In thinking about how the cancer had destroyed my mom’s body, it occurred to me that in order to avoid this disease, I needed to prepare my body so that it would be able to fight off any disease that it might encounter. Not only did I need to get down to a healthy weight, but I also needed to eat better quality of foods, become active, and well, become a responsible adult. Read More . . .
Stuck
Walking really helps clear my head & centers me. Its my therapy. I do a fair amount of thinking when I walk. As I was walking the other day, I was feeling rather anxious. I’ve recently taken on a few different continuing education courses for my professional life, with the hopes and expectations of being a better coach, and helping my clients more. And, I’ve probably over-committed myself a bit in the process. The skills that I am learning are extremely valuable, but change is difficult. I have relied on one way of doing things, and now that I’m learning about a better way of doing things, even though I can see the value in it, sometimes it seems easier to just revert to the old way. I was thinking about how easy it would be to forget about the new techniques I was learning to help clients through stuck times. How uncomfortable Read More . . .
How to dump crappy habits
Anyone who says that the issue of obesity, weight management and fitness is all about knowing what is/is not good for you, or about willpower is over-simplifying the problem, and hasn’t fully grasped the gravity of the issue. It is a hugely complex issue because it all starts in the brain, and the brain is a hugely complex organism. We all do things that we know don’t serve us in our goals, and yet, we often find ourselves powerless to change. It doesn’t matter if we’re talking about eating habits, spending money, smoking, or some other habit that we want to change. In Kelly McGonigal’s audio program, The Neuroscience of Change, she talks about our destructive habits. Destructive habits are things that we do that either don’t serve us any longer, or are getting in the way of things we do want in our lives. It could be smoking, eating Read More . . .
Why diet plans give me anxiety
Me: “So, are you making any changes with your diet?” Her: “Well, I don’t know. I was thinking about that last night. I’ve been walking, but I don’t know if I should do Paleo, or cut out carbs, or what. What do you think?” Whenever I hear someone mention a certain ‘plan’, whether it’s The Paleo Diet, The Zone Diet, or even The Eat Clean Diet, or even make drastic, sudden changes, I always cringe. Yes, I know it’s easier when you have a list of ‘rules’. This is what you can and cannot eat. There’s no grey area; that grey area where you’re unsure, “Am I on plan? or off?” It’s definitely easier to say yes or no to food if you know where the line of on and off are. We understand the rules. I basically have rules for my diet. But I’ve created those rules myself. And they’re not rules. They’re barely guidelines. And Read More . . .
Can I do that?
I’ve been through a lot of fitness phases in my journey. There’s one phase that I’ve been thinking a lot lately: that time that I was doing Bikram Yoga. Bikram Yoga is a yoga practice done in an ungodly hot and humid room. The class is a series of 26 poses, done in the same order, held for the same amount of time. You could go to a Birkam Yoga class in California, Brazil, Germany, or Japan, and each instructor is taught to cue the poses the same way. Some will look at this form of a class and think that it sounds boring: Doing the same exercises in the same order every single time? Ugh! I need some variety! Yes, you could look at it that way, but here’s the thing. Doing yoga this way taught me something about my body. Well, to be truthful, about bodies in general. Read More . . .
Am I NOT setting a good example?
Everyone has a “thing”. Right? Gary & my “thing” is pizza and red wine. It all started 15 years ago, this Valentines Day. I was still living in Chicago, but I was already planning on moving to Austin, and we were house hunting. His mom had given him a bread maker for Christmas, I think we had attempted making pizza on a sheet pan, but I recall, it was that Valentines Day that I bought him the pizza stone set. At the time, I was still working in high tech. I was about three years into my own fitness journey, but no where near thinking that it might become part of my future. I think it was at that time that we started having pizza on Saturday nights – or at least, it became a tradition to have pizza on Valentines Day, for sure. Our pizza making journey is almost as winding Read More . . .
The 1 key to health behavior success
Have you ever completed a fun run, community service, or other philanthropic deed, and thought to yourself, “I am really proud of myself. I think I deserve a treat!” If you have, you’re not alone. In Kelly McGonnigal’s book, The Willpower Instinct, she talks about this exact phenomenon: coined, the Halo Effect. The Halo Effect takes place when we do something good, or what we deem good. It could be pretty simple: signing an environmental petition, volunteering, participating in a run for charity, or even recycling. Then, after we’ve done something good, we rationalize bad behavior because we have just done something good. Researchers showed that folks were more likely to cheat on a test after they had completed charity work. But here’s the thing. Not everyone does these things, and not all the time, or under all circumstances. So, what makes the difference? Identity. Identity is huge in our Read More . . .
What you know about dieting is bullsh*t
Have you ever looked at a picture of yourself from another time, and think, “What the hell was I so hard on myself for? My body was adorable! And I remember hating my body when that picture was taken!” For years I was looking for the magic pill. You know the one. The one that you find in magazines, diet books, following health gurus online. The one that is going to make you instantly the size and shape that you desire to be. I read everything. I scoured every magazine: 10 Days to a Bikini Body? I’m in. 5 Secret Fat Loss Foods? I need it! How to eat until you’re stuffed and still lose weight! Hey – Right on. I would look at what foods women were buying in the grocery store. Nope! Same foods (or junkier) that I was buying. I would see women at the gym, and think to Read More . . .
Just Show Up
Happy New Year! As with every change in the calendar, folks start to look at the blank canvas of a new year, and get inspired with ideas of what this year can look like. What new opportunities will present itself? WIll I have more wealth at the end? Will my business grow? What steps can I take to make my life better? Is my personal health part of that equation? Will I be moving the needle (in a positive way) for my personal health? There are lots of ways to improve your personal health. Yes, you can go to the gym. Yes, you can eat less junk. You could try incorporating some better sleep habits into your routine, or maybe practice deep breathing when you feel stressed out.I know those last two ideas are not what typically come to mind when we think about healthy habits, but stress management and Read More . . .
#GSD – Inspirational Totem
“My mother always told me I wouldn’t amount to anything because I procrastinate. I said, ‘Just wait.” ― Judy Tenuta I’m really kind of over New Years resolutions. I find that if I dislike where my life is headed, I can change directions any time I want. I don’t need a new calendar year to start a new habit. And yet, I like the concept of having a focus, or something to drive towards. Last year I was introduced to the concept of an “inspirational totem“. The concept is a word or phrase that guides you through the year. Not unlike New Years resolutions, but without the ‘resolution’ part. It’s more of a mindset shift. Just a word or a phrase, that you connect with, that keeps you focused on where you want to go. I love it that we have the opportunity to change our mindset. We can change Read More . . .
A Jackpot Liquor Dispenser and Ceramic Cat Frame
My husband and I don’t exchange Christmas gifts – with each other or with our families. It all started several years back. Christmas morning, we opened a gift from my husband’s aunt, a recovering alcoholic. Opening the box, I swear a puff of smoke escaped, as if she had exhaled into the box, quickly taped it up, and sent it on its way from Boston to Texas. Inside was a lovely liquor dispenser in the shape of a slot machine. Yes. You read that right. The idea was that you pull the handle, and liquor would pour out where coins would emerge. It made a fantastic White Elephant gift the next year. Then later, I opened a gift from my sister. It was a ceramic cat, with a 1″x1″ picture frame attached via spring to its paw. All I could think was, “It’s like, you don’t even know me!” The Read More . . .
Live Better, Not Longer
As a fitness professional, when I get a new client, one of the first questions I ask is, “What are your goals?” After I understand my client’s goals, I then want to understand why s/he has decided to hire me now? What event happened that caused him/her to seek help? What I’ve noticed about these two questions, is that motivation and adherence change based on a persons age. When we’re in our 20’s, we want to look good. Our appearance is very important. Although there is nothing wrong with wanting to look good, oftentimes it’s not a strong enough goal to make us want to stick to the initial goal. In our 30’s & 40’s we want to be able to keep up with our children, maybe getting our clothes to fit a little looser. In our 50’s, we realize that for the past few decades, our children and careers have placed higher on Read More . . .
Giant Ladders
When you do your strength training, do you find yourself going to the gym, or AT the gym, wandering aimlessly? You bounce around between exercises based on what equipment is currently being used? Do you look at what other folks are doing & decide to copy them based on their ideas? There are lots of ways to do strength training. Some folks split their body parts into groups & train one body part per day, working that body part no more than one time per week. Others will combine body parts into muscles that push and muscles that pull, and may hit a muscle group more than once per week. Still others will perform total body training, working all muscle groups within the same workout. There are advantages and disadvantages to each method, with the one true statement being that if you do the same type of workout every single Read More . . .
Tips for not breaking your diet on Halloween Candy
Halloween is over a month away & if you’ve stepped foot in your local grocery store, you’ve already seen the aisles filled with brightly colored Halloween candy. It seems hard to resist. I’ve written before about non-candy treats that you can give out for Halloween, but what if you still want to give candy? What are some techniques that you can use so that you don’t eat it all before your trick-or-treaters arrive? Buy your candy as close to Halloween as possible – Don’t buy candy now thinking that it will stay until Halloween untouched. It won’t. If it’s not in the house, you won’t be tempted to eat it. So don’t buy it, and don’t tempt yourself. Buy candy that you don’t like – I know! Is that even possible? probably. If you love chocolate, buy treats that are not chocolate based (candy corn, gum, jelly beans, Nerds, Sweet tarts, etc.). Read More . . .
New School Year – New You!
I have often thought of the beginning of the school year as my new year, versus the calendar year – January 1. I don’t know if it’s because I have a fall birthday, but since I was young, I always felt like the school year was a year to start fresh: I had a new teacher, and could really reinvent myself and start new. So, it’s typically around this time of year that I start to think about what goals I want to accomplish for the upcoming year, where I want to be in the next year and reflect on the past year’s events. Starting new habits when the school year starts is actually a really good strategy when you want to start a good habit, like exercising, or even drop a bad habit, like going out for your morning coffee. Its easier to start a new habit in the Read More . . .
Get something. Fill me.
It was about a year ago. We were at a party. I remember there being a large chocolate sheet cake with chocolate frosting. I wanted it. Throughout the night I could barely concentrate on anything that I was engaged in. I don’t remember any conversations because in the back of my head I kept thinking about that cake. I wanted the cake. It was all I could think about. At one point, I broke off & went to the bathroom, seeking the cake, but couldn’t find it. I think it was all gone & although I was disappointed, felt relief that I didn’t have to think about it any longer. Shortly after that party, I read James Frey’s A Million Little Pieces. It was the first time that I looked at my eating habits as an addiction: I smell the food, it is breakfast food. Eggs and bacon and sausage Read More . . .
Do it like it’s your job!
I understand that changing our health habits can be challenging at times. One of the pet peeves of my job is when clients cancel their appointments – and it’s probably not for the reason that you’re thinking. Its not because I’m not getting paid for that time that I’ve scheduled; it’s because when clients cancel their appointments, it means that they’re not following through with the plan. When clients don’t follow the plan, they don’t see results. When they don’t see results, they wonder why they’re spending so much money on my services and not seeing results. When they don’t see results, they figure that I’m just another ‘diet’ or workout that didn’t work for them. And then they quit. I’ve recently had a string of cancellations from several clients, and so I started thinking about my own health habits. I started thinking about ‘when was the last time I Read More . . .
The Four Pillars of Health
My [ever supportive] husband pointed out that this graphic does not represent pillars, but rather are arrows. If I had to draw “Pillars”, they wouldn’t look like this. touche. So, I thought I would write a little something about why I use this graphic & what it represents to me. First, as a wellness coach, these are the areas I work with my clients. These areas of health are my boundary. I don’t help clients with organizational, financial or relationship skills. I work with them on areas of health: their nutrition, activity, sleep management and stress management. The way I see it, these areas are so tightly connected that if one fails, they all tend to fail. I’m sure you’ve noticed that during times of high stress, that if you don’t take proper care of yourself, your nutrition starts to falter. When we stray from those foods that are good Read More . . .
General Training Guidelines For Beginners
Always start with big the muscle groups first. For example, always do chest before triceps and shoulders, always do back before biceps. Work each body part once per week with the exception of abs and calves, you can work them 2- 3 times per week if you’d like. Allow at least 48 hours before you work the same muscle group again. Never train a sore muscle. For big muscle groups (like chest, back, legs), I recommend 3-4 exercises per muscle group and 3-4 sets per exercise. But use your best judgement, if it’s too much then cut back until your training level increases. For smaller muscle groups, I recommend 2-3 exercises per part, 2-3 sets per exercise as these groups are also worked when you exercise the big muscle groups. Just remember, more is not always better. Pick a weight in which the last rep or two are very hard, on Read More . . .
Nutrition Tips for Reducing Bodyfat
Eat every 2-3 hours, balanced meals of protein, carbohydrates, and fat. Exception: you don’t necessarily have to eat carbohydrates with your last meal or two of the day, you CAN just eat protein and fat. Unless it’s post workout (post strength training), then you NEED to eat some carbs. Try to keep the protein intake in each of your meals consistent. If you are resistance/strength training, eat a minimum of your bodyweight in grams of protein, divided up equally into each of your meals. Don’t be afraid of fat, you NEED fat in order to BURN fat. You need to turn your body into a fat burning machine. In order to do this, you keep your carbs fairly low (30-40 grams per meal is a good rule of thumb, but it does depend on your activity level) and your fat intake moderate. As in, the lower your carbs, the more Read More . . .