Pep Talk
April 2010 Signs of spring are popping up everywhere! A naturopath once told me that spring fever actually does exist. Well, I think he is right, because every spring I feel a strong urge to organize, purge and clean! Perhaps spring means a fresh start for everyone? Have you thought about purging your kitchen and future grocery lists of heavily processed foods that tax your body and cloud your mind? You may have even considered giving your body a fresh start with a detox or cleanse. Our bodies are actually well designed to detoxify and cleanse themselves- but processed food products with artificial additives and preservatives, refined sugar, and harmful fats put it under extra strain. We can do our own detoxing by cleaning up our diet and emphasizing real foods. In other words, foods with just one ingredient. You have heard people say in many different contexts, "it is what it is" - well.... that is what food we eat should be: WHAT IT IS! To give your body extra help in cleaning itself, start the day with 1/2 lemon squeezed into warm water . The tart taste will wake you up more than a cup of coffee and will aid in digestion. Emphasize raw and steamed vegetables and fresh or frozen fruits. Pick high quality protein foods such as fish, eggs, poultry, beans, nuts and seeds, unsweetened dairy products (soy or almond milk) and healthy fats, such as extra virgin olive oil, avocado, nuts and seeds. If you need help with spring cleaning your body, call me for an appointment at 441-6602. Many health insurance plans cover the fee for registered dietitian services. Health and Happiness, Edie
March 2010 – Fitting in Fun…and Fitness
These days we don’t have to put out much physical energy to live our day -to – day lives. Cars, elevators, e-mail, remote controls and tons of other convenience tools make our lives easier… maybe a little too easy!
So in order to keep our bodies in good working order we must fit exercise into our days. Our bodies were designed to move.
I decided to write on this when I met my Aunt Helen after her skate on Wednesday. As I waited in my vehicle outside the Halifax Metro Centre in downtown Halifax, I watched streams of happy people exiting the rink carrying their skates and big smiles on their faces – people on their lunch break, retirees, young couples, and finally, my aunt, at 67, she was sparkling.
All of these people had had fun AND exercise. My Aunt told me that every Mon, Wed and Fri there is an Open Skate from 12:00 – 12:50 for $3 ($2.50 for a book of 10 skates!). What a great deal and great fun.
For many of us, the word exercise may not equate with fun – if that is true for you – I ask you to take a little time to think of what kind of physical activity would be fun for you. What did you enjoy as a child, or during your teen years – was it swimming, tennis, volleyball, badminton, or…skating? Chances are, you will enjoy it again! And the fitter you are the better swimmer, tennis player, skater etc, you will be – this may inspire you to work your body a little more during your usual exercise routines!
Health and Happiness,
Edie
END OF 2009 PEP TALK!!! Winning Goals!
I hope all of you are having a wonderful Christmas season and have enjoyed everything this wonderful season has to offer – including delicious foods! With the busyness of the season you may not have been able to stick to your usual physical activity program – shopping, baking and hosting friends and family took precedence …and rightly so!
Right now I am taking a little breather between parties and company to think about the upcoming new year…and I would like to invite you to do the same!
In years past many of us have set resolutions or goals for the new year, only to have them fall by the wayside a few weeks later. I was asked by a journalist last week why new years’ resolutions don’t stick, so I have been giving it some thought and will pass this on to you so that all of us will be prepared to follow through with our goals.
Planning is key !
Step 1
Think about your goals. Make them specific, measurable,attainable and time oriented.
Example: Instead of: I will lose weight.
Try: I will lose 5 pounds a month through healthy eating and exercise.
This is a better goal, it is specific, measurable, time oriented and attainable. BUT, we have to set an action plan in place to support this goal.
Write down your goal(s).
Step 2
The action plan for the first month might be:
I will eat a high fiber cereal, milk and fresh fruit every morning and walk for 30 minutes most days of the week.
Once this action plan of eating breakfast and walking become a habit, you can move onto another action plan.
Write down your action plan.
You will find that specific actions will lead to your overall goal of losing weight.
Step 3
Track your progress!
Using the example of this action plan and goal, you would track how many times a week you have eaten your healthy breakfast and how many times you walked.
Weekly weigh-ins will track your weight loss progress.
If you are working with me you may be doing a more aggressive action plan and using my tracking tools.
By following this approach to planning for goals/resolutions, you will be on your way to a healthier you for 2010!
Your Nutrition Coach,
Edie
NOVEMBER PEP TALK
The Parties have started and the goodies have started rolling into the office and home! It is possible to maintain a healthy diet, enjoy the best of the season but avoid the holiday spread, (pun intended).
Here are a few tips to stay on track, most of the time!
- Keep up with the exercise. If you don’t have time to do your usual routine, at least fit in a power walk everyday. Exercise helps us to resist over eating.
-Think quality over quantity. And I am not referring to Quality Street chocolates!. Save yourself for your favourite Christmas treats, and don’t bother with the same old mediocre goodies.
-If you are hosting your own parties, have plenty of healthy, light offerings. Your guests will appreciate it!
A couple of my favourite healthy Christmas platters are:
Antipasto platter made up of olives, grapes, artichokes, roasted red peppers and flatbread crackers.
A platter of medjool dates, clementines and nuts to crack!
If you haven’t noticed, these appetizers are easy and no cooking is required!
A few years ago my husband and I started a tradition of having a rum and eggnog every night starting Dec. 1st. After a couple of years of this tradition we noticed that we would gain weight every Christmas – One year we decided to hold off on the celebratory drink until a few days before Christmas and we both felt healthier and lighter during the season! So the moral of the story is: hold off on the overindulgence until a couple of days before Christmas.
WISHING YOU A SEASON FULL OF FAMILY, FRIENDS AND MEANINGFUL MOMENTS!
