By Blake Dykes

When it comes to being fit, many people often think, “I’m going to workout 24/7 and get in the best shape of my life.” But they don’t realize becoming healthy is 20 percent working out and 80 percent eating right.

With this being said, what is eating right? Living off salads, rice cakes, and fish? Wrong. Eating right is a combination having a variety of foods throughout the day, in moderation. Start by eating some of the foods listed below.

1. Greek yogurt: I prefer Chobani. There are no added sugars,  it is made with real fruits, and extremely lean. Greek yogurt is a great idea for breakfast or a snack. It helps your metabolism get started and burns fat. Make sure that when you look for some you read all the ingredients. Just because it looks healthy doesn’t mean that it is, most yogurt can have up to 28 grams of sugar! You want to buy yogurt sweetened with natural sugars such as cane juice.

2. Homemade Oatmeal: Sounds complicated but it takes about two minutes to make. Combine ½ to ¾ cup of plain oats, one small packet of Stevia (natural zero calorie sweetener), two tablespoons of  PB2, 1 tsp cinnamon, and ¼ cup of almond milk. Cook for two minutes, and add milk as needed. Normal oatmeal is always one of those things that people get tricked into thinking are healthy. Unfortunately, it is just another one of those foods that gets packed with sugar. By making your own you are cutting out all of the sugar by replacing it with zero calorie Stevia and cinnamon to add to the taste. PB2 is peanut butter powder, which is plain peanuts crushed up without the added oils. So instead of peanut butter’s 180 calories for two Tbsp, PB2 has 45 calories.  Almond milk is always a better alternative than 2% milk because it is much lower in fat. Instead of ⅓ cup for 130 calories, you can have one cup of almond milk for 60. Plus, it tastes much better.

3. Humus with crackers/carrots: Hummus’s simple ingredients consisting of chickpeas, sesame butter, lemon juice, salt, and garlic or peppers makes it an excellent idea for lunch. Enjoy it with some whole wheat crackers of your choice. If you’re trying to cut out the carbs carrots are also an excellent choice. You can also use humus on your sandwich instead of the other high fat condiments.

4. Fruit trays:  The more you load on your plate, the more satisfied you’re going to be. So instead of bingeing on a bag of Lay’s, get a good-sized plate and fill it with fruit of your choice. My favorite combination is strawberries, blackberries, raspberries, and pineapple. Add ¼ cup of feta cheese (surprisingly excellent with fruit), ¼ cup of raw almonds, pecans, pistachios, or walnuts, then drizzle one Tbs of honey over the tray and enjoy!

5. Toasted pecans: This is my favorite snack of all times. So maybe raw nuts aren’t really your thing. Which is totally fine, I’m not the biggest fan myself, but, roasting them can give them a whole new taste. Buy a bag of raw nuts (you can find them in the fruit section;however, sometimes those are very expensive, so for a smaller bag you can go in the baking aisle and buy a bag). NOT CANNED. Canned have tons of unhealthy oils that your body doesn’t need. NEVER buy canned nuts, when in doubt buy bags, or just make sure the only ingredient is the nut. Once you have purchased your nuts, preheat the oven to 375 degrees. Pour the whole bag onto a pan, coat the pan in a tiny bit of olive oil. I usually just pour some in a napkin and wipe the pan down. Then, sprinkle with salt. Bake them anywhere from 8-15 minutes. It all depends on how you like them, the more you cook them, the darker they become. When they are really dark they taste like popcorn, if you cook them for around eight minutes you can still identify the nut, it just has a marvelous toasted taste. I really like both.

Those are just a few ideas that you can begin to incorporate into your diet.

But don’t get off the computer just yet, you still have some working out to do.

Inner thigh slimmer/glute toner:

• 20 squats*

• 40 calf raises

• 1-minute wall sit

• 2-minute step ups (you can use a folding chair)

• 25 plank jacks

• 15 side lunges (each leg)

• 15 reverse lunges (each side)*

• 20 pile squats*

• 20 donkey kicks (each side)

• 45 hip lifts

Tips:

• Using 10-15 pound weights with exercises with the * next to will help maximize your results.

• Repeat circuit 1-3 times.

• If you are unfamiliar with a workout you can type in the name on YouTube for the demonstration.

• Stretch before each workout.

Comment with any questions regarding the workouts or recipes. If you would like to see a workout for a specific muscle, or if you would like to see a certain recipe comment as well.