What, Eat Whatever I Want?

Nutrition, , ,

 

You probably think I am crazy, a Personal Trainer and Nutrition Coach, telling you to eat whatever you want! This advice could certainly backfire on me and you could gain a bunch of weight and feel like hell. On the flip side, what if you have an understanding that food nourishes your body and your soul?

If you respect your body and have a healthy relationship with it, do you think that you would regularly choose McDonald’s burger, fries, and a shake for lunch over fresh arugula salad with avocado, cherry tomatoes, and leftover grilled salmon with a bite of dark chocolate for desert? The key is “regularly or frequently”.

If you are craving that burger, shake, and fries because that is what your family had on special occasions growing up when mom didn’t have to cook, then you might check in and ask yourself if that is the real reason that you want this junk food. Are you trying to feed your soul by indulging in something that has great childhood memories? Or are you indulging in it because you want to feel good and are avoiding something unpleasant in the present?

If you are looking for that feel-good trip down memory lane in having Grandma’s favorite coffee cake for desert, then, I say go for it! If you have a healthy relationship with your body and with the food that you feed it, then, you will enjoy the coffee cake at the time, but that will be it. You won’t trigger an avalanche of unhealthy food choices. However, if your relationship with your body and food is not so healthy, then look out! You will undoubtedly have negative feelings towards your body about making this choice as well as possibly unleashing a cascade of other unhealthy food choices.

All that I ask is that you consider your motivation for eating certain foods! Where you take it from there could be a huge discovery.

 

Across, Down, Over, & Up

Fitness, , ,

This is what the Pilates teacher instructs his/her students to do during the “leg circles” exercise. Leg circles are done while lying on your back on a mat with one leg straight up towards the ceiling. The goal is to keep your pelvis and low back stable while each leg circles one at a time from the hip joint- across, down, over, and up. “Leg circles” is one of the many great Pilates exercises that require the core muscles’ stabilizing powers while another body part, often arms or legs, moves through space. The optimal breathing pattern in Pilates…..in through the nose and out through the mouth and coordination of the breath with movement contributes to the “mind-body” benefit of Pilates.

 

What I love about Pilates is how great I feel after a class. I feel taller, stronger, leaner, and energized! Of course, the most immediate result is that I feel so much more energized and alert after class. I walk and sit taller afterwards too. The strength benefits of Pilates are so obvious to me when I inadvertently take a week off! I feel it! Acquiring leaner and longer muscles takes a little time. How long depends on your body type and how frequently you do Pilates.

 

What do my clients say? “Sue Bream has a great pilates class!! Every time it reduces my hip tension and I leave with reduced knee pain. I highly recommend her classes!! :)” -Andrea

 

Need I mention that anyone can do Pilates? There are so many exercises to choose from and modifications for each one. Athletes, pregnant women, teens, older adults, cancer patients and recovering cancer patients, obese, etc…..

 

Check out a class if you haven’t already done so. I recommend starting with a small class and/or private lesson to get the basics down.

 

Let’s Get Moving!

Fitness, Nutrition, ,

I know that it can be really tough to motivate yourself to exercise sometimes. I am sitting at my desk writing this wondering where I am going to find the energy to go for a run. It is almost 5 p.m. and I still intend on getting out in the wind and rain for that elusive run! Why would I do that? I would get out there for two main reasons. First, I believe in commitment, especially commitment to myself! Second, I know from years of experience that I will be so glad that I did it and that once I am out there.

Excuses are just that…excuses. In the long run, excuses don’t help you accomplish your goals, do they? Believe me, as a Personal Trainer I hear lots of them. Recently I saw a dog that was hugely inspiring to me. He was a yellow lab with three good legs and one leg that stuck straight out to the side. It just sort of hung there flapping around as he ran and chased the tennis ball. His owner said that he was born that way and had no idea that he had only three good legs! Encountering that dog really made me think. Most of us don’t have any excuse not to get out and move our bodies on a regular basis!

Motivation to exercise is a hot topic in many exercise books, articles, and programs. Here are a few tips that I feel are super helpful:

• Schedule your exercise in your calendar.

  • Plan out your exercise week on Sunday (i.e. schedule in classes, appointments with trainer, runs/walks, etc.).

• Find an exercise buddy.

• Be realistic (don’t run/workout if you are sick with a fever).

• Be flexible, yet committed. If you have a run scheduled on Tuesday morning at 6 and it is pouring, blowing, and cold…have a backup plan.

• Change it up! Try Zumba instead of going for a walk/run or go to Yoga or Pilates instead of hitting the weight room. Head out to a different area for your bike ride, run, walk…explore somewhere new.

• Listen to good music on your IPod, an audio book, or even a podcast.

• Acknowledge your accomplishment when you are done!

 

Spring Cleaning

Nutrition

Looking outside my window right now, I am reminded of how spring is a time of renewal and nourishment. One result of this is that I feel inspired and motivated to do some spring cleaning. I plan on starting in the yard this weekend cleaning up the partially decayed leaves from the fall. I also plan on starting indoors by cleaning out my cupboards (in the kitchen and pantry).

While I have to admit, I eat pretty healthily and keep a lot of healthy foods in my cupboards, there are some things that need to go. I just tossed a jar of jelly beans that were at least 4 years old! After accusing my son of hoarding them, he said, “Mom, those have been in there forever, don’t you remember when we got them?”

For those of you who are making some changes in your eating habits, cleaning out your cupboards is a great place to start! First, toss all food that is stale or outdated. Yes, you likely have some. Then, take a look at what you want to replace with healthier choices. For example, toss the boxes of mac and cheese. In other words, toss the processed foods. Instead of “tossing” them, you might consider donating them to a food bank.

This process of spring cleaning is so crucial to your commitment to eating healthier and eliminating processed carbs from your diet. If you haven’t made this commitment to yourself, then we should talk! Out with the Cheerios, Quaker Oats, instant oatmeal, Mac and Cheese boxes, instant white rice, Wheat Thins, low-fat maple syrup, and pre-packaged cake and brownie mixes! In with steel cut oats, whole grain cereals, Quinoa, buckwheat pancake mix, Agave syrup, whole-grain crackers (like Mary’s Crackers), and fresh nuts like almonds. Having hummus and fresh veggies around is also a great idea.

The bottom line is that when you are hungry and open your cupboard looking for something to eat, you will grab whatever is available, especially if your blood sugar is low. Give yourself a head start on eating healthily and have foods available that are going to make you feel better, not worse an hour later when your blood sugar crashes!

 

 

 

How Sweet It Is

Nutrition

Many of us grew up with sweet treats being offered as rewards for good behavior by our parents, grandparents, and babysitters.  I can remember my grandma Clara bringing animal crackers and cracker jacks every Sunday to our house for us kids (and animal crackers for the dogs).  My other grandma always had a full bowl of candy in her den, which, of course, we devoured.

What is the fascination with sweets when we are children?  Do the seeds of sugar addiction get planted so young?

We know that sugar addiction is a major problem on our planet. It spans all ages from vulnerable young children to adolescents who have so much change going on in their lives, to millions and millions of adults.

How many of you have seen a child in public having a temper tantrum or really being a “brat” and wonder how the parents can stand it?  I would say that there is a good chance that those behavior problems have their roots in low blood sugar.  Why are those tantrums so acceptable and so much a part of raising kids?  Think about it, their little bodies need stable blood sugar just as much as the rest of us do!

With the rise of childhood diabetes today, it is paramount that we foster an interest in healthy eating and lifestyles for our children (I mean that collectively) so that they grow up with that knowledge imprinted in their minds and bodies. Knowledge is power, right?