When discussing diet changes with clients and class participants, portion size seems to be one area that puzzles most. When you are more conscious and working toward changing your diet, this is one of the many areas that has to be addressed. Food portion sizes today are far bigger than they were in the past, which means we are taking in far more calories than we realize. If you do not burn the extra calories that you take in, the waistline grows and the number on the scale continuously increases. Understanding healthy and correct portion size is critical to long-term weight management.
Most people may not use measuring cups, spoons and food scales, although, it is the optimal means to know food amounts with preparation and consumption. Once you have been using them for a while and consciously make an effort to be in tune with what is going in your mouth, you will probably be able to put them aside. The amounts will become second nature to you. If you choose not to go that route, the next best method is to use items that are common in everyday life and visualize your portion based on that item.
Here are some examples:
Checkbook = 6 oz of light flesh fish
Deck of cards = 3-4 oz of boneless and skinless chicken breast or lean beef
Compact disk = Size of 1 whole wheat pancake
Computer mouse = 4-5 oz baked sweet potato or yam
Poker chip = 1 Tb. Use for olive oil, light salad dressings and (nut) butter spreads
Golf ball = ¼ cup. Use for raw nuts (ie. almonds and walnuts)
Lightbulb = ½ cup. Use for frozen yogurt, cooked whole grain pasta and rices
Baseball = 1 cup. Use for high fiber cereals and vegetables (the more vegetables, the better)
Some tips:
1. Measure your foods. Either use the relationship size guide OR actual measuring devices.
2. Be mindful of what you are eating. Take your time when you eat, sit and chew slowly.
3. Stop eating when you are full. It usually takes 20 minutes for your brain to register that feeling.
4. Eat more of your calories in the early part of your day especially if that is when you are most active with life, work, and children. Eat lighter in the evening.
5. Eat 5 smaller meals in a day rather than 2-3 large meals.
6. Use your food labels to see nutrition values. What is the serving and how many calories are in it?
7. Check my entry on January 31, 2010 for free web sites that allow you to track your progress. You are able to see for your height, weight and age how many calories you should consume in a day. In addition, it allows you to see how many calories you should consume when you want to lose weight.
Saturday, February 27, 2010
Sunday, February 14, 2010
Don't Let the Winter Blues Throw You Off Track
I was speaking with a girlfriend today that lives in the Detroit area, which has had their share of harsh winters. Ironically, the winters in the Mid-Atlantic region of the country have been far more severe than what she has experienced so far. I always ask how her workouts have progressed. She was disappointed that she has not maintained her consistency and noticed that the gains she made in her strength training class has fallen short as a result. She attributed it to the Winter Blues.
She is in Detroit without back-to-back blizzards in a week and still has the Winter Blues. So I know many of my clients, class participants and future clientele possibly have the same issue. This weather makes you want to snuggle under a warm blanket on the couch, lounge and snack on comforting foods. You are tired of shoveling, tired of looking at the snow and tense up at the mere mention of another possible inch.
It is so easy to succumb to these feelings of fatigue and tension by grabbing something quick and unhealthy (comfort foods) to eat rather than thinking about what your daily food intake should be. It is also true with exercise. When you fall off track, you have to get back quickly because it is harder the longer you stay away. Even when there is a blizzard and you are home bound, that is the time to take 30-45 minutes or even an hour to get a workout in. What else do you have to do? Your health and well-being is worth that hour. When you exercise, endorphins are released. These are the natural feel good chemicals your body releases. So get moving, eat healthy and get out of the winter blues!
She is in Detroit without back-to-back blizzards in a week and still has the Winter Blues. So I know many of my clients, class participants and future clientele possibly have the same issue. This weather makes you want to snuggle under a warm blanket on the couch, lounge and snack on comforting foods. You are tired of shoveling, tired of looking at the snow and tense up at the mere mention of another possible inch.
It is so easy to succumb to these feelings of fatigue and tension by grabbing something quick and unhealthy (comfort foods) to eat rather than thinking about what your daily food intake should be. It is also true with exercise. When you fall off track, you have to get back quickly because it is harder the longer you stay away. Even when there is a blizzard and you are home bound, that is the time to take 30-45 minutes or even an hour to get a workout in. What else do you have to do? Your health and well-being is worth that hour. When you exercise, endorphins are released. These are the natural feel good chemicals your body releases. So get moving, eat healthy and get out of the winter blues!
Sunday, January 31, 2010
Track Your Progress
I have written many blog entries on food choices, quality diets, readying you for change, making decisions about change and so much more. Now that you have come to terms with making diet and exercise changes, are you tracking what you do? Journaling what and how much you eat can be eye opening when you first start. You have to be honest with yourself to keep track of everything you put in your mouth. Once you do, you will see where all of the extra calories are coming from. They are the calories that are adding up and adding inches to your waistline, hips and other parts of your body.
There are so many ways to keep track of what you eat. It could be manually, on the computer and even on your phone. If you are already tracking, you are on the right track. If not, there are so many on-line journals and I wanted to share a few that I have come across, which are all free. They allow you to register your age, height and weight and give a target weight. They all have food libraries so you can see how many calories you are consuming in a day. You can then compare that the amount of calories you should consume daily to reach your target weight. They also allow you to add your activity level because that plays a major role in determining how many calories you should consume. It takes some time to get started, however, once you find all of the foods and activities to add to your journal, it gets easier.
The ones I have come across are dailyburn.com, thedailyplate.com and my-calorie-counter.com. As stated, there are so many different on-line programs, so you should get the idea that this is important to weight loss and change in the body. These are tools that help you track your progress and allow you to maintain self-accountability. Let’s start journaling!
There are so many ways to keep track of what you eat. It could be manually, on the computer and even on your phone. If you are already tracking, you are on the right track. If not, there are so many on-line journals and I wanted to share a few that I have come across, which are all free. They allow you to register your age, height and weight and give a target weight. They all have food libraries so you can see how many calories you are consuming in a day. You can then compare that the amount of calories you should consume daily to reach your target weight. They also allow you to add your activity level because that plays a major role in determining how many calories you should consume. It takes some time to get started, however, once you find all of the foods and activities to add to your journal, it gets easier.
The ones I have come across are dailyburn.com, thedailyplate.com and my-calorie-counter.com. As stated, there are so many different on-line programs, so you should get the idea that this is important to weight loss and change in the body. These are tools that help you track your progress and allow you to maintain self-accountability. Let’s start journaling!
Sunday, January 17, 2010
It's Your Call
Two weeks have passed into the New Year and maybe you made a resolution, commitment or challenge to get on a fitness track with the goal to lose weight and get healthy. Have you started? As I speak with clients and class participants, I know that getting exercise in either with me or even independently is usually not the hard part. The hard part is changing the eating habits.
I usually suggest taking things slow when altering what you eat because you have conditioned yourself to eat certain things and have a taste for them naturally. You also may be a creature of habit and have to really think about stepping outside of that comfort zone. What I hear when I ask my clients if they have made any changes to their diet, the response for some is usually “I know what I have to do or I need to sit down and just make the commitment or I am having a hard time with the discipline.” The process of change requires discipline wholeheartedly, however, getting started takes a fire being lit under the tush. Then inertia may set in. So, I ask my clients (and you the reader), if you want to improve your health or change the body image you detest or the fact that you are growing into the next unwanted pants size . . . What is MORE important? The change you want to achieve OR the food choices that you cannot seem to modify. It’s your choice. Although it’s NOT easy, when one puts their mind to it, all things are possible.
Exercise inclusive of cardiovascular and strength training combined with healthier eating choices is the optimal method to make changes in one’s physical well-being. My clients and class participants are able to maintain consistency for their exercise with personal training or group fitness classes, however that alone will not create change in the body. When it comes to food, starting with small steps such as reducing items incrementally will not send shock waves through your habits. Some ideas may be to:
1. Reduce your soda or juice intake and slowly incorporate more water.
2. Start changing your white food products over to whole grain products. Ie. White rice to brown rice or regular pasta to
whole grain pasta
3. Reduce your sweets and white sugar intake. Replace with natural honey as a sweetener.
4. Let go of fried and processed foods. Opt for more lean meats and vegetables.
So when it comes to choices of what you want your health or body image to be, it’s your call. It is so easy to give up on the hard work of diet change and exercise and take the easy path. If that is the path you choose, then accept the state of your health and image OR do something about it and get that fire lit under your tush.
I usually suggest taking things slow when altering what you eat because you have conditioned yourself to eat certain things and have a taste for them naturally. You also may be a creature of habit and have to really think about stepping outside of that comfort zone. What I hear when I ask my clients if they have made any changes to their diet, the response for some is usually “I know what I have to do or I need to sit down and just make the commitment or I am having a hard time with the discipline.” The process of change requires discipline wholeheartedly, however, getting started takes a fire being lit under the tush. Then inertia may set in. So, I ask my clients (and you the reader), if you want to improve your health or change the body image you detest or the fact that you are growing into the next unwanted pants size . . . What is MORE important? The change you want to achieve OR the food choices that you cannot seem to modify. It’s your choice. Although it’s NOT easy, when one puts their mind to it, all things are possible.
Exercise inclusive of cardiovascular and strength training combined with healthier eating choices is the optimal method to make changes in one’s physical well-being. My clients and class participants are able to maintain consistency for their exercise with personal training or group fitness classes, however that alone will not create change in the body. When it comes to food, starting with small steps such as reducing items incrementally will not send shock waves through your habits. Some ideas may be to:
1. Reduce your soda or juice intake and slowly incorporate more water.
2. Start changing your white food products over to whole grain products. Ie. White rice to brown rice or regular pasta to
whole grain pasta
3. Reduce your sweets and white sugar intake. Replace with natural honey as a sweetener.
4. Let go of fried and processed foods. Opt for more lean meats and vegetables.
So when it comes to choices of what you want your health or body image to be, it’s your call. It is so easy to give up on the hard work of diet change and exercise and take the easy path. If that is the path you choose, then accept the state of your health and image OR do something about it and get that fire lit under your tush.
Monday, January 11, 2010
Don't Let Others Negative Energy Rob You
This week one of my clients arrived to our session very lethargic. It was odd because I have not seen her like that in the few months that we have been working together. She stated if I was to leave her for a few minutes, she would probably fall asleep sitting not just in a chair, but on the stability ball she was on. I asked what happened and she said the day started out with negative energy that was all around her at work and lasted throughout the day. She let it affect her and consequently depleted her mental energy.
This can happen so often in our daily lives and if you let someone or something else affect you whether purposely or not, that can affect your outlook and demeanor for that day, week or even month. Once my client talked about it and realized what happened, the weight seemed to lift from her shoulders and she had a very productive workout.
What’s important is that she did realize it. Life is going to have negative energy and what I mean by negative energy in her case, was others having bad attitudes toward her or unnecessary complaining or just being uptight. You know these folks and you may have to encounter them in your day, however, the key is to not let their negativity spoil your positive energy. When you have a goal, whether it be weight loss with exercise and smarter food choices or something totally different, someone else can actually deter you and throw you off of your game. You have to be mentally strong to keep them out of your positive, goal-oriented and focused mindset. Don’t let others negative energy rob you!
This can happen so often in our daily lives and if you let someone or something else affect you whether purposely or not, that can affect your outlook and demeanor for that day, week or even month. Once my client talked about it and realized what happened, the weight seemed to lift from her shoulders and she had a very productive workout.
What’s important is that she did realize it. Life is going to have negative energy and what I mean by negative energy in her case, was others having bad attitudes toward her or unnecessary complaining or just being uptight. You know these folks and you may have to encounter them in your day, however, the key is to not let their negativity spoil your positive energy. When you have a goal, whether it be weight loss with exercise and smarter food choices or something totally different, someone else can actually deter you and throw you off of your game. You have to be mentally strong to keep them out of your positive, goal-oriented and focused mindset. Don’t let others negative energy rob you!
Saturday, January 2, 2010
Get Comfortable With Being Uncomfortable
One thing that is common with my clients is whether they need to lose 5 or 50 pounds, everyone wants to have a flatter tummy. Three of my clients have mentioned this week how tighter abs seems to be the area that is the hardest to achieve. I agree, especially if that is where your body stores your fat. If you notice some people tend to carry more of their weight in their hips, butt and legs (pear shape) whereas some carry more weight in their stomach (apple shape). The apple shape is definitely more prone to health issues because the weight is sitting around the vital organs, such as the heart, lungs, and liver and can lead to various disease such as hypertension, diabetes, heart conditions and even cancer.
Losing inches in the abdominal region is like any other part of the body, you have to make healthy food choices, increase your cardiovascular activity and add resistance exercise. The abdominals can be trained with basic floor exercises, balance work using stability balls and balance tools, Pilates core work and light weights.
I notice even with my own training, that if I do not work on my abs or watch what I eat, it shows immediately, so I know what I have to do. I communicate to my clients and you the reader that if you are not satisfied with what you see in the mirror you have to stay focused and understand that it takes hard work. One of my clients complains each time we do ab work, but wants to have flatter abs. Although, she is not willing to go up in a pants size, she grabs at her unwanted tummy and wishes it away. She knows it is not going to happen that way and I am sure you do to. We all want to travel the path of least resistance that will get us to our goal quickly and easily. If you are committed to change, you have to put in the work and sweat to make it happen. Get comfortable with being a little uncomfortable. It is worth it for the flatter abs and an overall healthier you!
Losing inches in the abdominal region is like any other part of the body, you have to make healthy food choices, increase your cardiovascular activity and add resistance exercise. The abdominals can be trained with basic floor exercises, balance work using stability balls and balance tools, Pilates core work and light weights.
I notice even with my own training, that if I do not work on my abs or watch what I eat, it shows immediately, so I know what I have to do. I communicate to my clients and you the reader that if you are not satisfied with what you see in the mirror you have to stay focused and understand that it takes hard work. One of my clients complains each time we do ab work, but wants to have flatter abs. Although, she is not willing to go up in a pants size, she grabs at her unwanted tummy and wishes it away. She knows it is not going to happen that way and I am sure you do to. We all want to travel the path of least resistance that will get us to our goal quickly and easily. If you are committed to change, you have to put in the work and sweat to make it happen. Get comfortable with being a little uncomfortable. It is worth it for the flatter abs and an overall healthier you!
Saturday, December 26, 2009
Ready for Change in the New Year?
Here we are right after the Christmas holiday and before New Years. The time when most are having the end of the holiday cookies, cakes and pies with anticipation of making that New Year’s resolution. You have been down this road before and enter January with intentions of eating better and maybe exercising, but for some reason in the past you have not been able to stick with it. Why? Everyone may have a different excuse, but usually it is because you are not ready for the change you need to make.
In our society now, it is apparent that it is comfortable to be overweight and obese. With an average of almost 1 in 3 Americans considered overweight or obese, the numbers do not lie. It usually takes a medical scare such as a diagnosis of high blood pressure, the onset of diabetes, high cholesterol or even worse such as a heart attack for people to wake up and realize that your health and well-being is so much more important than the taste of the comforting foods you are consuming. The human body is not meant to carry an extra 40-50 plus pounds. If you are one of those that is carrying the extra weight, you know how you feel when you are moving. It is harder and your joints are probably telling you so. Even if you are carrying an extra 10-30 pounds from your normal weight, you feel it and you want to get back.
So, how do you ready yourself for change? That is something that you have to search for within and answer for yourself. What value do you have on your health? Do you have children and grandchildren to be healthy and strong for? What about feeling healthy and good just for you? You have to feel you are worth the change and hard work it takes to get there. I wrote an entry entitled, Weight Loss Strategies on August 31, 2009. I provide 5 tips to get and stay on course. If you have put on some pounds over the years, realize that it is not going to come off in a few months. You have to be patient, take your time and understand that an average of losing 2 pounds per week is normal. You may fall off the wagon a few times, but you have to pick yourself up and get back on. There are too many health issues and even deaths that could and can be prevented the natural way by changing the foods consumed and exercise. It starts with first making a decision for change and then sticking to it. Let’s get to it in 2010! Are you ready?
In our society now, it is apparent that it is comfortable to be overweight and obese. With an average of almost 1 in 3 Americans considered overweight or obese, the numbers do not lie. It usually takes a medical scare such as a diagnosis of high blood pressure, the onset of diabetes, high cholesterol or even worse such as a heart attack for people to wake up and realize that your health and well-being is so much more important than the taste of the comforting foods you are consuming. The human body is not meant to carry an extra 40-50 plus pounds. If you are one of those that is carrying the extra weight, you know how you feel when you are moving. It is harder and your joints are probably telling you so. Even if you are carrying an extra 10-30 pounds from your normal weight, you feel it and you want to get back.
So, how do you ready yourself for change? That is something that you have to search for within and answer for yourself. What value do you have on your health? Do you have children and grandchildren to be healthy and strong for? What about feeling healthy and good just for you? You have to feel you are worth the change and hard work it takes to get there. I wrote an entry entitled, Weight Loss Strategies on August 31, 2009. I provide 5 tips to get and stay on course. If you have put on some pounds over the years, realize that it is not going to come off in a few months. You have to be patient, take your time and understand that an average of losing 2 pounds per week is normal. You may fall off the wagon a few times, but you have to pick yourself up and get back on. There are too many health issues and even deaths that could and can be prevented the natural way by changing the foods consumed and exercise. It starts with first making a decision for change and then sticking to it. Let’s get to it in 2010! Are you ready?
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