BODY, MIND
Are you doing TOO MUCH CARDIO?
While cardio can contribute to many amazing health benefits such as:
- Improving blood circulation
- Promoting elimination of waste
- Boosting metabolism
- Workout recovery
Is doing too much of it, adversely affecting your health goals? The answer…YES.
Cardio in excess can actually be your foe not your friend, when trying to build a toned, healthy physique. Especially if you’re limiting calorie intake plus partaking in excessive, LONG cardio sessions, could be detrimental to your fitness objectives, as it may cause muscle loss instead of fat loss.
Additionally, it could put your body in a catabolic state, thus, burning the hard-earned muscle that sculpts your body. As a result, the loss of muscle mass will reduce strength and eventually slow your metabolism. Lastly, extreme aerobic exercise can promote the production of cortisol, the stress hormone that weakens the immune system. If chronic levels ensue, it can induce feelings of fatigue, difficulty concentrating, sleeping as well as lowers bone density.
So, what are some indicators of TOO much Cardio?
- Your body remains “soft”, regardless your hard work
- Your joints (ankles, knees, hips and lower back ) are chronically achy
- You’re not sleeping well
- You’re getting sick more often
- You’re always feeling drained and fatigued
- You’re tired of always “working out”
What are the KEYS to cardio success?
Keep your heart pumping sessions within a shorter duration to preserve your muscularity. Try interval training which will keep your sessions short and intense. If you’re a distance runner or partaking in cardio over 60-70 minutes, ensure you’re consuming enough to support your calorie expenditure. In order to build and sustain a healthy, toned body you NEED to eat enough food!
Cardio is absolutely a fundamental component to include in your fitness regimen. However, too much of a good thing may negatively impact your desired results, if you don’t take a holistic fitness approach in your fitness objectives.
KEY TAKEAWAYS – Diet and exercise go hand-in-hand; caloric expenditure should align with caloric intake. Excessive cardio will burn muscle not fat; keep cardio within a shorter duration.
BODY
Ring in any celebratory event or your next FAV go-to snack, with these melt-in-your-mouth MICROWAVE CAKE POPS (yes, microwave!), that are SUPER easy to make, high in protein + low in fat.
Feast your eyes on recipe deets below:
✨Cake Pop Filling✨
5 tbsp oat or coconut flour
2 tbsp vanilla protein powder
2 tbsp cashew-cream cheese (or regular cream cheese)
1/4 cup almond milk (or milk of choice)
1 tsp coconut oil
1/2 tsp baking powder
1/4 tsp vanilla extract
✨Chocolate Coating✨
2 tbsp chocolate
1/4 tsp coconut oil
Directions 👉🏼Mix all ingredients (EXCEPT cashew cheese) in microwave-safe mug/bowl. Microwave for 1 min. Remove, let it cool for few minutes. Then, crumble mixture + add cashew cheese, mixing until smooth. Divide + shape into balls, set on parchment paper. Next, microwave chocolate coating ingredients until melted. Evenly coat balls into chocolate. Top with toppings of choice, like sprinkles, nuts, coconut. Refrigerate until chocolate is set (about 5 mins). Remove & ENJOY! 😋
Store leftovers in fridge or cool place.
BODY
Feast your eyes on this mouth-watering, deliciously flavored dessert that will have your taste buds thanking you!
Perfect to appease your sweet tooth without all the guilt, this apple crumble is made with honey-flavored Golden Delicious apples, sweetened with coconut sugar, followed by a light lemony punch! Topped with some nutty-crumble crunchiness and served with a scoop of ice-cream – DELISH!
Apple Filling:
6 small apples (peeled/chopped into small pieces)
1 tbsp of lemon juice (or apple cider vinegar)
2 tbsp of cornstarch (or arrowroot starch)
½ cup coconut sugar
1 tsp cinnamon
½ tsp nutmeg
Crumble Topping:
1 cup oats
¾ cup oat flour
½ cup chopped walnuts & almonds
½ tsp baking powder
½ cup coconut sugar
1 tsp cinnamon
1/3 cup coconut oil
1 egg
Mix all apple filling ingredients in a bowl. Set aside. In another bowl, mix crumble ingredients. Pour apple mixture into a lightly greased baking dish. Top with crumble. Place in oven; bake for 30-40 minutes at 350F. Viola and ENJOY!
BODY, HEALTH
STRENGTH TRAINING – Load-bearing exercises with free-weights, machines and/or body weight actively stimulates the muscles to work harder; it forces them to adapt and grow stronger, developing muscle mass & stimulating bone growth!
DIET – Fuel your muscles for growth with nutrient-dense foods like whole grains, protein, veggies, fruits. Lean protein and carbs work together to build muscle and replenish energy stores. Aim for approximately 1 gram of protein per pound of body weight. Also, water should be your beverage of choice!
CONSISTENCY – Know your fitness objectives, have a game plan and STICK TO IT! Consistency is key to building strength and a toned physique, so be sure to establish a routine. It takes about 21 days to form a new habit, so dig deep, partner up with someone or hire a coach to keep you accountable. Either way, keep your head up, keep grindin’ and move forward with purpose!
BODY
Enjoy this delicately FALL-flavoured Pumpkin Spice Bread that is melt-in-your-mouth delicious – minus the guilt! Made with wholesome, natural ingredients, it packs quite a nutritional, high-protein punch with every bite. Enjoy a slice for brekky, as a snack or dessert. Wanna pump up the protein? Spread with a nut butter, top with Greek or non-dairy yogurt!
DRY Ingredients:
- 1/2 cup Almond Flour
- 1/2 cup Whole Wheat Flour
- 2/3 cup Vanilla Protein Powder
- 1 ½ tsp pumpkin spice
- 1 tsp baking soda
- 1 tsp baking powder
- 1 tsp cinnamon
- 1/2 tsp salt
WET Ingredients:
- 1 cup canned pumpkin
- 1/4 cup maple syrup
- 1/2 tsp vanilla
- 1/4 cup applesauce
- 1/4 melted coconut oil
- 3 egg whites
Pumpkin Seed Topping:
- 1 ½ tbsp coconut sugar
- 1/2 tsp cinnamon
- 2 tbsp pumpkin seeds
- 1 tbsp chopped walnuts
Preheat oven to 350F. Combine dry ingredients in a mixing bowl. In another bowl, mix wet ingredients. Add wet ingredients to dry and stir until well combined. Pour mixture into greased loaf pan. Sprinkle pumpkin seed topping evenly over the top of loaf. Bake for approximately 25-30 minutes (or until toothpick pierced into loaf comes out clean).
And viola! Enjoy!
BODY
An easy and delicious scone recipe – minus all the butter and sugar! Enjoy this protein-packed treat that is moist, soft with just the right amount of crisp, like traditional scones! Perfect for breakfast or to appease your sweet tooth.
Ingredients:
- 1 cup all-purpose or flour of choice
- 1 ⅓ cups oat flour
- ½ cup vanilla protein powder (or flavour of choice)
- 1tbsp baking powder
- ½ tsp salt
- 3 tbsp coconut sugar
- ¼ cup unsweetened apple sauce
- ¼ cup almond milk
- Juice of 1/2 lemon
- 1 tsp vanilla extract
- ½ cup coconut oil (must be very cold, grated)
- 1 ½ cups fresh blueberries or frozen (not thawed)
Directions:
- Preheat the oven to 450F, line a baking sheet with parchment paper.
- Mix the flour, oats, protein powder, baking powder, salt and sugar in a large bowl.
- In another bowl, mix the apple sauce, plant milk, apple cider vinegar and vanilla extract. Pout into flour mixture. Add cold grated coconut oil – mix until it comes together. Do not overwork – dough should be on the soft, almost sticky!
- Toss blueberries with 1 tbsp of flour to coat. Fold into dough.
- Put dough onto baking pan, dust with a small amount of flour, gently shape into a circle. Cut into 10 equal pieces. Bake for about 15-20 minutes until golden brown, crisp on the outside.
- Top with greek yogurt or nut butter to amp-up your protein intake!
NOTE:
Coconut oil must be solid, NOT soft. Put in freezer for 30 minutes, for easier grating.
Makes 10. Calories 138, Carbs 20g, Fat 4g, Protein 5g
