A Healthier Pumpkin Pie

1 pie pumpkin (~ 4 C pumpkin puree after cooked)
2 cans sweetened condensed milk (fat free)
2 eggs
2 tsp cinnamon
nutmeg
1 tsp ginger powder
1/4 tsp cloves
2 c hot water
2 pie shells

-Cut the pumpkin in half, scoop out the seeds
-place pumpkin flat side down on a foil lined baking sheet, and cover with foil
-bake at 350 till tender ( ~1.5 hours)
-cool, scoop out flesh, mash with potato masher until smooth
-mix all ingredients
-pour into two 9inch pie shells
-bake at 375 for ~55-65 minutes

(makes two pies)

With this pumpkin pie recipe, while you are still getting the unwanted sugar from the sweetened condensed milk (but it is pie after all), you aren't getting all the unwanted fat! But it tastes delicious! Give it a try and let me know how it goes!!

Nutriton Label Challenge

Any thoughts on this nutrition label? Good or bad? Click on the picture to view larger.

Roasted Pumpkin Seeds

Its that time of year! Pumpkins, Jack-o-lanterns, leaves changing, weather changing, awesome! Try something new this year! While carving pumpkins save the pumpkin seeds and roast them for a nutritious treat!

-Separate the pumpkins seeds from the pulp, rinse and towel dry

-Preheat the oven to 200 degrees

-place pumpkin seeds on baking sheet in a single layer and sprinkle with salt, pepper, garlic powder, and chili powder

-bake until crispy (approx. 30mins)


Pumpkin seeds are high in:
-magnesium
-iron
-copper
-vitamin K
-zinc
-protein

ENJOY!!!

Scuba Diving in Belize!

7 Natural Tricks to a Better Night Sleep

Instead of reaching for sleeping pills try some of these natural tricks!

1) Block out artificial light. Try turning off TVs and computers 30mins before going to bed, to allow your natural sleep rhythms to produce melatonin to put you to sleep. Also try covering digital clocks, smoke-alarm lights, and close the blinds to keep out other artificial lights. Once you start feeling tired make sure you go to bed immediately without turning on any lights to reset your rhythms.

2) Don't eat before bed. Most of all sugar. Try to finish eating at least 1 hour before you plan on going to bed.

3) Limit alcohol consumption. Although many people feel that alcohol helps put them to sleep, it actually does the opposite (unless you are blackout drunk...but we don't want that!). Alcohol can upset your natural sleep rhythms and make it difficult to achieve REM sleep. Try only drinking on weekends, and see if you sleep better during the week.

4) Keep your bedroom cool. Keep your bedroom on the cooler side, but have plenty of blankets to keep you warm. Try starting out the night with your legs outside of the blankets, once you start feeling a little chilly snuggle up with your blankets, and the warm sensation will help relax you and put you to sleep.

5) Ambient noise. Try adding some ambient noise to your bedroom. A fan works great for this purpose, and also assists in #4! The ambient noise will help to block out any starting noises that may occur in or around the house helping to keep you asleep.

6) Aromatherapy. Try keeping some lavender oil, smelling salts, or pillow sprays in your bedroom to help relax you before bed. Also try a nice hot, sugar free cup of relaxing tea before bed.

7) Clear your mind. About 30mins before going to bed try to clear your mind of anything stressful in your life. Instead of thinking about everything you have to do tomorrow, think about a fun experience you had recently and allow your mind to wonder in that moment.

Tips on Preparing for Race Day!!!

We have all been training for several months getting ready for the big race, whether it be a half-marathon or the full-marathon here are some things to keep in mind:


1. Don't buy new shoes just for the race, you do not know how they will fit and how comfortable they will be half way through. Take them out on several long runs before race day.

2. Don't try a new pre-run meal on the day of the race. Make sure you have eaten this meal before several runs, you want to insure that it will not cause gastrointestinal problems, or weigh you down. (I prefer 2 pieces of wheat toast with almond butter!)

3. Don't try a new form of electrolyte replacement on the day of the race. Many times electrolyte replacement companies will sponsor the race, offering their product before, during and after. Again, you don't know how it will affect your stomach, so I suggest sticking with methods you are familiar with. (I use Clif Shot Blocks)


4. "Carbo-load" the day before, but not RIGHT before! Yes, having a high carbohydrate meal for dinner the evening before the race is a good idea (but avoid things that are high in garlic, you will be burping it up the next day yuck!). But, do not have simple carbohydrates (pasta, white bread, white rice, processed) right before the race! Instead reach for something that is a low-glycemic index food. A good rule of thumb to remember is: Low-Glycemic index before cardio (running, biking, swimming etc), high-glycemic index before weight lifting, and high-glycemic index after both!

5. Wear your race outfit before the race. Give your race clothes a few trial runs before race day. You need to make sure that it doesn't constrict your movement, or cause chaffing.

6. Get plenty of sleep. Sounds obvious, but make sure you get plenty of sleep the day before the race. Most races start fairly early (7am or so) which means you need to be down there a good 30mins before that, which can be pretty early on a weekend. Go to bed early, well hydrated, and sober!

Diet AND Exercise?

I have had several people inquire about the correlation between diet and exercise. So the question is....is it all or nothing? If you want to see positive changes in your body can you change just your eating habits, or just your exercise habits? Or do you need to change both?

Answer: If you want to see positive changes in your body (ie. loss of body fat, gain muscle), you need to change both your diet and exercise. Obviously there are exceptions to every rule...and I am sure you know of one, the "string bean" that eats whatever they want. But generally speaking to see changes relatively quickly...change both.


Why is this?

3500 calories = 1 lb fat

In our bodies we use calories for energy. Calories are needed to perform basic functions such as breathing, pumping our heart, fueling our brain etc, as well as energy for our daily activies. But when we intake more calories than our body needs for these different functions, our body stores them in the form of fat. As stated above, 3500 excess calories = 1 lb. of fat.

You need to intake fewer calories than you are expending in order to lose weight.

By exercising regularly (and thus expending calories), and eating healthy (and thus intaking fewer calories) we will create the deficit required to lose fat. Visit My Pyramid to get an estimate of how many calories you should be taking in each day, it will also break down where your calories should be coming from (meats, fruits, dairy etc.). I suggest keeping a daily food journal with what you are eating as well as calorie count. This isn't something you need to keep up forever, but it will help you get a sense of how many calories you are taking in, compared to how many you should be taking in. When you start exercising more, you will find yourself more hungry, so by keeping a food journal you will avoid the mistake of taking in more calories to compensate for the calories burned during exercise.

So, you take my advice, a couple months go by and you jump on the scale.....no weight loss! Ahhh, Alison lied! Nope! This is a common situation that causes discouragement in people new to fitness. When you start an exercise plan (especially if it involves lifting weights) you are also gaining muscle, which will give you that lean "in-shape" look that everyone wants. But, NEWS FLASH, muscle weighs more than fat! So at this point...the scale is no longer useful. Visit your local gym, or give me a call (206-229-7134) to get your body fat tested and measurements taken, these will tell us whether you have been successful in your fat loss goals.

I hope this has helped everyone understand this topic more completely. Feel free to comment or e-mail me if you have any topics you have been curious about! alison.strong.fitness@gmail.com