Best (and worst) Snacks

You see the word “healthy” everywhere today and hear it a thousand times a day from people who are trying to make improvements to their life. Yet, what one person considers healthy is different from someone else’s standards. More importantly, what the best personal trainers consider healthy is often very different from what the average person believes is healthy.

The problem is that so many foods have a mix of healthy and not-so-healthy attributes. Most people start getting healthier by making substitutions to something healthier than what they typically eat. The problem is the healthier version is still not very healthy according to many of the personal trainers who are experts in healthy eating.

To help make sense of it all, let’s discuss some of the best and worst healthy snacks. Snacks are supposed to revive your energy and keep you feeling satisfied between meals so they have to increase satiety and energy without leading to a sugar crash or making you feel bloated and stuffed.

The Best Snacks

Here are five ideas for healthy snacks that even experienced personal trainers working at the most elite private personal training gyms in NYC would recommend:

1. Fresh fruit or veggies

2. An apple with all natural almond butter or raw almonds.

3. Hummus with celery sticks or baby carrots

4. Fresh berries with almonds

5. Whole grain turkey or chicken wrap

Notice that these healthy snacks do not include sugar or artificial sweeteners and coloring. The focus is on natural food selections such as fresh produce, natural almond butter and (wheat-free) whole grains. You can consume some processed foods while eating healthy snacks, but the less processing and packaging the healthier it is going to be.

Personal trainers like whole, fresh foods because they deliver more nutrients to the body which means more energy and better performance during workouts. It also means better progress toward weight loss and fitness goals.

The Worst Snacks

Walk into the best private personal training gyms in NYC and these are some things you will not see sitting around or being recommended by the personal trainers:

1. 100 calorie packs of cookies

2. Packaged kid meals like Lunchables

3. Breaded chicken

4. Lunch meat, cheese, and mayo on white bread

Cookies are loaded with sugar and offer absolutely no nutritional value to your body. They will crash your energy, rather than pumping you up! Even if you control your intake to 100 calories, they are bad for your body.

Lunchables and sandwiches on white bread are very high in fat and condiments can often add in tons more fat. Lunchables and similar prepackaged products are processed to the point very few nutrients actually remain in the food. Plus, those things will never keep you feeling full for very long!

Many people fall into the pattern of thinking chicken is good for you, but when it is breaded it can be extremely high in fat. When it is sandwiched on white refined bread, it is even worse.

When trying to select snacks that even the strictest personal trainers would approve, think of how natural your options are. You want to cut out the options that are more processed and focus on those that are offer more natural vitamins, minerals, antioxidants, and other nutrients.

When you choose the healthiest snacks possible you will feel better, look better, and perform better in the gym.

It is incredibly difficult to get yourself to workout after a hard day of work or dealing with the children, but what if it is the only realistic time you have to burn some calories and get rid of that extra flab? Personal trainers hear all the excuses and understand all the dilemmas from clients complaining about evening workout schedules and trying to explain away missed sessions.

The difficulties trying to get yourself to actually workout in the evening are completely understandable, but they don’t have to ruin your efforts to lose weight, tone up, or otherwise improve your life and your body. The following are some basic tips to help get your body in motion for that after-work workout!

Make it Routine

If you do the same thing at the same time day after day, it will eventually become routine. You will start to do it without thinking much about it, which means doing it without excuses! If you can determine a specific time that you will workout after work and do it daily for a solid week it will start to feel a bit like second nature. Do it for two weeks straight and you will feel it is routine and the excuses should be out the door.

Join a Personal Training Gym in NYC

Personal training gyms in NYC are different from regular gyms because all members come in to work with personal trainers for scheduled appointments. Since you actually have a personal trainer waiting for you to show up you can’t easily tell yourself that you’ll “just go tomorrow.” You have paid for the sessions. Your personal trainers are waiting for you. There is more incentive to show up! When you join a personal training gym in NYC you are guaranteeing that you will workout after work at least a couple days a week. You will still be able to workout from home on other days, if not having to travel is easier for you.

Make it Fun

Exercise doesn’t have to be boring or difficult. If you find something that you really enjoy doing it will be much easier to make yourself do it. Spend some time trying out different workout tapes or head to the gym and try out all the different equipment. If you can afford to hire a personal trainer for just one session they will be able to introduce you to a variety of different workout options that you might enjoy.Try out some group exercise classes. Go for an outdoor fitness boot camp class in NYC one night and Pilates or yoga the next. You never know what you will find enjoyable until you try it.

Reward Yourself

Set small rewards that can be collected after each full week of exercising every evening consistently. Try to make the rewards fitness related, such as a new pair of cross trainer shoes, workout clothes, or a new fitness DVD.

Out of all these recommendations, joining a personal training gym in NYC so you have access to skilled personal trainers is the best one. Not only does this help get you out the door for your after-work workout, but it ensures that your workouts are going to be effective so you really see results. Seeing those changes in your body will serve as constant motivation to keep you going for those after-work sessions!

The core of your body includes not only your abdominals, but your back and pelvic region as well. The reason why the best personal trainers in NYC often focus on strengthening these muscles is because every movement that you make throughout your lifetime will depend on strength in the core. Stronger core muscles reduce your risk of injuring your back or hips during every day activities, through exercise, or when participating in sports and other activities.

The following are the top 6 core exercises often used by personal trainers to strengthen the core.

1. Plank

Go into push up position with arms bent at 90 degrees and flat on the ground. Make sure arms are parallel to each other and shoulder width apart. Make sure your elbows are in line with shoulders and prevent your buttocks from pushing up toward the ceiling. Your weight should balance on your toes and arms with your body in one straight line. For an easier modified version some personal trainers may allow you to lower your knees to the ground.

2. Superman

Lie on your stomach with your legs together and arms stretched out above your head straight. Lift arms and legs all up together, arching your back to bring them up. Hold for a few seconds and then lower to the ground and repeat.

3. Swimmers

Lay face down on the floor and raise opposite arm and leg up at the same time. Hold for a few seconds then lower and repeat with the other arm and leg. Keep your head in a comfortable position and don’t strain to raise it with your limbs. Personal trainers will often combine this movement with the superman pose.

4. Ab Twists

Stand up straight and hold your arms out at your sides. You can also do this one holding a large exercise ball in your arms in front of you. Twist from the waist, bringing one arm all the way over to meet the other arm (second arm doesn’t move) and then rotate back in the other direction. If using a ball, simply twist it side to side with the movement coming from the waist. Your hips should remain stable throughout the movement.

5. Ball Crunches

You can do standard crunches on the floor, but it is a lot safer and more comfortable to perform them on an exercise ball. Lay across the ball to perform regular crunches with hands on your temples so that your don’t pull on your  neck. Focus on working your ab muscles.

6. Unstable Motions

Here’s a trick that personal trainers use but which most people never think of doing. You can build up strength in your core while strengthening other areas of the body if you stand on an unstable surface while doing it. For instance, you can do bicep curls with dumbbells while standing on a Bosu ball or push-ups with one arm up on a higher surface. These movements put your body off center and your core muscles will have to work to keep you stable.

These exercises should get you started toward your personal fitness goals, but there are many secrets of personal training that can only be discovered by working with a personal trainer. If you want to see real changes in your body in as little time as possible, consult with one of our top personal trainers at our private personal training gym in NYC for more info.