Organization: How it Can Improve Your Health!

Life is busy!  I once sat down and named all the "job descriptions" that I filled on a daily basis.  Included on the list were:  nurse, chef, teacher, personal trainer, grocery shopper, laundress, taxi driver, psychiatrist, cheerleader, maid- to name a few.  Without organization, my health would be on the decline.  I know this may not be making sense, but stay with me on this and keep reading.  I schedule my exercise each day to make sure it happens.  I discovered a time that works best for me and that's when I do it.  It is a priority enough to me that it makes it on my daily schedule.  On previous blog posts I have listed all the benefits of exercising and there are a lot of them!  In order for me to be able to do all my "jobs" on a daily basis, I have to set a little time aside for myself  to exercise, if not, I may not have the energy to get done everything I need to get done.  And, I know that if I didn't schedule my exercise, the day would get away from me and before I knew it, it would be time to go to bed.

 I apply those same organizational skills to my eating. Obviously, we are all busy and we have those days where we are running out the door going from place to place and forgetting to eat.  Then, we realize how hungry we are and what usually happens is we stop somewhere for fast food or an unhealthy snack.  I have everything I need to do on a schedule so that I can see if we have to be out of the house during mealtimes or if I can avoid it.  I do a meal plan each week, so that when it hits 5pm, I know what I am going to make for dinner so I don't end up ordering pizza.  My meal plan also helps me save money at the grocery store because I know exactly what I need to buy instead of just throwing things in my shopping cart.  Eating healthy can be a little bit more costly, so every penny saved helps.  I try to have healthy snacks made up ahead of time, so we aren't reaching for something that's not unhealthy (I try not to keep that in the house anyway, so the temptation is not there).  I can look at my schedule and see which day I can set aside to do my bread baking and snack making.  Now, I am all about special occasions and not denying yourself treats- but until you learn how to do that in moderation, just stay away from it!  I can look back at my week and see how my schedule has kept my family on a healthy track with exercise and meals.  We live in such a fast paced society, where we are constantly on the go that without a schedule of some sorts, we start living an unhealthy lifestyle and start making bad food choices because we are so hungry we just have to have something to eat.

So, I would encourage you to set up some type of schedule for yourself and start meal planning to help you meet your health and fitness goals.  Happy planning!!!

The Benefits of Eating Grass-fed Beef

Mmmm- nothing beats a big, juicy, grass-fed beef hamburger!!!  And, you are probably thinking: "I can't believe she would eat all those calories and fat!!!"  Well, lower fat content and fewer calories are just a couple of the benefits of eating grass-fed beef.  All cows used to be grass-fed until the small farmer got taken over by big, money making corporations.  They wanted the cows to grow bigger and faster so that they could make more money quicker.  God designed cows with a stomach that has 4 compartments so they could properly eat and digest grass.  They were not made to eat corn, but it was discovered that feeding them corn, would fatten them up faster and give the steaks that marbled look.  Corn actually has one of the highest rates of e.coli, which is why cows that are corn fed get put on antibiotics- to fight the bacteria.  Then, on top of that, they are given hormones to make them grow faster- for cows used for meat, and to produce more milk- for dairy cows.  All of this is unnatural!!!!  In fact, there is growing evidence linking the hormone given to cows, rBGH or rBST, to breast cancer in women.  Yes, cows naturally produce hormones just like humans do, but, the hormones they give cows are genetically engineered- not natural.  So, along with fewer grams of fat and calories, grass-fed beef also has a natural presence of ALA- alpha linolenic acid, the omega-3 fatty acid that serves as the building block for all other omega-3 fats. Research has shown that omega-3 fats help to protect against high blood pressure and heart attack.  Grass-fed beef also contains CLA- conjugated linoleic acid.  Research has found that the benefits of CLA include: a reduction in cardiovascular disease, high blood pressure, high cholesterol and triglycerides, osteoporosis, insulin resistance, inflammation, food-induced allergic reactions, and body fat.  Yes, that last one was:  a reduction in body fat!!!  Researchers are also seeing a reduction in the size of cancer tumors.

We have heard all about the dangers of eating too much red meat, but, that only applies to corn fed beef.  Eating grass-fed beef is very healthy for you.  I would encourage you to use the computer to find local farmers in your area where you could purchase grass-fed beef.

Now, go grill up a big, fat, juicy grass-fed burger!!! Enjoy!!

February's Challenge!!!

So, did you complete January's goal of removing high fructose corn syrup from your home?  I hope you found that you could find plenty of things to eat that did not contain the harmful chemical.  We're doing these monthly goals to try and help you weed the bad things out of your diet without the stress and anxiety of doing it all at once.  This month's goal is going to be:  remove all dyes from your diet.  This includes any dye you see on the ingredients list of a package such as yellow #4 or red #40 (not sure if those numbers go with those colors or not- I don't have any in my house to check!!), but, you get the idea.  You will be surprised as to what foods really do contain these chemicals.  Foods like pickles!!!  They actually put yellow dye in pickles.  I don't understand why, because the pickles I eat, which come from Earth Fare in the packaged meat section, taste delicious and look great.  No need for dyes!!!

How is your exercise goal, which for the month of January was to exercise at least 5 days a week for 20 minutes?  I hope you have found ways to get active.  We started slow so that you didn't do too much too fast.  So, for the month of February let's bump that up to 5 days a week for at least 40 minutes.  You can split that between cardio and weight training.  I would suggest combining the two, such as:  do a set of bicep curls and in between sets jump rope or do pushups to exhaustion, then do another set of biceps.  Do three sets of each.  You could also do a set of biceps and in between those sets do squats.  This way you are working your upper body and your lower body and doing them without resting you are super setting, which is a great way to get your heart rate up and burn lots of calories. Be creative!!!  A great way to get started is to hire a personal trainer for a few sessions to be able to learn more about ways to work each muscle group, or attend a boot camp.  Take advantage of the internet and find exercises on there.  Many sites give very specific instructions so that you don't hurt yourself.  Always remember to protect your back by not locking your knees and no jerky or flinging motions with weights in your hands- this will protect your joints.  Use slow and controlled movements.

How important is your health to you?  Remember, exercising is more than just losing weight.  It's about decreasing your chances of a heart attack, stroke, type II diabetes, osteoporosis, and cancer, lowering your blood pressure and stabilizing your blood sugar levels, decreasing stress and anxiety, improving your balance and flexibility, and improving your muscle strength.

Happy exercising!!!

The Dreaded Plateau

How are your fitness and nutrition goals going so far?  If you have been at this for awhile, you may have had the frustration of hitting a plateau- that dreaded time when it seems like you are stuck at the same weight and not moving anywhere!  Number one, I would encourage you to always take measurements, because even if the scale isn't moving, you may still be losing inches.  There is always the age old question of which weighs more: muscle or fat?  I will reply to that with:  which weighs more:  a pound of feathers or a pound of steel?  A pound is a pound.  It's not that muscle weighs more than fat, it's that it is more dense than fat.  So, we can actually lose inches, but we may not see a lot of movement on the scale.  Take your measurements once a month.  You will want to measure your chest (for women or men- around the fullest part of the chest area or bust), waist (measure around the navel), the abdomen (about 2-3 inches below the navel), the hips (around the fullest part of your rear end), thigh (have foot planted on the ground and then measure around the fullest part of the thigh), calf (foot planted on the ground and measure around the fullest part), upper arm (measure around the fullest part).  It may work best if you have someone help you with these measurements.  Don't pull the tape too tight, either.

If after you measure yourself you find that you have indeed hit that dreaded plateau, examine a few things.  Are you still keeping a food journal?  If not, start up again.  It's very easy to go over in calories.  Think of it this way:  if you eat just 100 calories more than you need per day, in a year you will have gained 10 pounds.  Another thing to look at is your exercise.  What kind are you doing?  Are you doing any weight training?  Have you been doing the same form of exercise for a while now?  We can sometimes get into a habit of doing the same thing over and over.  I'm going to put it to you bluntly:  if you are not challenging yourself and if you don't feel like you have exerted yourself past your normal ability, you are not going to see change.  I have talked about the overload principal before.  You must overload your body past it's normal ability.  Make sure you are doing both aerobic and anaerobic activity.  The simplest and easiest way for me to explain the difference between the two that you will understand is this:  low intensity vs high intensity.  Aerobic means "the presence of oxygen" and anaerobic means just the opposite.  During exercise with adequate fuel and oxygen (aerobic), muscle cells can contract repeatedly without fatigue.  During anaerobic or non-oxygen conditions, muscle cells must rely on other reactions that do not require oxygen to fuel muscle contraction.  When you are exercising if you are not feeling fatigued or extremely out of breath you are in an aerobic metabolic mode, but when you are feeling exhausted and fatigued you are in an anaerobic metabolic mode.  Here is the benefit of anaerobic activity:  you will continue to burn more calories after you are done working out than you will with aerobic activity.  Make sure you are doing both aerobic and anaerobic activity.  Some examples of aerobic would be:  walking, running, elliptical, biking.  Examples of anaerobic would be:  weight lifting, sprinting, cycling in a spin class where you are doing intense intervals, classic calisthenics such as push ups, squats, mountain climbers- all to exhaustion, exercising such as pushing and pulling different weights, etc.  Aerobic activity is less exhausting than anaerobic, but you need both.  Remember:  if you are not challenging yourself, you aren't getting the most benefit from exercise.  As always, if I can help in any way please let me know!

How MSG Can Sabotage Your Weight Loss and Cause Numerous Other Health Problems

What is MSG?  Monosodium glutamate  is a salt made from glutamic acid.  It's used to bring out the taste in salty and sweet foods.  So, most restaurants put it in just about everything as well as many prepackaged and processed foods.  Side effects from consuming MSG include:  headache, diarrhea, chest pain, dizziness, palpitations, weakness, nausea, vomiting, abdominal cramps, chills, heartburn, unusual thirst, depression, anxiety/panic attacks, hyperactivity and behavioral problems in children, joint pain, hives, rashes, etc.  MSG is an excitotoxin that crosses the blood- brain barrier which means it can cause neurological problems.  So, as you can see MSG should not be consumed if you are trying to be healthy.  When it comes to weight loss, MSG can cause hypothyroidism, which causes your thyroid gland to not produce enough of the thyroid hormone, which in turn affects your rate of metabolism.  People with hypothyroidism do not burn as many calories and then they gain weight.  Another problem with MSG and weight loss is that it actually acts as a non appetite suppressant meaning it makes you crave the food that you are eating that contains the MSG.  This is why so many people "crave" certain foods, especially fast food.  Think about those fast food french fries that you love or certain other dishes from restaurants.  More than likely they contain MSG.

Now, here's the tricky part.  There are ingredients that contain MSG, so food companies don't have to actually list MSG on the label, only the ingredient that contains it.  So, when you see the following ingredients on a label, it more than likely contains MSG:  autolyzed plant protein, autolyzed yeast, calcium caseinate, gelatin, glutamate, glutamic acid, hydrolyzed plant protein, hydrolyzed vegetable protein, monopotassium glutamate, senomyx, sodium caseinate, textured protein, vegetable protein extract, yeast extract, yeast food or nutrient, flavor, bouillon, cornstarch fructose.

So, the bottom line is, whether or not you are trying to lose weight, get rid of the MSG.  There are studies that have been conducted and are still being conducted to show a relation between consumption of MSG and diseases such as Alzheimer's.  Just remember that whenever you consume it, it is affecting your central nervous system in a negative manner.  If you have any questions let me know!!

Breakfast: How eating it will improve your metabolism!!!!!

How is everyone doing on removing the high fructose corn syrup from their homes?  I hope you are finding that it is getting easier and also, that it is getting tastier eating all of those wonderful whole foods.  But, many of you may still be inhibiting your metabolism from burning at it's best.  What is the number one way to sabotage your metabolism?  Not eating breakfast!!!!  You see, your metabolism is like a fire.  Unless you "feed" it, the fire will go out.  So, when you eat a meal or a snack, your metabolism will start burning at a higher rate for a couple of hours.  That is, unless it is a meal of simple carbs like white sugar, white flour, etc.  Your body burns through that much quicker than say a complex carb such as brown rice, whole wheat flour etc.  If you are someone who doesn't eat breakfast here is what happens:  you eat dinner around 6 or 7pm; you go to bed at 11pm; you wake up at 7am and skip breakfast; you don't eat lunch until around noon.  If you follow a schedule somewhat like that, your metabolism is absolutely dead for much of your day.  If you eat dinner at 7pm your metabolism will burn higher until about 9pm.  If you don't eat breakfast and wait until lunch the next day to eat, your metabolism has been at it's lowest for 15 hours!!!!  You are missing out on a lot of calorie burning.  Here is what you need to do:  eat breakfast when you wake up, which for most people is around 7am; eat a mid morning healthy snack around 10am; eat lunch at noon; eat an afternoon snack around 3pm; and then eat dinner around 6 or 7pm.  Do you see how your metabolism will actually burn more?  If I eat at 7am it will burn high till around 9am.  And, then I'm eating a snack at 10am which will keep my metabolism burning until I eat lunch at noon.  My lunch will keep it burning until around 2pm and then I'm eating a snack at 3pm and so on and so forth.  Do you get the picture?

Now, this is not a license to go out and eat whatever you want.  Make sure you are making good food choices. This means you want nutrient dense foods:  the most food, with the most nutrients, for the least amount of calories.  Think whole grains, fruits, vegetables, nuts, lean protein, and dairy.  And, if you do eat nuts make sure you measure them- it's very easy to eat several hundred calories worth without even realizing it.  I measure just about everything.  I think you would be surprised at how many servings you may be eating without realizing it. Be conscious of what you are putting in your mouth at all times.  NEVER eat from bags of food.  Always take out a measured serving and put it on a plate or in a bowl to eat.  We can start eating mindlessly and not even realize it until the whole bag of chips is gone!

What is a good breakfast?  Eggs or egg whites, lean protein, yogurt and granola (always measure- granola can add up in calories quickly).  You can do a whole egg plus an egg white omelet with veggies and lean protein and a sprinkle of cheese.  That will give your body a lot of fuel!

If you start eating right you will feel better and will have motivation to exercise more!!!  Nutrition and fitness go hand in hand!!!

The Amazing Exercise That Works Your Whole Body!!

It's the:  push up!!!  I know many of you are cringing right now, and, I was right there with you at one time.  The thought of doing a push up was not appealing to me, but, it was because I couldn't do many of them.  I finally got over it when I realized the amazing amount of muscles it works in your body.  The primary muscles being worked are the muscles of the chest and triceps, but, because of the position that your body is in, nearly every muscle from your shoulders down to your toes gets a workout- if you are in proper position.  And, that includes your abdominals!!!  Tired of doing those abdominal crunches?  You will feel your abdominals when you do push ups.

I started 2012 doing 60 push ups a day.  I usually do them in 3 groups of twenty.  I have my whole family doing them!  If you have never done a push up before start on your knees if you need to.  Just make sure that your hands are not too far forward- you want them to be under your shoulders, but a little bit wider- not too wide, though.  Your body should look like a long plane- without your bottom sticking up in the air.  Your feet can either be touching or spread out some.  If your feel are spread a little it will give you some stability.  If you can't do 60- start with 20 and work your way up.  There has been some controversy as to whether or not you should do push ups everyday.  With weight training, we recommend every other day to give your muscles time to repair, but, because push ups are an exercise that you are not holding a weight in your hands, it is considered more of a calisthenic, which can be done daily, as long as your joints are not in severe pain.  Muscle pain is to be expected as your body works out, but, joint pain is not good.

So, let's challenge our bodies!!!!