micronutrients

7 Pieces of Common Fitness Advice that are Completely Wrong

Posted on November 28, 2017 by LetlerFit

I did another one of these posts a while back, but today I wanted to bring you a different set of Fitness Myths:

Fasted Cardio is Highly Effective: Numerous studies on this matter are inconclusive on whether or not the benefits to fasted cardio outweigh the risk of glycogen depletion, light headedness, catabolism etc. Eating the correct nutrients before your workout is what give you energy, contributes to fat loss, and makes for a more effective workout. Fasted cardio makes you think you’re working harder but its because your rate of perceived exertion is increased due to your body running on fumes.
Anyone can excel at whatever sport they want: Actually we are all born with specific muscle fibers. Elite sprinters probably won’t be seen winning a marathon…different fiber type composition. Baseball pitchers probably won’t be seen winning gold as an olympic lifter. Get your feet wet in a variety of sports and your body can tell you, which sports it was best meant to play, but not everyone is physically capable of becoming an olympian and don’t beat yourself up over it!
Push through injuries: The common walk it off mentality is AWFUL. Sharp shooting pain is how our body signals us something is not right and unless you’re fighting in a career altering match or running in the finals at the olympics, injuries are not something you should just “walk off.”
Avoid Cardio to Make Gains: While excessive cardio is not good for the gains, we should all be doing some form of cardiovascular as the immunological, improved performance, increased recovery, and sooo many other benefits.
Go 100% Every Single Day: Our body NEEDS rest, for some it’s in the form of active rest, but it is considered rest nonetheless….if we expect our body to perform at 100 everyday there is no time for your muscles to repair and grow. Not allowing for proper recovery also increases stress levels in our body which can lead to gut inflammation and illness.
Squats Are Bad For your Knees: Bad form is bad for your knees. Squats are an incredibly effective compound exercise, I use them often for even my elderly clients.
Ab Exercises are What Give you Abs: Did you know some people with 6 packs don’t do a single crunch, russian twist, or sit up? Shocking I know. While those exercises may contribute to enhancing a reduced waistline brought on by clean diet…they are not necessary. A heavy squat, properly lunge paired with a medicine ball rotation, even a bent over row are highly effective exercises for your abs. Genetics and diet go a longer way in improving the appearance of your abdomen.

Learn more about the best online fitness program which includes comprehensive programs focused on shifting towards healthier eating habits, staying fit, and building a better booty. You’ll also find a variety of fitness apparel to help get you that extra motivation to take your goals to another level. Contact me today to learn more about the best fitness programs available to get your body in gear.

LetlerFit Black Friday is HERE!

Posted on November 24, 2017November 24, 2017 by LetlerFit

Our favorite holiday shopping day is HERE and we are not disappointing! Have you had your eye on any of our leggings, shorts, capris, or tanks? Today only, 50% off on all apparel! Here’s what that looks like:

Leggings: were $64.99, NOW $32.49
Capris: were $54.99, NOW $27.49
Shorts: were $44.99, NOW $22.49
Tanks: were $24.99, NOW $12.49

Have any questions about sizing? feel free to leave a comment or e-mail LetlerFit@gmail.com! Ends TONIGHT 11/24/17 at 11:59PM EST

Code: BLACKFRIDAY

Shop NOW!

10 Simple Diet Mistakes that make your Calorie Counting to be far Less Effective

Posted on November 21, 2017 by LetlerFit

Mistake #1: Calories are not created equally. 200 calories in chocolate is not nearly as dense as 200 calories in a colorful salad with protein. We need more good quality calories that bad quality calories in order to lose weight
Mistake #2: You are forgetting about macronutrients. Carbohydrates, fats, and proteins make up calories. Carbs and protein yield 4 calories per gram while fats yield 9 calories per gram. The goal is to eat the correct amount of each eating 1400 calories out of your 1800 calorie day in just one macronutrient is not good. Each macronutrient has a purpose and requirement in our body.
Mistake #3: You are forgetting about Micronutrients. While a donut does contain carbs, fat, and protein (usually 1-2g), the calories are empty. When you consume food the goal is to look at food and think “What kind of energy is this going to give me? and what kinds of vitamins and minerals will it give me?” Vitamins and Minerals are equally as important as macronutrients….the good news is they do NOT directly add to the calorie count.
Mistake #4: Consuming too many calories. Trying to lose weight? At the end of the day weight loss is having less calories in versus calories out. Meaning we need to eat less than what our body burns in activities each day.
Mistake #5: Not consuming enough calories. Trying to gain weight? You need to be consuming more than what your body burns in activities each day.
Mistake #6: Most people do not know how many calories they should even be consuming. Advice: My fitness pal does a decent job at giving you calorie needs based on goals and activity.
Mistake #7: Overestimating calories burned while exercising. The calories the machine tells you, is wayyyyyyyy more than reality because it goes off of the machines RPM and not your body’s work.
Mistake #8: Assuming all lasagna at a restaurant is the same. Luckily most restaurants are registered with my fitness pal and give you calorie, macronutrient, and micronutrient breakdown. However, when a food from a menu does not pop up, it’s hard to find an exact match as recipe and portion size really make a difference.
Mistake #9: No Plan. Meal prepping is a must!! I know my entire week’s menu before it has even started…helps me stay focused and organized. Plus i control what goes into my food and then it becomes easier to track if need be.
Mistake #10: Drinking calories. Most people have no necessity for juices. Skip the liquid calories and go for water!

Eat Pretty: A Book Review

Posted on November 17, 2017November 17, 2017 by LetlerFit

I just got done reading this book by Jolene Hart, entitled Eat Pretty. I definitely give this one an A in the category of educating those who have no formal education in nutrition.

We are always taught that choosing healthy foods leads to weight loss and overall a more “attractive” physique. Some people are lucky enough to get taught that good nutrition helps prevent or control diseases such as hypertension, diabetes, heart disease, etc. Very few people are actually taught how the foods we eat affect our complexion.

This book does an excellent job at classifying the foods that give acne, skin rashes, and more as beauty betrayers, while those those that promote a healthy complexion are deemed beauty foods. The other great job the other did was classifying the foods by season, because as most of us know, not all foods are available year round.

The other also dedicated a section to non-nutritional factors that may affect our weight and complexion like stress, sleep, water, and hormone function. Factors many people tend to look.

My favorite part about this book is how the author goes into how she perceives balance, which to me is the most important. So many books stress restriction and don’t that they miss the overall point of a balanced lifestyle.

If you are interested in learning what foods and how they contribute to our radiant skin, I definitely recommend you Buy the book here, you won’t regret it!

7 Plant Based Foods That Help Promote Healthy Bones

Posted on October 26, 2017October 26, 2017 by LetlerFit

Research has found that diets rich in whole foods, specifically potassium, magnesium, vitamin D, high quality protein, and calcium make for healthier bones. With the plant based diet gaining more popularity I’d thought I’d share 7 foods that are great for healthy bones and vegan! Building strong bones doesn’t just come from milk and cheese!

Spinach
Fortified Cereal
Collard Greens
Bok Choy
Sweet Potato
Grape Fruit
Figs

6 Meals That Are Quick To Make And Healthy To Eat

Posted on October 19, 2017 by LetlerFit

Eating healthy doesn’t have to be difficult or time consuming. Most of my personal meals I bulk prep them for about 6 meals each and the total prep for meal is about 15-30 minutes and I have lunch for 6 days! Here are 6 Recipes, you can find more on my @SnackLikeLetler Instagram! Also on my Snack Like Letler E-Book!

1. •Ingredients: 2/3c Italian Couscous, 1 Quinoa Burger, 1 Mushroom, 1/4 Orange Bell Pepper, 1/4 Tomato, Parsley, Herbs de Provence, Bay Leaves, Salt, Garlic Seasoning, Cayenne Seasoning, Avocado Oil
  •Directions:
  1. Put Couscous into a pot, add Parsley, Herbs de provence, Bay Leaves, and salt to taste. Add 1.5c water and boil

2. While couscous is boiling turn oven to 350 degrees and bake quinoa burger for 10 min
3. In a separate pan sauté Bell Pepper, Mushroom, and tomato in avocado oil. Season with garlic and cayenne
4. Once couscous is ready mix in sautéed veggies
5. After veggies have been mixed in, break a part the quinoa burger and mix it into the couscous
6. Enjoy!!! This was my pre-workout meal

3. •Ingredients: 1 Salmon Fillet, 1c Quinoa & Brown Rice, 1/2 Tomato, 1/2 onion, Cayenne Seasoning, Garlic Seasoning, Cumin Seasoning, Salt, 1/2 TBSP Sesame Seeds
•Directions:
1. Pour 1/2c of Brown Rice & Quinoa into pot & add salt to taste before adding water and boiling2. Dice onion & tomato.
3. Season vegetables with cayenne & garlic
4. When brown rice & quinoa is ready mix in vegetables and pour in sesame seeds
5. Pre-heat oven to 350 degrees F
6. Season salmon with garlic, cayenne, & cumin
7. Cook in over 12 minutes
8. Serve with 1 Haas Avocado

4. •Ingredients: 2oz of Dry Edamame Pasta, 1/4 tomato, 1/4 onion, 1/4 orange bell pepper, 2/3c Broccoli, Cilantro to taste, salt to taste, Italian seasoning to taste, 4 Mushrooms, 1/2 Haas Avocado, lemon juice•Directions:
1. Put Broccoli & Pasta to Boil add salt to taste
2. Dice tomato, onion, bell pepper, mushrooms and sauté in avocado or coconut oil
3. Season vegetables with italian seasoning, cilantro and lemon juice
4. Once the Pasta and Broccoli are ready, pour out the water and combine the vegetables
5. Serve with a side of 1/2 Haas Avocado

5.•Ingredients: 1/2 DicedTomato, 1/8 Diced Onion Onion, Cilantro to Taste, 1 Packet Lemon Pepper Tuna, 1/2 Squeezed Lemon, 1 Haas Avocado, 1/2 tbsp olive oil
•Directions:
1. Gut the avocado
2. Place all ingredients into a bowl
3. Mash & Mix
4.Stuff Avocados

6.•Ingredients: 1/2 packet of Trader Joes Portobello Mushroom Ravioli, 2 TBSP Pesto Sauce, 1/2 tomato, 1/2 onion, 1/2c spinach, 1/2 TBSP Avocado Oil, 1/2 Haas Avocado •Directions:
1. Pour 1/2 TBSP avocado oil into pan
2. Add diced onion & tomatoes. Sauté
3. Add Ravioli & Mix
4. Add 2 TBSP Pesto Pasta
5. Mix Together
6. Add Spinach and continue to mix until spinach has mixed in well
7. Serve with 1/2 Haas Avocado

Get LetlerFit the Personalized Way

Posted on October 10, 2017 by LetlerFit

With the launch of the NEW LetlerFit.com I now officially publicly advertise my customized online training.

If you read yesterday’s blog post you know that I touched on the major differences between my e-book guides and personal training.

If you can check off any of the following I definitely recommend my online personal training:

Have any mobility limitations from past or current injuries
Have any diagnosed medical condition
Have specific goals
Want a training program that is 100% customized for your body and fitness level (everyone is different!)
want guidance and accountability

All of my clients begin with my online Needs Analysis (i’ll be touching up on this tomorrow). What may differ between one client and the next are the different packages available:

Just the program: This is for someone who has a good idea about how to perform the exercises and wants a program to cater to them and any specific goals or needs, but also does not want the coaching or accountability
Weekly Check Ins: Your program will come with a 60 minute weekly check in to go over any questions, video critiques of you performing your exercises, etc.
Unlimited Coaching: This is for the person that wants full access to me during the month of training to ask questions, record and send videos to, while still getting a personalized program

Are you ready to get LetlerFit? Fill out my Questionnaire and I will get back to you ASAP

8 Things That You Should Be Teaching Your Children About Nutrition

Posted on September 26, 2017 by LetlerFit

While I do not currently have kids, I work with a lot of parents and I observe a lot of parents and what they teach their children about nutrition. Before I begin, I get a lot of heat from people whenever I opine about pregnancy, infant nutrition, adolescent health and fitness. The same way your male Dr. does not need to know what it feels like to be pregnant in order to help guide you through a healthy pregnancy, an exercise physiologist with an extensive back ground in academic nutrition (not jo shmo nutrition blogs) can help you establish healthy habits for you and your family. There are 2 critical periods for when children establish the number and size of the adipocyte tissue (aka our fat tissue) in infancy and in adolescence. The goal as a parent should be to do your best to keep the fat cell size to as small as possible and fat cell number to as little as possible. Here are 8 things parents should be doing in order to help set their children up for health success! These are not my opinion, they are all backed by the sciences.

In infancy, stick to infant ONLY foods! No need to sneak an infant soda, friend food, lasagna, or processed sugar before 12 months! While it may seem like they can handle it, inside their body react adversely
In infancy, if you’re a parent who gives your baby anything that is not labeled for infants because you want to or that’s “how you grew up” (only science is now realizing the way you grew up has lead to a ridiculously obese population), please do NOT give your baby anything that has honey or corn syrup in it. I see it all of the time and a little piece of my soul dies because you are potentially exposing your baby to something called botulism. Botulism is a death sentence, if they contract it from honey or any food that has corn syrup because their organism cannot fight it off.
Go as long as you can (goal 12 months) if you are able to breast feed. Make the sacrifice because the immunological, health, cognitive, you name it benefits far surpass the benefits of formula. Understand that formula is a first world commodity. In 3rd world countries it’s either you breast feed or the baby unfortunately passes. Formula is meant to keep your baby nourished enough to where infant death is not an issue in case breast feeding does not happen.
Moving away from infancy and into childhood, one of the biggest mistakes parents make, especially those in the hispanic community (It’s the anthropological studies saying it, not me!) is impose the “clear your plate” mentality. We have something in our brains called the hypothalamus and it lets us know when we are hungry and when we are full. The beautiful thing about children (and babies too) is that they have not fried it the way most adults do. Meaning, their brain still tells them when they should stop eating before they get to a place of over eating. The clear your plate mentality breeds obesity. If your child doesn’t want to eat anymore, don’t force them to eat twice as much as they want. Trust me, they won’t die of starvation.
Don’t make dessert something they can have only if they eat their vegetables. Find a way to make them enjoy their veggies without bribing them. If they eat their veggies every day that would mean they get dessert everyday.
Which, brings me to my next point, junk foods, processed sugars, fried foods, sodas, etc. are not foods we should keep at our children’s reach all of the time. They do not know what nutrient density is, they only know that those foods taste yummier so without realizing it you are allowing them to build poor habits when you aren’t around. In my house we bring ZERO of the aforementioned and I plan to keep it that way when we have kids. We do this so that when we go out, it’s OKAY to have a fried shrimp or lava cake because it’s something that we do not eat every day at our home.
This leads me to point number seven. Teach kids about balance! I’m not by any means saying forever forbid your kids from eating junk food. What I am saying is make junk food 15-20% of their overall diet. Fill the rest with a plethora of fruits, vegetables, whole grains, non-antiobiotic/steroid packed protein sources, nuts, seeds, and legumes. Growing up chips and sodas were something my mom would save for when friends came over, the few times we went out to eat, or for the holidays. I personally, love this approach because what do all of those events have in common? They happen in a minority, meaning the majority of the time you are nourishing your child.
Try to pack your child’s lunch. It’s a great way of controlling what goes in to fuel their bodies and NEVER let them skip breakfast! Myplate.gov has killer tools and articles to help you choose healthy lunches. These plates also from mygov are GREAT to help YOU as a parent portion out each food group while teaching them at the same time what their plate should look like.
Bonus: Try to teach them how to make healthy choices and why it’s important. If you are clueless, find a health professional who CAN! When you understand why something needs to be done it’s easier to do it.

4 Fitness Books To Help You Get Past Your Fitness Hurdles

Posted on August 31, 2017August 31, 2017 by LetlerFit

Get LetlerFit in 30 Days: 30 day high intensity interval training based at home program. It is for ALL fitness levels. There are picture and video demonstrations of ALL the movements and the only thing you need is yourself and something to step on occasionally. Less than a dollar per day!
Booty By Letler: 12 week booty program that can be done at home or at the gym. All you need is a set of dumbbells and a yoga mat! Reduce cellulite, create a firmer booty, increase size in your glutes, increase definition in your quads and hamstrings in one hour or less 2-3 times a week! Only $1.66 per week!
Upper Body Burn: 12 week program that can be down at home or at the gym! All you need is a set of dumbbells between 3-10 pounds and a set of resistance bands as well as the occasional yoga mat! This program can also be done in conjunction with the other program (ebook schedule is inside) only $1.66 per week!
Snack Like Letler: 25 different healthy snacks and clean cheat recipes! You will find, vegan, vegetarian, dairy free, gluten free, and meat eater friendly recipes! It is available internationally and can be downloaded on your computer, phone, or tablet! Every recipe contains full pictures of the final product and step by step instructions! For only $.11 per recipe!

13 Nutritional Swaps For People Trying To Live Healthier

Posted on August 30, 2017August 30, 2017 by LetlerFit

You don’t have to be miserable to be healthy, but you do have to make a little bit of effort!

Swap the bag of chips for an apple with salted peanut butter (make sure peanuts and salt are your only 2 ingredients) and then instead of low quality carbs and fats with slim to no micronutrients you’ll be getting high quality carbs, fats, proteins, AND micronutrients
Swap the juices for water…we get enough added sugar in our diets without even trying
Swap the fried foods for grilled
Have rice and potatoes with protein for lunch? Swap one of the carbs for a fresh salad
Do you add sugar to your fruit bowls? Swap the the sugar for a sprinkle of chia seeds
Swap smoothie shop smoothies for home made ones. Did you know most of those smoothie places just give you fake fruit juice and call it a day?
Swap your store bought protein bars for for some boiled eggs
Swap your diet sodas for regular sodas…don’t fall into marketing traps….but better yet swap all of the sodas for water
Swap the milk chocolate for dark chocolate
Swap your pudding for apple sauce (apples-maybe water too-should be the ONLY ingredient)
Swap the morning cereal for steel cut oats and berries
Swap the regular yogurt for Greek Yogurts with added probiotics
Swap your Starbucks Latte for some green tea (without adding sugar)