Fit vs. Fat

So many of us assume the pretty thin girl over there must be in good shape or that fat man over yonder must be out of shape.  When the opposite could be true.  It's true, you shouldn't judge a book by its cover, and neither should you judge someones outward appearance on their health.  I know lots of people who are large in stature and physically fit and other's who are thin and couldn't climb a stair case to save their lives.  That being said, STOP making your life's focus on losing weight.  Instead focus on eating more fruits, veggies, lean protein, and whole grains.  Focus on getting your body stronger so you can run around with your loved ones, no matter your age.  That which you focus on grows.

But how, how do you get started?  Start now.  Go for a 10 minute walk before dinner, it actually helps suppress appetite, eat a dinner of food full of vitamins and minerals, the more colorful your food, the more vitamins and minerals in the food.  And no I don't mean food coloring.  About 30 minutes after dinner do your body a favor and go for a 30 minute walk.  Don't eat anything else after dinner, just let your body work on breaking your dinner up into a molecular level to help your body do what your body is meant to do.  Be sure to drink plenty of water, sit back and enjoy the sunset.

Try something new... BBQ Pizza

Search for my Whole Grain Pizza Dough and instead of baking it in the oven, get your grill hot, roll our the dough (about 4-6 balls rolled out per recipe) cook one side for about 2 minutes (watch it carefully so it doesn't burn) then take it off the grill and put your ingredients on the cooked size, then grill the pizza uncooked side down,  for about 5 minutes.  It's scrumdidlyumtious!  Just a tip... don't load the pizza's with a lot of ingredients or they won't cook and make sure your veggies are sliced thin.  Let me know what you thought.  

How Not to Shrivel Up and Die

Around the age of 40 we lose muscle mass.  Why do you care?  Because muscle is, in part, what helps keep your balance, keeps you moving, your metabolism rolling, and it even helps roll back the aging process.  So why should you care about strength training if you're not yet 40?  Because any muscle mass you build before then will only help you before you reach the age of 40.  You may feel like I'm always talking about strength training, well there is a reason for that.  The health benefits of strength training are significant.  There's no need to become a body builder, but having at least two days set aside for a full body strength training routine will help you reap amazing benefits, including clothes fitting better, more energy, better sleep at night, and a revved up metabolism for up to 24-48 hours after you workout!

So to build some muscle mass try the 100, 100, 100 challenge; 100 squats, 100 push-ups, 100 Mt. Climbers.  Enjoy the burn!

Heidi's Greek Yogurt Divine Goodness! (serves 1)

1 C Plain non fat plain Greek Yogurt (or just plain yogurt)
1/2 C Sliced Strawberries
1/2 banana sliced
1-2 Squares of dark chocolate chopped up and sprinkled on top!

YUMMO!

Good News For Binge Eater's

Yes... there is good news for you binge eater's.  But let me start with the bad news.  If you eat at least one big meal a day (like when you feel stuffed) you're stretching out your stomach (poor thing!).  When your stomach is stretched out it is really hard for your brain to trigger the "WAIT I"M FULL STOP EATING!" button.

Here's the good news... if you eat every four hours your overstretched tummy (can you image the stretch marks on that thing... eek!) will go back to a normal size and therefore help you be satisfied with less food, more often.

Use a salad plate instead of those huge American sized dinner plates most of you use.  Only fill the plate once with a nice balance of one serving of whole grains, lean protein, and all you can eat non-starchy veggies.  I bet you liked that "all you can eat part" huh?  That's right, eat all the spinach, kale, leafy greens, broccoli, etc until your tummy STARTS to feel full... NOT until your STUFFED!  You should NEVER go to that point.

For a bit of exercise sit on your behind, grab a pair of hand weights, and "row row row your boat gently down the stream".  That's right... row baby row!  It's really good for you.  Put on your favorite tunes and go to town for as long as you can.

Instead of a recipe I thought I would post some non-starchy veggies to give you some ideas of what you should be filling up on.

Artichokes, Asparagus (who cares that your pee stinks), Broccoli, Brussels Sprouts, Celery, Cilantro, Garlic, green beans, Bell Peppers, mixed greens, Parsley (a great detox food), Tomatoes, Salsa, Spinach, Kale, Cauliflower, Romaine Lettuce, cucumbers, Mushrooms, Carrots.

Here's to eating less, but more often!

Hunger and Food Addictions

Some people equate a "healthy" diet to a "tasteless" diet.  And if you are on a "healthy" diet, that must mean you are hungry ALL the time...no pain, no gain right?  Wrong!  A recent study printed in the Nutrition Journal compared two groups of people.  One group was on the Standard American Diet (SAD), while the other group was on a nutrient dense diet.  The study found that those who ate a nutrient dense diet had a dramatic drop in their food cravings in-between meals, less feelings of hunger, and a significant reduction or elimination of their cravings for sweets and processed foods.  Those who were on the Standard American Diet experienced hunger,headaches, food cravings, anger, anxiety, and stress.   I also found out an interesting tidbit of info... true hunger pains can be felt in the mouth, back of the throat and even in the chest.  Fake hunger is in your mind and lower stomach.

What does a nutrient dense meal look like?  A lean source of protein, a serving of whole grains, a large serving of green salad, and possibly some steamed veggies like broccoli, cauliflower, carrots, etc.  Eat like this for every meal and see if your food cravings diminish and eventually go away all together.

 If you are ready to take the plunge and give up the Standard American Diet for a better nutrient dense diet I can help you.  On the right hand side of my blog page is a Paypal button, sign up and get started today!  It's a new month and when you sign up this week you can have a friend or spouse be coached by me for free for one month.  This special only runs for this week May 6th through the 12th.

For some great exercise today get on your bicycle and get some itunes and go for an hour long bike ride.

Heidi's Dinner Salad
4 C of dark leafy greens (spinach, kale, green/red lettuce)
1/4 C chopped tomatoes
1/2 cucumber cut up
1/8th of an avocado
1 T sunflower seeds
Chicken breast (about the size of a deck of cards) sliced

Use 1-2 TBS of your favorite salad dressing.  I highly recommend a vinaigrette dressing.