I also wanted to let you all know that Lacey has donated 2 Personal Training Packages to the 5th Annual Pink Martini Night this upcoming Tuesday at the Chrysler Museum of Art. This annual event raised $69,000 last year for Susan G. Komen for the Cure and we hope to raise even more this year. Come out and enjoy a great eventing with great friends...and of course, bid on Lacey's Personal Training Packages! For more information and to purchase tickets go to www.komentidewater.org
The nutrition aspect of adapting a healthy lifestyle is the most challenging for many people. After all, we are human with many emotions. We eat because we are happy. We eat because we are sad. We certainly eat for various occasions – from celebration with friends to a stressful day in front of the television. For all the bad eating habits we certainly have good ones also. Trust me; you cannot eat 100% pure. It is nearly impossible to keep a perfect eating habit for long nor should you strive for perfection. You will definitely become discouraged very quickly.
A mistake we all tend to make is when you “fall off the healthy eating wagon”, we give up. We turn a bad meal into a bad day into a bad week, etc.
Here’s the deal - You will make a bad food decision. You will eat more than you intended. It will happen…but the key is to become aware of your bad choice and learn from it.
For example: You find yourself running late for work and skip breakfast. Your co-workers ask you to go out with them for lunch. By this time you are famished. You make an unhealthy decision and slap desert on top of your high fat, high calorie lunch. Looking back you would need to recognize that by skipping breakfast you became so hungry that you did not care what you ate. The solution would be to always have something quick in the house that you can grab on your way out the door. Studies have proven that any type of breakfast is better than no breakfast at all. Believe it or not, having a donut is better than not having anything.
Most people don’t think they consume as many calories as they do. My rule of thumb is to ALWAYS underestimate how many calories you burn through exercise and overestimate how many calories you consume. The goal would be to create a deficit in your day. That is the ONLY way to lose weight.
If you took my advice from last week’s article – you figured out how many calories your body needs each day (BMR). Now the next step is to know how many calories you actually consume each day. If you have not already, become familiar with nutrition labels on the back of foods/drinks. I cannot stress enough the importance of being “aware” of your habits. When you fall into the habit of eating “unaware”, you risk losing site of how many calories you are consuming. We have all done it at some point in our life - Eating a bag of chips in front of the television, eating because you are bored, going many hours without eating because you were so busy at work, etc. The good news is you can simply become aware by tracking your food/drink intake.
Luckily the internet has made this very easy to do. First you will need to write down everything (yes, I mean everything – after al l you will only be cheating yourself) you eat and drink. Be as detailed as possible. Then either before you go to bed or as soon as you wake up, go to one of my favorite websites www.sparkpeople.com. This is where you can track your nutrition, fitness, goals, etc. You will also find a plethora of wonderful articles. Remember knowledge is power!
Another way to become aware is to pay attention to how you feel before and after each meal. Take note of your physical and emotional reactions. If you feel like eating more, make a deal with yourself to wait 30 minutes. True hunger will stay around until it is satisfied whereas other “reasons” for eating will come and go. If you feel sluggish, have a stomach ache, etc after a meal – take note. Food is supposed to make you feel good. Changing your eating habits will be a trial and error process. As long as you continue putting one foot in front of the other and keep trying – you will succeed!
I will leave you with my TOP 3 tips to changing your eating habits today!!
1. You should never feel hunger. If you wait until you are hungry, it is too late – a bad food decision will be made. When hunger hits, your stomach overrides any “good” food intention you had. When you eat every 3-4 hours, you will stay in control of your true “meal” intentions.
2. Eat breakfast. Yes, mom was correct. Breakfast IS the most important meal. It sets the tone for the day. If you think you are saving yourself calories by skipping breakfast, I’m sorry to say that you are incorrect. You will make up for it. In fact, studies have proven those who skip breakfast are more overweight than those who don’t. As I mentioned earlier, it does not matter what you eat for breakfast – just eat something. Then once you get into the habit of eating breakfast – work on having a healthy one.
3. Drink Water. Seems easy enough but I know so many of you do not drink enough water. Besides being a vital component of your body, water also helps to reduce weight. The more hydrated you are, the quicker your metabolism works. If you are thirsty – you are already dehydrated. Dehydration can lead to fatigue, muscle cramps, skin blemishes (wrinkles), etc. Even hunger pangs can be mistaken for thirst. So drink a glass of water (or two or three) for me today!
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