Jes Reynolds…Your Fitness Coach

Eating balanced meals is an important part of reaching your fat loss goals. The right combination of lean protein and complex carbohydrates eaten regularly during the day (every 4 hours) will result in sustained energy levels throughout the day and an improved metabolic rate.

In addition to eating the right combination of foods, you should also do your best to eat them in the appropriate portion sizes. A portion is the size of a deck of playing cards, the size of your closed fist or the palm of your hand for all solid foods and one cup for all liquids. The previous is a general guideline you can use to get started with, please note that portion sizes will vary up or down depending on age, gender, body weight, and personal goals (to lose or gain weight).

Use the chart below as a guideline for creating balanced & healthy meals.

This ones for you Stacia!…Ps This will probably be my only post this summer, and I didn’t even write it!  Enjoy!

Salad 101

Living a healthy lifestyle requires many daily choices, particularly when it comes to meals. Whether eating out or cooking at home, salads seem like the logical “healthy” choice. After all, salads are chock-full of leafy greens, colorful vegetables, and lean proteins, right? How can you go wrong? The answer is that it’s pretty easy to go wrong…and in my estimation, more people go wrong with a salad than right, simply by drowning all those healthy vegetables in tablespoons of unhealthy salad dressing. Much of the benefit to be had from your “healthy choice” is cancelled out by all of the sugar, salt, preservatives, hydrogenated oils, trans-fats, and artificial coloring (just to name a few) consistent with bottled dressing.

By simply keeping a few staples on hand in your kitchen, you can have a delicious salad dressing ready to go in just minutes. By controlling what you put into your dressing and how much of it, you are also controlling what goes into your body. Not only is it a healthy alternative to store-bought dressing, but it is far more economical as well. I am going to share a few of my favorite dressings and accompaniments. Some of them are recipes from my family and friends, others are recipes I came across online or at restaurants…but I can assure you, they’re all delicious and healthy for you!

Balsamic Vinaigrette:

Version 1:
¼ cup balsamic vinegar
3 TBL shallots (thinly sliced)
1 TBL honey
1/3 cup EVOO
Salt and freshly ground black pepper to taste

To Prepare: Mix together

Version 2:
3 TBL balsamic vinegar
1 TBL red wine vinegar
1 TBL minced red onion
2 TBL EVOO
½ tsp Dijon mustard
¼ cup honey
Salt and freshly ground black pepper to taste

To prepare: Mix together

Poppy Seed Dressing:
½ cup brown sugar
¼ cup apple cider vinegar
¼ cup EVOO
¼ tsp Worcestershire sauce
1 tsp chives
2 TBL sesame seed
1 TBL poppy seed
¼ tsp paprika

To Prepare: Mix together and if time allows, let sit overnight

(I recommend using spinach in this salad, mixing with strawberries, blueberries, green onions, and slivered almonds. Yum.)

Red Wine Vinaigrette:
½ cup of red wine vinegar
½ cup canola oil
4 garlic cloves, sliced in half

To Prepare: Mix together…and MUST sit overnight

(I suggest a simple salad of romaine or spinach, tomatoes, cucumber, and freshly Parmesan reggiano cheese)

Italian Vinaigrette:
¾ cup vegetable oil
¼ cup cider vinegar
2 TBL water
1 tsp fresh minced garlic
2 tsp sugar
1 ½ tsp salt
¼ tsp pepper
1 tsp grated Parmesan cheese

To Prepare: Mix together and if time allows, let sit overnight
As everyone’s garden begins to bloom this summer, it’s the perfect time to start playing around with your own version the perfect salad. I hope you all find the time to try a few of these recipes, and to really reap the benefits of the choices that you are making towards your personal fitness goals.

(Repost from a loooong time ago but thought you would enjoy)


If any of you know me personally, you know I love to tell people what to do, and the two things I enjoy telling people to do most are stretching & strength training (when it comes to fitness anyway). Today, I’ll list 17 benefits of strength training so you know I have good reason for being so bossy…

1. Improve overall body strength
2. Increased lean body mass (muscle)
3. Increased metabolism (a pound of active muscle burns 50 calories a day. If you gained 10 pounds of muscle through strength training you would burn an additional 500 calories per day.)
4. Decreased body fat %
5. Improved confidence & appearance
6. Improved tendon & ligament strength
7. Increased joint stability
8. Improve coordination of neuromuscular system
9. Improve circulation
10. Increased aerobic capacity
11. Decreased cholesterol
12. Decreased in blood pressure
13. Reduced stress
14. Increase your quality of life by living independently as you age
15. Slow or reverse the effects of aging
16. Improved posture
17. Increased bone density & bone strength

Just imagine what you can do for yourself by making the commitment to strength train on a regular basis! Not only will you become leaner and feel better right away, you will be investing in long term health and quality of life for years to come.  If you want help developing a personalized strength training program send an email to jes@jesreynolds.com and we can set up an appointment!  Or, if you would like to learn more about strength training and general fitness guidelines, become a fan of Jes Reynolds Fitness to stay in touch!