Health Benefits of Cinnamon
August 4, 2010
CINNAMON
Is it possible for a spice to improve brain function, lower cholesterol and help maintain blood sugar levels? It is if that spice is cinnamon. Cinnamon is a powerful spice, not necessarily in taste but in its ability to heal!
Cinnamon can be used to soothe upset stomachs or to prevent ulcers, or to suppress the bacteria that creates urinary tract infections and yeast infections. Studies have also demonstrated that cinnamon can help reduce LDL cholesterol levels. Additionally, it has been shown to help reduce overall blood sugar levels and to increase the natural production of insulin.
So, you’re probably wondering just how much cinnamon it takes to start reaping these benefits, right? It appears to be anywhere from as little as ½ teaspoon and up 2 teaspoons each day. That’s not very much at all, and it’s easy to integrate this spice into your everyday diet.
- Toast
- Cocoa
- Oatmeal
- Applesauce
Fit Links:
Cin City: Health Benefits of Cinnamon – Women’s Health Magazine
Cinnamon, ground – WHFoods.com
Fitness Attack #2, the book, is going to be released on Halloween 2010! That’s right, 10/31/10! It will feature 101 easy tips to help you live a healthy and fit life! 91 of those tips will be released right here, starting today and going through the launch date. The last 10 tips are EXCLUSIVE to the book so if you want them, you’ll have to buy the book! We are also working on lots of bonus material to overload the book! More info on ordering and content to come – stay tuned!
Travel Fitness: Lower Body Exercise
August 4, 2010
Everyone wants to have a travel workout plan. It can be so difficult to achieve ‘travel fitness’. You’re in a hotel with no equipment, what kind of exercises can you do? I’ve made a full 12 exercise Hotel Workout series that will be available in Amy Mac’s Fit System this summer.
This lower body exercise can be done anywhere that you can find a wall to lean against! However, I love this move for hotels because it takes so little space and just a few seconds to engage the leg and butt muscles. This is also another exercise that can work for people that have weak knees because it really forces your weight into the heels. Remember that you can gradually work your way lower and lower until you are in a full seated-chair position. Breaks are also OK so don’t be intimidated – take a deep breath, you can do this!
If you’re feeling strong, start challenging your balance by lifting one leg at a time!
<< Watch Hotel Workout: Lower Body exercise video now! >>
Trainer Tips:
- Keep shoulders back
- Don’t let knees come over toes
- Don’t let your butt dip lower than your knees
- Squeeze stomach
- Don’t hold yourself up with your arms!
Fit Links:
Travel Fitness – ACEfitness.org
Travel Fitness – CNN
Top 5 Travel Fitness Tips – Associated Content
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Canned Soups
August 3, 2010
NUTRITION FACTS: CANNED SOUPS
Whenever it’s cold and gloomy outside, a bowl of warm soup or chili always sounds good to me. This often leads me to the pantry for a canned favorite. But, you need to be careful when buying canned soups.
Many canned soups contain more sodium than you would ever put in a similar, homemade version. If I’m using the canned soup as part of a recipe, I always select the low sodium type. When it comes to just eating the soup itself, however, the low sodium versions tend to be a bit bland.
My recommendation is to take the time to examine the labels (and, of course, be sure to check the calorie count as well). Check out the site below for information on how to pick a healthy soup as well as a list of the healthiest ones out there. Take a look and pick a good one.
Ultimately, you’ll either need to make your own soups at home or be conscientious about the canned soups you buy.
Fitness Attack #2, the book, is going to be released on Halloween 2010! That’s right, 10/31/10! It will feature 101 easy tips to help you live a healthy and fit life! 91 of those tips will be released right here, starting today and going through the launch date. The last 10 tips are EXCLUSIVE to the book so if you want them, you’ll have to buy the book! We are also working on lots of bonus material to overload the book! More info on ordering and content to come – stay tuned!
Butternut Squash
August 2, 2010
BUTTERNUT SQUASH
One cup of this squash is less than 80 calories and it’s packed with Vitamins A and C, many B vitamins, potassium, fiber, and even includes some of those much sought after Omega 3’s. Depending on your appetite, this is something that could be eaten as an entire meal, as a great side dish, or as a simple snack.
I picked one up at my local grocer that had a tag on it with simple instructions: wash, halve, wrap and microwave until soft (4 to 6 minutes). Talk about easy! Butternut squash has a natural sweetness to it, and you can enhance this by adding a little brown sugar, butter, or salt. Be sure not to go over-board with the additions, however, or you’ll lose its low calorie benefit!
Fitness Attack #2, the book, is going to be released on Halloween 2010! That’s right, 10/31/10! It will feature 101 easy tips to help you live a healthy and fit life! 91 of those tips will be released right here, starting today and going through the launch date. The last 10 tips are EXCLUSIVE to the book so if you want them, you’ll have to buy the book! We are also working on lots of bonus material to overload the book! More info on ordering and content to come – stay tuned!
Barefoot Walking
August 2, 2010
BAREFOOT
One topic in fitness that always sparks debate is shoes, and whether they are helping or hurting us. Shoes have become a standard mostly because there is a lot of junk on the street that we don’t want to walk through in our bare feet. And, even off the street, there are those pesky rocks and twigs and who knows what else just waiting to inflict pain on the soles of our feet.
Shoes, however, inhibit the movement of our feet and therefore affect the way we walk and our alignment. Think about it for a minute: how many times have you worn a pair of shoes that have hurt your feet or made you walk funny?
Through the research I’ve done on running and shin splints, one of the most common recommendations is to walk barefoot as often as possible. Doing this is suppose to strengthen the muscles in the legs, ankles, and feet, and therefore make it less painful to run.
I’m not planning on giving up my shoes anytime soon, but I’m walking around the house barefoot more often and I’m also trying the nearly barefoot, Vibram FiveFingers, shoes.
Fitness Attack #2, the book, is going to be released on Halloween 2010! That’s right, 10/31/10! It will feature 101 easy tips to help you live a healthy and fit life! 91 of those tips will be released right here, starting today and going through the launch date. The last 10 tips are EXCLUSIVE to the book so if you want them, you’ll have to buy the book! We are also working on lots of bonus material to overload the book! More info on ordering and content to come – stay tuned!
Exercise for Butt: Assercize Week 2
July 29, 2010
The squat is standard practice for those interested in shaping up their lower body. It is great for your butt, thighs, calf muscles. Make sure to look straight forward, squeeze the abs to get in a bonus workout and make sure to breathe.
Tune in as Amy Mac walks your through this butt-lifting squat workout!
Ass Exercise 2 – Squat
Get ready for a full year’s worth of butt toning exercises!
Ready to up the intensity of the squat? Check out these advanced exercises!
Assercize was originally created for Adam Curry’s Daily Source Code. Due to popular demand, we made it a full audio series and now we’ve spiced it up and are re-releasing it! Thank you to Greg Milk for my scandalous new music! Get ready to shape those gorgeous glutes!
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Exercise Song of the Week: Von Iva
July 29, 2010
What’s at the top of my gym playlist this week?
$.99 Buy it now! 
I remember working in SF and being sent me this song for a little afternoon pump up. I still love how girlie hardcore it is. Thanks for the suggestion Brian James!
Every week, I’ll be highlighting a new or great old song that I’ve moved to the top of my exercise playlist. I’m definitely open to suggestions so comment below or shoot me a message about what is at the top of your workout playlist!
Last Week’s Exercise Song of the Week: Three 6 Mafia
Exercise Song of the Week: Three 6 Mafia
July 22, 2010
What’s at the top of my gym playlist this week?
Feel It (Three 6 Mafia vs. Tiesto) [with Sean Kingston & Flo Rida]
This week’s workout song came as a suggestion from Tanya P. and I agree its going to make you want kick your cardio into high gear or at least start a dance party! Thanks Tanya!
Every week, I’ll be highlighting a new or great old song that I’ve moved to the top of my exercise playlist. I’m definitely open to suggestions so comment below or shoot me a message about what is at the top of your workout playlist!
Last Week’s Exercise Song of the Week: Shot – Jonas Brothers
Exercise for Butt: Assercize Week 1
July 22, 2010
After nearly 2 years of hiatus – Assercize is back! Not sure where the time went but a few hard drive crashes, a cross country move and several Fit Life videos later… Assercize has returned!
Ass Exercise 1 – Floor Bridge
Great for core and lower body training, this exercise is a great way to start the Assercize series!
Get ready for a full year’s worth of butt toning exercises!
Step-by-step slide show of how to do the floor bridge – ExerciseMoves.Me
Assercize was originally created for Adam Curry’s Daily Source Code. Due to popular demand, we made it a full audio series and now we’ve spiced it up and are re-releasing it! Thank you to Greg Milk for my scandalous new music! Get ready to shape those gorgeous glutes!
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Fast Food Smoothies – Nutrition Facts
July 20, 2010
Smoothie stores hit big a few years ago and since then everyone from Starbucks to McDonalds has decided to offer ‘real fruit smoothies’. I’ve ranted against fast food smoothies for years (see book excerpt below) so why stop now?
It’s not that I’m a smoothie hater, it’s that I think its a health food poser. “They” call it a real fruit smoothie, picture it with berries sitting by the glass and people think its a healthy option at a fast food restaurant. Sometimes you can even look at the calories, say 210 for a small McCafe strawberry banana smoothie, and you still think it might not be a terrible idea. The real picture is that those 210 calories are empty, sugary calories that won’t fill you up and will let your sugar crash down. You can eat a candy bar for 220 calories and have the same effect, or even a small McDonalds french fry. You are better off with a hamburger or a small yogurt parfait. The calories are comparable but you’ll be fuller longer. Don’t even think about adding one of these smoothies to your meal… you’ll just make me cry.
Fact: Smoothies range from 150-1500 calories.
Fact: Nearly all fast food smoothies are full of added sugar, high fructose corn syrup and other empty yummy-tasting fillers.
Fact: A smoothie doesn’t have to be a bad food, it’s just not a good fast food restaurant choice.
How to make smoothie from home… Amy Mac’s 2-Minute recipe
- 1 mushy banana
- 4 large strawberries
- Handful of frozen blueberries
- Few spoonfuls of vanilla yogurt
- Blend.
This recipe keeps me full for 2-3 hours, it has a couple servings of fruit plus the probiotics and calcium from the yogurt. Calories are around 150. You can be more adventurous and add oatmeal, peanut butter and protein powders but this version is so fast and easy, why mess with it?
Fitness Attack Book excerpt…#33 Smoothie Store Smackdown
Call me old fashioned, but I’m a little confused. I’ve seen several gyms with a smoothie shop located inside! This leads people to think that smoothies are healthy and part of your workout routine. I can’t tell you how many people I see walking on the treadmill with their supersized smoothie where the water bottle should be. Take a guess how many calories are in an average flavor regular size smoothie. I’m sorry, did you say as many as a soda? You are close…..triple that number and then add sugar and carbs galore along with a couple of servings of fruit. Yes, folks, there are generally a few hundred calories in that post workout treat. So you burn 400 calories and then put them right back in before you walk out the door. Don’t fall for the temptation or the trickery. I bet they are delicious, but check out the facts first. If you are craving a banana after your workout – eat a banana.
Fit Links:
McDonald’s Smoothies: More Calories Than A Cheeseburger? – That’s Fit
Best and Worst Smoothies – WebMD
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