Don't Stress About the Food

Do you think eating healthy is too hard? I say keep it simple and don't stress. Too many of us are getting frustrated counting calories, weighing food, and calculating macro percents ad nauseum. Healthy food choices have become an overwhelming chore.

Have you heard of the saying throw out the scale? Apply that mentality to our food by tossing the scales and calculators. Eating right is about quality and not calories anyway. Who needs a scale if your pounding down kale, right? Eating donuts, pastries, and white bread is a different story.

Eating right is simply swaping out unhealthy choices for healthy food. Instead of eating french fries, bake sweet or even white potatoes. It also helps to use nutrient timing and eat every 2 to 3 hours. Eating small meals throughout the day stimulates our metabolism, regulates blood sugar, and eliminates feeling hungry.

Eating healthy is a good thing. Keeping it simple will allow you to enjoy your food and feel good about your healthy lifestyle. Start today by switching out unhealthy choices for healthy foods. Calculators and food scales aren't required for this process. Keeping a simple food journal may be a good idea starting out. Don't make journaling a chore either. If tracking macronutrients, put check marks next to the nutrients consumed at each meal.  Remember, eating right is not about being a task but an enjoyment in our healthy life.

Thanks for stopping by my Blog and don't forget to subscribe and never miss a free update.

Stay Healthy

Read More →

Food is Not the Enemy

It would be easy to blame food for being overweight and unhealthy. The truth is food is not the enemy. In fact, our very survival is based on food and water for optimal body functioning.

Let's be honest. Getting healthy is about taking responsibility and making the right daily choices to improve our fitness. It's up to us to choose the right food to support a healthy body. We only have ourselves to blame when the grocery cart is filled with frozen pizzas, pastries, ice cream, and sodas.

Then there are the portion sizes. We're eating way too much at one sitting. Whether the food is healthy or unhealthy, eating too many calories and not burning that energy creates an excess energy bank stored as fat.

We may also try to convince ourselves eating processed foods in the appropriate caloric portions is healthy. Outwardly we may give an appearance of being an appropriate weight, but inside we are a hot mess and feeling like it. We have become a skinny fat person. Processed fake food and the damage it does to our body through inflammation and disease is alarming.

Food is our friend. Turning our unhealthy food selections into quality real food will enable us to achieve a fit body. You have heard "no-one ever got fat eating too much kale"  and not that we would sit around eating kale all day but you get the point of the statement.

If we start eating to live instead of the other way around, a huge change in the obesity epidemic would happen. A shift toward eating the right food for health would finally be taking place.

How our bodies look and feel is our responsibility. Eating healthy food controls a large percentage of a fit lifestyle.

We are bombarded daily with fast food commercials and peer pressure to eat unhealthily. We can even sabotage ourselves or cave to a significant other to turn to the dark side of food. You do have the power to see food as your friend and control what you put in your face. The donut may look appealing but that apple is going to supply the best nutrients to fuel your body and push you closer to your fitness goals.

Thanks for stopping by my Blog. Don't forget to subscribe and never miss a free update.

Be well and Stay Healthy

        

Read More →

How to Lose 12lbs in 6 Weeks

Losing 12 pounds is not only a realistic goal, but can be done in a short amount of time. I'm not talking about a fad diet or weight loss gimmick. I'm referring to healthy weight loss accomplished with appropriate methods. Being more specific: consistent healthy eating, exercise, increased water intake, limited alcohol intake, and plenty of rest.  

Application of a healthy lifestyle in all areas will allow for approximately 1 ½ pounds on the lower end and up to 3 pounds on the higher end of weight loss per week. Working successfully with clients who use my healthy eating guidelines supplied with their workout routines are losing in the middle range of 2 pounds per week. 

Think about what this means in terms of time. Realize this is only six weeks of sticking to a consistent fitness program. There is no diet but eating lots of amazing healthy food and exercising at least four to five times per week for a minimum of thirty minutes. Sodas are eliminated and alcohol is limited to not more than two nights per week and two drinks maximum. Water intake is increased to drinking 1/2 your body weight in ounces daily to start.

Sometimes it just takes someone to motivate you to start. Well, here you go! A consistent program will guarantee fat loss, lean mass gain and the beginning of a lifestyle of excellent health. 

Doesn't this sound reasonable, exciting, and realistic? Getting fit the healthy way provides knowledge of what and how to eat, how to exercise, and how to live this lifestyle happily for life. It becomes your enjoyable habit and maintains all the positive results gained within the six weeks of consistent application. 

It's time we stop over-complicating weight loss and start implementing the simplicity of eating healthy and exercise. We make things harder than they really are. We want all the results but don't want to give up a current unhealthy lifestyle. If we want to see changes, we need to be willing to make the necessary changes. Giving something 100% effort for at least six weeks should provide the personal feedback needed to continue to make the right decisions.

Below is a sample meal plan and what a typical day looks like for me: 

1 cup coffee with natural vanilla creamer

Meal 1: Organic morning round with 1tbsp natural organic peanut butter

Meal 2: Green shake: 1 cutie, ½-cup chopped pineapple 2 large handfuls power greens, water and blend until combined. 1 slice organic seeded toast topped with soft cooked organic egg to accompany my green shake. 

Meal 3: ¼ cup fresh blueberries, ½ cup Fage yogurt, ¼ cup organic ground flax meal, handful raw mixed nuts (stir it up and eat)

Meal 4: 4 oz grilled salmon or chicken with large side roasted vegetables like Brussel sprouts and cauliflower (drizzle olive oil on veggies, and large tbsp. basil pesto, mix well, roast)

Meal 5: 1oz square of dark chocolate with 1tbsp peanut butter, or 1/2 glass organic low-fat chocolate milk 

I exercise five times per week and for 30 to 60 minutes total.  I'm a believer of being focused and getting my workout done in a short amount of time. I also listen to my body. If I require more rest, I may only exercise in a structured fashion four times in that week. I enjoy active rest days being outdoors with hubby, playing with our dog, going on long walks, hikes or swimming. 

Studies indicate losing one to three pounds per week provides healthy, long-term sustainable weight loss. Unlike fad diets that may shed weight quickly but is regained plus more once the program is over. 

Now is always the right time get fit. Start by implementing a six-week fitness challenge makeover. This is a great beginning and short-term goal of shedding 12 pounds. It will be helpful to keep a fitness journal and track your food intake and exercise. Do your best, and have fun with the journey. 

I would love to hear from you. Sharing success stories, asking questions or sharing concerns is a great way to encourage and support each other along the way.  

Thanks for stopping by my Blog. Don't forget to subscribe and never miss a free update. 

     

Stay Healthy

Read More →

Eat Like a Baby to Lose Weight and Get Healthy

Babies use nutrients to build and develop a healthy body. They have a built in alarm clock every two to three hours that cries out to be fed. They will also stop eating when they feel full eliminating the need to count calories. Babies eat to live naturally.

As adults, we can learn much from our precious infants. The nutrients they consume are usually quality coming straight from Mom’s milk, or formulas containing everything a growing body needs to be healthy. If we could only implement this nutritional strategy, we would be on our way to adopting a healthy lifestyle.

Sadly, the majority of eating is no longer about growing a strong healthy body. Quality nutrients have been replaced with processed fake food linked to obesity and disease.

We don't pay attention to our full barometer and consume too large of portions. We also fill our stomachs with foods that lack in nutritional value. Eating processed foods lacking in nutrients promotes inflammation in our blood stream, the root cause of most disease of the human body. We are eating way too much and making ourselves sick in the process.

Food is not only our fuel but also our medicine. Eating right can truly keep our body feeling top notch and healthy. Quality real foods can reduce our visits to the doctor and enable us to function at our best.

We have come full circle into a fight against healthy food. The majority of people are really pissed off about foods they shouldn't eat to stay healthy. The reason for this unfortunate issue comes straight from what sits on our grocery shelves. Marketing has a great way of presenting foods advertised as healthy but really are quite the opposite. Studies have shown major food producers are making us fat. This is a scary thought.

We can't fault the food companies entirely because we can choose to say no to processed, GMO (genetically modified organisms) products, and non-organic pseudo-foods. These types of food-like items do nothing but provide a momentary good flavor and add fat stores to our bodies.

Anything in a box, bag, or wrapper with ingredients unable to be understood is processed. If the item is marketed as low-fat, low-sugar or low-calorie consider it nothing but a chemical shit storm in a package.

There are some food items packaged and part of the organic and non-GMO certified programs. These food producers are getting it right and understand the importance of supplying this information to consumers. Just a little food education detour, now back to the Blog topic. 

Mastering our daily nutrition for fitness success will mean eating like a baby. Getting back to the basics with our healthy food, keeping it simple, and stress-free is important. It's time to stop over-complicating and just make the focus about eating healthy.

Forget about the chemical shit storms and reach for real organic foods: lean proteins, fresh vegetables and fruits, raw nuts and nut butter, plain Greek yogurts, and healthy fats are just a few of the healthy foods waiting for our purchase and consumption. Change out drinking soda for water and start getting excited about the vast amount of healthy food to choose from.

Personally, my hunger alarm goes off just the same as a baby close to the three-hour mark. I grab something healthy and satisfy that natural feeling. I don't count calories or even worry about doing so. What's important is feeding my body quality healthy food and eating just until I feel satisfied, never to the point of overfull. My body knows how much it needs because I listen to when I should stop eating.

Life was simpler when we were babies and the decisions made for us as we naturally cried out when we felt hungry. We were satisfied within 20 minutes with a boob or bottle full of nutrients. As adults, we can create a similar life by having healthy foods in our homes and eating when we feel hungry. Unfortunately and often we eat out of boredom or to fill an emotional void through unhealthy processed stuff. Our mental game around food definitely needs improvement.  Wouldn't you agree? 

Thanks for stopping by my Blog. Don't forget to subscribe and never miss a free update.

Be well and Stay Healthy

             

Read More →