Pumpkin Recipes

Did you know that pumpkin has 300% of your daily recommendation of vitamin A in 1/2 cup? This is truly a wonderful vegetable to add to breakfast, lunch and dinner!

Pumpkin Pudding

1 small box vanilla sugar-free, fat free pudding mix

1 1/2 cups skim milk

2 scoops natural flavored Designer Whey

1/2 c 100% pure canned pumpkin

pumpkin pie spice and/or cinnamon to taste

Put milk into mixing bowl then add pudding mix, protein powder, pumpkin and spices, if using. Whisk together for at least 2 minutes, then divide into two or three pudding cups. Refrigerate until set, at least 20 minutes.

You an use different flavors of pudding for this recipe. I've tried the banana flavor with delicious results. I find that using vanilla praline flavored protein powder also works. I use the Designer Whey brand whenever I need to mix the powder with anything. We here at Baseline have found that this brand blends better than others without being chalky or gritty. They've started selling Designer Whey at Kroger, but for the best price go to http://www.vitacost.com/ and search for "Designer Whey natural".

Protein Pumpkin Pancakes

1 scoop Designer Whey natural flavor

1/4 cup rolled oats

1/2 cup 100% pure canned pumpkin

4 egg whites, or 1/2 cup liquid egg whites (can use egg beaters)

Splenda, cinnamon,and pumpkin pie spice to taste.

For fluffier pancakes, add 1/4 tsp - 1/2tsp baking soda

In a blender or food processor, mix all ingredients together until smooth. Spray a medium skillet with non-stick spray and heat to medium low. Pour batter onto the skillet and flip when bubbles start to form and pop in the middle of your pancake. Serve with applesauce or sugar free maple syrup.

You can substitute Fiber One for the oatmeal if you want the extra fiber. You may need to use more than 1/4 cup.

Adding almond butter or peanut butter to this recipe makes it an extra special treat. You can also top these with a few pecans. Sometimes my husband will add 1/2 a small banana to his mix for added flavor, just make sure that you account for all the calories the nut butters and extras may contain.

Hot Cereal

1/4 cup Bob's Red Mill 10 grain cereal

1/4 cup 100% pure canned pumpkin

1 tsp flax seed oil

1 scoop Designer Whey natural flavor

Splenda and cinnamon to taste

Cook hot cereal in microwave according to package directions (add extra water if you do not like thick hot cereal).

Add pumpkin, oil, protein powder, Splenda and cinnamon. Mix well and enjoy!

1152 Miles in Three Months!

The new Baseline Client Challenge is to walk the distance from Columbus, Ohio to Miami, Florida before the holidays are over. That's 1152 miles in twelve weeks! Here how it works:

We ordered the best-of-the-best pedometers* for our clients to track of their steps. EVERY step counts, not just cardio steps.

Every week that our clients attend all of their scheduled training sessions, those clients will get an 80 mile credit (or a "Baseline Bus ride" as we like to call it). If a client can only make two out of three sessions, they still get a 25 mile credit for every session they do attend.

Every Monday we will download the pedometers onto the front desk computer at Baseline, and move them however many miles south on our map. The first one to reach Miami before New Year's Day receives bragging rights and glory. We decided not to have an entry fee or big reward for the winner. Everyone's cardio routine is different and someone who is a runner will arrive in Miami far before any walker. The goal is to keep everyone moving as holiday cookies and cakes start to become frequent fixtures at social gatherings!

Over the next several weeks we will also be helping Westerville salon Perfect Image track their challenge participants. The Perfect Image challenge is based on body composition, and anyone participating will have their body fat checked at least twice using our Bod Pod. The salon is working hard to keep everyone motivated, and has outlawed any fast food inside the building! Look for the challenge results coming in the next several weeks.

Good luck with the challenges everyone! We will keep you posted with results.

*the pedometers we found are the Omron Go Smart HJ-720ITC model. They are very accurate and come with PC Software so you can download all of your data into the computer. This model will also work if kept in your pocket or purse. We have extra pedometers available at Baseline Fitness for $39 if you are interested in tracking your steps.

2009 Challenge Winners!

The challenge is over and after three months of consistent dieting and weight training, the winner is Alexis!

Alexis lost 7.9% body fat over twelve weeks. She is one of Scott Buxton's personal training clients, and someone we will have to look out for in future challenges! Over the past three months, winning Baseline's challenge was not her only goal; she was gearing up for the "America's Perfect Miss" National Pageant in Florida, where she finished in the top fifteen! As winner of the challenge, Alexis received the sum of the entry fees, which totalled $250. Congratulations Alexis!

Second place went to another one of Scott's clients, Tony. Tony started the challenge two weeks later than everyone else, but still managed to lose 6% body fat! He gained 9.6lbs. of lean mass and lost 27.5lbs of fat. Tony received a $100 gift card for Lowe's to help with his new house.

Third place with 5.5% body fat reduction is Jon. Jon has been training with Scott for less than a year but has made huge gains. His lean mass continues to increase as his fat weight drops. Jon received a gift certificate for a massage therapy session at Baseline Fitness for finishing third.

Lululemon Discount Today!

Everyone here at Baseline Fitness loves the Lululemon Athletica clothing line. We are big fans of their pants because they won't budge while working out (even when stretching or doing squats!). Lululemon opened it's first Columbus store down the Short North last fall, but you can also buy items online at their website (http://www.lululemon.com/)



The member-only online boutique Rue La La is offering Lululemon clothing at a discount for a short time today. The boutique opens at 11:00am, and will only be open for a short period of time, so make sure you get there today!

You must be invited by a member to access the boutiques, but as a thank you to our blog readers we are extending an invitation to join Rue La La! (it's free to sign up and you are not obligated to buy anything). Once you are a member you can browse the boutiques and get great deals on designer clothing. Click the link below to accept our member invitation!

Buy Lululemon on Rue La La Here

Baseline on Facebook

Baseline Fitness on Facebook!

Visit our Facebook page for more information about our services, clients and staff. We've posted pictures from past Arnold Fitness Classics and other various events in which some of our clients and staff have participated. You can also view some our client's amazing transformations and check out the staff photos.

Why you Can't Eat "Just One"

I heard NPR's Ira Flatow interview Dr. Kessler, former Federal Food and Drug Administrator last Friday and want to share the link with you all.  Kessler's understanding of how our brains react to sugar, fat and salt combinations gave me some great insight on why is it so hard for many of us to stay away from the foods we know are making us fat and unhealthy.  I've beaten myself up many times for eating that extra brownie or cookie, when I know I didn't really want it.  Kessler explains the science behind why we are drawn to these foods, how large corporations are capitalizing on our weaknesses and what we can do to re-teach our brains not to go back to the sundae bar again and again.

The link sends you to NPR's website, click the "listen now" button to hear the interview in it's entirety.  You won't be disappointed!

http://www.npr.org/templates/story/story.php?storyId=106470909

Get the Most From Your Meals

The above meal is eight ounces of broccoli and six ounces of cod.  It has 239 calories, 45 grams of protein and only 12 grams of carbs.  Now, that's almost one pound of food, so you won't have to worry about being hungry.  It's also low in fat (about 2 grams) and will most defiantly keep you full for at least two hours.  If you add lemon juice and salt for flavoring, the meal only has four ingredients.  

Many people who come into Baseline are worried about getting enough protein in their diets while trying not eat too many calories.  The trick is figuring out where the majority of your calories are coming from.  For example, if you eat lots of "junk" foods like crackers, cereal bars, chips, cookies, sauces, etc.,  you are consuming a very high amount of carbohydrates but almost no protein.  There isn't any reason you can consume over 150 grams of protein a day while still losing weight, if your calories are coming from the right sources.

The meal above has 239 calories, as I mentioned before.  What does that look like?

Foods with comparative calories:

3 Oreo cookies

1 small McDonald's french fry

2 1/2 tablespoons of butter

1 cup tomato soup

2 1/2 ounces of cream cheese

1/3 cup almonds

1 Hershey Bar

1 Grilled Snack Wrap from Wendys

1 and 1/2 Nutri-Grain Bars

1 cup frosted shredded wheat with 1/2 cup milk

1 Three Cheese and Broccoli Lean Pocket

Some of the foods above are not "bad" for you, but you can see that for the same amount of calories in the pictured meal, you will not even come close to getting the amount of protein in these comparative meals.  1/3 cup of almonds contains high amounts of heart-healthy fats, but only 11 grams of protein and 19 grams of carbs.

Something else to consider when fixing your plate for dinner is the "staying power" of the foods you are about to eat. Tomato soup may sound like a healthy option, but is it going to sustain your hunger until your next meal?  The same thing goes for the lean pocket and Wendy's Snack Wrap.

Getting the most out your meals can be easier than you think.  Load up on veggies like broccoli, asparagus, green beans and salad greens.  These foods take more work for you to digest and help keep you full longer, not to mention they have lots of antioxidants and vitamins for good health.  Lean protein in 4 to 6 ounce portions is an excellent way to consume your protein without consuming all the extra calories you'll get from ground beef, fried chicken, or any processed meats.  Chicken, white fish, tuna, salmon and buffalo meat are all very lean and offer upwards of 45 grams of protein per serving, and contain 200 calories or less.