Get Movin' Monday: Fitness Expert Helps Us 'Swap This For That'
MINNEAPOLIS (WCCO) - With the New Year upon us, chances are that getting in better shape is on your list of resolutions. But your plan for accomplishing that goal might not be as effective as you think.
Fitness Expert Ali Holman gets us moving with ways to make choices in 2015 to maximize our diet and exercise time.
"There are some little changes you can make in your nutrition regimen that you're not over-promising yourself a really over-zealous diet," she said.
For starters, that 100-calorie bag of microwave popcorn might not really be that healthy.
"I have my Exacto knife and I want to reveal what is in this microwave popcorn," she said, splitting open the bag to reveal the paste inside. "This is a butter paste that really creates an unhealthy factor to this microwave popcorn."
Instead of store-bought popcorn bags, Holman recommends making your own.
"All you're going to do is take a quarter cup of regular kernels," she said. "You are going to put it into a brown paper lunch bag, put it in the microwave for one minute and you have the perfect, 100-calorie portion of popcorn. It's a really great way to still have your popcorn but cut out those unnatural preservatives in this microwave popcorn."
Plus, the loose kernels are cheaper, saving you money.
For pizza, swap out thick crust for thin. Holman said you can cut calories by one third.
"I always encourage people to look at a label, so they'll look at it and say, 'Oh it's only 384 calories per serving,'" she said. "That's one fifth of the pizza, where a thin crust--300 calories per serving--that's one-third of the pizza. So you get more bang for your buck, you can have more pizza, but you're also saving on things like sodium."
Pro tip: always dab the grease off your pizza with a paper towel. Holman said that alone saves you 40 calories.
"What that translates to you at the end of the year is two pounds off your waistline," she said.
Holman said her favorite trick was swapping sour cream for yogurt.
"We love sour cream--love it with vegetables, pita chips," she said. "Making the switch from sour cream to plain--not vanilla--Greek yogurt, you're doubling on your protein and you're cutting your calories in half. When it's plain yogurt, it tastes exactly the same as sour cream. Again, it's a painless substitution you can make in 2015 to save on waistline."
Want to exercise but don't have the time? Holman said to forget about long runs and try Tabata training.
"I'm going to show you a more effective way to work out," she said. "It takes half the time and burns twice the amount of calories."
Do an exercise, like half jacks--a leg-only version of jumping jacks. Do as many as you can in 20 seconds, rest and repeat.
"You can do this for 20 seconds, eight rounds," she said. "Here's the beauty of it: You'll burn about 200 calories doing that, but it gives an after-burning effect, so you continue burning calories for up to 36 hours afterwards. It's amazing, it's one of the hottest new workout techniques around."
Want Holman's abs? Stop doing regular crunches.
"Crunches only work about 25 percent of your core," she said and showed a different technique that works 100 percent of your core.
"We are working those lower abs but also those upper abs and that back at the same time," she said.
And instead of regular weights, try water jugs.
"I love what I call the shifty weight," she said.
The shifting of the water works secondary muscles that wouldn't otherwise be used.
"For beginners, pour some water out, as you get stronger add a little water," she said. "Here is your home gym for 2015, pretty easy."
To find out more about Holman's online training program, visit her website.
