A little over a month ago, I decided it was time to get back to school. Maybe it was listening to my coworkers talking about their kids starting back to High School and college, I don't know. But before I knew it- I found myself enrolled in a new class.
I wasn't someone who particularly enjoyed school growing up. I did fine, but I didn't push myself, and I found it boring.  Now that I know what I want to be when I grow up, I find learning to be extraordinary!
I love reading about nutrition, wellness, and cooking! And, I love getting creative with that knowledge (typically in the form of food) and sharing it with others.
This week, I encourage you to LEARN. Not everyone can afford to go back to school, or even take a community ed class. But chances are there are lectures online that you can find. Do some research, and learn a little about something you love!  I bet it puts a smile on your face!

Do you ever eat just for the sake of eating? You know you need food, so you just eat whatever, shovel it in and be done with it? We all do it sometimes, but it shouldn't be often!

I think this rule rang very clear to me, just last night. I made simple roasted veggie sandwiches for dinner with a friend. The act of deciding which veggies to roast (zucchini, squash, and tomato) and which veggies to sautee (onion and mushrooms), was half the fun! Pesto? Cheese? What eles goes?

Then we built the sammies, each layer of goodness making our mouths water! But the first crunchy, yummy bite?! That was the best part! Discovering that our random dinner provided by friend's gardens? Yup- that's exactly what this rule is all about.

Don't eat for the sake of eating. Eat for the enjoyment of it. Homemade meals are the most satisfying, but store bought meals can be equally enjoyable. Find something about each meal you eat  this week that brings a smile to your face. Food tastes a little better this way- I promise! :)

Eating rule #4 is simple... don't eat like a barbarian!! You know what I'm talking about! Everyone is guilty of shoving a handful of chips in thier mouths once in a while... yeah...that's what I'm talking about.

Slow down and take time to eat. Eat like you are trying to impress someone, even if you are alone. Sit at your table, use a napkin, the whole 9 yards-- and for Pete's sake, do not stuff yourself.

Are you catching on?! I think we all know that we eat a little daintier when you are on a date, or even out with friends. Do your best to carry that back home.

Eat what your body wants. No, I haven’t gone off the deep end-I’m not giving you a free pass to eat whatever you want. I’m telling you to listen to your body. Your body WANTS healthy food~ fruits and veggies, it’s your brain that wants the sugar and fat! We’ve probably all done some sort of restriction diet where you cut out all the sugar, fat and “bad” stuff.  After a few days the cravings go away and your body starts running like a machine… and then you cave in and eat 3 donuts! You feel cruddy because you messed up, and decide the diet is not for you. What did you learn from this experience? Restriction of foods is not the answer!!

In general- I eat fairly healthfully. I eat as low fat as possible, I incorporate as many veggies as I can per meal, and I try to combat sugar cravings by eating fruit throughout the day. But sometimes, I HAVE to have ice cream. I put it off as long as possible, sometimes even a couple of days… and if I still want it, I have it. But, I buy the smallest serving I can, and I eat as little as possible. When you do choose unhealthy foods, do you enjoy them? If you don’t then you probably weren’t really craving it. Less than 5 bites should satisfy a craving.

This week, I want you to listen to your body. You already KNOW it wants healthy food, but when you decide to go unhealthy, really take notice of how you feel during and after these meals. Sure the first few bites taste good, but after that you start to reject the over processed fat filled snack. The Pavlovian response may help you stay away from junk food in the future!

We are back to talking about food after last week’s hiatus. Eating Rule #2 will be familiar to you, because I’ve talked about it before.  Eat Un-distracted. The idea is simple, eat your meals at your kitchen table at home, or in a designated eating area at work. It sounds easy enough, but the execution is always a problem! Studies show that you will eat less and eat healthier when you are not distracted by your TV or computer.

I know that I fall victim to eating at my desk. Up until 2 years ago- I ate lunch in the cafeteria at work almost every day. After my company went through layoffs and structural changes, I found myself eating at my desk, trying to “keep up”. Two years later, I still do it- and I hate it!  I try to get away from my desk a couple times of week. I know it’s great for my health, as well as my mind, eyes, and the rest of my body, to get a break from my office environment. It’s a challenge that I’m still working on.

So-Try it this week! Eat undistracted by the radio, TV, or computer! Sit at your dining table, with friends or alone, and just enjoy the time.

If this one is easy for you- I ask you to find a coworker who struggles with this idea, and bring them with you!

Happy Eating!

We are about 4 months out from Thanksgiving, but this week is about gratitude. Most of you have probably heard of gratitude journals, but have you tried them? Sure it’s easy to say things like- I’m thankful that I have a job, or that the sun is shining. But take it one step farther and include a reason why. Put some thought into it. This has been a crazy week for me, and to try and manage the stress, I’m learning to find the good in each situation.  While I typically shoot for 3-5 entries in my own gratitude journal- here is a little hint of what mine looks like this week.

7/18/11- Monday
John and I went to the house today so he could check out my water heater problem. I am so thankful for a friend who will drop everything to come and help with all the things that “dad’s” are supposed to do when you are a single girl.

Unfortunately he couldn’t fix the problem, but a coworker recommended a plumber they have used several times. I’m grateful for a coworker who is willing to help you find help.

7/19/11- Tuesday
I’m thankful for hot water! Even in this heat, two icy cold showers aren’t that pleasant! And thank you to the plumber who solved the problem as cheaply as possible… a less honest one could have charged me for all kinds of things!

I’m also thankful for the warm fuzzy love of my cats! Having to put the family dog (my brother’s) down, makes us remember just how special animals are! I hope Lexi is enjoying my dad and Patches (our first cat) in Heaven. Belly rubs for all!

7/20/11- Wednesday
Toughest day of the week. Today I attended the memorial service of my friend Peter’s 4 year old son. I am thankful for the outpour of love and support that I saw at the service. In facing the hardest thing they will EVER have to do, they were surrounded by friends and family. And btw- Cancer sucks.

So~ this weeks wellness tip—find the good amongst the chaos!

People often ask me what my general guidelines are when it comes to eating healthy. While I do have some general "rules" I ask clients to follow, it's really about being smart and listening to your body.   For the next few weeks I will lay out some healthy eating thoughts for you.  If you follow these guidelines each day for a week, you will start to notice that you are eating less junk (more good stuff), and gaining more energy from your food.

But it all starts with a little patience. Are you ready for rule number 1?

Rule #1: Eat when you are hungy!

Seems simple right? But most people are really more about eating on a schedule, than eating when your body is craving food! I've worked at my company for almost 12 years. I am on a schedule- we start work at 6:30 and lunch, for most of us happens between 11 and 11:30. I find myself looking at the clock and saying "oh, it's lunch time, I should eat".  But, I have to stop myself and ask, "am I hungry yet?"  Sometimes the answer is no, and I will wait 30 minutes (sometimes it's only 5 minutes and my tummMy schedule is like this; I'm usually having breakfast around 6am (a bowl of steel cut oatmeal with fruit and almond milk). From that point on, I find myself on a schedule eating about every 2 hours. Often there are two morning snacks (typically yogurt, and almonds), lunch around 11:30, and an apple or granola bar around 2. I feel MUCH better when I wait til I'm hungry and eat a small snack.

Try it.. pack yourself several fun healthy snacks, and see where it leads. Lunch could be a small salad or a half sandwich. I recommend trying sunchips, or crackers with hummus in the afternoon-- I feel like I HAVE to have a salty crunch! Just wait until you are hungry... actually hungry, not just bored or thirsty or on a schedule. You will enjoy the food more and your body will thank you!

It doesn’t matter how you say it, you just need it… Water. And this time of year you need more than you think! The general rule is this: 4-6 oz per waking hour. If you are sedentary the 4 does you just fine, if it’s hot or you workout go with 6 or more! Figure out what your number is and then make a plan!

Typically I am awake around 17 hours a day during the week. So for me that equals 68-102 oz of water. That seems reasonable, until I look at my 32 oz water bottle I keep at work!! That means that minimally I would have to drink 2-3 bottles worth of water a day! THAT seems like a lot! Time to get drinking! This is where you make a plan.

Today is hot, I plan to work out, and I’m feeling tired, so I’m going with the 102+. I also know, that I’m not a good water drinker at home, so I should focus on getting as much as I can at work. So, I’m setting my goal- one bottle before lunch, and one bottle before I leave. This is how you get it done, set a goal, make a plan, commit!

You have heard it all before, but water IS just so great for your system! It brightens your complexion, eases joint and muscle pain, aids in metabolism, and much much more! So- Bottom’s Up!

As I was sitting at my desk today, thinking about what to write in this blog, I glanced at my LWS certification. While I know it's cheesy- I have it framed and sitting on my desk. What caught my eye was the date of certification 6/29/2010. Hey, that was one year ago today! Suddenly I knew what I was going to write about!

Wellness means a lot of things to different people; to me the basics of wellness are health (nutrition and exercise) and being happy! 15 months ago, my personal journey to real happiness began with decided to get certified in something I was passionate about. But this journey is continuous...

So.. I sit here today, again embarking on another journey to happiness. There are many branches to the path ahead. I've been talking about and writing down plans for a couple of weeks now.  Those of you who know me personally will watch it unfold over the next few weeks and months. It's fun! It's exciting! It's scary!

Isn't making yourself happy thrilling?! Have you charted a course to happiness? Where does your path lead - is it s new job, weight loss, adopting a puppy, organizing the closet? How do you plan to get there? Start working on it! It's a journey well worth the effort!

My new Summer hours at work have me getting up earlier and working later. This means that the most convenient time for me to hit the gym, is right during its busiest time. The last thing that I want at the end of my day is to be frustrated with crowds at the gym and stressed out about dealing with them!

So, I needed to find another answer to my weeknight workouts.

Running or biking seemed like obvious solutions, but I haven’t been much of a runner in years. Maybe this was my opportunity to get back into it.

2 weeks ago, I went out and bought a shiny new pair of running shoes. I even asked the salesman for help in finding the right pair for my needs! After spending those couple of weeks breaking them in with walks, Monday night I went on my first run!

My new shoes felt GREAT! With no blisters looming, I was able to push myself through parts of the workout when normally I fail because my feet are burning! I achieved my workout goal! What a great feeling! I felt so good about the run, I shared the story with people at work, and inspired myself to go out again Tuesday night. So last night I did another run, it was a little harder but still felt great.

This week, I ask you to find something that inspires you to be healthy. Maybe it’s a new pair of shoes, or a new pan to cook in! Maybe it’s buying fresh veggies at the Farmer’s Market. Whatever your choice, I hope it inspires you to be healthy!