Destress in Less!!

Wow, how time flies!  I cannot believe it has been since last May since I have written on this blog!  Facebook makes it so easy to share brief thoughts and article links, I've gotten a little spoiled in this regard.  SO, my apologies and let's get back on track with a topic we all can use: stress management!

I titled this blurb "Destress in Less" because if stress management techniques take too much time, who is going to do them?  Your stress management regimen should not stress you out for the amount of time it takes.  That defeats the purpose, yes?!  So let's talk about a week's worth of simple things you can do each day to mellow out and recenter, ready to face the world once again.

Monday:  Start a "Gratitude Journal".  This can be made out of a fancy notebook or a stack of post it notes, it doesn't matter.  Each night, think of 1-3 things you are thankful for.  It can be your spouse, children, employment, friends, etc.  Be creative, but reflection is key.

Tuesday:  Make a realistic "TO DO" list for the day and post on your dashboard, computer, or other very visible place.  Make a point of crossing out items as they are completed.  At the end of the day, reflect on everything you accomplished!  This can be one of the items for your Gratitude Journal!

Wednesday:  Take 15 minutes and relax.  You can do this in one fell swoop or break it into three 5 minute mini breaks.  It can be something as simple as closing your eyes and taking a few deep breaths, or carving out time for a bubble bath.  Don't forget to jot a note in your journal!

Thursday:  Give yourself a bedtime.  Sleep is one of the biggest keys for stress management, weight control and a sense of well-being.  On this day, do whatever you can do give yourself 8 full restful hours of sleep.  This starts with pre-bedtime rituals.  Stop eating at least 2 hours before your scheduled bed time.  Turn off the television, computer, and electronic devices.  Get your bedroom dark, cool, and quiet.  Even if you do not feel tired at your designated bedtime, lay down and relax.  After writing in your journal, of course :)

Friday:  Date night!  Set aside some time to spend with a dear friend, partner, or spouse.  Watch a movie, make a nice dinner, go out dancing, etc.  Ban talk about responsibility, kids, work, or anything that may cause stress.  Write about your night out in your journal.

Saturday:  Spend some time with a hobby or activity you enjoy.  It can be drawing, painting, playing an instrument, gardening, riding your bike, or anything else that floats your boat.  Relax and make the most of the time you set aside.  Don't forget to record your activity in your journal!

Sunday:  Do something good for your community.  It can be taking unwanted items to Goodwill, working on collecting recyclables, or formally volunteering for an organization.  Record your experiences in your journal.

OTHER TIPS:

• Stay hydrated
• Exercise regularly
• Eat a well balanced healthful diet
• Nurture your relationships
• Meditate/Reflect

Well, I hope these tips are helpful!  It's just a start, but hopefully these tips will accumulate into healthy habits for a long term less stressful life.  Let me know what you think, I can't wait to hear your success stories!

Until next time... :D

Summer plans

I hope everyone is doing well!  I just wanted to update you all on what's been happening here and hope your plans for positive changes are going well.

I just recently finished my third week of a class teaching me to become a wellness coach.  This system is phone and web based so I can support clients from anywhere.  I am so very excited to be able to work one on one with people again, I can barely contain myself!  I'm learning a lot about how to take my knowledge and make it palatable.  No one wants to be lectured about what they should and shouldn't do, eat, live like, etc.  Rather, I'm learning valuable skills to help me coach people to make the changes they want to make when they are ready to do so.  I hope to be able to work with some of you one on one. 

We finally planted a full garden and I can't wait to see what comes up.  Summer is coming close and my work schedule is easing up for the season.  I love this time of year!  Talk to you all soon!!

Home Stretch!

Well all, I'm in the home stretch!  Down 14.5 pounds as of this morning.  Back into my old jeans (they're not my "skinny" ones yet :)), and feeling great.  I have more energy than I have in a long time and I feel like I'm reconnecting with my body and it's rewarding me for listening in!  I want to talk a bit about choosing diet plans, cleanses, purification programs and systems, etc. but that's for a later date.  Right now, I'm just going to talk about the one I did choose and why it's working for me.

I am an eater.  I LOVE TO EAT!  I love cooking.  When my Bon Appetit comes in the mail, I sit down and study it nearly as much as I do my Bible.  So to cut out food completely, starve myself and go into a basic catatonic state was totally out of the question for me.  I'm sorry, I don't think the body likes that no matter what your goal.  SO, I found this program that is set up as follows: 21 days total.  The first 10 days is nothing but fruit, twice as many vegetables, 1/2 cup of brown rice and one cup of lentils per day.  On day 11 you can add lean chicken or fish.  I thought it would be horrible, rigorous and I would always be starving and dying to chow on some chocolate cake.  But much to my surprise, it was just fine!  The company that puts it together also sells some cleansing tablets and some specially formulated protein powder to help support the body through it, but just think about it.  If you eat like this, you're going to drop some serious pounds.  And I have!  If you would like more details regarding the plan, please email me or send me a private message on Facebook. 

Let me know your thoughts!  Have you ever done a cleanse?  How did you feel?  Did the results last?  Until next time... :D

Support Group :)

Ok, all!  I've decided to crack down on my eating.  I found this 21 day program that I think it actually reasonable and it's designed as a purification for the body.  I get unlimited fruits and veggies, protein powder twice a day (I'm thinking fruit smoothies!!) and a limited amount of brown rice and lentils.  This goes 10 days, then I can add lean protein like chicken or fish.  Reasonable, right?!  I can do it, right?!  Results forthcoming.  :)

I may be on here journaling my emotions over the course of the program, so send positive thoughts my way!!

The Fuss About Fiber

I recently got a question from a loyal follower (thank you!!! :)) regarding fiber.  There has been a big push in the food advertising industry to discuss fiber content of products.  So what is fiber?  Why is it important for a well balanced diet?  And does the source of the fiber matter?

Fiber is the structural parts of plants and therefore is found in everything that comes out of the ground: vegetables, fruits, legumes, grains.  There are two general categories: soluble and insoluble.  Without getting too science-y, I'm going to briefly discuss the differences in the two types as well as what it means for your body. 

Soluble
Soluble fibers are found in fruits, oats, barley and legumes.  These types of foods cause a delay in GI transit, delay glucose absorption and have been shown to lower blood cholesterol.

Insoluble
Insoluble fibers are found more in grains: wheat bran, whole wheat breads, cereals, and vegetables.  These fibers accelerate GI transit, slow starch hydrolysis, and delays glucose absorption.

Translation?

GI transit means the amount of time the bolus (equivalent of a grouping of food, e.g. a bite) remains in the digestive (gastrointestinal) tract.  Soluble fibers causing a delay in this transit will allow you to feel fuller longer, while insoluble fibers will promote healthy excretory patterns.

Glucose absorption refers to the time it takes for your food to affect your blood insulin levels.  The faster absorption occurs, the more disruptive of a spike and severe drop your metabolism will experience, resulting in extreme hunger, mood swings, etc.  The fact that both fiber types delay glucose absorption allow for a steady absorption of sugars into the bloodstream, facilitating an leveling affect.  This consistency allows for greater satiety (more about this in the next blog post), or satisfaction level.  The higher your satiety, the less you will eat.  Good right?

A couple of general things to remember:  the daily recommendation for fiber intake is 25-35 grams.  A nice large salad can provide up to half of your daily intake requirements.  Most fiber rich foods contain some of bothy types of fiber, so don't stress about getting enough of one particular type of food.  As will all of our dietary recommendations, just eating a wide variety of types and colors of food will most likely satisfy your dietary needs.  A good thing to keep in mind also is that most fiber supplements are not easily absorbed by your body.  SO, the very best way to get your fiber is a well balanced diet:)

That's all for today!

Exercise Like Snacking?

I read an article yesterday in my quarterly ACSM journal I thought would be worthy of sharing.  It mentioned that everyone, even regular exercisers, can still benefit from short intense bursts of exercise throughout the day.  So, I got to thinking about this and decided that maybe exercise is like snacking.  I eat three meals and two snacks per day.  The snacks are not my main course, but my body likes them to keep my metabolism running.  Also, they prevent me from overeating at any one meal. 

Applying this to exercise, your regularly scheduled exercise bout is the main course.  If you're anything like me, you tend to go a little crazy during this session because it's your only chance during the day to try to do something good for yourself.  However, if I incorporate exercise "snacks" throughout my day, this will also keep my metabolism revved, help to not have to kill myself during each workout, and keep me mindful all day long of opportunities to do something good for my body.  These "snacks" should not, of course, replace the main course, but they definitely can help.

A few years back, I would grit my teeth everytime I read an article about squeezing exercise into your day.  These touted the calorie burn of parking further away at the grocery store and taking the stairs at every opportunity.  This push to get people to think this was all they needed to do in order to get fit landed in disaster.  However, if we use the "meal-snack" analogy, these small bouts can enhance an already existing exercise program.

Can you make it a goal to find just three opportunities per day to "snack" on exercise?  If so, what are they?  Please share, either here or on our Facebook fan page!

Until next time...happy getting healthy! :)

HOT BY SUMMER 2011!

This year I am determined to rock a two piece (tasteful, of course :)).  So following my recovery, I've looked around and discovered I need to get my bod in shape!  Are you in the same boat?

Nearly every day I hear people saying weight loss isn't as easy as when they were younger.  I got to really thinking about this and think I might have some insight.  It's easy for us to blame hormones, medications and age, and granted, these do all play a role.  However, might it all be in our approach?  I remember simply cutting out soda for a week and dropping some pounds.  And when you're in your 20's it doesn't really matter so much.  But did I learn how to change my behavior?  Not in the least.  Once it was off, I could get away with going back to my old habits until they snuck up on me once again.  This mentality carries over into dieting.  Once we're successful, we lose our way once again.  Maybe our bodies are simply saying once and for all, "I'm sick of this!".  So how can we modify our behaviors for life in simple, permanent ways?

I'm going to give simple lifestyle tips from now until the beginning of summer to make easy edits in our lifestyles and way of thinking and hopefully these will become our healthy habits, fixtures of our lives.  So here are a few things to keep in mind along the way:

• Take your measurements now.  Bust, waist, hip, thigh, all at the biggest parts.  It may be brutal, but think of how awesome it will be to track over time. 
• Keep a food journal.  This is an absolute must for mindful eating.  Record everything.  Get a baseline for how many calories you are currently consuming per day by using free websites.  Just find your favorite one and get comfy.
• Be patient with yourself!  Permanent habits take time to develop.
• Give yourself a break.  Take one day per week to do something great for yourself.  Relax with a good book, take a nap, get a pedicure, etc.
• Remember that weight loss is a big giant math equation.  The more you consume, the more you have to burn in order to maintain your weight.  Be reasonable, of course, but thinking about it as a math problem takes some of the mystery away, doesn't it?  Refer to our "Discussion" tab on our Facebook Fan page to see how much you should be consuming per day.
• Don't obsess over the scale.  I always tell people to check in once a week.  Remember, muscle weighs more than fat, so the first 2-4 weeks of any program, your scale may go up before it goes down.  It's not just about the number.  It's about the journey.
• ALWAYS check with your health care provider to make sure you are healthy enough for any fitness and/or meal plan.  Consider any special needs in your daily intake of food, beverage, and activity modification.
• Find your support system.  Maybe it's here with this blog, maybe it's your significant other, child, workmates, etc.  Establish that NOW, and make sure you will be held accountable.
• Plan rewards that are not food related.  So many times when we have a great workout, we want to celebrate with that slab of cheesecake and 2 liter bottle of soda.  Think outside the box, plan your rewards ahead of time and make sure they are fitting in to your wholesome lifestyle and outlook.
• Set your long-term goal for 6/21/11 (first day of summer).  What does "HOT BY SUMMER" mean for you?  Now work to establish reasonable goals to get there.  Remember, healthy weight loss is generally 1-2 pounds per week, so don't create a plan that is not realistic.

Got it?  Sketch out the rough ideas of your goals, plans, and rewards, then talk about it on our Facebook page!  Ready, GO!!!