Inspiring Generations of Women- Spotlight on Amazing Middle School Girls!

Hello Sweet Friends!

Today, we have the joy of hearing from one of our amazing Personal Trainers, Katie Lord, who supports our amazing middle school girls! She adores these middle school girls and comes alongside them to provide encouragement, support, care, and hope as they learn about whole body health! We are so thankful for Katie and our middle school girls who are learning what it means to live transformed! 

Think back to your years in middle school. What thoughts come to mind? Are all of your memories positive, or like me, do you also remember a lot of awkwardness and feeling uncomfortable with your body! I wish someone had come alongside me during middle school to offer encouragement and guidance in how to take care of my body and be confident in how God made me! 

At TransFit, we aspire to do just that for this generation of middle school girls through the TransFit Girls sessions! We teach the girls about whole body health and help them to love their bodies! We hope to empower each girl to be confident in who they are and know that they are beautiful, strong, and unique! 

In the 55 - minute TransFit girls session, we focus on making exercise enjoyable, learning how to correctly perform exercises, and the importance of nutrition and faith. Each week, the girls engage in an energizing and fun workout along with a cooldown time with stretching and inspiration. Some weeks the girls also complete simple crafts or hear a guest speaker that relates to the weekly theme. We help the girls set attainable goals each month and encourage them to stay committed to reaching those goals! We want the girls to give their best not just in the workout, but in everything they do! 

It is such a blessing to spend time with the middle school girls each week and teach them about living transformed! The girls have a blast during the workout! They work hard, all while smiling, laughing, and making new friends. God is changing the hearts of this generation of middle school girls! He is helping them to be confident, strong young women who are lights of kindness, love, and hope to the other girls in their community! Middle school is such an important stage in a young girl's life, and we pray that each of the girls finds inspiration to live transformed - body, mind, and soul. 

It is an honor and joy for us to welcome these sweet middle school girls into the studio. We are so thankful for the joy, sparkle, laughter, and energy each of these girls brings each Wednesday afternoon! If you know someone who would like to join us for our middle school girls session, they can sign up on our FREE app. The middle school girls sessions meet on Wednesday's from 4:30-5:30. We would love for your daughter or friend to join us! 

If you have any questions, please email us at transfitathens@gmail.com. 

Blessings, 

Team TransFit

Coconut Cashew Energy Ball! Extra Fiber for your day!

 

Fiber is such an important part to a healthy diet! I wanted to share a few facts and my new favorite energy ball!

Fiber is a type of carbohydrate the body cannot digest, that helps regulate the body’s use of sugars. Food high in fiber can make you feel fuller longer, and are associated with lowering the risk of certain diseases such as heart disease, type 2 diabetes, and some types of cancer. There are two types of fiber: soluble and insoluble.

Soluble fiber, which dissolves in water, lowers cholesterol and keeps blood sugar levels steady. Good sources of soluble fiber include oatmeal, nuts, beans, apples, and blueberries.

Insoluble fiber, which does not dissolve in water, maintains the digestive system and helps with regularity. Good sources of insoluble fiber include whole wheat products, whole grain couscous, brown rice, leafy green vegetables, sweet potatoes, and carrots. 

U.S. Institute of Medicine recommends 25 grams of fiber each day for women under the age of 50, and 21 grams of fiber each day for women over 50. If you want to get more specific, you can calculate the amount of fiber you need based on how much you eat. According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, you should consume about 14 grams of fiber for every 1,000 calories you consume. 

Most Americans, however, only get about 15 grams of fiber each day. So how do we alter our diets to get more? An easy switch to make is avoiding refined grains like white flour, white pasta, and white rice, and instead replace them with 100% whole grains. Another way to increase the fiber in your diet is choosing snacks with fiber to help maintain blood sugar levels throughout the day and to help curb overeating. 

Some of my favorite fiber rich snacks:

• carrots with hummus- both carrots and chickpeas are excellent sources of fiber
• an apple or a pear
• air popped popcorn (without butter)
• nuts, raisins, and dates
• chia seeds

Dates are a great source of fiber, containing 12g per cup! That's almost half the daily fiber necessary for women, yet dates have a stigma they can't seem to shake. My recipe for Coconut Cashew Energy Balls calls for dates, yet the result is a moist, chewy, delicious treat!  Can't wait for you to give this high-fiber snack a try!

Coconut Cashew Energy Balls! (Gluten Free)

Yield: 12

Ingredients:

• 1 Cup Pitted Dried Dates (9-10 dates)
• 1 Cup Cashews
• ½ Cup unsweetened Coconut flakes
• 1 tsp Cinnamon
• 1 tsp Pure Vanilla Extract
• 1 Tbsp. Coconut Oil

Instructions:

Soak the Dates in water for 10 minutes to soften. Place all ingredients into food processor or blender and process for approximately 2 minutes until everything is ground. Roll into Balls.  Spread coconut flakes on plate and roll ball on flakes to cover!  Makes approximately 15 tablespoon sized balls. Store in the refrigerator. Perfect easy to make treat for the entire family! Yum!

Enjoy and have a wonderful day! Caroline

Some of My Favorite Snacks to Fuel Your Body for Success

FROZEN PEANUT BUTTER BANANA

(Add a chocolate chip to the top for extra kiddo happiness)

HEALTHY TRAIL MIX

Some of My Favorite Smoothies!

 Blueberry almond smoothie – HIGH IN PROTIEN

This is great for breakfast or mini-meal, especially on the run!

1 C blueberries 2/3 C plain nonfat yogurt (OR GREEK) 1/2 serving protein powder (I like SF whey) 1/4 cup nonfat milk 1 T slivered almonds 2 t ground flax seeds 1 t almond (OR VANILLA) extract

Green Machine.  Here’s the recipe, which yields about 12 ounces:

• 1 granny smith apple (preferably organic), cut into big pieces or one pear
• 2 cups of kale (pull leaves from two stalks to make two cups) or 2 cups spinach
• 1 lime (juiced or remove the seeds and add the flesh, too) or one lemon
• 1 small handful of cilantro (pull the leaves from the stalks)
• 1/2 cup orange juice
• 2 teaspoons ginger (mine came from a jar but you can grate fresh ginger instead)
• ½ cup yogurt

The citrus, cilantro and ginger give the smoothie a refreshing zing. I’ve been using my food processor to blend the ingredients, but I’m going to give my blender another shot. I want to blend in some ice and maybe a frozen banana.

Based on rough calculations, the smoothie comes in at about 200 calories, with 11 grams of fiber, 6 grams of protein, over 700% of the Vitamin A and 260% of the Vitamin C you need for a day, and a long list of other vitamins.

All Around Good Smoothie

• 1/2 cup nonfat milk
• 1/2 cup fat-free plain yogurt
• 1/2 frozen banana, peeled and chopped
• 2 tablespoons powdered protein supplement
• 1 1/2 tablespoons flax seed
• 1 teaspoon honey
• 1/2 cup frozen strawberries

Favorite Smoothie for 2012

Super Green Smoothie:

1 cup almond milk

1 cup strawberries or blueberries

1 cup spinach (surprise!! it blend beautifully)

1 frozen banana

1 tsp ground flax seed

1 scoop protein powder

*(may need a dash of honey)- your preference

 ***Always add crushed ice (about 1 cup) to all your smoothies!!!!