Healthy Tip of the Day: Foods with Fiber

Lately, I have been having many conversations with my clients on how they need to add more fiber into their diet. Fiber is extremely important for lowering your blood sugar levels and cholesterol, it helps regulate your digestive system and helps you feel fuller for longer periods of time. Unfortunately, few people actually consume enough. Women should be consuming at least 25 grams of fiber a day, while men need 35 to 40 grams daily.

The biggest question: "What foods have fiber?" Predominately, you will need to look for whole foods, especially in form of plants, vegetables, fruits, nuts, and grains.


(Apples and strawberries contain soluble fiber.....and are delicious!!)

Here's an article from Health that lists 20 great sources of fiber and also has links to recipes to help you figure out ways to include more fiber in your diet.

http://www.health.com/health/gallery/0,,20553010,00.html

And here is another with lists of fiber-rich foods:

http://www.webmd.com/food-recipes/features/fiber-how-much-do-you-need

The good news? A lot of these foods are easy to find at your grocery store, and can be bought on the cheap, so you don't have to worry about being healthy while going broke at the same time!

ENJOY!

Exercise of the Day: Decline Bench Press

Let's take the standard flat bench press and do something a little different with it today, shall we?

Today I want to highlight the decline bench press, which focusing slightly more on the lower angles of the pectoralis major (the major muscle of the chest area of the body), and you will also work your deltoids and triceps. You can change up the exercise by using a barbell, dumbbells, weighted bands, and E-Z bars, so it is quite versatile no matter your level or approach to training.


1-Set the bench in a decline position, and then lay face up on the bench. Make sure you keep your lower back pressed against the bench. You do not want an arch in your back as this may cause injury.

2-Grasp the barbell that you are  using and hold it, with your arms extended, overhead. Your hands should be slightly wider than shoulder-width apart. (I like to always have a spotter when getting into this position to help hand me the barbell and/or make sure that I get into position safely, no matter how heavy the bar.)

3-Slowly begin to lower the barbell to your LOWER chest, rather than the middle or upper areas of your chest. Hold it at the lowest point for a count of 2.

4-Slowly and with control, exhale and press the barbell back to the starting position.

Do 3 sets of 12 reps with a moderately heavy weight.

ENJOY!!!