Peanut Butter Chocolate Ice Cream

All natural peanut butter is one of those staples that no diet should be without.

Packed full of nutrients, healthy fats and protein, peanuts can improve your overall health and help your muscles to recover and grow stronger.

On top of this is its anti-inflammatory properties. It also features very low on the glycemic index, meaning that it does not spike your insulin.

Nuts of any kind are considered a fiber, which is another good thing and this also means that nuts take longer to digest and help to keep you feeling fuller for longer.

Nothing goes better with peanuts quite like chocolate, which is why I paired them together here in this delicious ice-cream recipe.

Ingredients

• 1/2 cup fat-free cottage cheese
• 1 scoop chocolate peanut butter protein powder
• 1 tbsp natural creamy peanut butter (recommended: natural)
• 1 tbsp sugar-free, fat-free chocolate pudding mix
• 5 stevia tablets

Preparation

1. Combine all ingredients together and add 1/2 cup of cold water. Blend until smooth using a magic bullet or blender.
2. Freeze for 1 to 2 hours, stirring every 1/2 hour.

Nutritional Information

Calories: 293
Total Fat: 9 g (81 cal)
Total Carbohydrate: 11 g (44 cal)
Protein: 42 g (168 cal)

Supersets for a Super Fast Workout

So, we’ve heard it all before and maybe we’re even guilty of it ourselves too – that all-too-common phrase, the biggest stumbling block in almost anyone’s workout routine – I don’t have the time.

If you have a crazy schedule like most people these days, there’s lots of things you can do to maximize your time. Even if you have five kids and appointments all day long, you can employ the Tabata method and exercise while you’re vacuuming or brushing your teeth. The principle behind the Tabata method is to perform as many 20-second sets of exercises in four minutes. It’s a method used by the Olympic Japanese speed skating team and is really effective.

If you’re a commuter, try performing isometric exercises while you’re stuck in traffic.

Another way to get the most out of your time is through supersets. I’m a firm believer in supersets and I love to work out in the morning. Even though I’m not a typical morning person, it really sets up my day perfectly. I go into the office feeling strong and tall and ready to take on anything. Working out in the mornings is also a great way to burn up that nasty hormone cortisol that is especially high in the early hours. It’s what gets you out of bed and causes fat accumulation around the belly area.

When you perform a superset, you move from one exercise straight into the next with no rest in between. It increases muscle tear, which means leaner (bigger) muscles as a result.

I have two workouts that I do on separate mornings that take about 20 to 30 minutes.

Workout #1

• Bicycle Crunches – 3 sets of 40 and 1 last set to finish the entire routine as active recovery
• Incline push-ups – 3 sets of 10 (I use the edge of the bath tub – just make sure your hands are flat and not on the edge as this can cause bruising)
• Dips – 3 sets of 10 (again, I use the edge of the bath tub)
• Side Squats with side lateral and front shoulder raises – 3 sets of 12 reps each side. For this one, I stand with feet together, step out to one side (alternating sides) and squat while holding small weights and performing side lateral raises for 12 reps, finishing with 12 reps of front shoulder raises for the remaining 24 reps.
• At the end of each circuit, rest 1 minute and repeat.

Workout #2

• Plank – hold for 30 seconds
• Push-ups – perform 3 push-ups, then move straight into Mountain Climbers for a count of 24 (12 each leg) and finish with one Burpee
• Rest 1 minute after each set and repeat 3 times.

• Reverse lunges with light weights – 3 sets of 12 each leg
• Rowing with resistance bands – 3 sets of 12
• Standing, alternating bicep curls – 3 sets of 12 each arm
• Rest 1 minute and repeat.

• Curtsey Lunges – bending your front leg at a 90-degree angle, while your other legs goes behind the other, as if you’re curtseying – 3 sets of 12 each leg
• Back raises on an exercise ball – 3 sets of 12
• Triceps extensions with dumbbells – 3 sets of 12
• Rest 1 minute and repeat

You can customize your own workout to suit your own needs. Make sure to include some of your favorite exercises, since this will give you motivation and make it easier to face this workout challenge first thing in the morning. Go on, I dare you!

 

Cinnamon for Weight Loss

Cinnamon is one of those spices that has many health benefits:

• Helps prevent breast cancer
• Has a high thermic effect on the body
• Helps in prolonging the digestion process in the stomach
• Relieves diarrhea and nausea
• Aids in peripheral circulation
• Enhances digestion
• Promotes the metabolism of fats

Recent studies have shown that cinnamon also affects blood glucose levels. It does this by prolonging the digestion process of the stomach, which helps to reduce spikes in insulin levels after eating a meal.

This effect it has on blood sugar levels helps in weight loss as you feel fuller longer, so you’re less likely to give into food cravings and you won’t feel so hungry all the time. It also boosts your metabolism and helps to control blood sugar levels.

I use cinnamon on my oatmeal in the morning and on top of yogurt or in my protein shake. I often make a Chai Tea with almond milk and will add a cinnamon stick just for fun and flavor. All you need is just 6 g of cinnamon a day to improve overall health.

 

Perfecting Swimming Stroke Technique

Swimming, like many sports, is reliant on your body mechanics.

If your body is not exactly symmetrical, or if you have one side stronger or more dominant that the other – as many of us do – then you’re going to have to work harder on perfecting your stroke technique.

Even though there are swimming aids out there like pull-buoys that help keep your hips elevated in the water, when you’re competing, it’s just you and your body and the years of training you’ve put into the sport that will pull you through.

One thing that will help with balance and staying focused is head position. In the water, your body should assume the same position as if you were standing, only horizontal. Therefore, your head position is relatively neutral and your focus will be looking down. The key here is to be aware of what’s coming up six feet in front of you. This will help keep you swimming in a straight line and stop you from drifting over into your competitor’s lane. The more aligned your body is, the more efficient you will be in the water, as no time will be wasted in correcting body position once you’re moving with great speed through the water.

Another important factor is your hand entry position into the water. Your fingers enter the water first at the halfway point between a full arm extension and the top of your head. Keeping your hand in line with your shoulder, work towards a 170° extension of the elbow at the top of your stroke. At this point, you want to flex your wrist at 30° before you pull back, using the elbow to drive this motion. Watch out for dropped elbows – one of the hardest techniques to master – keep your elbows set high and this will drive your pull back with more power and efficiency. You can use cables/pulleys, straps or resistance bands to perfect this move.

Spend some time focusing on each component of stroke technique before moving onto the next. So, practice some drills, using only your legs to propel you through the water, while you focus on body position, head position and where your eyes are focused. Once you’ve mastered this, practice hand entry position and a 170° extension of the elbow before moving onto set elbows and wrists and pullback. This will help you perfect each stage of stroke technique without carrying any mistakes into the next stage of your stroke technique.

 

Kelly Ripa’s Workout Part One

If there’s one person you can take inspiration from it’s Kelly Ripa. Now a reformed smoker, Kelly used fitness to cure herself of this nasty habit and get herself into serious  shape.

She gave up the smokes for working out 5 days a week with a workout that combines some typical moves with some you may not be familiar with.

In an interview with Shape Magazine, Kelly shared some of her workout and nutrition tips. Now we will all know the secret to her fabulous, shapely arms.

Being a busy Hollywood celebrity, the main goal for Kelly was finding a workout that would fit into her busy schedule. Under the expert eye of personal trainer Keith Byard, Kelly has reduced her power workout into 45 minutes of strength training and cardio combined.

This workout is one that you can do at home. All it requires, besides stamina and determination, is a jump rope and medicine ball, lightweight dumbbells, resistance bands or tubing and a Swiss Ball.

Kelly Ripa’s Workout

Squat with Rotational Row

Grabbing hold of the handle of your tubing with one hand, start with feet shoulder-width apart and palm down. Flexing your elbow, pull the tube into your ribs, and rotate your arm to finish in a flexed bicep curl, palm facing up. Hold this position as you lower down into a squat. Slowly, releasing your bicep contraction, raise yourself simultaneously out of the squat to begin again. Perform 2 sets of 12-15 reps.

Rotational Lunge

Again with tubing, grab hold with one hand and flex your arm to work your biceps, lowering yourself down into a lunge. Keeping your bicep flexed, raise yourself up and rotate 180° to lower down into a lunge again. Flip around to the starting position and repeat 2 sets of 12-15 reps each side.

One Leg Hip Lift

Lying on your back with arms extended, palms down, place one foot on a medicine ball and raise your hips off the ground, squeezing your glutes and hold for a second or two. Lower your hips down again but do not touch the ground, raising yourself up immediately into the next rep, making sure you don’t move the ball. Repeat for 2 sets of 12-15 reps each side.

Abs with a Twist

Lying on your back, clutching a medicine ball to your chest, sit up as you swing your legs out to the side to stand up fully. Finish this move by lowering yourself down the same way you came up to begin again. Perform 2 sets of 12-15 reps each side.

Push-Ups with Rotation

You’ll need a couple of lightweight dumbbells for this move. Holding the dumbbells in your hands, perform a push-up, twisting into a side plank and raising your outer arm up and hold for a count of three. Flip down into a push-up and rotate out to the other side. Perform 2 sets of 8 reps.

Swiss Ball Push-Ups

With your feet resting on a Swiss Ball while you perform push-ups puts more demand on your core as you have to control the ball’s movement as you lower yourself down. You want to move forward ever so slightly, but in a controlled and steady manner. Perform 2 sets of 12-15 reps.

Jumping Pyramid

Depending on your intesity, jumping rope burns 11-20 calories per minute and jumping jacks burn 8-9 calories per minute.

Jump Rope – 20 revolutions
Jumping Jacks – 30 seconds
Jump Rope – 40 revolutions
Jumping Jacks – 30 seconds
Jump Rope – 60 revolutions
Jumping Jacks – 30 seconds
Jump Rope – 80 revolutions
Jumping Jacks – 30 seconds
Jump Rope – 100 revolutions
Jumping Jacks – 30 seconds
Jump Rope – 80 revolutions
Jumping Jacks – 30 seconds
Jump Rope – 60 revolutions
Jumping Jacks – 30 seconds
Jump Rope – 40 revolutions
Jumping Jacks – 30 seconds
Jump Rope – 20 revolutions

Perform 2 sets.

Originally published @ FITLODE.COM