Blogs

I recently spoke with Warren Rutherford on his radio program Coaching for Success about how people can use proven fitness practices to achieve success in their business, their health, and their total body fitness.

Click here to listen to kj on the radio

This is a blog that I will update regularly so be sure to click on it now and then. What I am going to do is here is share with you my favorite products, foods I buy at the grocery store, dietary supplements and fitness tools that help me look and feel great.

Foods:

Hodgson Mills Bran Muffin Mix: I use this as a base for many of my great muffin recipes. Its much higher in fiber and has less sugar than most of the muffin mixes in the market.  Check out my blueberry bran muffin recipe on this site.

Mori Nu Silken Soft Tofu (Lite) I use this to boost the nutrient content add some isoflavones and extra protein to my morning protein shakes.

Cosco Frozen Blueberries - these are practically a staple in my diet. I use them in my protein shakes, add them to muffins, yogurt and salads. This way I get the added fiber, antioxidants and vitamins from blueberries year round.

Bob's Red Mill Ground Whole Flax Seed Meal - I also add this to my protein shakes,  yogurt and cereal. It adds essentail oils, fiber and texture. Once opened store in a seal plastic bag or container in your freezer.

Non-Fat or Low Fat Greek Yogurt - Adds flavor, calcium, protein, and gut and immune system healthy probiotics.

Arnold Whole Wheat Sandwich Thins - a perfect alternative to hamburger rolls and bulkie rolls. The light hamburger rolls are just too small. These sandwich thins are a perfect size and provide 6 grams of fiber and only 100 calories. I use them to make a convenient high fiber, high protein breakfast on-the-go. Spray a skillet with non-stick spray. Heat the pan and break an egg and "fry" turn over. While the egg is cooking, toast the sandwich thin. Place cooked egg on the bottom of the sandwich thin and top with one slice of reduced fat provolone. Top with other half. Enjoy. For variety add a slice of tomato, some sauteed mushrooms or a slice of Canadian bacon.

Fat Free or Low Fat Feta Cheese - Replace regular feta cheese in omelets, quiches or to top salads. Avialble from Athena and President brands.

Sargento Reduced Fat Provolone - Most of my clients who have tried this, think it tastes great, you wouldn't even know its lower in fat.

Mini Shreddeed Wheat - Any brand, 25 little biscuits have only 70 calories. Great when you want something crunchy, but without extra fat and salt.

Supplements:

Coromega Omega-3 supplement - This is my favorite fish oil supplement. It comes in individual serving handy shelf stable packets. The orange flavor variety tastes like orange creamsickle pudding. Available at GNC, Whole Foods or for a listing of other stores visit www.cormega.com.

Whey Protein Powder - I use this in my shakes every morning and before and after my strength training work-outs. Adequate protein is needed to build and repair muscles. A higher protein diet has been shown in numerous studies to support weight loss.

TwinLab D+K Dots-I live in a northern climate where one can not get enough vitamin D from the sun between October and March. I already take in enough calcium, but Vitamin D and K are also needed to support healthy bones. Vitamin D for the longest time had been recognized merely for its role in preventing rickets and for bone growth. Current research however has uncovered numerous ways in which Vitmin D supports health. Come back and visit www.bodybykj.com for future articles on Vitamin D and other important supplements.

Fitness Tools:

Swiss ball also known as Stability Ball - go to http://www.simplefitnesssolutions.com/ for home fitness solutions.

Dumbbells

Spri bands

Thursday evening was the last class in my current weight loss and eating behavior management program. As the women crowded around the table, wondering what was to happen next, we wrapped up a very interesting discussion on how to manage stress with out always relying on food. I had an offline conversation a couple days prior with one of the participants and we discussed the upcoming agenda and I mentioned that we would be discussing tools and techniques to continue losing weight and keep it off. Anyway, she came up with a great strategy* or tool that I suggested she note in her weight management tool box. What is a weight management tool box? Literally or figurativley it's a place where you keep the tools and techniques that have been helping you lose weight and can be drawn upon in the future to help you keep the weight off. Some of the items may not fit in the tool box, but you can write them down on an index card, put them in the box and pull them out as a reminder whenever you need them.

Here are some of the things we are putting in our tool boxes:

A copy of the Eating Behavior Journal (EBJ), Copies of EBJ's where you noted your progress in the self-assessment section,  "the red dress", favorite healthy recipes and snack ideas, a list of ways to cope with stress, e.g. your favorite commedy on DVD, a copy of "The Secret", extra exercise bands, an extra pedometer, a weekly grocery list, a diagram of E.F.T., a picture of your vison board, a picture of yourself at your vision if you have one, a scale or tape measure and motivational quotes.
*See next article: What's in your candy dish

Hello to everyone using the Body Transformation by KJ website!

I am in the process of making several changes to the website over the next week. Some new things you might find include:

• Logged-in users' comments will show up on the website immidiately
• Logged-n users will be able to create new topics in the forums
• Non-logged in users will be able to post comments, although they will require admin approval before appearing on the website
• The Forums, Recipes, and Member's Area sections will appear under a new tab called "Resources"
• The right-column menus will be moved to make more room for content on the page.

If you have any comments or questions, please feel free to Contact KJ.

- JP, website admin

It comes as no surprise to most us that the  average donut has 15-20 grams of fat and as many as 420 calories? But did you know the average bakery or bagel shoppe bagel weighs in at almost the same amount of calories? Take the new trail mix bagel at Panera for an example. Sure trail mix sounds healthy, it even looks healthy with all those seeds peeking out, however buyer beware, this bagel contains the equivalent to 2 pats of butter and almost 5 slices of bread. I am not saying that bagels can not be included in a healthy diet, but consider the amount of calories, fat, carbohydrate, and fiber before you make your choice for breakfast or snack. I personally eat bagels several times a week. I buy whole wheat bagels at Trader Joes or Back Bay Bagel. The Trader Joes bagels are a little smaller than those from the bakeries but with whole wheat as the predominant ingredient and 4 grams of fiber they are quite filling. Each TJ Whole Wheat bagle has only 240 calories, 9 grams of protein and only 1 gram of fat. I take them home and slice them in half and store them in my freezer. That way I can choose to eat a half bagel with natural peanut butter or almond butter for a mid-morning or mid-afternoon snack. I usually start my day with my protein fruit shake (see kj's recipes) and I tend to eat something every 3-4 hours.

See comparison chart for info on bagels, donuts and other breakfast ideas:

Bagel Comparison Chart