I Like Pizza!

I had pizza for dinner last night. I had pizza because I like pizza… A LOT! In fact, I seldom go more than a week without it. I like pizza so much that even though I just had some for dinner, writing this post is making me hungry for more pizza.

So why, as a personal trainer, am I telling you about my obsession for this terribly unhealthy food?

Because,

Wait for it…

Pizza can be good for you!

Now I’m not talking about calorie ridden, artery clogging, double five cheese, pepperoni, sausage, pan pizza with ranch dipping sauce (even though that sounds great), but pizza doesn’t need all those extra’s to be delicious.

Let’s take a look at the ingredients of a veggie and cheese pizza and some of the benefits that come with them:

Mozzarella cheese –
Cheese can be a great source of protein and calcium. While calcium goes to strengthening our bones, the protein is used to build and repair muscle tissue. When possible, look for low-fat cheese.

Pizza sauce –
Lycopenes are a natural substance found in tomatoes. They can be used as an antioxidant and are shown to prevent prostate cancer and protect against heart disease. Tomato sauce is actually a better form of Lycopene than the tomato itself, as the processing of the sauce enables easier absorption into the body.

Vegetables –
If you struggle getting your recommended daily intake of vegetables, this is a great way to go about it. Onions, peppers, mushrooms, artichokes, spinach, and broccoli are all great choices for pizza toppings. If you don’t know the benefits of them by now, I’m afraid this post won’t help.

Crust –
In most cases, you will be hard pressed to find a pizza with a healthy crust when ordering out. However, if you are creative in the kitchen, here is a link to a whole grain crust you can make from home http://tinyurl.com/npxcov. Do this and you will have the added benefit of fiber in your pizza.

So there you have it; America’s favorite snack food made guilt free. Enjoy!

Blow it Up!


Marc Nespoli
www.fitnessforlifenetwork.com
marc@fitnessforlifenetwork.com

Spice up Your Life

When dieting, people often fall into the trap of eating the same old boring and bland meals over and over again. This in turn leads to more cheat meals until finally falling off the wagon altogether.

One way to shake things up, without adding extra calories to your meals, is through the strategic addition of Herbs and Spices.

Herbs and Spices not only add a much needed flavor and variety boost to your meals, but they may also be beneficial to your health.

Basil, Red Pepper, and Cinnamon are all an anti-inflammatory. Cayenne, Paprika, and Chili all help improve circulation. Rosemary stimulates your immune system while Poppy Seed is shown to stimulate your appetite.

Those are just a few of many benefits to using Herbs and Spices as part of your daily diet. I specially order all of my spices from Spices Inc. They have a great selection of Organics and Salt Free seasonings. Take a look and get what works for you.


Burn it Up!

Marc Nespoli

You can't out train bad eating habits

On a daily basis I meet and consult with people that speak about a plateau in their weightloss or exercise program that they can't seem to break. In my experience, it usually has to do with one of three things; if not all of them: 1. Performing the same strength routine over and over again 2. Poor eating habits or 3. Too much cardio training.

With an overabundance of poor food chooses gawking at us on every street corner and time being more valuable than ever, eating properly and being efficient with our workouts is vitally important to leading a healthy life. Check out this video by world renowned fat-loss guru Craig Ballantyne, Craig races a pizza.

There are two valuable lessons to be learned from this video.

Number one is that regardless of how hard you train, if you are eating poorly, you will never attain the level of health and fitness you are striving for. Remember, you can't out train bad eating habits.

Number two is that cardio is not the end all be all. In fact, most people spend far too much time on CARDIO, while neglecting what will truly burn more body fat and raise your metabolism - STRENGTH TRAINING!

If your trying to get into shape for the summer or wedding season and have hit a plateau, go to Buff Dudes and Hot Chicks for a four week muscle building/fat burning workout plan.

Burn it Up!


Marc Nespoli