My 5 Favorite Healthy Snacks

Who says you have to cut out snacks to lose weight? In fact, you shouldn't. Yes, you read that right. I'm telling you, if you want to lose weight, start snacking.

The key is to make wise choices. (You don’t want to munch on donuts and other junk food -- duh.)

Here's why snacking is good: Having a bite to eat between breakfast, lunch and dinner will help your metabolism operate more efficiently.

Munching on the right things keeps your blood sugar from dipping too low and making your body more prone to store fat.

Here are my favorite healthy goodies to nibble on.

1. Yogurt with strawberries: I always choose a yogurt that is low in fat and sugar. I cut up fresh strawberries into slices and mix together with the yogurt.


2. Cashews: I love these! And because I love these, I have to be careful about how many I eat. Keep in mind that a serving is 1 ounce which isn’t a lot. A shot glass full of cashews is a little more than a serving. Five whole cashews is plenty. Nuts are filling and are a source of healthy fat.

3. PB&J: When I make mine, I use natural peanut butter, low calorie whole-wheat bread and low sugar strawberry preserves. Often times, 1/2 of a sandwich is plenty. I like having these because they provide a healthy fat and whole grains.

4. Protein shake: I tend to keep mine simple by using light soy milk and a scoop of whey protein. If you want to give it some flare, get a blender and throw in a few pieces of frozen fruit to make a smoothie. Having a shake is a good way to make sure you are getting enough protein in your diet.

5. Cucumber slices: I mix together vinegar, a small drop of olive oil and a dash of Italian spices and toss over cucumber slices. These are refreshing and very low in calories which make for a great snack late at night.

Tiffiany Moore is a certified personal trainer and NANBF figure competitor. Read more at www.trainertiff.com. Questions or comments? E-mail trainertiff@hotmail.com. Follow on Twitter at www.twitter.com/trainertiff.

TrainerTiff: Get Your Boot Camp On

Boot camp workouts are all the buzz now—and for good reason. Think of this type of specialized group fitness class like milk, it does a body good.


When most people think of “boot camp”, a drill sergeant dressed in fatigues barking out orders comes to mind. While there are definitely some that operate in that format, not all do. Others have a more low-key approach where the instructor leads the group with a less intense approach.

Boot camp workouts are essentially drills, drills and more drills.

Beyond that, the structure of the camp depends on who is running it: Outdoors or indoors; with equipment or without equipment; cardio-based or resistance-based – the possibilities are endless.

A common theme, though, among most boot camps is that they tend to be high-intensity workouts -- and because of that you burn a lot of calories. Very efficient. Nice.


They’re fun, too. Unless you have young kids, the last time you jumped around -- outside or inside -- was probably when you were a kid yourself.

Our regular work out routines can become easy and boring. It’s nice to change things up a bit. And when that change efficiently burns calories, it’s all the better.


How about the group comradery and accountability? Being held accountable to your workout sometimes makes the difference of whether you do it or skip it.

We’ve all been there.


When you know someone is waiting on you, you’re more likely to do it. Plus, it’s nice to see the familiar faces in your group. Who knows? By the time the session ends, you might come away from it having lost a few pounds and having gained a new friend.

Tiffiany Moore is a certified personal trainer and NANBF figure competitor. Read more at http://www.trainertiff.com/. Questions or comments? E-mail trainertiff@hotmail.com. Follow on Twitter at www.twitter.com/trainertiff.

TrainerTiff: My Top 5 Glute Exercises

When I think of targeting the gluteus maximus muscles, I can’t help but to think back to the early '90s and the "Buns of Steel" era. Remember?

This video made every woman and teen girl want hard buns -- and I was no different.

(Never mind the fact that actually having a butt that was as hard as industrial grade metal might not be the most desirable thing.)

When we were starting high school, my friends and I got together a couple of times a week and did this tape. We were fanatical about sticking to the routine. We fought through the pain and the ever creeping desire to quit. We even blocked out the thoughts of “is this really worth it?” We were on a mission -- for a while, anyway.

We stopped after a month or two (at best).

Today, my "Buns of Steel" tape is probably stored away somewhere with dust all over it. (Even if I could get to it, I may need a refresher on how to operate a VCR.)

One thing that I learned from our brief commitment, though, was that getting steely buns -- as opposed to, say, honey buns -- would take a couple of things.

One: You had to really want it.

And two: It was going to take some effort.

Consistency is the key here. Hard work pays off. It's worth it in the end (get it?).

Below are my favorite exercises to target that famous backside area. Check them out.

1. Squats: My favorite exercise. Try this version: the plié squat. Not only are squats great for the legs, they're also fantastic for your glutes.

2. Cable kickbacks: I like doing these with a little bit of weight. Remember to squeeze in the target area as you lift.

3. Doggy leg lifts: Old school, but gets the job done. If I remember correctly, this was one the exercises in "Buns of Steel."

4. Forward lunges: Targets your entire leg. As you return to the standing position, push with your heel rather than your toe to really target your butt.

5. Bridge: You’ll feel these in your hamstrings as well, but be sure to squeeze your glutes as you lift your hips.

Tiffiany Moore is a certified personal trainer and NANBF figure competitor. Read more at www.trainertiff.blogspot.com. Questions or comments e-mail trainertiff@hotmail.com.