An easy to follow, (no fasting allowed) plan for attaining a fabulous body,
inside and out.
WHAT IS THE FIT VEGAN CHALLENGE?
- Make one meal each day a healthy, vegan one.
- Incorporate the “calorie burner of the week” into your fitness regime.
WHY VEGAN?
A few benefits of plant-based foods:
- Speed Weight Loss
“A plant-based diet revs your metabolism, causing you to burn calories up to 16% faster that you would on a non plant-based diet for at least the first 3 hours after meals.” – New York Times Bestselling author, Kathy Freston - Boost Energy & Brighten Complexion
The wide array of antioxidants, vitamins, and phytonutrients in plants provide an array of benefits including overall increased energy and the repairing and protecting of cells to reveal glowing, clear skin. – USDA - Contribute to a Lifetime of Optimum Health
Those who eat generous amounts of plant-based foods are likely to have reduced risk of chronic diseases, including stroke. cardiovascular diseases, and certain cancers. – USDA (choosemyplate.gov)
Vegan Meal of the Week:
Make lunch or dinner a DELICIOUS, healthy vegan meal (unrefined grains, beans, legumes, veggies, fruit, non GMO tofu, tempeh). No meat, fish, dairy, or eggs. Each week I’ll provide one vegan meal option and one substitution or healthy addition to incorporate into your daily menu to help you feel satisfied and never deprived.
I love to experiment with extravagant recipes but during the week I tend to stick to simple dishes. This is one of my go-to meals that is very easy to prepare and tastes delicious.
Black Bean Quinoa Salad
Chop:
- Lettuce
- Tomato
- Red Onion
- Carrots
- Red peppers
- Cooked corn off the cob
Cook:
½ C quinoa and 1 c water on the stove for 15 minutes
Mix:
Cooked quinoa and ½ can drained black beans
Add:
Combine grains and beans on top of the big salad. Pour on some fresh salsa and squeeze some lime.
Enjoy!
Substitution of the Week:
When that unstoppable craving comes on for a big juicy burger, enjoy a veggie burger instead. It may not sound as satisfying but the veggie burger has come along way and now tastes absolutely scrumptious. If you do not have time to make your own, there are many brands that carry great quality burgers that will satisfy your cravings. Try Boca’s vegan original, Amy’s California burger, Gardenburger Veggie Medley.
Calorie Burner of the Week:
Skaters: perfect move for torching calories and improving athleticism.
How to do it:
- Keeping your chest and toes pointed forward bend one knee and let the opposite leg swing behind you.
- Drive off the ball of your big toe on your planted foot, jumping as far you feel comfortable and land on you opposite foot with your toes forward.
- Land softly with a bent leg and immediately jump back the opposite direction.
- Do three jumps each side.
Green Reason of the Week:
This excerpt comes directly from Yahoo health (front page of the site on Monday morning).
“How well is your cow treated before it turns into your burger patty? Not great, you think, since you know how lax the laws are regarding factory farms. But how bad can it get, really? Very, according to the animal-rights group Compassion Over Killing, which recently released an undercover video taken at Central Valley Meat Co., a California slaughterhouse that supplies beef to the USDA National School Lunch Program, In-N-Out Burger, Costco, and McDonald’s. Workers there illegally shocked the cows repeatedly with electric prods, sometimes as many as 40 times. Many of the cows there died slow, agonizing deaths, and some captured on video weren’t even dead when they got to the slaughtering stage.”
Motivation of the Week:
For more recipes, fitness tips, and workouts visit www.noratobin.com and follow me on Twitter @NoraTobin.
Click here for previous Fit Vegan Challenge posts.
Nora Tobin grew up in the High Sierra’s on Lake Tahoe, where she spent most of her childhood outdoors- hiking, snowboarding, skiing, wakeboarding, rock climbing, and white water rafting.
Nora is a GNC Brand Ambassador and a weekly contributor to SHAPE. She is a NASM certified personal trainer and currently working towards certification as a Fitness Nutrition Specialist.
Nora is the creator of a unique fitness program that incorporates yoga, weight training, stand up paddle, beach boot camps, hiking, running, sports specific training, as well as nutrition information and meal plans, for ages ranging from 5 to 70. She is writing a fitness book currently slated for publication that will serve as a manual for a knockout body, peaceful mind, and better planet. Nora has competed on the AVP, CBVA, Corona Wide Open, and GAV beach volleyball tours.
