Happy Hydration!

Hey guys! Happy May!

If you haven't picked up on it yet, my typical intro (if you will) to my daily sporadic blog posts is usually about how terribly sorry I am for being MIA on the routine posting. And that would obviously be my intro today, however, my friend yelled politely informed me that I'm falling into the "blogging trap" by starting each post with "sorry it's been so long." So in lieu of that information, I'm going to skip the apology and jump right into things. (just know that deep in my heart, I am truly, very, very sorry for any inconvenience I may have caused due to lack of blogging.)

It seems like the latest craze these days, besides Pinterest and Twitter is running. I know of several people who are participating in the Cap City Half Marathon this weekend here in Columbus and a handful of others who are running various spring marathons around the region.

So when it comes to actual race day, there seems to be a million things on the pre-race checklist that need to be addressed:

• Did I go to the bathroom?
• Did I eat enough for breakfast?
• Did I eat too much for breakfast?
• Did I train enough?
• Is my iPod charged?
• Is my time chip secured correctly?
• How am I getting to the race?
• Are my chaffing areas protected? (come on, we all know this is addressed)

While all these things are important, there is one very important question that is often overlooked and even forgotten about - especially for beginners.... 

• Am I properly hydrated?

Good question. A lot of people have no clue as to how much water they should drink during the day, before exercise, during exercise or after exercise. Also, a lot of people don't realize that hydration can ultimately be the deciding factor between finishing a race or not finishing a race or even beating a PR. During a race, runners reduce their pace by 2% for each percentage of body weight lost by dehydration. So, for practical application,  let's say you're from Kenya and run a 10K in 35 minutes under normal hydration. Run that same race 4% dehydrated and you could tack on an additional 3 minutes to your time. See? Believe what they say folks... hydration is tres important!
 So this week when you're devising the ultimate playlist for your weekend race, be sure to download some Eminem, and more importantly, follow these tips for staying hydrated for your race:

• Everyday Situations:
• Drink water throughout the day (1/2 oz per pound of body weight)
• Drink smaller amounts every couple hours (drinking your daily amount of water all at once will do nothing good for you, in fact, it may even throw off your body's response to it's thirst mechanism and make you lose even more water - stick to 16oz at a time)
• Have water available at all times
• Avoid carbonated water
• Learn to drink water without swallowing too much air (may cause intestinal gas which is NOT ideal come race day)
• Remember things like coffee, pop and alcohol act as a diuretic, which means they will increase your need for water 

• Race Day
• 3 hours before your race, drink at least 16 oz of water
• 15 minute before your race, drink about 8 oz of water
• If you plan on running for more than an hour (which is likely to happen unless you were mentioned in the practical application above) drink about 10 oz of water every 20 minutes

Keep in mind that just because you finished that race and are wrapped in foil with a heavy medal hanging from your neck, doesn't mean your hydration duties are over. The body takes anywhere from 24-48 hours to properly rehydrate. Don't start the Cinco de Mayo celebrations before drinking lots of water throughout the day... and no, the ice in your margaritas do not count. 

I hope everyone's doubts and questions about water are answered. If not, ask! 

I wish everyone who is racing this spring good luck, and most importantly - have fun!

Stay Healthy and Hydrated,

Anyone running a race this weekend?!

In Your Kitchen

Good Afternoon!

Last weekend I made a trip to Trader Joe's to stock up on things that I find more expensive at your typical Kroger or Giant Eagles. (almonds, peanut butter, cheese, chicken, everything) When I got to cooking later that night, I realized that I unintentionally bought a lot of chicken - hence, the recent influx of chicken recipes. Chicken sometimes has the reputation of being boring and bland and boring, but I'm really excited to share with you guys a very popular meal that can easily be recreated in your very own kitchen...

I was a superwoman blogger while making this dinner, so I have lots of pictures to share and more importantly, to take the place of my attempts to be smart and entertaining. 

So remember when I mentioned a popular meal that could be recreated in your kitchen? (2 lines above.... there ya go) well, that mentioned popular meal was.......

Chipotle Burrito Bowls! 

Cut up some chicken and peppers and then saute them with a little bit of butter and any other spices that your little heart desires. (I stayed pretty basic with some pepper and cumin)

I was a smart little cookie, and cooked up more chicken than I would need for my dinner and then placed what I wasn't using in a container for a quick lunch or dinner during the work week:

While my chicken and veggies were cooking, I made some brown rice with some shakes of cilantro. Had I been a real superwoman, I would have used fresh cilantro... but unfortunately it came from a bottle.

Once everything was good to go, I placed the rice in a bowl with the chicken and pepps on top and then sprinkled some cheese on top:

Followed by lots of fresh salsa from Trader Joe's:

Here it is close up.... yummmm!

And what's a Mexican dish without some avocado:

All together now!!!

This is an excellent meal that contains protein, whole grain carbs, healthy fats, and vegetables... all for a reasonable amount of calories!

Have you ever tried to replicate a favorite dish or meal you've had at a restaurant?

Have a good and healthy weekend guys!

My Go-To Dinner

Morning!

I'll tell ya what, there is nothing worse than waking up at 5am for a morning spinning class, only to get there and find out that the class is already full! I decided to make the most of getting up early and ended up doing a few weight exercises, which are, not by any means, my favorite thing to do, but they sure are important when it comes to building muscle and preventing further skeletal problems down the road.

But anyway, I do have a few extra minutes this morning, and I wanted to share with you guys what I had for dinner last night:

Chicken, brussels sprouts and sweet potato rounds. Yum. 

When I'm not quite sure what I want for dinner, I usually turn to chicken, veggies and some sort of potato. My go to method for preparing chicken comes from a recipe I found years ago in a health magazine. It's easy, tasty and healthy. Check it out:

The topping on the chicken is a basic mixture of 

• 1 tsp olive oil
• 1 tbsp parmesan cheese
• Pepper and garlic salt to taste

Mix all the above ingredients together, and spread, or pat, the cheese mixture on top of raw chicken. I either use 2 chicken tenders or 1 chicken breast and have the perfect amount of topping.

Place on a baking sheet and pop in the oven for about 20 minutes at 400 degrees. 

When I have my oven going, I usually throw the other parts of my meal on the baking sheet as well:

I tossed the brussels sprouts with some olive oil, garlic salt and pepper and the sweet potato with some cinnamon and cumin. You can find the basic recipes of these right here. 

It's a good and easy meal! So next time you're stuck on what to make for dinner, try my go to chicken! 

I tried to play around with the natural light coming in from my kitchen window. I think I should probably stick to nutrition....

Have a good Wednesday guys!

Stay Healthy,

The 411 on Protein.

Hello, hello! Long time, no talk! I'll spare you any sort of excuse as to why I've been MIA in the blog world, and get right to your main reason for visiting Everyday Eating; topics on how to better your health. 


Ready. Set. Here we go. 


This past Friday, I spent my afternoon at the Standard Process office in Westerville, listening to doctors and presenters talk about creative ways to improve the health of patients. (For those of you who aren't familiar with Standard Process, they are a supplement company that sells whole, natural food supplements). I share this little detail of my week with you guys because I left this forum with several ideas and topics that I can't wait to share and discuss on the blog. Awesome, right? Of course it is! So without further adieu, I bring to you, important information regarding.... PROTEIN!


Something that sparked my interest on Friday, was the topic of protein. The actual discussion probably lasted 2 minutes, at most, but it was enough to make me think.

Ask 10 people about protein, and I bet you a cup of coffee that at least 6 of those people will immediately think about protein shakes, bulging bicep muscles and the stereotypical "meat head" image.

Ask those same 10 people, and I bet you another cup of coffee that at least 5 of those people have no idea whether or not they're getting enough protein in their daily diet.

So how much protein do we need on a daily basis?
What happens if you don't get enough protein?
Is there such thing as too much protein?
Lucky for you, I'm answering ALLL those questions...


Daily Protein Amounts.
The RDA suggests that for every kilogram of body weight, you should eat 0.8 grams of protein. For all you illiterate math people (me included) that's about 0.32 grams of protein per pound of body weight. A 120 pound female would need about 38 grams of protein a day. A 210 pound male would need about 67 grams of protein. And as always, more protein may be needed depending on your physical activity.

Not Enough Protein.
Protein helps build new cells and tissue - all cells and tissue - not just muscle. It's the building block for bone, muscle, skin, hair and blood. When your body doesn't get adequate protein, your immune system suffers. You get sick quicker and more often. You feel fatigued and lack energy. Your muscles begin to deteriorate, as will your sleep. In some cases, you may start to feel moody or even depressed if you aren't getting adequate amount of protein in your daily diet.

Too Much Protein.
Too much protein in our daily diets will cause stress on other parts of our body. The excess protein will cause build up of ketones in the body, which will cause the kidneys to be stressed and excrete more water, which will then lead to dehydration, and you don't want dehydration.

Over the weekend I took a look at my typical diet and realized that I don't eat nearly as much protein as I should. In realizing this, I decided to do a little experiment. I made sure to include a good source of protein in each of my 3 meals Saturday and Sunday. I took the less creative route and stuck with chicken, tuna and salmon (typical go-to protein sources). In those 2 days, I noticed I was more full and satisfied after each meal, I snacked less, I fell asleep faster, I stayed asleep throughout the night and I even felt more refreshed throughout the day. Try it! You'll be surprised how much protein you don't eat once you keep track.

I've rambled far too long to go into further info about protein, but I am planning an upcoming post about different sources of protein, and sources not just limited to meat. I know vegetarians sometimes have an awful time trying to enough protein into their diet without going crazy from lack of ideas... so sit tight, I'll have more info in the upcoming weeks :)

Until then.... get your protein in!

Stay Healthy,

Banana Peanut Butter Soft Serve

Happy Hump Day guys!

Hope everyone had a great start to the week... it looks like we're going to have some awesome weather here in Columbus the next couple of days:

So in effort to be completely honest with you guys, ice cream might be one of my favorite foods special treats - and nothing tastes better on a warm spring afternoon, or evening, than a bowl of ice cream, right?

Well, looking up at that forecast for the remainder of the week, it looks like my special treat may be in the cards all 3 nights.... hmmmm. Probably  Definitely not the best of ideas.

Luckily, when that ice cream craving and weekend mentality bombards my brain come Friday night, I'll have this amazing treat to turn to:

Banana Peanut Butter Soft Serve:

Guess what's in this little bowl of goodness?

• Potassium
• Fiber
• Vitamin C
• Iron
• Vitamin E
• Niacin
• Healthy Fats
• Protein

Guess what's NOT in this little bowl of goodness?

• Cholesterol 
• Added Sugar
• Unhealthy Fats

Here's how to make it:

• Place a bowl of 1 banana chopped in the freezer and wait until pieces are frozen
• Place chopped up banana into a blender
• Add a splash of milk
• Add 1/2 tablespoon of peanut butter
• Press blend
• Scoop into bowl and enjoy!
• Add any sort of toppings you want!
• nuts, berries, coconut, or even a little bit of dark chocolate

The above pictures represent 1 banana and 1/2 tablespoon peanut butter. This mixture is about 150 calories.

Enjoy guys!

Stay Healthy,

Salad Dressing

Hellooo Kinetic Nutrition readers!!!

I apologize for my absence from the online world over the past couple days... it's been a whirlwind of a weekend! Dr. Alexander and I were up/down/over in Easton at the Women's Expo all weekend and at the Hoover Hustle 5K and 10K Sunday morning treating runners. Well, he was treating, I was just holding down the fort... literally... there were some gusty winds yesterday!

I have a fun post coming up in the next day or so, but until my flawless pictures are ready to be uploaded, or taken for that matter, I wanted to do a little post in the meantime just so you guys didn't have to go through the agony of yet another day without my wonderful words of wisdom.

So here we go... Salad Dressings.

It's Saturday night.
You and your girlfriends (or bros) are out to dinner.
You're on an awesome high from actually making it to the gym this morning, in time for the 8am spinning class, which you always seem to miss.
After a quick menu scan, the only words that seem to stick in your brain are: bacon cheeseburger and sweet potato fries. Yum.
You take a deep breath.
Gather your composure and further investigate the menu.
After much debate, and input from the peanut gallery sitting at your table, you decide against the burger and fries and opt for the salad in attempts to be healthy.
Congratulations on making a healthy decision! 

..................20 minutes later...................................

Food arrives.
Your large salad sits in front of you.
Without putting much thought into anything, you mindlessly drench your healthy salad with the 4 tubs of ranch dressing strategically placed around your salad plate.
STOP! Your healthy decision just turned TERRIBLE!

Sound all too familiar?

Let me just start by saying that, there is nothing healthy about ranch dressing. Yes, I know, you may hold ranch dressing dear to your heart, but keep eating it and you won't have a heart to hold anything close to (I ended in a preposition, sorry English majors) 


Here are the Stats on Ranch Dressing:

Keep in mind that's just 2 tablespoons. 

So what are some healthier options, you ask?

• Opt for no dressing! A lot of the salads these days have tons of little extras on top. Between the nuts, craisins, avocado and veggies, I can almost guarantee you'll still get plenty of flavor. 
• Cut your amount in half. Okay, okay, so you just physically aren't able to dump the ranch, in that case, use half of what you would normally dump on. 
• Choose a vinaigrette instead. More time than not, it's going to have less calories, less fat and less sugar. 
• Dining at home? Make your own! Dr. A highly recommends this homemade recipe that he always uses:  
• 3 Tbsp. white wine vinegar
• 4 Tbsp. lemon juice
• 1 cup olive oil
• 2 tsp. salt
• ½ tsp. pepper
• 1 tsp. sugar
• 1 tsp. dry mustard
• 5 cloves of garlic (or to taste) 
• Combine all ingredients in a container with a tight fitting lid.  Shake vigorously.  Refrigerate until ready to use.

Anyone out there have an addiction problem to ranch dressing? Your own special dressing? Let us know!

Stay Healthy,

The Dating World

I'll tell ya what, life as a 25 year old is tough...

But life as a single 25 year old in the active dating world is especially tough.
Allow me to elaborate.

I've been on many, many dates in the past couple years, and in effort to keep personal details, well, personal, we're going to keep that little insight into my life at that. I know, I know, juicy gossip is always fun, but this is "Everyday Eating" not "Everyday Dating."

Anyways, getting back to the topic of discussion.

On these dates I've been on, I can confidently say that 95% of those dates involved alcohol and/or food. Whether it's blamed on lack of ideas or the notion that a drink or two will ease any first-date jitters, at some point over the course of the date, calories are typically consumed. And while you all probably know by now that I am definitely, 100% in support of enjoying an occasional alcoholic beverage or two, or succumbing to an ice cream cone should the occasion arise, but what I'm not for is mindlessly "throwing back" multiple cheap beers over the course of a couple hours, multiple times a week, which, let's face it, has high probability of happening.

It goes without saying that everyone would benefit from a change of pace when it comes to dating activities, and this doesn't have to be strictly aimed towards couples. I can recount several occasions when my girlfriends and I wanted something to do and ended up getting drinks and inevitably consuming way more calories than needed. So with that being said, I was more than ecstatic when I opened my email yesterday morning and found this little gem sitting in my inbox:"20 Fun Date Ideas That Burn Calories."

girl power. 

I'll let you guys do most of the in depth investigating,
but here are the Date Ideas:

1. Volunteer
2. Go Dancing
3. Play a Sport
4. Learn How to Rock Climb
5. Go Bowling
6. Be Tourists
7. Have an Active Game Night
8. Visit an Orchard
9. Play Laser Tag
10. Make a Healthy Meal
11. Run or Walk a 5K
12. Take a Workout Class
13. Plan Trees
14. Walk a Dog
15. Go Skating
16. Go Window Shopping
17. Go Fishing
18. Play Bar Games
19. Take a Hike
20. Ride a Bike

And again, these don't have to be specifically for dating... next time you and your buddy are bored, don't always resort to happy hour. Go bowling instead. Play some tennis outside. Volunteer to walk dogs and hit two birds with one stone. The options are endless. 

Do you guys have any more suggestions?

Attend a sporting event. With the newer stadium downtown, the Columbus Clippers is an awesome date idea, and you can usually find special deals on tickets. Just remember to stick to 1 hot dog on Dime-a-Dog nights. 

What is the last active thing you did with a friend or significant other?

The driving range and throwing a football are always my favorite. 

Stay Healthy, (and Active!)