So as the summer starts here in Spokane what will you be eating?  As for me  I have been thinking about what kind of  food I want to eat that  encourages me to stick to the changes I am making for a  healthy lifestyle.  So I went online  and found a couple really awesome vegetarian recipes online to try. As I browsed the list of recipes I realized that there are so many healthy and tasty choices.   

Although I was  looking for recipes that are low in fat I also wanted  ones that appealed  to my taste buds. I happen to love avocados so when I found this recipe  I knew I wanted  to share it. If you like avocados and salsa you will love this,  it is absolutely delicious. I made it and enjoyed it for several days. 

Avocado Salsa

Here are the ingredients you will need:
1 (16oz) package of frozen whole kernel corn, thawed
2 (2.5 oz) cans of sliced ripe olives, drained
1 red bell pepper chopped
1 small onions chopped
5 cloves garlic, minced
1/4 cup of sour cream

1/3 cup olive oil
1/4 cup lemon juice
3 tablespoons of cider vinegar
1/2 teaspoon of salt
1 teaspoon dried oregano
1/2 teaspoon of black pepper
4 ripe avocados, peeled, pitted and diced

Already sounding pretty tasty. Okay here’s how to prepare this great summer salsa. It is so easy and simple that you’ll want to make it more than once.  It would be really  great  for a Spokane summer picnic or potluck. Because it  is so simple  you won’t  need a lot of prep time.  However you’ll want to know that the first two step need to be done the day before for marinating.

Steps For Preparing Avocado Salsa

• 1. In a large bowl mix corn, olives, red bell pepper and olives
• 2. In a small bowl mix garlic, olive oil, lemon juice, cider vinegar, oregano, salt and
  pepper. Pour into the corn mixture and toss to coat. Cover and chill in the refrigerator
  8 hours or overnight.
• 3. Stir avocados in before serving add sourcream as desired.

So easy and so good. You can scoop it up with baked chips or top your low fat tacos with it. One serving size is  1/8 cup and this make 32 servings so I really had to be careful not to over do it, especially since I am starting to keep a food diary.  As you enjoy this remember that part of a healthy lifestyle includes physical fitness. I know that including physical exercise can be difficult at times with work and children but here in Spokane there are so many different activities during the summer that make it easy to want to go out and get physical.

 Besides walking and gardening I decided that having a physical trainer was something that would really benefit my healthy lifestyle.  So I go and workout with Zach Hunt my personal trainer.  He is located  in Liberty Lake at Physzique. The whole experience of a personal trainer is taking me sometime to get used to. However I know from some of his other client’s results and his own personal testimony  that it is well worth the sweat and hard work.

Enjoy the salsa and give Zach a call at Physzqiue Personal Fitness. He takes the time to understand each of his client’s needs and that makes him a great trainer. He also really knows his stuff so you can feel confident that you are getting intense exercise and excellent advice. Living a healthy lifestyle is important for each of us for so many reasons  and only benefits us in the long run.  Personally I want to live a long, healthy and fulfilling life. How about you?  What do you want?    I do have one more recipe I want to share, I promise it will be worth the wait.

So Exactly What Is The Acai Berry And How Can It Help Get You Fit in Spokane?

Pronouced ah-sigh-EE, The acai berry is harvested out of South America. It comes from a palm tree. Most recently it has been endorsed by people like Rachel Ray and Dr. Oz from Oprah. They claim that
the acai berry has health benefits both physically and mentally.  With endorsements like that who wouldn’t be curious about this newest health craze.

So with all the hype I decided that I would give the acai berry a try. I especially like the claim that using the acai berry can cause significant weight loss. I am all excited about that idea because losing pounds is a big  part of my plan to get fit at a athletic club in  liberty lake. I plan on losing about 70 lbs so I got a lot of work ahead of me.

What Are Some More Great Benefits Of Using The Acai Berry?

• Increased energy level
• Mental clarity
• Improved digestion
• Detoxification
• Improved skin/complexion
• Improved sleep
• Increased sexual function in men

Also another positive is that there are no known negative side effects from using acai berries. When used as a dietary supplement it comes in several forms. Tablets, juice, smoothies, instant powder and whole fruit. So as you can see there are numerous reasons to include the acai berry as part of a complete fitness program.

I have personally experienced increased energy and several pounds of weight loss. It seems to me that the hype over this new craze is true. So jump on the band wagon and get started with the acai berry in what ever form sounds good to you. Seriously, with all the different methods to use this wonderful dietary aid you really have no excuse not to give it a try.

Where Can You Get The Acai Berry?

The quickest way is to go to Google.com and search for it. Right now there are several offers for free trials but you’ll have to pay for shipping. It is worth it. I encourage you to make it part of a your fitness plan.

Along with the acai berry I am combining an exercise program at Physzique in  Liberty lake.  I go there 3 times a week for an intense workout with my personal trainer Zach Hunt.  His ability to motivate and encourage me is amazing and I am confident that with perseverance and determination I will achieve my fitness goals. So if you are interested in seriously changing your lifestyle to include fitness I suggest you use the Spokane acai berry and make an appointment to go see Zach at Physzique, his fitness club  in Liberty lake.

You have just completed your work out knowing that you have just burned up a bunch of calories but it has left you in serious need of fluids. What do you reach for; sports drinks, chocolate milk or water? What you choose at this point can make or break your fitness efforts.

What you choose to drink after a work out depends on your type of work out and your goals.

Are Sports Drinks the Best Option?

Your first instinct might be to reach for a sports drink. After all there are commercials and advertisements all over the place for sports drinks. They claim to rehydrate you better than anything else and replace minerals that your body may have lost during your workout. Is it true though?

Well actually it is true; sports drinks are a great way to rehydrate if you don’t mind the calories. Sports drinks do have all the electrolytes and minerals needed to replenish what you lose in an extensive workout. The other advantage of sports drinks is that they are flavored which encourages most people to drink the amount of liquid need to replenish after working out rigorously.

However, with 50 calories and approximately 13-15 grams of sugar per 8 ounce serving, you can totally sabotage your diet if you are working out to lose weight. The average person does not need the extra calories or sugar.

• Recommendation: Use sports drinks to hydrate if you are doing extensive physical activity for 60 minutes or longer. If you are an athlete or are not trying to lose weight then sports drinks are a good choice for you.

Is Chocolate Milk, The “New Sports Drink”?

We’ve all heard the ads lately about chocolate milk being the “new sports drink”. When I first heard that I had a hard time imagining being able to even think about drinking milk after a work out. It doesn’t sound very refreshing or thirst quenching to me so I pretty much counted these ads as a bunch of bunk.

After some research though, I found that chocolate milk is actually a very good beverage to drink after strength training. It has the right balance of carbs and protein to help with muscle recovery.

In studies of cyclist they found that the athletes that drank chocolate milk after expending all their energy were able to go 50% further on their next round of exercise. About the same as the athletes that consumed sports drinks.

Again, the weight conscious need to take heed. Regular chocolate milk can have up to 226 calories and 32 grams of sugar per 8 ounce serving which makes sports drinks look like a diet beverage. You can cut the calories by choosing low fat chocolate milk. Low fat chocolate milk has about 158 calories and 24 grams of sugar but that is till high.

• Recommendation: Drink low-fat chocolate milk after strength training to help muscle recovery but only if you are not watching your calorie consumption.

What About Water?

What if you are like me and working out to burn calories and lose weight? I am not a professional athlete and I rarely exercise more than 60 minutes at a time. Every calorie counts in my world and I prefer to eat rather than drink my calories.

Water is your best option for low impact activities that are less than 60 minutes long, like short runs, walking, quick cardio, yard work, swimming, etc. Yes good old fashioned water.

If you are not a plain water fan then drink enhanced water but watch for the calories. Ounce for ounce some of the enhanced waters have as many calories in them as a soda!

• Recommendation: Drink plain or enhanced water to rehydrate after low impact physical activities or if you are watching your caloric intake. Keep the calorie count to 10 calories or less per 8 ounces.

Want More?

For more nutritional and training advice call personal trainer, Zach Hunt, owner of Phyzique Personal Training in Liberty Lake, WA. He is trained and certified and can help you reach your health and fitness goals.