The importance of YOU time

With the hectic pace of life as we know it today, days are ridiculously jam-packed with little to no breathing room left. Many of us are finding ourselves short on time -- mostly time that should be devoted exclusively as OUR time.

I'm not referring to time spent watching our children's sports, or even a solo trip to the grocery store sans children and/or husbands. No, I am referring to time devoted exclusively to you -- time needed to recharge your batteries and nourish your soul. It's a tragedy that there are so many things/events/responsibilities that all take precedence over ourselves and time just for us.

As adults, and maybe even more so as women, we are conditioned to believe that we are the caretakers, we can only devote a precious amount of time to ourselves after everyone else's needs are fully met. Do you realize how improbable that is? Just like waiting for the perfect time to have a baby, or the exact moment to sell your house when all the planets are in perfect alignment, there is no perfect time. Someone will ALWAYS need you in some fashion.

When you neglect yourself, you may find yourself exhausted, barely able to make it thru the motions of the day. Your self esteem is affected because you are not placing a high priority on yourself, thereby sending your brain signals that you aren't worthy of needing care or attention. Negative self-talk has a very strong impact upon our self esteem! Your body hears those negative words and they manifest into unpleasant physical reactions.

It's VITAL that you put your needs at the top of your list, and make time for yourself every single day. This is NOT selfish behavior, I assure you! When you neglect your needs, everyone and everything around you suffers (not to mention your sanity and well being!)

When you eat right, exercise, and take better care of yourself, a snowball effect takes place. Your family and friends in turn feel better, because you are optimizing all of your positive traits and are truly being the best YOU possible.

I've had this exact dialogue with clients many times, and expect it will always be a subject of conversation. No matter how pressed for time, no matter how stressful your life may be, you simply cannot eliminate time devoted to your personal well-being and happiness.

Set aside little blocks of time every day exclusively reserved for you. If you are new to exercise, start with some gentle walking around your neighborhood; if you have a gym membership, go there for an hour where the telephone can't disturb you and hit the weights. Spend some time re-evaluating your meals, planning healthy choices in advance, so when everyone is famished you don't head for your local fast food restaurant. These small changes will have a huge impact in a short period of time, I promise you!

Please don't deprive yourself of the bliss that accompanies good health and well being.

You are your very best investment, and you are SO worth it!

"Healthy" Fast-Food Options? Right!

I am dumfounded at what I came across on the Internet today.........

"Fresh" lemonade from Wendy's - love the commercial that says it is made from lemons and real cane sugar. 1 serving = 570 calories and 78 grams of sugar. This is 2-1/2 days worth of sugar in one serving.

McDonald's Frozen Strawberry lemonade has these shocking numbers:
16 oz. 270 calories - sounds good, right? One serving is 67 grams of sugar. Daily suggested is 32 grams.

Diabetes, anyone?

Last but not least, read this: New M&M Shake from Steak n Shake: Small 670 calories, 93 grams of sugar. Large 1170 calories, 168 grams of sugar. Daily recommended sugar intake - 32 grams. So the large shake is over 5 days worth of sugar.

UNBELIEVABLE. Bear in mind that these are merely beverages, and are consumed with a meal, a hefty one if it's ordered at Wendy's, McDonalds, or Steak N Shake.

As consumers, we HAVE to educate ourselves and know just what we are putting into our bodies, even when we order a lemonade that is marketed to be "fresh and healthy".

Maybe someday the fast food giants will mend their ways and offer an abundance of healthier foods, but I'm not predicting it will happen anytime soon. As long as we eat the junk they create, they'll keep plugging away at our waistlines as well as our health.

Serious stuff.

Convenience - Friend or Foe?

Have you ever noticed how we have become somewhat demanding of all things convenient? We stay plopped in our cars to get dinner, do our banking, pick up the drycleaning, have prescriptions filled, and even to check the mail when we get home from work. All the fitness experts claim that small changes, such as parking your car farther from the door to a store will help burn calories (which, by the way is true!), yet more and more of us would rather sit on our tushies and watch the world go by.

No wonder obesity rates continue to rise. Convenience is making us lazier than ever.

Yesterday as I was driving, I noticed a man cutting his grass on a riding lawn mower. This was not a thin man, and his yard was quite small -- so small, as a matter of fact, that he was having a hard time even negotiating this behemoth of a mower in such a tiny yard. Now, I do realize that maybe this gentleman has health issues that may warrant his use of a riding mower....but if I had to guess, any health problems he may have are likely related to his weight. It's ironic - an obese person needs to move, but when they do it causes severe pain or difficulty, therefore they elect not to move, or to choose the simplest path of resistance. It's a vicious cycle that is difficult to break free from.

So what is the answer to this dilemma? I wish I could wave a magic wand and solve the riddle. To me, the most logical solution is to prevent obesity from happening in the first place. I know, easier said than done, but what choice do we have? Have you taken a look at a group of teenagers lately? More than half of them are tipping the scales beyond a healthy weight, and could be facing a lifetime of chronic health issues because of it. Fast food & lack of exercise are taking their toll on our future generations. Computers and electronic media are keeping our kids from getting outside and actually engaging in physical activity. The world is at their fingertips.

I say forgo convenience! Park the car and actually WALK into the bank....what a novel idea! Make small initial changes to your activity level, and I bet you will find it easier and easier to increase your exercise with time. Rome wasn't built in a day, of course, and you won't be able to run a marathon tomorrow if you haven't trained for it. If you haven't been active for some time, be patient but consistent, and don't become discouraged. 10 steps to the mailbox today could become 15 tomorrow, and 20 the next day...you get the idea.

I speak from first hand experience -  I couldn't even stay on an exercise bike for 5 full minutes several years ago. My journey began with the smallest of baby steps, maybe even some crawling in the beginning. Every day I grew stronger and fitter. There were days I wanted to quit as I had in previous attempts (and there were many of those, unfortunately) but I stuck with it. I finally got it; I knew I HAD to move to become healthier, simple as that.

My challenge to you is this  -- find ways in your everyday routine to add more steps, more movement, some increase in your physical activity. For those of you that have kids, set a great example and encourage them to join you. Take them swimming, or go for a bike ride together, even do some "mall walking" to escape the heat. Not only will you be getting some exercise, but you will also find this to possibly be a great bonding time with your children.

And please, stop using the drive thru's! Your car is NOT an appendage of your body!  :)

Bad Days -- We all have 'em

Even the best athletes have their off days, from the weekend warriors to the Olympian contenders. We can train properly, get plenty of rest, pre-fuel and hydrate, and STILL bonk or have a lackluster performance come race day.

My husband has begun running with me, and I have been training him for a 5 mile race on 7/30. Last Saturday we had planned a longer run, and I told him to be sure and eat and drink properly before we left. Did he listen to me? No, he did not, and he paid dearly for it. He struggled from the minute we started until we finished our run an hour later. It was a valuable lesson to be learned, no doubt about it.

He was feeling pretty discouraged, and I did my best to tell him that even if he had done everything right, he still could have had a bad run. I have plenty of experience in that arena, I assure you! The human body is such a mystery, and oftentimes can take us totally by surprise by reacting differently than we expect. Sometimes I find that my left brain & right brain are at a total war with each other during an exercise session, and I have to be very creative to keep my thoughts occupied on something other than what I am presently doing so I can get thru the workout.

The key is to do your best, no matter how cruddy you think you are doing; when you are finished, do a little detective work to determine WHY it happened. Did you eat properly? Get enough rest? Are you dehydrated? It could be that there is no reason for it, and that's OK. Don't beat yourself up over it! Rest assured, your next run or workout will be much better!

And, I promise you will cherish those awesome workouts just a little bit more next time.........

Be well!

Exciting News!

I hope that everyone is surviving the brutal heat we have been forced to endure the past couple of weeks. Please be kind to yourself and make sure to pay attention to how you are feeling when performing any type of activity, inside or out. Hydrate, take breaks, and listen to your body!

I'm so excited to report that I have signed on as an independent contractor with Southside Fitness Club http://www.southsidefit.com/  located in Cross Pointe Center. I love the atmosphere in this gym, and their philosophy totally mirrors my business model and beliefs about exercise and personal training. This club is vastly different from the "chain" clubs who pounce on potential members the minute they walk in the door; rather, they truly have your best interests at heart, and are totally devoted to improving quality of life for their members. No high pressure sales and no false promises of any kind - these folks have true dedication to their clients, and I am honored to be working with them.

It's great to be able to work with folks who share my same core values and beliefs when it comes to health and wellness. If you want to learn more or check out the club, give me a call!

Weeds

This morning I was doing some yard work, enjoying the warm sun and the symphony of the singing birds greeting the day. It was idyllic to say the least. I was not, however, enjoying the plethora of weeds that have invaded my flower beds. As I sat there lamenting about the number of weeds present, something hit me -- no two weeds were alike, not completely anyway. Sure, on the outside they may look similar, but each one had different structure and growth. There are weeds that have blooms, some with thistles, and some that seem to creep every which way. Some weeds are resilient and continue to grow despite being pulled from the ground or hit with the weed wacker -- they never stop fighting to grow.

Then my thoughts took a step deeper......weeds are like people. Just go with me on this for a second, and think about it if you will. Some weeds are sunny and bright and are quite cheerful when you look closely at them. There are weeds with beautiful dainty blossoms that smell sweet as honey; some weeds that creep and invade every space they can without concern for anyone else...they just choke out everything in their path. There are some weeds that you don't even dare touch, because of the thistles and "prickers" (as we used to call them as kids) because of the pain they can inflict.

And then there are weeds that look innocent enough, they may even draw you in with superficial beauty, only to discover hidden invisible "prickers" that can stay lodged in your finger for days causing pain. This is no different than an unpleasant encounter from a "thistley" person, whose words or actions leave you harboring a wound for days, or even a lifetime in some cases.

The correlation between weeds and people cannot be denied, not in my mind anyway.

I've never understood the obsession with killing off clover or dandelions in one's yard. Clover has an intensely sweet fragrance, and the honey bees feast on the nectar to make their honey. Dandelions are incredibly beautiful to me in their own way....have you seen a brighter, more determined flower, bloom without needing any care whatsoever? What parent hasn't been presented with a bouquet of dandelions lovingly hand-picked from their children?
What young girl hasn't weaved a headband of dandelions on a warm summer day?
Dandelions represent warmth, childlike innocence, and steadfast determination to me. Thankfully, I am very blessed to have known some people in my lifetime who have these traits. They are precious to me.

Unfortunately I have also known some folks with thistles, and have learned to steer clear of what their thistles represent. I'm also guarded with creeping weeds as well, as oftentimes they will trample anyone or everything in their path to get what they want.

There are life lessons all around us, we simply need to take the time to notice them. I am very thankful for the weeds in my flowerbed, they certainly taught me a valuable lesson this morning!

10 Super Foods!

Here's a listing of some of the 10 most Super Foods for better health.....try to incorporate some of these foods into your daily menu for optimal nutrition.

1. Sweet Potatoes -- one of the best veggies you can eat. Loaded with carotenoids, Vit C, potassium and fiber.
2. Mangoes -- Just one cup provides 75% of your daily Vit C intake,  25% of your daily Vit A requirements, potassium, and 3 grams of fiber. Also one of the fruits least likely to have pesticide residue.
3. Unsweetened Yogurt -- Plain yogurt is a great source of protein, potassium, calcium (important for us ladies especially!) zinc, and Vitamin B-6 & B-12. Mix in fresh fruit for a powerhouse of nutrition and taste.
4. Broccoli -- Contains Vit C, carotenoids, and folic acid. Don't douse with cheese sauce, simply steam enough so that it's still firm and add a sprinkle of red pepper flakes and lemon juice. Deelish!
5. Salmon -- Wild salmon is a better choice than farm raised, as it has less PCB contaminants. Chock full of Omega 3 Fatty acids to protect your heart.
6. Crispbreads -- Whole grain rye crackers such as Wasa, Ry Krisp and Ryvita are loaded with fiber and are often fat free.
7. Garbanzo Beans -- A.K.A. Chickpeas -- rich in protein, fiber, iron, magnesium, potassium and zinc. Chickpeas are so versatile and are a great addition to salads, rice, and soups. You can make your own hummus with chickpeas, garlic, salt and olive oil -- much healthier than store bought.
8. Watermelon -- Just 2 cups of this yummy fruit has one-third of a day's recommendation of Vit A & Vit C, and loads of potassium while still being very low in calories.
9. Butternut Squash -- Yes, it's hard to cut, but so worth the work because of the nutritional benefits; it's loaded with Vit A & C, as well as fiber. For ease of preparation, buy peeled and diced squash at the supermarket. The work has already been done for you!
10. Leafy Greens -- Last but certainly not least, powerhouse greens like kale, collards, spinach, mustard greens, and Swiss chard. I like to experiment and mix different varieties in with Romaine lettuce to reduce any bitterness that may be present. These greens are packed with Vit A, C, & K, as well as folate, potassium, magnesium, calcium, iron, lutein, and fiber. If you have a salad with these powerhouse greens at dinner time, you will eat less meat and carbs, and get a huge nutritional boost.

Bon appetit'! Let's all eat for better health!