Fuel Your Body
I had to end on the last day of National Nutrition Month® with a nutrition note.
Here are a few suggestions for fueling your body:
- Make healthy eating easy. Have you been doing that weekly menu discussed in a previous post? If not, why not start now.
- Eat nutrient dense foods. Can you add another serving of whole grains to your menu? Can you eliminate one high-sugar food?
- Eat a variety of foods. Have you tried any quinoa recipes yet? I did. The Asparagus Quinoa Soup recipe was excellent!
- Eat consciously and stop eating when you first feel full. Are you eating with the TV on? Try eating without the TV or reading or other distractions for a week. What is different?
Which suggestion from above will you focus on this week?
Make Exercise Fun
I referred to the word discipline in my last post. I mentioned it because I was curious why that word just popped into my head while I was working out the other day. I believe that exercise should be fun and energizing and not work. If you feel that it is work then change things up.
Exercise is fuel for your mind, body and spirit. It can be a tool to reconnect to your body in a fun and nurturing way. You can make the conscious choice every day to move your body and the choices are limitless. With the weather hopefully breaking soon, break out of your usual routine and take your cardio workout outdoors. Change up your routine to keep it fun and to keep you motivated.
I have my sunglasses ready and waiting for the next nice day.
A Definition for Discipline
The word discipline “came to me” when I was on the elliptical trainer the other day. I am not sure why it popped into my head. Maybe it is because of a fall and an injury to my arm almost two weeks ago. This last week I had to spend more time talking myself into working out than I have for a while.
So I had to look up the definition. While I found several meanings here are two that struck me:
dis·ci·pline 1: training that corrects, molds, or perfects the mental faculties or moral character. 2 a: control gained by enforcing obedience or order b: orderly or prescribed conduct or pattern of behavior. c: self-control.
Reaching our goals, whether they are fitness-related, career-focused, aimed at finding balance or financial success, happens when we implement daily practices that support our vision for the future.
Are your daily practices supporting your vision for yourself?
Fitting Fitness into Your Life
I mentioned in a previous post that I work out regularly with a trainer. That works for me for my strength training because it makes me accountable to someone and it sure is harder for me to cancel if I pre-schedule appointments.
Here are some things that you might want to consider in order to fit fitness into your life on a regular basis:
- Use the buddy system.
- Escape to the great outdoors.
- Pick an activity you enjoy.
- Combine family time with activity time.
If you need more ideas on how to take the first step to include fitness in your life or if you want more ideas so you can keep your motivation visit http://www.smallstep.gov/get_active.html
No matter what your age, physical ability or limitations or current activity level, it’s never to late to start. Some type of activity is right for everyone. So take that first step!
Exercise for the Health of It
Did you make a resolution this year to increase your fitness level or the amount of exercise you do in your life? It is now March and if you are still exercising, congratulations! But if you are like many you may have fallen back into your comfort zone and stopped exercising.
I have had my own challenges over the years in keeping my commitment to exercise. But I have found one thing that works for me. The one thing that I am consistent with is my appointment to do my strength training with my trainer, Cherie Houston, of Houston Fitness Consultants in Highland, MI.
Doing this one thing for myself on a consistent basis helps me handle stress and moves me toward my intention of being fit and fabulous. On days when I arrive for my session and say I am exhausted; when I don’t think that I can lift a weight - magically I have more energy after my session.
Exercise is one of the best things for our mind and body. Check out the Houston Fitness Consultants website: www.houstonfc.com to learn about their chili pepper theory of exercise. It is the one thing that keeps me going because I know that I will accomplish the best workout that I can when I exercise with my trainer even when I think I can’t….I can’t wait for my next session.
What step can you take today to be fit and fabulous?
Weight Loss is Hard Work or is it?
Even as a Registered Dietitian I have had my own share of weight woes and have read many books on the topic for personal and professional reference. One such book is Body for Life® for Women: a woman’s plan for physical and mental transformation (Rodale 2005) by Pamela Peeke, M.D., M.P.H., F.A.C.P. In the book Dr. Peeke suggests woman should accept that achieving and sustaining a mental and physical transformation takes work. She states “…mental and physical sweat, intensity, mindfulness, focus - all the things , by the way, that you apply to your job, your kids, and your relationships. Why shouldn’t you expend the same energy on yourself? Humbly accept that your self-care will take work, and you’ll make the journey so much easier.”
From a different perspective Authors Marla Cilley and Leanne Ely of Body Clutter: love your body, love yourself (Fireside 2005) write “Losing weight is not a game we play. It is not a challenge we take on to beat someone by losing more weight than she can. This is a lifelong attitude adjustment. It is okay that we are just now making the decision to change. We can jump in right where we are and not look back, but only look forward. This is not the hard work you have forced yourself to believe it is; wellness is a choice to live a balanced life. It’s not work unless we make it that way.”
Feeding Your Body
A little more on the topic of National Nutrition Month® and nutrition facts.
It is said that variety is the spice of life. It is easy to get stuck in our comfort zone with foods by eating the same things day-after-day. Have you been working on getting fit and fabulous, but are still making the same food choices? Have you tried any new foods lately?
I would encourage you to continuously try foods new to you. As a Registered Dietitian, I still am finding foods that are new to me. Recently I tried quinoa (keen-wa) after reading about it on a colleague’s website (and loved it!). Life Coach and Registered Dietitian Janet Simpson is collecting recipes for a future book featuring quinoa and posting them on her website. To find out more about this grain visit: www.nourishyourlife.com/cooking-with-the-grain-of-angels.
Oh yes, it is always easier to try a new food when a recipe is recommended by someone. So I asked Janet and she recommends two favorite recipes which are found on the website: Asparagus Quinoa Soup and Fresh Quinoa Fruit Salad.
Give them a try. I am planning to include one on my menu for next week. Thank you Janet!
The Best Recipe for Managing Weight
Since March is National Nutrition Month®, I wanted to continue addressing the theme of nutrition facts.
Balancing physical activity and a healthful diet is your best recipe for managing weight and promoting overall health and fitness. Do you plan healthy meals ahead of time or do you swing by the grocery store or nearest carry out on your way home? Are you making healthy choices that nourish your body?
Planning menus ahead of time can help you create easy, healthful meals with plenty of variety. When you are planning your menu think nutrient-rich rather than “good” or “bad” foods. The majority of your food choices should be packed with vitamins, minerals, fiber and other nutrients. No single food choice or meal makes or breaks a healthful diet. Your total diet is the most important focus for healthful eating.
So step back and take a look at the big picture and then take one step toward a healthful diet by planning your menu for the next seven days. It might seem like a lot of work at first, but think of it as an investment in yourself. Besides once you start developing weekly menus you can rotate them in a cycle.
So what’s on your menu?
March is National Nutrition Month®
Since 1973, dietetics professionals have celebrated National Nutrition Month® in March. National Nutrition Month gives us an opportunity to share nutrition education and increase awareness around a theme.
The 2008 theme for National Nutrition Month is Nutrition: It’s a Matter of Fact. This theme urges consumers to look beyond nutrition myths and focus on the facts. You should always look for nutrition information based on scientific research and a Registered Dietitian (R.D.) can help you translate science into practical advice that fits you individually.
The American Dietetic Association is also marking the first Registered Dietitian Day as March 10, 2008 which acknowledges the R.D. as the food and nutrition expert.
As a R.D. for more than 25 years, I have personally seen how making small lifestyle changes can help improve blood pressure, lower cholesterol levels or decrease weight. Through simple scientific-based steps a healthy lifestyle is obtainable.
To learn more nutrition facts visit www.eatright.org or another simple step to take is to visit www.mypyramid.gov. It is important that you make informed food choices and develop sound eating and physical activity habits and these websites can help you personalize a healthy plan.
So I would like to take a moment this March 10th to acknowledge my colleagues. I am so honored to be a part of the dietetics profession.
If you would like a complimentary coaching session to discuss your nutrition goals or other life goals contact me.
Is Your Bedroom Clutter Contributing to Your Weight?
Again, as mentioned in a previous post, the October 2007 issue of First magazine discussed the relationship of clutter to excess weight.
We know that clutter can weigh us down mentally. But how does bedroom clutter relate to weight gain? Excess stuff in your bedroom or near your bed can stimulate brain-waves that cause wakefulness. These brain-wave shifts can cause all-day fatigue, but, more so, they can trigger damaging hormonal changes. A connection has been made between not having enough sleep and eating more throughout the day. Eating more calories than your body needs leads to weight gain.
So is the clutter in your bedroom adding to your excess weight? Spend 15 minutes in the next 24-hours removing or putting away clutter from your bedroom. See what happens.