Tag Archives: Weight loss

April-May Weight Loss Contest! Join in.

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Hey Friends!

For anyone who needs weight loss motivation, accountability, or just want to make your health journey fun, check this out:

My friend, Jamie Ivey – DreamingBigDreams, joined in on our Slow-Carb Challenge in January and did an awesome job!  She has now put together a fun weight loss contest for April.  You can do any weight loss plan you want.  Here’s the low down…

Everyone will submit $10 to the pot and the winner gets 1/2 and 2nd & 3rd place each get 1/4 of it.  It’s based on percentage lost and NOT lbs.

Jamie has created a FACEBOOK group for this event, so let me know if you want to join and I will send an invitation to join the group.  This is the best way to get encouragement, meet new people on the same journey you are on, and get tips and recipes on healthy food.

Email me ASHLEY@ASHLEYBENSONFITNESS.COM or leave a comment below if you want to join.  At that point I will give you the specific rules and details.  Oh, and share this with your friends and family… they might want to join with you 🙂

FITNESS RETREAT… EARN A FREE TRIP!

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To book a Fitness Vacation

Email 
and I will send you all the details.
Check THIS out to see what the St. Augustine trip was like in November.
 
If you get a group of 10
 – including yourself – 
signed up for a trip,
THEN YOUR TRIP WILL BE FREE!!!
The house we will stay in!  
 
 
 The roof top where we will do all sorts of workouts!  
Oh, we will also enjoy the stars at night from up there as well.  Don’t worry, there is plenty of vacation to be had 🙂
   Pilates on the beach.
 You will learn how to feed your body properly with your exercise…
 pre-and post workout nutrition to support your body as it strengthens and repairs.

Jumpstart your health with a week of inspiration,motivation, teaching and fun workouts!

 

Slow-Carb Sandwich

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It was a sandwich for lunch kind of day.  And this is a good way to eat your sandwich. 
 
BoarsHead lunch meat.
Hummus.
Spinach.
Purple onion.
Cucumber.
 
You can add anything you want to it.  This is very good and I like it better now than a bread sandwich.  The only thing… kinda messy.  Keep your napkin close!

Celebrating Cheat Day!!!

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On the Slow-Carb Diet it’s a RULE that we take off 1 day a week and eat whatever we want!  We spend 6 days eating slow-carb high density foods.  Then – on the 7th day – we spike our caloric and sugar intake with whatever food we want… pasta, breads, fruit, sweet treats…….. YUM!

PHYSICALLY:  This diet will shred body fat with it’s cycling method!

MENTALLY:  This diet will change the way you look at food.  You will begin to see the effect food has on our body… after all, it’s true:  WE ARE WHAT WE EAT!  You will become a student of yourself!

EMOTIONALLY:  It’s a lot easier to make wise food choices when you know you will get to eat “that” in the near future.  I encourage Slow-Carbers to write down the foods their body is screaming for during the week.  Make a CHEAT DAY LIST.  I do this! This is an intense diet and it’s good to rest emotionally.  This seems to give me a new dose of momentum moving into the new week of healthy eating.  After all, even God rested on the 7th day!

One more thing… 
The Slow-Carb Diet teaches us to PLAN AHEAD!  Be intentional with the foods you eat.  🙂

Now, let’s CELEBRATE 
DGW DAY!!!
-dieters gone wild-
Here are some of the DGW food pics from you Slow-Carbers:
 
Here we go – on our way to make the most out of DGW day.  
All I can think about is the 
Whole Foods black & white cake.  
Have you had it?  Ohhhhh, it’s the best.
My kids REALLY like cheat day!  
They are so sweet to participate with me 🙂

 theDELIMA 
They all look amazing, but there are no black & white cupcakes  🙁 

enterDANIELLE
She is my new best friend!  LOL  
She took the time and made sure I got the perfect cupcake!  🙂
H.A.P.P.Y!

I think I can speak for all of us: 
 Cheat day is the best!!!… but we always look forward to getting back to our “normal” eating pattern the next day.  We are ready to have our energy back and we are ready to feel good again at the end of the day!
Am I right?  

What’s your favorite CHEAT DAY food?
Read HERE about what Holly thinks of CHEAT DAY.





SKATEBOARD WORKOUT VIDEO

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The skateboards can provide an awesome workout! 
KILLER CORE WORKOUT
LARGE MUSCLE GROUPS
and
STABILIZER MUSCLES
 
will be worked!!!

Filmed and Edited by CHRIS UPTON
  • Warmup and stretch before the skateboard workout
  • begin by modifying the exercises until you are comfortable on the skateboard
  • these exercises require strong and healthy joints and stabilizer muscles

Slow-Carb: Supplements to Consider

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Our goal is to reduce our body fat, and that is exactly what we will do if we stay committed to this eating plan.  But it is essential that we are feeding our body everything it needs to function properly and be strong. 
 If we neglect this, then we are harming our body. 

The nutrients are at risk of being low during this diet:

POTASSIUM.  MAGNESIUM.  CALCIUM.
This diet will cause excess water loss, 
and that includes electrolytes.  

OPTIONS…

1.  Take a supplement.
2.  Make sure to get these essential nutrients from your food.


P O T A S S I U M

*** 4,700 mg per day of potassium is recommended for an average, healthy 25-year-old man***


AVOCADOS 
CONTAIN 60% MORE POTASSIUM THAN BANANAS.  
AVOCADOS 
CONTAIN 75% INSOLUBLE FIBER.

  • Lima beans, cooked, 4.9 cups (1 cup = 969 mg)
  • Chard, cooked, 4.9 cups (1 cup = 961 mg)
  • Halibut, cooked, 2.6 fillets (half a fillet = 916 mg)
  • Spinach, cooked, 5.6 cups (1 cup = 839 mg)
  • Pinto beans, cooked, 6.3 cups (1 cup = 746 mg)
  • Lentils, cooked, 6.4 cups (1 cup = 731 mg)
  • Salmon, cooked, 3.4 fillets (1 fillet = 683 mg)
  • Black beans, cooked, 7.7 cups (1 cup = 611 mg)
  • Sardines, 7.9 cups (1 cup = 592 mg
  • Mushrooms, cooked, 8.5 cups (1 cup = 555mg)


C A L C I U M
***1,000 mg per day is recommended for an average, healthy 25-year-old man***
  • Salmon with bones, 1.1 cups (1 cup = 919 mg) 

Tim Ferriss says, “Great tasting if you’re a cat” LOL 

  • Sardines with bones, 1.8 cups (1 cups = 569 mg)
  • Mackerel, canned, 2.2 cups (1 cup 458 mg)
  • Tofu, firm, 3.6 cups (1 cup = 280 mg)
  • Collards, cooked, 3.8 cups (1 cup = 266 mg)
  • Spinach, cooked, 4.1 cups (1 cup = 245 mg)
  • Black-eyed peas, cooked, 4.7 cups (1 cup = 211 mg)
  • Turnip greens, cooked, 5.1 cups (1 cup = 197 mg)
  • Tempeh, 5.4 cups (1 cup = 184 mg)
  • Agar, dried, 5.7 cups (1 oz = 175 mg)
Looks like I might need to take a calcium supplement 🙂  


M A G N E S I U M
***400 mg per day is recommended for an average, healthy 25-year-old man***
  • Pumpkin seeds, 2.6 oz (2 oz = 300 mg)
  • Watermelon seeds, dried, 2.8 oz (2 oz = 288 mg)
  • Peanuts, 1.6 cups (1 cup = 245 mg)
  • Halibut, cooked, 1.2 fillets (half a fillet = 170 mg)
  • Almonds, 5 oz (2 oz = 160 mg)
  • Spinach, 2.5 cups (1 cup = 157 mg)
  • Soybeans, cooked, 2.7 cups (1 cup = 148 mg)
  • Cashews, 5.5 oz (2 oz = 146 mg)
  • Pine nuts, 5.7 oz (2 oz = 140 mg)
  • Brazil nuts, 6.3 tbsp (2 tbsp = 128 mg)
*** All this information is found in Tim Ferriss THE 4-HOUR BODY.

For a great boost in reaching your goals, consider joining me this summer on a HEALTH & FITNESS RETREAT!  Now booking for the June 2-6 trip.  Read HERE for details. 

BENEFITS OF COCONUT OIL

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Coconut Oil has been described as the “Healthiest Oil On Earth” 

It is rich in
FIBER, VITAMINS, AND MINERALS!
Here are some health benefits:
  • hair care
  • skin care
  • stress relief
  • maintaining cholesterol levels
  • weight loss
  • increased immunity
  • proper digestion & metabolism
  • relief from kidney problems
  • heart diseases
  • high blood pressure
  • diabetes
  • cancer
  • dental care
  • bone strength 

Check out The Coconut Research Center for a list of various references on scientific research done on coconut oil.



This is what Dr. Oz has to say about the 
amazing benefits of coconut oil:

 

Diabetes This is one fat that diabetics can eat without fear. Not only does it not contribute to diabetes, but it helps regulate blood sugar, thus lessening the effects of the disease. Island people have consumed large amounts of coconut oil for many generations without ever encountering diabetes, but when they abandoned it for other foods and oils, the results were disastrous.

Weight Loss The connection between coconut oil and weight loss is interesting. Farmers in America discovered this early last century when they tried to fatten their cattle by feeding them coconut oil. Instead of gaining weight, their cattle lost weight! So again, this is not news. Do a simple Internet search such as “benefits of coconut oil” and you will get plenty of details.

Bone and Dental Health Coconut oil improves calcium and magnesium absorption in the body, which in turn is greatly beneficial to dental and bone health. The improved calcium absorption created by coconut oil use ceases tooth decay and aids in the development of strong teeth. The combined increased calcium and magnesium absorption are of great benefit to middle-aged women who may become afflicted with osteoporosis.

Coconut Oil: A Good Saturated Fat? You may ask, isn’t coconut oil a saturated fat? And aren’t saturated fats harmful? Yes, coconut oil consists of 90% saturated fats. But whether or not saturated fats are harmful depends on who you ask. Among mainstream nutritionists, the idea that saturated fats cause heart disease is an “absolute truth” that is never questioned. Those who question this belief, however, point out that mankind has been consuming mainly saturated fats – in the form of butter, lard, coconut oil, etc – for thousands of years, yet heart disease was rare before the 1920s. If anything, the rise of heart disease in recent decades may correspond to the increasing use of polyunsaturated vegetable oils like corn, safflower and canola, as well as margarine.


the BEST PLACE to buy COCONUT OIL is TROPICAL TRADITIONS!

Read more about 
HANDCRAFTED VIRGIN COCONUT OIL 
and
 MASSED PRODUCED MACHINE MADE COCONUT OIL here.

People are using Coconut Oil for…

Check this out for recipes and tutorials!
Check this out to learn more about the different types of Coconut Oils.

Consult you doctor before you try coconut oil for medical purposes.

 

GREEK vs NON-GREEK YOGURT

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I like 
YOGURT!

 

 smoothies. frozen treats. salads. breads. granola. mac & cheese.
-YES.  Sub it for the milk = YUMMY!

 
I like Stonyfield Organic
so my info about yogurt is specific to this brand.

 

 

It is a good source of protein, calcium, fiber, and is gluten free.  Stoneyfields yogurt has 6 added natural probiotics– awesome for healthy digestion and a strong immune system.  Sooooooo, should I switch from my regular organic yogurt over to greek yogurt?

 

Here’s the difference:
 
                                  Regular Organic Yogurt
  • good source of protein, calcium, riboflavin, phosphorus & magnesium.
  • low in lactose
  • supports a healthy digestive & immune system
  • restores beneficial bacteria that is killed off when taking antibiotics
  • the body digests yogurt faster and easier than milk
All Good!
             Greek  Organic Yogurt
  • very rich, thick and creamy
  • has 2x the protein compared to reg. yogurt
  • less lactose
  • fewer carbs
So, it is better if you are involved in exercising and losing weight!

 

ALWAYS CHOOSE ORGANIC!

 

                   Organic 
  • no toxic pesticides and herbicides
  • no GMOs
  • no Antibiotics
  • no Growth hormones

 

Go get some yogurt and enjoy.  
Let’s be creative in the way we use it and share!