5 Tips to Get Body Beautiful with McDonald's and Andrea Riggs #EggWhiteDelight @McDonaldsATL

This fall, Atlanta area McDonald's restaurants will serve up a new menu item - Egg White Delight McMuffin. McDonald's is celebrating the debut of Egg White Delight McMuffin by partnering with local author, wellness guru and celebrity trainer Andrea Riggs as she shares Five Ways to “Get Body Beautiful” and Stay Healthy Over the Holidays.

Andrea states that, "The holidays are a time for celebration and family, not to put on extra unwanted pounds. So don’t accept the idea of putting on pounds and slacking on your fitness during the next few weeks." This holiday season, make a plan to “Get Body Beautiful” and stay healthy over the holidays with recommendations from national fitness guru and author Andrea Riggs. 

 

Tip #1:  Start with Breakfast

Eating breakfast will help you feel full and may make it easier to stay healthy over the holidays.  McDonald’s makes it easy with their latest wholesome offering, the Egg white Delight McMuffin. The secret ingredient is approximately 200 calories of lean protein, with 100% egg whites on grill and an extra lean Canadian bacon and a whole grain English muffin with extra fiber. The extra protein in the a.m. and the whole grains will help you feel more satisfied to control your appetite and boost your metabolism with lots of flavor at 260 total calories.  

Tips #2: Schedule 10 Min. Workout Sessions  

Just as you would any other appointment, schedule short strength workouts to build the lean muscle necessary to keep your body burning more calories each day.  In order to achieve a total body workout, a set of 25 repetitions of push-ups, standing squats and standing leg lifts.  The key is to perform exercises as a circuit to achieve a high intensity session in as little as 10 minutes, three days per week.  If you have a set of light hand weights, my favorite moves are a squat press and a lift raise to engage the upper, lower and mid-section in a single standing movement.   

Tip #3: Fill Up Early on Water

Grab a bottle of Dasani water on the go or start filling up your water bottle in the morning to help you fill full and avoid extra drink calories that you can save for snacking or a holiday meal.  You will need to drink half your body weight in oz. of water each day or target 5 – 6 bottles.  One handy trick is to buy a 64 ounce water jug and fill it up in the morning or simply grab a few extra bottles to drink in your car by the end of the day. 

Tip #4: Just Walk More

You probably aren't aware how many extra calories you can burn each day by just walking during the course of the day.  A few laps around the parking lot after dropping off your children at school, a few blocks during your lunch break, or an extra 10 minutes walking the neighborhood while you are waiting for your dinner meal.  With very little effort you would have achieved a goal of 30 minutes of physical activity to compliment and alternate with your scheduled strength training sessions.

Tip #5: Shop & Snack Healthy

It is more important than ever to have healthy snacks handy in your purse, car, office and at-home in you your kitchen. The more convenient they are, the more likely you are to eat them. So instead of thinking about all the foods you shouldn't eat during the holiday, stock up on fresh apples, salad mix, almonds or walnuts, cheese slices and yogurt and promise yourself to eat 3 to 5 healthy snacks each day.  And if you need a healthy snack on the go, check out my favorites, the McDonald’s Fruit & Yogurt parfait or Fruit and Walnut salad made with fresh wholesome ingredients and the perfect portion sizes for a midday pick-me-up at about 200 calories, about 10% of the calories you need to keep your body digesting and metabolizing during the day. 

Egg White Delight McMuffin is freshly prepared with 100 percent egg whites, freshly cooked on the grill with melted white cheddar, a slice of extra lean Canadian bacon and served on an English muffin, made with 8 grams of whole grain.
 

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The Greater Atlanta McDonald’s Operators Association (GAMOA) partnered with bloggers such as me to help educate us all about the new Egg White Delight McMuffin. As part of this program, I received compensation. They did not tell me what to purchase or what to say about the use of the product. GAMOA believes that consumers and bloggers are free to form their own opinions and share them in their own words. GAMOA policies align with WOMMA Ethics Code, FTC guidelines and social media engagement recommendations. A winner will be chosen by random and voucher fulfillment will be handled by a third party.

Working Out Smart & Eating #Wholesome Meals @McDonalds_ATL

I've joined McDonald's and National Fitness Expert Andrea Riggs on a Wholesome Choices Challenge! Over the last several weeks, I have been sharing my own tips and ideas for making more wholesome choices in my every day life. Through the McDonald’s “Made For You” cooking system, you can special order various menu items to help meet your nutritional needs. A range of serving sizes make it easy to create meal combinations that work for you and your family.

Andrea stays committed to living a Wholesome lifestyle and I'm on a mission to join her! Here are her tips to getting back into good health:

• Andrea Tip # 1 – Strength Training – commit to 3-basic strength exercises to tone your upper body, lower body and abdominals and boost your metabolism and target belly fat. See 30 day exercise program on the website.
• Andrea Tip # 2 – Alternate Cardio – to increase calorie burning and speed recovery after total body exercises, perform 30 to 45 minutes of cardio activity (walking, jogging, biking).
• Andrea # 3 – Eat Right Foods- add green tea, nuts, avocados and yogurt between healthy balanced meals.

Like Andrea, my twin brother, Joshua Marable, has some sick abs. Washboard sick. His abs put Usher, Ochocinco, and David Beckham to shame. When working out he suggests that you should be, "fully present in the moment, during training, is the most powerful way to increase athletic performance. Centered and focused with attention and interest, active intelligence is literally sewn into the physical atoms of the body. Strength, balance, coordination, and responsiveness are heightened, as well as adaptability to adverse situations. True alignment is attained by a sound mind, calm emotions, and willful body. This state of synthesis transfigures the form."

Socketball II- Joshua Marable

Joshua also advises people to stay positive while working out. "Thought is energy. We often waste this precious energy on needless thinking. Do not chase the mind when it runs rampant, for you will become easily fatigued. It is important to focus and steady the mind with conscious clarity when training. You will get much more out of the exercise. Time in the presence is time well spent. "

3 Treadmills & The Xerball- Joshua Marable

Follow McDonald’s Atlanta on Twitter @McDonaldsATL and check out their website for real-time promos, meal ideas and how to make the most of your McDonald’s experience:http://www.mcdonalds.com/us/en/food/food_quality/nutrition_choices.html

Joshua Marable is the creator of the innovative athletic program Ra Magna, Nationally Certified in Therapeutic Massage and Bodywork, and a Laughter Yoga Group Leader. He is also a freelance and sculpture model.

Disclosure: McDonald’s partnered with bloggers such as me to participate in its “Wholesome Choices” Blogger Program. As part of that program, I received compensation. They did not tell me what to purchase or what to say about the products used, and believe that consumers and bloggers are free to form their own opinions and share them in their own words. McDonald’s policies align with WOMMA Ethics Code, FTC guidelines and social media engagement recommendations.

McDonald's "Wholesome Choices" Kickoff Breakfast [Videos]

I’ve been on a weight gain and loss rollercoaster ride ever since I had children four years ago. My husband Roland and I have two sons, Roland Jay "RJ", 4-years-old, and Joshua Palmer "JP", 2-years-old. With our first son, I lost 70 pounds in one year and after our second baby, I gained and later lost 40 pounds. I'm now rocking the scale between 150 -155 lbs. I declare, each week the scale is either my friend or worst enemy.

Over the last year, I've written a couple of posts about my weight loss challenge and dreams of wearing a size 8 comfortably again (without Spanx). Believe it or not, I was a lean-machine, track running and cheerleading tumbler in high school. That's why I was overly excited when McDonald’s asked me to join their “Wholesome Choices Blogger Program,” not only to get me back on track in 5 weeks, but also to encourage you, my lovely loyal readers, to start living a wholesome lifestyle as well.

My twin brother, Joshua Manning Marable and I attended the McDonald's kickoff breakfast earlier this week to listen to advice from health expert Andrea Riggs, mother of two, from GetBodyBeautiful.com. She’s fabulously fit with Michelle Obama arms and ripped abs. Andrea talked to us about not only exercising, but eating better and taking control of our lives.

You may still be thinking, what were we doing at McDonald’s talking about “Wholesome Choices?” Well, did you know that McDonald’s offers a variety of whole-grain oatmeal choices on its breakfast menu, available all day. The Fruit & Maple Oatmeal and the Apple Cinnamon Walnut Oatmeal are both 100% natural whole grain oats, rich in fiber and freshly prepared for you.

Are you on a mission to lose weight or change something in your life? Are you willing to join me on this “Wholesome Choices” challenge. Over the next few weeks, I will be sharing my own tips and ideas for making more wholesome choices in your every day life. I sure hope so! For the next couple of weeks, let's take this journey together to stay on track and start living wholesome lives.

Check out this funny video "Mount McDonald," created by Joshua Manning Marable, featuring Daniel Alejandro Ferry for the "Wholesome Choices" Blogger Program.

Follow McDonald’s Atlanta on Twitter @McDonaldsATL and check out their website for real-time promos, meal ideas and how to make the most of your McDonald’s experience:http://www.mcdonalds.com/us/en/food/food_quality/nutrition_choices.html

Disclosure Language:
McDonald’s partnered with bloggers such as me to participate in its “Wholesome Choices” Blogger Program. As part of that program, I received compensation. They did not tell me what to purchase or what to say about the products used, and believe that consumers and bloggers are free to form their own opinions and share them in their own words. McDonald’s policies align with WOMMA Ethics Code, FTC guidelines and social media engagement recommendations.