Fitness gains – Don’t let your barbecues sabotage them!

Well thankfully it’s here (well I’m hoping where your located it showed up as well). Yup, summer has finally arrived here seemed like at times it would never get here.

You know it’s here for sure because everywhere you are no matter what your doing you can smell the aroma of the grills fired up and cooking all sorts of great foods:) aahhhh!! o.k. enough of that it’s making me hungry.

What I want to share with you in this post is some tips and ideas on how you can enjoy cooking outdoors through the best season of the year and without derailing your fitness gains and all of your hard work you have put into getting yourself in shape. I know I know it’s almost impossible to pass up that tasty hot dog in a toasted roll along with a nice icy cold beverage=) Like I’ve said many times before, its o.k. to splurge here and there as long as you keep it to that day and then you get yourself back into your workout/eating clean routine pronto.

A tip before you hit those family barbecues, try working out before you go to your cookout this will surely make you think twice before hitting the dessert table like it’s your last meal. Just the thought of doing that P90X Plyometric workout or that Insanity workout for nothing will certainly make you think twice. Just be sure to have your recovery drink after your workout or it could leave you very hungry going to your barbecue and turn you into a ravenous dog! At least that’s how I feel after a very strenuous Beachbody workout – what? you don’t use it? then you are missing out on a great product, want more information on it? just click here (you’ll be happy you did).

Along with that advice here a few more helpful hints that will help make your cookout enjoyable without guilt and without feeling your missing the fun boat.

• Burgers – if you’re craving to have that burger then try some of the leaner selections, I typically use the not less than 85% or 93% lean ground beef. It’s nice when grilling because you don’t get all the fat dripping off and causing those annoying flare-ups. Or better yet try having a turkey burger they are actually pretty good! Again just check the labels because some can contain ground up skin and other fatty pieces, look for the extra lean or ground turkey breast.
• For steak lovers, try sticking to the leaner cuts of meat such as loin or round. Other lean cuts include flank steak, skirt steak and london broil.   Due to the leanness and low fat of these steaks it’s best to marinate the meat for a couple hours before grilling, just be careful and read the labels – most store bought barbecue and teriyaki sauces are loaded with high fructose corn syrup (HFCS). If you care about your health this is one ingredient you want to stay a mile away from. As far as pork goes the leaner cuts you can get are the tenderloin and loin chops.
• Easy does it on the starches! Especially the potato and pasta salads, plus these type of salads are loaded with brutally fatty mayo. An alternative may be to have some sliced up tomatoes & cucumbers and mix them with some vinegar, olive oil, lemon juice, onions or garlic. And don’t forget to use whole grain wheat buns, they are so much better for you than the “white buns”.
• Veggies - my favorite way to enjoy them is to have some onion with green and red peppers on a chicken kabob – yum! or of course a nice fresh garden salad with just a little bit of low fat dressing is always a good choice. 
• And to finish off my cookout survival list are the condiments. Try using low fat cheese (or none at all) and go easy on the ketchup which is loaded with corn syrup.

I’m not here to ruin your barbecues like a pack of hungry mosquitoes but just to give you some tips to make it enjoyable and healthy! It’s all the little things that can add up and destroy all of your hard work (especially as we get older – I HATE that word) and send you into the vicious tail spin, don’t let that happen to you.

So that’s it – flip the burgers and lets eat:)

Till next time……

Take care of yourself.

Kevin Pavilonis

Independent Beachbody Emerald Coach 

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