Be Smart. Eat Smart
It’s time to be smart when you eat. That means you should eat smart. Luckily, you don’t have to be a brain surgeon to do it. In fact, it’s actually pretty easy and gets even easier the longer you do. The basic rule is to eat whole foods. Those are foods that are closest to their natural state. That doesn’t necessarily mean they’re uncooked, just not highly processed. It’s like the difference between eating a baked potato and eating a potato chip or eating fruit rather than a fruit rollup or drinking a fruit drink.
What makes it easy?
Go to the produce section of the grocery and pick out your favorite fruits and vegetables. They’re ready to eat with very little preparation. You can steam them, bake them, grill them or eat them raw. You can’t eat healthy without a protein and for most people, that means fish, meat, chicken, eggs or cheese. For those who consume a vegetarian diet, it might mean beans and nuts. A healthy fat is also important, but you don’t need much. Butter made from milk from grass fed cows or an avocado.
You don’t have to give up your favorites, just get creative.
Salsa and chips are delicious and most homemade salsa is actually a healthy choice. You can get creative and use salsa to top your eggs, use as a dip for veggies, use as salad dressing, top a burger or put on a baked potato. You’ll get all the nutrients that salsa contains, plus its delicious taste. Getting creative means saving money, too. Left over grilled vegetables can top salad the next day and left over raw veggies are perfect for soup.
Not only will you be eating smarter, you’ll be smarter!
Some food can actually boost your brain power, besides helping you shed weight. Most people know that cutting out sugar helps avoid blood sugar drops that leave you feeling foggy, but did you know some foods actually help your brain. Blueberries help boost your memory, and tomatoes prevent damage to brain cells from free radicals that causes early onset dementia. The omega-3 fatty acids in fish provide support to brain cells. Most of all, ensuring you drink adequate water throughout the day keeps you focused and alert.
- Eating smart means eating food that’s nutrient rich and lower in calories. That just makes sense, especially if you want to shed weight.
- Your children will love healthy eating when you make fruit pops or have individual serving sizes of nuts or fresh fruits and vegetables ready for snacks.
- Eating healthy can also include how you eat. Don’t stand up and eat. Savor every bite and enjoy it. Really taste your food and don’t eat on the run.
- Eating more frequently is part of healthy eating. Have snacks ready and don’t miss meals. You might be tempted to grab a few candy bars at the gas station or from the candy machine if you do.
Most people think that people are overweight or out of shape because they lack will power. That’s not necessarily true. While losing weight can be a struggle, often people fail not because they simply are lazy or lack will power, but have no idea on the right way to do it. Instead of eating healthy, they go on a starvation diet. You can’t maintain a starvation diet very long and remain healthy. The body also rebels when the calories are super low. It’s created to survive, so it lowers the basal metabolism to ensure there are enough calories for the most important organs, like your heart and brain. That makes it even harder to lose weight.
Getting fit and healthy isn’t always easy or convenient. There’s no microwavable healthy fitness magic that comes in a box. That’s why I ask clients in Louisville, KY, what their inspiration to get healthy is and to focus on that motivation when the going gets rough. It can help at those times when doing one more lift seems impossible or that cake looks like it needs an avid fan to eat it. It also helps to keep priorities in line. If your family is your motivation, yet you’re not using your new found energy to do fun and active things with them, it’s time to make changes there, too.
Arm flab is often called bat wings because they give your upper arms a winged appearance. While working out is one way to get rid of arm flab, sometimes it takes more than that. They come from either too much fat and too little muscle or losing weight rapidly and having excess loose skin. The younger you are and the shorter time period you were overweight will determine how fast your skin shrinks back to fit your new body. Whether arm flab comes from too much fat, too little muscle or weight loss, there are ways to get those upper arms looking good again.
One of the most important goals you should have for you and your family is staying healthy this summer. One of the first things you need to remember is to stay hydrated! Instead of loading up on soft drinks, make your hydration water. It’s healthy and no calorie, making it a far better choice for anyone, whether trying to lose weight or not. Not only is cola unhealthy, it doesn’t quench your thirst. It contains two ingredients that makes certain it doesn’t, salt and caffeine. Sugar masks the salt, which makes you thirstier and the caffeine acts as a diuretic, also making you thirstier.
Like most moms, good nutrition for your kids is important. It’s not always that easy to do, but certainly can be done by following a few steps. The first and most important is to have healthy foods in the house and ready to snack on and eat at meals. If you don’t have junk available, all your kids will know is healthy food. If you’re making a switch from junk food to healthier eating, it’s more of a challenge, but still can be done.
One of the benefits of eating whole foods is that they’re often the easiest to make. I have clients in Louisville, KY that love eating simple and reap the benefits from that whole food diet. Eating simple doesn’t mean eating boring. In fact, you’ll be amazed at just how flavorful the food can be. It doesn’t mean that you can’t use herbs and spices, either. It simply means that you don’t eat complex foods created in the lab by food manufacturers.
One of the reasons I became a personal trainer in Louisville, KY was to help people stay healthier using natural methods, including exercise. Lately, there’s been a lot of promotion on food as medicine and rethinking about serious conditions like Alzheimer’s. Several studies are now considering Alzheimer’s as Type 3 diabetes. While most studies are in their infancy, there are links to insulin use in the brain and Alzheimer’s disease. It all starts with genetics in this particular case and shows that serious conditions occur from a variety of causes, not just one. It reminds us that we all are different and have different needs.
There’s a lot of ways to improve your energy level that help maintain a high level. While some people automatically reach for a sugary treat, it may help for a short time, but it won’t take long and you’ll be right back to dragging around, trying to stay awake. Instead of grabbing a sugary treat, try a bottle of water to give yourself a boost. Sometimes, even mild dehydration can drain you of energy, which is often why coffee doesn’t do the trick—it dehydrates you. Water also can be helpful if you think you’re hungry. Often the body confuses the messages and sends a signal of hunger when you’re really thirsty. At those times, you’ll often find yourself craving watermelon, sodas or other foods that are filled with fluid.