Mediterranean Lettuce Wrap

This wrap is savory and refreshing. I recommend roasting your own bell pepper, since most store bought roasted bell peppers are packaged in oil. To do so, simply throw it on the grill until soft and then peel the skin after it cools.

Servings: 1

Here's what you need...

• 1 large leaf of lettuce
• 2 slices lean turkey
• 1 roasted red bell pepper, cut into 4 segments
• 2 tablespoons garlic hummus
• 1 tablespoon olive tapenade

1. Lay the lettuce leaf flat and spread with 1 tablespoon of hummus. Place the turkey slices on the lettuce and spread with remaining hummus. Sprinkle the olive tapenade over the turkey and top with the roasted bell pepper.
2. Wrap the lettuce, use a tooth pick to hold it together.

Nutritional Analysis: One serving equals: 170 calories, 6g fat, 15g carbohydrate, 5g fiber, and 15g protein.

10 Simple Thanksgiving Tips for Healthier Eating

1. Don’t deprive yourself. You don’t eat like this everyday…do you? Let this be your cheat day for the week.
2. Workout HARD the morning of Turkey Day. Muscles burn fat so your metabolism will be revving throughout the day.
3. Use a smaller plate. You're less likely to overeat.
4. Fill your plate with mostly veggies. Divide your plate into four (4) one-quarter sections. Fill 2/4 with veggies, 1/4 complex carbs, 1/4 protein.
5. Eat before you go. Some people eat nothing all day because they are prepared to consume hundreds of excess calories, aka overeat. Bad idea! When you starve yourself, overeating becomes inevitable.
6. Eat a healthy breakfast. It will give you a boost of energy and prevent you from craving high sugar/high fat foods later in the day.
7. Drink water. At least 8-12 eight ounce glasses. Proper hydration will increase the amount of oxygen in the bloodstream which in return will increase your body’s fat burning ability.
8. Pace yourself. Put your fork down between each bite, so you can savor the flavor. By eating more slowly, you allow your brain more time to recognize when you're full.
9. Eat before you drink (alcohol). Alcohol will make you feel like you should eat more empty-calories. Creamy, frozen and fruity drinks are the biggest calorie culprits.
10. Relax. Not everyone wants to eat healthier or manage their weight during the holidays (sidebar: I plan to enjoy). So don’t expect someone to substitute healthier ingredients in their grandmother’s secret recipe or to use skim milk and 2% cheese in their famous mac 'n cheese dish.

BONUS TIP :-)

Trim the extra holiday fat in two-weeks. By taking my 30-min “Rapid Fat Loss” boot-camp class.

TWO WEEK TRIAL!

Start Mon, Nov 30^th, 7:30am.

5275 DTC Parkway, Greenwood Village, CO (720) 810-0047

P.S. Give gift of fitness. Ask me how you can get a $100 gift card (at no cost to you) for your friends and family, so they too can get 2-weeks of fitness FREE!

Reason #72: Why Your Gym Workout Sucks

You only do long, boring bouts of steady cardio.

Here's a great (10 minute) video that will help you understand why constant, long and monotonous cardio sessions are not the answer to weight loss. You can cut your cardio to 10-15 minute sessions and still achieve lasting results. This is why interval training works for fat loss and why I do it myself.

Here's an example:

Reason #76: Why Your Gym Workout Sucks

You spend 10 minutes trying to figure out how to start the cardio machine.

As you stand there, pressing buttons, you're thinking, "Maybe if I press every button, the display will soon light up and the machine will start moving". Meanwhile, the people behind you know your machine doesn't work because they watched the previous sucker do the very same thing. Now they're secretly laughing at you, but they appear to be watching the monitor above your head. Hahaha...

Finally, you get it...it doesn't work! Maybe they just didn't get around to putting a sign on it yet. You hop on the machine next to you. Then you see this one HAS a "temporarily out of service" sign on it! So you hop on the next available machine, which has different buttons, because every machine is NOT created equally. You press all the buttons again, and viola, you're moving!

Today, I counted at least four machines with a "temporarily out of order" sign. Maybe the equipment maintenance crew went on strike?

Why this pisses me off...I actually do my cardio at the end of my workout. So my heart rate is up, I'm feeling good. Then this scenario happens and my heart rate begins to drop. Now, I feel I have to warm up again. It's so frustrating, it takes away from the intensity of my workout. What a waste of time!

It's happening right now in some major commercial gym across America. Or does it only happen to me?

Reason #89 Why Your Gym Workout Sucks

You say you're not getting results at the gym? I train my clients in a private, personal training studio but, I still have a gym membership. How else would I be able to do this "research"? So here's reason #89 of why your gym workout sucks...

You spend your entire workout doing long, boring cardio and no resistance training.

Are you afraid of building large massive muscles? Just because you lift weights doesn't mean you'll turn into a bodybuilder. Bodybuilders work hard and lift heavy to achieve their results. But even for non-bodybuilders, like us, you don't need major muscle mass to reap the benefits of strength training.

What's important to know is, the more muscle you have, the more calories you'll burn. Even slightly bigger muscles burn more calories than smaller ones do, meaning you can eat more without worrying about weight gain. With the right training program, you can give your muscles definition and build endurance rather than build massive muscle mass.

So don't be intimidated by the weight room, throw up a few pounds! Stay tuned to find out why your long, boring cardio may not be getting results.

Reason #98: Why Your Gym Workout Sucks

You say you're not getting results at the gym? I train my clients in a private, personal training studio but, I still have a gym membership. How else would I be able to do this "research"? So here's reason #98 of why your gym workout sucks...

You're resting too long in between sets.

Do you go to the other side of the gym to get a drink of water? Do you stop and listen to the words of the song on your iPod? Do you stop to pose in the mirror? Do you finish a set and sit there, watching others, until your next set? Do you stroll to your next piece of equipment like you've lost all enthusiasm?

What I want you to know is, rest intervals have a dramatic effect on the outcome of your training program. Without getting too scientific here, rest periods for weight loss and body fat reduction should be no more than 90 seconds. Beginners should be warned, inadequate rest intervals can decrease performance and lead to injury. On the other side of that, if rest intervals are too long, the body temperature decreases which could also lead to injury when you attempt an intense bout of exercise. (That is if you are intense...stay tuned for that one.)

The length of time you rest or recuperate will vary, depending on your fitness goals. So it's important to speak to a knowledgeable trainer who can design the right program for you. Your rest periods are just as important as the exercise, sets and reps. Don't take rest periods for granted.

Stay tuned and stay motivated! :-D