Today Chad and I have been out of the office and meeting with a variety of local businesses. It is always great when we have the opportunity to share some wonderful health and wellness tips with others in our community. Plus, we were able to check out a local coffee shop and Christian bookstore we have wanted to go to for a while (it is only open during the week, 7:30am - 4pm, so we typically don't have a chance to get there)! It has been an awesome day!
Yesterday I shared a letter to my mom-- she was completely okay with me sharing the tips I gave her to the rest of you! Today, I want to share PART of a letter I sent to another important person in my life... I am not going to share the whole thing, but the tips included are relevant for everyone! To respect privacy, I am not going to say who the tips were originally for... but, I hope that you can utilize them, too!
Yesterday was primarily on fitness-- today is primarily on nutrition. Both have aspects of all four challenges though-- especially if you use the letter to my mom and todays letter together!
"So, here goes. Just a warning, I am going to give you a lot of really effective ideas... try as many as you want to! They all work-- and the more you implement, the better they will work together!
First, I want to just say that I think it is great that this is something you are doing for YOURSELF. I always ask clients why they are wanting to start livng a healthier lifestyle-- and the ones that are doing it for themselves are always the most successful! Also, I always ask them to look at the, "reason behind the reason." Obvious reason-- lose weight. Reason behind the reason will vary for everyone, but once you know what yours is, you will be more motivated. It might be the Roadrace... it might be to enjoy a healthy lifestyle longer... it might be to be active with the niece, nephew or eventually your own kids. Or it could be something as simple as a physical appearance-- whatever it is for you, take some time to seriously think about it. It's an important aspect in achieving your goals.
Tips:
-No carbs after 4 or 5pm **Except Veggies**. Doing this will allow your body to use the carbs you intake in the earlier part of the day and then burn fat (not carbs) throughout the rest.
-Be sure to have a lot of veggies and protein at dinner. Veggies do have minimal carbs-- but just be sure to stay away from the starchy veggies (potatoes). Protein allows you to stay full longer and allows your body to recover overnight to maintain and build muscle. Veggies also have a lot of fiber to keep you full longer.
-Never ever ever skip breakfast.
-Since I know you really like carbs-- you can also try the zig-zag approach. Meaning, stagger days of no, low and medium carbs. Repeat the days in a cycle.
-Incorporate healthy fats into your diet::
avocados
almonds and walnuts
coconut oil (great to cook with-- non-virgin does not taste like coconuts)
salmon
olives
----the purpose of adding these in is that they digest slowly and let you feel full for longer AND healthy fats actually help your body burn fat. If you are deficient in fat, your body will store the fat you do eat (usually the unhealthy kind)
-You aren't going to like this one-- but limit your milk intake. Lactose is sugar. In an 8oz glass of 1% milk you will have-- 2.5 grams of fat and 12 grams of sugar--equaling a little over 100 calories per 8 ounces. Also, your body can't absorb the calcium and vitamin d in milk-- you'd be better off eating a cup of broccoli or any other green vegetable....roughly 3 or 4 times more calcium than in milk-- and it is absorb-able!
-To address the sweets-- your body has two type of, "burning," modes it can be in... Sugar burning or fat burning. The more you begin the limit sugar, the less you will crave it. Sugar is my weakness, too.
- Eat every 3 hours-- small meals/snacks. Almonds, fruit, protein... something to keep your blood sugar level and your metabolism high!
- Side salad before your meal-- be careful with the dressing and toppings though! The salad is high in fiber and low in calories.
- Avoid packaged foods... Your body doesn't know how to process them and they can cause fatigue.
- A lot of women are deficient in Vitamin D3. I recommend taking a supplement. It increases overall health, decreases fatigue, decreases potential of breast cancer.... among MANY other benefits!
- Omega 3-- Cod Liver Oil is the best-- Nordic Naturals is the best brand you can get! The liquid is more absorb-able but the texture drives me insane-- I take the lemon-flavored capsules (doesn't taste like fish)..."
Okay-- that's the part of the letter I am going to share with you! If you read it carefully you will see that 1. it is full of useful nutrition tips, 2. it forces you to change your thinking and get out of your comfort zone by making you find the reasons behind your reason for doing what you do! I hope each and every one of you benefit from this entry! As always, if you need more information, I am just an email away!
And, if you are ever feeling down remember that you have a purpose and that God doesn't make mistakes!
"So God created man in his own image, in the image of God he created him; male and female he created them." Genesis 1:27 (NIV)
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