Former Fat Guy Blog

Real People Real Results - Understanding how food, fitness and mental attitude affect weight loss

10 Things to Consider When Choosing a Gym

If you are a beginner like myself or a seasoned gym rat, choosing a gym is an important decision to be made and there are lots of things to consider. As the saying goes, “location, location, location”, but it’s more than just that. There are costs involved, contracts to be signed, hours of operation and if you’re a mom, what about the child care options. There are a lot of things to consider when choosing a gym, and it should be done only after careful consideration.

I’m on a journey towards a healthy lifestyle filled with vibrancy and vitality. Most recently, I have made the decision and committed to a gym membership after serious contemplating. Exercise was the missing piece to my puzzle.

Significant changes over the last several months in my eating and lifestyle choices have been made but until now I was not mentally ready to join a gym.

The year was 1981 and Olivia Newton John zoomed to the top of the music charts with her song, Let’s Get Physical which inspired everyone to join a gym, sign up for gym class and wear spandex. Me, I was in Grade nine and (mandatory) gym class later ended ended for me in 1985. Not to mention, Participation.

Folks, it’s now 2008!

During my recent tours of various fitness facilities, the following are the top considerations I had to make before signing my contract

10 Things to Consider When Choosing A Gym

1 Atmosphere You’re going to spend a good portion of your time and money here so make sure it feels right to you. When a friend and I started looking for a gym I felt incredibly intimidated by one such gym with the amount of grunting, groaning and amount of posturing that went on in front of some of the mirrors. Make sure you get good vibes and feel comfortable the moment you walk into the door. Think of it this way, why would you spend your time or money going somewhere that you don’t enjoy? If you don’t consider this, your money will be wasted.

2 People A gym is like any other business, it’s there to make money. No matter how good the product is, it’s the people that can make or break a business. What is their interaction with others when you check out the gym(s) to make your choice? Are there many staff around when you need to ask questions? Can you connect with them or are they unapproachable? Do they have the qualifications? I actually interviewed the manager of the gym we chose and discovered she had been with this company for 25 years! She showed passion, enthusiasm and genuine interest in us when we met.

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Recipe: Chicken Dijon Marinade

As promised, this chicken dijon marinade is our second week of recipes for the BBQ or grill. We put this one in the fridge overnight to marinate, along with last week’s Garlic Herb Marinated Vegetables. The dijon flavor totally permeated the chicken and the flavor was amazing, the chicken very tender and juicy.

We found this recipe in Dr. Joel Fuhrman’s “Eat Right America – Food Scoring Guide”. You can find it on the Eat Right America web site.

Chicken Dijon Marinade
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Recipe: Black Bean Sweet Potato Almond Butter Burgers

We are always on the lookout for a great bean or that we can make a huge batch of and eat for days. We have come to really dislike the store bought ones for the lack of taste and large amount of salt and other preservatives and unhealthy things in them. These black bean, sweet potato and almond butter burgers fit the bill and are SO tasty!

This recipe if from Extra Vegan Za cookbook, another one of our favorites. Best part is – they were super easy to make. You just have to remember to soak your beans and cook them a day ahead or so. If you forget like I did – use the method, below.

8oz of black beans have as much protein or more protein than does an 8oz steak?

When I tell people I eat mostly vegetarian at home I often get asked “how do you get your protein?” Are you aware that 8oz of black beans have as much protein or more protein than does an 8oz steak? AND beans have NO fat or cholesterol and beans are full of fiber where the steak has none! Yes – you heard right – ALL MEAT has NO fiber. Zero, nada, zip. Fiber fills you up and you want to eat less – try eating two of these burgers one night and your steak the next and see which fills you up more and you have to stop eating. Think that will help control over eating? You betcha! Try it!

Avocado Wasabi Sauce
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Recipe: Avocado Wasabi Sauce

I found this great sauce which is both healthy and tasty in the Vegan Planet cookbook, one of our favorites. You can use it as a spread, a dip or a sauce on just about anything. As you can see in the photo, we put it on lentil or bean burgers.

You need to either have soy mayonnaise or make your own (is easy, see below). Please do NOT use regular or even any of the no-fat regular mayonnaises available. In my opinion they are all crap and have so much preservatives, (it is often hidden, so don’t be fooled) and salt that I wouldn’t eat it if you paid me.

Avocado Wasabi Sauce

Avocado Wasabi Sauce

1 large ripe avocado, peeled and pitted
2 Tbsp fresh lemon juice
1 Tbsp chopped fresh cilantro or parsely
1 green onion, minced
1 Tbsp sesame oil
1 tsp
2 tsp wasabi powder or to taste (I used double that cause I like it)
2/3 cup soy mayonnaise (see below) or use store bought Veggainaise

Combine all ingredients in a food processor or blender and process until smooth. Transfer to tightly covered container and refrigerate. Is best used within an hour or so of being made.

Soy Mayonnaise

6 oz. of firm tofu
1.5 Tbsp apple cider vinegar
1/4 tsp dry mustard
1/4 tsp salt
Pinch of natural sweetener like Stevia or Agave (optional)
3 Tbsp olive oil, sesame oil, flax oil or Udo’s oil – your choice base on flavor preference.

Place all ingredients except the oil in a food processor or blender and process until smooth. With the machine running, slowly add the old in a thin stream through the feed tube until it is incorporated. Taste it and adjust seasonings to your preferences.

Store in a glass jar with a tight fitting lid and refrigerate until ready to use (up to 4-5 days)

We found this avocado wasabi sauce great on bean burgers, or as a dip for raw carrots. The smooth texture of the avocado and the zip of the wasabi make an unsuspectingly great combination of flavors. We haven’t tried it on eggs yet – if you do, let us know what you think.

Enjoy. Bean burger recipe to follow shortly, stay tuned.

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Avocado Wasabi Sauce Photo Credit: Her View Photography

Recipe: Super Green St. Patricks Day Soup

I am posting this recipe for Super Green St. Patrick’s Day Soup a week early so you can get the needed ingredients and be ready on the 17th. Rob and I created this recipe from a combination of a few different ones and just made it up as we went along. We wanted it to be Super Green, super healthy, and super tasty. I think we have achieved our goal if you can judge that by how fast it disappeared from our fridge. I hope you enjoy this “green” recipe for St Patty’s.

Super Green St. Patrick's Day Soup
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