Patience is a Virtue

When you give suggestions to friends, family, or even co-workers, usually the ones closest to you may listen to what you suggest, but may not really “hear” what you are saying. That means it goes in one ear and out the other or the information bounces off of them right back to you without being absorbed. Have you ever experienced this? You may think, let them hear it from someone else and they will get it.

My sister is one of those folks who was not ready to hear what I had been suggesting, with love, for years. The situation was that her weight was not in a healthy range and she had high blood pressure. Since health and fitness are my areas of expertise, I would always provide tips on exercise and nutrition. I even created a sample menu plan to give her ideas on the types of food she should eat, in addition to how often she should eat. For all of those years, she did not get it. I understood that she was not ready to make a change in her life; I accepted it and left her alone. I know that when it comes to change, the individual has to make a decision for them to commit to change and until then, it will not happen.

Today, I get a phone call and guess what? She got it, with the help of another source. She came across a book that informed her of the same information I was telling her. Now she was ready to hear and absorb it. She reduced her soda intake and is eating 5 small meals consisting of more fresh fruit, vegetables, fish and chicken. She used to stop by Wawa and pick up a bag of Doritos or some other chip and a soda. Now, she can go to Wawa and walk by that section without a need to fulfill a salt and sugar craving. The reason is because she is now providing her body the nutrients it needs with healthier options and her cravings are diminishing. She has exercised on and off for years, and that component will be more consistent. As a result, she feels better and is dropping weight.

For so many people like my sister, the idea of planning was not in the forefront of her mind. Her occupation made her transient and as a result, she was always eating on the go. In addition, she rarely ate breakfast. Now, she realizes that she has to eat breakfast daily, plan her meals for the day and even for the week. She cooks in advance and freezes her meals. She states it is work, but for her health it is worth it. I know it seems hard at first, but with anything when you commit to it, it becomes easier. I am proud of you big sis. All of the seeds I planted and patience I maintained has paid off.

If you can influence someone in your life to better his or her health, it is so worth it!

Food Plan and Prep

When you are on a path to lose weight or maintain a healthy weight, food planning and preparation is so important. Just like with anything in life, if you fail to plan, you may plan to fail. With food, if you have no idea what you will eat in a day, it could be left up to chance and chance can lead to poor choices.

To keep your body on an even metabolic keel throughout your day, you should eat 4-5 small meals. Start by always having breakfast and avoid letting your body go into starvation mode. It is imperative to have meals and snacks prepared, and if not, at least mentally prepared to stay on track.

A useful tip is to plan meals around foods (when prepared in large amounts) that can be used in one recipe one night, used for lunch the next day or in a completely different meal the next night (or two). For example, if you prepare chicken breast, you can make one or two pounds and have a portion for dinner day one with cooked vegetables and a baked sweet potato and lunch on day two chopped on top of a salad. You can freeze the remaining cooked chicken breast and take it out on day five and make a soup with rice and vegetables. It is really a time saver.

When it comes to your snacks, try to schedule eating something small such as a piece of fruit with yogurt or a handful of raw almonds or walnuts as a mid-morning and mid-afternoon snack. When lunch and dinner time arrives, you should not be as hungry and you will eat a smaller portion. If you need to remember your snack time due to a busy schedule, another tip is to put a reminder on your phone, calendar or what ever you use to keep your day straight. It is that important.

You can train your body with food, just as you would with exercise. It needs to be fed on a regular basis because you are burning calories on a regular basis. Remember, the key to weight loss is burning more calories than you take in. When you take in quality, nutrient dense foods that you plan for during your day, you will be successful in your weight loss or weight maintenance plan.

The Supermarket Trap

How many times have you walked into a supermarket with items in mind that you know you need and somehow walk out with a few more items than intended? What happened? Did you have a plan? Another sign of not planning is when you start with a handheld basket and wind up with a cart. Sound familiar?

The supermarket is designed to try to influence you to buy more of what you really don’t need and it is usually not the healthiest items. Take a look around the next time you are in your neighborhood supermarket. What do you notice when you first walk into a Shoprite or other similar store? In your face are cookies, cakes or some type of packaged muffins on sale. What do you notice at the ends of each aisle? That would be some type of processed, packaged good. What about on those displays in the middle of the floor before you checkout? You can always count on more processed, packaged goods. What about at checkout? Candy. Placement of various foods in the store and on shelves is so important for food companies. I call it subtle buyer influence. Some foods and soft drinks are always at eye level for adults and if you have children or grandchildren, you know there are foods marketed to them at their eye level, especially in the cereal aisle.

Think about the layout of most food stores. You will always encounter the fresh fruits and vegetables along the first outer perimeter that you come to. Do you ever see fresh fruit that does not need refrigeration anywhere else in the store? If you continue around the outer perimeter, you will visit the deli counter, fish and meat sections, and then dairy in the far corner of the store. Did you ever notice how dairy is always the furthest point from the door? I think this is strategic because most people consume some type of dairy item whether it is eggs, milk, cheese, yogurt or butter. So even if that was the one item you needed, you have to walk by so many other products that say, “buy me” on your way to the dairy section and back to checkout. If you do not have a list or specific plan when you walk into the store, the trip from the front door winds up with some detours and that basket receives a few more items than planned.

I suggest to always have a list when you enter into a supermarket. If you don’t, you may feel like you entered a trap and might walk out with more of the items that are packaged, processed and not healthy. You may not even realize it, but take notice the next time you are in the supermarket. Above everything, avoid shopping on an empty stomach. You will surely buy more than you need and those will be impulse purchases. ShopRight not Wrong.

Carbohydrates and Sugar Cravings

There are various types of food cravings such as salty, crunchy, spicy, sour and of course sweet. A sugar craving tends to the most common and very detrimental to your health, especially if you exercise on occasion or not at all. When people crave sugar, they may go for a quick fix and opt for sugary drinks, candy, cake, cookies or other processed foods.

All carbohydrates contain sugar and are simple or complex depending on their structure; in addition, they are our main source of energy. Most of your processed foods are simple and contain refined sugar with little vitamins and minerals. Think of packaged cookies and cakes. When large amounts of simple sugars are ingested in the absence of other nutrients, they enter the bloodstream very quickly, which provides that quick burst of energy. In a short time, the blood sugar drops and hunger sets in again. The body is looking for an even level of blood sugar so it tells you to eat something to bring it back up. So you may go for sugar again and this starts a cycle of ups and downs until you eat a meal.

When complex carbohydrates such as vegetables or whole grains are ingested, it takes more time for the body to process; therefore, the bloodstream does not get flooded as when drinking a sugary drink. The sugar takes a longer time to be absorbed, which provides a longer duration of energy. Also, when complex carbohydrates or (natural) simple carbohydrates such as fruit are consumed with other nutrients (a healthy fat, protein or fiber) the absorption rate is slowed.

Exercise is so important to how the body processes carbohydrates, as well. The more you exercise, the more the carbohydrates are transformed and used as immediate energy. If a person is not exercising, the body will use what it needs from those transformed carbohydrates and the remainder may be stored as fat.

When you are feeling hungry and sluggish and need a snack, go for a piece of fruit and yogurt. Other options are one tablespoon of peanut butter on a whole grain piece of bread or carrot sticks with hummus. Whatever you do, make it more natural and healthy and let go of the processed to let go of the cravings.

What Exercises Can I Do for my Abs?

This is a common question, which you may be thinking about yourself. One of my cousins emailed me recently and stated, “I’m not joining a gym and want to exercise at home. What are some things I can do to get rid of my stomach besides sit ups?” I also had a class member that asked if I had a workout designed specifically for abdominals.

All of my clients and class members know that I will do some type of abdominal work throughout and at the end of our workouts. I also tell them that they can do abdominal exercises day in and day out, however, if they do not clean up what they eat in addition to adding at least 30 minutes of cardiovascular exercise combined with strength training at least 3 days per week, their tummy will stay. Abdominal exercises mean nothing if you continue to eat in the same manner that put the extra inches around your waist. If you are a woman and your waist is equal or larger than 35 inches and as a man your waist is equal or larger than 40 inches, you are at risk for weight related illnesses such as heart disease and diabetes. Even if you are not in that category, you would still need to increase your exercise intensity and eat better if your abdominals are not where you want them to be.

First, reduce with intention to eliminate high sugar, high fat and processed foods from your diet. When your body consumes these items, there is no nutritional content. The greater nutritional value that your body needs is in whole grains, fruits, vegetables and lean meats. Once you have made the food commitment, add more cardiovascular exercise to your life. Find something that you love to do. See my last entry dated August 15, 2010 on Falling Off the Wagon. When these two items are part of your lifestyle, the abdominal work that you are doing will make more of an impact.

One of my favorite exercises for the abdominals is the Plank. Start by lying on the floor with your elbows directly under your shoulders. Push your body into a full flat bridge. Tighten your core, glutes and quads as you push into your forefeet to keep your torso rigid. Without allowing your hips to hike up or your tummy to sag, try to stay in the position as long as you can while looking at the floor. Try it at least 3 times working toward 1 minute each time. If you are new, start with 10 seconds. This is something that can be done during the commercials as you watch your favorite TV show!

Falling Off The Wagon

So, it has been a few weeks since you worked out or maybe a month . . . or two.

You made progress when you were exercising, whether you lost inches, weight or maybe you felt stronger and had more energy. Now the weight and inches are creeping back or maybe you feel a little more sluggish. The benefits of exercise happen when you participate on a consistent basis. It has to be consistent with an activity that you find enjoyable.

There are so many different types of exercise formats to try. It could be machines at a fitness center, an aerobic/dance/boot camp class in or outside of the gym or your own DVD or favorite on-demand show in the privacy of your home. Whatever it is, stay committed and add it into your schedule. Make time. If you get distracted at home, the camaraderie of a class or partner helps because you are working on a common goal together. This could be two or three times per week.

Even if you have fallen off the wagon, it is waiting for you to jump back on and keep going. Only you can do the work for yourself. Yes, it is harder to come back after a hiatus, but it is not insurmountable. Get back on and keep plugging along. It is important for your health and fitness. Our bodies thrive on movement and degenerates without it. Vary your workout, but always include strength, cardiovascular work, balance and flexibility. Be experimental as you consider rock climbing, skating, in-line or ballroom dancing, karate, Pilates, tai chi and yoga. Your options are endless; just get back on that wagon.

Fuel Prior To Exercise

Working out on an empty stomach is not the best choice, but with so many choices, including supplements, decisions become harder to make. It may be difficult to know what to eat before a workout and when. What you eat has a large impact on your exercise routine. It may make a difference between an energetic workout or a workout in which you lose energy quick, feel dizzy and want to stop. If you are already consuming a healthy diet and getting enough calories, you can rely on your appetite, experience and energy levels to tell you if you need anything more. If you are just starting out, find what works best for you. Here are some basic guidelines for fueling your body before workouts.

Early Morning
If you have the ability to workout in the early morning hours, try to eat something small to avoid feeling dizzy and/or having hunger pangs. Try eating around 200-300 calories snack/meal if you are going to workout within an hour of waking up. Avoid too much fat or protein since these take longer to digest. Suggestions: 2 slices of whole wheat toast or low-fat granola bars or dried/fresh fruit.

Midday
In order to avoid hunger during your noon workout be sure to plan your day and have a snack or eat your meal one to two hours before the workout. Also, target 200 – 400 calories (close to 2 hours = 400 calorie meal/snack) for your consumption. Great options are shakes/bars or yogurt or fresh/dried fruit or even a small bowl of oatmeal. Upon your return from your noon workout, eat a well balanced meal to refuel your body!

After Work
The key for a post-work workout is to plan ahead. One to two hours before leaving work, eat a small, balanced meal around 300 – 400 calories. Suggestions: reduced-fat cheese/whole grain crackers or low-fat cottage cheese and veggies, a whole grain muffin and/or fruit.

After Exercise
Once you have completed your workout, you need to replenish the nutrients and fuel sources you have just used during your workout and during the day if your workout is later in the day. Correct portion sizes and consistency help to engage the body for optimal recovery. A balanced meal of carbohydrates, protein and fat is important and an example meal is 3 oz. skinless chicken breast, 2 cups of vegetables, 1/2 cup of brown rice and 1/4 cup of avocado.

Keep hydrated before/during/after exercise
Your hydration is important before, during and after your workouts. Dehydration may cause headaches, fatigue and cramping. A good rule of thumb is to drink water throughout the day, then have 8- 24 ounces (depending on your body) an hour or two before a workout. Sip water during your workout and drink plenty of liquids after your session.