Exercising for Longevity

At some point in our lives, maybe in our 30's, a shift happens. Most People start thinking about exercise from the perspective of seeking the type and volume of exercise that provides the most long term benefits rather than instant gratification.  Simply put, most of us age 30+ exercise because we want to increase both the quality and quantity of our later years. The focus is less about weight loss (unless truly warranted) and more about keeping our joints, muscles and brain as young as possible.

The truth is, when you see someone who's in their 80's, 90's or even 100's looking spry and you think to yourself, "I hope I look, move, and feel that good when I'm their age." That person was likely not setting power lifting records in the gym in their younger years or playing professional contact sports. Why? Because those sports beat your body up and the curve of where exercise benefits your body begins it's downward slump before that intensity and consistency of physical activity is reached.

This begs the question, "how much, what type and what intensity is most likely to increase both the quality and quantity years ahead of you?" The answer is, "it depends." It depends on an individuals current training status, body composition and a myriad of lifestyle factors. That said, there are a couple things we know for sure (when I say we, I mean academics and my anecdotal experience being an athlete and working with clients over the last 10 years).

1. Walk more, sit and drive less. Blue Zones has complied an impressive amount of research regarding longevity and lifestyle factors. This article highlights and supports the concept of urban planning and how living in a walk-able community can increase your longevity and reduce your risk for heart disease.

2. Commit to move your body everyday. Even if it's just 10 minutes of walking or stretching the increase in blood flow (vasodilation). Just setting your attention on your body begins to cements the habit into your life. You're not someone trying to exercise, you are someone who exercises. You have to own the identity you're striving for. Founder of Brightline Eating, Susan Pierce Thompson Phd, does an excellent job in explaining the importance of how you talk about yourself and the impact it has on your ability to adhere to any plans you may have for your life.

3. Variety is key. Mix up your exercise routine. Include many different movements, in multiple planes of motion. Avoid doing repetitive actions (ie: running, swimming cycles) unless complemented by a variety of other movement. Those who only swim, only run or only do repetitive movement are prone for overuse injuries and muscular imbalances. Additionally, learning new movements under varying loads increases neural pathways and some studies show it can decrease the age of your brain and increase brain plasticity.

4. Do something you enjoy. Exerciser have the highest rate of adherence when they're preforming an exercise modality they enjoy or the company they're exercising with.  The buddy system works great here, but know enough about yourself to identity if you're seeking solitude during your workout.

5. Moderation is key. To experience the most benefits from exercise don't under or over do it. Do intense (if ok by your doctor) sometimes, do moderate exercise frequently and do low intensity exercise a lot. You might find yourself on either end of the  curve above,but hopefully it's temporary and then you can get right back to middle and your goal of increasing the quality and quantity of the years ahead of you.

Live long, feel well and be deliberate about your exercise and nutrition. Your future self will thank you.

In Health,

Brittany

The Many Misconceptions About Personal Training...

As a self-employed personal trainer I hear many misconceptions about the industry I work in.  People ask what I actually do and how I make a living doing it so here it is.

I do not sell any products; I do not work for a large corporation that requires me to meet a sales quota. I did not get into this line of work to work less. I started personal training because I love learning about the human body, exercise, nutrition, and disease prevention. And I really want to improve the way people feel in their own skin. There is an enormous amount of marketing out there for “health” products and quite frankly crap that gets a lot of hype because people make money selling it. But does this stuff actually help?

As a personal trainer, my job is to reduce pain, increase strength, flexibility and improve my client’s quality of life, not to sell products. Call me a purist, but my job is to educate and therefore I study a lot. I went to grad school to study exercise science and health promotion, I went through Integrative Nutrition to learn about dietary therapies and specialized diets. I've obtained various certifications, I read and listen to lectures about Yoga, strength training, nutrition, massage therapy, postural differences, diabetes prevention and care, Alzheimer’s prevention and care, stroke rehabilitation, drug interactions, pre and post natal exercise, and the list goes on because every client is different and presents more learning opportunities. I’m not here to tell people what is wrong or right, but I am here to provide information and resources. I am not a Doctor, Physical Therapist, Psychologist or Dietician. Each of them serve their own very important role and those defined roles must be respected. But in this career like the ones mentioned above I work with people from all walks of life, except I see my clients at least once a week if not more and I get to help via a listening ear and education as preventative medicine. I believe in what I do I think well informed Personal Trainers can play a huge role improving their client’s physical and psychological health. Personal trainers are not just cheerleaders and rep counters they should be far more than that.

To all Personal Trainers out there keep learning and take everything you learn with a grain of salt. To all consumers of Personal Training, coaching etc take everything you hear with a grain of salt and be your own advocate;  find a trainer that fits your needs, because even if you think “you’re  good” in a group class I guarantee that time with a well-informed one on one trainer/coach will bring a new awareness to your body and/or your health. Even if you hate to exercise there is a trainer for you. ;-)

In Health,

Brittany

Step it Up and Move Challenge...

Ladies and Gents!

This short and sweet challenge involves $15, the opportunity to move a lot more and even win some money!!! Here’s how it works…

Read About Walking Technique Here

Dates: June 1^st - June 15^th

Cost: $15 (per person)

Requirements:

1.       You must have a Fitbit, Garmin, i-Watch, an App on your phone, a pedometer or something like. 

2.       You must move (walk, run, bike swim)! (You must also be honest!)

The Details: This challenge involves you and a partner (if you don’t have a partner I can match you up, but please feel free to invite a friend, spouse, co-worker etc). Your team of 2 will try to obtain as many steps as possible between 

June 1^st and June 15^th. Each night or the following morning you will each submit your daily step count to me via email. I’ll keep a running total of your steps, but you should too just for good measure. The sum of you and your partner steps may earn you some spending money because the winning team takes $8 of every $15 entry.  For example if 40 people enter, the winning team splits $320 and all you have to do is move! I’m sending this invite to over a 150 people so the prize money should be worthy of your efforts. Please feel free to share it with family and friends, the more the merrier!!!

P.S. This challenge works for bikers and swimmers too see the conversion chart below:

Conversion Chart for this Challenge:

Biking	1 mile = 500 steps
Swimming	400 Meters = 600 steps (400 meters is about 8 laps or 16 lengths in a 25 meter pool)

Fine Print:

You can submit your numbers nightly or each morning and you can do so by sending me a screen shot from your device, app etc. All step final step counts are due by 1am on June 15^th. I’ll be keeping a running total as we go and I’ll keep everyone updated on current stats, but I’d suggest that you log your cumulative totals as well just for good measure (some apps do it for you). This is purely for fun, but serves as a great reminder to move more! A recent study revealed that walking less that 4,000 steps increases risk for weight related illness and another study showed improvements in metabolic profiles of women who stood or walked for 5 minutes every 30 minutes rather than bouts prolonged sitting. The point is it doesn’t take much to improve your health! Join us for 15 days of stepping it up!

Contact me with questions and to sign up.

Do You Wear Your Busyness as a Badge of Honor?

I'm reading "The Yamas and Niyamas" by Deborah Adele. This book provides a perspective on the ethical practices of Yoga. The Yamas and Niyamas can be thought of as guidelines or words of wisdom to live by; the Yamas are the first five ethical practices which include nonviolence, truthfulness, nonstealing, nonexcess, and nonpossessiveness.

Nonstealing struck me for a couple of reasons. First of all it's not a word (and that bugged me) and I'm not a thief. Also, on the surface it seemed far too simple to be words of wisdom. Upon deeper reading I found that nonstealing is something I really need to work on.

For example, we could be stealing from ourselves. Being too preoccupied to actively participate in our own life is an example of stealing from ourselves. Rather than living in the moment we're mentally somewhere else and stealing those moments away from making new memories. I'm making an effort to slow down and smell the roses so to speak. Rather than wearing my busyness as a badge of honor I'm starting to see it as something entirely different. Using a mind-body practice is one way to incorporate the wisdom of nonstealing in our lives.

In mind-body classes like Yoga, Pilates, Tai Chi, Barrecore, etc participants are encouraged to use their mind to make movements, to contract certain muscles and to relax others. The focus and the intention that these classes require offers the perfect opportunity to "live in the moment." These classes encourage our mind to draw awareness to our body and our breath. They encourage us to focus on our motor skills, things like balancing on one leg in Bow or lifting the chest and legs simultaneously in Locust. These movements draw out the distractions and let us be truly present. Our minds may still wonder, but simply by attending mind-body classes we are creating a space to focus and live in moment.

Here's a great article about the authors personal experience with busyness.

In Health,

Brittany

Thoughts on Meal Plans...

Some of my clients are beginning the Fitness Challenge at the West Sac Rec tonight and others are not. I thought I'd share this because even if you're not doing the Fitness Challenge YOU CAN do this with me (you don't have to be client either). This morning I started eating a meal plan that I made just for me and my current lifestyle. I have some hesitation in doing this because I LOVE FOOD. I always have and always will, but I also know that for me personally meal plans work well in the short term. When I eat nearly the same thing, at nearly same time, everyday my body likes it and responds well. Getting myself on a eating schedule and meal plan is how I arrived at the leanest I have ever been (circa 2012). This time it isn't about being the leanest, it just about feeling better in my clothes and making some Yoga poses more comfortable. As one of my former clients so eloquently stated, "It's all about being a size "M."

That said, sometimes wearing a smaller size or getting leaner isn't a big priority because life delivers us bigger "fish-to-fry" (pun intended).  As I'm sure we've all experienced, I haven't had the desire to be really strict, partially because of my schedule, but also because sometimes worrying about how many calories, or grams of protein I've eaten in a day seems far less than important than everything else in my life for the last 4 years. BUT paying attention each day to how much I'm eating is doable right now. This strategy focuses on my daily actions rather than trying to see the big picture. Long term goals are far less tangible and though they may be important in some cases they do not get us through our day-to-day choices. Instead, focusing on one day at a time is how I have experienced and seen the best outcomes. My current objective is not aligned with any specific weight or body fat; it's just focusing each day on the parts of my lifestyle that I can improve upon.

Here's how you can join me:

1. Find a picture of yourself at the weight/body fat/etc. you desire to be. Let this be the picture you glance at when your motivation finds a slump.

2. Set a goal for how much water you will drink each day and perhaps design a meal plan to fit your needs (if you need help here let me know). Aim for high quality and nutrient dense whole foods.

3. Each day do not think, "Oh, when I was____I only weighed ____." Instead focus on the positive and present moment rather than the past. Try this... "I'm eating this food and I'm drinking this water to move the needle a tiny bit closer to where I want to be physically."

4. Eat your meals and plan your exercise with intention and awareness.

5. Grab your calendar and put a little heart of the days that pass to show yourself a little love :-) and to recognize your accomplishment.

My Personal Strategies:

• When I eat on a meal plan I prep my food in advance and put my days worth of food my lunch bag (sometimes even my dinner), if it's not in the bag then it doesn't go in my tummy.
• I do not log on myfitnesspal once I've settled into my meal plan because I already know exactly what I'm eating.
• I start each day with a big glass of water and always drink water before I eat.
• I drink lots of tea (hot and iced).
• I carry gum and mints for munchy moments. (I'm always hungry ;-)
• Lastly, I will not eat when I'm watching TV or on the computer because this is when mindless eating occurs for me.

Side Notes & Disclaimers:

• Eating on a meal plan does not teach you how to eat healthfully and if your meal plan is not appropriate for YOUR needs when you stop eating the meal plan and go back to your previous dietary patterns it's likely that you will gain weight (probably more than you lost).
• Meal plans can be tremendously helpful when they're used appropriately for short periods of time and customized to the individual's needs (they are not necessary, but very helpful for busy people). 
• Weight lost while using a meal plan can be sustained, but education must be provided to the person on the meal plan because eating less calories than needed will slow their metabolism thus decreasing the amount of food an individual can tolerate without weight gain.
• Final Tip...honor your body, be smart, use logic, do your homework & ask questions!!!

A Healthier Snack Solution...

I don't know about you, but I love to snack and because of my odd schedule it's important to have some options on hand. It can be hard to find snacks that are healthy, void of added chemicals, and that are also convenient and affordable. As a kid, my mom made homemade popcorn for my sister's and I all the time, but it was normally covered in butter and salt which tasted great, but as I got older I stopped eating it because I knew it was unhealthy. My friend Staci inspired me to make a healthier version that packs some healthy fats, lots of fiber and B vitamins. I hope you enjoy it as much as my hubby and I do!


Spiced Popcorn

Ingredients:
1/3 cup Popcorn Kernels (unpopped)
4 Tbsp Avocado Oil (Coconut or other high temp oils work well too)
1/3 cup Nutritional Yeast
1.5 Tsp Garlic Powder
1.5 Tsp Chili Powder
1.5 Tsp Turmeric
1.5 Tsp Sea Salt

Directions:

1. Mix the spices and nutritional yeast together and set aside.

2. Pour 2 Tbsp of the oil in a large stock pot. Add the kernels and mix the kernels with the oil until coated with oil.

3. Place on high heat and cover. Shake the pot every 30 second or so and wait to hear the popping noise. When 3 seconds passes between popping sounds remove the pan from heat and uncover.

4. Drizzle the remaining oil on top and gently stir or shake in the spices. The turmeric gives it the yellow color so it looks buttery. The measurements above will make your popcorn mildly spiced, but if you like more of a punch add more of your favorite spices.

5. Enjoy and if you want to read about the "Is popcorn bad for you?" question check out this blog post.

Healthy-ish Carrot Cake Muffins....

Today is Easter and I'm trying to wrap my head around the fact that March is nearly over. Normally our family has big holiday celebrations, but this year Easter just snuck up on  us so rather than doing a big family dinner some of the family came to our house for brunch. I made these healthy-ish carrot cake muffins and pineapple cream cheese frosting. I looked at a couple different recipes and ended up using this one with a couple modifications. I was worried they wouldn't have the right texture because there's no flour and a lot of wet ingredients, I was pleasantly surprised by both the taste and texture. Check it out!

Ingredients:

2 cups Almond Meal
1 cup ground rolled oats
1 tsp sea salt1 tsp baking soda
2 tbsp cinnamon
1 tsp nutmeg
4 eggs
⅓ cup Sugar free maple syrup (pure maple or honey if desired)
¼ cup avocado oil
3 cups carrots, finely shredded (use food processor or cheese grater)
½ cup raisins
3/4 cup crushed pineapple with juice

Directions:
1. Preheat oven to 325.
2. Mix dry ingredients together in a bowl (Flours, salt, baking soda, cinnamon, nutmeg) and set aside
3. Beat eggs, olive oil and maple syrup together with a whisk.
4. Add in carrots, raisins and pineapple
5. Add dry ingredients to wet ingredients and stir until fully 6. incorporated.
7. Place into lined muffin cups- makes about 15 muffins when cups are filled
8. Bake for 25 minutes

Cream Cheese Frosting

Ingredients: 
8 oz softened cream cheese
2/3 stick of softened butter 
1/3 cup crushed pineapple + 3 Tbsp Juice
3 to 4 cups of powdered sugar

Directions:
1. Beat softened butter and cream cheese until thoroughly mixed.
2. Add 3 Tbsp of pineapple juice and mix thoroughly.

3.  Slowly add powered sugar until you reached your desired consistency.
4. Fold in crushed pineapple.


Let muffins completely cool prior to frosting. I recommend refrigerating the frosting prior to use to make it easier to spread. Enjoy!!!

Every Movement Serves a Purpose...

Every element of a personal training session serves a purpose...

Most sessions begin with some form of myofascial release and a light cardiovascular warm up to get the body warm, to increase circulation and prepare the mind and body for more intensity. This portion of the workout may also include some Yoga and dynamic movement. During this time I'm watching my client's movement to see if I notice any physical changes since our previous session and I'm getting verbal information from them about what has been going on in their life in the last couple days. The session proceeds with strength and/or agility using major muscle groups and exercises that require the most coordination and focus. Smaller movements are reserved for later in the session as well as more mobility and balance work. Each client has different objectives and each session includes different exercises, but for the most part the structure of a session is similar. The exercise selection of each session is determined by the client's personal objectives, injuries, strengths and weaknesses. The reps, sets and load are also determined by the client's individual needs (this is something I'd like to write a lot about, but will save my rambling for later). Everything is planned and thought out in advance with an understanding that "game-time" decisions will be also be made based on the client's needs in that moment.

I'm a big believer in quality workouts that are designed in a way that's sustainable for my clients; each workout should challenge, but not crush my client (just because a workout is hard doesn't make it smart). There are many small elements in each session that make the session what it is (hopefully fun, challenging, educational and just what the body needed on that particular day). Without attention to detail and focus on my clients mind and body it becomes more like group exercise and as much as I love group exercise it does not provide one on one attention or the same specialized environment that personal training does. That said, if you're thinking about starting to exercise, have reoccurring injuries, or if you're looking for some guidance I'd highly recommend finding a PT in your area and seeing if it's right for you. Feel free to contact me questions about to vet a PT.

In Health,
Brittany

An Opinion Piece...Thoughts on Guilt, Self-Sabotage etc

This post was inspired by a couple things, but what brought the topic of guilt to the forefront of my mind was a Yoga class I attended this morning at Solefire in Sacramento.

Near the end of the class the instructor was speaking about the feeling of guilt, how it comes about, and strategies to change the way we handle ourselves when we feel guilty. If you're familiar with the Serenity Prayer or you've attended a meeting for addiction, eating disorders etc than you've probably heard of the concepts of serenity, courage, and wisdom. In my mind I connect the resolution of guilt with the Serenity Prayer.

The Serenity Prayer evokes a sense of peace and calmness with things "just as they are," but it also requires understanding the difference between serenity and surrender. Serenity is about accepting the condition or situation and learning to work with it. On the otherhand surrender is like waving the white flag or giving in to the condition or disease. For example, I've struggled with eating disorders since I was 11, but I've accepted that there's a part of my brain that will always think and feel certain way. Through education, time and awareness I've learned to live with my eating disorders and use my knowledge and energy in a positive way. Unfortunately, living out the Serenity Prayer is not as easy as it might seem because acceptance is hard and accepting that there are somethings we can not change is even harder.

Living out the Serenity Prayer as a way of life requires letting go of guilt, accepting what has happened and learning to live with the outcomes. I believe that holding on to guilt is a fatal flaw in recovery from any addiction, disease, or traumatic life event. When we hold on to guilt it's like carrying a heavy weight on our shoulders, it causes us to dwell on the past and set parameters for the life we think we deserve rather than living the life of our dreams.

Letting go of guilt and moving forward starts by saying sorry for wrong doings to friends, family members, coworkers, or even ourselves. After apologies have been made all we can do is wipe the slate clean and start our life fresh to best of our abilities. Holding on to guilt can lead to self destructive or self sabotaging behaviors when it comes to weight loss and wellness endeavors.

I've taking the long route in making my point here, but what I'm getting at is that everything we think, feel or do impacts our quality life and well we live. If you're holding onto guilt, shame or embarrassment take the time to learn to let to go and allow yourself to forgive and start fresh. No matter how serious or minor you feel your guilt is, it is worth every minute of your time to resolve it.

New Years Resolutions and Exercise as Punishment...

While working on a discussion question for school, a classmate and I started chatting about self awareness and really thinking about what your body needs. It made me think about this study I saw not too long ago which I don't have a citation for at this time. To sum it up, it concluded that if personal trainers can re-frame the way their client views exercise (specifically making it enjoyable) the client would be less likely to consume excess calories post workout. An example could be running around playing Frisbee verses running on the treadmill. If the client burned the same amount of calories in both activities they were less likely to consume extra calories after playing Frisbee verse running on the treadmill. Sounds crazy, right?! But it makes perfect sense to me because I've seen and experienced it. 

Many people exercise because they don’t like the way their body looks. They see exercise as punishment (not a healthy perspective because they're so many great reasons to exercise). Then, they’ll eat badly as a reward for surviving the so called punishment or vice-a versa (think New Years Resolutions, eat bad through the holidays and then beat yourself for it). In some cases this becomes a vicious cycle; eating poorly, and exercising too much to make up for it....repeat, repeat, repeat. In the end, the person becomes over trained, exhausted and frustrated. Be cautious because if you're thinking this sounds like a eating disorder, you're right. 

If you've been in this trap maybe next time take a rest day, sleep in, and relax. What if we could view exercise as a means of rewarding ourselves for taking care and listening to our body? If we can change the way we think about and exercise, we can change the way we view our health and wellness disposition. I like to remind my clients to exercise and eat well because you love your body and take care of it because you only get one.

If you find yourself in this vicious cycle don't be afraid to ask for help, but feel free to try some of these tips too:

1. Drink lots of water and throw some sliced lemon and cucumber in there too for their cleansing properties. 

2. Focus on green vegetables in your diet (especially at holiday meals). Load up on filling fibrous veggies, like broccoli and brussel sprouts.

3. Limit exercise in duration or intensity or take time completely off if that's what your body needs. Get outside for a walk or play in the park with friends or kids. Just be active without thinking about intentional exercise. 

4. Spend quality time with family and friends (it's amazing how powerful this in almost every situation).

5. Finally.... Don't look in the mirror naked and set short term goals this New Years. Instead, look in the mirror fully clothed and set long term, meaningful goals. Get my drift? Short term vanity based goals don't last, dig deep and think big picture so you don't fall in the "New Years Resolution"  or " Exercise as Punishment" trap.

Happy Holidays! Wishing you a happy and healthy 2015!

-B

My Flight Attendant Voice

This post is for Mike M and all the folks who come to my classes and think, "Geeze it's like she's reading a script," or "Hey, she'd make a great flight attendant, she talks just like one!"

This voice or style of delivery I've apparently developed was unintentional, but hilarious to me because I can't help it. Anyway, I haven't been blogging much because I'm in a Exercise Science Graduate program that requires a lot of reading and writing (as I type I should be doing homework, but I needed a little time away)! All of this studying is making the flight attendant voice more unavoidable when I teach classes. In fact, I was proof reading one of my discussion posts aloud and caught myself using the voice. Since the post was flight attendant voice worthy I thought I'd share.

As a Yoga Instructor I talk about posture and breathing with class participants to try to improve their Yoga experience. Individuals who are new to Yoga often find it difficult to maintain steady breathing in poses because they are unfamiliar with having their body twisted or compressed in ways that makes breathing feel constricted. For example, in Cobra Pose (prone with spinal extension, with knees and ankles contacting ground, but hips, chest and shoulders lifted)  it can be difficult to maintain full breaths because of the constriction that may be felt in the abdomen and chest if the head is fully lifted and cocked back.

The constriction new practitioners feel is real as inspiratory ventilation requires an increase in thoracic cavity volume (Clark, Corn, & Lucett, 2008, p. 47). When lying prone and creating a back bend or spinal extension as experienced in Cobra Pose the thoracic cavity is put in a compromised position relative to the anatomical position. In addition, often in Cobra pose the head is cocked back therefore potentially compromising some of the respiratory passageway such as the Pharnyx and Larnyx.

This is one example of how body positioning (posture) can affect breathing. I encourage all of my clients to practice Yoga because it helps them understand anatomy in a practical way. When they understand how the cardiorespiratory system functions with the kinetic chain we can began implementing more advance concepts like lifting with the Valsalva maneuver thereby increasing rigidity of the entire torso to support heavier loads (Baechle & Earle, 2008, p. 85). Incorporating more advanced concepts and teaching clients about the human body helps to keep them safe and consistently progressing in their training.

Clark, M.A., Corn, R. J., & Lucett, S.C. (Eds.). (2008) 3rd Ed. NASM Essentials of Personal Fitness Training. Baltimore, MD: Lippincott Williams & Wilkins.

Baechle, T.R. & Earle, R.W. (Eds.). (2008) 3^rd Ed. NSCA Essentials of Strength and Conditioning. Champaign, IL: Human Kinetics. 

If you want more exercise science/school stuff I'll keep sharing or if you just want to read stuff in your best flight attendant voice I'll share for that reason too! 

One a side note, in what Yoga pose do you find it hardest to breathe?

Giving Blood

When's the last time you donated blood?

Maybe you've never donated before, but if you're open to it now may be the time to start. I hadn't donated in 4 years, but I donated this week and it was a great reminder of how important blood donation is!

Giving blood is good for you and recipient and depending on your blood type your blood may be in high demand to save lives. If you're interested in donating it's easy to call and make an appointment at Blood Source location near you, it will only take 30-45 minutes and you'll be on your way. Let me know how it goes!

Lean Body Diet & Workout

It's January and everyone is looking to clean up their act; by act I mean diet and exercise regime.
I get asked all the time how to get leaner (lose body fat). My first response is to clean up your diet (1), my second piece of advice is to encourage moving more and in a variety of ways (2).

1.) Eat real food. DO NOT start a juice cleanse or "diet." Both of those may "work" in the short term, but if you're really ready to see your body change you have to think long term. Start by making small sustainable changes, adding more vegetables to your diet to crowd out the bad, then start cutting added sugars, maybe then look at your protein consumption and quality of the sources. There are so many thing you can do to improve you diet that it can be over whelming. Give yourself a week to feel comfortable and confident in each change you make. You'll also be able to use this time to key in to the way your body feels....some changes have drastic affects on the way we look and feel, so listen to your body!

What is real food? Avoid processed foods, even ones advertised as good for you. (diet soda, cold cereal, bars, etc) Focus on veggies, protein, high quality fats, fruit and water.

2.) Moving could be taking your dog for a walk, cleaning the house, or actually setting aside time for a workout.

If you're already doing all those things and still struggling to lose body fat you may need to examine the type of exercise your doing and what it does to your hormones. Hormones play a key role in body composition and we want our bodies to have a healthy ratio of muscle to fat. To burn more fat we need to build/maintain muscle mass through exercise and diet so let's look at a couple things that we can do help us burn more fat.

- Strength Training (Think core lifts, dead lifts, squats, pressing etc) (encourages growth hormone & testosterone for healthy muscle growth... the more muscle you have the more calories your body will burn, even at rest.)

- Interval Training (aka HIIT) (elicits increase in caloric burn and EPOC)

- More Sleep (essential in hormone regulation)

- Consuming balanced, high quality meals at the appropriate time. (Long periods of time without food can lead to overeating. Eat your meals throughout the day to maintain energy and satiety.)

- Prioritizing WATER, FIBER, HEALTHY FAT and adequate PROTEIN consumption for your body weight and activity level.

If you're doing all of these and still struggling let's talk!

Take on 2014 with Perfect Posture

As a trainer I spend my days teaching people how to move better. Something I can't stress enough is how important our posture is. When we're not in the gym we're defining our posture by the way we carry ourselves. Our muscles are developing based on the way we stand and move in our everyday life, our posture is our foundation for all other movement. If you're posture is bad you probably move pretty poorly, if you're posture is good you probably move pretty well. There's a lot of grey area in both good and bad posture, and even when you're posture is good there's always things you can do to make your posture better!

One of my goals and something all my clients will be working on in 2014 is improving general posture and our ability to squat deeply with a neutral stance (feet under hips, toes pointing forward) while keeping chest up. This sounds "doable" right? The best part about this goal is that it's measurable and by achieving a better bottom position on your squat we'll have lots of auxiliary benefits like increased range of motion (ROM) of hip, knee, and ankle joints. Improvement in ROM can make you better at yoga, strength training, etc. Best of all it's likely to decrease risk for over use injuries and acute joint pain. To achieve better posture and ROM you need to increase you're body awareness, pay attention to the way you stand, sit, sleep, and move. Here are a couple things to think about:

1. Standing: When you stand think about pulling your shoulder blades down and back, align your shoulders and head over hips and hips over heels. Gently squeeze your glutes (bum) and pull up through the arches of your feet.

2. Feet: Try to decrease the angle between and heel and toe (stop wearing heels and high support shoes) do this gently by strengthening your feet walking barefoot when at home, think about creating an arch with your feet with your body weight distributed about the foot. Our feet have lots of muscles in them and require conditioning too!

3. Walking: Try to walk with your toes pointing forward (not turned out like a duck or in like a pigeon). Contract your abdominals and keep your torso erect. Ensure your head stays over the shoulders and doesn't jut forward.

4. Siting: Sit only when you have to. When you're siting, think about lengthening the spine by pushing the tail bone back. Sit up straight and squeeze between the shoulder blades, lengthen the neck and keep the torso erect. If you have to sit for extends period of time, try to move around and change positions frequently. You can even do some seated stretches!

Starting with these four things will give you a good foundation for better body awareness and posture. In our next post we'll start talking about how to increase ROM and how we can measure our improvement. Another plus to having good posture is that it makes you look leaner, healthier, stronger, and more confident! Happy New Year!

Training For Life

"What are you training for now?"

"What are your goals?"

Sometimes we have clearly identified goals, like competing in an event or achieving a new PR. During these times we do anything to get to our goal,  we make sacrifices and perhaps neglect other parts of our life. That's great in the short term, but what about the the long term? What do you train for between athletic endeavors? And how do you stay motivated and healthy? I like to think of it as "training for life." I call it "preservationist training," and I program workouts with the priorities below:

1. What movements give me the most bang for my buck with the least amount joint degradation?

2. High repetition exercises can be appropriate at times, but variety is key in preserving joints.

3. Form over pace. I'm sick of seeing sloppy work for the sake of the clock, slow down and work smarter, not harder.

4. Active rest days are key. Get out of the gym or your normal training environment and do something different (go for a walk, play in the park etc).

5. Don't be so hard on yourself, relax, enjoy your life, your workout, food and family. Life is short so make sure you find a healthy balance of gym and time for everything else.

To be honest in the past I have beaten my body up with ridiculous amounts of exercise and extreme eating habits. My long term goal is and always has been to be able to continue exercising with a healthy body for the rest of my life, but my actions were diametrically opposed to achieving my goal. Let's keep this from happening to you, be sure to keep a clear view of your long term goals!

In Summary:

Check in with your goals (both long and short term).
More is not always better and take time to explore how less can be more.

3 Tips to Help You Avoid Weight Gain this Holiday Season

Eating well during the Holiday's is all about perspective. Our intentions are always good, but somehow we get derailed by the savory and sweet temptations of the season. This year let's start with a healthy perspective and set some realistic expectation for ourselves. Below you'll find 3 Holiday Weight Gain Traps and tips on how to avoid them!

1. "I'm saving room for dessert." This kind of thinking can lead to eating too little nourishing real food (think turkey, green beans, potatoes, salad etc), then when dessert time comes we eat way more sweets than we had planned on. Instead Try: "This year I'm going to eat real food until I feel satisfied; if I want dessert after I'll have some, but if I'm full from my meal that's ok."

2. "I'm going to go run 5 miles so I can EAT tonight!" Exercising to eat almost always leads to weight gain. When we exercise to eat we set ourselves up to have the thought process of, "I deserve this...you fill in the blank, because I burned so many calories." The truth is most people who only exercise to eat actually end up eating far more calories than they burned which in the long run leads to weight gain. The Fix: Let's be clear, I'm not discouraging exercise, but I am encouraging exercising normally during the holidays. Heck, even do your 10k on Thanksgiving if that's your family tradition, just be aware of your post run munchies and don't let them ruin your good intentions.

3. "I don't have time to sleep during the holidays." Sleep is essential to a healthy weight and body composition. Without sleep your body is like a car that has run out of gas on the side of the road. You're not going anywhere and your body will not treat you well until it gets what it needs! Try these tricks: No TV during the holiday season, buy a sleep mask to block out the light of the harvest moon, go to bed when it's dark, avoid sugar before bed, and/or takes cat naps. Do whatever it takes to get some shut eye!

Most of all I hope you enjoy this holiday season with your loved ones and don't feel guilty for having something special eat every now and then. Just keep your long term goals in mind and practice having good portion control on those sweet treats! Maybe even give this Green Bean Casserole dish a try, it's a new favorite!

Green Bean Casserole

I have something to admit, I love Women's Day Magazine. I think it's a guilty pleasure kind of thing because I only buy one or read it on vacation. When I was in Boston visiting my sister and her husband I bought a copy of Women's Day at the airport because of this recipe for Green Bean Casserole. I wanted to recreate a more healthy version, here's is what came up with:

Green Bean Casserole

Ingredients:

3 tablespoon(s) olive oil, plus more for the dish

Kosher salt

Pepper

2 pound(s) green beans, trimmed and halved

(about 1-2 links) Italian chicken sausage, casings removed

1lb extra lean ground chicken

3/4 cup almond meal

1/4 cup ground flax seed

1/4 cup(s) grated Parmesan

2 tablespoon(s) grated Parmesan

1 onion, finely chopped

1 clove(s) garlic, finely chopped

3/4 cup(s) milk

4 ounce(s) neufchatel cheese 

Pinch freshly grated nutmeg

Pinch cayenne pepper

2 teaspoon(s) fresh lemon zest

12oz of fresh spinach or 1-10oz box frozen spinach chopped spinach 

Directions:

1. Heat oven to 375 degrees F. grease a 2-quart baking dish. Bring a large pot of water to a boil. Add the beans and cook until just tender, 3 to 4 minutes. Drain and run under cold water to cool. 

2. Meanwhile, cook the sausage and ground chicken cook, breaking it up with a spoon, until browned, about 5-8 minutes. Transfer to a bowl and toss with the almond meal, ground flax and 2 tablespoons Parmesan. 

3. Wipe out the skillet and heat the remaining 2 tablespoons oil over medium heat. Add the onion, season with 1/2 teaspoon salt and 1/4 teaspoon pepper and cook, covered, stirring occasionally, until very tender, 6 to 8 minutes. Stir in the garlic and cook for 1 minute. 

4. Whisk in the milk and bring to a simmer. Whisk in the neufchatel cheese, nutmeg, cayenne, and remaining 1/4 cup Parmesan and simmer, stirring occasionally, until slightly thickened, 2 to 3 minutes; stir in the lemon zest and toss with the green beans.

5. Fold in the spinach and transfer to the prepared baking dish. Sprinkle with the sausage mixture and bake until golden brown, 15 to 20 minutes.

Read more: Green Bean Casserole with Crispy Sausage Recipe - Woman's Day 

Kangaroo Meatballs

This week has been a bit hectic at our house, but today I made sure I found the time to cook up the Kangaroo meat I bought last week. The grocery store was out of Bison so I figured it would be fun to try. I’ve never cooked with Kangaroo before so I did some research on cooking methods and nutrition. 

Kangaroo is a very lean red meat and in flavor it’s similar to Venison. It's best served medium rare or rare. If using ground Kangaroo meat as I did make sure to combine it with something that has fat (bacon, egg, pancetta etc). I made Tabbouleh Kangaroo meatballs served with mixed greens, tomatoes, Ricotta Salata, Tzatzki, hummus and Pita bread. 

The tabbouleh salad adds a lot of flavor and texture to the meatballs. This recipe would be great with beef or bison as well.

Ingredients:

1lb Ground Kangaroo (I bought mine at Sprouts Market)

1 Yellow onion (diced)

2 Tbsp Crushed Garlic

1/3 Cup Tabbouleh Salad (premade available at Sprouts Market & other specialty markets)

1/3 cup Almond meal

1 beaten egg

Salt, lemon pepper

1 Tbsp bacon grease or coconut oil (bacon grease adds a little flavor)

Directions:

1. Combine meat, diced onion, crushed garlic, Tabouli salad, Almond meal and egg in a large mixing bowl by hand. Add desired about of Salt and lemon pepper and mix thoroughly.

2. Roll meat in to balls with 2 inch diameter. This should give you 10-12 balls.

3. Heat bacon grease or coconut oil in skillet big enough to accommodate all balls without touching each other. 

4. Preheat oven to 350 degrees. 

5. Brown the meatballs on medium to high heat. 

6. Place meatballs in glass dish and cover with foil, place in oven. 

7  After 10 minutes pull the glass dish out and remove foil. Put back in oven for 5 minutes. (Keep an eye on them if you prefer your meat rare. I prefer my ground meat cook all the way through (no pink) and that took 15 minutes).

8.  Enjoy!

Nutrition for 1 Ball:

Calories: 84  

Fat: 2.7 

Carbs: 4.5 

Protein: 10.8 

What is the Perfect Diet?

Have you tried every diet on the planet? Paleo, Low fat/high carb, the grapefruit diet, or the white rice diet? Or are you someone who just watches what they eat? Maybe you read labels, buy low fat products and consume lots of meal replacement foods? 

As a trainer and foodie I’m constantly faced with questions about food misconceptions. I love these questions and I love talking about food with clients because food is so powerful.

As Hippocrates said, “Let food be thy medicine and medicine be thy food.”

As someone who struggled with eating disorders from a very young age, I’ve studied and tried way too many diets. Even as an adult my family will be the first to tell you I was the Queen of “weird food,” as they liked to call it. Using my body as a laboratory to try different diets and exercise programs has taught me a lot, but of all the things I’ve learned the one thing I want to share with the world is the TRUTH! Eating “diet foods” is more likely to make you fat, than eating real food.

1. Diets of elimination don't work (i.e. All carbs are bad, I'm never eating them again. Eliminating an entire macro-nutrient doesn't not lead to optimum health.)

When you banish something from your diet, you're more likely to fail in the long term. Unless you have a food allergy, you’ve just set yourself up for failure and you may actually end up eating insane amounts of something else in hopes of satisfying the craving for whatever you've eliminated from your diet.

2. Eating fat at every meal is good (even saturated fat). 

Fat doesn't make you fat. Trans fat and processed carbohydrate products make you fat, eating too much food in general may make you fat, but eating real food fat does NOT make you fat. Enjoy your eggs, avocados, coconut, nuts, meat, cheese, or what ever REAL food you want. Satiety is a side effect of fat and it feeds your brain! Have you ever felt dumb and hungry all the time when you're trying to loose weight? I know I have, then I'd eat more fat (without eating more calories through food substitution) and magically I'd feel better!

3. If you can't identify want you're putting in your mouth as PLANT or ANIMAL then don't eat it. *this may seem like a simple principle, but this alone eliminates most processed foods...somebody please tell me what an Oreo is?! Btw…eliminating Oreos may lead to optimum healthJ

4. Stop buying dietary products and eat REAL FOOD.

Just because the commercial tells you it's healthy doesn't mean it is. Most meal replacements are filled with preservatives, additives, dyes, extra sugar and salt! This includes cereals, granola bars, low fat snack food etc!

5. LISTEN TO YOUR BODY.

Your body is amazing and for the most part it will steer you in the right direction (if you're not sugar, carb, and transfat addicted). You're body will tell you what it wants to eat. If you're body is craving a hamburger, go home, make a hamburger with grass fed beef throw all the veggies fixins’you want on there and be satisfied! Rather then eating a liquid meal or piece of lettuce and still thinking about a burger or reaching for candy and chips later in the day. You're body is smarter than you think; you just have to learn to listen and trust it!

The perfect diet doesn't leave you feeling deprived. Instead it gives you sustained energy. You eat when you're hungry, and you don't when you're not. Your  perfect diet should be made of real food that nourishes you the way food should.

If you need help figuring out what the heck to eat, start food journaling. You must know what you're consuming now before you can start making changes. Let me know if I can help!

Is it Normal to Feel Passionate About Food?

I was visiting my sister in Boston this week and we're both food lovers. We went to an amazing wine dinner where they pair each wine with a complimentary dish. The food and wine was wonderful and I tried a couple of things I've never had, one of the things I really enjoyed was a winter squash mousse. Someday in a future post I intend on recreating it!

My sister and I talked about my eating disorders from the past. Although I believe they will always with me, my relationship with food right now is very nice and I really enjoy talking about it. We talked about how wonderful food is and how it can create a mood or atmosphere, bring back memories and draw family together. I believe it's a GREAT thing to be passionate about food, but I also believe in being passionate about REAL FOOD! That means hand made and fresh ingredients. Here's why I think being passionate about food is not only a good thing, but actually a great thing that can make you healthier:

1. Being passionate about food makes you more picky (in a good way) about your choices. You don't just eat because it's there (i.e. the office candy dish), but you eat for fulfillment and enjoyment.

2. You take the time to savor each bite rather than scarfing it down without enjoying it (you're also present of mind and body when you eat, not in front of the TV or computer).

3. You care about where you're food comes from. You buy fresh produce from farmers markets or a local store because it actually taste better than Wal-Mart produce and you want to support local agriculture (saving $ is a bonus at the farmers market).

4. You enjoy you're food with family, which means you wait for meal time rather than mindlessly snacking alone throughout the day. Meal time is happy time, bonding time and SOOOO important.

5. Because you're passionate about food, you're family (maybe children too) eat healthier. They are conscious of their food choices because you talk about how important good nutrition is!

While I was in Boston I was reminded of how important meal time is, my schedule makes it very hard to enjoy meals with family or friends, but it's a priority for me right now. Those meals are so important! With out further ado...here's what Seth and I will be eating tonight with a glass Tempranillo:

Creamy Spinach Artichoke Crockpot Chicken (if you don't do dairy this chicken is still great without the cheese!)

Ingredients:
1.5-2lbs Chicken Breast (fresh or frozen) (diced in to 1 inch cubes or shred after cooked)
1 cup Apple Cider vinegar
1/2 cup Balsamic vinegar
2 Tbsp Extra Virgin Olive oil (EVOO)
1 12oz Bag Fresh Spinach
10 oz Frozen Spinach
1 can quatered artichokes
1/2  Package (4 oz)  Neufchatel or Cream Cheese
1/2 cup grated Parmesan Cheese
3 oz Mozzarella Cheese
12 oz Mushrooms (baby bella or white button)
3 cloves Crushed Garlic
1/2 cup diced yellow onion
Salt and Pepper to taste

1. Put Chicken, both vinegars, 1 Tbsp of EVOO, 1 Tbsp crushed garlic, 1/4 cup diced white onion, canned artichokes, and frozen spinach in Crokpot on low for 4 hours. (salt and pepper if you wish)

2. Saute 1 Tbsp EVOO with the rest of the crushed garlic and onion. Salt and pepper to taste. Add fresh spinach and let the spinach wilt. Remove from heat.

3. When the chicken is thoroughly cooked drain the liquid. Add the sauteed mushrooms, garlic, onions and spinach. Then stir in neufchatel or cream cheese, mozzarella and Parmesan.

4.  Set the crock pot to low and let flavors and come together for 30 minutes to and 1 hour.

5. Enjoy with crusty whole wheat bread, brown rice, spaghetti squash or pasta!

Before liquid is drained and before "creaminess" added.

After liquid is drained and with "creaminess" mixed in!

I wrote most of this before dinner and finished it after. I have to tell you Seth and I both LOVED it, we each had about 1.5 servings and our plates are wiped clean!

1 serving/Recipe above serves 8

Calories: 225
Fat: 8.3
Cho: 14.3
Pro: 39.7