I hope the tips for eating healthy on the go was beneficial last week. I realize not everyone eats on the go and prefers to prepare meals at home. I also know not everyone has the time to do that so below are some quick, healthy tips and recipes for breakfast, lunch, dinner and snacks. If the below meals do not suit – simply Google quick, healthy recipes/meals.

BREAKFAST

Spinach & Mushroom Omelet

Ingredients:

*modify this with any additional vegetables that you prefer*

1 egg plus 2 egg whites

baby spinach

Cooking spray

Spray butter

1 slice whole-grain toast

Make it: Whisk together eggs, mushrooms and spinach. Coat a skillet with cooking spray; cook egg mixture and serve with toast and spray butter

Honey & Pear Oatmeal with Almonds

Ingredients:

1 medium pear, diced

2 teaspoons honey

1 packet instant plain oatmeal

1 tablespoon almonds, chopped

Make it: Microwave pear and honey until warm (about 3 minutes). Prepare oatmeal with hot water and top with pear and honey. Sprinkle with almonds.

Cereal w/ Fruit

Ingredients:

1 cup whole-grain oat cereal

1 cup skim milk

1 cup fruit (blueberries, bananas, etc)

LUNCH

Turkey/chicken/vegetable sandwich

2 pieces of 100% Whole grain bread

Your choice of meat

Your choice of mustards

As many vegetables as you prefer (you can never have enough)

Spinach

Tuna on Whole Wheat

4 ounces water-packed tuna

Mix tuna w/ a little mustard versus mayonnaise

Add whatever vegetables you like

Spinach

2 slice whole wheat bread

DINNER

Chicken/Salmon/Vegetable Kabobs

Ingredients:

Nonstick cooking spray

Meat of your choice

Vegetables of your choice (corn, zucchini, onion, peppers, etc)

2ears corn, cut into 1-inch pieces

1/4teaspoon salt

1/2teaspoon dried thyme

Make it: Coat the grill/cooking pan with cooking spray. Toss all you vegetables in a large bowl with salt and thyme. Thread vegetables and meat on metal skewers and place on grill/cooking pan. Cook 5 minutes or until underside has light grill marks. Turn and cook 5 minutes more or until vegetables are crisp-tender and meat is cooked thoroughly.

Salmon and Asparagus

*Makes: 4 servings*

Ingredients:

1 pound of fresh asparagus spears, cut into 2-inch pieces

1 1/2 teaspoons extra virgin olive oil

Course sea salt and freshly ground pepper to taste

1 pound fresh or frozen salmon fillets with skin

1 teaspoon finely shredded lemon peel

1 teaspoon snipped fresh parsley

Make it: Place two (1 large and 1 medium) cast-iron skillets or oven-safe heavy skillets in a cold oven; heat oven to 450 degrees F. In a medium bowl combine asparagus and 1/2 teaspoon olive oil; sprinkle with salt and pepper. Brush the remaining1 teaspoon of olive oil on both sides of fish; sprinkle lightly with salt and pepper. Carefully remove hot skillets from oven. Place fish, skin side down, in the large skillet. Place asparagus in medium skillet. Return skillets to oven. Bake for 12 minutes, or until fish flakes easily when tested with a fork and asparagus is crisp-tender. To serve, sprinkle fish with lemon peel and parsley.

SNACKS

Peanut Butter & Banana on Rice Cakes

1/2 banana

1 tbsp. peanut butter

2 brown rice cakes

Hummus and Pita

1/4 cup hummus

1 whole wheat pita

Yogurt and Fresh Berries

Your choice of low fat yogurt or Greek yogurt

Your choice of fruit

I love the ladies from Tone It Up, Katrina and Karena, especially their easy and doable work-out videos.  They have so much energy, and make working out seem like a lot of fun.  They have loads of useful tips, like ways to eat healthy, beauty secrets and of course, different ways to exercise.  The video below is their "Under the Sea Work Out" to help you gear up for this summer's bikini body, BUT ALSO, to help you get ready for YOUR wedding day!




And...Turn these tips into action by entering into our 2-months of free membership at Lacey Lee fitness.  You'll be able to attend classes, use state of the art equipment, and receive personal training from Lacey Lee herself!  Not to mention...it's fun!

TIPS FROM LACEY LEE

Last week we discussed quick, easy and effective upper body routines to get your upper body sculpted for the beautiful wedding gown you will be donning on your big day. Now let's discuss our core. This area of the body seems to be the one that people so desperately want thinner, more defined etc. While we would not be human if we did not care what our mid-section looked like – our core serves a more important purpose. Every motion we make in life – originates from our core. When our core is strong we perform day to day activities more effectively and efficiently. For you - we want our core strong to look long and lean in your dress with great posture. After all - these muscles support our spine.

Lying on the floor and doing crunches are okay (certainly better than doing nothing at all) but you will get much more benefit from doing movements that involve your "whole" core. Exercises that mimic movements you make every day. How often do you find yourself laying on the floor and needing to "crunch" up? Not very often. We do however get in and out of our cars. We twist to reach for something. We turn as we are sitting. The list goes on. Follow the below core exercises to get your core strong, lean and you looking fabulous in your gown.

Lacey's 5 TOP Core Exercises

1. Plank

Beginner – lie on the floor and prop yourself up on your elbows and knees. Flatten out your body (without hyper-extended your back) and hold for 30 secs – 1 min.

Advanced – prop yourself up on your elbows and toes and hold for 30 secs. – 1 min.

*make sure you keep your shoulders over your elbows*

2. Russian Twist

Beginner – Sit on your bum with your heels in front of you. Lean back slightly and reach your left hand to your right hip and your right hand to your left hip – allowing your torso to twist as much as you can.

Advanced – Balance on your bum with our feet off the ground. Twist side to side – even put a weight in your hand to make it even harder.

3. Bicycles

Lie on the floor and lace your fingers behind your head. Bring the knees in towards the chest and lift the shoulder blades off the floor without pulling on the neck. Straighten the left leg out while simultaneously turning the upper body to the right, taking the left elbow towards the right knee. Switch sides, bringing the right elbow towards the left knee.

4. Reverse crunch

Lie on the floor with your hands behind your head. Raise both legs straight up in the air. While keeping your head down the whole time (very important to keep head down) – roll your hips up. Do 15-20. *It's a very small range of motion. You are targeting your lower abs which are smaller muscles and usually people's weakest area.*

5. Side Plank Twist

Beginner – Lie on one side of your body. Prop your body up on your elbow and your knee. Touch your ear and bring that elbow to the fist that's on the floor. Your body will twist forward. Then let the elbow (not the one on the floor) come up to point to the ceiling. Do 12-15. Switch sides.

Advanced – Prop yourself up on the side of the bottom of your shoe (not your ankle) and your elbow. And perform same move as above. Do 12-15. Switch sides.


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And don't forget to enter to win 2-months of membership at Lacey Lee Fitness at no obligation!  Lacey Lee will personally get you ready for your big day, attend classes, use the equipment, and receive a bridal nutritional plan.  Remember, this won't just get you in shape for your wedding, but also, the rest of your life!

TIPS FROM LACEY LEE

Hopefully from last week's tips – you had a chat with yourself and you started "moving"... let's not forget, you have a wedding coming up. Whether you are the bride or groom to-be or simply in your friend or family member's wedding now is the time to start getting in shape. I talked about the importance of fitness and now let's talk nutrition. The nutrition aspect is the most challenging for many people. After all, we are human with many emotions. We eat because we are happy. We eat because we are sad. We certainly eat for various occasions – from celebration with friends to a stressful day in front of the television. However, one cannot eat 100% perfectly all the time. It is nearly impossible and if you strive for perfection – you become frustrated and discouraged very quickly.

The fact is – we could exercise hours a day but if you are not eating right your weight loss goals will not happen. Follow the below tips to adapt healthier eating habits and achieve weight loss in a realistic and achievable manner.

1. The first thing you should do is figure out how many calories you specifically need to consume each day. If you do not know this number then it makes it very hard to know how many calories to consume to either lose or maintain your weight. The only way to lose weight is to burn more calories than you consume. To gain weight, you would need to do the opposite. To figure out your calories you need to consume daily, you first need to know your BMR -which is how many calories your body burns at rest. If you lie in bed all day and do not move a finger, you would have to consume calories to maintain your weight to stay alive – this is called your BMR. We obviously do more than this so we have to factor in your activity demands. One pound equals 3500 calories. If you focus on creating a 500 calorie deficit each day, you could lose 1 pound a week.

Grab yourself a calculator and figure out your BMR with the below formula's.

Step 1: Change your weight in pounds to weight in kilograms. Bodyweight In Pounds / 2.2 = Bodyweight in Kilograms (kg)

Step 2: Change your height in inches to height in centimeters. Height in Inches x 2.54 = Height in Centimeters (cm)

655 + (9.6 x weight in kg) + (1.8 x height in cm) – (4.7 x age in years) = BMR

Now factor in your activity. This will give you the amount of calories you need to consume each day.

Little or No Exercise, Desk Job = 1.2 x BMR

Light Exercise, 1 to 3 Times Per Week = 1.375 x BMR

Moderate Exercise, 3 to 5 Times Per Week = 1.55 x BMR

Heavy Exercise, 6 to 7 Times Per Week = 1.725 x BMR

Very heavy exercise, Physical Job, Training 2 Times Per Day = 1.9 x BMR

2. Diets don't work because you are not being taught about YOUR eating habits – essentially why YOU do what you do. When you fall into the habit of eating "unaware", you risk losing site of how many calories you are consuming. Once you have figured out how many calories you specifically need to consume each day the next step is track your food/drink intake. It will seem tedious but it is essential in becoming "aware" of how many calories you actually consume. First you will need to write down everything (yes, I mean everything –you will only be cheating yourself) you eat and drink. Also write the time in which you eat/drink. Then either before you go to bed or as soon as you wake up, go to one of my favorite websites www.sparkpeople.com. This is where you can track your nutrition, fitness, goals, etc. You will also find a plethora of wonderful articles. Remember knowledge is power!

Change "how" you eat before you change "what" you eat. First, eat breakfast. Breakfast IS the most important meal. Studies have proven those who skip breakfast are more overweight than those who don't. If eating breakfast is going to be a new habit – at first it does not matter what you eat for breakfast – just eat something. Then once you get into the habit of eating breakfast – work on having a healthy one. Second, eat every 3-4 hours. Most people wait until they are hungry. If you wait until you are hungry, it is too late – a bad food decision will be made. When hunger hits, your stomach overrides any "good" food intention you had. When you eat every 3-4 hours, you will stay in control of your true "meal" intentions

And don't forget to enter to win 2-months of membership at Lacey Lee Fitness at no obligation!  Lacey Lee will personally get you ready for your big day, attend classes, use the equipment, and receive a bridal nutritional plan.  Remember, this won't just get you in shape for your wedding, but also, the rest of your life!

Your wedding is fast approaching... are you ready for your BIG day? Vow Bride has been there to help you plan many of the details of your wedding, but now we are here to help you focus on a major stressor of wedding preparation... getting in shape to look your best on your special day. 
**Now, not only can the bride prepare for her wedding date, but anyone belonging to the bridal party can participate in the wedding fit challenge!

Our fitness expert, Lacey Lee, owner of Lacey Lee Fitness in West Ghent is here to help guide you through getting the desired results you are seeking for your wedding day. She will offer nutritional tips, exercise tips and resources to help.

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WEDDING FIT CONTEST

Grand Prize:
Enter to win two months of free fitness classes at Lacey Lee Fitness + a nutritional consultation to get you started on your wedding fit program.
Three prizes will be awarded (one per month) on May 1, June 1 and July 1.

Anyone who enters the contest, views the website and/or or becomes a facebook friend will receive a 7-day unlimited Lacey Lee fitness class pass.
*Coupon to be downloaded by user.

DOWNLOAD THE EXCLUSIVE WEDDING FIT PASS

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Lacey Lee is an ACE (American Council on Exercise) Certified Personal Trainer and an AFPA (American Fitness Professionals & Associates) Nutritional Consultant with over 12 years experience. She attended Old Dominion University and majored in Commercial Recreation. While at ODU, she was a member of the tennis team until a back injury sidelined her tennis career forcing her to choose another career path. After an internship at a fitness center she realized that personal training was the career for her. She not only understood the importance of physical fitness and nutrition but realized her passion for helping other people achieve their fitness and weight loss goals.

Lacey began managing a gym for over 10 years before deciding to branch out on her own to open Lacey Lee Fitness where she focuses on boot camp style fitness classes and training that combine cardiovascular and strength exercises for an all over workout. She offers personal training, group training, fitness classes and nutritional counseling. Lacey's goal is to educate people to make working out a lifestyle rather than just a workout.