INTRODUCING THE TRAIN IT RIGHT
8 WEEK CHALLENGE!

Healthiest McDonald's Menu Combos That You Can Make Yourself

Despite being known as a fast food restaurant chain, Mcdonalds does have items that are lower in calories on their menu. And depending on the meal you choose to order, there are several different ways to enjoy a full meal without busting your calorie or macro count for the day. These orders can come in at under 500 calories. On the catch side you just have to manipulate the order yourself.

Try making some of the following combos at breakfast, lunch or dinner.

Meal 1:

Fruit & Maple Oatmeal: 310 calories

Apple Slices: 15 calories

Coffee: 0 calories (no cream or sugar)
Total: 325 calories

Meal 2:

Fruit and Yogurt Parfait: 150 calories

Coffee: 0 calories (no cream or sugar)

Hash Browns: 150 calories
Total 300 calories

Meal 3:

Egg McMuffin: 290 calories

Hash Browns: 150 calories

Coffee: 0 calories (no cream or sugar)

Total: 440 calories

Meal 4:

Southwest Grilled Chicken Salad (no cheese or tortilla strips): 260 calories

Fruities (Mandarin orange): 35 calories

Total: 295 calories

Meal 5: 

Premium Grilled Chicken Sandwich: 380 calories

Side Salad: (no dressing) 20 calories

Water: 0 calories
Total: 400 calories

Meal 6:

Hamburger: 250 calories

Kids Fries: 110 Calories

Small Diet Soda
Total: 360 calories

Meal 7:

Cheeseburger: 300 calories

Side Salad: 20 calories

Water
Total: 320 calories

Meal 8:

Hamburger: 250 calories

Side Salad: 20 calories

Water
Total 270 calories

Happy do it yourself Mcdonalds creating! Let me know how it goes!

Do You Workout When You Are Sick? - The Answer May Surprise You

YES and NO!

If you are even questioning it then YES...if youre feeling so/so then  yes but dont push yourself. Go and do what feels right and take more rest if you need to between sets and exercises.

If you are ridiculously ill then NO. Do not go to the gym.

Take a day or two completely off the gym. Regardless of your training schedule, if your body is telling you it can’t keep up, STOP! Catch up on your sleep, keep getting all your meals in and let your neurological and muscular system regenerate. The world won’t end if you miss the gym for a day. <- This will not set you back. Just stay on point with your diet! Your body will thank you for the rest.

Book a massage. Deep tissue massage  can help increase blood flow, speed recovery and release built up tension from overused muscles. Walking around with muscles loaded with tension is only adding to the stress and strain on your body.

Natural Immune System Boosters

I’m also big on supplementing with natural immune system boosters at the first sign of a cold. Here are some of my favorites:

Glutamine – 10-20 g twice per day

Phosphatidyl Serine – 600 mg/day , two doses

Magnesium – 400-1000 mg/day

Anti-oxidant cocktails – ala, selenium, coenzyme q10, vit c, NAC

Zinc – 50 mg/day

HMB – 3 grams/day

I’ve also put together a little concoction you can try out …

Immune Boost Shot

Take 2-3 x day at the first sign of a cold.

-1/4 cup fresh, pure orange juice

-7-10 pure oil of oregano drops

-5 pure ginger drops or powdered, concentrated ginger

-1 teaspoon turmeric

-dash of cayenne pepper

-1/2 fresh lemon

-1 tbsp raw, unpasteurized honey (optional)

I prefer to mix all ingredients together and take as a shot, cold. Some would say it’s not the greatest tasting creation, but it works!

Suggest getting ingredients at a health food store such as healthy planet, planet organic or whole foods.

Then have…

Zinc – 50 mg

Vitamin C – 1500 mg

Other options to add or substitute:

-1 tbsp apple cider vinegar

-10 g glutamine

Reputed Body Transformation Expert Joel Bushby Shares Valuable Information About TNT and Other Aspects of Fitness and Life

Joel Bushby introduces natural, safe and effective body transformation training techniques.

“The passion for helping others was triggered in me about five years ago and the success I got from my endeavors were spectacular,” says Joel Bushby about his early stints as a fitness coach. “I am happy to have played a role in many life-changing stories. My TNT process has helped in positively impacting people’s lives every day and naturally.”

In a recent interview, The Natural Transformer has shared his views, business goals and important steps needed to become a Pro Natural body builder. According to Joel Bushby, at one stage of his life, winning body building and fitness competitions were a priority and he competed and won several of them. However, now the priorities have changed. His goal is to help others achieve success in winning competitions, Pro Cards and even in other areas of their life.

Joel Bushby has some valuable advice for body builders. He urges them to be patient and consistent in their efforts. Having tried nearly every bodybuilding program available, he states from his experience that everyone has to discover a program that best suits their body type. It must also be congruent to the muscle groups they want to focus on.

At the same time, Joel also stresses on the relevance of nutrition in every aspect of fitness regardless of whether the focus is on muscle growth or weight loss. He says that meal timing is important for gaining muscle and so is protein intake.

Joel Bushby aims at impacting people’s life every day and has an impressive client list. His training processes and advice has helped many people achieve their fitness goals.

The reputed fitness and transformation expert is of the opinion that any transition from spring/summer months to winter season does not require any dramatic changes in exercise routines. Joel lives in Queensland, Australia which has a tropical and sunny weather all year round. This makes it easy for him to maintain the workout routine regardless of the change in season.

Joel Bushby also offers advice to competitors on how to earn their Pro Card. They have to first determine their reasons. According to Joel, a Pro Card is not just for increasing their business. The real intent of getting the Pro Card must be to push themselves to their limit and stretch their capabilities.

Joel says that he enjoys training others because it can touch and change the lives of others. To bring about life-changing transformation in others can give anyone a tremendous sense of satisfaction.

About Joel Bushby:

Joel Bushby is a highly respected name in the fitness training domain. With his innovative and dedicated approach, Joel has been impacting the lives of people consistently. The Natural Transformer (TNT) offers a 12-week transformation program that can transform people in the most effective way.

For more information, visit The Natural Transformer website

Joel Bushby's social media pages:
Facebook
Instagram

Video Link: http://www.youtube.com/embed/ZaU8LQAmxR

For more information on this press release visit:
http://www.getnews.info/674285/reputed-body-transformation-expert-joel-bushby-shares-valuable-information-about-tnt-and-other-aspects-of-fitness-and-life.html

New Year's Pet Photo Contest:  Drink Some Champagne, Throw Some Confetti & Show Off Your Pet! 

In honor of the New Year dog lovers across the United States, best-selling author Jeff Lazarus of Dogtology is hosting a casting call for all dog and cat lovers to have a chance for their furry friend to be featured on nationally syndicated TV, Pet Pals TV, which can be seen in more than 6 million homes in the U.S.

Three pet parents will get to have their furry friend featured on an episode of Pet Pals TV, a nationally-syndicated television program to highlight how our furry friends make our lives a little extra special. All submissions will be shared on the Social Media Pages of Pet Pals TV and  Dogtology and must be photos of the pets only.

To enter please submit a photo and/or video and tell us why your dog  is the head of the household by visiting the website: http://www.dogtology.com/

Please note that the more outlandish and quirky the better!) Your pet could have the chance to be make a TV appearance and featured on Pet Pals TV and/or a Social Media Star having their photo shared on the following social media pages: https://www.facebook.com/Dogtology/ and https://www.facebook.com/PetPalsTV.

Chew on this. As humans, we have a deep need to believe . . . a need to relate to something greater and more ideal than ourselves. Perhaps that’s why so many millions believe in Dog. Man’s devotion to Dog has come to rival the great -isms and -ologies of the world. This thing has gone way beyond a hobby. We may not literally worship dogs, but we come pawfully
close. This rabid reverence for Rover has a name: Dogtology.

Dogtology is for the dog lover who has bailed on a date because they didn’t want Twinkles to be left home alone. It is for the human whose dog owns a more festive holiday wardrobe than they do, whose pups dine on free-range bison burgers while they live off ramen, or whose smartphones have more photos of their dog than of the humans in their family. In this sacred dogtrine, the case is made that Dogtology has become a bone-a-fide belief system on par with the world’s great philosophies and religions.

Photos are due by January 3, 2018 by visiting http://www.dogtology.com/

The stations on which Pet Pals airs is as follows:

Los Angeles, CA

Indianapolis, IN

Austin, TX

Grand Rapid, MI

Salt Lake City, UT

Washington DC

Lake Tahoe, CA

Santa Cruz, CA

Dothan, AL

Dayton, OH

Fort Wayne, IN

Terra Haute, IN

Louisville, KU

About the Author:
Jeff Lazarus is a leadership coach, speaker, trainer, adjunct professor, and creative who innovates and builds roads not yet traveled. He has an MBA from Pepperdine University and a BA in interpersonal and organizational communication from California State University, Long Beach. He combined his passion for animals with his teachings on communication and released Listen Like a Dog in 2016. Lazarus is a serious dog lover and advocate. After finally having his Cat Mitzvah, way past age thirteen, he wrote the whimsical book Catakism.

The 10 Best Apps that help you prepare a Healthy Meal

Today we live in the modern age of technology; it has taken over almost everything, from industrial processes to day to day tasks. Technology has also revolutionized the fitness industry, you can download an app by a few clicks to track your calories, or you can use the internet to search for weight loss blogs to get some motivation.

The most important factor that influences your health and fitness is your diet, and consequently, the most challenging job is to plan a nutritious meal. Well, the good news is that it isn't a problem anymore! Here is a list of 10 apps that can help you prepare a healthy meal.

1. Mealime

One of the most stressful question to answer is “What should I cook today?” Well, Mealime is an app that is designed to answer the question. You can choose from tons of healthy meal plans and dishes that take less than 30 minutes to cook. You can personalize a diet plan according to your choice; it also generates a grocery list for the weekly meal you decide. And do you know the best part? Yes, there is more, it helps minimize the food wastage by selecting quantities of each item in your grocery in a manner that it would finish once you are done cooking for the week.

Available free for Android and Apple users

2. Superfoods

The app is different from the others because it is no calorie tracker instead it teaches you about the importance of nutrition. It provides detailed information about the super foods that are nutrient powerhouses and provide us energy & prevention from diseases. Reading through their guides, you get to know about healthier diet options and which foods to have in your kitchen.

Available free for Android and Apple users

3. Fooducate

It is an app that helps you keep an eye on the quality of calories you are consuming along with exercise, mood, sleep and hunger levels. The app will grade the food you are eating by scanning the barcode. You can also share your eating experiences with the community to motivate others.

It is available for Android and Apple users for free however some features require purchase.

4. MyFitnessPal

This app is a useful tool for tracking your intake of nutrients and calories. You can set the number of nutrients that you want to consume each day, and the app can help you meet the desired goals by adjusting your daily food diary. You can also make your recipes and track the number of calories using the app.

Available for both platforms, i.e., Android and Apple free

5. Substitutions

This app is beneficial because it provides you with healthy alternatives to the foods you want to avoid.  Imagine you are in the middle of cooking a recipe and you notice an ingredient isn’t available in your kitchen, well there is nothing to worry about because now you have substitutions,  it can give you tips on which item to use in place of the ones the recipe requires.

It is available for Apple users for $1.99

6. Lose It

This app lets you add the weight goal you want to achieve and provides you the number of calories you should be devouring every day. You can log your daily diet by just taking pictures of the food. You can also take part in different exercise and diet challenges if you are low on motivation.

It is free for Apple and Android users

7. IEatWell

The app also lets you track your calories and how healthy you are eating by logging your daily meals. You can also add pictures of your food, and the tracker will evaluate the quality of what you consumed. Based on the result it will award you with a badge if your meal was found to be nutritious. You can share your progress with friends to get more motivation if you’d like.

It is available free for Android and Apple users

8. FatSecret

This app is not only a calorie counter, but it also plans meals and keeps a log of what you eat, the number of calories you burn & your overall progress. It can scan labels to check the number of calories in a product. You can interact with professionals and synchronize your app with Google Fit.

Available free for Android and Apple users

9. Eat this much

This app is also your dietician. It can help you plan a week’s meals keeping in mind your preferences. You can choose from the recipes available in the app, or you can customize them as per your likes, allergies or needs. You can also put in details of what you ate, and it will keep track of your intake. Furthermore, it can generate grocery lists; provide meal cooking times so you can choose what to cook with consideration to convenience.

Available free for Android and Apple users

10. 8fit

This app is more like your nutritionist and trainer in your pocket. It provides you with over 400 nutritious recipes to choose from and makes a weekly customized meal plan and a grocery list. You can set your preference whether you want a vegan meal or a low carb diet and it will design the menu accordingly. It also monitors your caloric intake and provides you with a customized workout plan to suit your lifestyle.

Available free for Apple and Android users

Kelly Newman is a Fitness Trainer and blogger. She loves to write about everything related to fitness and diet and wants to help people adopt a healthier lifestyle. She works with the team behind Health Listed and does extensive research to provide people actionable health and nutrition information.

4 Ways Alternative Medicines Are an Anxious Person’s Best Friend

According to government health data, anxiety is the most common mental illness in the United States, affecting nearly a third of the nation’s teens and adults. Prescriptions for anti-anxiety medications are also on the rise, yet only 36% of anxious people receive formal treatment. For someone with anxiety, accessing resources, making appointments, and taking potentially dangerous medications can make their situation worse and not better. Alternative, holistic medicines and treatments can calm, center, and heal you without the risky side effects associated with manufactured drugs.

If you have anxiety and are considering treatment, alternative medicines might just be your new BFF. With natural teas, herbs, and roots, you can:

Bypass the Side-Effects

Experts agree that anxiety medications “have serious side effects, and may alter your brain chemistry.” Patients are often prescribed antidepressants, and may experience serotonin shock (a life-threatening condition) and even suicidal ideation. Fear of negative side effects can cause psychosomatic symptoms in people with anxiety, compounding worry rather than relieving it.

Benzodiazepines are a tranquilizing class of drugs also prescribed for anxiety. Tolerance for these drugs builds quickly in the body, leading to abuse, blackouts, and harsh withdrawal symptoms. Ashwagandha root, long used in holistic medicine, is an “effective and safe” alternative, according to two recent medical studies. Like antidepressants, ashwagandha can take up to six weeks to be effective, but has only minor side effects.

Other natural supplements like Valerian root and passionflower work quickly, with no side effects, and have been approved in Germany to treat insomnia and nervous restlessness.

Customize Your Treatment

Medical cannabis is one of the safest treatments for anxiety because it contains molecules called cannabinoids, which have natural neurological receptors in the human body. The most common ones are cannabinol (CBD), which works throughout the body to relieve pain and tension); and tetrahydrocannabinol (THC), which is the psychoactive component used to treat anxiety and depression.

Medical cannabis is tailored to the patient’s individual needs, down to the strain and THC content. Even better, since medical marijuana treatment centers, like Wholistic Pediatrics & Family Care, offer several ways to administer medical cannabis, you can find the method that works best for you, whether inhaling it as a vapor or applying transdermal patches.

Find Immediate and Effective Relief

Kava is one of the most effective and well-researched herbs used for decades to treat anxiety, and has almost no known side effects. Like all anxiety medications, it shouldn’t be mixed with alcohol or other sedatives, but it is not addictive and can be taken as needed as a powder or tea. Other teas great for instant anxiety relief are lavender, chamomile, and green tea.

According to Health.com, some of the compounds in chamomile tea bind to the same brain receptors as the benzodiazepine lorazepam, with none of the habit-forming or debilitating side effects. L-theanine—found in green tea—helps to lower the high blood pressure and heart rates associated with panic attacks.

Make Positive Life Changes

Using natural remedies rather than simply taking a pill can relieve anxiety in other ways, by teaching you to slow down and take care of yourself. For instance, some people find the very act of making tea helps to stop a panic attack because it’s a process that takes time and focus.

With alternative medicines, time that normally would be spent chain-smoking or scrolling social media gets diverted to constructive or calming activities, enhancing and facilitating other improvements like the way you think about nutrition, technology, and self-defeating coping methods (like cigarettes, which actually increase anxiety).

Knowing that you are doing something positive for your health can improve your self-esteem and inspire you to make more lifestyle changes as you see the positive benefits take effect. Include alternative medicines in your self-care routine and see for yourself!

THE 30-MINUTE RUNNER

Smart Training for Busy Beginners

By Duncan Larkin

Foreword by Dr. Mike Moreno

The 30-Minute Runner takes a simplified approach to training, which is to break down everything into one thirty-minute session per day—a manageable segment for first-time runners and those who may be in decent shape but lead incredibly busy lives.

Everything in the book—including training schedules, techniques, and tips—is put forth purely in terms of minutes spent running, without any goal paces to worry about, mileage to keep track of, or anything to measure other than time spent out on the roads and trails. The book focuses on how to maximize those thirty critical minutes in order to achieve two primary goals: shedding extra pounds and completing a 5K race.

About the Authors:

Duncan Larkin has covered the sport of running for more than a decade. He’s a certified Army Master Fitness Trainer and was a top-300 American marathoner back in 2006. He has won the Himalayan 100-Mile Stage Race and the Mohawk-Hudson Marathon. His first book, Run Simple, was published in 2012. Duncan writes about fitness for Outside Magazine, Competitor Magazine, Runner’s World, ESPN, and Running Times.

Dr. Mike Moreno is the #1 New York Times bestselling author of The 17 Day Diet. Moreno practices family medicine and serves on the board of the San Diego Chapter of the American Academy of Family Physicians. A graduate of the University of California at Irvine and Hahnemann Medical School, he completed his residency at Kaiser Permanente in Fontana, California.

The 30-Minute Runner

Smart Training for Busy Beginners

By Duncan Larkin; Foreword by Dr. Mike Moreno

Skyhorse Publishing hardcover, also available as an ebook

On Sale: January 2, 2018

ISBN: 978-1-5107-2132-6

Price: $24.99

BEST HAIR TIPS FOR GIRLS WITH NATURAL CURLS

International Stylist and Curl Master Creator of The Doux

Gets Real About Real Hair

People with wavy or curly hair are always looking for new products, tips and tricks to lock in their desired look. Whether they want to blow it straight, create looser curls or maximize their tighter coils, Maya Smith, Celebrity Hair Stylist, salon owner and creator of The Doux, the “Indie” haircare line with cult following which arrives at Target this month, is truly the master. Here she shares her best tips for girls with curls who want to revel in their natural hair and create a style they love.

Understand the battle between oil and moisture.

The first thing people must understand is that there are opposite things going on at the same time. “Due to the shape of curly haired strands, the hair tends to be under moisturized. On the other hand, the curly haired scalp can get very oily. Managing these opposite demands is the struggle of girls who wish to keep their curls. The key here is knowing how best to address both,” explains Maya who led the movement for women to transition from relaxers to natural curls.

Be gentle when washing curly hair.

According to Maya, kinky, thick, coiled textures tend to appear “tough” and strong enough to withstand heavy manipulation. “In my experience, these hair types are actually the most delicate, and should be handled with care, she recommends.”

Step One: Pick your products wisely.

Maya applied over 2 decades of research and development based on working knowledge of hair texture and listening to what people wanted. “I created The Doux™ SUCKA FREE Moisturizing Shampoo and FRESH RINSE Moisturizing Conditioner as the one-two step that delivers both deep cleaning plus exceptional nourishment necessary for styling.” It’s now available in Target stores and the full product line is available online at www.thedoux.com.

Step Two: Prep for shampoo.

Maya’s professional instructions for curl mastery begins with rinsing hair thoroughly with water for a minimum of 30 seconds. “This helps to eliminate any water-soluble product buildup, such as hair gel or heat protectant. It also helps you save shampoo! Assuming you’re shampooing in the shower, letting the water run over the hair in a downward motion helps prevent further tangling, and allows the hair shaft to swell and the curl pattern to fully rebound.” For those with extremely thick hair, Maya suggests separating hair into 4 sections prior to wetting the hair for increased manageability.

Once the shampoo is applied, Maya recommends light manipulation at the scalp, going from the crown of the head to the nape of the neck. “Squishing” the hair up toward the scalp is a no-no. “Shampooing this way can cause unforgivable tangling and matting. I recommend repeating the shampooing process at least once.”

Step Three: Condition and comb through like a pro. 

If your scalp was properly shampooed, conditioning is easy. “This time, you’re focusing on your thirsty ends first, working upward toward the scalp. Gently detangle with a wide-toothed comb or detangling brush (our favorite is Felicia Leatherwood’s “Brush with the Best” detangling brush) before rinsing, starting at the ends, working up toward to the roots. Remember to rinse with cool water which snaps cuticles shut, locks in moisture, makes your hair shinier and reduces frizz.”

When it comes to “co-washing” or “conditioner washing” Maya equates the popular trend to washing your clothes with fabric softener. “In my experience, co-washing causes build-up on the hair, coating the cuticle and impairing the hair’s natural ability to absorb water. Oils, waxes, and product residue harden on the hair shaft, making it more brittle and less porous over time. When the hair can no longer effectively absorb water, the elasticity of the hair is compromised, leaving the hair “crunchy” and stiff, where it is more likely to break. The result is hair that feels dry and brittle, no matter what product you use to moisturize it,” explains Maya.

One of the things Maya Smith and her team of stylists are known for is their ability to restore hundreds of their clients’ curls, simply by getting them to trade in the co-wash for a gentle, pH-balanced moisturizing shampoo, like The Doux’s SUCKA FREE which properly cleanses hair of product residue. “Once you have the hair thoroughly clean it “drinks” up the necessary amount of moisture, and returns to its natural softness,” Maya clarifies.

Avoid alcohol and kick the crunch to the curb.

Styling products high in alcohol give curls a crunchy feel.  They suck up every last bit of moisture.  Hair spray tends to contain the most alcohol, while gels, mousses and anything that provides hold or lift come in second. “I recommend water-soluble gels that don't feel sticky on your skin, and aerated mousses or foams that resemble beaten egg whites, to give hair fullness, control, and non-brittle curls,” Maya says.

She adds that she created The Doux so it can be used on hair that is worn curly or straight. “Our clients purchase one set of products, and apply them differently to achieve the style they want. If you’re rocking curly hair today, you’re using The Doux’s Mousse Def and Bonita Afro Balm for softness and definition, and The Light for shine. If you’re wearing a blowout, you’re still using the same products, but applying them less liberally, and using the shine mist as a heat protectant. It’s super simple and easy to follow once you’ve seen the results each of them deliver,” Maya explains.

Blow-Dry with a diffuser or hooded dryer.

Maya’s first choice for curly styles is to air dry. “If you don’t have the time to air dry then dry with a diffuser or hooded dryer on a low heat setting.  A regular blow dryer nozzle disrupts the curl pattern and focuses hot air on one small section at a time while a diffuser, dries curls evenly for a full, uniform look,” she explains.

Maya recommends always applying a heat-protecting product, then flipping your head upside down using a diffuser at the roots and mid-length making sure to dry the area completely to lock in volume. “It’s important to leave the ends for last, and leave them only semi-dry. Air drying the ends is your best option.”

Care for the curls you were born with!

About Maya Smith:

Maya Smith is an International Master Stylist and Founder of The Doux Salon and haircare line now available in Target. With over two decades of styling experience Maya dedicated two decades to cracking the code on curl care, maintenance and expert styling. When it comes to caring for one’s natural hair and styling it, Maya is the best there is.

While still in high school, Maya got her hair cutting license and graduated from beauty school. Soon after graduating high school, Maya began following her passion and worked as an assistant for celebrity stylist Tracy Johnson. She learned from Johnson and progressed as a hair stylist for celebrities and entertainers. Years later the military wife would relocate to Germany, where Maya opened up her first salon The HoneyComb, a mecca for textured hair care for women from all over Europe, The UK, and as far as Africa. Maya's unique system of textured hair styling sparked the development of The DOUX® haircare products, first launched overseas, and distributed throughout Germany, France, Italy, and the Netherlands. 

Currently, Maya leads a carefully selected team of stylists at The DOUX® Salon in Macon, Georgia and on Christmas Eve 2017, celebrated the arrival of The DOUX® in Target stores nationwide. Maya Smith, wife, mom of 5 and savvy business woman is an example not just for women of color but for all women who believe their gifts can impact the world, striving for entrepreneurial endeavors with grace, ease and hustle.