November 2008 Archives

When trying to establish personal fitness goals, you must remember just that; they're personal goals. To bump up your potential for success I strongly recommend you forget about what other people are doing and concentrate on your individual needs.

To maximize better me results I've come up with a few tips on how to stay focused on you.

-Don't push yourself to exercise at an intensity that is determined by someone who is not listening to your needs.

-Don't get lured into using a generic one size fits all training program construed in the charade that it's tapered to your needs. Who does this? This is a tactic of most large gym facilities who work on volume sales. You're better off paying more money to an independent private trainer to make your program for you. Most private trainers are more service oriented and are aware of the importance of client satisfaction as this is how they obtain referrals. Theoretically speaking, they will listen and guide you while respecting your needs.

-Have some short term and long term goals. Keep the short term goals simple and attainable. This will continue to reinforce your belief that you can change.

-Long term goals should be flexible and adaptable to your busy life. Adjust them as you need. Conditions have a tendency to change quickly and you don't want to have a ridged system that doesn't adapt to change.

-It is harmful to your overall health to believe that years of neglect can be undone with excessive, exhausting training regimes. There are certainly those who follow this type of approach. They are addressing their needs in a way that works for them. You need to explore what works for you!

When you read that dark chocolate has great health benefits; the data is referring to dark chocolate that is made from 100% cacao with no sugar added. Hell that stuffs bitter!

Today was an official first for me. My early morning client arrived eating a chocolate bar! Don't get me wrong, everyone's entitled to make whatever choices they wish, but when they consult with me to help them to lose weight; I'd say showing up eating chocolate is a little nervy.

I casually asked him if it was chocolate he was eating, to which he quickly responded, "It's dark chocolate." I asked him if it was delicious, to which he quickly responded, "Very much so."

I hope you can see where this is going.

At my request, we read over the label of ingredients. The bar contained 70% cacao (this is the bean from which chocolate is made), and the second ingredient was sugar! With only 70% cacao and a generous serving of sugar, this bar was far from a healthy snack.

I gently explained that though there are numerous articles written in praise of dark chocolate, they often fail to explain that they are referring to dark chocolate made with as close to 100% cacao as possible with no sugar added. Now, I don't know if you've ever had this stuff, but it's really bitter! I wouldn't describe it as being delicious either. I've tried a few of the 100% cacao brands and the Dragoba was pretty good. I'm not a huge fan of chocolate so I'll leave the choice up to you.



As I looked at my client sitting on the edge of the training bench, he looked like a scolded little boy. I felt his discouragement and I proceeded to try and cheer him up. It was essential that he understand that it's not his fault for misinterpreting the information concerning the chocolate. Food producers, especially sugar producers, market their products aggressively and word their campaigns very carefully. Today, it's quite easy to be fooled into thinking you've made a healthy choice; thank tricky marketing techniques for that.

Here's what you can start to do today:

Always read your labels. Don't go overboard and scrutinize everything. Just be on the lookout for sugars and synonyms for sugar; such as: molasses, glucose, fructose, sucrose, maltose, dextrose, raw cane sugar, corn syrup, and honey. There are more but I just want you to be aware that sugar hides behind many names.

When products are praised to be low in fat, they are often high in sugar. The taste has to come from something! Be aware of these deceitful methods to get you to purchase a product.

People often respond to all this talk about sugar with; "I gotta enjoy life too." I hear you. Better me is about being happy and pursuing your life goals. Enjoying life is an absolute priority. You simply have to look at you health goals and decide if you are happy with your physical condition and if the sacrifices that need to be made won't cause you undue stress. You need to be comfortable with your goals and not at war with them. I will however urge you not to interpret available information in ways that are self deceiving. Sugar in your dark chocolate does not constitute a healthy snack but it's certainly more delicious. The choice is yours but make sure your choices are congruent with your goals.

Despite what the naysayers would have you believe, practically everything on the planet is improving. So why do people who live in the developed world, seem to be less happy?

This is a question that is explored at great length by author; Gregg Easterbrook, in his book; The Progress Paradox. I'll share my understanding of how this literature can provide insight toward supporting a better me.

When we talk to people there seems to be a pervasive belief that the world is becoming a worse place with the passage of each day. This is in fact far from the truth. Statistics show that almost every aspect of life in the western world is improving for almost everyone. There is even a global trend that indicates improvement is being had in poor and under developed nations. I feel this is a point that needs to be explored as it is an indicator that humanity is moving in a positive direction, despite what the doomsday advocates would have us believe.

I sometimes wonder if we fear admitting that improvement is being actualized because we think everyone will sit back thinking the work is done. I'm worried that reports of impending doom are utilized to keep people alert to the fact that the populations and ecosystems are still in need. If you think about it, all the negativity actually has the opposite effect; it creates an atmosphere of what's referred to as collapse anxiety.

Collapse anxiety is plain and simply the fear that people exhibit when confronted with the dread of loosing all that they have acquired. We have tremendous liberal social freedoms, for a better part we can obtain anything that is essential to quality of life, and when times get tough, societal fears of anarchy reaches the minds of our citizens.

Yes we are in the midst of financial turmoil and the evening news is plastered with apocalyptic undertones, but if we can take refuge in the idea that the world is getting better we will push on even harder to keep a positive trend in play. The problem lies in when we feel defeated and are led to believe that things are progressively getting worse, we retreat into self preservation, caused from fear that we have to protect what we have.

The times we live in are challenging us to look at our consumption levels, as clearly, over consumption and stock piling of material indulgence will just give you more to worry about loosing. Perhaps, re-evaluating our misled sense of what we "need" can help us to come to terms with what we are acquiring based on "want". There is clearly a distinction between what is essential to a reasonably comfortable lifestyle; and that which is pure overindulgence.

Take comfort in the fact that the world is progressively getting better and this storm too shall pass. Don't allow these times to come and go without a lesson learned. Over consumption and constant acquiring of things provides immediate feelings of happiness that are fleeting and short lived. Once the pleasure of the attainment passes, we turn our attention to yet, the next item. Material pursuits for happiness are being acknowledged as the principle contributing factor to this financial crisis. Over abundance of material wealth has demonstrated time and time again to have no influence on human happiness. The only people who are shown to have improved levels of happiness in the attainment of more material wealth; are the poor. All data supports this fact.

I encourage you to take the time to sit back and look at all the things in your life to be thankful for and re-evaluate that list of things you need. Acknowledging that for which you are grateful has shown to improve ones happiness far beyond what purchasing a new gadget will reward.

You can't run off all those calories you're taking in. Sooner or later it's going to catch up on you; race over.

I have a client that I don't see often, but about once per year he consults me when he's done delivering the maximum abuse his body can handle.

This client, let's call him Doc, is about sixty years old and I would say is in phenomenal condition. He is physically fit, extremely well educated, and has a great sense of humor. He's got all the attributes of a better me associate! The only problem with Doc is that he pounds his body into submission with a very high volume of running.

I understand that running outdoors is a wonderful activity that allows for spontaneous enjoyment and can be performed just about anywhere you may find yourself. It's wonderful for its stress reducing effects and sure beats the monotony of running or cycling on a machine in the gym.

Though Doc hasn't come right out and told me, I get the impression he runs so frequently to control his weight. Doc is quite the amateur culinary aficionado who likes his breads and starches which in the case of about 80% of the population, is a major contributor to weight gain.

Now enters the problem; it's almost impossible to sustain the level of activity required to burn off the extra calories that an individual can consume. The high volume of exercise will eventually cause tremendous stress on your joints and connective tissue that maintains the structural integrity of your body. The presence of this condition is marked by one of, or a combination of the following: low back discomfort, knee pain, pain in the buttock region, and/or soreness in the heels and bottoms of the feet.

If you suspect you're following in Docs foot steps I have a few suggestions.

Start with one thing today:

-It is critical that you control your nutrition. You can't exercise off all the exaggerated calories you take in. It may work for a short time but in the long run, your body will begin to break down.

Or

-Your body needs to regenerate between exercise bouts. You should break up your running days with at least one day of rest or very light intensity exercise on in between days.

Or

-Two days of weight training per week will help to strengthen your muscles, which in turn protects your joints and skeletal system. Increasing your muscle mass will help you to burn calories even when you're at rest. Muscle has a constant calorie burning effect on your body, while too much cardio training can cause the loss of valuable muscle.

If you suffer with unexplainable muscle pain, poor digestion, erratic sleep patterns, anxiousness, mood swings, or all of the above; you may want to explore the contents of this post.

Being able to slow down is a natural innate mechanism of absolute importance. If we don't allow our bodies to break from the daily stresses, we are provoking serious negative consequences to our well being. Many of the symptoms mentioned at the beginning of this post can be indicative of your inability to relax.

It's fantastic to be a goal oriented motivated person; it is however, crucial that you have a repertoire of non performance based activities that give you personal satisfaction. Activities that are relaxing and nurture feelings of harmony are paramount in self care.

I have some suggestions that may be of some help. I encourage you to give them a chance.

Start with one thing today:

- learn to move slower when there's really no need to be moving fast. This also includes your rate of speech. When you are chronically moving and speaking quickly, you are holding your body in a state of high alert. This taxes your nervous system and is evidence that you are not able to depart from your stress.

-Moderate exercise is good but it shouldn't be too intense. Don't forget, we're talking about calming the body down. This isn't a post about exercise. Physical activity is vital to our health but we also need to be aware that relaxation is as well. So, with that in mind, your activity can be sport related provided it doesn't cause you to become frustrated and critical of performance from yourself or others.

-You may want to spend some quality time with someone you care about. When we're constantly on the go, we can forget about those that are important to us. Relationships, more than anything deserve some of your time. Having meaningful relationships nurtures the very essence of that which gives us peace; having loved ones to share our life with.



This post is not intended for self diagnosis. If you suffer with any of the symptoms mentioned in the content you should consult a qualified medical professional. I do urge you to recognize stress and fatigue as serious contributors to ill health.

Change can be intimidating; no one will argue that. Company restructuring and constantly changing work responsibilities can provoke feelings of anxiety; but perhaps there's something you can do to dampen the stress.

There's no doubt that the fast pace of modern living is a challenge. This whole idea of exponential change creates a professional and living environment in which it's very difficult to slow down

There are however, a few things that you can keep in mind that can ease the stress of those inevitable changes we have all become so accustomed to facing.

- Change is the only thing that doesn't change. Being an absolute inevitability, you can cause yourself undue pain by resisting change, or you can be flexible and embrace it. Embracing it will challenge you to depart from rigid habits that are more a product of routine than they are beneficial to your growth.

- Don't be caught unprepared. You shouldn't wait for conflict to hit before you reflect on your skill levels. Keeping your knowledge current will provide you with confidence and make change less intimidating. Many companies subsidize courses for their employees. You should take advantage of this if it is an option for you.

- Clearly defining your budget and not over spending will ease financial stress. High debt causes a tremendous amount of tension and is a contributor to career anxiety.

You need to free yourself from self imposed restraints. Working on self improvement, just a little bit every day is a way to introduce change into your life on your terms and will dampen the belief that everything is beyond your control. Before you know it, you'll embrace change and though it will sometimes be challenging; you will have acquired the skills and tools to make the transition.

Start with one thing today:

Go and find out if your company subsidizes continuing education. If they don't; check out the abundance of online courses. Training online is affordable and very convenient.

Or

Propose to your partner that you sit together and come up with a budget that focuses on reducing debt, encourages less spending, and details short and long term financial goals.

Or

Do one thing each day to step out of your routine. It can be as simple as getting together with a friend, buying your coffee from a different vendor, walking a different route to work, or doing something spontaneous with your partner. These seemingly insignificant gestures will dampen change related anxieties.

I've heard people say that when they have nothing to do, they become stressed thinking they should be doing something.

I say, this is your chance to give yourself the attention you deserve. Here are some things to think about when you're doing nothing to help ease the anxiety.

-When your not buzzing in the whirlwind of activity you can evaluate your situation more clearly. Take the time and reflect on your choices and organize your schedule. Reflection time is important because you want to make sure you're headed in the direction you want to go. When we're busy, we can often make choices or take decisions that are not in alignment with our goals and needs.

- Now that you have some quiet time and you're coming down off the adrenalin high, ask yourself, "am I tired?" If the answer is yes, use the time to catch up on rest. A rested mind out performs a tired mind any day of the week. It can actually take a stressed body a few days to calm down sufficiently to evaluate how tired you may be!

- Do nothing with someone. Meet people you don't often have a chance to talk to. Spending time with people we care about can really help us unwind. Stay away from people who bring you down.

- Who put it in your head that relaxing is a bad thing? This is a horrible message to send to someone, especially someone as busy as you. Just because other people can't relax, doesn't mean you have to follow. Feel the peace in relaxing and you'll still be going when the fatigue is catching up to others.

- When things slow down, our focus seems to fade a little. It becomes difficult to relax because we think we'll loose our edge and fall out of rhythm with our goals. That can produce a little anxiety. I don't think a couple of days of giving yourself a little me time are going to terminate in failure. In fact, if you don't recharge once and a while, your body's going to make the decision for you. Burnout and chronic fatigue can definitely put you on the side lines. Don't tempt it.

If when we're doing nothing we're evaluating our needs and taking care of ourselves, I'd say that's doing something, and pretty far from doing nothing.

Start with one thing today:

Do one thing just for yourself today. If your schedule is packed, choose one thing that can wait until tomorrow and replace it with absolutely nothing. Use that time to just check in with yourself and figure out if you're doing alright. I dare you!

Ingredients

1 can of chickpeas or 2 cups of precooked chickpeas
1 med green pepper cut to bite size
1 med size onion chopped
1 can of lentils
1 large sprig of cilantro
½ cup of natural flavor yogurt
2 large cloves of garlic (pressed)
1 can of baby corn
½ cup of diced canned tomatoes
2 heaping table spoons of curry of your choice
¼ table spoon of ground ginger
¼ table spoon of ground cumin
2 large bay leaves

Fry the green peppers, onions, and garlic in a nonstick pan with a touch of canola oil for no more than 2 minutes. Add the tomatoes and bay leaves. Cook for another 3 minutes. Add all the remaining ingredients, and simmer for another 5 minutes. If you want more liquid, you can add ¼ cup of water and a cube of vegetable or chicken stock. Serve in a bowl with a few leaves of cilantro and caramelized onions as a garnish.
To caramelize onions, you cut two large onions into thin strips and fry them until they turn golden brown.

This is an easy to prepare lunch and it's really filling!

Ingredients

1 can of tuna
1 can of chickpeas
½ green or red pepper
2 large green onions
1 large stalk of celery
½ lime
1 table spoon of canola oil
1 table spoon of Dijon mustard
½ table spoon of white wine vinegar
Salt and pepper

Chop the peppers, green onions, and celery. Place them in a large salad bowl. Add the can of tuna (drained) and chickpeas. Squeeze the juice of the half lime into the mix. Last, add the oil, Dijon, vinegar, salt, and pepper. Fold all the ingredients repeatedly, until the liquid ingredients blend in.

Ingredients:

Extra lean ground beef (med size package)
1 Med size red onion
1green pepper
1 can of diced tomatoes
1 can of red kidney beans
2 heaping table spoons of chilli powder
¼ table spoon of ground cumin
¼ table spoon of ginger powder
4 large cloves of pressed garlic
salt and pepper
Preparation:
Using a large pot, cook the ground beef and onions. Next add all the remaining ingredients and slow cook until the green peppers are tender. That's it! You can literally have this meal ready to serve in ten minutes. Serve it in a bowl and prepare a salad to go with it. No Rice. Add hot sauce to your portion if you wish.

Ingredients

1 large chicken breast cut into bite size cubes
1 large avocado
1 med size red pepper
1 cup of bean sprouts
1 small onion
Juice of 2 large oranges or ¼ cup of unsweetened orange juice
1 cube of chicken stock

Cook the chicken first in a non-stick frying pan with a touch of canola oil. Dice the avocado, red pepper, and onions into equal bite size cubes. Add the red pepper and onions to the pan with the cooked chicken. Don't over cook the vegetables; you want them to remain crunchy. Last, add the orange juice, cube of chicken stock, avocado, and the bean sprouts. Let the liquid reduce a bit. Be careful to not add too much salt as there is plenty of salt in the chicken stock cube. Add pepper to taste.

If you prepare a great spaghetti sauce for the kids and are wondering what you can have, this is a great option.

Here's how to prepare it. Find a shallow oven pan and put about one inch of water in it. Cut the Spaghetti squash in half and lay it face down in the water. Place it in the oven preset to about 350 degrees. Let it be for about forty minutes or until you poke the outside of it with a fork and it pierces easily. Once it is ready, shred the flesh out with a fork. You will see that is has a stringy texture. Add olive oil, a bit of salt and pepper, and add your sauce. You can sprinkle on some parmesan cheese.

One important point is to strain all the water out of the squash after you've removed it from the shell. If you don't, you'll have a watery sauce.

Good luck and bon appetite.

This is a great Venezuelan recipe. It goes great with chicken, fish, pork, and meat. They often have it as an accompaniment with breakfast. I love to have them with scrambled eggs.

You can use canned or dried black beans. You'll have to soak the dry beans at least 24 hours and change the water at least 3 times. They will also take longer to boil. If you use the canned beans, this recipe can be made in 20 mins.

If you have a food processor, great! If not, you'll have to cut the following ingredients very fine.

1 med size onion 3 cloves of garlic Hand full of fresh coriander ½ green pepper

Once the above ingredients are chopped, fry them in a pot with a little bit of oil. When the onions are soft, add three cans of drained and lightly rinsed black beans. Or, 6 cups of the presoaked beans. Add two cups of water and one cube of beef stock.

Spices to be added:

Pepper to taste ¼ table spoon of ground cumin ¼ table spoon of ground ginger Salt to taste (be careful, there's salt in the beef stock)

Let the water reduce on med heat. Canned beans will soften quickly but you will have to add water to the presoaked dried beans. You may want to boil the dried beans 1 hour before you start the recipe.
They are ready when the mixture starts to bubble with an almost muddy look to it and the beans are soft.

Ingredients

1 cup of kidney beans
1 cup of chickpeas
1 large celery stalk finely diced
½ red pepper finely diced
½ green pepper finely diced
3 green onions finely diced
¼ cup of olives (black or green) chopped
2 red chili peppers (seeds removed) chopped
Juice of ½ lime
1 table spoon of Dijon mustard
1 table spoon of white wine vinegar
Salt and pepper to taste

Preparation

Add all the above ingredients in a large bowl and mix thoroughly. The beans and chickpeas can be caned or fresh, it's your decision as to which you choose to use. If you use the caned, this meal can be prepared in ten minutes.

If you can't grill the chicken, you can broil it or fry it in a non-stick pan with a bit of oil.

Ingredients

One large chicken breast
½ cup of sun dried tomatoes
¼ cup of pine nuts
½ med size red onion sliced into strips not diced
¼ cup of black or green olives (pitted)
2 table spoons of olive oil
2 large garlic cloves (optional)
salt and pepper to taste

Once the chicken is cooked, cut it into strips. In a separate non-stick pan, fry the red onions, sun dried tomatoes, garlic, and olives. When the onions become tender, add the chicken strips and pine nuts. Stir the all the contents together, turn off the heat, and add the olive oil.
This can be served on a bed of romaine lettuce. If you prefer, it goes well with a serving of asparagus, green beans, and a Caesar salad.

Ingredients


1 small butternut squash cubed
1 large chicken breast cut into cubes
1 small red onion diced
1 med size green or red pepper diced
½ cup of cashew nuts
1 cup of chick peas
½ cup of coconut milk
1 cube of chicken stock
2 heaping table spoons of powdered curry of your choice
½ table spoon of ground ginger ¼ table spoon of ground cumin
2 large bay leaves
¼ cup of raisins
2 large cloves if garlic
Salt and pepper to taste

Peel the butternut squash and cut it into cubes. Cook your chicken and squash for about 5 minutes in a deep pot with a touch of canola oil. Add the onions, peppers, bay leaves, and all the spices. Don't over cook the vegetables. Next, add all the remaining ingredients. The cooking for this phase is just to mix in all the ingredients and serve right away. The liquid should be thick. Don't forget, there's salt in the chicken stock.

Put all the following ingredients in a blender.

-4 big spoonfuls of low fat vanilla yogurt. Choose a low fat yogurt that isn't too high in sugar or cornstarch.
-½ cup of frozen berries of his choice (blue berries, strawberries, raspberries,...)
-¼ cup of frozen fruit (mango, pineapple,...)
-1 handful of frozen spinach. Yea, spinach. I promise you won't even taste it. Buy one of those plastic packages of whole spinach and chuck it in your freezer. It goes bad fast once it's open so keep it frozen. Keep the stems on, they blend up just fine.
-1 table spoon of ground flax seeds
-1 ½ cups of water
Blend it and bottoms up.

Just a word of advise; wear an apron or stand back when you're working with blue berries!

Change of season? Weekend family taxi driver? Immune suppressant lifestyle? Just what's going on exactly?

I often chuckle when my clients tell me this one. "I can't understand why I'm so tired." I really hear it often. When I tell them that they need to address their fatigue and not ignore it, they stare at me like I have a raccoon sitting on my head. They proceed to tell me they must be coming down with something!

Let's investigate the day of an average parent and try to figure out why they may be tired or if they might be coming down with something.


-Up at 6:00am
-Get the 2 kids breakfast
-Take a shower and get dressed
-6:30 make sure all the lunches are set out by the school bags. (Teens still forget their lunch if you don't remind them)
-7:30 drop the kids off at school. As the kids walk away you realize they forgot their lunches.
-Go back home to get the lunches
-Head for the train or bus station.
-7:45 Practically no parking but you find a place.
-8:15 At the desk.
-Rat race commences.
-Meeting (just to let you know what a great first quarter the company had!!)
unfortunately there'll be no raises.
-Back to your desk, only 45 e-mails to answer.
-Eat lunch at your desk because you'd really like to exercise on your lunch break.
4:45 work day ends and the next phase of the work day begins.
-Arrive at the auto park.
-Examine your car door for all the new dings inflicted on it from the adjacent cars.
-5:30 pick up the kids.
-5:45 arrive home and start the supper.
-Instruct the kids to get started with the homework.
-Phone rings; telemarketers.
-One of the kids decides to give you a hard time over the math. The child is spending more time chasing the eraser under the table than actually working!!!
-Blow your stack, chaos erupts but all calms shortly after.
-6:30 you feel like you're the worst parent alive!
-Eat supper.
-Load the dishwasher or, do the dishes.
-Prepare the lunches.
-Do one load of laundry.
-Kids finish homework.
-9:00 the house is quiet.
-Try to unwind.
-10:00 if you're a better me advocate, bed time.
-11:30 if you just don't want the next day to begin.

Tired? Really? I'm surprised! You must be coming down with something!!

There is a pervasive belief that if you're not sweating bullets in a spinning class or spending hours per week in a gym, you're just not exercising.

This is far from the truth. Sure, it works for some, but it clearly doesn't work for everyone. The better me strategy is to fit healthy living into your daily flow. We really need to dispel the myth that exercise is the only means to practice healthful living. If you're busy you can still look after your health needs. Here are some tips:

#1 Walk hard! I know runners and fitness junkies will tell you walking does nothing for you. That's completely untrue. Making your body move in any way is good for you. Remember, this is just one feature of your flow. Leave the car and stress of driving behind you. Women, please have a pair of flats for walking and a change of dress shoes at the office.

#2 Take the stairs, even if you're dressed up for work. Stroll up so you don't break a sweat. Really, take your time. Count yourself lucky if you work on a higher floor. Many office buildings don't let you use the stairs, so just develop an allergy to escalators and elevators in any other circumstance and look for the stairs.

#3 Pack your own lunch and snacks for the office.

#4 On your days off, you can arrange to go for a light run. It doesn't have to be long, 30 minutes is enough. If you have physical problems running, make it a longer power walk.

#5 Going to a gym to do some weights would be amazing. Even if you can just squeeze one weight training session in per week you'd contribute to building a stronger body.

#6 Spend time just relaxing with people you love. Keep the subjects light and listen. If you're feeling overwhelmed by something, don't keep it in. Ask for help, or just ask if you could talk about it and get it out.

This is just a few suggestions to start with. Establishing flow isn't easy. It's about creating new habits and breaking old bad habits. Creating healthy flow in your day allows you to invest in your health in a variety of ways. If your only health objective is to go to the gym, and for some reason you get piled up with work and can't make it; that means your total contribution to your well being is zero by the end of the day. Healthy flow doesn't put all your eggs in one basket, and makes you feel like you're looking after all your needs. With some hard work and patience you'll be looking at a better me. That sure beats just going to a gym.

Ahh, the single life. Freedom, autonomy, life on the edge; but what to eat?

I have a number of clients that are single and they often mention that cooking for one is a bit of a bother. This can be a problem because preparing your own home cooked food is essential in controlling the quality of your nutrition. Not to mention it saves a bundle of money when you compare it to fast food or restaurants!

Here's a "better me" suggestion.

Why don't you plan a stay home night with a friend and cook together? You can go out to do your groceries and return to one of your apartments and prepare a few days worth of meals. You can share the expense and the food.

This works on so many levels. Not only do you get to spend some time with a close friend, but you can also encourage one another to eat well. Two people working on the same recipes can get the job done a lot faster and it makes it something to look forward to.

Be sure to by varied sizes of tupper ware to store your meals in. It pays off to by the good ones because they won't leak in your bag. You'll also need some larger pots. Now you know what to ask for on your birthday!

This is a great way to spend an evening catching up with a friend and planning your food for the week. That's a double check in the box for healthy choices.

It is my heart felt belief that when we have a disagreement with our partners, it can become a tremendous learning experience that can bring us even closer to one another. If we could just let our defenses down we could discover a lot about our other half.

I'd like to share one of the most powerful tools to successfully communicate how we feel and get our partner to listen.

Like anything valuable in our relationships, this is a technique based on reciprocal involvement. It won't work unless both of you participate.This is going to require serious effort because you are going to have to take control of yourself when you're angry. You're exchange must also have a tone of caring and devoid of sarcasm.

Here we go; next time you find yourself in a heated disagreement and you find yourself getting defensive you:

- Stop. Just stop the argument. It doesn't matter who's right or wrong at this point. You both clearly feel strongly about your points but are more defensive than communicative.

- You both need to be ready to listen to how your partner FEELS. It's not weather they're right or wrong; it's about how they feel. If you care about your partners feelings, you need to get a grip and listen to what they have to say.

- One of you has to speak first. It's not time to attack the listener with accusations and personal labeling. It's time to talk about how the incident in question, makes you feel.

- The listener needs to listen and not defend themselves. Once your partner has finished you have to repeat back and reassure them that you heard how they feel. You then have to ask them what you can do to help next time a similar situation arises.

- The listener now adopts the position as the speaker each respecting the for mentioned points.

-Your partner needs to trust you to keep what goes on in the conversation sacred and not to be used to make points later on in other disagreements. If you throw things they share with you up in their face when it serves your need, you will loose their trust to open up to you.

This technique takes time to develop, but it will reduce a tremendous amount of stress in your relationship. We can't feel relaxed in life when we aren't at ease with the one we love.

Burnout and chronic fatigue are a huge problem. Unfortunately it is poorly diagnose and rarely caught in the early stages when it's easiest to treat. Trust me; it reveals itself in subtle ways long before it flattens you.

Early signs can include:

-Persistent fatigue that you can't seem to shake off.
-Digestive upset. Such as poor appetite, constipation, loose stools, and acid reflux.
-Dizziness. Not necessarily constant but immediate fleeting sensations.
-Blurry vision, almost as if you're looking through a mist.
-Diminished desire to socialize
-Being overly cynical
-Mood swings
-Depression
-Muscle aches that seem to have no apparent cause.
-A feeling of jet lag and you weren't recently on a jet!!
-Catching colds more frequently.

Some of these symptoms can be indicators of other health issues. Discuss them with your doctor but remain proactive as this condition is poorly understood and treatment options are not particularly effective with western medicine.

Here are some suggestions to get back on track if chronic fatigue or burnout is suspected:

- SLEEP!! You will need to significantly increase your sleep time. At least 8 hours if not more, and premidnight hours are your most valuable. Get to bed early.

- If you exercise, ease up on the intensity, at least until you feel more rested. Stay active, but don't push your body too hard. Exercise is a form of stress that is beneficial in many ways, but when you are very fatigued it can exacerbate your symptoms.

- People you share your life with need to know how you're feeling. Pretending or denying the presence of this condition will not allow you to do what's necessary to break the cycle of fatigue. You may have to hang up your cape for a while and let someone else be the hero for a while. Once your loved ones know how you feel, they can help you to recover.

- Don't forget you have needs too. If you don't take care of yourself, you can't take care of others. A young lady I had the pleasure of meeting said," it's like the procedure on the airplane, you are instructed to put your oxygen mask on first and then help the people who depend on you. If you pass out from lack of oxygen, you'll be of no use to those who need your help."

You can beat this condition but it requires that you start taking care of your needs.

Being overly cynical can be an early indicator of depression, burnout, and just general lack of happiness.

It's true we can get a little upset when things aren't going in the direction we would like them to. Political practices, big business, and individualism at epidemic levels all contribute to our frustrations. You don't want the negative actions of others or the questionable practices of certain institutions to have such profound negative influence on your wellbeing and stress levels.

Instead of stewing over things that get you fired up; give these suggestions a try:

-Try not to focus on the negative things. Make the switch as fast as you can. Studies show, the longer you let things upset you, the harder it is to shake off. Luckily the reverse is true; if something upsets you but you try to stay positive immediately, it will have less chance of snowballing into a wave of negativity.

-Catch yourself every time you're about to say something negative or derogatory. Then, look at the flip side and try and see what can be made positive of it.

-If you think the world is becoming more of a negative place, try and focus on the things you have the power to change in your life. Making changes in our own lives make us feel like we have some power to make change.

-Your life starts with you. Change yourself and your world will change.

-Don't have such a selective memory. We have all behaved inappropriately at some time or another. Practice forgiveness with others and yourself. No one is perfect! We all have some work to do on ourselves.

When you hear people talking about rotator cuff injuries, this is one of the rehab exercises usually prescribed. When people have forward rolled shoulders and a rounded upper back, they are more susceptible to weakness in these muscles, which results in shoulder pain. This exercise is also helpful for people who have weakness due to working on a computer all day or who participate in sports like cycling, anything that involves throwing, and racquet sports. External rotations are a valuable part of injury prevention in all exercise programs.

This exercise is meant to do with fairly light weight. You'll want to do about 3-4 sets and each set comprising of 10-15 repetitions.

Step#1 Sit with your back straight and holding the dumbbell while supporting your elbow on your knee.



Step#2 Keeping the elbow in contact with the knee, rotate your arm upward.



Step#3 Pause at the top of the movement, and be sure not to rotate the shoulder too far as to cause pain. Lower the weight back down slowly then repeat.



Before starting this exercise program, see your doctor and verify that these exercises are suitable for your condition.

Physical activity is a fundamental part of establishing better health. My last meeting with Bob was to teach him how to ease into things responsibly.

I wanted to meet Bob at my studio so we could discuss a plan for his physical activity.

When he arrived we sat and had a look at his daily routine. Bob worked for a marketing firm and held long hours. He was also expected to travel often. This was already difficult on his family life, as he is married with two young children. There were some obstacles to get around, but there are always solutions. Going to a gym could eventually work into Bob's plan. He could try to stay in hotels that have small gyms when he travels or pay a daily pass to a local health club in the region he is in. For now I thought it best to stay in the spirit of getting started, and slowly work good habits into his daily routine.

Sometimes people find changing their nutrition easier than finding the time for exercise. After all, eating is something you do throughout your day. You don't necessarily have to find extra time in the day to do it. Bob was in agreement. He told me that his new way of eating wasn't really all that difficult, and his wife was joining in the project. His wife is a stay home mom, with a busy daily schedule of her own. She was happy to think there were things she could do to manage her health needs. They found that preparing a weekly menu took a lot of the guess work out of meal time and helped them to organize their groceries. Bob was pleasantly surprised at the money he was saving by bringing his own food to work. He said that they prepare extra food for supper and he brings the leftovers for his lunch the next day.

I was so happy to see how Bob was thinking now! I never mentioned the idea of preparing extra food for supper and bringing it for the next days lunch. He really was changing his thinking. Instead of seeing problems in something that is meant to help him, he is looking for solutions.

Just as your eating is part of your everyday activities, I propose you look at your physical activity in the same light. Healthy living is about the total content of your day. Imagine if going to the gym was the only really healthy choice you make for yourself during the day. Then, for some reason or another, you can't make it. That equates to a day of zero healthy choices.

Now, imagine you walk to work, take the stairs to get to your office, bring your healthy snacks and lunch, walk home at the end of the day, and go for a light run after supper. If you're married or have a partner, they could go with you for the run or a walk and you could share your days experiences with one another. That's what I call a day of healthy flow. Your care for yourself was not dependant on one feature of the day. Your health is your total self, not just one aspect of your life. It's about using your body, sharing quality time with the people you love, eating well, and seeing the process as a betterment of self. It shouldn't be a war, nor determined by what magazines and movie stars do.

Remember you have your own unique life with your time restraints, family responsibilities, and budget. Under no circumstances should you set your standard by what other people do. Don't forget, what they do works for them. They have their own unique lives just as you do, and their choices are harmonious in the life they have.

Once you've integrated the healthy flow to your days, you may find you have time or develop a liking to other forms of physical activity. At this point you can try going to a gym, or building a home gym. You may develop an interest in running, cycling, yoga, or what ever else works for you. That's the whole point, what ever works for you. Your chosen activity has to work into your flow. But until you establish what your flow is the activity will upset your daily routine more than it will help.

My next client was just arriving and Bob had to get back to the office. Before he left I just wanted to go over the take home points of the meeting.

#1 Your daily health is not dependent on one activity. It is the outcome of cumulative decision making. It's about all your choices. Exercise is not the only health priority.

#2 Discuss the benefits with your partner. It always helps when two people encourage one another. But don't force the issue. Everyone is ready on their own time. Just don't wait for them, you have your own goals.

#3 Prepare extra food for supper and take the leftovers for the next days lunch. You'll appreciate what it does for your body and your wallet!

#4 Slowly introduce new activities into your routine. Make sure they fit into your health flow. You don't want activities to be stressful and impossible to maintain.

#5 This is about a better me. Don't see obstacles, look for solutions.

Bob and I warmly shook hands and parted ways. I told him to stay in touch and if he needed any other advise, to call me.

He was putting a lot more thought into his choices now and because of that, I knew he would continue in a positive direction; but he's just getting started.

Having a few rules to follow can be really helpful when your trying to get your nutrition on track. Here's what I recomended to Bob.

With all the diet books and health gurus giving us advice, we can find ourselves struggling to piece all the information together in ways that we can apply to our already hurried lives. Eating well shouldn't be complicated or disruptive to your daily flow. It's more about being organized with your menu and preparing food in advance.

Let me share a few tips and insights with you, that I'm sure will be of help in getting your daily meals on track.

My first advice is to give you a rule to eat by. The one that I promote and have had great success with is to simply eliminate a few foods from your Monday to Friday schedule. When I say eliminate I mean make a no exception policy with yourself. I recommend weekdays because we're already in a strong routine and work is a good distracted from food. If you are disciplined and follow fantastic nutrition five days out of seven, your weekends shouldn't undo your weekly effort.

I encourage my clients to be a little freer on the weekend, as we often find ourselves at parties, and family gatherings. These social gatherings should be enjoyed and you don't want to be too worried about your food choices. Knowing you were so disciplined all week you can indulge a bit into some of the foods you can't eat during the week. If you enjoy any alcoholic beverages this is the time to have it. Don't go way overboard with the eating, after all you do make sacrifices during the week and you would like to benefit from them in the long term.

"What are the foods to be eliminated," you ask? We refer to them as, simple carbohydrates (simple carbs).

#1Everything made with flour and/or sugar, such as bread, muffins, energy bars, pasta, crackers, cakes, cereal bars, breakfast cereals, chocolate, and candy. This includes organic, whole wheat, and dark chocolate.

#2 Starchy foods, such as rice, and potatoes.

I recommend steering clear of these foods during the week because they are plain and simply problematic for most people. There are some people whose bodies tolerate simple carbs, but for a better part they make the majority us fat. Don't be fooled by words like organic and whole wheat. Though they are healthier choices, they are not conducive to weights loss. People often tell me that they eat dark chocolate because it has certain health benefits, such as it's good for the heart. I ask you, if someone is overweight do you believe that eating dark chocolate will eliminate their heart problems? If someone has high blood pressure are there not many contributing factors, on which dark chocolate will have no effect? I think in many cases, proclaiming the health benefit is a denial to recognize cravings and lack of willpower as the true motive.

So, we know what we can't have; let's look at what we can have.

#1 Eat plenty of complex carbohydrates (complex carbs). This means, all the vegetables and fruits you want. Complex carbohydrates are full of vitamins and fiber. Yes, some fruits are more fattening than others such as tropical fruit, but we'll worry about that another time. Just don't eat too much fruit in the evening.

#2 Focus on eating more protein. Great sources are fish, beans, chicken, lean cuts of pork, and lean meats.

#3 Legumes are great foods as well. Examples of these are; chick peas and lentils.

We've looked at the dos and don'ts; now let's put them together for meal ideas.

You need to be sure to have your three meals a day with a snack between each meal. (See the previous post for snack ideas)

Imagine your dinner plate divided into tree parts. Your meal will consist of aprox.15% fats, 40% protein, and 45% complex carbs. The fats (healthy fats) would include oil in salad dressing (olive or canola), nuts, and accompaniments such as avocados. The proteins would be your choice from the above mentioned sources of protein. The complex carbs would be in the form of vegetables, salads, and legumes.

People often remark that breakfast is the hardest meal to figure out, so here are some ideas:
-Breakfast smoothie (see previous post)
-Omelet (mix one whole egg with egg whites. Buy the pre-prepared egg white carton)
-Yogurt with mixed berries
-Bowl of mixed fruit
-cottage cheese with blue berries
-2 boiled eggs
Have one of the above choices or have a combination of two choices. Breakfast is important and I want you to eat well. Don't forget to snack before lunch.

Remember, this is about getting started. People who have lots of experience in nutrition will have their own variations on this advice and may have conflicting opinions. I plain and simply suggest this approach because it sure beats calorie counting, and keeps you clear of temptation. Most of all, the rule is clear and though in the beginning you may feel deprived during the week, it will help you to create better eating habits. When you wake up Monday, you know what you have to do. No interpretation and second guessing, just getting to it.

 

HOW: In this post we talk about food and how to sate the hunger without digging the hole deeper - it takes a bit of effort, but it can actually be tasty and satisfying.

Two days latter as planned, there was Bob waiting for me in the cafe. I was pleasantly surprised to see he had a note pad opened to a blank page which I assumed was to take notes.

"I bet you're impressed," as he proudly gestured toward what looked like a bran muffin sitting lonely in the middle of a plate. I asked him what happened to the smoothie! He assured me that he has been having one each morning as promised. However, not too long after, he feels that he needs to eat something. At that point Bob expressed that the bran muffin seemed like a healthy choice.

Aware that we both had about 15 minutes before we had to be on our separate ways, we got down to business.

I told Bob it was normal to feel hungry shortly after the smoothie. A good appetite in the morning is a good thing. Some people skip breakfast all together and that's a huge mistake. If they don't want to eat in the morning at least they can drink their breakfast as a smoothie and that would give them the valuable energy their body needs to get the day started. Now, onto the muffin.

It was critical for Bob to learn that thought some foods may be praised as being good for you, they may not be conducive to weight loss. They can be replaced by foods that are equally good for you and would also be better for helping to control your weight. All things considered, even though the muffin Bob chose was not the best choice, it did show he was beginning to put more thought into his food choices.

A muffin is loaded with flour, fat, and sugar. I told him as far as loosing weight goes; flour and sugar are hugely responsible for keeping you from leaning down. Even low fat muffins are not an option. It might be low in fat but I've never heard of a low flour muffin. I also wanted him to be attentive to the fact that whole wheat flour and raw cane sugar can still negatively affect your weight loss goals, and should be avoided. And "yes Bob," even biological honey is sugar. Steer clear of it!

Bob put down his pencil and with a rather depressed look on his face, asked, "what can I eat, everything is made of flour and sugar?" He wasn't correct but from the angle of the typical menu of the average home, he had reason to feel that way.

We were almost out of time and I still hadn't given Bob something to walk away with, apart from his apparent frustration.

"Ok Bob, "I want to recap, and give you some snack choices."

#1 Don't skip breakfast. Drink your smoothie. It's normal to want to snack shortly after, and I encourage it. But make it a snack that has little or no sugar and flour in it.

#2 Some good snacks are:
- mixed nuts (not the whole bag) they're a great source of fiber, healthy fat, and protein.
- fruits and/or berries (we'll worry about specific ones later) just have any that you want for now. Fruits are a great source of fiber, vitamins, and slower to digest sugars. Go for the dark skinned berries. It's a sign that they're full of antioxidants. Think blue and black berries.
- Raw cut vegetables. This choice is not only a great source of fiber, but full of vitamins and phytochemicals which are essential to your body.
- Low fat cottage cheese with berries.
- Yogurt. Be careful of the low fat yogurts, as some of them are higher in sugar. Yogurt helps to keep the healthy bacteria in your digestive system strong, and it is a good source of calcium.
- Light bocconcini cheese with cherry tomatoes. Tomatoes are a great source of lycopene, which has been praised for it's anti cancer properties.
- Avocado eaten as it is is a great snack. Yes it has fat, but it's a totally healthy fat. Further, the fat contained in avocado has been shown to decrease inflammation in the prostate of men who suffer from enlargement of this gland.

It is my recommendation to have one snack between each meal so you're not so hungry when you sit down to eat.

I gave Bob an article that I wanted him to read. I also wanted him to buy a whole bunch of varied size tupper ware containers. The containers are important because bringing his food with him is the number one way to control what he eats.

It was time to go and we agreed to meet again in three days back at my studio. I reminded him to read the article in the meantime because it was full of food ideas so that he could get a better idea of what his meals should be like.