…By Anthony

Many of us are well aware that there is an obesity epidemic in the United States.  Starting with the adults and moving on down through the kids, the problem has gotten way out of hand.  Many people have come up with their reason(s) why the problem exists so I figured that I would throw my hat into the ring.

Having lived in the north east US for most of  my life, getting a heavy snow fall is not only common but expected each winter at some point.  I found out in a hurry that that simply is not the case here in the south.  The instant there is a ‘winter’ storm warning the masses head to the store to purchase as much bread, milk and whatever else they feel they will need to ride out the impending onslaught from mother nature.

The thing that intrigues me most about this is that I believe that most people can live off of what they already have in their pantry as well as refrigerator for a few months without having to stock up for the storm.  It made me wonder if we are already hoarding way too much food in our houses on a regular basis giving us access to much more food than we need each day.

I am sure most people would suffer a panic attack if they were told that they had to live in a house with no pantry  but I am sure that they would survive just the same.  If you had to only buy each day what would fit in your refrigerator we would all find a way to adapt.  Now keep in mind that the average household in the US has a refrigerator measuring between 18 and 26 cubic feet.  I actually did some simple research and found that on a certain company’s website there was actually a refrigerator that measured 30.7 cubic feet.  I can only imagine how much food will fit into that thing.

At the same time, I also did some research that was a little morbid and found out that the average coffin size in the US is about 31 cubic feet.  I guess we truly are eating ourselves to death.

4 boneless, skinless chicken breast halves

1/2 cup refrigerated basil pesto

1/2 cup shredded mozzarella cheese

Salt & pepper to taste

PREPARATION:

1)  Preheat oven to 375 and spray 9×12″ pan.  Trim fat and cut each chicken breast into 2-3 lengthwise strips.

2)  Spread 1/4 cup of pesto over bottom of pan, lay chicken strips over pesto and season with salt and pepper.  Spread remaining pesto over top of chicken.

3)  Cover with foil and bake for 25-30 minutes, just until chicken is firm and barely cooked through, remove foil, sprinkle with cheese, bake without foil for 5 minutes until cheese is lightly brown.  Will be juicy in which you can serve over rice/couscous/quinoa to soak up pesto and cheese, or just spoon over chicken.  Yum!

Enjoy!

NUTRITIONAL INFO (serves 4):

Calories:  288, Prot 30g, Carbs, 4g, Fat 16g, Chol 65g, Sodium 655mg, Fiber 1g

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…By Anthony

The Super Bowl has become pretty much a national holiday in this country. It has also grown to reach millions of people across the globe.  I can only imagine the amount of excitement and anticipation involved with being in the game.  The players and coaches involved in the game have been preparing for months if not years to get to this ultimate game to decide who the best team in the country is.

I started thinking about how the Super Bowl would relate to my life or how it can be applied to the life of any of our clients.  Many of our clients participate in all kinds of activities that I would think they view as their Super Bowl.  We have tennis players, golfers, runners, swimmers, triatheletes and many other competitors that we train.

For many of them they train and practice to get to the ultimate prize in their season or sport.
Some are trying to win the city finals, the club championship or become a regional or national champion.  On an even smaller scale, many of our clients are just trying to keep up with the grandkids or play a game of hoops with their kids.  Having that motivation to train always gives people a constant reminder of how they good they are at what they do.  I am simply happy to be a part of helping our clients reach their goals in and out of the gym.  What is YOUR Super Bowl and what are you doing to win it?

SIGN UP NOW FOR LEVEL TESTING!

“One of my favorite aspects of martial arts is the ability to know what level that you are at at all times.  It gives you clear expectations for performance and something to work towards.  Having a clearly defined path is a great motivator.”  – Rick Mayo, Owner of NPF

WHAT IS IT:  We have created an awesome new testing system for our tribe at NPF.  This system will allow us to demonstrate/measure your incremental gains in strength, mobility and overall fitness.  There are fitness tests and other requirements that you must meet to progress to the next level.

HOW DOES IT WORK:  We will have a testing week each month for those who are ready and who have completed the necessary steps to advance to the next level.  The levels consist of some physical testing as well as other aspects.

WHAT WILL YOU DO WITH THE RESULTS:  That is the coolest part.  We will soon begin to design your program with certain expectations based on your level.  This way we can make certain that the intensity of your training is appropriate and that we can measure your progress.

HOW WILL I KNOW MY LEVEL:  We will tell you!  And…you will receive a specific arm band for your particular level.  Wear it with pride!

Ask your coach if you have any questions and

GET ON THE SCHEDULE NOW!

TESTING DATES: 

DUE TO AN OVERWHELMING RESPONSE, WE HAVE NEW DATES AND TIMES AVAILABLE TO SUIT EVERYONE!

Please call 770-998-9009 or stop by the front desk to get on the schedule for your testing!

January 26th   7:00 to 8:00 PM

Enough with the magazines, TV shows, infomercials and unsolicited advice from friends and relatives!  Finally, we have THE solution to your weight loss success.  We have specialized in weight loss since 1992.  Our systems are simple, effective and have produced literally hundreds of thousands of pounds of fat loss.  Join us for this unique, eye-opening presentation!

THIS IS YOUR YEAR!

Start off your New Year with a FREE workshop at North Point Fitness!

Open to clients, non-clients, friends and family!

DOOR PRIZES!

Space is limited so CALL NOW!

Please RSVP to Laurie 770 998-9009 or laurie@northpointfitness.com

• 2 tablespoons canola oil, divided
• 2 large onions, sliced (about 4 cups)
• 1 tablespoon brown sugar
• 1/2 cup reduced-sodium beef broth
• 1 tablespoon balsamic vinegar
• 1/2 teaspoon salt, divided
• 1/4 teaspoon freshly ground pepper
• 1 pound beef tenderloin (filet mignon) or sirloin steak, 1-1 1/4 inches thick, trimmed and cut into 4 steaks
• 1/4 cup crumbled Gorgonzola or blue cheese

Preparation:

• Heat 1 tablespoon oil in a large skillet over medium heat. Add onions and brown sugar and cook, stirring often, until the onions are very tender and golden brown, about 15 minutes. Add broth, vinegar and 1/4 teaspoon salt and cook, stirring, until the liquid has almost evaporated, 3 to 4 minutes more. Transfer the onions to a bowl; cover to keep warm. Clean and dry the pan.
• Sprinkle the remaining 1/4 teaspoon salt and pepper on both sides of each steak. Heat the remaining 1 tablespoon oil in the pan over medium-high heat. Add the steaks and cook until browned, 3 to 5 minutes. Turn them over and top with cheese. Reduce heat to medium-low, cover and cook until the cheese is melted and the steaks are cooked to desired doneness, 3 to 5 minutes for medium-rare. Serve the steaks with the caramelized onions.

***Compliment this meal with a side dish of roasted asparagus drizzled with 1 tsp. olive oil (1 cup adds an extra 80 calories) or sautéed chard with 1 tsp. olive oil and a squeeze of lemon (1 cup adds an extra 76 calories)***

Nutritional Facts:

Per serving (makes 4 servings):    306 calories; 16 g fat; 81 mg cholesterol; 11 g carbohydrates; 28 g protein; 2 g fiber; 508 mg sodium; 524 mg potassium.

www.eatingwell.com

This time of year, many people begin their journey toward achieving their fat loss goals.  At the same time, many ‘experienced’ exercisers are trying to get back into a groove after a few weeks of holiday cheer.  For both groups as well as any in between, the onset of soreness is almost inevitable after their first day back in the gym.

Technically it is called D.O.M.S. or Delayed Onset Muscles Soreness and it is a common result of physical activity that stresses the muscle tissue beyond what it is accustomed to.  It is a gradually increasing discomfort that occurs between 24 and 48 hours after activity and it is perfectly normal.  Without getting too technical here, small tears are created within your muscle fibers during exercise and the healing of those fibers is what creates the soreness that you feel.

For the experienced gym goers, this is simply a by-product of what they regularly do and it is not taken too seriously.  But for the beginner, it can be looked upon as a deterrent to continuing the exercise program that they were initially so gung-ho about in the first place.  Even as coaches, we get sore from time to time so understand that simply changing one or a few variables can/will lead to soreness.

Unfortunately, there is no proven method to recover from, avoid, or decrease muscle soreness.  Many have tried anti-inflammatories, ice, rest or all of the above with varying results.  I do know that the more consistent that you become with exercise program the less likely it is that you will become sore.  You will also reduce the severity of your soreness when maintaining a consistent program.

Finally, due to the fact that soreness primarily comes from a lengthening of your muscles during exercise, it should not determine how good the workout was in general.  I and many others have had awesome workouts that did not make us sore in the least bit.  At the same time, we have also had what we assumed were much less intense workouts that made moving the next day a little less enjoyable than we thought it would.  The bottom line, train safe and train hard and the soreness will come and go.

Ingredients

1 cup peanut butter

1 cup brown sugar

1 egg

1 teaspoon baking soda

3/4 cup semisweet chocolate chunks/chips

 Preparation

Beat the first 4 ingredients in mixer.  Stir in chocolate.  Drop by tablespoons of dough 2 inches apart on lined cookie sheet (parchment paper).   Bake at 350 for 8-10 minutes.  Let cool on pans. Makes 16 cookies.  This is a super easy recipe to double.  Enjoy!

Nutrition Facts (per cookie)

Calories:  199 Carbs: 22g, Fat: 10g, Prot: 6g