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Category: Fitness

FitnessHealthy TipsLifestyle

Healthy Snacks For The Whole Family

In the midst of everyone’s busy schedules packed with work, school, after school activities, social events and errands, planning a healthy snack time can fall through the cracks. This can be true for not only you but for your kids as well. Unhealthy snacking can quickly erase a day of clean eating and exercise, not to mention fill your kids with sugar.

 

When you know it’s going to be a hectic day, throw some almonds or carrots sticks in a baggie for your passengers to munch on in the back seat and stick some in the cup holder for yourself. Snack boxes of raisins or apple slices with to-go peanut butter packets are great for school or work. Easy grab and go bars like Special K Protein bars or Fiber One provide a little bit of sweetness as well as protein and fiber.  For sports, dance or any active extracurriculars, try orange slices or peanut butter and banana sandwiches on whole wheat bread to give them a boost, and always hydrate with water.

 

On days when there’s a little more time to prepare something at home, something as simple as celery with peanut butter and raisins or veggies with hummus can satisfy everyone. Sliced fruit or a bowl of grapes is a great snack to share, maybe with a string cheese on the side. If they’re looking for something salty, try whole wheat pretzels or light popcorn snacks like Skinny Pop.

 

When they inevitably ask for candy or cookies, try something else sweet but smart like sugar free chocolate pudding. Trail mix is also a great alternative, as long as you make sure they aren’t just picking and choosing the sweet stuff! A cup of Cheerios can taste like candy with flavors like chocolate, apple cinnamon and dulce de leche, but they also pack whole grains, vitamins and minerals.

 

Snacking healthy will not only help you with your immediate fitness and weight loss goals, but it will also provide the foundation for a healthy lifestyle for you and your family.

 

~Love to Live Healthy with Josephine Fitzpatrick

 

Innovation Weight Loss and Fitness
8031 Jericho Tpke Woodbury, NY 11797
469 7th Ave Manhattan, NY 10018
FitnessHealthy TipsLifestyle

Are Your Kids Making YOU Fat?

Back into the swing of things and we already feel the Snack Closet calling our name. We buy snacks for lunch, snacks for after school and snacks for sports.  Stealing one or two handfuls for yourself and then another for “just in case”. Before you know it, you ate half the bag of Goldfish. If only they didn’t eat those darn Goldfish! If only they ate vegetables and fruits. Not the candy, cakes and cookies…not to mention the ice cream!

 

Do these thoughts sound familiar? Are you constantly blaming your children for making you eat?  As parents, we know how very difficult it is to not buy that cake they love. You know, the one they beg for all the time, and when you buy it they only have one little tiny slice. The cake that you could inhale by just smelling it.  How are you expected to get through each day with all these delicious sweets and treats in the house? You have to take one piece or maybe two. A handful for me and one for you. What choice do you have? Do you have a choice?

 

Let’s think about this more clearly….Who bought the snacks? Are they really all the snacks your children like or are they some that you like as well? Or did you buy them because you like them and hope the kids will take a piece to make you feel a little better about buying and eating it?

 

When we really think about it thoroughly, it’s not the kids who are making us fat, it’s more likely that we are making our kids fat. We buy foods that we know are loaded with calories and sugar, but it’s okay because they are kids, right? When we’re really honest with ourselves, we realize this is not the case and it’s time to make the right choice.

 

Start by keeping the unhealthy snacks out of your home. If an indulgent treat is just a couple steps away, it’s more likely for you to give into it. Not to mention that giving in to your kids’ cravings is creating bad eating habits they may carry with them their whole life.

 

Next, lead by example. Show them that eating healthy is something to be proud of, not a way to punish yourself for bad behavior. When you start making healthy choices it will affect the people around you, especially your kids.

 

Check back later this week for healthy snacks you and your whole family can enjoy!

 

~Love to Live Healthy with Josephine Fitzpatrick
Innovation Weight Loss and Fitness
8031 Jericho Tpke Woodbury, NY 11797
469 7th Ave Manhattan, NY 10018
FitnessHealthy TipsLifestyle

BACK TO SCHOOL – BACK TO YOU!

Vacations are coming to an end and the children are back at school…now it’s time to get back to you. Why wait until New Year’s to make a resolution to lose weight and be healthy? September is a perfect month to start a “New You”.

 

With long work hours and after school sports here are a some IMPORTANT TIPS to make sure your September schedule is a healthy one that works for you:

 

1) PLAN YOUR WORKOUT IN THE MORNING:  When you plan to do your workout first thing in the morning you have an 80% chance of actually doing it. On the flip side, if you don’t do your workout first thing in the morning, you have an 80% chance of NOT doing it!

 

When we start with a morning workout, we are much more likely to have a better nutritional day. Why? Because mentally you have put yourself on track for the day. You will not want to ruin your hard work and effort with an unhealthy snack or meal.

 

If you are a stay-at-home parent, get the kids off to school and head to the gym. Don’t put it off until after you clean the house or get the laundry done. Before you know it, the kids will be getting off the bus as quickly as they got on. Head right to the gym. Follow up by running your errands and then head home and do your housework.

 

If you are a working parent, make the effort to get up an extra hour early and get your workout in.  It will change the dynamic of your day from okay to awesome! While I understand how difficult it can be to add an extra hour to your day, I can assure you it’s worth it, both mentally and physically. Your body will get used to it and in return, that extra hour will actually make you feel more healthy and energetic throughout the day.

 

2) REMEMBER: WORKOUTS ARE IN ADDITION TO HEALTHY FOODS, NOT IN REPLACE OF:  What exactly does that mean?  You are doing your workout so you can be healthy. If you want to lose weight in addition to clean eating it will help you lose even more weight; HOWEVER, you are NOT working out so you can eat whatever you want all day…AND you are NOT working out so you can eat more food throughout the day (even if it is healthy food – it’s still more). Workouts are to keep your body, mind, muscles and bones healthy and toned. In addition to a healthy eating plan, it will help you lose even more weight.

 

3) KEEP MOVING: When you are with your kids at after school sports, make sure you are not sitting, chatting and watching them. Even if you already worked out in the morning, grab some of the moms and dads and walk around the track or field. Unless it’s a game, you don’t need to watch your child practice. They have coaches to tell them how to play. They only need mom and dad to tell them what a great job they are doing and how amazing they are.

 

4) PLAN YOUR MEALS IN ADVANCE: Don’t ever start the day by winging it. If you don’t know what you are going to eat each day, it will most likely turn out bad.  Either the night before or the morning of, make sure you know exactly what you are going to eat. Plan it out: You should know what you are eating for your meals and snacks each day. If you don’t know, you can quickly turn a healthy day into an unhealthy day all because of lack of planning. More importantly, when you don’t plan it out, it sometimes means mentally you know you will go off that day. That’s why you don’t want to think about it. So make sure you know exactly what you are going to eat from the time you wake up until you go to bed. When you are proactive it will make all the difference in your day.

 

When you incorporate some time for yourself into your schedule you can really make a difference in how you look and feel. No one said it’s easy to be healthy and fit, but everyone will tell you it’s worth it.

 

~Love to Live Healthy with Josephine Fitzpatrick
Innovation Weight Loss and Fitness
8031 Jericho Tpke Woodbury, NY 11797
469 7th Ave Manhattan, N& 10018
FitnessHealthy TipsLifestyle

MAKE MONDAY A WEIGHT LOSS DAY AND GET RID OF THE WEEKEND BLOAT!

Mondays can be tough days. They tend to make us feel bloated and tired after a long weekend of socializing. Even if it’s just socializing with the immediate family, statistics show that we eat 80% more on the weekend than during the week.

 

For many, Mondays are also the start of work and school week. It’s a day of transitioning from happy and carefree to miserable and restricted.

 

If you are tired of starting your week feeling unhealthy and bloated, here are two simple tips to make your MONDAY a better day.

 

1) Start Sunday Night! If you make an effort to get some form of exercise competed on Sunday night before you turn in, you will feel so much better Monday morning. Even if it’s just walking the dog for a couple of blocks – try to end your weekend with a healthily exercise. By doing this, you will feel like you are already ahead on Monday morning.

 

2) Start Monday LESS AND LIGHT with a Low Calorie & Low Fat Menu. Think egg whites, grilled chicken, vegetables, yogurts, and nuts. By starting your week less and light you will not only get rid of most, if not all, of your weekend bloat, you may actually lose weight that day.

 

If you make the effort to do a Sunday night exercise and make your Monday a less calories and low fat day, these two simple tips will not only make all the difference in how you feel, it will also make all the difference in how you start your week.

 

~Love to Live Healthy with Josephine Fitzpatrick

 

Innovation Weight Loss & Fitness
8031 Jericho Tpke Woodbury, NY 11797
469 7th Ave Manhattan, NY 10018
FitnessHealthy TipsLifestyle

ARE YOU THAT ATHLETIC CAREFREE PERSON YOU ONCE WERE?

If  someone twenty years ago was describing you would it sound like this?…..Athletic  Very Active, Awesome and Energetic,  positive and carefree, loves life?

 

What about if they were describing you today?….Overweight, unhealthy, tired all the time, moody, lives through life with little ump and enthusiasm.
Well if you want to regain the old you- youth and all… there is only one way to do it.  PROPER NUTRITION AND EXERCISE.  Regardless of what you read you can’t get your old self back from a pill or a boxed food.

 

You can  ONLY  obtain these goals by adopting a healthy lifestyle through exercise and the proper nutrition.  Exercise in the most simplistic form can change your life.   Something as simple as a walk or an intense workout can eliminate excess body fat and help you to lose weight.  Bringing out your inner athlete or creating one through an adopted healthy lifestyle will make you more active and motivate you.  You will find yourself taking on more activities like swimming, tennis, water sports, dance, baseball, basketball, all types of exercise classes that you thought were beyond your reach and more.

 

Eating a healthy balanced meal program will help you get your energy back to want to exercise.  Once you lose the layers of fat off of your body you will no longer be held back from doing the sports and exercises that you once loved.  Never let your age hold you back.  If you fuel your body with the right nutrition and incorporate some healthy exercise you will quickly regain and remember that carefree athletic- in shape person you use to be.

 

Exercise will boost not only your energy level but will counter act any stress, giving you a carefree inner body peace.
When you are active in any way on a daily basis you will feel a sense of belonging, purpose and meaning.
Any problems and or issues you might have is left behind giving you a mind vacation that is long lasting.
If you are lost and were once an active, energetic ,active person you can be found by starting an exercise program today.
Remember a simple walk will start the process to a better you.

 

*Please feel free to contact me @ innovationelyse@gmail.com for more details

 

Stay Healthy and feel good,

Fitness

MOVEMENT & BALANCE FUSHION

MOVEMENT…. we are all constantly moving in one way or another…. with our trainer, in exercise classes or just by doing our own fitness routines.
There’s cardio dance, kickboxing, jogging, walking etc.
BALANCE…..has taken off in a big way concentrating on our “CORE” think Pilate’s, Yoga, Tia Chi and more
BUT when you add Movement to Balance you have the perfect combination for an amazing workout routine. You can combine these styles together in a simple easy way and get fit fast.  The benefits are huge, not only will you become heart healthy and strong, you will improve your posture,balance and decrease back pain as well. Less risk for injuries when your body is balanced in strength.  You will get back your endurance, flexibility and lose excess body fat to become a healthier you.

 

This is a fun new unique way of working out!

 

Need to get started?
Start off with the basics:
Try this:
Warm-up with a march 3minutes….Now arms up in the air and lift your knee hold for 30 sec in place and now move the arms and knee for another 30 sec
This is only one example of the many the moves you can do.
This workout is for anyone, any level of fitness.
Try it and get fit fast.

 

If you have any questions to further discuss this unique way of working out please feel free to contact Elyse @rosenfeldelyse@gmail.com

 

Keep Moving and stay Balanced!

FitnessHealthy TipsLifestyle

Are You hungry?…

Many times we reach for a snack is it because we hear a growl in our tummy or is it because we choose not to listen to our minds.   Is the snack what our body really wants or is it just something to do at the time.  The next time you are having a snack attack ask yourself  these questions before you reach for those unwanted calories:

 

1)  Are you thirsty?  9 out of 10 times we are more thirsty then hungry.  When we do not properly hydrate it shows through our dry skin, and chapped lips.  It also appears in our hunger.  When we are thirsty we reach for food instead of drink. Most of the time we do this because we don’t even realize that we are thirsty and not properly hydrated.  So next time you reach for a snack drink 8 oz of water and then see if the snack is still as appealing as before.

 

2) Are you bored?  How many times do you mindlessly walk from cabinet to refrigerator back to cabinet.  Just looking for something exciting.  Well guess what – it’s not the food that we need to be exciting, it’s our life at that moment that we wish to be more exciting.  Since we can’t have that we settle for the food.  So next time you are mindlessly reaching – pull the hand back.  Put on your shoes and go for a walk.  Don’t come back until you are no longer hungry 🙂 – it will probably be about  20-30 min.  

 

3) Are you avoiding something?  Many times we eat out of comfort.  We don’t want to face something in our life that we are not ready to deal with.  This could be as little as the laundry, as middle way as homework with the kids and as big as an upcoming argument with the significant other.  Big or small makes no difference when we use food as a comfort.   If it’s a small issue we don’t go for a small snack, we snack attack and keep at it regardless of how big or small the avoidance is.  So next time you want to avoid something that is making you reach for the snacks, simply think about the outcome.  You will not only have to still deal with the problem at hand… now you will have extra weight to do it with 🙁   

 

THINK BEFORE YOU ACT…..

 

~Love to Live Healthy with Josephine Fitzpatrick

 

Innovation Weight Loss and Fitness

 

8031 Jericho Tpke Woodbury, NY 11797

 

469 7th Ave Manhattan, NY 10018

Fitness

DON’T LET AN INJURY STOP YOU FROM EXERCISING…

If you are not feeling good enough to exercise because of a Sprain, tear, fracture, a pinched nerve, maybe restless arms, legs, or the body is just too tired ??? These are just a few of the reasons we get sidelined from our exercise routine. Or better said…. these are a few reasons we push our exercise routines to the sidelines ;). Whether you have an injury or not….. if you want to get some basic exercise moves in that will keep your blood flowing, calories burning and body sweating the CHAIR EXERCISE is for you. They are for anyone who wants a modified exercise routine or someone who wants to modify their exercise to fit their injury.

 

With your doctors approval A GREAT Workout to try is the CHAIR WORKOUT.
Choose a Chair Workout that applies to you, either All Upper, All Lower or just Interval Total Body. These workouts will keep you in shape, healthy and happy AND fit. Do it 1-3x and you will experience a great workout as if you just took your favorite class. You are going to be amazed of how these non-impact workouts on a CHAIR. The Chair movements will get those endorphins going and bring back that feel good mood we all get after exercise. Not only do these workouts challenge your body, you will be sweating, burning calories and getting rid of excess fat and best of all you will feel great! Our chair workouts are easy to follow 5-10 minute workouts. Try one as a test to see how just sitting on a chair can give you a great workout. There’s always a way to workout so “No Excuses” you don’t have to stop. These workouts are challenging in a fun simple way and the best part, they are safe. With your doctors approval pick any of our Free Chair Workouts that apply to you; All Upper; All Lower or Interval Total Body and more. We update chair workouts every week so you always have something new to try.

 

just go to http://innovationweightlossandfitness.com for all your Chair Workouts. Thanks! and keep moving!

 

*Remember, we all can sit on a Chair, even if we can’t stand or do floor exercises.