Monthly Archives: March 2011

The Power of Protein

Posted on March 30, 2011 | 5 Comments

Losing weight can be as easy or as difficult as you want it to be.  Literally, it is up to you to determine your own success!

There you go!  Think about that and discuss. Ok, time’s up, here is my take on it.  (You can go back to discussing later.)

You set yourself back every time you have that “treat” or little bite of this or that, which for some reason you feel you, “Need”…ackh!

Whatever your reason for wanting to lose weight, I congratulate you for taking the steps to be healthy.  I applaud you for making the decision.

Research shows that protein is a key factor in weight loss success.  The way that it does this is through the ‘thermic effect’ that it has on your body.

The definition of the ‘thermic effect’ of food is the increase in energy expenditure (calories burned) above your resting metabolic rate due to the cost of digesting your food for storage and use.

In easier terms, every time you consume food your body burns calories to digest that food.  Think about that one…you use energy to consume the energy that your body needs to use energy.

The interesting thing with this is your body does not require as many calories to digest carbohydrates and fat as it does protein.

For every 100 calories of carbohydrates or fat you consume your body only requires about 3-7 calories to digest those carbs and fat.  If you consumed 100 calories of protein your body requires around 24-28 calories to digest that protein. Hello protein!! 4 to 8 x more energy required to process protein.

Your body burns potentially up to 30% of the protein calories you consume just to digest that protein and only 3-7% of the carbs and fat you eat and digest.  Think about the net difference in what is left over.  That is a lot more energy that can be stored for a rainy day from eating too many carbs and fats…that is not what you want.

Need more science proof?  Studies report other benefits of protein:

  • Increased thermogenesis aka: faster metabolism thru the thermic effect of food
  • Fullness/satiety
  • Improved glycemic control aka: your body uses the sugars more for energy instead of storing them as fat

Increased protein intake also makes your brain turn on the production of the hormone glucagon.  Everyone knows what that is right?  That’s the one that keeps your insulin levels in check.  Less free sugar floating around in your body to get stored as fat.

One common problem to increasing your protein intake is the thought people have of trying to eat enough of it.  This is where a protein shake can really help.  Easy to prepare-cost effective and did I mention e-a-s-y; less than a minute to make a yummy shake!

Protein aids in lean muscle growth, increased metabolism, and accelerated fat loss. There are way too many choices of protein powders available, so let me narrow it down for you…make sure it is cold-processed. Like anything, when you add heat to it, changes occur.  With protein, heat changes to protein chain and you want it to be as pure as possible.  My protein powder is one of the good ones..ok, actually the best one, but I’m biased.

And don’t you dare confuse a smoothie for a protein supplement…did you know that Tim Horton’s Fruit Smoothies have a sugar content of between 30 and 50 grams with zero protein and they are pricey!

So, boost your protein intake with a protein shake.  Need a recipe? Here a few to get you started.

Berry Berry Good Shake

  • 1 scoop of Health & Fitness Systems Vanilla Protein
  • 1 cup of frozen mixed berries (half banana –  optional)
  • 1/2 cup water
  • 1/2 cup of unsweetened almond milk

Blend and enjoy

Mocha Shake

  • 1 scoop of chocolate Health & Fitness Systems Protein
  • Instant coffee (I like Starbucks Via)
  • 1/2 – 3/4 cup of water
  • 1/2 cup of unsweetened almond milk

Morning Starter

  • 1 scoop of chocolate Health and Fitness Systems Protein
  • 1/2 cup of unsweetened almond milk
  • 3/4 cup of water
  • 1 heaping tsp of natural pb

Blend and enjoy!

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I know you

Posted on March 28, 2011 | 12 Comments

This is what I know about YOU.

I know YOU can do anything you want.

I know YOU are in control.

I know YOU can achieve as much success, in whatever you choose as you want.

I know YOU can pick yourself up when life knocks you down.

I believe in YOU….time for YOU to start believing in YOU.

That’s all I wanted to say.

If you have been knocked off of your horse, lost your motivation or lost your focus I am here to say that I am here for YOU and it’s time to get your mojo back!

We all need people in our corner to support us.  I’ll be in yours to the best of my ability and for what YOU want.

There is so much much negative nonsense out there and we all need some encouragement from time to time, no matter how strong we may seem on the outside.

If you’re struggling, remember, I’ve been there…and I can share first hand with YOU, that it’ll get better if YOU just keep going, just keep doing.

So, pick yourself up, dust yourself off and start all over again.

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If Charlie Sheen is passing drug tests, his crack must be #SUGAR!

Posted on March 25, 2011 | 1 Comment

Does this sound familiar?  About two o’clock in the afternoon, you get this feeling that you need a little something.  A pick me up…an energy boost of some sort.

So you go looking around until you find what you are craving.  I’m wiling to bet that what ever it is you find to hit the spot and give you what you were looking for is nothing more than SUGAR.  Chocolate? Yup sugar.  Potato chips? Yup sugar.  Cake, sweets, treats…sugar, sugar, sugar.

So you break down, answer that craving so you can allow yourself to get over the mood swings, cravings, lack of concentration and help you get on with you day.

Almost immediately you feel better and you can get on with your day.

About 30-45 minutes after the sugar rush, you wind up with residual low blood sugar….your blood sugar levels hit bottom. You Crash!

So, you turn back to, “a little something more.”  It worked the first time…it’ll work again.  Pretty soon, you’re hooked.  You’re a sugar junkie.  You start hiding your problem.  Sugary candies in your purse.  A little treat in your desk.  Dessert every night after dinner.  What used to be a wholesome breakfast has turned into a cinnamon bun or toaster pastry.  You hide what you’re doing from your friends and family until the day comes that someone takes you by the are and says the magic words; “You have a problem.”

The roller coaster that started all this was the rapid drop in blood glucose levels that starve the brain of its primary fuel then the sudden boost you get from your ‘hit’. Your hormonal roller coaster comes with incredible highs and brutal lows.

Simple sugars, refined carbohydrates, alcohol…they all do this to you.

The only logical way to stop the cravings is to get off the ride!

There are a couple of reasons this is going on:

1. Sugar Cravings exist out of Habit - You must have satisfied this craving in the past – following a meal with something sweet. Then suddenly it becomes a part of your mindset. After every meal must come dessert. The good news is ALL Habits are learned, so this habit cam be unlearned as the result of practice and repetition.

2. Sugar Cravings exist because you EAT Sugar - What?  If you eat simple, refined carbohydrates or high sugar foods everyday, your body will remain in “crave” mode.

“It’s a vicious cycle. I eat because I’m unhappy and I’m unhappy because I’m fat.”  Sorry, favorite movie quote, I couldn’t resist.

Eating simple sugars causes a spike in your blood sugar for these foods are quickly absorbed into the blood stream.

This in turn gives you the temporary sugar high ~ it feels good…however, your body does not like this imbalance and a series of hormonal responses take place.

Science Time….

** Insulin Increases. Your body produces an increased amount of the Insulin  (a storage hormone). Insulin’s job is to remove excess sugar from the bloodstream and store it in the muscles and in the liver.

** Glucagon Goes Away. In order to facilitate this rush of insulin, glucagon – a release hormone…responsible for releasing More Fat…good right? NOT when you eat too much sugar. This helpful fat loss hormone is diminished.

Take away message here:

So you’re trying to lose weight but because of your craving, you effectively have shut off a hormone that is incredible at helping you lose that fat…..hello???!!!

There are a lot of ways to overcome sugar cravings, but the most effective way is to stop eating the crap, then to purge your system.  Best way to do that is to start your day right with a high protein breakfast and drink lots of water.

Examples of good protein choices for breakfast.

Hard-boiled eggs, Greek Yogurt, Protein shake (Yes, mine is the best), Turkey breast, Canadian bacon, Omelets.  (add some veggies like peppers, asparagus or tomato and you are starting your day in rockin’ way!)

Giving up the sugar will have you #winning and put you into a position to handle the #fastball.  Sorry, I couldn’t resist.

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Are you a parent…or a push-over?

Posted on March 23, 2011 | 25 Comments

I will start this post by saying that if you aren’t up for a dose of truth and reality then you should probably close this page now and not read any further.

I was on vacation last week with my family and I have to tell you about our experience at a restaurant one night when we were out for dinner.  Actually there were two incidents that happened that night that left me stunned and enraged.

First, there was a family seated at the table next to us and the kids were wild!  Screaming, running around standing on their chairs, feet on the table…it was madness.  Now, as a parent I do understand that eating out can be a challenge…but that’s where parenting comes in to play.

As a parent it is your job to teach right from wrong…at the very least maybe give a good healthy, “Stop it!”  As these kids were getting more and more out of control the mom, who up to this point was doing her best to completely ignore her children, pulled out a portable dvd player from her purse and plopped it in front of these kids to quiet them.  The food hadn’t even hit the table yet!  From there they went into a trance.  The food came but they didn’t eat or drink and barely blinked.

I am guessing that it is likely a part of their normal routine–plop the kids in front of the magic baby sitter (aka TV) to eat a meal.  Who carries a portable dvd in their purse???  What has this family taught their kids?

Responsible parenting is tough.  It’s pretty much the hardest and most rewarding thing I have ever done.

The second incident that night stared a family that came into the restaurant with their little darlings in tow and in hand, a big bag from a fast food restaurant that starts with Mc.  OMG, really?

You are going to eat at a great restaurant with an incredible variety of healthy options but, you are bringing in junk food for the kids, how absolutely awful.  I listened as the mother explained to the waiter that the kids just wouldn’t eat anything but that faux food. My thought…wow, you have failed as a parent.  (My husband even took the opportunity to Tweet out the #fail).  You have taught them that it is ok not to eat healthy food.  You have laid the foundation for a lifetime of excuses, bad habits, potential health problems…way to go.

Again, parenting is tough and yes there will be times that kids don’t want to eat but if you give them fries, pop (soda for my American friends) and fried food as the alternative you are giving them a death sentence.  How are you going to feel when you child is diagnosed with high blood pressure or diabetes?  How are you going to help you kids cope when they become obese?  What favours are you doing for them by going to the drive thru for those fries??

It’s lazy.  Yup, I said it.  You aren’t up for the potential melt down?  You want to let the little ones control the menu options? Just spineless enough to let them get what they want as opposed to what they need? Toughen up as the parent, its a life or death matter.  Trust me, as a former obese kid/teen it was awful and it still stays with me.

I get emails and comments from people each and everyday from clients and friends telling me, “I don’t like that healthy food”, “salad is boring”, “just a little cheat is OK right?”   I could write a book on lame excuses.

So is it exciting and fulfilling to be overweight or unhappy with how you look/feel?  How fabulous do you feel when you can’t fit into your pants?  When you are huffing and puffing because you had to walk a flight of stairs, is that exciting?  Suffering from lower body joint pain because the stress your knees, hips and ankles are under supporting extra weight….that has to be a good time, right???

You have to eat real food and you have to take that 10 minutes to make it.  Is that so overwhelming???  puh-lease???

Excuses for not eating properly will give you obesity, knee pain, back pain, health issues (diabetes, high cholesterol, and on and on).

So when you eat that sleeve of cookies or have that cake or drive thru for your dinner think about it.  What are you doing? Why would you self inflict this on yourself or your family?

What do you want to teach your children?  That it’s ok to eat like crap?  It’s ok to ignore your kids and let the electronics watch over them?  Don’t make healthy choices…make convenient ones?

Or do you want to teach your children healthy choices for life.  That you care enough for them to make tough choices for their benefit.  That they are the most important people on earth and you want them to be great adults?  Remember, you are not raising children, you are creating responsible adults.

Agree or disagree? Let me know your thoughts.  Even, add some of your strategies for healthier kids, parenting skills, tips and tricks.  Love to know what you think!

 

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Start your week strong with 3 Traits of Success

Posted on March 21, 2011 | Leave a comment

It's in your hands

I get quite a few questions from clients, Facebook friends, and the Twitterverse.  Usually the questions revolve around “the food” and “the exercise”.  I’m catching up on those over the next few days.  (As much fun as we had on vacation, playing catch up is always hard.)

The other popular thing that I love through the conversations I get to have with all of you and see going on is the victories.  The small ones that you are proud of just saying, “I did it.” To the huge goals that you have hit, achieved or overcome.

One thing that’s always fascinated me about those that achieve success, no matter what adversity they’ve overcome, no matter what big goal they’ve achieved, no matter where they have come from…is their mindset.

I’ve noticed that within all of you that are having success, there are three uniquely common elements or traits that aid in your success.

#1  A Positive Self-Image.  This is one of the most essential traits but not one that is there in the beginning very often.  Be kind to yourself – project the best ‘you’ there is.  Love the inside and project that to the outside.

#2  Competitiveness.  You need to bring your “A” game in everything that you do.  The people who win are not sitting back watching life pass them…they are out going for the win.  The achievers never settle…the strive.

#3  Discipline.  Set your goals and don’t stop until you reach them.  Everyone will fall, stumble and even fail from time to time.  The discipline you put in place to pick yourself up and keep going will set you apart from the people who complain about how hard it is to continue.

So, what can YOU do to start achieving your goals?

I’d recommend you start implementing these characteristics on a daily basis because we all know repetition is the key to developing habits, AND second, surround yourself with like-minded people.

People whose goals are similar to yours (fellow boot campers).

Social support is a HUGE factor in accomplishing goals and not only that; you’re going to get inspired.

Even on those days when inspiration is hard to find, you’re going to be pulled along by your circle of support.

Mondays are always tough days to get it all going again….add in the March Break recovery for so many of us and this is going to be a rough start to a new week.  So, let’s use each other’s strengths to get this week going great and help one another be positive, competitive and disciplined.

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Salt: A love / hate relationship

Posted on March 7, 2011 | Leave a comment

What’s not to love and what you should hate.

As most of us know, too much salt can be a major contributor to high blood pressure, which can lead to heart disease, stroke, or kidney disorders. But our bodies also need a certain amount of salt every day, because it’s required by all cells to maintain fluid balance, and it’s vital for proper nerve and muscle function. Because salt is excreted through urine and sweat, the most intense exerciser’s need even more of it to maintain a proper balance.

So how much salt should we be consuming? The amount of salt we need on a daily basis varies with each person, depending on age, size, activity level.

Generally, it’s agreed that our bodies need about 500 mg of sodium a day to function properly. Have you ever wondered how much that is? What does 500 mgs look like? That’s about a quarter of a teaspoon of table salt. Most people average about 5,000 mg of sodium per day. That is about 10 times as much as our bodies require and more than 2X the recommended maximum. So unless you’re working out (about the amount of an elite athlete) and excreting excess sodium, you may be getting way more than you need. That can lead to a list of health problems associated with high blood pressure.

Even if you don’t believe in, or care about the medical repercussions of excess salt consumption, how about this? It’s estimated that most of us are carrying around an extra five pounds of water weight, retained simply because of the excess salt in our bodies. Drop five pounds of water weight just by passing up the salt shaker? Sounds like a good deal to me!

I love watching people in restaurants pound the salt shaker over their food before they even taste their food.

 

NO SALT? Ahhh, real taste!

Almost all processed foods contain high levels of sodium. Levels in some cases so high, that you will get enough sodium to last several days. For example, Wendy’s Triple Baconator 2780mgs of Sodium!! But you know that a burger with three patties and bacon and cheese will be horrible. How about a nice healthy salad? TGI Friday’s Santa Fe Chopped Salad? 1800mgs!! Not too good either is it? OK so Cheerios…uber-healthy Cheerios…one cup of Cheerios contains 200 mg of salt, so you’re kicking off your day with 8 percent of your recommended sodium. Salt has been used as a preservative for centuries to cure meats and pickle vegetables, among other uses.

 

And while we’ve developed new preservatives over the years, salt has other advantages as a food additive. It can thicken soups and sauces aid in making breads, cookies, and crackers moister. It can enhance certain flavors (like sweet and sour) and mask other tastes, like the chemical additives in soft drinks. So even if you’re steering clear of salty treats like pretzels, pickles, and popcorn, if you check your labels carefully you may find you’re still getting a fair amount of sodium from food items that don’t even taste salty. Foods labeled “diet” or “light,” may also have pretty high sodium levels.

Companies add extra salt can make food taste better but because of labelling laws, still allow them to be advertised as low-calorie, low-fat products. Even if salt isn’t in the ingredient list it can be spread out throughout the ingredient list under different names. Make sure you check the overall sodium on the nutrition label to determine the total sodium content. And don’t forget to take the serving size into account.

Many food manufacturers will say that their product contains several tiny servings of salt instead of a couple of regular servings to minimize the less savory elements of the product’s nutritional profile.

Common hiding spots in some popular foods…

Processed Meats – 1 slice of processed meat starts at 300mg sodium – 2 slices of bacon is 400mg (plus the fat) Soups – Processed soups start in and around 900mg of sodium Canned vegetables – 1200mg. Yes you read that right. You need to rinse them Frozen foods – 2 slices of frozen pizza 1000mg .

If you are looking to lower your sodium or are salt sensitive the most important thing to do is check the labels of everything you eat and make sure you’re not getting more salt than you need.

 

Screw this up with salt?

One of the best things our family ever did to improve the taste of foods was to stop adding salt when cooking foods that called for it in a recipe. The real taste of food is incredible when you allow it to come through naturally!!

 

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Are you full of it?

Posted on March 2, 2011 | 6 Comments

What constitutes constipation?  Well, depending on the study or research you read, being constipated seems to be a little different for everyone.  I’ve read a paper that said it’s normal for some people to only need to have a BM a few times per week.  Others say it should be an event that interrupts your day three times!  Holy crap!! 3 times a week to 21 times per week??  I know where I stand with that…if it only happened three times per week I’d be calling Roto-Rooter!!

So what’s normal?

It’s hard to say.  We all process our food differently and some of us are more efficient users of nutrients than others.  There is also the thought that if there is a lot of crap going in…then there is a lot of crap coming out.

Are you getting enough?

One of the most common reasons people have a hard time with “number 2″ is that they are dehydrated. If your colon is not absorbing enough water, it will not be able to push the bad stuff out.

You know what happens to this bad stuff? It stays inside you, making you extremely uncomfortable, fatigued, can lead to disease and prevent you from losing weight!

WHY???

Think about the explosion in recent years of “cleanse” or “detox” programs.  Clear the colon; lose weight.  Millions of dollars are literally flushed down the toilet.  I am all for a clean colon, but not at the price of a box of colon blow pills, laxatives or liquid diets.

Yes, if you have a toxic build up inside your colon, it makes it extremely difficult to absorb nutrients and burn bad fat off your body…but the cure should never be potentially as damaging as the problem.

Here are some easy and natural ways you can combat the old Pooping problem:

1. You need to be drinking water each and every day. You should be drinking at least half of your body weight in ounces of water each day.  Forget the 8 glasses of water or the drink till you aren’t thirsty ideas.  Half your body weight in ounces spread out over the day. Have a little extra after you exercise and before your meals.

2. Look for great and simple options for adding fiber to your daily nutritional plan.  Ground flaxseed on your oatmeal or in your protein shakes.  Add more insoluble fiber to your meals. Celery, nuts, seeds, apples.

Eat your cleanse

3. Introduce more raw foods into your diet.  Not only are they great for optimizing vitamins and minerals, but your digestive tract gets a better workout of it’s own processing the raws.  No, I don’t mean steak tar-tar or bacon still oinking….I mean raw vegetables, salad, fruits.  Every meal should have a serving (or two) or raw food.  Most of the time, the natural ‘good stuff’ in raw food is lost when those foods get heated.  Almost always, raw food tastes better.  And here is one of those head scratching thoughts.  I have never taken raw beans, carrots or celery and had any desire to put salt on them while I’m eating, but I challenge you to find a recipe or chef that doesn’t ensure salt is all over everything.  (Back to the dehydration problem)

4. Start each morning with this great “digestive tonic”: 2 TBSP lemon juice in one glass of water. I prefer mine a little stronger.  I use a mug of hot water and the juice of a whole lemon.

So, I now this was a bit of a “crappy” post, but I hope you understand that in the “end”, a clean colon allows for easier weight loss and a healthier constitution.  Your output can be directly linked to your, well your …“output”.

Before you turn to crap for your crap…turn, again…to food.

Also…I am looking for some customer service feedback for my local Boot Campers.  Could you please take a minute to fill out this very short survey so I can be sure that I am delivering you the best possible program I can.

 

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