Nutrition

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Host a Workplace Salad Potluck

August 19, 2010 in Motivation, Nutrition by admin | No comments

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The key to successful weight loss is to have a strong support system around you.  Your home is yours, and you control what you do or do not keep in the house.  Most people eat more meals at work than in their home, however, which means your workplace needs to be a healthy food haven , as well.

How can you do this when it seems there is nothing but candy bowls, vending machines and take out?

Chances are, many people in your office are also looking to shape up, and fed up with the lack of healthy food.  They aren’t doing anything about it, so it’s up to you to set the example.  Try a workplace salad pot luck.

Send out a mass email, place a poster on the bulletin board, or use work of mouth to let everyone know that once a week, you will be hosting a workplace salad potluck.  Encourage everyone to bring their favorite healthy salads and sides to swap and share with coworkers for a healthy, low calorie, and fun lunch.

Sound boring? Forget the plain old garden salad.  Try these for delicious variety:

  • Cold couscous salad with veggies and feta
  • Fruit salad with plain  yogurt and nuts for topping
  • Whole wheat pasta salad with veggies and low fat Italian dressing
  • Broccoli salad with dried cherries, almonds and greek yogurt dressing
  • Tuna or salmon salad made with curry powder
  • Spinach salad with hard boiled egg whites and grilled chicken
  • A plate of fresh cut veggies and hummus for dipping

To keep calories low, always use yogurt instead of mayo (I SWEAR you won’t tell the difference) and to mix it up a little, one week have everyone bring 1 unique salad ingredient to make a salad bar.  Try grilled chicken, raisins, nuts, sunflower seeds, baby corn, cottage cheese- the possibilities are endless!

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Get Your Mind Right, Cheaters

May 13, 2010 in Motivation, Nutrition by admin | No comments

I’m a fan of cheat days.  Well, more specifically, cheat meals (a lot of damage can be done in a full day of cheat meals.)  I think that having a meal where you can eat whatever you want guilt free is a great way to build a healthy relationship with food, keep you motivated to continue to eat well the rest of the time, and keep you sane instead of feeling deprived.

The danger of cheat days, however, is if you give yourself permission to have cheat days too often, of course, or if you start to reward yourself with food.

Many people will eat healthy and balanced all day long, and then have an indulgent treat, usually at night, as a reward.  This is OK every once in a while, but not everyday.

Generally, cheat meals and treats should be limited to one time a week.  It should be something you look forward to, but not your motivation.  If you are having a reward every day, or after every workout, it’s going to turn into a problem.  Loosening the reigns once a week is a healthy and a sustainable lifestyle.  If you fall into the habit of rewarding yourself frequently with indulgent meals or snacks, you run the danger of falling into the mind set of suffering through the healthy meals to get to the rewards.

This perpetuates the damaging idea that healthy food isn’t satisfying, and poor nutrition is a ‘reward’ instead of something that is detrimental to your health and goals.

Cheat meals are going to happen.  You are going to be out at a restaurant or a party where you can’t control what you are served, and you should be able to participate without guilt.  You can even plan them into your week to have some of your favorite foods that aren’t necessarily the best in terms of health, without effecting your goals.  The only way this works is if your cheat meals are occasional, they are responsible and resonable in choice and portion, and they aren’t your sole purpose for eating healthy in the first place.  To keep a healthy lifestyle indefinitly, you have to come to a place where you enjoy and respect it.  A treat may be enough to keep you on track for a while, but to really get to a healthy place with food, you have to have your mind right.

In Good Health,

Kelly Turner

Kelly Turner is an ACE Certified Personal Trainer and health and fitness writer from Seattle, WA.  To contact Kelly with any questions, you email her at kellycturner@hotmail.com.

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Fool-Proof Your Life, Get Your Results

March 31, 2010 in Nutrition by admin | No comments

i'll eat you

Temptation.

“It’s so hard to…”

“Can I just have one…”

“I always start out good, but…”

NOPE.  Excuses.  You have to set yourself up for success, which means eliminating all those little tiny things that get in the way of your goals- most of which you are probably putting in your own path.  It’s time to get serious and fool proof your life.

  • No candy dish on your desk at work.
  • No soda, even in your cocktails.
  • Don’t bring change with you- you’ll hit the vending machine the second hungry or boredom hits.  Put it in a jar and save for smaller pants or a training session.
  • Throw out the crap- everything.  Clean it out of your cupboards, your drawers, your pantry and your fridge.  You can’t eat it if it’s not there.
  • Doggie bags never enter the house.  This doesn’t mean clean your plate- give them to a friend or ‘forget’ them at the restaurant.
  • Going out to eat is not a special occasion, so quit telling yourself it is.
  • Never go to a place with a drive-thru, ever.  Even if it’s to order something ‘healthy.’
  • Prepare all your meals at home so you know exactly what goes in them.
  • Only carry a basket when grocery shopping so you only grab the essentials- nothing extra.
  • Double wrap left overs and stack things on top of them in the fridge so they are harder to get to.
  • Put less than stellar foods up high and out of sight.
  • Make a grocery list and only bring enough cash for those items.
  • Buy individual servings of the snacks you serve your kids so you can’t use ‘just a bite’ as an excuse.
  • Plan your meals and stick to them.

If it’s not there, you can’t slip up.  It’s not magic that the food gets into your belly, so if you can’t handle it being around, don’t let it be around.

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Why Are You Giving Away Your Control?

February 25, 2010 in Nutrition by Dave | No comments

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According to the National Restaurant Assn., 49% of every food dollar in the U.S. is now spent in restaurants.

Basically, half. 

Half of the money spend on food, the substance that nourishes our bodies, provides us energy, vitamins, minerals, controls our metabolism and keeps our body functions going is spent on meals out.

The average meal at a restaurant contains about 700 calories more than if you made the same meal at home.  Those extra calories come from giant portions (which we eat in one sitting anyway) extras like cheese, and prep methods, like extra oil, to just plain make it taste better.

When you eat out, you hand control of your body over to the greased up chef in the kitchen, who’s only worry is about making the food taste good, not good for you.

EAT AT HOME.  For the love of God, cook something, and not in the microwave.  Save money.  Save calories.  Save your waistline, your blood pressure and your self esteem.  Eating out should be an occasional treat.  We’ve got goals, people.  Don’t put half of your diet into someone else’s hands, who you know is going to wreck it for you.

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Guest Post: Valentine’s Day Guilt-Free Treats

February 11, 2010 in Nutrition by admin | No comments

valentines_day_chocolate-11818

Yay! Fun stuff!

I don’t think Valentine’s Day was made up by greeting card manufacturer’s, I think I was invented by chocolate and sweat pant manufacturers so you eat and bloat and leaves you definitely not in the mood for any lovin’ that night.

Here are some V-Day snack ideas that will satisfy your sweet tooth and your skinny jeans.

Chocolate Covered Strawberries

Look! Fruit! and chocolate!  Line a baking sheet with wax paper. Buy microwavable melting chocolate at the grocery store (or go old school and melt down some chocolate chips in a sauce pan.) Wash and dry a carton of strawberries, and leave the stem on. Dip the strawberries into the melted chocolate and place on the wax paper. Place baking sheet in fridge until chocolate sets, or you are ready to serve.  To mix it up, try different fruits, like bananas.

Strawberry Shortcake

Mini angel food cakes (one per person)
Strawberries, sliced and hulled
Fat free whipped topping (like Cool-Whip)
Fat free chocolate syrup (just a drizzle)

Place cakes on four plates. Top with strawberries. Top with whipped topping. Drizzle with chocolate sauce. Yeah, that’s it.

Enjoy!  Sweet, figure friendly sweets for you and your sweet!

Kelly Turner is an ACE Certified Personal Trainer and health and fitness writer from Seattle, WA.  Her writing has appeared in numerous magazines, and she currently blogs for Breathe Magazine, Kidglue.com is the Health and Fitness Expert for Twirlit.com and feature fitness writer for FitPeeps.com.  To contact Kelly with any questions, you email her at kellycturner@hotmail.com.

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Guest Post: Is Your Salad Hiding a Dirty Secret?

January 27, 2010 in Nutrition, Tips and Tricks by admin | No comments

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You want to lose weight- so what is your go-to meal?  Salads.  Full of veggies, low on starchy carbs, and toss in a little bit of lean protein and you have a low calorie delicious meal made in weight loss heaven, no?

Probably not.

Most people trying to lose weight, or those trying not to consume their daily allowance in one sitting, will automatically order a salad when they go to a restaurant, feeling like it’s the only safe bet.  More often than not, those salads contain the same amount of calories as a burger.  Seems like a waste.

Just because you throw a bunch of crap on top of a bed of lettuce, doesn’t mean it’s going to be good for you.  To get the most (and the least) from your salads, listen up:

• Choose nutrient-rich dark green, leafy vegetables, such as spinach, romaine, and endive over iceberg lettuce which offers little nutritional value.  It’s pretty much water,m which is low in calories, but doesn’t nothing for your health.
• Fill up with tons of veggies like cucumbers, peppers, broccoli and tomatoes. The brighter the colors, the more nutrient packed the veggie is so look for deep greens, bright reds, yellows and everything in between.
• Add a little lean protein to keep you fuller longer. Opt for beans, lean meat, turkey, and tuna over fatty meats like ham, pepperoni, salami and definitely anything deep fried.
• All salads are not created equal.   Pasta salad, potato salad, tuna salad, chicken salad and macaroni salad are loaded with fatty mayo and oils.  I feel like I shouldn’t even have to say that, but there it is, just in case.
• Skip extras like croutons, crackers, crumbled bacon, and shredded cheeses, and go easy on healthy, but calorie dense extras, like nuts and seeds. These little additions can easily add hundreds of calories to you salad.
• Dressing is probably the easiest way to undo a healthy salad. Choose low fat or fat free dressing, oil based dressings, or just a little vinegar. Always put dressing on the side and dip each bite so you control how much you use.
• Add some sweet with fruits. They are great on the side, or try interesting combinations on top of your salad, like pineapples, blueberries, orange segments or strawberries.

Fast food salads are pre-made and rarely give you the option of choosing your toppings. However, they usually give you the topping in individual packets so you can choose what you put on. Skip crunchy noodles or croutons, bacon and cheese. Always ask for the low fat or fat free dressing choice, even if it isn’t the dressing that comes with your order- most places will accommodate.

Never order an already designed salad for you at a restaurant.  Make substitutions and eliminations.  Their job is to make it taste good, not to ensure you can button your goal jeans, so be your own watch dog.

Salads can be your be your best friend, or your worst diet enemy. Make smart choices with what you load onto your lettuce.

Kelly Turner is an ACE Certified Personal Trainer and health and fitness writer from Seattle, WA.  Her writing has appeared in numerous magazines, and she currently blogs for Breathe Magazine, Kidglue.com is the Health and Fitness Expert for Twirlit.com and feature fitness writer for FitPeeps.com.  To contact Kelly with any questions, you email her at kellycturner@hotmail.com.

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Don’t Sabotage Yourself.

January 15, 2010 in Motivation, Nutrition by Dave | No comments

The Wothington Ladies

MSNBC.com claims self control is contagious.

Want to be a Winner? Surround yourself with Winners.

Choose your friends and associates carefully.

Self-control is contagious, a new study suggests.

In one study, the researchers randomly assigned 36 volunteers to think about a friend with either good or bad self-control. Those who thought about a friend with good self-control persisted longer on a handgrip task commonly used to measure this behavior, while the opposite held true for those who were asked to think about a friend with no restraint.

And on the other side they say, “people with lousy self-control influence others negatively. The effect is so powerful, in fact, that just seeing the name of someone with good or bad self-control flashing on a screen for 10 milliseconds changed the behavior of volunteers.” They also say that the opposite is true, and thinking about someone with good self control will help others have better restraint.

Its happens.  You go out to dinner with a friend, they order first and get hi-cal appetizers, a huge meal that usually involves fries and possibly a dessert.  Suddenly the salmon and salad you were about to order sounds. Not so tasty, and you say “screw it, I’ll have what their having.”

No one else is responsible for you or the decisions you make.  Don’t allow others to unwittingly sabotage your goals.

Now. Change the stats.  Reverse the order. Your influence will positively impact them. What you do that’s in your best interest weight and health wise. The very choices you make. Helps others that are nearest to you. If you can’t  do it for yourself. Do it for them.

And the easiest thing to adjust. Surround yourself with like minded people with similiar goals. You’ll move farther faster than you ever thought possible.

Dedicated to Your Success,

Dave

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Willpower: What is it, and Where Do I Get Some?

January 8, 2010 in Motivation, Nutrition by Dave | No comments

willpower

Most people view eating right and exercising as an exercise in willpower.

But what is willpower?  Being able to resist eating a cookie?  Not being tempted by the cookie at all?  And how do you get more of it?

According to the NY Times:

“The elusive forces behind a person’s willpower have been the subject of increasing scrutiny by the scientific community trying to understand why some people overeat or abuse drugs and alcohol. What researchers are finding is that willpower is essentially a mental muscle, and certain physical and mental forces can weaken or strengthen our self-control.”

So how do you get more willpower? 

By flexing that mental muscle.  Just like any other muscle in your body, you must exercise willpower in order to make it stronger.

We are a country run by immediate gratification: Blackberries, emails, text messages, fast cars, fast food, credit cards- if we want something, we want it right now, and get cranky if we have to wait.  Sometimes that impulse can carry over into other areas we would rather it didn’t.

Does this sound like you?  “I’m hungry.  I can’t concentrate until I get food.  I need food.  I want chocolate.  I need chocolate.  Must. Find. Chocolate.”  You aren’t going to die of hunger if you don’t have a Hershey’s Kiss, but we have trained ourselves that the second we have an impulse, we must give into it.

The researchers in that same article recommend starting out with small tasks to work your way up to the big ones.  Next time you sit down to a meal, deprive yourself on a small scale.  Wait for 5 minutes before you start to eat.  Put your fork down in between bites.  Eat half, and then go do something else for half an hour and then come back and finish.  Slow down, and show that meal who’s boss: you control what goes into your body.

Now, don’t go on a fast just to see if you can do it, please.  That will only have the opposite effect and before you know it you’ll end up with Cheeto dust in your hair after you ate yourself out of house and home. 

Remember: small resistance, in order to work up to the resistance of the big temptations.  Want that piece of cake at the office party? Nah, you can wait until you get home to make a healthy meal.

Give it a try.  Did you die of starvation?  Did the world come to an end?  Or did you have the feeling of confidence that you are in control of your meal, and how and when to eat it?

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10 Steps to a Healthier Diet

October 22, 2009 in Health, Nutrition by Dave | No comments

healthy-diet

Eating healthy is definitely an ‘easier said than done situation’.  It can seem daunting, but if you take steps to develop a habit, and a taste, for a healthier diet, the change won’t seem so drastic.  Take each of these steps one at a time, and soon you’ll find because of your eating habits, you have a ton more energy, have dropped pounds and feel amazing.

Drink water. It’s the only beverage your body really needs. Gradually replace soda,es, even diet,flavored coffees, sugary drinks and other high-cal juices with water. Aim for 8-12 cups each day.

Eat more fruit. You should get 2-4 servings a day (i serving equals about 1/2 a cup). Fruits are rich in nutrients, fiber, phytochemicals and antioxidants, which all help prevent disease. Eat a piece with breakfast and 2 for a snack- most fruit is portable, so you can bring it with you anywhere.

Eat more veggies. Aim for 4-6 servings of vegetables daily (1 servings equals about half a cup.) High in nutrients and low in calories, veggies can help prevent diabetes, stroke,heart disease and more. Veggies go great in everything, so add them to everything: soups, sandwiches, salads, casseroles, stir frys, or just on their own.

Eat breakfast. It boosts your energy, metabolism and mental focus. Plus, breakfast eaters consume fewer calories throughout the day than people who skip it.

Brown bag it. Packing your lunch will not only cut costs, it will cut calories. Bagging it ensures that you are eating better and saving money. Try lean proteins, whole grain bread, fruit, vegetables with dip, and broth-based soups for a wholesome, filling meal.

Avoid trans fats. They increase your risk of heart disease. Foods with “partially hydrogenated oil” as an ingredient contain trans fat (even if the label says 0 grams) and should be left on the grocery shelf. There is no room in your diet for trans fats- none.

Trade white grains for whole grains. White flours, breads, rice and pasta are highly processed and low in nutrients. Whole grain varieties are packed with nutrients, fiber and staying power.

Make healthy substitutions. Keep the tradition and boost the nutrition by making swaps: whole grain flour, less salt, heart-healthy fats, half the sugar, and beans instead of meat.

Check the nutrition facts. The front of a package won’t tell you the whole story. Read labels and compare key nutrients calories, serving size, fat, fiber, calcium, and ingredients to make the best choice.

Watch your portions. While big portions might keep your wallet full, they’ll also add to your waistline. Split large entrees with a friend and never ever supersize.

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