When talking about my diet, I often use the phrase "eating clean". It's taken me a long time to realize how important "clean" eating really is, especially in terms of weight loss and body fat reduction. First, let me clarify something. When I say DIET, I'm not talking about starving myself or following some fad eating plan you get out of a book. Diet is simply defined as the kinds of food that a person habitually eats. So what does it mean to have a "clean" diet? Well, eating clean is eating the way nature intended: whole and natural. I always say if it doesn't grow in the ground, on a tree, or give birth, we shouldn't eat it. Most boxed and canned foods are loaded with chemicals and fillers that aren't meant for the human body to consume. These preservatives and processed ingredients can cause bloating, fatigue, depression, insomnia, and an inability to concentrate. Some are even thought to induce symptoms of Alzheimer's disease and certain autoimmune disorders. It's no wonder so many people are overweight and in poor health.
Clean foods are those that are lean and occur naturally- fruits, vegetables, nuts, eggs, and meat. A common excuse for eating unhealthy is the fact that fast food and junk food is less expensive and more readily available. I won't deny that produce can be overpriced, but it's ok to buy these things frozen. Frozen vegetables are much better than those in a can because they don't have all the sodium. And I realize it's much easier to go through the drive-thru at McDonald's than to sit down somewhere and eat a salad. Cook your food ahead of time and pack your lunch along with some snacks. I take food everywhere I go, and yes, I get funny looks when I pull out my grilled chicken and sweet potato or my protein shakes. But I have more energy, I'm healthy, and I love the fact that I'm maintaining a healthy weight and body fat percentage.
Eating clean is a lifestyle, not a temporary weight loss program. You have to make these changes for the right reasons and stick to it. Here are some tips to get started:
-Eliminate refined sugar
-Plan your meals and take a list to the grocery store
-Pack meals and snacks when you leave home
-Increase your water intake
-Eat 5-6 small meals throughout the day
-Never skip breakfast
-Stick with complex carbs, healthy fats, and lean sources of protein
The trick is to stay away from man-made foods and eat small portions throughout the day. This will keep your metabolism at it's highest and give you more energy to get through the day. You don't have to totally give up the foods you love. Set aside one day a week to eat 2 "cheat meals". This gives you something to look forward to, kind of a reward for doing so well the rest of the week. Just remember diet is 80% of your success or failure in any health and fitness goal. If you have any questions about what my grocery list looks like, feel free to comment on my 3in1Fitness facebook page!
Wednesday, April 6, 2011
Monday, March 28, 2011
Positive Thoughts Breed Positive Actions
I remember when I was younger my mom didn't like for me to watch scary movies. To me they were harmless, but her rationale was that "what you put in your head will eventually come out". What she meant was, the things we consistently allow in our minds will inevitably be displayed through our behavior. At the time I thought it was silly, but now I see how right she was (as she was about many things!). Proverbs 4 tells us to guard our heart, for it is the wellspring of life. Matthew 15 says the things that come out of our mouth come forth from the heart. My belief is that what we let our eyes see and our ears hear will shape our minds and over time desensitize our hearts.
It's kind of like when we work around or live with pessimistic people. When you hear nothing but complaining and criticism, it's so easy to take that on. If your boss is always telling you you can't do something right, you may start to believe it. Then you become insecure about everything you do at work out of the fear of not doing anything right. Before too long, you stop being productive at all. So how do we break this vicious cycle? It all begins with how you think!
First, you have to create positive thoughts. This means looking for the good aspects of everyday life. Make a choice to face life in a way that gives you some control. We can't control what happens to us, but we can decide how we respond to it. It's that whole glass half empty or half full scenerio. You can't change your behavior until you change how you think about your situation. Second, create a positive world. Now obviously you can't make the whole planet a positive place to live, but you can change YOUR world. The people you associate with, the music you listen to, what you watch on tv, what you read... all these are factors that can affect how you perceive life. Have you ever met someone who watches nothing on tv but Fox News or CNN? They're a plethera of depressing news! Focus on the good things that are going on around us. Last, create positive actions. You'd be surprised at how smiling at someone or holding the door open for somebody can make you feel so good. Not only does it make life more pleasant, but it's contagious!
So relating this to health and fitness... change your thoughts about diet and exercise. Don't look at eating well as depriving yourself or exercise as hard work. Think of it as making healthy choices and habits to feel good, look good, and better your quality of life. Make health and fitness part of your positive world. Go for walks with your friends, hike with your kids, subscribe to health and fitness magazines, listen to motivational music, do some yoga! And finally, introduce healthy actions to your life. STOP SMOKING, drink more water, cut out the sugar, get active! You're reading this, so I know you're interested in changing your lifestyle. Let's do this!
It's kind of like when we work around or live with pessimistic people. When you hear nothing but complaining and criticism, it's so easy to take that on. If your boss is always telling you you can't do something right, you may start to believe it. Then you become insecure about everything you do at work out of the fear of not doing anything right. Before too long, you stop being productive at all. So how do we break this vicious cycle? It all begins with how you think!
First, you have to create positive thoughts. This means looking for the good aspects of everyday life. Make a choice to face life in a way that gives you some control. We can't control what happens to us, but we can decide how we respond to it. It's that whole glass half empty or half full scenerio. You can't change your behavior until you change how you think about your situation. Second, create a positive world. Now obviously you can't make the whole planet a positive place to live, but you can change YOUR world. The people you associate with, the music you listen to, what you watch on tv, what you read... all these are factors that can affect how you perceive life. Have you ever met someone who watches nothing on tv but Fox News or CNN? They're a plethera of depressing news! Focus on the good things that are going on around us. Last, create positive actions. You'd be surprised at how smiling at someone or holding the door open for somebody can make you feel so good. Not only does it make life more pleasant, but it's contagious!
So relating this to health and fitness... change your thoughts about diet and exercise. Don't look at eating well as depriving yourself or exercise as hard work. Think of it as making healthy choices and habits to feel good, look good, and better your quality of life. Make health and fitness part of your positive world. Go for walks with your friends, hike with your kids, subscribe to health and fitness magazines, listen to motivational music, do some yoga! And finally, introduce healthy actions to your life. STOP SMOKING, drink more water, cut out the sugar, get active! You're reading this, so I know you're interested in changing your lifestyle. Let's do this!
Friday, March 25, 2011
Let's Be Honest
We tell lies when we are afraid... afraid of what we don't know, afraid of what others will think, afraid of what will be found out about us. But every time we tell a lie, the thing that we fear grows stronger. ~Tad Williams
Recently I've been dealing with a bit of a broken heart. I won't go into detail, but I have to say, it kind of feels like I'm 15 again. I think what hurts the worst was being lied to by someone I thought so highly of. It wasn't necessarily what was said as much as it was what wasn't admitted. And now looking back at the situation, so much pain and bitterness could have been avoided had the truth just been told. I suppose this experience is all a part of life. We live and learn, and if you're anything like me, we're so stubborn that learning is always done the hard way!
I share this because it's relevant. We all lie. Ok, so maybe we don't all flat out tell untruths, but we are all guilty of not being totally honest. As a kid I had a VERY creative imagination, I think I lied so much that I believed myself most of the time. As I've gotten older, life has shown me that it's ALWAYS better to just be honest, even when it hurts. Integrity is one of those things that once you ruin it, you can never fully redeem yourself. But what I think is worse than being dishonest with others is being dishonest with ourselves. Take a moment to think about that. Are you really honest with yourself?
When I try to do the right thing, I am my biggest stumbling block. I like to minimize my faults, justify my mistakes, and ignore the things that my pride refuses to acknowledge. But, let's be honest, if I'm having the same issues with several different people, there's a good chance I AM THE COMMON DENOMINATOR. If I can't lose that last 10 pounds because I'm a stress eater, but I refuse to accept that I bring the stress on myself, I'll never acheive my weight loss goals. How can I better myself if I can't own the things that need to be changed? Part of my overall mind, body, and spirit wellness includes my relationships with other people. It's so much easier to reach my goals in life when I have a clear conscience. So here's another challenge for you. Get honest with yourself. Think about how you contribute to your problems. What do you need to change to improve your situation? Do you need to swallow some pride and make some things right? You'll never be where you want to be until you stop avoiding the truth.
Recently I've been dealing with a bit of a broken heart. I won't go into detail, but I have to say, it kind of feels like I'm 15 again. I think what hurts the worst was being lied to by someone I thought so highly of. It wasn't necessarily what was said as much as it was what wasn't admitted. And now looking back at the situation, so much pain and bitterness could have been avoided had the truth just been told. I suppose this experience is all a part of life. We live and learn, and if you're anything like me, we're so stubborn that learning is always done the hard way!
I share this because it's relevant. We all lie. Ok, so maybe we don't all flat out tell untruths, but we are all guilty of not being totally honest. As a kid I had a VERY creative imagination, I think I lied so much that I believed myself most of the time. As I've gotten older, life has shown me that it's ALWAYS better to just be honest, even when it hurts. Integrity is one of those things that once you ruin it, you can never fully redeem yourself. But what I think is worse than being dishonest with others is being dishonest with ourselves. Take a moment to think about that. Are you really honest with yourself?
When I try to do the right thing, I am my biggest stumbling block. I like to minimize my faults, justify my mistakes, and ignore the things that my pride refuses to acknowledge. But, let's be honest, if I'm having the same issues with several different people, there's a good chance I AM THE COMMON DENOMINATOR. If I can't lose that last 10 pounds because I'm a stress eater, but I refuse to accept that I bring the stress on myself, I'll never acheive my weight loss goals. How can I better myself if I can't own the things that need to be changed? Part of my overall mind, body, and spirit wellness includes my relationships with other people. It's so much easier to reach my goals in life when I have a clear conscience. So here's another challenge for you. Get honest with yourself. Think about how you contribute to your problems. What do you need to change to improve your situation? Do you need to swallow some pride and make some things right? You'll never be where you want to be until you stop avoiding the truth.
Monday, March 21, 2011
Step 2: Planning
"He who fails to plan, plans to fail" -Proverb
Now that you've set your health and fitness goals, let's address how you're going to go about reaching them. There's 3 elements to consider: cardio, weight training, and nutrition. I also like to include hydration, but we'll discuss that later. It's essential, especially if you're just starting out, to devise a plan when it comes to these components. Again, I recommend a journal where you can document your daily diet and workouts.
First, let's look at cardio. This is pretty simple; cardio is activity done to consistently keep your heart rate up for an extended amount of time. I do an hour or more of cardio 5-6 days a week. That's not possible for some of you and that's ok. If you can shoot for 30-60 minutes/day at least 4 days/week you'll be doing fine. The idea is to increase your heart rate, respirations, and body temperature to burn calories. I'll get more into the physiology behind all this later on. Some examples may include walking, running, cycling, elliptical trainer, and Zumba. Something is better than nothing!!
Next, look at resistance (or weight) training. I get people, mostly women, who tell me all the time that they don't want to lift weights because they don't want to gain massive muscles. If you're one of those people, it's your lucky day! You will NOT gain alot of muscle mass by implementing weights. Weight training is important to maintain muscle, which is what gives our bodies shape and protects our skeletal system. For every 1 pound of lean muscle, your body burns 50 calories at rest. In addition to this, muscle also aids in strength, balance, flexibilty, stamina, and injury prevention. The key is knowing what you're doing. If you're a novice, get into a group sculpting class or get a personal trainer to show you the ropes. I'll elaborate on this topic in a future post.
Last, but certainly not least, nutrition. Now this is where everybody has questions. I intend to devote a whole post to this as well, so for now, let me stick to the basics. 5-6 small meals throughout the day will keep your metabolism elevated. Always eat breakfast!! Try to schedule your meals about 3 hours apart and include lean protein, complex carbohydrates, and a good source of healthy fat in every meal. Cut out all processed sugar and soft drinks! This is a good starting point, like I said, I will go more in depth about nutrition a little later.
These things are huge factors in any health and fitness program. Planning when, where, and how you can fit them in is crucial to your success. I know "time" is a common excuse, but if you really want to acheive your goals, you'll make time. It's all about setting realistic goals and figuring out a game plan. Once these 2 main steps have been taken, you're ready to move forward.
Now that you've set your health and fitness goals, let's address how you're going to go about reaching them. There's 3 elements to consider: cardio, weight training, and nutrition. I also like to include hydration, but we'll discuss that later. It's essential, especially if you're just starting out, to devise a plan when it comes to these components. Again, I recommend a journal where you can document your daily diet and workouts.
First, let's look at cardio. This is pretty simple; cardio is activity done to consistently keep your heart rate up for an extended amount of time. I do an hour or more of cardio 5-6 days a week. That's not possible for some of you and that's ok. If you can shoot for 30-60 minutes/day at least 4 days/week you'll be doing fine. The idea is to increase your heart rate, respirations, and body temperature to burn calories. I'll get more into the physiology behind all this later on. Some examples may include walking, running, cycling, elliptical trainer, and Zumba. Something is better than nothing!!
Next, look at resistance (or weight) training. I get people, mostly women, who tell me all the time that they don't want to lift weights because they don't want to gain massive muscles. If you're one of those people, it's your lucky day! You will NOT gain alot of muscle mass by implementing weights. Weight training is important to maintain muscle, which is what gives our bodies shape and protects our skeletal system. For every 1 pound of lean muscle, your body burns 50 calories at rest. In addition to this, muscle also aids in strength, balance, flexibilty, stamina, and injury prevention. The key is knowing what you're doing. If you're a novice, get into a group sculpting class or get a personal trainer to show you the ropes. I'll elaborate on this topic in a future post.
Last, but certainly not least, nutrition. Now this is where everybody has questions. I intend to devote a whole post to this as well, so for now, let me stick to the basics. 5-6 small meals throughout the day will keep your metabolism elevated. Always eat breakfast!! Try to schedule your meals about 3 hours apart and include lean protein, complex carbohydrates, and a good source of healthy fat in every meal. Cut out all processed sugar and soft drinks! This is a good starting point, like I said, I will go more in depth about nutrition a little later.
These things are huge factors in any health and fitness program. Planning when, where, and how you can fit them in is crucial to your success. I know "time" is a common excuse, but if you really want to acheive your goals, you'll make time. It's all about setting realistic goals and figuring out a game plan. Once these 2 main steps have been taken, you're ready to move forward.
Sunday, March 20, 2011
Step 1: Goal Setting
I'm a task oriented person. I do better when I have a mental list of things I want to accomplish on a daily basis. I believe in setting short term goals and long term goals, keeping in mind that they must be realistic. Don't set yourself up for failure by aiming too high at first. For instance, if you want to lose 20 pounds, you have to understand that it takes time. Doing it the healthy way will take you about 8-10 weeks. So this would be a good long term goal. A short term goal might be to walk or run 5 days this week. Goals are important to keep us motivated; without them we wouldn't have incentive to do anything.
After setting your goals, think about how you plan to stay committed to them. Having a personal trainer is a great way to be held accountable, but that's not always possible for some people. Maybe working with a friend and keeping each other motivated will work best for you. I like to keep a daily journal of what I eat and what I do in the gym. That way, when I'm not making the progress I should be, I can look back and see where I slipped up. It's a good way to evaluate what does or does not work for me.
What goals do you have for yourself? Do you want to lose weight or get into shape? What have you done so far to acheive your goals? Do you find that you stick with a routine only a few days before you fall off the wagon? Discipline is important in all aspects of our lives. If it were easy, everybody would do it. It's all about mental toughness and a drive to succeed. Take a minute to think about how you go about accomplishing tasks in your everyday life. Setting health and fitness goals is no different than anything else, you have to want it bad enough to make it a priority. So before we go any further, think for a minute about what goals are realistic for you to acheive this week. Then think about where you'd like to be by the first day of summer. Jot these things down and put them where you'll see them everyday. Now you're ready to work!
After setting your goals, think about how you plan to stay committed to them. Having a personal trainer is a great way to be held accountable, but that's not always possible for some people. Maybe working with a friend and keeping each other motivated will work best for you. I like to keep a daily journal of what I eat and what I do in the gym. That way, when I'm not making the progress I should be, I can look back and see where I slipped up. It's a good way to evaluate what does or does not work for me.
What goals do you have for yourself? Do you want to lose weight or get into shape? What have you done so far to acheive your goals? Do you find that you stick with a routine only a few days before you fall off the wagon? Discipline is important in all aspects of our lives. If it were easy, everybody would do it. It's all about mental toughness and a drive to succeed. Take a minute to think about how you go about accomplishing tasks in your everyday life. Setting health and fitness goals is no different than anything else, you have to want it bad enough to make it a priority. So before we go any further, think for a minute about what goals are realistic for you to acheive this week. Then think about where you'd like to be by the first day of summer. Jot these things down and put them where you'll see them everyday. Now you're ready to work!
Saturday, March 19, 2011
Attitude is Everything
We've all heard it said that "misery loves company". It's true if you really think about it. I know when I'm in a bad mood I have the tendency to bring others down too. I believe all moods are contagious. When I'm in a funk, it helps to be around positive people. Sometimes, though, it's up to ME to get MYSELF out of that negative mindset, I can't rely on other people to change my attitude.
Most of you know this past year has been quite an emotional roller coaster for me. Between my 7 year marriage ending, my 6 year old having some health problems, being in nursing school while raising 2 "energetic" children, and other personal obstacles that life has thrown at me, there have been times I've felt hopeless and defeated. But then I'm reminded of one of my favorite people in the Bible. Job was one of the most faithful men to ever serve God. He was attacked by Satan from every angle; he lost his kids, his farm, his home, he was even stricken with boils on his body from head to toe. Even his wife told him to curse God, but he wouldn't. Do you think he was down and depressed about what was happening to him? Of course! But he never let his troubles define him. In the end, God rewarded his faithfulness and loyalty by blessing him with 7 times what he had before!
What Job went through makes what I've been through seem like nothing! But it does encourage me to stay positive and have a good attitude no matter what I'm faced with. I've started working on that lately. Every morning I pray that God will fill me with His spirit and help me to deal with life with His heart. I put on a smile and remember that my God is bigger than any problem I could have. How does this pertain to health and fitness? Well, it's that 3 in 1 thing I was telling you about earlier: Mind, body, and spirit. In order to acheive any fitness goal, you have to change your mentality about it! Are you willing to work hard when it gets tough? Are you ready to be self disciplined enough to stick with it when you'd rather eat fast food and lie on the couch? When you're mentally tired and physically exhausted will you push yourself a little bit further? When you set goals for yourself, how committed are you to reaching them? I find when I'm in a spin class and there's 10 minutes left and my legs hurt, I'm out of breath, I'm covered in sweat... my body is ready to quit, but my mind says ABSOLUTELY NOT! How do you deal with things when life gets challenging? Are you mentally tough enough fight for what you want? Attitude is everything!
Most of you know this past year has been quite an emotional roller coaster for me. Between my 7 year marriage ending, my 6 year old having some health problems, being in nursing school while raising 2 "energetic" children, and other personal obstacles that life has thrown at me, there have been times I've felt hopeless and defeated. But then I'm reminded of one of my favorite people in the Bible. Job was one of the most faithful men to ever serve God. He was attacked by Satan from every angle; he lost his kids, his farm, his home, he was even stricken with boils on his body from head to toe. Even his wife told him to curse God, but he wouldn't. Do you think he was down and depressed about what was happening to him? Of course! But he never let his troubles define him. In the end, God rewarded his faithfulness and loyalty by blessing him with 7 times what he had before!
What Job went through makes what I've been through seem like nothing! But it does encourage me to stay positive and have a good attitude no matter what I'm faced with. I've started working on that lately. Every morning I pray that God will fill me with His spirit and help me to deal with life with His heart. I put on a smile and remember that my God is bigger than any problem I could have. How does this pertain to health and fitness? Well, it's that 3 in 1 thing I was telling you about earlier: Mind, body, and spirit. In order to acheive any fitness goal, you have to change your mentality about it! Are you willing to work hard when it gets tough? Are you ready to be self disciplined enough to stick with it when you'd rather eat fast food and lie on the couch? When you're mentally tired and physically exhausted will you push yourself a little bit further? When you set goals for yourself, how committed are you to reaching them? I find when I'm in a spin class and there's 10 minutes left and my legs hurt, I'm out of breath, I'm covered in sweat... my body is ready to quit, but my mind says ABSOLUTELY NOT! How do you deal with things when life gets challenging? Are you mentally tough enough fight for what you want? Attitude is everything!
Friday, March 18, 2011
Thought For the Day
People always laugh when I say this, but I get my best ideas in the shower. This morning as I was in the shower I was thinking about where I wanted to take this blog today. I feel like God puts so many things on my heart, sometimes I don't know where to begin. So I thought I'd start with a topic I deal with personally. I grew up in a gym. My mom taught aerobics in the 80's and I can remember hanging out at Exercise World at 5 years old. I played sports my whole life and even got into boxing in college. Needless to say, I don't know how to NOT be active. It's true I love health and fitness. In talking with other people about their passion for working out and eating healthy, I've found that most do it to stay thin. There's nothing wrong with this, believe me I enjoy reaping those physical benefits as well. As a matter of fact, I probably focus on the physical part WAY too much. I've always had a body complex and even diagnosed myself with body dysmorphic disorder. Control thing? Probably. But that's another discussion. The truth is, eating healthy and exercising is a lifestyle and should be done for the right reasons.
Here's what God laid on my heart about this subject: Psalms 139:14 tells us that we "are fearfully and wonderfully made". From our complex brains down to the most simple cell in our human bodies, God created us in His image. Every single one of us were thought about before we were even conceived. We all have things we don't like about ourselves. I hate my ankles! But knowing that God made me unique and loves me just the way I am makes me want to love myself in spite of those things I may not like. I believe it pleases God when we exercise and eat well to take care of our bodies. We can prevent diabetes, hypertension, obesity, and many other illnesses by being active and watching our diet. But when we become obsessed with getting thin or building huge muscles, we risk our body becoming our god. I challenge each of you to ask yourselves what your motivation is for wanting to get or stay fit? Is it to be healthy and improve your quality of life? Or is it to satisfy an obsession with looking a certain way?
Here's what God laid on my heart about this subject: Psalms 139:14 tells us that we "are fearfully and wonderfully made". From our complex brains down to the most simple cell in our human bodies, God created us in His image. Every single one of us were thought about before we were even conceived. We all have things we don't like about ourselves. I hate my ankles! But knowing that God made me unique and loves me just the way I am makes me want to love myself in spite of those things I may not like. I believe it pleases God when we exercise and eat well to take care of our bodies. We can prevent diabetes, hypertension, obesity, and many other illnesses by being active and watching our diet. But when we become obsessed with getting thin or building huge muscles, we risk our body becoming our god. I challenge each of you to ask yourselves what your motivation is for wanting to get or stay fit? Is it to be healthy and improve your quality of life? Or is it to satisfy an obsession with looking a certain way?
Thursday, March 17, 2011
Welcome to 3in1Fitness!
Lately I've received a ton of questions from people about diet and exercise. Many of you know I love health and fitness, so I thought I'd create a place I could answer all these questions, as well as provide some additional information on popular topics. I have so much going on right now and I'm so excited about all of it! My kids are at great ages and are really making life interesting for me, I'm a year away from being an RN, I'm still working out hard and eating well, I just joined up with Habitat for Humanity, and I'm putting together some super intense group training classes for this summer. God has blessed my life beyond measure and I'm ready to see what else he has in store for me in 2011!
In this blog I will be including diet and exercise tips, health updates, and some random thoughts from yours truly. Please feel free to ask questions, suggest ideas, and comment as you wish! I named this 3in1Fitness because I take a holistic approach when it comes to the human body. Mind, body, and spirit... it all works together and must be addressed as a whole. I admit I don't know everything, but what I don't know, I will find out! I look forward to hearing from you all!!
In this blog I will be including diet and exercise tips, health updates, and some random thoughts from yours truly. Please feel free to ask questions, suggest ideas, and comment as you wish! I named this 3in1Fitness because I take a holistic approach when it comes to the human body. Mind, body, and spirit... it all works together and must be addressed as a whole. I admit I don't know everything, but what I don't know, I will find out! I look forward to hearing from you all!!
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