Motivating Your Monday!

Yet another week has rolled around and PGX wants to help motivate your Monday.

Before you let those Monday blues get to you, check out this week’s Monday Motivation!

Even with the longer days of summer, many of us (myself included!) are wondering where the hours in each day scurry off to. There never seem to be enough hours in a day to sneak in that workout, make that healthy recipe you’ve been wanting to try, or get out to those hiking trails with your friends after office hours.

Which led me to wonder, how would you spend your days, if there was no midnight? Would you get to the gym every day? Would you make that healthier dinner that takes a little bit longer to prepare?

So, here’s a little inspirational wisdom from Cinderella: go after your dreams, whether they’re work related, health related or weight related and “Live like there’s no midnight”!

Don’t let the hours in the day determine your lifestyle! Stay healthy PGX’ers and happy Motivation Monday!

 

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Weight-Wise Wednesday: Olympic Inspiration

A tasty new recipe for you to try from the other side of the world; inspiration provided by the Olmpics!

For this week?s Weight-Wise Wednesday post, I set out to write about out how to eat like an Olympian. However, in my search across the net, I stumbled upon this truly unique and fun blog, Eat The Olympics. Having no idea how one might ?eat the Olympics? I decided to check it out ? and boy was I happy I did!

What I found was a blog full of recipes. But not just any recipes ? these were recipes from all over the world. In fact, the writers of the blog, two Londoners, have set out to make a dish from all 204 countries that are currently participating in the London 2012 Olympic Games. Quite a challenge!

The blog is filled with beautiful pictures of each dish they?ve made, along with the recipe of the dish and country that it’s from. Each recipe is even given a rating on a scale of Bronze to Gold (or in some rare cases Disqualification).

One of the healthier choices I came across is a dish from Lesotho, an African country located within South Africa, called Lesothan Chakalaka. Made with delicious veggies, such as peppers, tomatoes and chillies, and served over rice, this dish is definitely on my To Try list!

You can find the full recipe here! Give it a try and let us know what you think! And, remember, don?t forget to add in your PGX!

 

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5 Ways to Spread Out Your Calories

Stay satisfied, eat healthy and lose weight by spreading your caloric intake throughout your day.

Although eating healthy, nutritious food is half the batltle with weight loss, sometimes one of the biggest challenges people face is figuring out portion and calorie control. With many of us, overeating may happen by accident: waiting too long before eating something and then ravenously consuming more than our body needs; or eating too fast in general.

So, we thought that we would put together a quick guide with 5 simple ways to help you spread your calories throughout your day, enabling you to intake less calories total and, ultimately, shed those pounds!

5 Ways to Spread Your Calories

  1. Have a good breakfast with adequate protein and fibre (if your breakfast is lacking fibre, sprinkle on some PGX!)
  2. Have a small healthy snack mid-morning
  3. Have a healthy lunch
  4. Have another healthy snack in the afternoon (a serving of plain yogurt with bran cereal, for example)
  5. Go head and “spoil your appetite”; eat a high volume, low calorie snack to reduce your appetite before your dinner

And don’t forget! When purchasing PGX Daily products, look for the ones with a BONUS pack of PGX Daily Singles!

 

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Tasty Tuesday: Easy Fish Fillets

It’s Tasty Tuesday!

When it’s hot outside and you don’t feel like making a big complicated meal, try this easy fish fillet for dinner. Any white fish such as cod, halibut, haddock, or grouper will work well.

We found this great recipe that only calls for lime juice, some light mayo, onion powder, pepper, breadcrumbs, margarine and parsley.

You could add a squeeze of lemon if you’re not a fan of lime. Or combine lemon and lime for a zesty flavour! Approximately 1 1/2 pounds of white fish will yield 4 servings. Half the recipe and you’ve got a nice meal for date night!

Pair it up with some asparagus and rice for a light, healthy and tasty meal. Enjoy!

Check out our Pinterest board for even more tasty recipes!

 

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At the Gym: Technique & Results

Welcome back to Weight-Wise Wednesday with a look at proper fitness technique at the gym!

PGX takes a look at how doing an exercise with the correct form could make all the difference to the outcome of your routine.

We’ve all been there. You’re eating well, you’re fitting in regular exercise sessions but for some reason, your workout routine is just not working for you. Chances are, a small mistake, such as not taking a long enough rest period, as explained by shape.com, is coming between all your hard work and the results you derserve! So, let’s master those moves!

Shape.com’s list includes:

  • Proper posture on cardio machines
  • How to correctly execute sit-ups on an exercise ball
  • Working on your core to improve your form in all areas of your workout
  • Proper kettleball technique

All it takes are a few tiny adjustments to your form. So, adjust, apply and get out there PGX’ers and show those exercises who’s boss!

 

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Healthy Weekend Barbecue Recipe

Grilled Oyster Shooters 

The weekend is almost here, so we asked PGX staffers what they planned to do this weekend. A surprizing number were pulling out the BBQ for some summertime grilling.

We found this high rated recipe on AllRecipes and at only 32 calories per oyster this is a healthy, grilling treat. The oysters are cooked right in the shell and seasoned with lemon juice, hot sauce and  Worcestershire sauce. You could substitute hot sauce for salt and pepper if you like your spice on the mild side.

Always be careful when you shuck an oyster. Here are some great step-by-step instructions on how to shuck an oyster. Once you get the hang of it you’ll be enjoying oysters in no time!

Got a great recipe you’d like to share? Sound off in the comments or let us know on our Facebook page!

 

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The London 2012 Olympics

Welcome back to another week of PGXs’ Thursday Obsessions!

PGX is obsessed with the London 2012 Olympics and the inspiration that it provides the world.

The London 2012 Olympics are finally here, so it’s no wonder that this week we’re obsessed with The Games! Like many people around the world, I’ve been tuning into the 2012 Olympic Games since they began last Friday in London. And like many people, I’ve become obsessed with watching the world’s greatest athletes achieve the seemingly impossible, day after day!

Personally, I find that witnessing these extraordinary athletes achieve their personal bests is incredibly inspiring (nevermind that some of their bests are breaking Olympic Records!). Watching an athlete who has given a sport their all, finally reap the benefits of all of their hard work is inspiring. Not that I believe that the Olympic Games are anywhere in my future, but I find myself wanting to challenge myself in my workouts. I want to run faster, longer and train harder. Here’s to hoping that I can hang onto that Olymic Inspiration when the Games are finished!

Some of my favourite Olympic sports to watch are gymnastics (how DO they do all that?!) and volleyball. What are your favourites to watch? Do you find that the Olympics inspire your workouts?

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Salad in a Jar!

This is an easy and convenient way to make salads-to-go!

Bring your salad to have along side a sandwich at lunch, on a picnic or anywhere. You can either eat the salad from the jar or tip it out into a bowl or onto a plate. Just take it and shake it when you?re ready to eat.

The secret to jar salads is to keep the dressing on the bottom, then layer your ingredients from most hearty, such as carrots to least. Just make sure your greens are on top! Here are a couple of recipes ideas to get you started. Sprinkle with PGX Daily Singles for a great source of fiber and much more.

Balsamic Chicken Salad
Dressing: Mix balsamic vinegar, extra-virgin olive oil, salt and pepper to taste.
Layer it with: Cold, cooked chicken, chopped walnuts, apple, celery and onion. Top with leaf lettuce. For a vegetarian option, use tofu instead of chicken.

Hearty Spinach Salad??
Dressing:
Select your favorite dressing.
Layer it with: Carrots, cucumber, celery, hard-boiled egg, tomato, walnuts or almonds. Top with baby spinach.

Summer Salad
Dressing:
Mix in 1/3 cup extra-virgin olive oil, 1/8 cup lemon juice and dash of salt.
Layer it with:  Cold, grilled chicken, pecans, fresh raspberries and blueberries, and crumbled goat cheese (optional). Top with arugula or Boston lettuce. For a vegetarian option, use grilled tofu instead of chicken.

 

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Homemade Snack: Beet Chips!

Got a craving for chips? Try something different!

Let’s give the potato a break and try homemade beet chips instead!

Every once in while I just crave that satisfying crunch of chips. But when you buy them from the store, most of the time all you can find are potato chips.  Maltodextrin, monosodium glutamate, modified corn starch, swiss cheese (milk, cheese cultures, salt, enzymes)… not exactly typical ingredients you can find in the store, right?

So let’s go back to the root of the potato chip and use beets instead! All you need are beets, vegetable oil and an oven! The best thing about making these at home is that you can control how much oil you use. Not a fan of frying? Try a straight to baking method and let us know how it goes!

How To Make Beet Chips :

  • Peel and slice beets very thinly or use a mandolin
  • Fry beets in vegetable oil at 350 degrees, for about 2-4 minutes
  • Transfer to a baking sheet and bake at 350 degrees for about 10 minutes

Cool and enjoy!

 

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Weight-Wise Wednesday: Mediterranean diet

The Mediterranean Diet

The Mediterranean diet uses Mediterranean-style cooking and is considered a heart-healthy eating plan.

The Mediterranean diet is based on a healthy eating plan using the traditional cooking style of countries around the Mediterranean Sea.

Key components of the Mediterranean diet

The Mediterranean diet emphasizes:

  • Getting plenty of exercise
  • Eating primarily plant-based foods, such as fruits and vegetables, whole grains, legumes and nuts
  • Replacing butter with healthy fats such as olive oil and canola oil
  • Using herbs and spices instead of salt to flavor foods
  • Limiting red meat to no more than a few times a month
  • Eating fish and poultry at least twice a week
  • Drinking red wine in moderation (optional)
  • Enjoying meals with family and friends

As the Mediterranean Diet Pyramid shows the diet includes plenty of antioxidant-rich fruits and vegetables! Many people who switch to this diet say they’d never eat another way! For more on the Mediterranean Diet check out the Mayo Clinic website.

Does this look like something you’d like to try out? Let us know in the comments below! 

 

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