Double Chocolate Protein Cookies (20g of protein per cookie!)

Double Chocolate Protein Cookies
Double Chocolate Protein Cookies

Looking to take a break from protein bars? Here’s a BodyBuilding.com recipe for gooey, soft and intensely chocolaty cookies with extra protein.

Double Chocolate Protein Cookies

2 tbsp cashew nut butter
1/4 cup whey protein powder
1/4 almond milk
1/4 cup 100% cocoa powder
1 tbsp coconut flour
10 g 85% dark chocolate
Directions
1. In a bowl, mix all ingredients together with a spoon.
2. Bake as two “blobs,” or four if you want to make smaller cookies. Use a nonstick or silicone cookie tray.
3. Bake at 325 degrees F (160 C) for about 25 minutes, or until the cookies are baked on the top and bottom but not fully cooked through. You want them gooey and soft in the center so they’re chewy instead of dry.

NUTRITION FACTS
Serving Size (1 cookie)
Recipe yields 2

Amount per serving
Calories 280
Total Fat 18 g
Total Carbs 10 g
Protein 20 g

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Remember chin-ups from gym class? Work your back and biceps at-home with a chin-up bar!

How to do Chin-ups (Pull-ups)
Work your back and biceps at home with a chin-up bar!

Chin-ups (or Pull-ups) are an excellent body weight exercise you can do at home with a chin-up bar…or head to your local park and use the monkey bars.  Combine them with push-ups and you have a balanced, major-muscle groups circuit and a solid cardiovascular workout.

How to do Chin-ups and Pull-ups

Chin-ups

  • Face the bar and grab it with your palms facing you, keeping your arms shoulder width apart
  • Pull yourself up…and the trick is to do it slowly (when you jerk yourself up, you don’t get the full benefit of the chin-up)
  • Keep your body steady and don’t sway

Pull-ups

  • Face the bar and grab it with your palms facing away from you, with your arms beyond shoulder width apart
  • Pull yourself up…until your chest touches the bar, concentrating on your lats (the muscles below your armpits)

Note: This method is the more difficult of the two, so take your time and build up to this one.

Interested in starting an at-home fitness program? Learn more about HomeBodyFit here!

 

Listen to your trainer…it’s a good thing to eat before bed

It used to be that eating before bed was considered to be a big no-no for weight-loss. This is no longer the case. In fact, if you’re working out on a regular basis and eating considerately throughout the day, a bedtime snack is ideal for weight-loss and muscle gain. However, this doesn’t mean that bags of chips and ice cream are on the menu. Instead, choose wisely so that your snack fuels your body and assists with important repair processes. We like sugar-free options…

HomeBodyFit before bed snack examples:

  • 1 cup of 0% cottage cheese with a tablespoon of unsweetened peanut or almond butter
  • Unsweetened 0% Greek yogurt with cinnamon
  • Baked chicken breast with steamed broccoli

However, if you absolutely need something sweet, Cellucor athlete and WBFF Fitness ProJen Jewell (BodyBuilding.com) offers this protein treat which pleases both your taste buds and body.

Protein Cookie Delight
Protein Cookie Delight

Protein Cookie Delight 

Ingredients
• 3/4 cup frozen or fresh berries
• 3/4 cup raw old-fashioned oats
• 1/3 cup light/unsweetened almond milk
• 2 scoops Cellucor Red Velvet flavored whey protein powder
• Chocolate or rainbow sprinkles (optional, but great when not cutting)
• Honey to taste

Directions
1. Place berries in a bowl and microwave for 45 seconds. Once finished, mash with a fork.
2. Add remaining ingredients to create the batter. Make sure to stir thoroughly so all ingredients are evenly mixed.
3. Place 2-3 tablespoons of batter onto a plate to form each cookie, then place in microwave for 45-60 seconds.
4. Remove, let cool for a minute or two and enjoy.

NUTRITION FACTS
Serving Size: 1 serving
Recipe Yields: 2 servings
Amount per serving
Calories 262
Total Fat 2.5g
Total Carbs 29g
Protein 31g

Ask us about our online meal and fitness plans!

 

How to Get Through Hump Day…and Burn Upwards of 1000 Calories!

How to Get Through Hump Day
How to get through hump day!

Let’s face it, Wednesday is pretty tough to take some weeks. One way to combat the dread that comes with getting up on any given “Hump Day” is to incorporate something positive into your day…something to look forward to…something just for you and your body.

Join us for a Wednesday night drop-In Burlington Body Camp workout ($15). Not only will you leave feeling invigorated, you’ll have burned upwards of 1000 calories in one hour (and the calories keep on burning even after your workout)!

All you need to do is bring the motivation, a yoga mat and two 3-10 pound weights…and we’ll provide you with a: fast-paced, head-to-toe, body-weight, high-intensity, interval training session that will scorch calories.

Register here for 7pm or 8pm.

Open to men and women. We hope to see you tonight!

 

Coconut Oil: The Fat-Burning Fat

What if there were an amazing fat source that tasted, well, like fat, but also helped you burn other fat? There is. It’s virgin coconut oil, a rising star in the nutritional world.

by Brad Chase, BodyBuilding.com

What comes to mind when you see the word “thermogenic?” Heat, probably, since the word itself means “heat generating.” Or maybe you think of a stimulant supplement like caffeine which is known to speed up your metabolism and increase energy expenditure. Maybe you’re taking one of these right now, in the hopes of slimming down. One thing you probably don’t think of is a coconut €”and especially the oil extracted from its flesh. Not that long ago, coconut oil ruled alongside partially hydrogenated soybean oil as the worst of the “bad fats.” Maybe you know them by their other name: trans fatty acids. These were the fats that were shown in repeated studies to increase the risk for heart disease and obesity, in addition to being linked to everything from depression to infertility. They’re the reason you stopped buying movie-theater popcorn!

Given that reputation, it’s OK if you’re skeptical about what I’m going to say next: Coconut oil is shaping up to be one of the world’s premier natural thermogenic agents. But before you go running to the Cineplex, there’s a catch: The processed coconut oil of the past has about as much in common with the healthy virgin coconut oil as Chief Wiggum does with Robocop.

Intrigued? You should be. Let’s crack open the coconut for a closer look.

Spending long hours hunched over your desk? This exercise can help!

Superman Exercise
How to do a Superman stretch

Supermans are a fantastic stretch exercise and one our clients look forward to, as they provide a nice “active rest” exercise during circuits. Supermans strengthen your posterior chain, which includes:

  • lower back
  • glutes
  • hamstrings

How to do Supermans:

  1. Lay on your stomach, reaching your arms forward (like you’re Superman/flying).
  2. While looking forward and keeping your head straight, simultaneously (and gently) raise your legs and upper body off the floor.
  3. Hold for three seconds and repeat.

At HomeBodyFit, we use this move to help all our clients strengthening the posterior chain, which is particularly beneficial to clients who spend long hours working at a desk.

Learn more about our at-home and online fitness programs.

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Make your own protein bars! Here’s a foolproof (and fast) recipe

by Rosanna van Dijk, BodyBuilding.com

This recipe is super versatile, and you can eat it as part of a protein-heavy breakfast or a filling afternoon snack—whatever you need! You can also use any flavor of whey and variety of nut butter you like. Not sure where to start? Try the classic flavor combination of peanut butter with Optimum Nutrition Double Rich Chocolate Gold Standard whey.

Homemade Protein Bars
Easy Homemade Protein Bars

Ingredients

• 1 1/2 cup Oats
• 1/2 cup Unsweetened almond milk
• 1/2 cup Nut butter
• 2-3 scoops Optimum Nutrition Gold Standard whey

Directions

1. Combine the ingredients in a bowl and then pour the mixture into a small lined tray.
2. Pop this into the fridge or freezer to set, and then chop up into slices.
PRO TIP
Add in some chopped nuts for an extra crunch.

NUTRITION FACTS
Serving Size: 1 large piece
Recipe yields: 9 pieces
Amount per serving:
Calories 166
Total Fat 8.7g
Total Carbs 12.3g
Protein 12g

Optimum Nutrition Gold Standard whey
Optimum Nutrition Gold Standard whey

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Send your core strength through the roof!

At HomeBodyFit, our clients are used to seeing planks and plank circuits incorporated into their workouts. Why? Because they work! They may be difficult to start with, but once you feel and see the benefits, you’ll begin to crave the burn that comes with doing challenging plank circuits.

The physical and aesthetic benefits of planking are:

  • Improves strength and flexibility throughout the body
  • Requires focus and mental stamina
  • Improves posture, tightens your core and streamlines that waistline!

Here’s how to properly do a Full and Side Plank.

How to do a Full Plank

How to do a full plank
How to do a full plank
  • On a yoga matt, start in a push-up position and lower your forearms to the floor; your elbows and fists are flat to the ground (your hands are either straight out in front of you – palms down or in a fist, or clasped, whichever is more comfortable for you).
  • With your toes curled under, keep your back straight, your buttocks down.
  • Engage your abs (imagine pulling your belly button towards your spine)
  • You’ll feel a burning. Continue to keep your buttocks down.

How to do a Side Plank

How to do a side plank
How to do a side plank
  • Lie with the whole side (starting on the left or right) of your body on your yoga matt.
  • Use your floor-side elbow to prop up your body, keeping your body up on your elbow – aligning your elbow directly underneath your shoulder – and your feet together.
  • Your forearm (lying perpendicular to your body), elbow and floor-side foot should be supporting your body.
  • Rest your opposite arm along your body or extent it straight up to the ceiling.
  • Engage your abs (feel the burn) and hold the pose.

Note: If this is too challenging at first, you can bring your knees down to the floor to help support your weight. To make this exercise more challenging, balance on on just your floor-side hand and foot (pictured above).

Interested in learning more about the HomeBodyFit Plank Circuit (Advanced)? Contact us for a FREE consultation today!

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If she can do it, so can I!

Did you know that just hearing that others “can do it” can greatly influence your fitness performance?  According to the journal of Psychology of Sport and Exercise, motivation from others can have a very powerful effect on one’s exercise duration and intensity.

Fitness plank and motivation
If she can do it, so can I!

The study went like this:

A group of 68 participants were split into two groups and asked to hold a plank for as long as possible. After finishing, the first group was told that a similar group had held their planks for 20 percent longer. The second group was given no feedback.

Following this, the two groups were asked to perform a second plank, again for as long as possible. The researchers found that the first group (who had received the feedback) rated their confidence at 45 percent before the first plank and nearly 60 percent before the second plank, holding their planks for 5 percent longer; whereas the second group’s hold time dropped 18 percent.

Essentially, the study found that if you learn or observe that your peers are doing well, you’re more likely to believe you can too.

So seek out influential stories, talk to friends and family about their fitness efforts and workout in pairs and groups. These can all help boost your confidence and enhance your performance…and don’t forget to let others know about your accomplishments!

Learn more about our couples and group fitness programs including Burlington Body Camp (drop-in tonight for only $15)

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