By Manuel Villacorta
What happened to elegance in eating? When did the concepts of “eating-on-the-go” or devouring plastic-wrapped or boxed meals become appropriate methods of dining? How did eating in front of the TV or in the car become alternatives to the dinner table? Our modern lives are often hectic and mindless; jumping from work to family to social and community obligations. Running down the long to-do list, barely crossing each item off, even exercise has to be scheduled. Many of us have lost touch with …

1. Drink enough fluid. All the training in the world won’t make you a better runner if you are dehydrated. Develop a fluid plan and stick with it. Choose a sport drink to replace fluids, provide carbohydrates, and electrolytes. Find a flavor of sport drink that you can enjoy during exercise—the drink flavor you like at rest may be different from what you want when you are hot and sweaty.
2. Eat carbohydrates at every meal and snack. Good choices include whole grain or enriched breads, rolls, low-fat muffins, waffles, pancakes, …

Spring is a great time to go outdoors and run! It’s a great time to train for marathons, half marathons, 5Ks and 10Ks in the Summer and Fall.  The cool weather is perfect for running.
Nutrition is key in long-distance running and is just as important as a good training regimen. The number of calories you need for running depends on a number of factors: your body weight, how fast you run, how long you run, and your training frequency. A recreational runner will have very different calorie needs than a …

1. Eat before you go. If you eat about thirty minutes to an hour before dining out, it will make sticking to your meal plan much easier. When your stomach is growling, making good food choices is hard. A good example of a premeal snack is a small piece of fruit, a yogurt, and a bit of low fat cheese.
2. Avoid skipping breakfast and lunch to “save up.” Skipping meals will definitely make you overeat and will slow down your metabolism.
3. Eat the lower-calorie foods first. Order …

1. Keep cleaned and prepped vegetables in your fridge like broccoli, carrots, tomatoes, cucumbers, radishes, and turnips.
2. Double up on vegetables in sandwiches and wraps.
3. Eat a salad with lunch and dinner or even as a snack. A salad can be as simple as mixed greens with tomato drizzled lightly with olive oil and seasoned with salt and ground pepper.
4. Make stir fries. Add a low-fat sauce to diced and frozen cut vegetables.
5. Add extra vegetables to sauces and casseroles. For example, …

Spring is the time to enjoy fresh and sweet asparagus spears!
Asparagus is best when the blossom heads are tightly closed and the stalks are smooth, firm and brightly colored.  Thinner spears are usually more tender but fatter ones are sweeter once they are peeled.  Choose similarly sized asparagus so that they will cook evenly.
To prepare asparagus, hold each spear and bend until it snaps.  The spear will break at the point where it becomes tender.  For fat spears, use a peeler to remove the paper-thin layers of skin to expose …

Myth.
Many people start an exercise program with the hope of losing weight. Exercise should not be used as the only method for weight loss. You must really look closely at your diet.  You can exercise all you want but you will not see the scale move down unless you eat fewer calories.  Many people have signed-up for marathons, boot camps, spinning classes and gyms with the hope of losing weight, but instead they have ended up gaining weight. Exercise is a great addition to a weight loss plan and will …

Myth.
Spot training does not burn fat from specific areas. What you are doing is building muscle in certain places, but fat loss happens gradually throughout your whole body.  People lose fat in different locations since fat storage is very individualized. When overall body fat decreases the muscles you have worked on will become visible.

Myth.
You have to be careful about doing an extreme exercise plan because this can actually be a huge barrier in your weight loss.  It is counterintuitive, but if you create too much deficit with exercise your weight loss could stop, leaving you frustrated and ready to quit. Exercising more means your body needs more fuel so if you are not fueling properly your metabolism may shut down.
Follow your nutrition coach’s recommended exercise plan.  If you have found your proper deficit and you are losing weight, then continue with your plan …

Myth.
You need a combination of cardiovascular exercises and strength training. Cardiovascular exercises helps you become more cardio fit and create a deficit of calories faster than muscle training, but strength training helps you maintain muscle mass, which is key to a strong metabolism.