Feel Good Day (Much needed)

(This photo is not me, just to get my point across)

Its finally spring, and today the sun was shining and I decided to do what I felt like doing and what was good for my body. I was certainly in need of a day where I was commitment free. It is finally spring break and I still have been busy... every once in awhile we just need a break. REST is IMPORTANT!

After waking up and eating an egg on a spinach-potato pancake, I decided to be productive and straighten up the kitchen a bit, and do a little organizing. That simple task along with the inspiring fresh spring sunshine made me feel like I wanted to accomplish something for myself so I decided to go on a bike ride from my house to the local coffee shop on the water. I started off calling friends to see if someone would go with me, but decided I would just go enjoy the weather on my own. After relaxing and drinking my coffee I continued to ride on to the grocery store and then just did a big loop back towards my house. It felt good to get grocery shopping done (although for some reason I enjoy wandering through the store), get some exercise and fresh air, and just have a day to enjoy my own company being out and about.


I got home and made some light calamari marinara, it was delicious. I spent a few minutes relaxing and eventually got back on my bike and headed for the gym. After a workout with my good friend, I rode home and made a tofu and veggie satay with a lightened up version of peanut sauce. I finished my day with a relaxing bath.

The point of my narrative of my activities today isn't to give you a play by play of my day, but just wanting to emphasize that every once in awhile you should dedicate a day to doing things that make you feel good about yourself. While the things I did today may seem simple and none of it was overly exciting, I was able to reflect on my day and feel like I was healthy and happy. Right now I feel relaxed and good about my health! After spending a week forcing myself to go to the gym and dreading my workouts, a refreshing new angle to help me enjoy fitness once again was miraculous.

Different things work for different people, some people (which may even include myself on the right days...) would doing most of the things in the day I just described. It goes to show that having a positive attitude and where you focus your attention has a major impact on how your daily life can go! Find something that makes you feel positive and have an optimistic outlook on the day. I blame the newly appearing spring sunshine for my relaxed positivity :)

I tracked my fitness and food on sparkpeople.com and was able to feel even better being in the healthy range for everything! Coincidentally after writing this I got this article sent to my email: http://www.sparkpeople.com/resource/fitness_articles.asp?id=66.

Also heres a great compliment of ideas of new fitness things to do this month. (I tried the most random... geocaching with a friend... it was actually lots of fun!) http://www.sparkpeople.com/resource/calendar_2009_fun_fitness_ideas.pdf

Eat Smart, Save Time- Prep Ahead

It seems that a likely overused excuse as to why many of us don't eat healthy is that we don't have time. People say things like  "I didn't have time to cook... so I went through the drive-thru". I'm glad these people aren't starving themselves, but I have found the best way to keep on track to reaching your nutritional goals is to plan ahead.
Ideally you should make yourself a bunch of small meals all at once that will last you the next few days. Tupperware is probably one of my favorite kitchen gadgets and makes it easy to bring things anywhere and pre-portion them, though there are a variety of coolers and containers that serve the same purpose.

Another benefit of prepping meals ahead of time is that you always have food with you right when you feel hungry.

Also, you will likely be saving money due to the fact that you aren't eating take-out all the time.

Here are ideas of some healthy options you could make meals out of, some meet individual needs differently than others:

• Grill chicken breast or tofu in batches you can measure out portions and combine to make a meal (here are some examples:
• put on salad (with balsamic, salsa, or other light healthy dressing)
• mix with rice and veggies
• Make a large batch of rice, quinoa, etc that you can take portions from for the week
• Chop veggies ahead of time and store them in containers for easy prep or for snacks
• Fruit is a good portable snack, just don't overdo it
• Dry oatmeal with raisins and pumpkin pie spice- if you have a way to get hot water/cook it where you are going
• Protein bars and shakes
• Hard boiled eggs/egg whites
• Try my easy Jazzy Bean Salad Recipe

Jazzy Bean Salad

This quick and easy salad is great for a pot luck, or just a snack. Its full of protein and contains some good fats.

• 1 15oz. can garbanzo beans
• ½-1 can black beans
• ½ can kidney beans (optional)
• 1 cup cooked, shelled edamame
• ½ cup corn kernels removed from cob or cooked from frozen
• 1/3 cup diced red onion, finely chopped
• 2 tbsp olive oil
• 2 tbsp red wine vinegar

Combine all ingredients in large bowl. Allow ingredient flavors to combine for a few hours more flavor.

These options are just a few of the many ways to bring "clean eating" food with you wherever you go. Remember: "Failure to prepare, is preparing to fail"...

New Recipe: Spicy Couscous Tuna Burgers

So I just came up with a recipe I feel is slightly out of the box, and it has a good balance of complex carbohydrates, lean protein, and a small amount of fat. The seasonings and spices can certainly be changed up, but these Tuna burgers with whole wheat couscous are very flavorful and don't even need a bun! Hope you like them.

Spicy Couscous Tuna Burgers

• ·         5 oz can of tuna (canned in water, drained)
• ·         1 egg white
• ·         2 tbsp dry whole wheat couscous
• ·         3 tbsp boiling water
• ·         1 tsp garlic powder
• ·         ½ tsp spicy curry powder
• ·         Red pepper flakes and black pepper to taste
• ·         ½ cup spinach
• ·         1 oz low fat white cheese
• ·         ¼ cup minced onion

Boil water and prepare dry couscous with garlic in bowl ready to cover. Once water comes to a boil pour over couscous and cover. Let sit for about 3-5 minutes and fluff with a fork.

Meanwhile, mix can of drained tuna with curry powder, pepper flakes, pepper, 1 tsp of grated cheese, onion, and egg white.  Combine mixture with couscous once couscous is done.

Heat a skillet (sprayed) over med-high heat.  Form 4 patties out of tuna mix and grill until browned on both sides.  Finish the patty by melting the cheese on top. Serve on a bed of spinach. Enjoy!

*Note this photo is not actual recipe, just an idea of what a plate of these may look like.

Don't Drink Away Your Daily Intake

Many of us out there like to drink things. Whether it be something comforting and warm, something cool and refreshing, something sweet, something bubbly, or something with a little extra strong kick in it, most of these things are unfortunately full of empty calories. Alcohol suppresses fat oxidation and adds unnecessary calories to the diet.

 Drinking a giant glass of juice, a liter of soda, or even a mocha is something many people do without thinking each and every day, not realizing that even if what they are drinking isn't filling them up, its still adding on the calories. Even if you are one of those people who doesn't care about calories and isn't concerned about gaining weight etc, many of these beverages are actually full of sugar and not exactly healthy for us. 

Speaking of unhealthy habits...

     This is the last thing you probably want to hear, and being a college student, I realize it is somewhat hard to avoid, but drinking alcohol really overall isn't going to help your health. Obviously no one thinks of alcohol as a healthy thing, but people out there tend to not take the effects into long term consideration. The other day someone asked me why I don't just drink vodka instead of passing on alcohol, because "vodka is clear" it has no calories".... yeah clearly they were uneducated, because vodka has roughly 100 calories per shot. Like I said before those are empty calories, because they don't provide your body with nutrients to use, and don't fill you up. I am not suggesting that you go become antisocial and never have a drink again, be realistic about your life, but keep your health in perspective, even if you are at an age where it seems like you are invincible. If I had to choose an alcoholic beverage that is "better" when dieting, I would probably say some form of a red wine lower in sugars. Obviously moderation is key as well here. If you aren't a wine drinker, try calorie free seltzer with a little vodka or something, maybe with a twist of a citrus fruit in it. Dark beers, mixed drinks, and dessert drinks are probably the worst for you often loaded with sugar, syrup, and artificial ingredients. Here's a corny video of a lady making a "healthy cocktail" but you get the point from it...:

Regularly drinking soft drinks may not be the cause of obesity alone, but it is definitely a contributing factor to an unhealthy diet. I get it, soda is sweet, gives you the idea of being thirst quenching, generally inexpensive and conveniently located just about everywhere. However keep in mind, one bottle of soda from the vending machine has about 180 calories in it. Sugary ones that damage your teeth, weaken your bones, lead to diseases (such as diabetes), kidney/liver/digestive system damage, heartburn, increased blood pressure, dehydration, toxin chemicals etc. There are so many healthy alternatives out there to soda, so it might be a good resolution to try to kick the habit if you are a regular soda drinker. 

Another thing people may not realize is how much sugar other beverages contain. Many chocolate milks seem like a healthier option, yet some of them contain the same sugar content and more fat than the soda just discussed. It is nice that milk actually has some nutritional value, but as an alternative, I would recommend adding your own bittersweet dark chocolate to milk without all the sugar. On a similar level, 100 percent fruit juice isn't bad for you, its definitely got its vitamins and nutritional value, but it is much more beneficial to eat a piece of fruit than drink a glass of juice. Not only do you feel more satisfied, but the fruit is in a purer form and has less calories and more fiber. 

As far as many of the no-calorie drinks go, it is nice that they don't have calories obviously, and there is some benefit to that if you are trying to watch calories. The biggest issue here is that almost all of these types of beverages  are made with the chemical aspartame, which is an artificial sweetener like you might find in those little pink sweet-n-low packets you see when getting coffee at a diner. If you must have artificial/chemical sweeteners, I would recommend looking for things made with splenda, which is made with sucrolose a less harmful chemical, or better yet something more natural like stevia.

Your best bet is to stick to good old H20! You can and should always load up on plenty of water every day because there is tonsss of benefits and not too many risks of water drinking here in the US. Drinking plenty of water may actually have side effect to aid you in weight loss. Herbal tea is a good alternative if you want something warm, and as I previously said nonfat milk and 100 percent juice are good as long as you are watching your serving sizes. Obviously not everyone can follow this, some of us like myself are coffee drinkers (try switching to black coffee and only using a small splash of nonfat to save some calories!) and some have other vices. The message here is just be informed of what you are drinking and think about the effects on your body. Doing this and cutting out many unnecessary beverages and calories in them may save you pounds! 

Community Benefit- A Peek Inside What Others Are Doing

       Lets take a look at some things people are doing out there that truly are inspired, and inspiring people by nutrition! First here are a few overviews of some things I have seen in the media.
      Jamie Oliver's food revolution: Jamie saw a problem in public school with the cafeterias feeding the students what essentially was a bunch of junk. The schools had some pretty messed up idea of standards for nutrition that may as well have been non-existent. Oliver worked very hard to petition these school as well as individual families he saw that had a problem. He was interested in getting people in the community to restore their health starting at a young age! To see his dedication and hard pushing of his changes was amazing to me, because some people out there really just don't recognize how to improve their nutrition! The people in the unhealthiest city in America (Huntington, West Virginia) were collectively originally fairly resistant to his attempts to change. People get comfortable in their routines it seems and don't want to be told they live in a town of people living their lives wrong. They view eating healthy as "eating lettuce" for a meal, something that is boring, awful, and painful. They don't realize how dynamic and variable eating well really can be.
Jamie Oliver's Food Revolution Episode 1(preview without Hulu Plus)
ABC Show Website

     Another one of my heroes for the same reason is Jillian Michaels. She has created an entire industry off helping people change their lives to become more active and healthy. Between training contestants on Biggest Loser, and her own workouts among the other side projects she has including her website with personalized plans and informational articles, she also ran a show called "Losing It With Jillian" that spoke to me. She came into the homes of families who really needed her help. They might have been disease candidates, lost their job due to lack of motivation, or have otherwise extreme circumstances. Jillian would come raid their kitchens, teach them how to eat better and then proceed to train them like a drill sergeant, and work them physically and mentally in a week inspiring them to the point where they could change their mentality and open up the things that were mentally blocking them from success in becoming healthy. In a week she was able to make some changes that showed to have a lifetime of beneficial value with some crazy impressive results for the individuals.
Loosing it Episode 1 (preview without Hulu Plus)
Losing It- NBC Show website

     More recently, at University of Washington, the following video describes re-implementing home economics classes in order to help fight obesity rates. One of the key problems they see with the youth of this "time-starved" generation is that they don't know how to cook. Without cooking knowledge, the diet of eating out and microwave dinners definitely puts them at risk. UW wants to modernize home economics so it isn't just geared towards preparing women for home duties. The following link has the video article from King 5 news.

http://www.king5.com/video/featured-videos/Home-economics-classes-are-making-a-comeback-116715334.html

     The message: You don't have to have a big name like Jillian or Jamie to make a difference. Take their dedication and serving as key examples. Think of things you can do to help out your own community, or maybe just someone you know. Don't stop just because there is someone who is resistant to your ideas! Chances are, they are simply afraid to admit they themselves have a problem. Be a supportive individual and be a role model. Anything you can do helps, and while many Americans are finally starting to become more health informed, not everyone has enough resources or motivation to make those crucial life changes.

Marketing and Perception of Nutrition Facts and Food Labels

Marketing plays a huge role in the way food is now accepted, eaten, and perceived by people. As body image becomes more important to people, and health knowledge is more available, many are looking for additional healthy alternatives.
    Smart (food) marketers, see this as a valuable opportunity to promote the products they are working with as "healthy", but what is healthy has essentially become subjective. Does healthy mean low calorie? Low fat? Nutrient Rich? Green? It might be different depending on the individual needs of the "dieter".

A lot of words on a small wrapper is a lot to sort through!

    The problem is there is an extraordinary amount of vast information for people to sort through to find out what they want as a nutritious option that fits them. We are a "time pressed" society and the last thing people want to do is sort through first the initial advertising, then the food labels, then the nutrition facts, ingredients, unknown chemicals... the list goes on. One piece of packaged food may contain tonnnss of text, and if we can't even identify what half the ingredients are, how can we tell if they are good for us, and how much does someone have to care in order to actually find out what they are putting in their body? At what point does the value of nutrition overrule the value of time/energy for someone?

     So many claims are made when it comes to food marketing. One example is Sugar Free Coffee Mate Creamer,  or the fat free version applies here as well. This creamer may have low sugar or low fat accordingly, but the sugar free version contains tons of fat, the fat free contains tons of sugar! Both creamers are full of chemicals and artificial ingredients that create empty calories with very very little nutritional value! Also the serving size is a mere tablespoon, so according to the label, there isn't much of anything in it as far as negative nutrients go. 30 calories of the SF Vanilla-Caramel Creamer don't sound like much, but it can be misleading for the type of food it is and how it is affecting your body. Corn syrup is one negative thing, then there are things like dipotassium phosphate, and acesulfame potassium that are extremely unfamiliar to most, so out of the large number of buyers, the chances that those who regularly purchase the product actually knowing the purpose of the ingredients is slim.Serving size is another thing people take for granted, and when they don't measure, their evaluation of the nutrition facts is generally off. This creamer is just a mere example of the extensive amount of items out there with similar issues.

The harsh reality is that many people are drawn to diet type products like "the cookie diet" pictured above and don't even bother to think about the fact that it might not be optimally nutritional. They are thinking that a bunch of chemicals and preservatives are something that is going to help them be healthy and loose weight. It might in the short-run, but they need to be able to maintain healthy diets, because in general quick fix treatments are ineffective. They generally result in the dieter falling back to their old weight, possibly gaining more. Special K may promise that you will loose weight in just 2 weeks with their challenge; but of course anyone who is eating 2 very low nutrient low calorie meals a day is going to loose weight. They probably aren't going to want to be hungry and their body craves other nutrients in the long term, so 2-weeks is unlikely to be effective.

So what can we do to remedy this issue and know what we are eating? For starters, you can always start with fresh whole food ingredients especially  those that you know the source of. Beyond this, if people do have the free time, do some research. Figure out what you want out of your food, and find the foods that meet your criteria. Make small changes. Instead of buying Yoplait light yogurt, try buying plain nonfat yogurt and adding fresh fruit and agave if necessary to sweeten it. For the same calories you are getting more protein, more calcium, MUCH LESS SUGAR, and more satisfying and healthful ingredients.
I truly hope this helps raise awareness so people do start paying more attention to what they are actually eating vs. what they thought they were.

Why Do I Care?

(This entry is somewhat of a response/continuation of yesterday's post)

    When it comes to your nutrition and diet (as in what you eat not diet as in restriction necessarily) what motivates you to eat the way you do? Is it friends/family-- Do you just eat whatever is around you or what they are eating? Does doing this help your health or hurt it? Or do you have a different approach and eat healthy because you want to live longer or be healthy in general? Or... do societal standards motivate you? Do you strive for that perfect beach body? What I would really like to know is why we care so much! The weird thing is that many people say they want this body, yet just complain about it and don't put in the effort with nutrition and exercise to execute. Extrinsic motivation seems apparent in this case. Extrinsic motivation alone is rarely enough to drive people to reach a goal. They have to also want something intrinsically bad enough to push themselves  for a long term time period.

MANY OF US DON'T EVEN KNOW WHY WE ARE EATING SOMETIMES! For these instances it is best to stop and think about the food we are eating and how we are being satisfied by it. Checking in with how your body is feeling, and asking yourself if you are really hungry, and do you really need that is helpful.

     Another difficulty of mental nutrition is when you are so consumed with food and your intakes that you focus on food and keep eating it because you are thinking about it even if you are trying to cut back. From personal experience I would say that it is easier to not be consumed in you diet because when you eat naturally and listen to what your body wants, it is much left of a mental struggle. The issue with this is, you can't just stop thinking about food because someone tells you to. Just like the Ironic process theory posed by Wegner explains... when someone tells you not to think of a white bear, it is the first thing you actually think of. So a question  I can't tell you the answer to is how to not let thoughts of food, diet, body image etc. take over.

     The book Feed Your Eagles, by Derek Newton describes the motivation chips theory. There are two types of chips. First is gold which are chips that make you feel loved and give you self-worth like being hugged, having someone tell you I love you, you are valuable to me etc. The other type of chip is silver; these chips promote feelings of capability and describe self-confidence through things such as rewards and recognition. Different types of people have and respond to different types of chips in multiple ways. Having good amounts of both types of chips usually leads to individuals having lots of self-confidence. Without any support from any types of chips from others, people may feel worthless and unloved. Does this drive them to work harder towards their nutritional goals so they will be accepted or does it push them away because they don't care? Another group of people is those who have many silver chips and few gold ones. These people may be strong at work or school, but have sacrificed their personal lives. Last there is also a small group of people who has a lot of gold chips, but few silver ones. I feel like these people would be the most susceptible to laziness given that they felt extrinsically motivated when it comes to their health because they feel like they are well loved why work towards something they feel no pressure to do?

Trying to Find a Balance

  
   Today I would like to talk about my personal struggles to find balance. As someone who is currently working full time, taking a full 16 credits in school, and trying to maintain my workouts, I realize the importance of harmony between things that are important to you. Every so often you still need time to relax, breathe, socialize, see family etc.

    Balance in life, more specifically balance between health, exercise, nutrition, and still being able to have a life. When I was training for my NPC competition, I had to let the diet and exercise plan dictate my life in order to succeed. I had to have a huge amount of dedication in order to stick to it. The payoff was huge. I was able to change my lifestyle and maintain my weight loss while ultimately reaching the most difficult goal I have achieved in my life.

    After competing there are many different strategies people have to eating. Some people just go all out eating anything and everything after their stringent dieting. Some stick to their diets which isn't necessarily good in the long run because you do miss out on certain nutrient levels in order to have the lean body you get while dieting. The trick is trying to find a balance between living healthfully and relaxed at the same time.
For me this unique balance was extremely difficult to find. It was a constant struggle of trying to incorporate some of what I wanted without overdoing it, and when I did go outside the training diet not feeling guilty about it was difficult as well.
Over time, I have talked the ears off of people holding a cognitive dissonance between my love of food cooking etc, with the joy I felt from having the goal weight and body I reached.
I am still working on the balance, but things are getting better. I know we all experience our own problems when it comes to being body conscious, and having guilt towards food. The scary thing is extreme cases of this can lead to eating disorders for some people.

If anyone has suggestions as to the perfect way to find a balance without letting food overrule your life, I would love to hear about it and their resources. The point of this blog post was mostly to open up a discussion about something that affects most Americans especially females differently in their everyday lives. What you want to be like, how you should be, how you want to be seen etc, are all very different perspectives.

Support--Find Some BEFORE You Collapse

       It gets quite difficult to keep up a diet and or exercise plan that is balanced, healthy, and effective. Life throws lots of little curve balls at you and sometimes you just don't have the time, energy or stress management it takes to continue on your path to successful health.
       It is important to actually keep up and follow with your path that takes you to the goals you ultimately have for yourself. On the other hand, most people realistically fall off that path multiple times before reaching their goal. The harder part about that is just because you hit your target weight, body fat percentage, endurance rate etc, doesn't mean you can just call it quits, you should try to build a lifestyle that will aid you in maintaining that goal! My point is.... ITS HARD WORK!!!! Sometimes you just can't do it alone.

     Gaining the support of others can be a hugely important contributing factor in your personal successes. For some having other people to keep them on track is more beneficial than for other personality types; however people have a number of different ways that they can gain the extra boost they need. Here are some things that might work for you:

• Join a group fitness class. Especially for those competitive types, simply having other people around you doing what you are will push you to give yourself a hard workout.
• Get a workout buddy. Have someone who has similar goals or styles as you to mutually push you and schedule workouts and even healthy meals with you. This also helps pass the time when you are working out because you are less distracted by the actual amount of "work" you are doing. You can also mutually verbally be there to push your workout buddy and make sure one another are working hard enough. Warning: find someone who is just as committed if not more so than you, if your workout buddy can't make it to the gym one day, that is no excuse for you to pass on your workout as well!
• Have someone you can talk to and rely on emotionally. When you are feeling like you are ready to binge on a pint of ice cream have a rational person that you trust to call up and help you think about the real reason behind you stress. Just venting about your stresses to someone can help you feel better! 
• When I was training, it was extremely stressful and difficult for me. Having a few close family and friends I could vent to about it who would keep me in check and push me to keep going was amazing!
• Hire a nutritionist or personal trainer. Having someone to check in with your progress who has expertise in the area might motivate you to stay on track!
• Actually measuring your progress is a major contribution because you can see what you need to work on and what you are doing well.
• Good goals are S.M.A.R.T.>>> Specific>Measurable>Attainable>Realistic>and Timely
• Join an online support community like Sparkpeople.com. You can post blogs, discuss topics with other members, track your progress, enter your nutritional info and exercise for the day. 
• Use one of these or another resource to develop a plan. For some people having a structured layout of exactly what they should eat and do for workouts in a day is very effective. 
• Read blogs or other motivational books, listening to stories and seeing real peoples' hard work paying off can help to inspire you.

Here are a couple examples of online resources to find someone to help you make it through your obstacles and accomplish beyond what you thought was possible for yourself!

1. http://www.exercisefriends.com/home.aspx
2. http://www.sparkpeople.com/resource/fitness_articles.asp?id=102
3. http://www.livestrong.com/article/41268-workout-friend/

Let me know if you have any more ideas of ways you can feel encouraged in order to fulfill your aspirations!

It's the Little Things that Count

Here's something you might want to hear: You can have your cake... and eat it too! (and NO, it does not have to be topped with brussel sprouts like this one for it to be okay. Every once in awhile, its okay to have a cheat meal or treat yourself. In fact, your body may actually get confused and you may have a spike it your metabolism if you eat well otherwise. Everyone needs a little healthy fat in their diet every once in awhile for many processes and reasons. Also, mentally everyone needs to have a little something to indulge in... like I have previously stated, within reason. Obviously you should go for healthier options the majority of the time, but we all slip up every once in awhile...

One great solution to this problem is making SMALL changes to your cooking/baking to make the overall result much better for you (AND STILL TASTE GOOD!) Just because something is made with olive oil instead of butter or stevia instead of sugar doesn't mean its going to be a total let down of a dish.
I remember when I was training I would still cook with lots of color, spices, and pizazz to keep my healthy food delicious. People would always tell me my meals looked surprisingly good for how healthy they had to be.
Try some of these substitutions in your next dish!:

• Use unsweetened applesauce or plain nonfat yogurt (or even avocado) instead of butter or oil in baking recipes. It keeps things moist, and naturally sweetens it.
• Always try to avoid butter at all costs. (SORRY Paula Deen...) Depending on what you are cooking use olive oil, canola oil, or even a smart balance or earth balance butter substitute if you have to. You can easily sautee and stir fry without oil by using pam and adding small amounts of water as necessary.
• Instead of cream or full fat milk, try using evaporated nonfat milk or regular nonfat milk accordingly.
• Try reducing the amount of sugar in things. Most recipes call for more sugar than is necessary. You can also use a splenda/stevia blend, agave, honey, or sugar free maple syrup in place of brown sugar. You usually don't need to add as much with these as you would with sugar.
• Unless it will totally change the texture or binding agents of your recipe try substituting 2 egg whites for 1 egg.
• Sour cream, cottage cheese, yogurt, and cheeses of all types can all be replaced with low or even fat free versions! The amount of calories you can save by switching is astounding.
• Instead of fat to thicken recipes like soups try using a vegetable puree.
• Top pancakes with things like berries, sugar-free syrup, or nonfat yogurt.
• Instead of heavy salad dressings and dips try topping with salsa, hummus, or a homemade balsamic vinegar, garlic, spice and mustard puree.
• Replace white flour with whole wheat flour, oats, or oat flour.
• Replace enriched white rice with brown rice, quinoa, whole wheat cous cous, jasmine rice, wild basmati rice, etc.
• When using chocolate chips, try replacing some of them with dried fruit and/or use dark chocolate!
• Instead of your traditional jif or skippy peanut butter try unsalted natural (or even fresh ground) peanut or almond butter. They lack the sugar, salt, corn syrup, and other additives.
• Instead of ground beef, try ground turkey breast.
• When cooking, avoid adding salt. Try using garlic powder, onions, herbs, and other spices to your dish. Its amazing how much flavor you can add without the additional sodium. Your heart also will thank you.

I hope some of these recommendations help you to clean up your meals and still enjoy them. Feel free to let me know how any uses of them go for you! I might have some more specific tricks for you if it doesn't workout the way you hoped!

P.S. Eating butter has this kind of effect:

JUST KIDDING, of course... but still haha. Keep it in moderation!

Idealistic, Realistic, and Healthy

  

  The reality of those three words (idealistic, realistic, healthy) is that they all are unfortunately different. We know that standards in society make these words that would ideally exist in a harmonious fashion hold very different meanings.
   One thing I learned through my training and weight loss is that just because you are loosing weight and exercising, doesn't mean you are keeping your body healthy. There certainly is such a thing as overdoing it. Unfortunately the diet and training for NPC competitions, while it may get you to an extreme ideal body type, this body is completely unrealistic to maintain and the diet isn't healthy for the long term even though you are eating a clean low fat diet. Just because you are not obese, does not mean that you are"healthy".

    What needs to be realized is that your body does need certain amounts of carbohydrates, proteins, and fats. Beyond this, your body also needs rest and time to recover from exercise. Although it feels good to be making weight loss progress, you shouldn't have a greater caloric deficit than about 1000 cals a day and you should research the levels of nutrients that your individual body needs, which may differ from that of another. Eating much below what your body needs can affect your body processes, your mood, and your energy levels in general.
    It hardly seems fair that some people you know have such an easy time loosing and maintaining their weight while some struggle endlessly just to refrain from gaining. It may be hard to accept, but there really are different sizes and shapes that people come in. At the same time, there is a way with enough determination for nearly anyone to get to their goal size, fitness level, etc. It is important to listen to your body to remain healthy. One of the simplest, and most effective ways is to eat smart when you are hungry and stop when you are satisfied, not stuffed.

Starting the Day Strong = Ending the Day Strong

BREAKFAST...

So you've probably heard this before, but I cannot stress how essential breakfast is. I hear people complain to me all the time about how they are hungry and they didn't eat breakfast or didn't have time or whatnot. No one ever said breakfast had to be a huge production. You have likely not eaten in the past 8-12 hours so you just need something to "break the fast"... hence the term breakfast.

Here are some of the benefits of eating breakfast, however there are many more:

• You start your metabolism for the day and keep your body from going into starvation mode. When you eat in the morning it helps prevent overeating later on in the day. You are much more likely to loose weight eating breakfast than you would if you were to skip it!
• Many studies have shows that breakfast helps your memory and your ability to perform. If you want to do better at work or school, a simple start would be making breakfast a daily routine.

The other morning I woke up and came up with a 5 minute healthy, yet light breakfast!:
     I quickly sauteed onions, mushrooms, and spinach then added 4 egg whites and sprinkled that with black pepper and chili/garlic powder. Once cooked through I put the mini omelette on top of a Lundberg's brown rice cake and topped that with salsa! Yum.

Another quick alternative is just to blend up 1 scoop of protein powder, frozen berries, water/nonfat milk, and ice.

Personally, I wake up in the morning and look forward to breakfast. It makes my morning, so the first thing I do when I get up in the morning is eat a good healthy breakfast (with coffee and water as a personal preference!) I included the breakfast section of my healthy cookbook I would like to share with you! I encourage you to work on getting in plenty of quality nutrients to start off your day!

BREAKFAST SECTION: From Inspired by Nutrition Cookbook (Author: Me)

Light Latte

·         1/3 Cup Nonfat Milk

·         2 Shots of  Espresso or 1 cup drip/ pressed coffee

·         Sugar free syrup (Like Torani or Da Vinci’s)

·         Pumpkin Pie Spice (optional)

Steam or heat milk mixed with your choice of sugar free flavored syrup while coffee is brewing. Pour coffee carefully over the milk. If the flavors work with it top with a sprinkle of pumpkin pie spice. Enjoy while hot!

PB&J Oatmeal

The healthy version of a sandwich that brings you back to your childhood!

·         ½ Cup old fashioned oats

·         ½ tsp vanilla extract

·         1 cup water

·         1 teaspoon all natural peanut butter

·         1 tbsp sugar free jam

Place oats, vanilla, and water in a saucepan. Bring to a boil over med-high heat stirring constantly. Once mixture thickens and there is no excess water stir in peanut butter and jelly while hot to melt. Serves 1. Enjoy!

Apple ‘n Spice Harvest Oatmeal

Perfect start to a crisp fall morning when apples are in season!

·         1 small apple, cut into somewhat thin slices that are bite sized

·         2/3 cup oats

·         1 1/3 cup water

·         1 tsp vanilla

·         2 tbsps apple butter (preferably sugar free)

·         1 -2 tbsp sugar-free maple syrup

·         About 20 craisins

·         ½ tsp pumpkin pie spice (or nutmeg, cinnamon, and ginger)

·         Splash non-fat milk

Serves 2.

Place apples in a small saucepan or deep small fry pan over medium heat. After about 2 minutes flip and add some pumpkin pie spice and some of the sugar free syrup, and water if necessary so nothing burns. Continue to cook until apples are soft. Add 2/3 cup water, oats, remainder of spices, and vanilla. Cook until oatmeal is done, about 2-3 minutes. Remove from heat and top with/stir in craisins, apple butter, and more sugar-free syrup if desired.

Ultimate Lox Bagel

·         ½ cup fresh arugula

·         1 Toasted sliced bagel (try whole wheat/ everything flavors)

·         1 tbsp low fat/ fat free cream cheese (try smoked salmon flavor)

·         2 oz lox

·         1 teaspoon pesto

Serves 1-2                 

Toast bagel to taste. Top with cream cheese spread, followed by a thin layer of pesto. Top with arugula and a layer of lox. Serve open faced while still warm. Enjoy!

These also make great appetizers served on mini bagels open faced.

Sweet Potato Scramble

(serves 2)

·         1 medium sweet potato grated

·         About 1/3  of a medium onion, chopped

·         2 slices lean deli ham, diced (optional and can also substitute almost any other protein)

·         1-2 egg whites (or 1 egg)

·         4 broccoli florets, chopped

·         Handful of spinach leaves

·         1/3 diced bell pepper

·         1 small diced tomato

·         2 tbsp diced zucchini (optional)

·         1 tbsp oil (optional)

·         1 Slice grated lowfat cheese (optional)

·         Ground black pepper, red pepper flakes, and garlic to taste

·         Salsa, ketchup  if desired to top.

Heat med sized coated (1 tbsp oil or just spray) fry pan. Put in shredded sweet potato and onions. Cook until just about tender and onions are translucent stirring every so often. Add ham, then all the veggies. Crack egg in center of the pan and stir into ingredients until egg is cooked. Let ingredients heat through and then add tomato, spices, and cheese if using and resume cooking until cheese is melted.

Tip: try topping with a little salsa or ketchup

Low Fat Pumpkin Oatmeal Pancakes

These healthy pancakes are low in fat, sugar free and a great way to start off your day. Recipe serves one, so just double it for each serving.

·         ¼ cup canned pumpkin  or pureed and baked sugar pie pumpkin

·         ¼ cup old fashioned oats

·         1 egg white

·         1 tbsp whole wheat flour

·         ½ tsp pumpkin pie spice (or just mix cinnamon, nutmeg, and ginger)

·         ¼ tsp baking powder

·         1 packet of splenda or 1 tbsp sugar free maple syrup

·         ½ tsp vanilla

Mix all ingredients to form batter. Heat skillet/griddle and spray with pam. Drop batter on heated skillet or griddle and let cook until bottom is browned and top begins to bubble. Flip pancake carefully as batter is somewhat delicate. Continue to cook until other side browns. Enjoy! Top with sugar free syrup, and or pumpkin butter. Recipe is also great when craisins, pecans, or chocolate chips are mixed in.

Turkey Veggie Whole Wheat Crêpes

Crêpe:

·         ½ Cup whole wheat flour

·         1 cup nonfat milk

·         2 eggs

·         1/8 cup water

·         Pinch of salt

·         Pinch of sugar (optional)

·         Italian Seasoning and ground black pepper to taste

Filling:

·         12 slices of your favorite lean deli lunchmeat (e.g. ham, turkey, chicken)

·         2 slices (grated) of low fat sharp cheese (I like low fat white cheddar)

·         Your choice of veggies e.g.:

o   Bell peppers

o   Spinach

o   Olives

o   Mushrooms

o   Tomatoes

Start by whisking all the ingredients of the crêpe batter and heating a plate sized sprayed fry pan. In another pan, begin sautéing the meat and veggies for the filling. Pour the batter in the pan; it should evenly coat the base of the pan in a thin layer. Cook on medium heat until crêpe bubbles or starts to brown on the bottom.  Flip crêpe and top with ½ slice of cheese (shredded). Place crêpe on a plate, top with sautéed meat and fold or roll the crêpe. Wait until the cheese is fully melted and enjoy!  Serves 4.

LOW - FAT QUICHE

1 1/2 c. brown rice, cooked 1 egg white FILLING: 4 egg whites (or use egg sub.) 1 c. evaporated skim milk 2 slices lean ham diced 4 oz. low-fat cheese, grated 1 sm. onion, chopped & sauteed in chicken broth ½ cup fresh spinach ½ red pepper diced 1/4 bunch broccoli, chopped 1/4 tsp. salt, optional Dash of nutmeg Press cooked brown rice into pan and coat with egg white. Use leftover egg white for filling. Bake crust at 400 degrees for 7 minutes. Beat egg whites and evaporated milk. Mix in remaining ingredients and pour into cooled crust. Bake at 425 degrees for 40 minutes. Let stand 10 minutes before serving. Serves 6.

Excuses, Excuses...

     We live in a society where time is of the essence.  We feel that we are so busy and time starved that we simply cannot do many things (especially those things we don't particularly want to do). Working out seems to be one of those things we come up with excuses for....

   Bottom line is, if you value something enough, you can always make time for it. It may require sacrifice, but for most people, especially college students, if they simply worked on time management and cut out that half hour of Facebook or playing video games, its amazing what they might be able to accomplish. I am not suggesting that you make yourself go crazy and never spend time relaxing or doing things you enjoy, but there are many things you can do to rearrange your schedule and fit in a workout of some sort. Being someone who has worked many days where I had to be at work or was busy with important things the entire time the gym was open, I realize sometimes it can be very difficult feeling to fit in your workouts. I am suggesting that you should think about not letting this become a regular pattern of excuses, because that's where the downfall in your fitness starts to hit. 

    Even if you can only get in 20 minutes, or you have to break up your workouts, do what you can to accomplish something! Here are some things you can do to increase your activity level when you feel like you have few other options. It is a good start that is a lot easier to think about mentally... to get in activity. By activity I mean movement that gets you off the couch and burning more calories than you would being sedentary.

Here are some things you can sneak in throughout your day to increase your caloric burn. You should also keep in mind that you don't need to eat as many calories when you have a sedentary day/lifestyle:

• Sit on a stability ball instead of an office chair, couch etc. This way you are always working a little and increasing the use of your core and stabilizing muscles. 
• Speed walk or jog/run if you can everywhere you go, not only does this get you to your destination faster but it gets your heart rate up in the process. 
• Make an effort to do little things like get out of your chair when someone needs to go do something, walk around, take the stairs, park far away etc.
• On your breaks bring some weights to work, or take a walk around the block. Try to fit in a short gym session if your breaks are long enough.
• While you are waiting for things like food in the microwave, or your friend to show up to meet you do some lunges, squats, high knee taps, jogging in place, or something to get you moving!
• Find someone you spend time with during the day to team up with and keep each other on track. Nothing like a workout buddy to help push you and keep you engaged!
• Make a commitment to yourself that you will only watch TV when you are at the gym or on the tread mill or doing crunches or something, even sneaking some of this in on commercials would be a great start
• Here's my personal favorite: While in the car, being careful not to get too carried away or distracted, turn up the music and dance, squirm and move around. This also is a great activity you can do while cleaning the house and cooking. Don't worry about looking ridiculous, in the end of things people really aren't going to remember or care if they happen to drive by and see someone dancing in their car, it might just make them smile!

Have fun with these things! Make it enjoyable and don't look at them as a task of things you have to do. Even if you do have time to get your workout in, doing these things can help you feel like you got a little extra out of your daily fitness!

On that note, if it is feasible for your life, I will leave you with an office workout link:

15 Min office workout video.

Now that you have all these ideas, that just leaves you with one less excuse to stay active...:)

Motivation!

Admit it. We've all been there, and had one of those days where getting out of bed feels like a challenge and going to the gym, pshh...there's just no energy for that! And while were really on a roll, why diet or go for the healthy option when you could feel so much more satisfied with that delicious doughnut dripping with icing for breakfast.

The thing about a healthy lifestyle and whether or not we can follow it is a very mental process. Here is a list of things you can do in order to rev-up that motivation, increasing your likelihood for reaching your personal health goals.

• Plan/cook your meals ahead of time: doing this and having it all ready to go (especially when you take them on the go in Tupperware etc) will remove your excuses like I was hungry and there was nothing around, I was in a hurry, etc. You also will likely eat this healthy food you make just so you don't waste it. This removes the stress of having to find food when you are hungry, because you already know what you're eating.
• Just put on the gym clothes and drive to the gym: Being there alone and seeing others working out will likely help motivate you to get a good workout in.
• Join a class: having other people around will put you in a competitive mode and you will work harder to keep up.
• Get an exercise buddy: someone who you can call when you need that extra push helps you and having someone to talk to helps pass the time.
• Sign up for a competition or race etc: Having a goal with a set date will encourage you to work hard to reach it.
• Try something new and exciting!: Running on a treadmill is not the only way to stay fit. If exercise is supposed to be a habit it may as well be doing something you enjoy! Find a sport or class that you like, that you want to succeed in and join! Here are a couple examples:
• Zumba (a Latin dance cardio class)
• Climbing
• Hiking
• Martial arts
• Team/club sports
• Skiing
• Community events etc like this snowshoe demo: http://www.facebook.com/#!/event.php?eid=147081068680249

There are different strategies for each individual. Find something that truly appeals to you and drives you. Reaching your goals is an amazing feeling of accomplishment, as I am sure you are aware, especially when you worked very hard to get to the checkpoint.