Fitness Newsletter                                           February 2010

In this issue:

• 12 Months of Unlimited Boot Camp – Save Up To 40%!
• 10 Easy Ways To Cut Your Salt Intake
• Add Seasoning To Add Flavor To Your Food
• 20 Reasons To Exercise
• Take Advantage Of Our New Unlimited Boot Camp Program!
• Recipe: Sweet Potato Protein Pancakes
• FREE Saturday Classes At 9:00 AM

10 Easy Ways To Cut Your Salt Intake          

What’s Harmful About Sodium?
High levels of sodium can cause the body to retain too much fluid. This can be harmful to people with high blood pressure or heart, liver or kidney diseases. People with these conditions should be especially careful about sodium intake.

The USDA recommends that we need to choose and prepare foods with less sodium. The average American adult consumes about 2,500 to 5,000 milligrams of sodium a day. But we only need 1,100 to 3,300 milligrams, or about 1/2 to 1-1/2 teaspoons. That can be a pretty big difference.

Where are we getting so much sodium in our diets?
Think about all the times we add salt during cooking or as a seasoning to a prepared meal. Surprisingly, our own salt shaking doesn’t compare to the major sources of “hidden” sodium in our diets found in processed foods and baked products. Some examples include salad dressings, mustard, meat tenderizer, cheeses, instant foods, pickles, canned vegetables and soups, salsa and barbecue sauce. Even common medications such as antacids, laxatives and cough remedies contain sodium compounds.

The keys to watching our sodium levels are to be aware of which foods have a high sodium content and to limit how much of those foods we eat. Practice checking the nutrition facts labels of packaged foods for the exact sodium content per serving. Some label terms can help our purchase decisions:

Steps to Reduce Your Sodium

• Limit your use of the salt shaker. Try a shaker with smaller holes.
• Substitute salt seasoning with other flavorings, such as onion, garlic, lemon, vinegar, black pepper, or parsley. Try Mrs. Dash seasonings (salt-free, MSG-free).
• Choose fresh, frozen or canned vegetables without added salt.
• Cook fresh or frozen fish, poultry and meat more often than canned or processed forms.
• Compare the amounts of sodium in various brands of frozen dinners, packaged mixes, cereals, cheese, breads, salad dressings, soups and sauces. Sodium content varies widely among different brands.
• Rinse canned beans and vegetables to remove added salt before cooking.
• Choose foods labeled “low sodium,” “reduced sodium” or “sodium free.”
• Know how much sodium is in your favorite condiments, especially soy sauce, steak sauce, ketchup and salsa. Limit your intake accordingly.
• Avoid foods with MSG (monosodium glutamate), particularly when dining out. You can ask to have your meal prepared without MSG.
• Try to limit your daily sodium intake to less than 2,300 milligrams.

Getting a balanced diet with more fruits and vegetables is more important than obsessing over one ingredient, like sodium. It’s good to be mindful of how much sodium you’re taking in, but concentrate more on an overall nutritious diet.

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The flavor of many foods can be enhanced without using calorie-laden sauces and gravies. Here are some great ways to use herbs to “spice up” your meals and bring out the natural flavors of your food. Don’t be afraid to experiment—try small amounts of several seasonings to find the right combination.

Meat Seasoning

Vegetable Seasoning

20 Reasons To Exercise          

With all the benefits of exercise, it's hard to believe more people don't work out. It's the closest thing to the fountain of youth, and truly the only way to change the appearance, shape and strength of your body.

Everyone exercises for their own reasons. But no matter your initial motivation, you still get all the benefits of regular exercise. Below, you will find 20 reasons why you should work out.

Regular exercise can:

1. Help you lose weight, especially fat
2. Improve your physical appearance
3. Increase your level of muscular strength and endurance
4. Maintain your resting metabolic rate to prevent weight gain
5. Increase your stamina and ability to do continuous work
6. Improve fitness levels, or your body's ability to use oxygen
7. Provide protection against injury
8. Improve your balance and coordination
9. Increase bone mineral density to prevent osteoporosis
10. Lower resting heart rate and blood pressure
11. Lower Body Mass Index (BMI) -- your fat-to-height ratio
12. Reduce triglycerides, bad cholesterol (LDL), raises good cholesterol (HDL)
13. Enhance "intimate" desire and performance
14. Reduce heart disease risk and stroke
15. Reduce the risk of developing certain types of cancer
16. Increase insulin sensitivity -- prevents Type 2 diabetes
17. Reduce your level of anxiety and help you manage stress
18. Improve function of the immune system
19. Improve your self-esteem and restore confidence
20. Help you sleep better, relax and improve mood

Take Advantage Of Our New Unlimited Boot Camp Program!   Unlimited Boot Camp means that you have the ability to achieve your fitness goals without having to worry about the affordability of a 12, 16 or 20 day package. It means that classes are now as low as $3.55 per class (when you attend all scheduled classes)! Here are just a few ways you can take advantage of our new Unlimited Boot Camp program: Make-up a missed class: If you accidentally set the alarm clock for 5:00 pm rather than 5:00 am, you can still attend a mid-morning class in NW, SW, or Central Austin… Or just sleep till noon and then attend our NW or SW 6:30 pm class! Double-up on classes: If you want to drop a quick 10-12 lbs in January, you can attend our 5:30 am camp Monday - Thursday, head off to work, and then also attend our 6:30 pm class too! Attend class 5 days/week: You can attend the 5:30 am boot camp Monday - Thursday at our NW, SW, Bee Caves/Lakeway, Round Rock, & Pflugerville camps and then attend the 5:30 am Central camp on Fridays (Central camps meet Tuesday - Friday; Central campers may attend the NW or SW 5:30 am camp on Mondays). Enjoy a bonus 6th class each week: Bring your family, friends, neighbors, and co-workers to our FREE 9:00 am workout each and every Saturday at our NW, SW, and Central locations! Once again, you now have 56+ classes available to you for the same price as our old 12-day package… And Austin Adventure Boot Camp still brings you all the extras you’ve come to expect from Austin’s longest running and most awarded boot camp program: safe, proven, effective workouts; a friendly, motivating environment; individual customized nutrition plans & nutritional guidance; pre & post camp body composition and fitness assessments; guaranteed results; and… fitness, friendship and fun! Take advantage of our new Unlimited Boot Camp program and register now!!!

Ingredients:

• 3 oz sweet potato, baked
• 3 egg whites
• 1 tsp vanilla extract (optional)
• 1/2  to 1 tsp cinnamon (optional)
• 3-5 packets of Stevia (optional, to taste)
• 1.5 scoops Whey Science vanilla protein powder

Directions:

• Combine and mix all ingredients well using electric mixer.  Batter should be consistent and smooth like regular pancake batter.
• Pour batter into preheated non-stick skillet, prepped with non-fat cooking spray. Cook 4 to 6 minutes per side until cooked through, like a regular pancake.

Nutritional Info :

• Servings: 1
• Fat: 1.9 g
• Carbohydrates: 19.8 g
• Protein: 39.5 g
• Calories: 249