common conundrum #1: localized fat loss.

bonjour pupils! how is everyone? things have been cray now that we're less than a month away from moving our headquarters to the hustle & bustle of NYC. but don't worry... we're still around! in fact, today we felt the need to take a break from all of our craziness in order to deliver a special PSA regarding a common misconception that we've been seeing lately on the interwebz:

localized fat loss.

you know you've seen the posts that promise you'll lose inches off of your hips if you wear a wrap for a few hours. or those ab workouts that'll have the fat melt off your waist, leaving behind those sought after washboard abs. well, i'm sorry to break it to you, but contrary to popular belief, you can't tell which fat to go first! if that were the case, i definitely wouldn't have had my boobs volunteer as tribute before my thighs…

everyone has different fat distribution. some people have fat deposited evenly throughout their body, while others seem to have more fat in some areas than in others. regardless, when you lose weight, fat is released uniformly throughout the body. if you have unevenly distributed fat, this fact might not seem to be true, but sadly this is where genetics come into play. now, this doesn't mean localized workouts don't do any good! au contraire, mes chéris. all of those core, thigh, butt, & arm workouts you found on pinterest will build muscles in those areas & thennnn with a nutritional diet & all of those guilty pleasures in moderation, the fat starts to peace out & your hard-earned muscles come out to play!

so in summary: without a proper diet & a scientifically based overall fitness program, you can perform all the ab exercises you wish & it will never result in localized fat loss in your waist. all that you'll accomplish is a well-developed & conditioned six pack hidden by the fat you haven't been able to lose because you've been eating poorly & drinking heavily! so to be brief, eat less more often & exercise more! it's as simple as that!

well now. it feels good to clear up at least one myth for the day! so go hide all of those leftover chocolate bars & marshmallows from your july 4th bonfires & rest up! because tomorrow is fit friday & you don't want to miss it ;)

until next class!
xx TFNHQ

the nerds have been schooled.

you heard right, kids! TheFitnessNerds hit the books over the last few months & i finally took the plunge! i am now a Certified Personal Trainer, thanks to the National Federation of Profession Trainers & i can't wait to take you all on this journey with me. this is a turning point at TFNHQ. if you know me, you'll know that i had been talking about becoming a certified trainer for a while. i loved giving advice to our followers, but i wanted to make sure i was posting real tips & legit facts instead of just going off of what is put out on the internet. so i took a step back from TFNHQ & lived up to the nerd reputation i've built up my whole life.

after spending months studying anatomy, physiology, fitness nutrition & all the legal information that comes with this position, i have to say that i'm even more excited about the role i've taken to help people like you (and me!) commit to a healthier lifestyle & make their dreams into a living & breathing reality.

no matter how much you talk about something, it doesn't become real until you actually make it happen yourself... much like this blog! it's all talk waiting to be put into action until you actually do it. so what was stopping me? um...nothing! & that's why i just went ahead & signed up, studied my booty off & kicked that exam's toned behind. & now, the same goes for all of you! with this newfound confidence & ever growing knowledge, i'm inviting you all to join me in deriving a plan of action to make those fitness dreams our own realities.

keep studying! & i will too ;)
xx TFNHQ

2-ingredient pancakes.

french toast. waffles. pancakes. omelets. eggs. bagels. bacon. sausage. home fries. jelly. toast. blintzes.

mmmmmmmmm......

if your tummy just rumbled after reading those words, don't worry. you're not alone! all of these amazing foods are joined together by one word that excites every fiber of our beings & that word is: brekkie.

brekkie
Pronunciation: /ˈbrɛki/
(also brekky)
[noun]
breakfast.

okay, so maybe that was a little overkill, but we like to be thorough in our posts. anyway, the point is that TFN are obsessed with brekkie & absolutely love to start our days off right. we have limited time during the week, so we stick to our oats & fruits, but the weekends are our chances to take our time to splurge a bit & brekkie is our favorite chance to do that! while we love our occasional trips to our favorite pancake houses, we'd much rather be in charge of what goes on our plates. we've been seeing something called "2-ingredient pancakes" for a while now & we've never taken the plunge to try them out...until now. the verdict is in & we're saying...YUMMY! they've definitely lived up to the hype! while normal pancakes contain lots of "empty calories", these 2-ingredient pancakes satisfy your hunger & fill you up with a much smaller quantity! so...here you go!

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2-ingredient pancakes.
Ingredients:
- one ripe banana
- 2 eggs

if that isn't the easiest shopping list, then i don't know what is! all you do is mash up the ripe banana well & then whisk in the 2 eggs. spray a tiny bit of nonstick spray on your pan, throw on the pancakes & voilà! you're done!

but okay. we may have lied to you just a little....like, just the tiniest little bit. we actually use double the number of ingredients....oops! in our usual, old bisquick pancakes, we'd also throw in some cinnamon & vanilla (or almond) extract, so we continued this tradition in our two-ingredient pancakes! it adds a little bit of amazing flavor :) LASTLY...if you're feeling like you really wanna spice things up (like we were this morning),  throw in a little chocolate Shakeology  to make chocolate pancakes! not only does it add a bit of added superfood nutrients, it helps hold together the ingredients a little while you flip. we're thinking of trying vanilla Shakeo next time ;)

we always top our pancakes off with some fresh fruit & a little bit of pure honey. we promise they'll be a special treat & paired with your morning espresso, you're bound to have a good day :)

so...head on over to your local market for those truly free-range eggs, let those bananas go one day longer & happy brunching! let us know how they go or how you switch up the recipe!

keep studying!
xx TFNHQ

the nerds are getting schooled.

do you smell that?

***awkward silence***

anyway....what we're talking about is the scent of newly sharpened pencils & fresh paper. well, actually no one uses wooden pencils anymore, so it might just be our imaginations, but do you know what this means?! it's back-to-school-time, nerds! while the little kiddies are buying new plastic backpacks, picking out their favorite character's lunch boxes & convincing their parents that they just have to buy that 1-Direction glitter pencil case with matching eraser, TheFitnessNerds aren't just sitting back anymore. no no...it's quite the opposite! the nerds are getting schooled :)

it's finally official & while we can't quit our day job (just yet), we've decided to do what we can & take a course to help move our dreams along & in the meantime, it helps out all of our readers! (that's you!) we signed up for a human nutrition course & as we learn more about what we need to sustain a healthful living, we'll be helping you learn too! we know you all have busy lives & can't even imagine taking more time out of your schedules to learn the ins & outs of nutrition, so that's why we're here! we'll bring you some important (tofu) knuggets of knowledge (yes...knuggets) that will help you make more informed decisions about what fills your plates.

but don't worry! this class won't take away our special bonding time. in fact, we're so excited about this course that you can expect more frequent posts. i know...that makes you pretty darn excited ;)

thanks for joining us in our elation & we'll be posting soon! class started yesterday & we can't wait to share some of what we've learned so far! wish us luck :D

keep studying & we will too!
xx TFNHQ

game-time granola.

do you get nervous the day before you’re going to a sporting event because you’re already having nightmares of the calories that are seeping out of those cheese-covered nachos or the french fries topped with buffalo wings (yes. that is a real thing…)? but if that’s what you’re nervous about, fear no more! (unless you're worried about getting hit with a flying ball or puck. sorry. can't help you there...) we recently went to a baseball game (goooo pirates!) & made sure to stock up on healthy, yet filling, snacks to get us through! the big hit was our homemade granola, which can be adjusted so it’s just the way you like it! there’s minimal prep work & it makes enough to last the whole game, even with extra innings!! this recipe came courtesy of the daring gourmet! she gave us all the details & left out any vegetable oils & refined sugars ;) check it out below!

Healthy Homemade Granola
Makes 6 cups

Ingredients

•   4 cups raw oats (not quick or instant)

•   ¾ cup unsweetened dried flaked coconut

•   ⅓ cup chopped or sliced almonds

•   3 tablespoons sunflower seeds (unsalted)

•   1 tablespoon flax seeds

•   1 tablespoon sesame seeds

•   ⅓ cup raw honey

•   3 tablespoons extra virgin coconut oil

•   ½ teaspoon almond extract (optional)

•   1 cup assorted dried fruit, like apricots, raisins, cranberries, cherries, pineapple, dates, etc.

Instructions

1. Preheat the oven to 325 degrees F.

2. Place the oats in a large mixing bowl. Add the coconut flakes, nuts and seeds and stir to combine.

3. Place the honey and coconut oil in a small saucepan and bring to a boil. Boil for one minute and remove from heat. Stir in almond extract if using.

4. Pour honey mixture over the oat mixture and stir until coated.

5. Spread the granola out on a large baking sheet. Bake for 20-25 minutes or until lightly toasted, stirring every few minutes to prevent burning.

6. Let the granola cool completely then add the dried fruits and stir to combine.

Store in an airtight container. Keeps for about a week. Serve with milk and fresh berries if desired.

well…that’s it! you can pick whichever dried fruits you want, but if you’re choosing store-bought, be sure to make choices with minimal added/refined sugar!

we hope you enjoy this recipe & we promise you’ll need to keep making more, since it’ll go faster than you can say “raise the jolly roger!!!”

stay tuned for the recipe for our tailgating chickpea salad we made for the pregame! it's a gorgeous dish & again, super easy to make!

keep studying :)
xx TFNHQ

the food addiction.

years ago i heard that m&m’s contain a certain ingredient that made you addicted to them. i searched far & wide through the depths of google, bing, wikipedia & i even asked jeeves! alas, i searched & searched to no avail. i therefore decided to end the wild goose chase & move on with my life. however, fast forward to the present & it turns out that i may have heard right!

a recent study sent to us by a study-abroad fitness nerd has shown that it is possible to become addicted to unhealthy foods & this addiction may be responsible for the global obesity epidemic. to sum up the findings, it’s been shown that high-fructose corn syrup can cause behavioral reactions in rats similar to those produced by drugs of abuse such as cocaine. this “food addiction” hypothesis was shown at the 2013 canadian neuroscience meeting by dr. francesco leri & suggests that someone could be addicted to food just as one is addicted to drugs of abuse. while the increased availability of highly-palatable foods worldwide could partly explain the high incidence of obesity, this is not the entire reason. how do you explain why some people are obese & others are not while they’re given the same amount of available food? dr. leri & others suggest that one important factor could be individual differences in vulnerability to addiction. surveys show that in the consumption of cocaine, only a small percentage of individuals who try the drug actually become addicted. dr. leri wanted to know if he same could be true of “addictive foods” & his data produces evidence that laboratory animals show a shared vulnerability to develop preferences for sweet foods & for cocaine.

while this research may lead to novel pharmacological interventions for obese individuals, it may also help increase the public’s understanding of the effects of unhealthy food choices. public education regarding nutrition & fitness is one of the goals of The Fitness Nerds, so we are very interested in what these studies result in!

if you’re interested in reading the full story, follow this link! sadly, my university does not have access to the journal “addiction biology”, so we cannot read the entire paper, but we’ll work on getting that for you asap!!

now, this doesn't mean you can blame your "addictive behavior" for overindulging in sweets! it's quite the opposite. it's scary to think that our bodies could be addicted to food in the same way it's addicted to a dangerous drug. because of this, it's best try to stay away from foods with high amounts of high-fructose corn syrup to begin with, so your body doesn't even know it exists! there's a lot more to the corn syrup ingredient that most people know, so look out for an upcoming post that explains a little more about this scary ingredient & how it’s popping up in places you wouldn’t expect!!

keep studying, nerds! we love your enthusiasm (:
xx TFNHQ

*DISCLAIMER: all of the data from this post is from the provided link. we did not personally deal with these mice. let's just say, we'll leave it to the professionals.

it's a shake & share event!

hey nerds! this week we have our first of many live events coming up & we want you to join us! you may have seen our pictures of shakeology on our profiles, but how do you know what it really tastes like? well, we want to show you! if you live in the pittsburgh area (or even if you don't...we love road trips!) come to our very first shake & share event & try out all the flavors you want! we'll have a variety of different recipes for each of the 4 flavors & if you're lucky, we might even fulfill on-site requests ;) check out the details below, read more about the shakes on this website & we hope to see you there!! oh & we'll have vegan flavors too!!

keep studying!
xx TFNHQ

day twenty-two.

so kiddies, it's day 22 & you know what that means? the ultimate reset is OVER! we did it!! we survived 21 days sans alcohol, processed sugars, meat, caffeine & all those other bad-for-your-body toxins out there! & you know what? we feel great! if you've been reading our previous posts about the reset, you've seen some of the food we've been eating & besides last night's dinner (avocado-cucumber soup...sounded promising but...not quite) all of the food was super delicious & we'll definitely be incorporating the recipes into our post-reset life. we'll even develop our own versions of some meals & post them for you all to try yourselves!

we've kept track of our progress & the final numbers are in! TheFitnessNerds have lost a total of 24 pounds & 36 inches in just 3 weeks!! that's only between two people so...those results are amazing! & even more than that, we feel more energized & rested without the need of caffeine & our tummies feel calmed & soothed, even after going through the detox! we've both lost at least one pant-size & we can't wait to see how this reset changed our lives by teaching us how to look at food differently, which is something we desperately needed.

the main thing we learned is that there's a time & a place for food. now don't get us wrong, we love splurging with cheat days just as much as the next person! & food is on our minds...a lot. but what we found is that if there was food around us, we felt the urge to eat it. not just at lunch or dinnertime, but throughout the day. if we passed by a bowl of candy, hungry or not, we'd constantly want to reach for just an m&m or two. but what we didn't realize is that if you pass that bowl 10 times throughout the day, you've eaten 20 m&m's that you haven't considered part of your food intake, so for dessert you also eat a brownie or two. cutting out those little added calories are one of the reasons for the drastic weight loss without doing any exercise more demanding that brisk walking. another great habit we gained from the reset was planning out our meals. no matter how tired we were at the end of the day, we had our menus set & we stuck with what we planned. if we weren't doing the reset, we would have been too lazy to think up a dinner & would've either ordered out, gone through a drive-thru, or eaten a bunch of random items from the kitchen that added up to a poor-nutrient meal. same with lunch! having our lunch made & brought with us, we didn't find the need to get some junk out of the vending machine that we'd hope would fill us up until we got home. having everything planned out also made us spend less time during the day thinking about food. instead, we were able to concentrate, actually concentrate, on what was happening around us or on things we've been putting off for weeks. case & point, we even had time for this blog! we've tried to make blogs in the past that have slowly withered away & died from lack of attention. but with the time it took for veggies to roast or water to boil, we were able to fit in a blurb or two on here & even a pic on instagram, which not only helped us with our accountability but hopefully helped you as well!

but i know what you're thinking. now that the reset is over, the nerds will go back to their busy lives & forget about the blogosphere & all of their numerous followers ;) but NOPE! that would be wrong! we've finally & officially completed our first team beachbody program & because of the incredible results we both see, there's no stopping us now! & now that we're allowed to eat whatever we want, there's nothing holding us back from trying out & sharing recipes for every meal of the day, including the most favorite "snack time". so, stay tuned!

sorry for the long post! just so much to talk about! but lastly, if you're interested in trying out the reset for yourself, email us at fitnessnerds@gmail.com!! we'd be happy to answer any questions regarding how to get it, where to get it, what it costs, what it smells like, what it sounds like & anything else you could ever imagine! now that we've outwitted, outlasted, & outplayed the reset, we can't wait to share our knowledge with anyone interested! also, we'll be posting more fitbits, as well as before/after pics soon!

keep studying!!
xx, TFNHQ

ps. look out for a special pic once we receive our free ultimate reset t-shirts from beachbody! we'll be super excited to show off our proof that we survived the reset ;)