Wow! That is such a fantastic title for this article. I’m glad you’re still with me… I often have clients ask questions about “what is a protein?” or hearing that carbs are bad, not realizing the vast difference between the carbohydrates found in cookies versus the carbohydrates found in a tomato. This is a list of different types of foods, broken down into their MAIN category. I say “main” category because inevitably I’ll get the question about beans and or cheese: “But Elizabeth, beans & cheese have protein in them, don’t they?” Yes, they do. Beans have protein in them, but they are an incomplete protein [more on that in another blog post]. And although cheese has protein in it, it really has more fat than protien, so I put cheese and nuts in the fats category. And no. By all means, this is not a complete list. but it Read More . . .
Out with the old, In with the New
Health with Friends is partnering with other Austin area health based businesses to host a free athletic wear clothing swap at Pathway to Fitness, a personal training studio at 4009 Medical Parkway. Shoppers are encouraged to bring their clean, gently used athletic wear to Pathway to Fitness July 18 – 22nd, and return July 23rd from 12 noon to 3:30 pm to shop for free. Unclaimed items will be given to Goodwill, or sent via the Red Cross to recipients in Alabama, Tennessee or along the Mississippi Delta. Join Us! It’s going to be So. Much. Fun. Find out more: Details on Clothing Swap Read More . . .
Introducing: Health with Friends!
I’ve recently added a new service for my customers that I’m really excited about. I’m excited about it because I am in this business to help folks be healthy. I want my clients to live better lives than they are right now & I know so many of them can, but just don’t know how, or where to start. Some folks don’t have the social support that they need at home to be successful. That’s where Health with Friends comes in. Health with Friends is a Goals Based Support Group. As a Health Educator, I assist my clients in making behavior changes where their lifestyle is concerned. I work within the 5 pillars of health: nutrition, activity, sleep, stress management and smoking cessation. Health with Friends also works within these 5 pillars of health, but rather than being accountable to just me, their wellness coach, nutritionist or personal trainer, they’re Read More . . .
Black Bean Brownies
My husband thinks I should start rating my recipes as “Gary Approved” or not; as this recipe is not Gary Approved. I think it’s just a mental thing because I told him that they were made with black beans instead of flour before he even took a bite. That was my mistake. He doesn’t like them – but I’m okay with that because now I don’t have to share. Given the choice between these brownies & ones out of a box, or homemade; yes, the homemade ones will win every time, however these brownies have less than 100 calories per serving & I think they’re delish. They allow me to have the indulgence of brownies without the guilt. They have the texture of flourless chocolate cake; dense, but light. They also have the added benefit that they’re all natural, almost 100% clean (depending on how you rate sugar), and have Read More . . .
This is why I do what I do
Last week, I had a really bad night's sleep, but had set my alarm to wake me early to go running. As I lay in the dark, I had contemplated blowing my run off, but really, I was already awake & decided to use that time productively. Before I headed out, I checked my email & overnight had received an email from my sister letting me know that she had been diagnosed with Lobular Carcinoma In Situ (LCIS). LCIS is defined as: "Lobular carcinoma in situ is a condition caused by unusual cells in the lobules of the breast.It is usually not considered cancer, but it can indicate an increased risk of future cancer. Unlike Ductal Carcinoma in Situ (DCIS), LCIS is not associated with calcification, and is typically an incidental finding in a biopsy performed for another reason." There were two lumps close together, which her surgeon removed. Her Read More . . .
Feel Better About Yourself: Stop Reading Magazines
Last month, Gary & I went on a short road-trip vacation. Because there wasn’t a lot to do in the town (and I wasn’t currently reading a book), I decided to buy a magazine – I think it was Redbook. It was a guilty pleasure because I used to read a LOT of magazines, but over the years have slowly weaned myself off of them. Yes, I used to read a lot of magazines! It all started with Seventeen, and then I moved on to Glamour & Cosmopolitan. Then, when I started taking better care of myself, losing weight, and started bodybuilding, I couldn’t get enough: Fitness, Health, Self, Oxygen, Women’s Health, Fitness Rx. OMG! I think the list goes on & on. I was always looking for that little nugget of information that was going to flip the switch; make my life different, make me lose the weight I Read More . . .
What Statement Do You Make With Your Diet?
It’s not a question we really think about. What does my diet say about me? When I go to the grocery store, what are my priorities? When I counsel my clients in their nutritional choices though, it’s something that I need to know in order to help them in making the right choice. Example: My client asks me "Should I be eating soy?" Well, the answer to that is much more complicated than a straight yes or no. What are the reasons behind you asking this question? Some questions that would determine the answer are: Are you trying to reduce your carbon footprint? Are you concerned about the amount of protein you’re getting in your diet? Are you vegetarian or vegan? Are you trying to reduce the amount of animal products in your diet? Do you like soy? What are your thoughts on processed foods? Yeah – I know. That Read More . . .
Is the bodybugg worth it?
It’s true. The bodybugg is a pricey piece of equipment, and ultimately, only you can decide how much money you would be willing to pay to lose the weight you desire. I get asked this question A LOT. Is it worth it? When I started with the bodybugg, I only had 15 lbs to lose & was convinced that I had a slow metabolism. I knew that my workouts were good: I’m a personal trainer & nutritionist, so I knew WHAT I was eating was good too. What the bodybugg immediately exposed was that I was sedentary the 23 hours in the day I WASN’T exercising. We all know that moving burns more calories than not moving. The bodybugg illustrates that fact very clearly. Here’s my activity graph from one day. You can clearly see where I was moving & where I wasn’t. I apparently went for a run & Read More . . .
Back on the Wagon
I just posted a new newsletter to my website! If you’re not on my newsletter list, please feel free to sign up here. I try to send out newsletters once a month. I’m not really sure what happened, but apparently I took a 9 month hiatus! Initially I think I can blame it on my bodybugg. I’ve been trying to add more activity in my life, and sitting, doing computer work does not accomplish that goal. Eventually, it became a daunting task, my self talk being something like: "Well, now it needs to be an AWESOME newsletter because you’ve been saving all of this information up. It needs to be rockin’!" That type of self talk reminds me of what we do to ourselves all the time when it comes to LOTS of areas in our life; whether it’s eating "I can’t start eating better until I’ve gotten all of Read More . . .
bodybugg vs fitbit: Round 4 – Activity & Accuracy
<< Previous Round bodybugg vs fitbit: Round 3 – Sleep Tracking So the reason I was initially drawn to the bodybugg was that it allowed me to see how many calories I was burning in a day. I knew how many calories I was eating. What I didn’t know, was how many I was burning; but why is that even important? Weight loss is a simple equation of consuming fewer calories than your body burns. There are TONS of food logging websites & tools, and as I mentioned, I knew what I was eating, because I was logging my food for years prior to knowing about the bodybugg. But eating is only half of the equation in weight loss and weight management. I can tell you that if you eat 500 fewer Calories per day than your body needs, you will lose 1 pound per week; I already knew that. Read More . . .
How to Rock a Strapless Dress
Hey there, I just had a few questions that aren’t derby related. I am getting married in April and have been working out 4-5 times a week on top of derby now. I am concerned about toning my arms (among other things) because my dress is strapless. I have some okay biceps going due to my job but my triceps are pretty squishy. Do you have any tips on focusing on lengthening and toning arm muscles? I have a few small weights and treadmill, as well as doing push ups and working with a resistance band. Any advice to add to my routine would be much appreciated. Thanks! Chelsea Handle Her This is such a great question that I decided to answer it in a blog post because I think it’s a topic that many folks want the answer to: whether getting married, or preparing for a school reunion, getting Read More . . .
bodybugg vs fitbit: Round 3 – Sleep Tracking
<< Previous Round bodybugg vs fitbit: Round 2 – Food Logging According to the National Institutes of Health, 50 to 70 million Americans are affected by chronic sleep disorders, and I am very fortunate that I am not one of them. I didn’t realize this until just a few years back. I have no problems sleeping. Sure, occasionally I’ll have a night where I randomly wake up in the middle of the night, or have trouble falling asleep, but it typically doesn’t last more than one night & the visualization techniques I use will usually work to get me to sleep. The bodybugg armband has the ability to show sleep efficiency, but the web application doesn’t expose it. Sure, you can wear it to bed & you can see in the activity graph if you got up, but overall it doesn’t display anything different if you’re just lying there, awake Read More . . .
bodybugg vs fitbit: Round 2 – Food Logging
<< Previous Round bodybugg vs fitbit: Round 1 – Getting Going Logging your food is THE most powerful thing you can do to improve your diet & eating habits. Logging your food prevents you from mindless munching. It creates this awareness of everything that you put in your mouth – even if you're journaling your food with a pen & paper. I don't exactly know why it's so powerful – there are a lot of reasons: you become aware of everything that you're eating. Suddenly, you change your eating habits because you don't want to write it down (those 4 hershey's kisses that you scarfed off of your co-worker's desk. Additionally, you gain this awareness of how many calories are in the foods you eat. Whatever reason resonates with you, if you want to drop a few pounds, start journaling your food. Food journals have been around for ages! I Read More . . .
bodybugg vs fitbit: Round 1 – Getting Going
Hello, My name is Elizabeth & I'm a data geek. That's why I love my bodybugg. I've loved my bodybugg pretty much since the day I got it. The bodybugg is the first tool available that allows you to really see how many calories you're burning in a day. This is a fantastic insight for folks who are trying to lose weight, or maintain their weight loss because how do you know how many calories to eat if you don't know how many calories you burn? Since I'm a nutritionist, wellness coach and personal trainer, I instantly recognized how powerful of a tool this was & became a licensed reseller, which affords me the opportunity to distribute them to my clientele. Initially, the bodybugg didn't have any competition. The first competitor was the GoWear Fit, which is the same product distributed by the company that actually makes the bodybugg armband; Read More . . .
Do those new funny shoes work?
Subject: ? For your trainer Hey – I was wondering about those tennis shoes with the funky bottoms…skeechers and reebok make them (maybe also earth). Anyway, can you ask your trainer if she has an opinion about them. Wouldn’t want to miss a buying opportunity if it’s healthy! Thx! I think that’s funny. You know – I AM interested in them though. Let’s see – what are their claims? From Reebok: (OMG! is their advertising selling sex!) 78% of men are speechless. 81% of women jealous. EasyTone helps you get better legs and a better butt with every single step. From Sketchers: 1. Tone your muscles 2. Promote healthy weight loss 3. Make it easy to get in shape! Okay – so at least they’re not trying to claim that you’ll burn more calories in them. What I think they’re doing is providing an unstable surface, so that you have Read More . . .
Question of the Day: Protein Drinks
Today’s Question is from Sarah: "I would also like to get your opinion on protein drinks. What do you think of them? Do you recommend them or suggest staying away from them? I have heard lots of people talking about them, and one even came with my workout program (which I have been taking), but I’m not sure if it’s the best thing to do. Any suggestions?" Oy! Protein Drinks! Let’s start with some definitions. Supplements are a multi-billion dollar industry. There are lots of "fitness" foods out there: Protein Drinks, Energy Drinks, Meal Replacement Powders (MRPs), Meal Replacement Drinks (MRDs), Protein Bars, Energy Bars, and Meal Replacement Bars. Meal replacements are designed to replace a complete meal, and therefore have a nutrient formula similar to what that manufacturer believes should be the nutrient breakdown of a meal. It will have an adequate supply of protein, carbohydrates, and fats. These Read More . . .
Veggie Burger & Sweet Potato Fries
Ever since I’ve read the Omnivore’s Dilemma & saw the movie Food Inc., I’ve been more aware of the quality of my food, where it’s coming from & also the environmental impact of my diet. With all of that, I went online searching for veggie burger recipes & found a Houston’s copycat version. Houston’s Restaurant has the best veggie burger EVER! It looks like a burger should (not like those lame frozen soy patties that you get in the grocery store), it has a ton of flavor & is just to die for. If you’ve never had a veggie burger, never had a veggie burger that you’ve liked, or haven’t tried Houston’s veggie burger, you need to go there & try it. (Gary even liked it & ordered one!) Anyway, I’m playing around with the recipe. I think the flavor is there, but they’re pretty loose – so I need Read More . . .
Bodybugg Calories Burned
Another Frequently asked question about the bodybugg application is: "Why do I have two different Calories Burned Numbers? I just got my Bodybugg last night. It seems to be working and when I uploaded data from the armband to computer, at the bottom it said I had burned 31 calories-had only been wearing it for a few minutes. The top display for the overall day is completely out of whack says 381 calories burned so far which can’t be done in wearing it a whole ten minutes?" The Red arrows in this screen shot point out the conflicting data. Clearly the numbers are different, but why? The top number shows the total number of calories burned during the entire day. The bottom number shows the number of calories burned during a specific time of day, typically your waking hours, which is illustrated by the darker gray area that the blue Read More . . .
How Do I Edit my Meals in the Bodybugg?
The most common first question I get with the bodybugg application is, "I’ve entered my food, now I want to go back & change it & I cant." As far as editing the food log, yes you can do it & it’s easy; it just happens in a different place than where you initially log your food. I agree that it’s a little confusing. You click the “Calories Consumed” button when you’re entering in new meals, but not when you’re modifying previously entered meals. Editing Food Step 1: Using the Date selector, select the date for the food you want to modify. Step 2: Select the “Nutrition” sub-tab just below the “Calories Burned”, “Calories Consumed” buttons & just to the left of the Calories Burned graph. Once you’re on that sub-tab, you can edit any meal by clicking the “EDIT” button associated with the meal you’d like to change. Read More . . .
Consciously Incompetent
When I imagined that I would be skating in rollerderby, I didn’t necessarily imagine that I would be blocking every body hit & skating with the fluid moves of a butterfly: zipping in & out of other girls around me. I guess I thought that it might be a little difficult at first, but with a little time & stick-to-it-ness, I’d be okay. After I invested in all of my equipment, I certainly felt the pressure to make it work. But after 8 weeks of skating 2-3 times per week, neither did I imagine that I would lose my balance & fall when I was just standing on my skates! I’m completely in awe of my coaches, Sparkle Plenty & Devil Grrl. They’re both so at ease on their skates. When Sparkle talks, she “paces” in her skates – backwards, forwards, sideways… it’s as if her skates are part of Read More . . .