Week Five - Exercise

Being a personal trainer I am frequently asked which workout is the best workout to keep weight off and stay in shape.  What most people do not realize is that this is a very personal question.  We tend not to think this way. We tend to think in terms of groups and want to try the latest and greatest spotlighted workout, hoping that it will help us reach our goals.  We may try it for 2 or 3 days or for a couple of weeks and when we are not seeing results or are not enjoying it, we stop. In order to find the exercise program that is right for us as individuals, we need to dig a little deeper and assess ourselves before we can be successful.

There are many effective and fun exercises that you can do to get into and stay in shape.  What worked for your neighbor, may not work for you.  This doesn’t mean that the program they used was worthless, it worked for your neighbor, it simply means that it is not your program.  The key to finding the optimum fitness program is not jumping into the latest nationwide craze, but finding what is it that you truly enjoy doing and cross training, doing two or more activities on a regular basis. Your goal in exercising should be to make overall health gains. Overall good health is accomplished by performing activities that increase muscle strength and stability throughout the entire body, increasing cardiovascular stamina, engaging in physical activities that are mentally stimulating, increasing or maintaining flexible muscles, and perhaps losing some weight.  It is common to have a single goal - great legs, shoulders or arms.  Many people want a six-pack abdominal muscle or to be able to run a marathon.  These are all great goals, and there are ways to have your cake and eat it too, again by cross training with activities that you enjoy.  Doing what you enjoy is the key to success.  More people fall off of the exercise wagon simply because they are bored with their fitness routine or never really liked the activity to begin with.  We all enjoy activities that are entertaining and fun.   A fitness routine should be no different than any other activity that we engage in, we should like to do it.  Here are some suggestions on how to put together your own effective and fun cross training workout program.

It is relatively futile to join a running group if you know that you absolutely dislike running. However, if you are looking for a cardiovascular workout and you enjoy walking find a route that takes you on a one hour walk through a pleasant environment and write that in your schedule for 2-3 days a week.  Try to incorporate a route that has some hills or is on a beach and be sure to walk at a quick pace where your breathing is heavy and talking is not easy, thereby maximizing your calorie burn and working your heart muscle.  Next, you need some strength work but if the thought of exercising in a gym makes you want to go back to bed, think about what you do enjoy that involves strengthening your muscles – do you enjoy kayaking, would you like to try an outdoor bootcamp, paddle boarding, skiing, surfing, or even an exercise video that you can perform at home with simple equipment such as a resistance band and light weights.  Perform your strength workout 2-3 days a week (be sure to write it on your calendar).  Now let’s think about flexibility, one of the most overlooked, yet one of the most important aspects of staying healthy.  Yoga is a great way to increase flexibility, as well total body strength and mental clarity.  I highly recommend a yoga class (or a home video if a class is unavailable) 1-2 days a week.  There are many different types of yoga so talk with a yoga instructor to find the right class for you.  Some studios offer private classes or small group classes geared for individuals with specific needs, for instance yoga for hockey players or triathletes.  Other options include a stretching class at your gym or hiring a trainer to teach you proper stretching and flexibility techniques. 

The above scenario is an example of how you can put together your own exercise program. It is important to mix up your workouts, and studies suggest changing your workouts every 6-8 weeks for maximum results.  Mark your calendar and when it’s time to change your program try to incorporate exercises that target new muscle groups or new movements to increase performance of already strengthened muscle groups.  Be sure to work on your core muscles (abdominals, back, hip and glute areas) at all times as these muscles are the center of our functioning body.  When there are weaknesses in our core, we generally experience injury - either in the core area itself or elsewhere in the body.  Studies show that ankle injuries can be a direct result of a weak core, as can knee injuries.   A weak core can create misalignment and imbalance in the body, thereby creating an open door for injury.  I recommend 2-3 days of 15-20 minutes of core week each week.  When I work with clients on core strength they are continually surprised how it flows over into other areas of their conditioning.  

If you belong to a gym and enjoy the gym, look at the group exercise schedule.  You might want to try a variety of classes narrowing it down to two or three different classes to stick with each week.  For instance you might try Zumba – fun and cardiovascular dance, Pilates – strength for core area, Bootcamp – overall strength and cardiovascular benefits, Yoga – strength and balance,  Spinning – strength and cardiovascular… Each gym offers its own variety of classes. 

Again, the key to finding a successful fitness routine is taking the time to get to know yourself and your interests.  As with anything else, what is worth doing well requires time and focus.  This week take some time to write out your interests and plan your exercise program.  Good luck and have fun!
~One Body, One Life~
J.

No Bean Hummus

2 Zucchini, peeled and chopped

3/4 c raw tahini

1/2 c fresh lemon juice

1/4 c olive oil

4 cloves garlic, peeled

2 1/2 tsp sea salt

1/2 tbls ground cumin

In a blender combine all ingredients and blend until thick and smooth being careful not to over process making the hummus into a liquid consistency.  This is a raw hummus and is tasty served with vegetables such as cucumbers, celery, zucchini, or raw crackers (any cracker or bread is really fine!)  Enjoy!

*This recipe is from RAWvolution by Matt Amsden, a raw book that I recommend for anyone interested in trying raw recipes.  They are all relatively simple with few ingredients and are delicious!  

Week Four- Sugar

Sugar, the topic of week four is sugar.  It is toxic to our systems and we eat incredible amounts of the stuff.  This is validated not only by the continual rise in childhood and adult obesity but the soaring rates of diabetes in our country.  It's in everything, from the obvious like sodas, candy, sugar cereals, to the  overlooked,  sports drinks, "energy" drinks,  coffee drinks, cereal snacks, etc.
I would like to share with you two client scenarios that I recently came across where overlooking sugar was a problem.
I discovered one of client A's  biggest offenders while carefully scrutinizing her eating plan.  Client A was eating very well and exercising more than enough, yet was unable to lose her last 5 pounds.  As it was, she was drinking a non-fat 24 oz green tea latte everyday from her favorite coffee shop.  She even modified the drink by reducing the shots of syrup from 6 down to 2 and increasing the matcha green tea powder from 4 to 6 scoops, believing that she was creating a healthier drink.  It turns out that her "healthy" drink contains 310 calories and 61 grams of sugar.  Drinking one a day adds up to 2,170 calories a week.  Because it takes 3,500 calories to gain or lose 1 pound, this was surely contributing to her inability to lose weight.  Beyond the calories, we are looking at  61 grams of sugar.  There are approximately 4 grams of sugar to one teaspoon, so A's drink contains 15.25 teaspoons of sugar.  That is a lot of sugar in a "healthy" drink.
Client B, also trying to shed pounds, was drinking a 24 oz shaken iced green tea daily (requesting unsweetened), believing that it was calorie free iced green tea.  When we called to inquire about the drink, we found that it comes pre-sweetened at 130 calories with 31 grams of sugar (per 24 oz).  Requesting unsweetened simply means no additional  syrups to the already sweetened tea.  There is a way to order iced green tea completely pure, you just have to be very specific when ordering.  So, is it the coffee company's job to count our calories and sugar?  No, but it is our job as healthy consumers to be aware of what we are putting in our bodies.
The US department of Agriculture, while unfortunately there is not RDA, suggests that consuming 40 grams of sugar per 2000 calorie diet (8% of daily calories) is okay.  That amounts to about 10 teaspoons a day if you are eating a 2000 diet.  Your numbers should be adjusted for your calorie intake.  There are 4 calories per gram of sugar so if you eat 1500 calorie per day allowance,  your sugar allowance is 30 grams (7.5 teaspoons) or 120 calories from sugar.
I would like to point out that I do not advise taking fruit out of your diet.  Fruit snacks and fruit juice yes, but whole fruits with skins have so many great health benefits that I think it's a shame to exclude them.  It's like anything else, use the rule of moderation and you will be just fine.
Below are some sugar suggestions:
- Eat fruit when you have a sweet tooth.  Choose fruits that are in season in your area.  One way you will know this by the price.  The fruits that are in season are generally plentiful and local therefore lower in price.  The out of season fruits are high priced as they are generally shipped in and higher priced.
- Instead of soda when you are at a restaurant ask for 1/2 sparkling water or club soda mixed with 1/2 lemonade (kids love this!)
- If you decide on the soda - NO REFILLS!
- Let the urge pass, it will physically and whether it does mentally is up to you.
- Keep a bag of high quality dark chocolate chips on hand.  When you are craving chocolate you can grab just a few and satisfy your craving.  Be careful with this one, they can be like Lay's potato chips and are tough to eat just one!
- Read labels, it's the best way to be informed.  Divide the number of grams of sugar by 4 to get an approximate teaspoon count to best visualize how much sugar is in each serving of food.
- If you have children, ask them what they have already eaten in the day before giving them dessert.  You may be surprised at what they consume at school and with friends.
 - Educate your families, including kids!  When I go into schools and teach mini lessons, I measure sugar in test tubes.  I then show the kids a soda, for example, and ask them to guess which test tube has the correct amount of sugar for that soda.  When they guess, I ask the child if they would like to drink the sugar out of the test tube.  They laugh at first and then usually say no way.  I then explain how drinking the soda is the same as drinking the test tube.  Kids love this lesson and they bring me all sorts of fun from their lunches asking me to show them how much sugar they are eating.  My favorite and saddest story is the little girl that proudly brought me her fruit flavored water bottle thinking it was sure to be the lowest sugar winner.  The liquid in the bottle was clear and there was fruit all over the bottle indicating that the water inside was filled with fruit and that it was healthy.  It turns out that the second ingredient after water was high fructose corn syrup, there was very little fruit juice in the beverage and it contained more sugar than a soda.  We then had a great conversation about marketing!  It's amazing what 9 year olds understand.
- At first, cutting back on sugar will seem impossible, again especially if you have kids.  But, start watching behavior patterns associated with sugar intake and you will surely see why cutting it out is important.  And not only behavior, but skin, hair, clear thinking, energy levels, etc..  I now say to my kids, I think we've been eating too much sugar and they usually agree and are fine with me saying no to sweets.  I don't believe in depriving kids or ourselves, that usually backfires later in life.  I do believe in honesty and education.  That usually works.
This week I would like you to look at your current sugar intake, determine according to your calorie intake what you should be consuming and adjust your intake accordingly.  This is difficult for most people.  The good news is that your body craves what you put in it.  Once you get off the sugar, your body will stop asking for it and hopefully ask for a vegetable instead!  Good luck, I know you can do this!
~One Body, One Life~
J.

Easy Organic Vegetable Soup Recipe

8 cups water
Better Than Bouillon vegetable base (organic)
1 can organic tomato paste
4 cloves garlic minced
fresh basil
1 red onion chopped
4 stalks of celery chopped
1 1/2 cups chopped carrots
2 cups chopped zucchini
1 cups chopped collard greens
2 red potatoes chopped
1/2 cups chopped parsley
Fresh ground black pepper

1. Add 6 tsp of bouillon base to water stir and bring to simmer.  Add tomato paste and stir.
2. As you are chopping and mincing vegetables and herbs add them to the water and bring to a boil, briefly.
3. Reduce heat and let simmer for 30-60 minutes before adding croutons and enjoying!
4. Be creative and use what you have on hand.  That's what I did and it turned out to be delicious!

Homemade Croutons

1 loaf organic multi-grain bread (any bread will work but a multi-grain has nice texture and flavor)
organic olive oil
celery salt
garlic powder or 2 cloves minced garlic
fresh ground black pepper

1. pre-heat oven to 350 degrees, cut bread into 1 inch cubes
2. in a large bowl add cubes and 2-3 tablespoons of olive oil, mix well making sure all cubes are covered
3. add remaining spices and mix well
4. place on baking sheet and bake for 10 minutes or until lightly browned.

Easy Raw Truffle Recipe
2 c ground raw almonds (grind in blender or food processor)
1/2 c Cacao Powder
1/3 c Cacao Bliss
1/4 c Agave nectar
Cinnamon
Raw dried coconut flakes
Combine ground almonds and remaining ingredients.  Roll into 2 inch balls and roll to coat in either cinnamon or coconut.  Chill before to set before serving.  Store in refrigerator for best results.
*These are a healthy treat that kids and adults love!  I have repeated requests for this dessert.

Week Three-Motivation

Much of the reason I am writing this blog, 52 Weeks To A Healthier You, is to empower people to take control of their health as part of creating a well balanced lifestyle.  I know it's challenging to make changes and to push through the difficult physical and emotional feelings in the face of these changes.  This past weekend when I was on a long and grueling training bike ride I wanted to stop, to quit.  I wanted to leave my bike stranded on the side of the road, call a cab and go home so I could be warm and rested, back in my comfort zone.  It was then, as I was riding and dealing with the emotions of challenges and change myself, that I really started thinking about the struggles that come with making healthy changes.   For me right then it was, forget it, I'm done.  I don't care about this race and the fact that I signed up for it and have told everyone in facebook and twitter world that I'm racing a half ironman- I'm out!  For you it may be - I don't care about this 10 (20, 30, 40...) pounds that I told everyone I am going to lose, I'm going to Wendy's.  Or I know I promised myself and my family that we were on this health kick, but it's too hard and I'm good with the way things were - hello potato chips.  I do understand this, and I did even before my "training ride gone bad" reminded me just how difficult goals and changes can be.  There are times when it seems so much easier to give in to our desires rather than to push through the pain and move one step closer to our goal.  I could have very easily stopped my ride on Saturday and maybe it wouldn't have affected my race performance, but I kept thinking what if I don't make my race goal - I'm going to look back and remember this ride.  However, if I train my best and still don't make my goal, at least I will have done everything to try to make it happen.  So now, let me ask you this - how do you feel when you give in to your desires?  I know, sometimes really great,  but what about after that? What is the feeling you most commonly have nagging at you?  Now compare how you feel when you push through the pain and get beyond the craving or go an entire day, week, month, filling your body with great fuel and just enough of it?  Or exercise enough to give you energy, make you stronger,  and/or lose some weight?  Consider these questions this week as you continue eliminating the processed foods and hopefully keeping a food journal either online or on paper.  Set a goal if you haven't already.  Maybe it's to eat healthier, lose weight, run a race, exercise everyday - whatever it is, set your goal and tell everyone about it.  Accountability is a motivator.  Keep up the great work and know that you are going to feel amazing when you get through this year (hopefully you're feeling the effects already!) of making healthy changes.
~One Body, One Life~
Jennifer

My Favorite Salad
Romaine lettuce and spinach leaves mixed
Artichoke Hearts
Avocados
Black Olives
Red Pepper

Garbanzo Beans

Zucchini

Onion

Dressing:

1/2 c. olive oil

1/3 c. mix 1/2 balsamic with 1/2 red wine vinegar

1 tsp dry mustard (stone ground mustard works well too)

1 clove garlic, minced

pepper

celery salt

lemon juice

shake/stir well 
Drizzle just enough to flavor, not overpower, over salad 
Mix well and let sit for 10 minutes before enjoying!

Butternut Squash Stir-Fry
2 lb butternut squash, peeled

3 tbsp hemp seed oil (I also like grapeseed oil)

1 onion, sliced

2 garlic cloves, chopped

1 tsp coriander seeds

1/2 tsp cumin 

1/4 c. cilantro, chopped

1/3 c. coconut milk (A note about the saturated fat content in coconut milk, it has been shown in many independent studies to be a good saturated fat, easily metabolized to give your body quick energy)

1/2 c. water

2/3 c. cashews

Lime zest and fresh cilantro, for garnish

1. Slice squash into cubes 
2. Heat oil in wok or large saute pan
3. Add squash, onion, and garlic to pan and cook for 5 min
4. Stir in coriander seeds, cumin and fresh cilantro and cook for 1 min
5. Add coconut milk and water and bring to a boil.  Cover and simmer for 10-15 minutes or until squash is tender
6. Stir in cashews and transfer stir-fry to serving dish.  Garnish with lime zest, fresh cilantro
*This dish is wonderful served by itself or over brown rice
** Adapted recipe from the Vegetarian Bible cookbook

Week Two-Processed Foods

I hope you were successful in keeping a food log last week!  Whether you kept it for a couple of days or the entire week, the goal was to take note of your eating habits, and where you can improve.  If this was helpful for you, and it is for most people, there are wonderful online resources available, two of my favorites being myfooddiary.com (monthly fee) and my-calorie-counter.com (no fee).   
After a week of recording food, I find it interesting to look at how much processed food we eat.  Processed foods being any food that was made in a factory and that comes in a bag or a box.  We love them, we tend to overeat them and here is what I can tell you about processed foods and your weight and health.  The single best way to improve your health and shed pounds is to stop eating the processed foods.  Yes, they are very convenient and generally inexpensive BUT they are also stripped of nutrients (during the processing) and specifically designed to be addictive (salt, crunch, sweet) not to mention huge business that creates loads of profits for the food industry.  
It's usually the first thing we grab when we are hungry, a handful of something from a bag or a box.  It's the first thing we grab when we are in a hurry, a box of breakfast, a bag at lunch, a box for dinner. The funny thing is, many times we don't even need the bag or the box.  For example, take pancake mix - check out the ingredients, flour, sugar, eggs, salt, baking powder mixed in with some strange sounding preservatives.  Don't most of us have all of these things in our pantry?  If not, buy them because they will go much further than a box of pancake mix.  Save your money, use what you have at home and skip the preservatives.  Don't have the recipe?  Google pancake recipes and there you have it.  Another example, frozen french fries.  Buy a bag of potatoes, cut them in slices (skins on!) mix in a couple of tablespoons of olive oil, pepper, garlic powder, celery salt (or whatever spices you like - be creative) and pop them in the oven.  Easy, fresh, and you'll have potatoes left over for another dinner another night.  And again, use the internet.  Google "potato recipes" and see what you get!   
I'm not suggesting that you give up all processed foods.  This would be a big job for any of us, but I know there is room for improvement in all of our lives.  For the sake of our weight and our health, a good rule of thumb when buying bagged and boxed foods is to look at what's in it and if there are over 5-7 ingredients, skip it.  Preservatives, skip it.  Artificial colors and flavors, skip it.  "All natural", there is no standard for this term - it means nothing.  
So what do we eat if we are not eating and snacking on processed foods?  The majority of your calories should come from whole fruits, vegetables, whole grains and lean proteins.  Bottom line, that's it.  If you have children I'm sure you're thinking, "what will my kids think".  You're the parent.  It's your job to make sure they are healthy.  I tell my kids that they can choose how and what they eat when they are adults and that I wouldn't be doing my job if I didn't give them healthy options (and treats too, there is a happy medium!).  Be creative!  Leave fruit sitting out on the counter, apples and peanut butter, a bowl of nuts, sunflower seeds, pepitas (shelled pumpkin seeds roasted, yum!).  Put the less healthy snacks in a hard to find spot.  When I go into people's homes often I find the snack drawer is easily accessible and the healthy foods are on the top shelf.
When you begin eating less processed foods you will notice a couple of things.  One, that you have more energy and feel better over all.  That's a reason right there to make the change.  Two, nutrient rich, whole foods satisfy your body - they fill you up.  If you listen to your body and not your mind, you will notice that you are satisfied with less amounts of food when eating real, whole, good foods.  Foods that come from the ground or a tree, not a bag or a box. This translates to less calories taken in and that means WEIGHTLOSS.  
This week I challenge you stop and think before putting each bag and box in your grocery cart.  Do you really need it and/or can you make it yourself?  Shop the produce section first and spend time there looking at your options.  Skip as many of the aisles as you can.  Most of the really good food is located along the perimeter of the store anyway.  The aisles are where you find those bags and boxes that we end up having to recycle and that cause us to overindulge and yes, feel guilty.   Find your happy medium and then add up the money and the calories you saved and smile - nice work!  

Week One-Keeping a Food Log

Yesterday I  attended an amazing yoga workshop with Wade Morissette.  He was a very inspirational teacher and left me with two thoughts that I want to share as we begin our 52 week journey.   First, the only people who evolve and change in this world are those who have courage.  Change takes courage, no doubt, and we all have that courage inside of us.  In order for us to find that courage we have to accept that our lives are going to look different and feel different and that's okay.  Second, during difficult times we have the choice of leaving, quitting, giving in OR pushing forward and moving through the difficult feelings to find out what's on the other side.  So often life becomes difficult and it feels easier to give in to old habits than to move forward with our new behaviors.  Oddly enough even when our new behaviors are making us feel good, we sometimes revert back to our old behaviors, the ones that make us feel guilty and frustrated.  So, change is what we are moving towards in the next 52 weeks and that change is going to take courage.  We are also going to find the perseverance to make it through the difficult times.  Each one of us is capable,  I promise.
This week I urge you to keep a food journal.  An honest food journal (remember you don't have to show this to anyone so be honest with yourself!).  Write down everything you eat each day this week and take note of how you feel when you eat.  Are you hungry, happy, sad, in a hurry, frustrated, angry?  This will accomplish many things.  Primarily it will allow you to see exactly the kind of fuel you are putting in your body and why.  So often I hear people talk about how they don't eat very much, and are wondering if perhaps they have a problem contributing to a slower metabolism, keeping them from losing weight.  I immediately ask what they ate that day.  Tell me everything.  They begin with breakfast, lunch and dinner and then it sounds like this...Oh and I had a handful of nuts and I did stop at Starbucks for a venti non-fat green tea latte (more on this later), when I made my kids lunches I ate the crusts from the sandwiches, I ate a few bites of chocolate cake, ice cream, had a glass of wine, grabbed a handful of goldfish, chips, and on and so forth.  My point is that while I don't want you to feel bad about these behaviors, I do want you to realize that all food has calories, even the small bites and handfuls that we mindlessly eat.  So in order to really get a firm grasp on how much and what kinds of food we are consuming, we need to write it down.  How many times have we said, ugh I'm starving, I haven't eaten all day!  Only to remember that, oh yes, I did have a bowl of cereal this morning, a banana at noon and a small bag of chips at three.  While that is not very much food, it is food and has calories.  So in fact you did eat and now you need to have a dinner that is nutritious, being careful not to over consume because you think you didn't eat yet that day.  A note on cooking - observe how much and what you eat as you are making meals.  It's very common to taste and snack as we cook and again, we are putting calories in our bodies when we do this.
So, keep your food journal this week.  If you want to begin cutting out foods that you know are not serving you well, feel free.  Otherwise take the week as a normal (normal for you and your lifestyle) week and evaluate your log at the end of each day.  Look at the kinds of foods you eat, which food groups do they come from, are they fresh or processed, fast food, look at your portions (yes, write down your portion sizes as this is another source of miscalculation for most) and the times that you eat.  Each day rate your eating on a scale of 1-10, did you eat nutritious foods and did you eat the right amount of food for your lifestyle.  In other words, do you have a desk job or a physically active job?  Do you exercise everyday?  This will all play a part in how much you should be eating each day.
Last week we mentally prepared for our year and this week we are taking notes on our lifestyle so we can make wise and educated changes in the upcoming weeks.  This is necessary and will pay off.  Some of the most common  judgement errors we make regarding our health are overestimating how many calories we burn while exercising, under estimating how many calories we eat daily and believing that we eat a well rounded, balanced diet.  Let's see how we are doing.
~One Body, One Life~
Jennifer