Monthly Archives: January 2010

Hola & let’s get started! Before I start my clients on a training program I like to make sure they know what they are eating. You need to be empowered to make the right food choices in order to succeed with any program and knowing about nutrition is the most important thing! What and how we eat is 80% of the equation, 20% is exercise!  Its like the old saying..  “we are what we eat”.  So since we are starting our program on Monday, I want to give you plenty of time to get to the market and stock up on some healthy food choices. If you want to wait and see what my recipes require that is fine too.   Meanwhile lets go over some important facts on the Nutrition Label that will help you achieve your fitness goal.  The following is a brief explanation on one:

Serving size:  Is the amount of food which is used to determine the nutritional facts.  *stick to the serving size

Servings per Container: The amount of servings the package contains.

Calories & Calories from Fat: The amount of calories in the serving in addition to the amount you are getting from fat. There are good fats such as extra virgin olive oil, so don’t let this number scare you if it is high, olive oil gets all their calories from fat.

Total Fat: Adds the fat grams from all types of fat: saturated, trans, poly, and mono. Saturated fats can mainly be found in red meats such as lamb, beef, pork, & even some dairy products. Poly & mono can be typically found in plant oils such as olive, canola, peanut, sunflower etc. Then we have trans fats the once associated with the goodies, cookies, crackers, cakes. Of all poly & mono are the good fats here.  Its important to stay away of the other two or at the very least keep them at a bare minimum.

Cholesterol: The total milligrams of cholesterol. Another item to be  limited. The American Heart Association recommends consuming less than 300 milligrams per day.

Sodium: The total milligrams of sodium per serving.  Another count that should be kept at a minimum. The avg. is 2300 milligrams per day. Yes it may seem high but realize that a single teaspoon of salt can provide a days worth!

Total Carbohydrates: The total grams of every type of carb. There are good carbs and bad carbs, the good one’s ( those with low to moderate glycemic levels) act as fuel for our bodies as gasoline does for our cars. So let’s make sure we fuel it with Ultimate Depending on your diet a common intake of carbs ranges from 200 to 300.  We’ll get into glycemic levels as we go along. Meanwhile you can go on www.glycemicindex.com for more info.

Dietary Fiber: One of my favs. The total grams of fiber in each serving. I like to make sure I have at least 3 grams of fiber in each serving of carb that I consume. When planning your meals it is important to have between 20-25 grams on a daily basis.

Sugar: AKA fructose, glucose, galactose, lactose, and maltose.  The amount of sugar in each serving. It is recommended that our consumption not exceed 50 grams. Sugar contains calories, nothing else, so stay clear.

Protein: The total grams of protein in each serving. Daily intake should be at least 50 grams which can be easily accomplished. Foods high in protein are those such as eggs, chicken, beef, nuts, and soy to name a few. An important factor is that along with protein comes cholesterol, fat, & carbs, therefore it is important to monitor your intake.

Vitamins & Minerals: It is required that all food labels have the recommended daily values as opposed to the grams or milligrams in each serving. A great source of your daily vitamins and minerals can be obtained through fruits & veggies, as well as a multi-vitamin.

Ingredients: The list of food ingredients listed in order of their weight. Want to be shocked?!  Compare the food ingredients of natural peanut butter for example vs. low fat peanut butter, even within the same brand.

Today we have an alarming and  increasing issue with Diabetes and High Blood Pressure. The Great news is, in most cases,  both can be lowered and monitored through diet and exercise! So get moving and see you Monday!

Besos y Abrazos…xoxo ”…Barbara por Atras, Barbara por Alante, y Siempre Barbara por Adentro!”

Woo hoo!! I am so excited to announce that my beautiful husband, in addition to a fabulous weekend celebrating my birthday, gave me something that I’ve been asking for such a long time! Actually nagging as he has so nicely put .  He has finally decided to join the journey towards living a healthy lifestyle, and will have me as his trainer!  So get ready! Call all your friends, partners, everyone and have them follow our daily workout routine, diet program, recipes, tips etc.   It is my goal to get him at his best by the summer and most importantly maintain, maintain, maintain!  It is very important that we get the support of those that are mostly around us, such as family and friends, but if for some reason you can’t, lean on me/us we are in it together! It is my mission to get us all Happy & Healthy!! “One light sparks the fire”  

Join us Monday, February 1, 2010 for the beginning of the transformation! 

Besos y Abrazos…..xoxo  “…Barbara por Atras, Barbara por Alante, y  Siempre Barbara por Adentro!!”

Hola ladies! Its been a while so first of all Happy New Year!!!! I hope this new year brings you all everything your heart and mind is focused on! Remember: “Ask, Believe, Receive”!!!!

Much has been going on in the Gomez household, from the normal family routine, to the newest addition to the family, a Bulldog puppy! Barklow is his name. My 4yr old daughter named him because he is going to Bark low . So now we are a family of 5! My son asked for a puppy for Christmas and you know that Santa he grants those wishes! Honestly though, aside from the house-training and teething/biting issues he is a great dog, and a wonderful new way to work out and meditate. Nothing like going for a walk when the day is breaking absorbing those beautiful colors and breathing in the great fresh morning air feeling connected to the Universe and thanking God for all we have in this brand new day!  Another biggy that is going on is…..drumroll……I will be turning 40 in 7 days!!!! It is finally here! The long awaited day is quickly approaching! So I ask: what is it with turning 40 that has me so emotional? Is it the reflecting on years past? The excitement and anticipation of the ones to come? I often catch myself thinking back to as far as I can remember and making a mental note of how differently things would have been if certain people were not in my life at that particular time. Then I come to the conclusion that every person that rubs shoulders with us, whether we know them or not, has an impact on our lives and is part of the molding process of who we become and are becoming, part of our own evolution. I was talking with my best friend the other day and re-living the story that if it weren’t for a classmate of mine in the 6th grade who being a cheerleader sparked my interest to try out and make the team, I would have never  seen this really cute 8th grader that played basketball for the rival team, who years later I met while cheering at a HS basketball game. This boy and I became great friends, dated many years later, and have now been married for 13 yrs   So I guess that in conclusion turning 40 is a big deal. Not only are we celebrating a great milestone, but we are celebrating our parents who brought us into this great world, our siblings, in my case my sister who had the luck of being older and picking up my messes, but much of who I am today is because of her, our husband, kids, family and friends-everyone who has touched our lives.  I cannot give myself all the credit for who I am today (7 days shy of turning 40!) I thank all those who have walked with me along the way.

Happy Birthday to Me! AND Gracias de todo corazon!!

Besos y Abrazos xoxoxo……”Barbara por Atras, Barbara por Alante, y siempre Barbara por Adentro!”