She Sweats :: SkyRobics at Sky Zone Atlanta

Ever wish you could go back to your childhood? That's just what I did with a few of my friends yesterday morning at Sky Zone in Atlanta (Duluth) at their SkyRobics class. At this HUGE indoor trampoline park, we jumped up and down, across the trampolines and even on the wall - all while burning calories and sweating!

The Crew at Sky Zone Indoor Trampoline Park in Atlanta, GA for SkyRobics

We arrived for the 10am class on Monday full of nervous energy and grade-school giggles. (I had been telling people all weekend how much fun it was going to be to "bounce off the walls" - which you really can do!) After signing a waiver form and paying for the class (the first class is half price - $4.50, normally $9) we were issued our special Sky Zone hightops for jumping. We quickly changed into our new kicks, visited the restroom just in case the bouncing would cause an issue (wink, wink!) and started familiarizing ourselves with our childhood and jumping on a trampoline.

The class was challenging due to the variance in workout and ultimately incredibly fun. Toning, cardio and abdominal exercises were all included. Sky Zone advertise that you can burn upwards of 1000 in an hour session - I didn't burn that many, but I burned A LOT! According to my heart rate monitor, I burned 600 calories during the 1 hour session, while my friend's heart rate monitor had her at 640 calories burned (depends on your fitness level, weight and body composition). Not too shabby for an hour of pure fun, giggles and NO pounding on our joints!

Can't wait to hit it up again!

Here are a few tips:
1. Have a great attitude - don't be afraid to make a fool out of yourself and leave your inhibitions at the door.
2. Bring water.
3. Wear higher socks - I was the lucky recipient of a nice blister on the back of my ankle from the hightop tennies that were provided.

A little about Sky Zone:
Sky Zone Indoor Trampoline parks are located throughout the US in 13 different markets, including Atlanta, Boston, Buffalo, Houston, Las Vegas, Minneapolis, Orlando, Sacramento, St. Paul, and more. Sky Zone is a popular place for birthday parties, corporate events, fitness and their 3-D Adult (yes, I said adult) Dodgeball leagues.

Have you been to a Sky Zone? What did you find most challenging or fun?

Tiffany

Clean Eat Recipe :: Quinoa with Mixed Vegetables

Quinoa is a very healthy, easy to prepare side dish.  Adding vegetables makes it even more delicious!  Try the recipe below or try your own variation and let us know how it turns out!

Quinoa with Mixed Vegetables

Ingredients:

1 cup quinoa (We love Nature's Earthly Choice Organic Quinoa)
2 cups organic, low-sodium chicken broth
1 cup edamame
1/2 cup red pepper, chopped
1/2 cup cucumber, chopped
1 clove garlic, minced
1/2 tsp black pepper
1/4 tsp sea salt

Directions:
1. Combine the quinoa and broth and bring to a boil.  Reduce heat, cover and lightly simmer for 15 minutes or until liquid is absorbed.
2. Mix together edamame, red pepper and cucumber.
3. Once quinoa is cooked add garlic, black pepper and sea salt and mix throughly.  Then add in your vegetable mix (edamame, red pepper and cucumber).

I will sometimes add baked chicken and eat it in a bowl as one of my meals while I am on the road!  Easy and nutritious...add any vegetables that you like!

- Whitney

He and She Great Deal :: Chicken Sale!

While making our weekly (Yes, weekly!) trip to Costco we noticed that their boneless, skinless chicken breasts were on sale.  They have not been on sale in months!  We usually only buy one package per week but this week we purchased five (the limit)!  We use this chicken for our salsa chicken that we make twice a week.  However, you could also use it for grilling or baking.  Prices and sales may vary by region but we purchased 33.80 lbs of chicken for $81.06 (a savings of $20) at our local Costco in Georgia!

Along with all the processed food that Costco had as samples today they also had CUPCAKES!  Yes, an entire cupcake for "free".  We passed on the cupcakes...Once on your Lips, Forever on your Hips!


- Whitney

Clean Deal: GMA's Abe's Market 50% off Sale

As I was eating my greek yogurt and berries this morning and watching Good Morning America (love that show! - Great way to start my day), I saw an awesome deal that I wanted to share with the lovely He and She Readers...

Abe's Market Logo belongs solely to Abe's Market Natural Foods

Tory Johnson's Deals and Steals segment this morning was all about Essentials for the Big Game. With that, they had a deal for the clean eater! 50% off All-Natural Snacks from Abe's Market (today only)!! Shipping is just $3.99 for any order under $49 or free for any order $49 and above! And, if you tell 3 of your friends about Abe's, you will get an additional 10% off your order and so will your friends!

Brands like Way Better Snacks (Make awesome, clean tortilla chips, sweet potato chips, etc), Righteous Almonds (flavors made with Organic Evaporated Cane Juice), and Mary Ann's (Clean Sloppy Joe mix and Clean Salsa and Taco mixes - that's what I'm talking about!) are all included! Remember, read the directions and choose wisely!

Happy Saavy Shopping! (I know I had fun!)
Tiffany

Our Daily Food :: Scott and Whitney

One of the questions we get asked the most is what do you eat?  We basically eat the same things each day with a little bit of variation.  Below is what we eat during the week.  On the weekend we try to introduce new things such as bison and fish.


We prepare all of our food for the work week on Sunday (boiled eggs, homemade protein bars, chili, chicken muffins, black beans, brown rice, salsa chicken, veggies, etc).  We eat every 2-3 hours and most meals contain protein and complex carbohydrates.  Preparation is the most important thing when it comes to eating clean.  We also weigh and measure everything we eat.


UPDATE:  We eat this way because we love it.  This is what works for us.  If you read "Our Story" you will notice that we both work full time.  We are usually gone from 7 AM - 8 PM.  So instead of making excuses & grabbing fast food each day we prepare in advance because we literally have no time to cook dinner each night.  Some seem to be missing the point.  There are A LOT of options when it comes to clean eating.  The goal is to pair a lean protein with a complex carbohydrate.  Which one you eat is your choice.  These meals are actually a little out-dated for us & we will be posting updated ones soon.  You can tell by our recipe page on this blog that we actually have a lot of variety in our food.

He works in an office all day which makes it easy for him to eat all of his meals on time.

His meals usually look like this (he also has one serving of healthy fat per day):

Meal 1 (7 AM)
           -      Whole Eggs (Organic, Free Range)

-          Egg Whites

-          Steel Cut Oats

Meal 2 (10 AM)

-          Greek Yogurt with Oat Bran

-          Homemade Protein Bars (Jamie Eason’s Recipe)

-          Salt-Free Brown Rice Cake (Our favorite is Lundberg Eco-Farmed)

Meal 3 (1 PM)

-          Salsa Chicken

-          Brown Rice

-          Black Beans

-          Veggies

Meal 4 (3 PM)

-          Turkey/Chicken Meatloaf Muffins (Jamie Eason’s Recipe)

-          Brown Rice

-          Black Beans
-      Veggies

GYM (5:30 PM – 7 PM)

Meal 5 (6 PM) DURING WORKOUT
            -          MRM Protein Shake

 -      Apple

Meal 6 (8 PM) POST WORKOUT
            -          Salsa Chicken
            -      Veggies

Meal 7 (10 PM)
             -         Natural Casein Protein Shake with Flax Seed

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She is in a car for most of the day.  This means she can usually eat on time but must have food that is decent to eat cold.  She packs a cooler each day to ensure she is prepared for all of her meals.

Her meals look like this (she also has one serving of healthy fat per day):

Meal 1 (7 AM)

-          Egg Whites

-          Ezekiel Toast OR Steel Cut Oats with Berries

Meal 2 (10 AM)

-          Homemade Protein Bars (Jamie Eason’s Recipe) OR Greek Yogurt with Berries (as  long as no berries were eaten for breakfast)

Meal 3 (1 PM)

-          Salsa Chicken

-          Rice, Black Beans, Quinoa, Baked Sweet Potato “Fries” OR Couscous

-          Veggies

Meal 4 (4 PM)

-          Turkey/Chicken Meatloaf Muffins (Jamie Eason’s Recipe) OR 2 bars of Monster Meatloaf (Jamie Eason’s Recipe)

-          Veggies

GYM (5:30 PM – 7 PM)

Meal 5 (7:15 PM or as soon as she gets home from the gym)

-          3-Bean Turkey Chili (Jamie Eason’s Recipe) OR MRM Protein Shake with ½ a Banana

-          Veggies

Meal 6 (10 PM)

-          Egg Whites OR Natural Casein Protein Shake

** The photo above gives you a quick snapshot of her meals (not pictured are meals 5 & 6).

We eat like this because we spend a lot of time in the gym.  Even though it is clean food you can still overeat!

Remember, this is a lifestyle and not a diet.

Good luck with your journey and keep eating clean!

- Scott & Whitney

Clean Eat :: Healthy (and Easy!) Banana Bread Recipe

Nobody likes to waste food... right?  Well, if you have 2 overripe bananas in your house, some flour and basic baking supplies, you can make the perfect clean eating banana bread!

Healthy (and Easy!) Banana Bread

Grab the recipe for this Banana Bread twist over at the Clean Eating Club.  You will not be disappointed - this bread is super moist and just the right sweetness!

Happy Baking!
Tiffany

Clean Eat Recipe :: Red Beans and Rice

My Mother is from Louisiana, so she is Cajun. Being her daughter, she is especially hard on me when I veer off the course of the traditional ingredients for your typical Cajun dish, but oh well... this tastes phenomenal and is clean and healthy!

Clean Red Beans and Rice

Ingredients:
1 1/2 cups Brown Rice (or my favorite, Bob's Red Mill Whole Grain Wild and Brown Rice Blend - it's SO yummy!)
3 cups water
1 tbsp olive oil
1 onion, chopped
3 cloves garlic, chopped
1 lb Organic Turkey Sausage, sliced approximately 1/2 inch rounds (you can typically find a kielbasa in your natural foods section or natural foods store. If you can't find this, try the Bruce Aidells brand - it only has a few ingredients and is "all natural")
3 cans of red beans, rinsed (you may substitute dried beans that are pre-soaked overnight)
1 1/2 c Organic, Low-Sodium Chicken Broth
1 tsp cayenne pepper
1 tsp chili powder
1/2 tsp black pepper
1/2 tsp sea salt

Directions:
1. Bring 3 cups of water and 1 1/2 cups Brown Rice to boil in a pot over medium high heat. Once boiling, reduce heat to low, place a lid on pot and let cook for approximately 45 minutes.
2. In a large saute pan, heat 1 tbsp olive oil over medium heat. Once oil is warm, add onion, garlic and organic turkey sausage. Saute until onions brown and become clear.
3. In saute pan, add red beans, organic low-sodium chicken broth, cayenne pepper, chili powder, black pepper and sea salt. Stir together. Cook on medium for 30-45 minutes.

Serve bean/sausage combo over the brown rice and enjoy! Let me know how it turns out!

Tiffany

Dining Out 101

At times it can be very overwhelming and complicated to choose the cleanest, healthiest option when dining out at major restaurants chains or local establishments.  This article will provide you with important tips and thoughts to consider when ordering your meals.

1.  Do your homework!

This one is simple – before you arrive at the restaurant, check the menu and nutritional information on their website.  Most major chains will have very thorough nutritional information that you should review in order to determine the best meal option that meets your dietary requirements. Avoid the usual suspects - deep fried, creamy, et cetera.  At the restaurant, don’t be afraid to ask your server questions like how certain dishes are prepared, what toppings come on it, or if you can substitute certain unhealthy sides for steamed vegetables, a side salad with olive oil and vinegar or a plain sweet potato.  You should also be aware that restaurants always use way too much salt to enhance the flavor of their dishes, so ask your server to limit the salt or hold the salt…that way you control the amount of salt used.  I like to pour a small amount in my palm and sprinkle it over the dish (there are about 500mg of sodium in ¼ teaspoon of salt – you shouldn’t be consuming more than 2,000mg per day and most dishes already have that much out of the kitchen).  

Tip - There are plenty of apps for smart phones that have consolidated nutritional information for several chain restaurants.  One that I have and really like is simply called "Fast Food".

2.  Order water.

Another simple one – get rid of the empty calories found in sodas, beers, and sweetened beverages.  Free refills and sitting around a table chatting with friends for nearly an hour is an easy way to consume ridiculous levels of sugar (or even worse, chemically altered products that are turned into sugar).  If you need some flavor in your water, squeeze a lime or lemon into it.  As an added bonus, you will save $2.00 for every meal you dine out…you’d be surprised at how quickly that adds up!

3.  Don’t be afraid to be that guy (or girl)!

There will be times where you are with a new crowd, whether it be certain co-workers or acquaintances, and you may feel like it would just be easier to not look picky and order a standard dish without “cleaning it up”.  Sure, we’ve all been in this position before, but you just have to hold the perspective that what is truly important and gratifying to you, may not be to other individuals, but they aren’t going to think anything less of you just because you altered your order at dinner; most of the time, they probably don’t even notice.  And if you’re worried about what the server thinks of you then you haven’t fully committed yourself to the clean eating lifestyle.

4.  Skip the appetizers.

We all know most appetizers are not healthy, so don’t even order them.  If someone else at your table does order them, resist the temptation...there is absolutely no nutritional value in 99% of the appetizers found in restaurants.

5.  Ask for a box as soon as you get your meal.

For those needing to practice portion control and limiting calories, ask for a box when you get your food and immediately put half of your meal in the box, close it, and put it somewhere where you will not have the urge to go in for seconds.  Not only does this save on calories, but it spreads your meal cost over two meals (clearly, frugality is something we cherish at heandsheeatclean.com).

6.  Execute your order based on your homework.

Now that you’ve reviewed the menu and you know what to ask for (or what not to ask for), it is time to execute your order and make sure you always tell your server two things – no (or light) salt and no butter.  Many restaurants actually have a section that you can order from where no butter is used and salt is left out of the seasonings; Outback Steakhouse is one of them.

Remember rule number 3 when you’re ordering – nobody really cares what you ordered and you may actually get asked why you ordered that way.  If so, you can impart your wisdom on them and hopefully inspire them to do so the next time they dine out.

7.  Skip the dessert!

What did we say about sugar in number 2?

8.  Enjoy your meal and revel in your success!

It’s always important to remember that the satisfaction you get from eating tasty but unhealthy foods is fleeting, but the satisfaction that you will receive from building that body that you’ve always dreamed of is much more enduring.  Not only will you love the way you look, but you will have more energy and more self-confidence that will go a long way in your professional and personal life.  The journey you will take to get there will open new doors and give you a new-found perspective on life, which will make you happier.

“Happiness is the meaning and the purpose of life, the whole aim and end of human existence” - Aristotle

Here is a small list of the restaurants we recommend for clean eating:

• Ted’s Montana Grill
• Outback Steakhouse
• Chipotle
• Barberito’s
• Jason’s Deli
• PF Changs
• Panera Bread
• Atlanta Bread Company

Here are some final thoughts to consider:

• Avoid butter and salt.
• Try to order veggies or salads as your side dish, if you have to order carbohydrates, make sure you order complex carbohydrates such as sweet potatoes, brown rice, whole wheat bread, couscous, etc.
• Avoid sodas, alcohol, and sweetened beverages.
• Get dressings or sauces on the side.
• Ask your server if you can create your own order…most places have plain and simple grilled chicken and you can simply add steamed veggies and a sweet potato as your two sides.
• Tip well!  If your server fulfills your order as you requested, you should show your appreciation for their efforts.  This will reinforce their work ethic and motivate them the next time they have to serve a clean eater.

Your questions and comments are always welcome.

Keep it clean!

- Scott

Clean Eating :: Getting Started

You are interested in clean eating but you don’t know where to start?  We will try and help you with some simple, easy tips!

• Buy Just the Rules by Tosco Reno and read it!  It is a very simple and easy to read book.
• Go through your pantry and throw away all processed food (do not GIVE it away, THROW it away...no one needs to eat it).
• Read the ingredient label and nutrition facts on everything you purchase.  If it has more than 5 ingredients, you probably shouldn’t buy it (there are exceptions, of course).
• Shop the perimeter of the grocery store…this will ensure that you are buying fresh produce and meats that are not loaded with preservatives and unhealthy ingredients added to “enhance” the flavor.
• Kick your sugar addiction (again, read ingredient labels!  You may be surprised at what products contain added sugar)!
• Find recipes that are easy to make…prepare your food in bulk and store in your refrigerator or freezer for convenience. 
• We will be posting more recipes on this blog but there are also a lot of cookbooks on clean eating.  Tip: Make a trip to your local library if you just want to try a few recipes or you can purchase the cookbooks here.
• Eat every 2 - 3 hours.  Eat lean protein and complex carbohydrates at each meal.  This will boost your metabolism and guarantee the results you are seeking.  Read more about your metabolism here.
• Drink water!  To help measure the amount of water you are drinking, buy a CamelBak bottle or large Nalgene so that you can keep track of your consumption.  Read more about water intake here.

Eating clean is common sense, it is not rocket science, nor does it have to include bland foods and short-lived diets, but it has been lost in our society today.  In our opinion, society has placed too much emphasis on convenience, pleasure, and entitlement that healthy living has become unimportant.  Basically, just think about what your grandparents ate when they were your age. 

Let’s face it – there are no shortcuts or magic diets to get that body that you’ve always wanted; it takes time and effort and there will be speed bumps (lack of motivation, life events, etc.), but when times get tough, work harder!  It will make you stronger and boost your confidence.

“This isn’t a complicated message.  In fact, Eating Clean is as simple as it can get.  So what’s the bottom line?  Eat a variety of wholesome, natural foods by combining lean protein with complex carbohydrates from fruits, vegetables and whole grains.  Kick out the crap, invite in the good, throw in some water and you are on your way to excellent health and a better body than you’ve ever imagined.  Is this information new?  No. It’s the same information we’ve heard from our ancestors time and time again.” Just the Rules by Tosco Reno

Be sure to read these helpful hints & tips!

Remember, this is a lifestyle and not a diet!

Good luck with your journey and keep eating clean!

- Scott & Whitney

He Travels :: Clean Eating From 30,000 feet

Seeing how I travel about 80% of the time for business with most of my time spent rushing from one meeting to the next, then back to the airport to catch another flight, it is challenging at times to find good clean meals on the run.  That's why I was pleasantly surprise on a recent flight from Atlanta to San Francisco when given the choice for my meal (luckily I was upgraded to first class...one of the few perks of being a road warrior) between a nasty precooked cheeseburger (really...a cheeseburger at 30K in the air...clean eating or not, that just doesn't sound appetizing at all) and a crisp looking grilled chicken salad with a side of fruit.

I must say, if you are an avid traveler or road warrior like myself and do not find much time before your next flight, well, you just might be surprised how clean you can eat...even on an airplane!

Happy Travels!
Jim

Clean Eat Recipe :: Turkey Eggwhite Strata

If you are anything like me, I struggle to make breakfasts on weekday mornings.  I ultimately want myself and Jim to have a hot meal before he leaves the house, but in the midst of our crazy, hectic lives, I often forget that it takes time to make food - it's not instant!

I was super excited to try a recipe from an old favorite, Tosca Reno's 1st Cookbook, "Eat Clean Cookbook." It's a Ground Turkey Eggwhite Strata.

Eat Clean Egg Strata

Eat Clean Cookbook, Tosca Reno

Ingredients:
1 lb lean ground turkey (the 97/3% variety)
1 Tbsp EVOO
1 tsp poultry seasoning
1 tsp sea salt, divided
9 egg whites + 3 whole eggs
Dash of Tabasco sauce (I left this out because I didn't have it - try it and let me know what you think!)
2 cups Skim Milk
1 tsp Worcestershire sauce
1 tsp dry mustard
1 tsp black pepper
1 loaf sourdough bread (Recipe calls for at least 16 slices - I only used 8). Make sure this bread does not contain high-fructose corn syrup. The best would be a whole wheat sourdough loaf if you can find it! Don't forget to remove the crust.
1 cup grated low-fat Monterrey Jack Cheese
1 small onion, peeled, chopped fine

Directions:
1. Spray a lasagna pan with Extra Virgin Olive Oil (EVOO)
2. Heat olive oil over medium heat in a medium-sized skillet. Add lean ground turkey, poultry seasoning, garlic powder, and 1/2 tsp sea salt. Cook meat until no longer pink, breaking up any large chunks of meat while cooking. Once meat is cooked, remove from skillet and pour into a fine mesh sieve to drain fat and liquid.
3. In a medium bowl, mix eggs, 1/2 tsp sea salt, Tabasco (optional), milk, Worcestershire sauce, mustard and pepper. Using a wire whisk, beat egg mixture until frothy. set aside.
4. Time to assemble the strata! With crusts removed, place bread in the bottom of the pan, filling any space that may be left. Add 1/2 of the cooked lean ground turkey, 1/2 of the grated low-fat Monterrey Jack Cheese and 1/2 of the small chopped onion. Repeat the layering process, starting with the bread.

5. Once your two layers are complete, add the egg mixture by slowly pouring it over the layers in the lasagna pan. Cover loosely with tin foil and refrigerate overnight.

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6. After refrigeration overnight, remove the tin foil from the strata. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Once the oven is preheated, place the mixture in the oven for 60 minutes and bake to a golden brown. Allow the strata to sit for about 10 minutes to cool and thicken slightly.
7. Enjoy!

Tip: Refrigerate the left overs and you will have breakfast for multiple days!

Servings - 8
Approximate Calories per Serving - 400 (depends on size of eggs and choice of bread)

It's amazing! You will not be disappointed! Check out Tosca's Reno's Eat Clean Cookbook for more great recipes.

Start the day off right!
Tiffany

Our Story :: Scott and Whitney

We are very excited to finally be able to put all of our information and thoughts into one place and hopefully help others!  We are often asked what we eat or what workouts we do, so what better way than to team up with another eating clean couple (who also happens to be family) to help as many couples (and individuals) as possible discover the joys of eating clean!

We decided for our first post we would basically just tell our story.  So, here it goes….

We are high school sweethearts.  We got married in December of 2007.  We were both at a healthy weight when we got married; however, we gained a lot of weight in the first year we were married (around 20 lbs each) by dining out frequently at places like On The Border, Chick Fil-A, Zaxby’s, and McDonald’s, just to name a few.  In September of 2008, we took a trip to see the Cubs in Chicago and once we saw the pictures from that trip we knew that something had to change.  He started going to the gym in the evenings and after making it part of His daily routine – He was then hooked.  Typical of anything He becomes interested in, He started reading EVERYTHING He could on nutrition and weight lifting.  A few years later, She started paying attention to what She was eating but still was not eating clean enough or following a consistent workout routine.  She would do workout videos at home because She was too shy to go to the gym.  He finally convinced her to the gym with him and She has been hooked ever since!

What have we been able to accomplish with eating clean (combined with lifting weights)?

-       He went from a waist size of 38” to a waist size of 32”.

-       She went from a size 10 to a size 2.

The most important results are that we are both much happier, much stronger, and have much more energy.

The question we are asked the most is what do you eat?  The best (and easiest) way to describe it is that we eat clean, natural, whole foods that have not been modified or altered once they have been harvested or slaughtered.  No fried foods, no GMO foods, no chemical preservatives, no refined or added sugars, and no highly processed foods (limited processing is sometimes necessary – e.g. Greek yogurt).  Or, for those familiar with the concept, we eat clean.  The best thing that we have come across that describes clean eating (simply) is the Just The Rules book by Tosca Reno.  A link to purchase it is included.  It is about $9.00 (or about the same price as a burger, fries, and a shake - supersized).  BUY IT HERE!  Both of us eat every 2-3 hours (6-8 meals a day).  Our meals consist of protein, complex carbohydrates, healthy fats, and vegetables.  You can view a sample of our meals here.

The second most common question we are asked is what workouts do you do?  We do weight training with a mix of cardio & HIIT.  Excessive cardio is not the answer if you want a lean body...you MUST lift weights (combined with cardio/HIIT)!

We used several different clean supplements during our journey to help us reach our goals and we will be posting a series on proper supplementation in the near future to help you select the right products.  You can view the supplements we use by clicking here.

Eating clean is definitely a team effort for us and the mission at HeandSheEatClean.com is to help other couples (and individuals) with tips and tricks to achieve this lifestyle.  Both of us work full time and spend about an hour in the gym five days a week and several hours in the kitchen each week.  We don’t watch much television but to us, it’s worth it!  She does most of the cooking and He does most of the cleaning.  Sundays are the days that we normally prepare all of our food for the week.

Remember, this is a lifestyle and not a diet!

Good luck with your journey!

- Scott & Whitney

Check out Whitney's personal fitness blog at http://www.whitneycarlson.com/.  You can also connect with her directly on facebook!

Follow He & She Eat Clean on Facebook!

Sports Drinks - When do I REALLY Need to Refuel?

If you watch TV, you have probably seen the ads for the suped-up water or that famous Florida swamp drink, featuring uber-healthy and attractive athletes zipping around the track, the football field and even the ski slopes. And... have you thought to yourself, "Wow! I wonder what type of athlete I could be if I was properly fueled?" Thankfully, as I was renewing my Personal Trainer certification recently, I had the opportunity to take a course in Sports Performance and got the answer to this very question.

Photo Courtesy of photostock/FreeDigitalPhotos.net

First of all, fueling your body the right way is REALLY important! That doesn't necessarily mean that you should be intaking sports and performance drinks on a daily basis to do that. It means eating the proper nutrients to make sure your body can convert those and your fat stores (not your muscle! see this post on maintaining a high metabolism for more information on that) for energy. It also means eating enough (yes - I want you to eat calories!!) to fuel your body through your daily functions and through your workouts, practices and games. That's for another day, but make sure you are eating right (lean proteins, whole grains, veggies and fruits and good fats) before you even think about adding a supplemental sports drink.

Here are some simple hydration rules for liquid fuel before and during workouts:
ALWAYS drink 17-20 oz of water 2 to 3 hours prior to exercise. This is an incredibly important step in preventing dehydration and allowing for optimum performance throughout your workout.

If your workout lasts less than 60 minutes, generally, you need to hydrate with ONLY water. H20 is enough unless you are sweating profusely or you are working out in the Mohave desert or somewhere with super high temperatures.

If your workout is 60 to 90 minutes, you will need to hydrate with water and electrolytes. This is not the same as many sports drinks. To accomplish this, consider one of the enhanced waters, such as smartwater by Glaceau.

When your workout is more than 90 minutes (think 1/2 marathon, marathon, etc.), you will want to refuel with water, electrolytes and a carbohydrate source. This is when you would need the sports drink!

Of course, we are not fans of the sugary, syrup-like sports drinks to refuel that 90+ minute workout. Since the sugar is not making a large impact on your performance, try making your own sports drink and use natural fruit to sweeten and tweak the taste. Experiment with all types of your favorite fruits for a yummy, clean and healthy sports drink, starting with this base:

12oz of Water

3 tbsp Fresh Lemon Juice

Pinch of Finely Ground Sea Salt

Add in your flavoring (smashed fruit, etc...)

What is your favorite flavoring to the do-it-yourself sports drink?

Tiffany