GirlFit girls going 'bananas'!!

The GirlFit girls at Paul Revere Middle School are not only receiving nutrition tips each week, they are also given a weekly food and challenged to come up with a healthy recipe. The first food challenge was bananas!! And not only did these girls exceed our expectations; some actually went out with their parents to get healthy ingredients so they could actually make the recipe, try it and then share it with the rest of the girls. We took 3 of the healthy, simple and oh so delicious recipes and thought we would share them.

1. Banana Smoothie

1 Large Banana
1 cup skim milk (can use almond milk if prefer non-dairy)
1 cup crushed ice

**Put all ingredients in blender, mix & enjoy!

2. Banana, Berry Parfait

1/2 cup Vanilla Greek yogurt
1 Banana
1-3 Strawberries sliced or diced
*Can add some healthy granola or almonds for some crunch
*Can also add raspberries, blueberries or any other fruit if desired







3. Banana Bread
3 mashed ripe bananas
1 cup sugar
1 tsp vanilla

1/4 cup vegetable oil
1/2 cup sour cream
2 eggs (well beaten)
1 1/2 cup flour
1 tsp baking powder
1 tsp baking soda
1/2 tsp salt

Preheat oven to 325. Grease a 9x5 inch loaf pan
In large bowl beat together the bananas and sugar with electric mixer. Add the vanilla and oil, beat and then add the sour cream and eggs.
Once combined mix in all the dry ingredients (flour, baking powder, soda and salt)
Once ingredients are mixed together pour in greased pan.
Bake approximately 1 hour or until a tooth pick comes out clean

***To make this recipe even healthier...you can substitute the oil and sour cream for Greek yogurt.
Use brown rice or whole wheat flour and instead of sugar use natural sweetener or applesauce.
Another way to add extra banana flavor is by using a box of Jello sugar-free, fat free, banana instant pudding


Thank you to all the GirlFit girls for these great recipes!! We will definitely be posting more of their recipes as they come

Inspiration for the week

Exercises to get Killer Legs

A toned body is the new HOT opposed to a non-muscular body these days. I mean you work out to be healthy and in shape; with that usually comes a toned, muscular body which is so much hotter than a plain twig body.  When you wear short shorts or skinny jeans there is nothing better than seeing the muscle definition that appears on your legs...to us that means a job well done on your workouts!! We have four exercises that will help you achieve killer legs! Add these to your workouts or do them on their own and with a healthy eating plan you should see results in no time!


1. Walking lunges
Instead of doing lunges standing in place. Walk across the room doing lunges, make sure to go slow and watch your form to avoid injury. 

2. Split Squats
These are killer, but SO worth it! On a bench or chair, place one leg behind you with the other leg forward almost in a lunge position. Slowly squat down and push up quick to really use your muscles

3. Step ups
On a block, chair, bench or whatever...step up with one foot and then return to the floor. Make sure you switch feet/legs or if not make sure you are doing the same amount of reps for both legs

4. Side lunges
Standing straight forward, feet shoulder  width apart;  take a wide lunging step to the side. It almost seems like you are doing a wide leg squat but your leg is straight instead of bent. Really squeeze your booty when you return to the starting position.

 

Why drinking Green Tea is beneficial

If you haven't already heard, yes its true, drinking green tea is very beneficial to your overall health. Besides being tasty, calorie free and inexpensive; Green tea has various benefits such as having antioxidant, antiviral, anti-inflammatory and anticavity properties. Whether you drink this beverage warm or cold, with caffeine or caffeine-free, mixed into a smoothie or plain...by drinking at least an 8oz glass a day you are contributing to an overall healthy YOU!!! Here are some reasons why we recommend drinking green tea:

1. Helps Stimulate your Metabolism
Green tea has one particular antioxidant EGCG, which has the ability to speed up your metabolism and in turn lead to weight loss. When EGCG is combined with caffeine (naturally found in green tea), it stimulates the central nervous system and releases fat into the blood stream, so that our body can use the fat as fuel. Using fat as fuel, involves the production of extra energy, gets rid of excess water and burns body fat.

2. Improves Exercise Endurance
The catechin polyphenols found in green tea will stimulate your muscle cells and liver to use more fatty acids. Which results to your body using carbohydrates at a much slower rate. When we have more carbs in our body, we can exercise for a longer period of time without getting tired and burn more calories.

3. Benefits Oral Health
Tea has natural fluoride which is great for your teeth but green tea also has polyphenols and catechins which are associated with killing bacteria. By doing this, the tea is said to reduce tooth-decay, bad breath and gum disease.

4. Bone Health
Routine tea drinking is said to help reduce the risk of bone fractures. The thought is that the antioxidant and anti-inflammatory components help reduce the risk of fractures and increase the activity of bone building cells

5. Helps Prevent Certain Cancers
The catechins found in tea are thought to prevent cell mutation, deactivate certain carcinogens and reduce the formation and growth of tumors. Which in turn is said to be beneficial in preventing breast, pancreatic, prostate, stomach, bladder, lung, esophageal, colorectal cancers.

6. Heart Health & Cholesterol Reducer
Drinking green tea is thought to reduce your risk of heart attack, strokes and reduce your cholesterol level. It can protect the heart arteries by keeping them flexible and relaxed and better able to withstand the changes in our blood pressure.

What we recommend:
*Buy Green Tea, tea bags. Follow the instruction on the box but basically you will boil water and set the tea bags in the boiling water for a minimum of 5 minutes.
*You can drink the tea warm or once it has cooled add ice and make 'iced green tea'
*If you aren't a fan of plain green tea try one of the many different flavors
*If you want the benefits but just can't stand the taste...put some frozen berries, green tea and ice in a blender and have a green tea smoothie

GirlFit News

                              

 

GirlFit 2013 fall session is now underway! Tuesday marked the start of another year at John Revere Middle School and we were so pumped when we showed up & 21 girls were ready to 'Unleash their Strong'!! GirlFit has made a few changes this year in which their curriculum and program will be geared towards helping the girls unleash their strengths and abilities. Goal setting, Yoga, Dance, Nutrition and newly added GirlFit Olympics are what this semester holds for the girls involved. We look forward to working with all of these fabulous girls and will keep you posted on how each amazing girl will find their inner strengths!

Full Body Complete Go-To Workout

Sometimes just the thought of getting dressed, driving or walking to the gym and then, thinking of what you're going to do once you actually get to the gym can seem well...exhausting! Yes, you are ALWAYS glad once you are done with your workout and feel 100 times better than before you worked out :) So to eliminate the 'thought of what workout to do'; we have a complete go-to workout you can do at the gym or at home, that will leave you feeling absolutely fabulous! So, here is one workout you can count on this week and if you like it...every week to come. Happy sweating!

25 Jump Squats
20 Chest Press @ 5-8lb dumbbells
20 Triceps Extensions laying on your back
20 Full Sit-ups (keep legs straight)                              
20 Chest Flys @ 5-8lbs dumbbells
20 Dips (on a bench)
20 Plie squats to Back Lunge

Do 2-3 times through

12 Plank Rows @ 5-10lb dumbbells
12 Lat Pull downs  30-40lbs
12 Rows @10lbs
12 Side Step-ups

Do 2 times

100 Crunches of your choice

Healthy Cookies!!!

Have you had a cookie craving lately?? If so, I'm sure you are not the only person. When you are trying to stay healthy and on track; sometimes the thought of a cookie can seem SO WRONG but yet so tempting and irresistible! We have come across a few healthy cookie recipes that will not kill your healthy eating habits but makes you feel like you are really indulging your sweet tooth. Just remember moderation is the key ;)

Peanut Butter Oatmeal Cookies

1/2 cup brown sugar
1/2 cup peanut butter (you can use chunky or creamy)
1 egg
1 1/4 cups of Quick Cooking Oatmeal
1/2 tsp baking soda
1/4 cup raisins (optional)
1/2 cup semi-sweet or dark chocolate chips (optional)

Preheat oven to 350
Mix Peanut butter and brown sugar together in a bowl with a large spoon. Once combined, add in egg. Then add oats and baking soda. Once all ingredients are combined you can add in your raisins and/or chocolate chips until evenly incorporated. On a greased cookie sheet; take a spoonful sized dough ball and flatten once on the cookie sheet. Bake cookies for 7-9 minutes until slightly brown around the edges. Let stand for 5 minutes and Enjoy!!

Skinny Chunky Monkey Cookies      

3 ripe bananas
2 cups of quick cooking oatmeal
1/4 cup peanut butter
1/4 cup cocoa powder (preferably unsweetened)
1/3 cup unsweetened applesauce
1 tsp vanilla

Preheat oven to 350
Mash bananas in a bowl until you have barely any chunks left.  Add the rest of the ingredients and stir until combined. Let sit for about 20 minutes. Then drop teaspoon sized dough balls onto an ungreased cookie sheet. Bake 10-12 minutes



Raspberry Oatmeal Cookie Bars                 
1/2 cup packed light brown sugar
1 cup all purpose flour
1/4 tsp baking soda
1/8 tsp salt
1 cup oatmeal
1/2 cup butter, softened
3/4 cup seedless raspberry jam or preserves (can use sugar free)

Preheat oven to 350. Grease an 8in. square pan
Combine brown sugar, flour, baking soda, salt and oats. Rub in softened butter using a fork or your hands until you get a crumbly mixture. Press about 3/4 of the mixture onto the bottom of the pan. Spread jam over the pressed 'crust' within about 1/4 inch of the edge. Sprinkle the remaining crumb mixture over the top and lightly press down into the jam.
Bake for 35-40 minutes or until lightly browned. Allow to cool before cutting into bars.
**Tastes just like a pop tart!!

Keep your summer hair year round

Today, as Labor Day ends we all know that summer is officially coming to an end (wah) and fall is right around the corner. But just because we may be trading in our cute tanks and favorite summer shorts doesn't mean your awesome "straight from the beach or pool" hairdo has to be tossed in the closet until next summer. We have taken some great tips from one of our GirlFit girls, who shares how to achieve the beloved beach waves we all strive for lets admit...all year long! So if you are preparing for your school pictures or just want to try out this beautiful hairdo try her tips. If you're going for the full natural look...pair this hairdo with some bronzer, mascara and a little lip gloss and taaadaaa you have enhanced your beautiful self!

 

"My hair is usually really frizzy and looks uncombed even though I comb it. Since I had to

take a picture that everyone would see I decided to do something different with my hair,
so I look presentable.
I decided to use sea salt spray to make my hair have a surfer girl feeling to it. I like to
take showers at night so right after the shower without drying my hair I put it in a braid
and go to bed. When I wake-up my hair is still a tad bit damp. The first thing I do is take
my hair out of the braid and spray the sea salt underneath my hair and on top. Then I
scrunch my hair and the curls become visible. Lastly I take my "bangs" and pull them
back with 2 bobby pins. And it's perfect.
If it doesn't look the way you want it just scrunch some more"

~Katie