Sunday, September 29, 2013

Top 10 detox foods- "Let food be thy medicine and medicine be thy food"

It's easy to get into the habit of looking at your outer appearance and using that to decide whether or not we are healthy. However, our outer appearance can be very deceptive. Our bodies are bombarded with toxins from a variety of different sources on a day to day basis. Therefore, it is important to "Reboot" our bodies or give them a chance to purge some of these impurities from the system. Here is a brief video of some of the top 10 detox foods you can use to "help" our bodies out! Enjoy!

Have a Beaucoupfit day!!!

Thursday, September 19, 2013

Push-ups and pull-ups! A great 1, 2 combination

Nothing conveys fitness more than a strong looking upper body. When you see someone with a defined chest and back you think wow, that person is DIESEL! Two of the best exercises you can do to improve your physique are push-ups and pull-ups.Push-ups target mostly your chest and tri-ceps, while pull-ups involve your back muscles, triceps and biceps. Furthermore most men and women can not even do 1 pull-up!!! In my opinion, everyone should be able to handle their own bodyweight.
Life is crazy and you never know when you will need to hold yourself up for some reason!!!

Push-ups can be done in two different ways, modified or traditional. If you are new to pushups or haven't built up your strength enough to do a traditional push-up, you can do them from your knees.
The keys are to try to keep your hands under your shoulders and lean forward away from your feet in the straightest line that your arms can support. The traditional push-up involves the same concept, flat back, straight line, hands under shoulders.

Pull-ups are done with your palms facing away from your face. Chin-ups are a bit easier as your palms grip the bar facing you. The change in arm position makes your biceps help in the pulling action. Even if you do have significant strength it is still a good idea to vary your hand positions because every one targets the muscles in a slightly different fashion. When doing your pull-ups or chin-ups think about using your back muscles to pull yourself up to the bar. The natural tendency is to try to use all arm strength but try to focus on engaging your back muscles.  If pull-ups and chin-ups are too hard for you, you can either do dead hangs( just hang from the bar as long as you can). You can do negatives, which involve jumping to the highest point and slowly allowing yourself to lower down. You can also try using elastic bands or a chair to "spot" you as you go up and down. Either way, just stay patient and consistent and your strength will increase with your numbers...

So here's a workout that I love to use. I call it " Going up the mountain!"

Start with 1 push-up, the do 1 pull-up. Next 2 push-ups, 2 pull-ups, 3 push-ups, 3 pull-ups ....
keep going until you get to 10 then head back down the mountain 10 push-ups, 10 pull-ups, 9 push-ups, 9 pull-ups ... all the way back to 1.  This is great as a full workout or as a warm-up depending on your fitness level and skill. Once I start, the goal is to finish as fast as possible so
think 0 rest time.  I love this workout because the warm-up is built into the workout and it doesn't take a long time to get a good sweat going.


Give it a try and let me know what you think!!!
-Mark BFitness


Friday, September 13, 2013

Drugs don't heal! Your body can only heal itself.


The above picture courtesy of Hallelujah Acres says it best. Drugs only deal with symptons but never HEAL. Healing occurs when the body has the building blocks necessary to recover. This comes from proper nutrients and minerals, not synthetic drugs. Proper sleep, and good nutrition promote healing, plain and simple. Just a little food for thought.
Have a Beaucoupfit Day!

-MarkBFitness

Sunday, September 8, 2013

5 Snack “Hacks” to use this week

Hello again! I hope your weekend was a great one! Football season is back in full swing and my Saints won so I am feeling pretty awesome! If you are like me, football season means tailgating, parties, food, food, and more food. Today's post is from a guest writer and she will give you 5 great ways to snack a little healthier. 
Ms. Caitlin contacted me a few weeks back and told me that she was interested in writing guest posts for the site. Wow, I couldn't believe someone would actually want to write for little ol Beaucoupfit.com. Haha, I am elated to have her working with us and look forward to many more posts from her in the future. So without taking up too much more time.... -----------------------------------------------Here's CAITLIN!!! ----------------------------------------------
Hi all, I'm Caitlin Hudson, a full-time SAHM, nature lover, writer, and health nut! I am in the process of starting my own blog, but in the meantime, Mark has been kind enough to have me as a guest on his awesome blog. Today, I'd like to share with you some of my favorite "Snack Hacks" I like to call them! If you have any questions feel free to email me!



5 Snack “Hacks” to use this week

1. Chobani Substitutes
The Hack: Greek Yogurt
Greek yogurt is a great substitute for sour cream, butter, mayo, and cream cheese; not only is it good for you, but it also and
helps you maintain a healthy weight by providing plenty of protein to keep you full & satisfied longer.


**Bonus! Check out this list of  83 healthy recipes substitutes via Greatist.com**


2. Slow Cooker Cheesy Potato Soup
The Hack: Reynolds slow cooker liners ( No mess, no fuss!)

Ingredients
Reynolds™ Slow Cooker Liners
1 bag (32 oz) frozen southern-style diced hash brown potatoes, thawed
1/2 cup frozen chopped onion (from 12-oz bag), thawed
1 medium stalk celery, diced (1/2 cup)
1 carton (32-oz) Progresso® chicken broth
1 cup water
3 tablespoons Gold Medal® all-purpose flour
1 cup milk
1 bag (8 oz) shredded American-Cheddar cheese blend (2 cups)
1/4 cup real bacon pieces (from 2.8-oz package)
4 medium green onions, sliced (1/4 cup)

Preparation

1. Place slow cooker liners (I use these) inside a 5- to 6 1/2 -qt slow cooker bowl. Make sure that liner fits snugly against the bottom and sides of bowl and pull the top of the liner over rim of bowl.
2. In lined slow cooker, mix potatoes, onion, celery, broth and water.
3. Cover; cook on Low heat setting 6 to 8 hours.
4. In small bowl, mix flour into milk; stir into potato mixture. Increase heat setting to High.
5. Cover; cook 20 to 30 minutes or until mixture thickens.
6. Stir in cheese until melted.
7. Garnish individual servings with bacon and green onions. Sprinkle with pepper if desired.


3. Vanilla Protein Pomegranate Pancakes

The Hack: Whey protein

Ingredients
·         1 table spoon of chia seeds
·         1 egg
·         1 scoop of vanilla protein (I use this whey protein)
·         ¼ cup of almond milk
·         ¼ cup of whole wheat flour
·         1 teaspoon of baking powder
·         ½ teaspoon of baking soda
·         1 table spoon of pomegranate seeds

Preparation

1. In a medium bowl mix all dry ingredients
2. Mix in egg and almond milk. Continue mixing for 30-45 seconds for a smooth consistency
3. Pour the batter and cook until bubbles form on the surface of the pancake - it takes between 3 and 5 minutes.
4. Turn over and cook on the other side until golden.  (Should make 3 medium size pancakes.)


4. Healthy Veggie Dip
The Hack: Light Mayo



Ingredients

·         1 package (10 oz./300 g) frozen chopped spinach, cooked, cooled and squeezed dry
·         1 container (16 oz.) sour cream
·         1 cup Hellmann's® light mayonnaise
·         1 package Knorr® vegetable recipe mix
·         1 can (8 oz.) water chestnuts, drained and chopped (optional)
·         3 green onions, chopped (optional)

Preparation

1.        Combine all ingredients in medium bowl. Chill, if desired. Serve with your favorite dippers.


5. Low Calorie Blueberry Muffins
The Hack: Unsweetened Applesauce


Ingredients
·         1 3/4 cups rolled oats
·         1/2 cup oat bran
·         3/4 tsp baking soda
·         1/2 tsp cinnamon
·         3/4 cup unsweetened applesauce
·         1/2 cup honey
·         1 tsp vanilla essence
·         1/2 cup nonfat milk
·         3 egg whites (lightly beaten)
·         1 cup blueberries

Preparation

1. Pulse rolled oats & oat bran in food processor (if handy) for 10 secs. Reserve 2 TBSP oat mixture.
2. In medium bowl, combine remaining oat mixture, baking soda, & cinnamon. Mix well & set aside.
3. In small bowl, combine apple sauce, honey, vanilla and milk. Pour into oat mixture. Stir until just blended.
4. Gently mix in egg whites
5. Dust well-drained blueberries with 2 TBSP reserved oat mixture. Gently fold the blueberries into batter.
6. Divide mixture evenly into greased muffin pans and bake at 180°C for 20-25 minutes.
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Personally, I think these recipes are awesome and can't wait to try them. Let us know which one's you try or are looking forward to trying. Lastly, I want to personally thank Caitlin for reaching out to me and sharing your ideas with my audience. Your hard work is greatly appreciated, so on behalf of myself and the Beaucoupfit family, THANKS!!!