Healthy Guidelines for a Healthier You!

Diet?  You don't need to follow a specific diet, but you might want to get ideas from a healthy cookbook or "diet book" to help you with your meal plans.  Check out cook books by Tosca Reno and Clean Eating, Bring It by Tony Horton, Body for Life, Southbeach, books by Jillian Michaels, and the nutrition planning tools in the Beachbody website.

Here are some guidelines to follow:

1) Eat within 1 hour of waking!

Your best bet would be within 30 min of waking.  It has been proven that your metabolism will fire up faster and you will burn fat rather than muscle if you eat ASAP.  If you find that you can’t stomach food first thing in the morning, try having a protein shake (like Shakeology) or eggs.

2) Eat no less than 20g of protein at each meal.

Most nutrition labels will give you this information.  If necessary, add a 1/2 protein shake with water (or protein powder) to your meals.  Most of them mix well in anything (soup, cereal, etc)

3) Drink no more than 16 oz of caffeine daily (coffee, tea, diet soft drinks)

It is time to tame the addiction!  If you need the caffeine that much you might want to find a way to get a little more sleep, make sure you are getting your multivitamins and consider a natural energy source like Shakeology.  More than anything, too much caffeine can hinder weight loss.  Herbal teas are fine.

4) If you are closely watching your calories and making great food choices, you need to "cheat" or break some of the rules for two meals per week! Or have a "cheat day".

Sounds crazy????  There is a method behind this that is twofold.  First, when watching food intake many people still count calories and restrict them, often too far which, over time, will slow weight loss.  By having one day that is a free-for-all, your body will never get “set” on a certain number of calories or “plateau” with your nutrition plan.  Second, you won’t feel deprived.  If you know that you have to be strict for 6 days but you can have ANY of those foods you crave on day 7, you are much less likely to give in on day 4 (with only 2 days left to go).  NOTHING is forbidden (or should be) but please have a little bit of self control.

5) Increase your veggie intake.

Vegetables are full of water, fiber and nutrients.  They take up a lot of room on your plate and help you feel full but are low in calories.  Try celery and carrot sticks for a snack, steamed spinach with sesame seeds for a side dish, or large tossed salad-just beware of the dressing!

6) Avoid all sugars and artificial sweeteners (other than stevia) except on “cheat” meal/day.

We all know that all sugars can cause weight gain but even artificial sweeteners can trick your body into believing they are real.  Even agave nectar and honey can wreck havoc if eaten too often.  Get your carbs from vegetables, fruits and then grains and you’ll find your sweet tooth disappears.  For those times when you HAVE to have something sweet, go for fruit (berries are your best choice!)

7) No more than two 1-cup servings of whole grains daily.

Regardless of your nutrition plan, be sure you are eating WHOLE grains (look for 100%) and fewer than you usually have.  Two servings is plenty to keep you fueled and ready to go.  If you are an elite athlete or working our excessively you may need more, but follow guidelines laid our with your workouts.

8) No eating within 1 hr of bedtime.

If you’re really desperate for something, try herbal tea.  Mint works well as mint has the effect of subduing the appetite.  Another to try would be vanilla.

9) Drink 50% of your body weight in water daily!

Water is vitally important for our bodies and if you are increasing your exercise you will need even more.  A well hydrated body will also flush out lactic acid faster which will leave you less sore!

10) Do 3 resistance workouts and 3 cardio workouts per week (20 min minimum each)

There are numerous workouts I could recommend (just email me if you need help with this) but as long as you are doing 6 20-min workouts each week, you’re good.  These can also be done back to back on 3 days (cardio and resistance on the same day). 

Try following these guidelines and let me know how they work for you.  Please feel free to contact me with any questions or concerns or if you notice no improvement in your  health and weight loss within the first few weeks!  Good luck!!!

Try something healthier!

When it comes to changing one's diet the excuses of "I am not cooking a separate meal for myself", "my  kids won't eat that", "my husband/wife won't eat that" and "that will be too expensive" often arise.  Well guess what?  You will all learn to adjust.  The best thing you can do for your kids is slowly adjust their diet while they are learning what is right and wrong so they don't have to change later on like you are now!  and your husband/wife...well, they are just going to have to accept it ;)
Baby steps will make it easier!  We are looking at lifestyle change, permanent change.  This isn't a fad diet, this isn't a quick fix, this is forever baby!  Sure, you can have some of your old favorites every so often, but once you adjust the norm, you will learn to like it, and as you see the positives on your health and well being you will be sold!
Brown rice!  Add some chicken stock to the water!  Experiment when you cook it...one meal add a little extra water, see how you prefer it.  It takes longer to cook so cook extra and freeze or store in the fridge if it is for the next couple of days!  Try a rice cooker!  It is a great investment to help out your brown rice!!!
Whole wheat pasta!  Last week I was going out and my husband went looking for pasta...all the white was gone!  He accepted it (he had little choice), put a little extra tomato sauce on and he and the kids enjoyed their dinner.  When I cook pasta I always throw some broccoli in with it a few minutes before it is ready.  This allows me to fill the bowl the same as I used to but the broccoli takes the place of some of the pasta and some of the calories!
Potatoes!  I fortunately LOVE Yams and sweet potatoes.  These are a much healthier and nutritious choice over white potatoes.  1/4" slices with a bit of olive oil and sea salt baked in the oven for 30-45 minutes!!!  My kids think they are eating french fries and we are all happy and healthier!  Try some of the other colored potatoes, root veggies...they are delicious cooked this way!
Chicken breast! It doesn't need to be boring and bland.  Mine is sliced into strips, mixed with some spicy brown mustard,egg whites and a little sesame oil, a little cornmeal sprinkled over, now baking in the oven.  There are so many healthy, CLEAN recipes for these basic healthy foods.  Explore the internet, explore the cook book section at the book store.  Don't focus on low fat as often sugar is used to replace the oil for flavor...sugar is not so good for us!  CLEAN eating is a good search tool.  Whole grain, vegetables, lean meats...
Try one new recipe a week.  Look for the healthy choices on sale and stock up!  If you plan ahead things don't need to be too expensive, but we do need to look at more than the immediate costs!  Better health will be MUCH cheaper in the long run.  Healthcare costs, missing work, illnesses...these are expensive problems we may be able to avoid by choosing the nutritious and sometimes a little bit more expensive options now!  Look to the future not just tomorrow when you plan your nutrition!
Check out the Beachbody site for meal plans and recipes, also the programs come with great nutrition guides!
Lets get better health coming our way!

Dieting vs Getting rid of bad eating habits

Dieting is one of those words that can send shivers down your spine, can make you want to turn and run the other way, and generally doesn't easily into one's regular lifestyle!
A great option is making better choices in your regular meals, planning ahead and being a little more selective with your snacking.  For some I just described a diet!  For others it is a simple way to change their daily plan.
Lets start with breakfast.  Do you grab a bagel on the way on the door? Do you have nothing more than a cup of black coffee? Do you pick up a greasy sandwich on your way to work?  If you answered yes to any of those, a few changes would really help you out!
Lay your breakfast out the day before.  Easiest would be Shakeology, just mix a scoop or a package with water or milk and/or fruit and you are good to go.  Oatmeal with blueberries & yogurt.  Oatbran cereal with banana and milk. Whole grain waffles with blueberries, pecans and turkey bacon. Broccoli and feta omelet w whole wheat toast.  The choices are endless...they just maybe require an extra 2 minutes of planning!  You are worth the time aren't you?  I got most of these ideas from the Beachbody Meal planner.  You can plan your meals for the week, print the recipes out AND it will give you a shopping list.  You can adjust the menus to fit your needs and it will tell you the nutritional servings and if they are still meeting your needs for your weight, caloric requirements, and weight loss goals (which you enter in at the beginning).  Great service!  Check it out here. www.beachbodycoach.com/nicolabx.

Need a few snack idea to help you get through the break between your meals:
1/4 cup almonds, celery with 1 tbsp peanut butter, apple with low fat cheese, apple with peanut butter, pear with walnuts, fruit smoothie. Shakeology shake
Try to get a bit of protein along with a complex carb to keep you feeling full and get great nutrients into your body!

I will add more ideas for lunch and dinner later!  It is time for art class!