) Make sure you put the food on a plate. Don’t stand and nibble with the hand to mouth munching.
5) Eat plenty of lean protein and lots of fruit and veggies. Think high fiber.
6) Fill up on water. Alternate water with alcohol or better yet, don’t indulge in the alcohol.
7) Don’t stand near the high calorie, unhealthy food.
8) Focus on conversation. It’s free.
9) Don’t wear spandex pants that will expand as you eat.
10) Eat half the food you normally would on the big days and save it for later or tomorrow! Better to eat smaller meals for blood sugar control and weight loss.
What is your favorite trick that helps you from overindulging during the holiday party season?
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Tag :
Susan Connor,
Paid Study by ASU looking for Endurance Runners
Are you an endurance runner? ASU is conducting a paid study on the Effects of 4-weeks Ingestion of LycoRed 40051 Product on Exercise-Induced Inflammation, Muscle Damage, and Oxidative Stress in Endurance Runners. Here are the details:
Principal Investigator: David C. Nieman, ASU Human Performance Laboratory at the North Carolina Research Campus, Kannapolis, NC
What is the purpose of this research?
Lycopene provides the red color in tomatoes, and helps to counter oxidative stress and inflammation in our bodies. A few studies suggest that lycopene and other similar compounds in tomatoes (i.e., carotenoids) may help the athlete recovery better from hard workouts that cause muscle damage and soreness, oxidative stress, and inflammation.
The primary purpose of this study is to determine if 4-weeks ingestion of LycoRed (code 40051) product containing a mixture of tomato lycopene and carotenoids by endurance runners lessens inflammation, muscle damage and soreness, and oxidative stress during 24 hours recovery from an intensive 2-h running bout.
Why am I being invited to take part in this research?
You will be one of 20 to 26 subjects in this study at the ASU-NCRC Human Performance Lab in Kannapolis, NC. You are being invited to take part in this research if you meet the criteria in this list:
Inclusion Criteria:
· Male or female endurance runner (ages 18 to 45).
· Compete in long distance road races and are capable of running on a treadmill at marathon race pace for two hours (including 30 min of downhill running). Note: Preference will be given to runners who have completed a half-marathon or greater distance race in the previous year.
· At “low risk” status for cardiovascular disease (as determined with the screening questionnaire).
Exclusion criteria (i.e., cannot join the study if you have any of these criteria):
· Weigh less than 110 pounds.
· Current, active history of coronary heart disease, stroke, cancer, diabetes, rheumatoid arthritis, high blood pressure, kidney disease, liver disease, blood disease, hormonal disease, or metabolic disease.
· History of cancer in the 5 years prior to the screening visit (except skin or cervical cancer that was successfully treated).
· Current use of any type of medication (or unwillingness to stop use of over-the-counter medications two weeks before the start of the study).
· Pregnant or nursing, or planning to be pregnant or nursing during the study.
· Use of vitamin/antioxidant supplements within 4 weeks prior to starting the study. For subjects using vitamin/antioxidant supplements, a 4-week wash out will be required prior to starting the study.
· Unwilling to follow dietary guidelines from the screening visit through the final visit as follows:
· no more than an average of 2 servings*/week of lycopene-rich foods (e.g. tomatoes and tomato products, including all sauces containing tomatoes that are contained in pizza, soups, etc., ketchup, vegetable juice with tomato, French salad dressing, mango, guava, watermelon, papaya, red grapefruit).
· no more than an average of 5 servings*/day of vegetables and fruit
· avoidance of antioxidant vitamin, mineral or herbal supplements including, but not limited to vitamin C, vitamin E, flavonoids, carotenoids, selenium, etc.
· Consumption of more than an average of 2 units of alcohol daily.**
· Known allergy to tomatoes or citrus fruits.
· Following any special diet including, but not limited to liquid, high or low protein, raw food, vegetarian or vegan, etc. (Subjects should normally consume mixed diets).
· Current use of muscle enhancing supplements such as HMB, ATP and other similar muscle building agents.
· Current use of use of sodium bicarbonate or medications containing sodium bicarbonate such as Alka-Seltzer.
· Recent history of musculoskeletal trauma (fracture, strain, sprain, etc.) that has not fully healed prior to baseline testing.
· Planning to have surgery during the study.
What will I be asked to do?The research procedures will be conducted at the Human Performance Laboratory (Room 1201, Plants for Human Health Institute Building, 600 Laureate Way), operated by Appalachian State University at the North Carolina Research Campus (NCRC) in Kannapolis, NC. The total study duration is 10 weeks, with 6 visits to the ASU-NCRC Human Performance Lab that include two exercise sessions, and 10 blood samples. The total amount of time you will be asked to volunteer for this study is about 14 hours at the Human Performance Laboratory (over the 10-week period).
In this study, you will ingest the LycoRed supplement or placebo for 4 weeks prior to running 2 hours at high intensity. After a 2-week “washout” period, you will cross over to the opposite supplement, and repeat all procedures (i.e., ingest the LycoRed or placebo supplement for 4 weeks prior to running 2 hours at high intensity). This figure summarizes the research design.
Will I be paid for taking part in the research?
We will pay you $600 for the time you volunteer while being in this study.
How do I sign up for the study or obtain more information?
Please send an email message to ASU-NCRC@appstate.edu, or call 704-250-5351.
TNT Facebook Fan 'Refer-a-Friend' Contest
We're super excited to tell you about Total Nutrition Technology's Fan Referral Contest! YOU are invited to play and possibly win!
It couldn't be easier. Simply suggest Total Nutrition Technology's Facebook fan page to your friends and have your friends write on Total Nutrition Technology's wall, telling us who sent them.
Here's the step by step:
From now until December 31th, suggest as many friends as you can to become a fan of Total Nutrition Technology on Facebook and you could win a $50 TNT store credit*!
Simply follow the instructions below:
Step #1:
Click “Suggest to Friends” underneath our profile picture
Step #2:
Select the friends you want to invite to our page
Step #3:
Click “Send Invitations”
Step #4:
Once your friends join, have them write YOUR name on our wall (for example, “Kelly Jones recommended me...”)
The person who refers the most friends by 11:59pm on Dec 31th will win a $50 TNT store credit*!!
Good Luck!
--Suggested friends must become fans to receive credit. For every person who tells us your name, you get 1 entry. The more friends who join, the more entries you receive!--
*$50 credit to be used in TNT's store on TNT product. Exclusions apply: Polar & Queen of Oats.
How To REALLY Reach Your Goals
By: Darnell Jones, TNT Health Educator
Have you ever wondered why you were exercising as hard as
you can, more than just a couple of days a week, and still not achieving results? Everyone’s body reacts differently
to various stimulants and it takes specific behaviors to achieve particular
goals. Now is the time to learn how to strategize – how to make your workouts
work for you!
There are many problems that arise when someone aimlessly
creates a health and wellness program for themselves. This is true with
everyone: from the general population to professional sports players. For example,
someone looking to obtain weight loss goals may run into the problem of
reaching a plateau and not being able to come down in body weight or body fat.
In addition, they may also find it difficult to get that “ripped” and “toned”
look even if their weight is coming down. On the other hand, athletes looking to
attain sports performance goals will run into different kinds of issues if they
do not follow a specific program to help them reach those specific goals. Nutrition and exercise guidelines are
simply not a one-size-fits-all kind of thing. The most elite athletes in
the world are only separated by a fraction of a percent. With this being said,
there are two main problems that athletes who are not getting personalized programming
will face. The two main problems are 1) losing the competition because of a
lack of energy and/or 2) losing the competition due to a lack of strength. If there is no plan designed specifically
to reach these goals by a professional or with the advice of a professional, it
will be an incredibly challenging feat, but not impossible…
The solution to the problem of unsuccessful guesswork would
be to:
1) contact a health and fitness professional to take a look at your
current goals, look at your current approach and help you devise a plan. They
don’t call them professionals for nothing! These people train to effectively
research and implement health and wellness problem solving so they can point
you in the right direction. Or...
2) look into target heart rate training which
will help define your efficient heart rate zone in which to train. There are certain
concepts that accompany the process of target heart rate training and are all
related to certain responses of the body, which may, again, require
consultation with a health professional. There is the warm up which gets your
body ready to train. This typically ranges from 100 beats per minute (bpm) to 128bpm.
There is also the steady state which is the most important concept because this
is the zone in which you do the majority of your training. In order to be time
efficient, it would be wise to spend your time in the steady state zone at the
appropriate heart rate. In addition to the appropriate heart rate, you should also
be able to sustain the level of energy needed to complete workout and
ultimately achieve your goal.
For example, someone looking to lose weight needs to stay in
the lower heart rate zones where an athlete may need to incorporate interval
training into their target heart rate program. With either of these goals, the
ability to sustain the desired amount of energy for a certain period of time is
the challenge, even with a personalized plan from a professional. There are only a few things that can help you
on this and it is, as you have heard before, nutrition as well as safe, natural
and effective supplementation. When my clients are looking for advice; I
recommend Total Nutrition Technology, a company with over 20 years of
experience in researching health issues to help design and implement customized
nutrition and supplement programs. Proper nutrition is important to fuel the
body to be able to sustain energy of any sort. There is also a need for
supplements to assist the body in preparing for the workout at any given
intensity. TNT has developed a ground-breaking
pre-workout supplement called “TNT Impact” that will help you sustain energy in
your target heart rate zone, regardless of your health goals. If you are
looking for weight loss, it will give you the energy to sustain your steady state
for longer period of time resulting in greater amounts of fat loss and weight
loss. For athletes and those looking to put on muscle mass, this product will
help you sustain higher energy levels as well as intervals to maximize performance,
and increase strength.
It is incredibly important to evaluate your current health
status, health goals, and current routine with a professional to help steer you
in the right direction. In reality, that is not always a viable option, and
that is where TNT’s Impact can help you bridge that gap.
To learn more about TNT's IMPACT and can take your workouts to the next level!
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