What's Your Reason to Be Healthy?

Over the course of time, I notice that most people get the doldrums of summer about this time of year.  It’s not that everyone wants it to end, but rather they are looking forward to getting back into a routine.  Whether you have school aged kids or not, it seems like we relax more in the summer and then come Labor Day, get back in the groove and focus.  My clients often ask me about how to push through a lack of motivation.  Of course, you can change your routine, try new things or sometimes take a much needed break from pushing yourself.  Mainly, motivation comes down to Your Reason.

Your Reason may not be as easy to figure out as you might think.  Many people want to lose weight and get healthy for a particular event, to fit into a certain item of clothing, or to impress someone else.  These are all great (and valid) reasons to set a goal and get started on the healthy path.  However, it may not keep you on the path, especially when you are ready to give up.  The event passes, and then what?  Your Reason is what keeps you going.

Your Reason is typically more internal, or intrinsic, than external (extrinsic).  It’s a driving force that will keep you focused no matter what.  It may be that your family has a history of heart attacks at a young age, or that your parents didn’t live past 50. It might be that you feel so much better when you live healthy than when you miss a week of workouts.  Your desire to be a healthier, fitter you than you were last year could be part of Your Reason.

What’s mine, you ask? I want to age as best I can.  I want to be active well into my later years.  I am blessed with good genes in the health department, so that helps.  Staying mobile for a long time is important to me, so I do what I can now to encourage that.  When the gym seems like the last place I want to go, I think about this and head outside for a good walk, or try a workout program through the cable stations.

Sharing your reason can be helpful in staying on your path to healthy and fit.  Tell a friend, post it on Facebook or Twitter, or even put it on your refrigerator, so you can see it every day.  Stay active, stay healthy!  Enjoy the rest of your summer readers!!

Clean Eating and Weight Loss

OK folks, it’s Monday and that means a whole new week for you to work towards your fitness goals.  It’s kind of like a do-over if you feel like you haven’t been great over the past week or weekend.  By now we know that diet is a key to your weight loss, so let’s take a look at a buzzword in being healthy: clean eating.

I searched and searched for some sort of formal definition for clean eating and couldn’t find an official one.  So I’ll discuss what the general idea is and what it may or may not include.  Clean eating typically results in weight loss and you’ll see why once I explain some of the details.

First, let’s look at what it includes.  Clean eating is eating fresh or unrefined foods, typically in five or six small meals throughout the day.  These fresh foods include produce such as fruits and vegetables, in an unrefined state ie not fried or processed.  Your small meals should include a lean protein, complex carbohydrates such as brown rice or oats, and heart healthy fats like avocado or almonds.  People who eat clean drink a ton of water.  The fewer ingredients in a food item, the better.  Label reading is big in clean eating, to ensure that minimal preservatives and additives are included in each food eaten.

Now let’s take a peek at what wouldn’t be considered clean eating.  Clean eaters avoid refined and processed foods.  Examples are refined sugars like soda, sugar, baked goods, white flour, and white rice.  The stereotypical junk foods and other high calorie foods are left out.   By this list, I’m sure you can see why this approach works well to help with weight loss.

Clean eating isn’t without its own struggles.  It takes more time and preparation.  Food labels need to be read.  Meals must be prepared, and often planned ahead of time to allow for grocery shopping and preparation.  It can mean more trips to the grocery store, since fresh items spoil quicker than canned or frozen items.  Cost is a factor as well, clean eating can be pricier in the checkbook than prepared foods.  For me, it’s worth the cost, since I notice a huge difference in my body, from higher energy levels to more efficient workouts and, yes, fat loss.

Clean eating is good for anyone, even if you don’t need to drop a few pounds.  If you are scared, try doing it a couple days a week and gradually add days as you go along. You’ll feel better!

Hidden Benefits of Exercise

Well, it’s almost February.  How many of you are sticking with your goals for 2013?  I hope you are!  I’m guessing many of you have hit the gym with high hopes of toning up or dropping a few pounds.  Maybe you’ve noticed that there have been other changes as well.  Regular exercise has many benefits, some of which happen sooner than others.  Here’s a quick rundown:

1)      Increased energy.  I know this seems counterproductive, but it rings true for many people.  Ever notice that when you exercise and then don’t for awhile, you get sluggish and feel like you don’t have any energy, much less for a workout?  Regular exercise can make you more alert and energetic, helping you with daily tasks as well as fitness goals.  This is one of the first changes my clients notice when they start a regular exercise program.  Fight that tiredness and keep up your workouts, you know you will feel better afterwards. 

 

2)      Better sleep. Yep, that’s right.  Your body shuts down more efficiently when it’s time for bed.  People tend to sleep sounder and get a higher quality of sleep with regular exercise.

3)      Stress reduction.  People deal with stress in many different ways. It can be comfort foods (not advisable on a regular basis if you are watching your waist line), general venting to a friend or family member, while some use happy hour (another waist line killer).  Exercise provides an outlet for stress that is healthy for you, whether it’s a kickboxing session or a long hike after work.  Those endorphins kick in and people tend to feel less stressed after a sweat session.  It’s kind of the same effect as with increased energy, with an added bonus result.

4)      Better eating.  This might just be me and people I know, but I’ve personally noticed that my body craves better food when I hit the gym regularly.  The opposite is true as well; if I have to take some time off due to an illness or a funky schedule, my cravings change to not so great foods.  Exercise and healthy eating have a positive relationship, one is better with the other.

5)      Increased metabolism.  When you do strength training and work those muscles, you are creating a larger fat burning production in your body.  I won’t bore you with the details (it happens at a cellular level) but I can tell you that the more muscle you have, the more efficient your metabolism.  You don’t have to be a bodybuilder to have this effect; regular strength training does the trick.

Regular exercise is simply awesome for your body, in whatever form is right for you.  If you happen to reach your fitness goals along the way, it’s a huge bonus.  So get out there and stick to your routine…you’ll sleep better for it!

Tools to Help With Weight Loss

Happy New Year everyone!!  I hope you had a wonderful holiday season and are back in the swing of things, and that health and fitness is a part of that “normal.”  As you navigate the busy gym and count your calories, I thought I would share some of the tools I use to help me stay on track year round:

1)  iPhone apps:  I currently use two (free!) apps frequently – MyFitnessPal and Fooducate.  The first is a calorie counter where I log my food and track my time at the gym.  It helps to hold me accountable for what I eat.  The second is a rating system where you scan the barcode of a food and it gives the food a letter grade.  It also includes information for the food that makes it “good” or “not so good.”

2)  Heart Rate Monitor: This helps me determine how hard I am actually working and if I need to step up or scale back my effort.  It’s huge for cardio, and is interesting during strength training…turns out your heart rate can be in the fat burning zone even lifting weights.

3)Foam Roller: This is new in my routine and now I can’t imagine life without it.  It’s used to loosen tight muscles that you may not even know existed, and is a great reminder to stretch.  I’ve been notorious for not including stretching in my workout routine and this makes me slow down and ensure proper stretching is done.  Besides that, it just plain feels good.

4) Change: Change is good, and fitness is no exception.  Every few months I change my workout routine.  It might be when I do my strength training (before or after cardio), indoors versus outdoors, intervals or circuit training.  When the body gets bored, it ceases to work as hard and this is where people get stuck on scale and strength plateaus.

5)  My Clients: Yes, I know this one sounds strange.  I coach my clients to work out regularly and eat healthy, and I need to lead by example.  Clients hold me accountable that I do what I ask them to do.  I thoroughly enjoy watching my clients achieve and exceed their fitness goals and the impact that has on the other facets of their lives, and expect no different for myself.

All right, now get out there and get healthy!

Surviving Thanksgiving Day

I don’t know about you, but I can’t believe that Thanksgiving is next week already!  This day can be one of the worst when it comes to sabotaging your weight loss plans, even though it’s technically just one meal.  The average American eats thousands, yes thousands, of calories on this day.  I have a few ideas to help you successfully survive the day and not veer too far off track.

First, plan ahead.  I categorize this meal as my “free meal” of the week, so I eat healthy the rest of the week.  Stick to your workout regimen those days before as much as possible.  The morning of, eat a good breakfast, this will help you later in the day.

Planning your attitude is just as important.  Instead of approaching the day as overindulgence, see it as an opportunity to enjoy a meal you wouldn’t normally have with important people in your life.  Think moderation throughout the day, not restricting yourself to the point of deprivation, but not stuffing yourself silly either.  Savor each bite, this will keep your pace reasonable.

Next let’s look at the actual meal.  The tricky part can be the goodies out before the meal.  Be selective about what you munch on, looking at vegetables versus crackers when it comes to the dips.  Instead of dipping right out of the serving dish, put a small amount on your plate and then add the veggies.  When you sit down to dinner, mentally divide your plate in half.  On one half, fill it with vegetables and fruit such as salads (sorry, no potatoes on this side).  Split the other half into two sections, one for meat and the other for starches like potatoes and stuffing.  This will help you enjoy everything in, you guessed it, moderation.  When dessert is served, pick your favorite or the one of your favorites you have the least and enjoy.

After the meal, the best thing you can do for your metabolism is not sit and watch football.  Very tempting I know (and I love football), but take 30 minutes or so and be moderately active.  Go for a walk, play football with the kids, engage the family in a game of some sort.  I’m not saying go for a run, but keep moving to begin the calorie burning process.

As the rest of the weekend goes by, quietly slip back into your normal weekend routine, eat smart and stay active.  Take advantage of the Black Friday deals, shopping really does burn calories if you keep moving.

Remember, moderation is the key on this day and most days. I hope you and yours have a wonderful holiday!