We are what we eat. We’ve all heard that phrase before. It’s quite true. What we put into our bodies will make or break us, so to speak. In America, unlike some underdeveloped countries, we have food abundant. So why aren’t we making nutritiously sound choices?

Let’s take a closer look at what nutrition means. Nutrition is the intake of food, considered in relation to the body’s dietary needs. Good nutrition starts with the basics, a well-rounded diet consisting of whole grains, fresh fruits and vegetables, healthy fats, and lean sources of protein. It’s that simple! Why complicate things by reading more into it than that?

The cornerstone of good health is a well-balanced diet combined with regular physical activity. It’s been well documented that poor nutrition leads to so many ailments from a reduced immunity system, to increased susceptibility to disease, to impaired physical and mental development, as well as to reduced productivity, and the list goes on and on. Why would anyone choose other than sound nutritious choices especially when it’s readily available to them?

It’s been proven that good nutrition cannot only make you healthier, feel better but also add years to your life. Currently, the typical American diet is low in fruits, vegetables, and whole grains, and high in saturated fat, salt, and sugar. As a result, more Americans than ever are overweight, obese, and at increased risk for chronic diseases such as heart disease, high blood pressure, diabetes, and certain cancers.

The time is now to make the changes for a healthier, happier you. Here are some down-to-earth suggestions.

• Eat Your Veggies!
• Focus on Fruit.
• Read the Nutrition Facts Label.
• Control Portion Sizes.
• Control Calories and Get the Most Nutrients.
• Know Your Fats.
• Make Choices That Are Lean, Low fat, or Fat-free.
• Make Half Your Grains Whole.
• Lower Sodium.
• Limit Added Sugars.

Live on! Live Healthy!!

It’s easy to sit back and think about all the reasons not to exercise. I’m tired. It hurts. I can’t do much. It’s just too hard. The classic excuse I hear most often is, “I don’t have the time!”

It’s by far easier not to even contemplate the possibility of exercise. You convince yourself – why bother entertaining the idea? I won’t stick with it. The hardest part is making the conscious decision to make that change in your life. Once you can tell yourself that you must make a change. That you cannot go on like this! Then you just have to do it!

Write out or verbalize what you want to change. Once you’ve done this – then the commitment is born. It’s time now to put words into action. Start your day, first thing in the morning before you can talk yourself out of it, by lacing up those running shoes and step get out the door for the track or the gym. It’s that’s simple.

Seeing the improvements you can make once you’ve made that commitment to exercise on a regular basis will be an absolutely gratifying. After this triumphal first step, the rest is history! Just do it!!!

Another method to look at in establishing what is an ideal weight for you is to use body size. Using this method, some people find that they don’t need to lose as much weight as they first thought due to the size of their frame, others of course find that they are not in fact big boned and that they need to lose more weight than they had originally thought.

Measure the distance between the epicondyles (inside and outside projections of the elbow bone). Ideally, this is done with a broad-faced sliding caliper. If the proper caliper is not available, elbow breadth can be estimated using a metric ruler. Place the thumb and the index finger on the outside of each epicondyle and measure the distance between them with a ruler.

For FEMALES, if your height is 5’2″ or less:

small = wrist size less than 5.5 inches
medium = wrist size 5.5 to 5.75 inches
large = wrist size over 5.75 inches

If your height is 5’2″ to 5’5″:

small = wrist size less than 6 inches
medium = wrist size 6 to 6.25 inches
large = wrist size over 6.25 inches

If your height is 5’5″ or more:

small = wrist size less than 6.25 inches
medium = wrist size 6.25 to 6.5 inches
large = wrist size over 6.5 inches

For MALES, if your height is 5’5″ or more:

small = wrist size 5.5 to 6.5 inches
medium = wrist size 6.5 to 7.5 inches
large = wrist size over 7.5 inches
It’s easy to get consumed with losing weight and having the perfect body; however, whether you’re small, medium, or large boned, the resounding advice I give my clients is TO LOVE AND RESPECT YOURSELF! Now put into action those realistic goals, and happy exercising!

If you recall, in a recent blog, I discussed the most important qualities that make for a good personal trainer. The first quality being that a good trainer has the appropriate certifications. We have examined a host of certifications available in the field and what a nationally recognized certification entails and an excellent resource to compare the certification or lack thereof in the industry.

Now let’s discuss another important factor of what makes for a quality personal trainer. A quality personal trainer has an above reproach reputation and excellent rapport with colleagues and clients. That goes to say that the trainer must possess exceptional communication skills. Remember the trainer has to wear many hats! She’s a coach, cheerleader, and motivator to name just a few. Although, a qualified trainer has what it takes to be all the above, she knows she can a better trainer when she works in collaboration with other experts in the field. No helping profession works in isolation! They elicit the expertise and knowledge base of other reputable colleagues in the field. This team building emphasis goes a long way in providing the best for the client!

Strive to Eat a Balance Diet. A healthy, balanced diet includes vegetables, fruits, whole grains, and low fat dairy products. These foods have the nutrients you need for health including potassium, calcium, vitamin D, and fiber.

Cut Back on Foods High in Saturated Fats, Added Sugars, and Salt. They include cakes, cookies, ice cream, candies, sweetened drinks, pizza, and fatty meats like ribs, sausages, bacon, and hot dogs. Use these foods as occasional treats, not everyday foods.

Eat Smaller Portions. A helpful aid is to use a smaller plate, bowl, and glass. Likewise, if you portion out your foods before you eat, you’re less likely to eat too much or some cases, too little of something.

Understand Fats, Proteins & Carbohydrates. We all need fats, proteins & carbohydrates. If we neglect to balance these essential macronutrients – we set ourselves up for failure.

Understand Nutrition Facts. Knowing the nutrition facts on products is half the battle. For not all products are the same. Some are loaded with too much fats, sugars, sodium or calories. This topic will make for an excellent upcoming blog.

Choose Water Over Sweetened Drinks. A sure way to cut calories is by drinking water or unsweetened beverages. Soda, energy drinks, and sports drinks are a major source of added sugar, and calories.

Be Active. Being physically active also helps you balance calories. Keep moving. Choose a physical activity that you enjoy. I personally enjoy running and strength training. But not everyone likes the same things.

Have Goals. Written, well thought out goals provide purpose and direction; it’s a road map to where you’re going. It provides real time indicators of progress and helps you stay on course; likewise, it can be a quite the motivator to see your plan in action.

Manage Stress. Stress is not necessarily bad but knowing how to manage it is the key. Therefore, have a plan to manage stress in your life, and a proven way to do that is through being physically active.

Have a Support Team. This is probably the most important element in improving your life. It’s one thing to know what to do and to try to make those healthy changes, but having someone on your side to make it all possible is what will make or break you. None of us can do it alone! So find the support you need that will keep you accountable and motivated.

A positive attitude is very important for successful weight loss and weight management. For you to lose weight permanently, you must make a commitment to gradually adopt a healthier way of life. You can control your weight. To lose weight, you must eat fewer calories or burn more calories than you need. However, the best way to lose weight and be a healthier YOU is to eat fewer calories and exercise.

What exactly does this mean to eat fewer calories and exercise? How much do I exercise and how many calories should I eat? If there were a simple answer to this repeated question, I would provide it now. But the best answer for that question is IT DEPENDS. It depends on YOU! How much weight do you need to lose or would like to lose to feel better regarding your health and your looks or whatever the reason? It depends on YOU and YOUR GOALS.

If your doctor said that you needed to get to a healthier weight based on a body mass index, then that would be a realistic goal. Likewise, if you felt great at a certain weight, given that it was within the last decade, aim for that weight as a goal. Therefore, establishing a goal is a first step in the right direction; then sharing your goals with a significant other, someone who you know would help and support you while working toward your goals is the best second step.

Now I ask you, is your goal to lose weight only or to KEEP THE WEIGHT OFF? Of course, your goal may also be to gain more muscle tone, run faster, to get around better, etc., but to KEEP this new-found weight, this heighten level of fitness, or this exciting new look ought to be your ultimate goal. If it’s not, you will be battling the bulge, be a lifetime yo-yo dieter, and fighting an endless battle.

Thus for you to lose weight PERMANENTLY – you must make a commitment to YOURSELF to adopt a HEALTHIER way of life. If this seems like a hopeless challenge, please allow me to guide you.

I will provide you with the tools, knowledge, and accountability you will need to realize your goals and TO KEEP THE WEIGHT OFF! I am committed 100% to your success! Contact me today for a FREE consultation.

How does your lifestyle impact your health? What I mean by lifestyle is the behavior and activities that make up your daily life. Your choices and lifestyle make a big difference to your overall health. Even if certain conditions like heart disease runs in your family, you can do a lot to change any probable outcome. Some genes lead to disease. “But for most people, a healthy lifestyle trumps inherited risk,” says cardiologist Donald Lloyd-Jones.

With heart disease, more than 100 types of genes may play a small role in a person’s risk, Lloyd-Jones says. “But by far the biggest factor is lifestyle.”

Your daily habits — such as what you eat, how active you are, and not smoking strongly affects your heart health. Those are up to you, no matter what’s in your family’s medical history.

Today, with an astounding number of reports about increasing obesity rates, diseases and conditions related to being overweight and out-of-shape, it is impossible to ignore the importance of fitness and healthy living. Health professionals attribute cancer, diabetes and mental issues such as depression to deficiencies in fitness and health.

Why then do so many American suffer from ill health because of their lifestyle choices? A common excuse is I don’t have enough time to exercise. We need, however, to make it a priority to take care of ourselves.

If finding the time to exercise is a challenge for you, concentrate for starters at getting small workouts in throughout the day. If your job takes the majority of your time, consider taking 3-10 minute breaks and walk at moderate intensity, where you break a little sweat and are slightly out of breath. Taking breaks are not only good for physical health, but also for mental health. You will go back to work feeling refreshed and satisfied.

If home life consumes most of your time, consider doing squats or other muscle toning exercises while doing housework. If you work from home, use a stability ball instead of a chair to sit on. Walk on the treadmill during conference calls. These are just a few suggestions.

The American College of Sports Medicine (ACSM) recommends 150 minutes of moderate intensity physical activity per week to achieve the health benefits, maintain current weight, and/or prevent weight gain. And for those who are overweight or obese, the ACSM recommends getting 250 minutes of moderate intensity physical activity each week. Results in studies have shown that weight loss can be significant. Just a heads up: moderate intensity is where you are out of breath a little but you can hold a conversation while performing the exercise.

However, the importance of providing our bodies with the proper nutrition cannot be overstated. Simply put, the human body requires the appropriate balance of vitamins, minerals, carbohydrates, proteins and fat on a daily basis to function optimally and disease-free. In other words, we are what we eat, a topic of an earlier blog.

In my recent blog, I referenced, a book called the “The China Study” one of the best selling books on nutrition by T. Colin Campbell and his son, Thomas Colin Campbell II. The study examined the relationship between the consumption of animal products and illnesses such as cancers of the breast, prostate, and large bowel, diabetes, coronary heart disease, obesity, autoimmune disease, osteoporosis, degenerative brain disease, and macular degeneration.

“The China Study” is a China Cornell Oxford Project, a 20-year study conducted by the Chinese Academy of Preventive Medicine, Cornell University, and the University of Oxford. The study examines the mortality rates, diets, and lifestyles of 6,500 people in 65 rural counties in China, and concluded that people with a high consumption of animal-based foods were more likely to suffer chronic disease, while those who ate a plant-based diet were the least likely.

The study was conducted in China because it has a genetically similar population that tends to live in the same way in the same place and eat the same foods for their entire lives.

In short, the authors conclude that people who eat a plant based /vegan diet, which avoids animal products such as beef, pork, poultry, fish, eggs, cheese, and milk, will minimize or reverse the development of chronic diseases. They also recommend adequate amounts of sunshine to maintain sufficient levels of Vitamin D, and Dietary supplements of Vitamin B12 in case of complete avoidance of animal products and to minimize the usage of vegetable oils. They criticize Low Carb diets, such as the Atkins Diet, which include restrictions on the percentage of Calories derived from complex Carbohydrates.

Again, the overwhelming evidence suggests that the most healthful diets set aside animal products and also reduce fats in general, while including large amounts of vegetables and fruits. Eliminating meat and dairy products from your diet is a powerful step in disease prevention!

The people who succeed are the ones who strive to achieve great things.

They are no smarter or more capable than others.

They have simply decided to make the best of what is available to them.

Those who achieve great things encounter challenges, obstacles and problems, just as everyone else does.

Achievers, however, have simply chosen to work their way through the difficult challenges, rather than be sidetracked by them.

Those who achieve great things also experienced their share of setbacks and disappointments just like everyone else.

They simply decide to refocus and take a renewed determination.

Instead of finding discouragement, from disappointment, those who achieve great things have exactly the same amount of time available in each day as everyone else.

They simply are committed to making the most of each moment.

Those who achieve great things are not any different than anyone else except they decide to do it. They are committed to succeed.

They follow through with persistent and consistent action.

In this way, ordinary people realize quite extraordinary levels of achievement, and you can do it too!

We have all heard this saying, “we are what we eat.” But the truth of matter is we are what we eat and so are our children. Our young impressionable children follow in our footsteps. They eat what we feed them. Our diet is the same diet of our parents to a greater or lesser extent. It’s the culture we grew up in. The point here is what we feed our children can be beneficial or detrimental to them and their children.

According to research, understanding children’s eating attitudes and behavior is important in terms of children’s health. Evidence indicates that dietary habits acquired in childhood persist through to adulthood. (Kelder, 1994; Nicklas, 1995) It’s not just one parent who’s responsible but both parents set the pattern for the family’s lifestyle. If mom and dad are oatmeal-and-hit-the-gym types, their kids likely are, too. Likewise, if parents are more the chips-and-TV type, the kids will do the same. Parents expect their kids to do things, like exercise that they themselves don’t do. You can’t lie on the couch watching TV, snacking on potato chips, yet tell your child to go outside and get some exercise. It just doesn’t work that way.

Any parent can be a good role model for children’s nutrition. Even if you’re overweight and having trouble losing it, it’s still possible to role model a healthy lifestyle for your child. Try these tips at home:

• Buy fruits and vegetables rather than snacks. Studies show that if parents emphasize how important these are in the diet, children will eat them more often – compared to parents who are more about relaxed it.
• Pass along the basics of portion control. Kids also must learn to stop eating – what nutritionists call portion control. In our culture, we tend to lose sight of the feeling of fullness. The ‘clean your plate’ club overrides the natural cues a child has to stop eating when they are full. It prompts them to eat when there is no reason to eat.
• Studies show that when parents make the effort be model good nutrition for their children, it really does work. One study focused on 114 overweight families, with kids aged 6-12 years old. Like their parents, the kids were overweight. As parents took measures to get into shape, so did their overweight kids. In fact, both parents and kids had similar positive results in weight loss over the five-year study period.

Additionally, much research also shows that many children’s diets in the Western world are unsatisfactory. For example, the Bogalsua Heart Study in the US showed that the majority of 10 year olds exceeded the American Heart Association dietary recommendations for total fat, saturated fat and dietary cholesterol.

With the evidence presented, what can be said about modeling good healthy eating habits and healthy lifestyle? That modeling was found to have a clear influence on how children both think and behave around food, with consistent associations found

between parent’s and children’s eating behaviors, as well as, attitudes. In sum, it goes to say, “We are what we eat and so are our children”.