Max Body Breakfast Bowl

How to Stop Sweet Cravings

One of our BIG rules at Max Body Boot Camp is to drastically reduce the amount of sugar we consume. And although it may seem hard, here are seven tips that will help stop your craving for sweets…

1. Increase your protein intake. Often our bodies will exhibit cravings for sweets when what they really need is more protein. This isn’t true for everyone, so if having a lean ham sandwich or 98% fat free hot dog doesn’t improve your cravings please consider the recommendations below.
2. Remove temptations. Go through your refrigerator and food pantry. Get rid of the cakes, ice cream, cookies, etc. When you go food shopping, make a conscious effort not to buy sweet good habit to get into is to take a walk instead of eating dessert. If, after 10 minutes, you still want sweets, gargle with an antiseptic mouthwash or brush your teeth. The aftertaste doesn’t mix well with sweets and you’ll probably lose your craving quickly.
3. Substitute fruits and honey for candy, sweets and sugar, respectively. The sugars in fruits are digested differently than the empty calories of white sugar that are in most candy and processed foods. The fiber in fruit also slows the absorption of the sugars so you don’t get as high a sugar rush (and as low a crash).
4. Go for quality, not quantity. Eat a small piece of 70% dark chocolate instead of a candy bar. Have a small scoop of gourmet ice cream instead of an entire bowl of light ice cream. The treat will be more satisfying and you’ll be consuming less sugar in the long run.
5. Read labels. You might be surprised to learn how much sugar there is in a lot of the foods that you eat. Being aware of sugar content can help you avoid high-sugar foods and kick the addiction.
6. Improve your diet overall. There are several ways to do this, but the following may to help with sugar cravings in particular:

• Eat more whole grains, healthy fats and lean meats, all of which make you feel full and satisfied.
• Have small, frequent meals to help keep your blood sugar level stable and eliminate your body’s need for a quick sugar fix. Avoid skipping meals (especially breakfast).
• Take a daily multivitamin. Some nutrients help keep blood sugar stable, so ensure you get those by supplementing your diet appropriately.

      7. Combat hypoglycemia, or low-blood sugar by trying the following:

• Eat a breakfast that is NOT sweet, for example brown rice and blanched vegetables.
• Have no sweets (that includes fruit, refined flour, and all sweeteners) until after 3:00 pm. After that eat either fruit or a fruit or grain-sweetened dessert rather than sweets that contained refined sugars. Eating sweets in the morning or early afternoon tend to stimulate sweet cravings throughout the day. You might feel sick from eating sugars in the early morning
• Avoid having too much artificial sweeteners. Research has shown that artificial sweeteners cause intense cravings for sweets.

Please shoot me an email if you have any questions.

Committed to Your Success,

Your Coach, Mark

The First Day of Boot Camp!

It’s the first day of June Boot Camp and during the
month there are some important things to remember…

1) It’s spring, but it can be very cold at 6am and 6pm.
Please check the weather the night before camp and
make sure you are dressed appropriately. It is better
to wear a lot of layers that you can take off, than to
not wear enough and freeze to death. Learning to layer
your clothes is going to become very important, very
quickly.

2) We know that new shoes can be expensive. But
getting new shoes can help prevent injury. You really
should have a pair that is less than 1 year old, even if
you haven’t worn them very much! We don’t want you
to throw away your money so take care of your shoes!
The grassy and muddy conditions at the park can be
hard on your shoes…so clean them!

3) It has been proven that people who write down what
they eat on a daily basis lose more weight then those
that do not. So use those log books. We are here to
help you make good choices, but you have to take the
first step of logging every thing that you eat.

4) Please take care of yourself this month. If you pull
a muscle, do not stretch it (if you stretch, you are just
adding more micro tears). Relax and get ice on it ASAP.
And remember, RICE, Rest, Ice, Compression, and
Elevation. That’s right…it says REST! Sometimes you
may need to take a day or two to allow your injury to heal.
But this doesn’t necessarily mean you can’t exercise at all.
If you twist your ankle and can’t run or jump, shoot me an
email and I’ll come up with another fun and effective
workout for you.

5) It is important to remember that we don’t own the park!
Please be respectful of the parks and help to take care of
them. If you bring water bottles, gloves, towels, or anything
to the park, they should leave with you! Also be mindful of
your surroundings. There are many obstacles at the parks
such as holes, rocks, sleeping people, dogs, etc…you get
the point! Keep your eyes open as you make your way
through the parks.

To Your Health and Fitness,

Your Coach, Mark
mark@hbpersonaltrainer.com
877-331-0622

P.S. Make sure to fill out your journal and bring it with
you class either Thursday or Friday. I’ll be checking.