Do you wonder about eating the right fats, the right foods, the right cooking methods? Welcome to my world!
Everyday I see clients who would like to be healthier. We often discuss how to change their eating habits, but rarely do we talk about how to change their actual routine of meal preparation.
The bad economic situation has had some unexpected health benefits for my clients who are used to dining out. It’s now becoming necessary to prepare more meals for ourselves and many of us don’t have a clue where to start.
Here are a few simple steps to get organized in the kitchen for healthy eating.
1. Plan your meals. 7 breakfasts, lunches, dinners and snacks need to be addressed weekly. Remember those old lunch menus from school? Create your own meal schedule. Start with only one meal, maybe dinner, plus snacks. You can build up to the rest over time.
2. Write out a shopping list. Figure out how many times each week you’ll be at the grocery store and plan accordingly. If you only want to shop once a week, it will be a big list. Breaking the grocery shopping down to 2 or 3 trips per week can make for a more manageable list and you are more likely not to waste food.
3. Refer to your menu and prepare in advance. If you are grilling something for dinner, don’t forget to defrost it in the refrigerator the night before. Plan on having a vegetarian meal based on dried beans? Then you’ll need to soak those beans the night before unless you use a pressure cooker or a different cooking method. If you use canned beans rinse them before using to get rid of excess salt.
4. Increase your repertoire of recipes. Boredom is the fastest way to break down your resolve to stay home and eat healthy meals. Here are some websites to research for recipe ideas.
http://www.eatingwell.com/
http://www.epicurious.com/
http://whfoods.org/recipestoc.php
You can also google healthy_dinner_recipes to find a wealth of online resources.
5. Start with what you like when planning your meals. Hate fish? Leave it off your menu. Love burgers and fries? You can make oven fries for a healthier version and grass-fed beef is very nutritious. Want a vegetarian meal plan? Check out some Indian cookbooks for tasty recipes dating back thousands of years. A new favorite of mine is 660 Curries by Raghavan Iyer.
Trying these 5 steps for a few weeks can really help with your goals of eating healthier and less expensive meals. Contact me for additional ideas. I’m here to help.
Thursday, June 18, 2009
Tuesday, May 26, 2009
Coach Yourself Lean, Fit, or Happy
Do you wish you could afford a coach? Even though I am a wellness coach, I have a coach I rely on to keep me focused on my goals. We do a trade, so that cuts out those pesky fees.
I am offering a class called Be Your Own Coach at Tamarack Wellness Center in Eugene on June 2. For those of you who live out of town or can't make it Tuesday night at 7:00pm, here's some thoughts on being your own coach.
First, know what you want to accomplish. Be specifc about this, so you can form a mental picture in your mind. If it's a weight loss goal, see yourself at that goal weight. Really build some emotion about how good you feel and hone the description of yourself. Write it down. Two or three sentences will do. Here's an example: I have lost 20 pounds by October 31st and feel energized, impowered and strong. I can now see my belt buckle without looking in the mirror because my belly has shrunk.
Second, figure out why this goal is important to you. Usually, my clients want a change to enable them to enjoy life more. This can mean being able to hike in the mountains without stopping every 15 minutes to recover their breath, or being able to crawl around on the floor with a future grandchild without struggling to get up again. It can also mean recovering lost self-esteem, renewing vigorous activity, or fulfilling a life-long dream.
Whatever it is for you, picture yourself in that situation and then write it down. Here is an example: I am now playing frisbee on the beach with my kids. We are laughing and having the best time ever. I'm am fit and healthy and so are my kids.
Third, map the steps that it will take to get to your big vision of health and wellness. These are the actions you'll commit to so reaching your vision is not just a dream. Action steps have components like a date, a commitment, and a duration. For example: I will walk every day for 20 minutes (commitment), beginning May 29 (date) and I'll add 2 minutes per week for 6 weeks (duration).
You can make many steps to reach your goal. In fact, most people need to approach their goal from several aspects. Try to think of all the different areas of your life that will contribute to your overall success in reaching your goal. Write them down.
Your list is probably pretty long, right? If you feel overwhelmed, then you're doing it right! The next step makes it easier to achieve your stated goals.
Fourth, break these big steps into tasks. Using my example of walking everyday for 20 minutes, I'll need to do a few things first. Here are a few examples of tasks that will help accomplish this step of our plan: buy some shoes, get up 1/2 hour earlier, lay out clothes the night before, simplify breakfast to a smoothie.
Some things won't need a task list, so don't think you need to break everything down into its component tasks. Laying out your work clothes the night before isn't going to require a step-by-step list. However, if you aren't already in the habit of making smoothies, you may need to create a shopping list, find time to do the grocery shopping, and maybe even make the smoothie the night before and re-blend it in the morning.
Fifth, celebrate your accomplishments as you achieve the steps. Make these rewards something to support your overall goal. If you are planning to write a book, the steps would be something like write an outline, plan the chapters, find a publisher, write the book. When you get the outline completed, you probably deserve a celebration like a great dinner with a friend. If your goal is weight loss, you'll want to plan something like a trip to coast or a hike. You don't want to celebrate weight loss with a hot-fudge triple scoop sundae, right? Well, you may want to, but your goal is staring you in the face, so you'll make a better decision.
The point is to plan your celebrations so you have something to look forward to when you accomplish the steps to your goal.
If you'd like to come to the workshop and do some of this work, register at Tamarack Wellness Center, 541-683-7506 or online at Tamarack Wellness Center.
I hope you will set some goals and use these coaching tools to help you reach them.
I am offering a class called Be Your Own Coach at Tamarack Wellness Center in Eugene on June 2. For those of you who live out of town or can't make it Tuesday night at 7:00pm, here's some thoughts on being your own coach.
First, know what you want to accomplish. Be specifc about this, so you can form a mental picture in your mind. If it's a weight loss goal, see yourself at that goal weight. Really build some emotion about how good you feel and hone the description of yourself. Write it down. Two or three sentences will do. Here's an example: I have lost 20 pounds by October 31st and feel energized, impowered and strong. I can now see my belt buckle without looking in the mirror because my belly has shrunk.
Second, figure out why this goal is important to you. Usually, my clients want a change to enable them to enjoy life more. This can mean being able to hike in the mountains without stopping every 15 minutes to recover their breath, or being able to crawl around on the floor with a future grandchild without struggling to get up again. It can also mean recovering lost self-esteem, renewing vigorous activity, or fulfilling a life-long dream.
Whatever it is for you, picture yourself in that situation and then write it down. Here is an example: I am now playing frisbee on the beach with my kids. We are laughing and having the best time ever. I'm am fit and healthy and so are my kids.
Third, map the steps that it will take to get to your big vision of health and wellness. These are the actions you'll commit to so reaching your vision is not just a dream. Action steps have components like a date, a commitment, and a duration. For example: I will walk every day for 20 minutes (commitment), beginning May 29 (date) and I'll add 2 minutes per week for 6 weeks (duration).
You can make many steps to reach your goal. In fact, most people need to approach their goal from several aspects. Try to think of all the different areas of your life that will contribute to your overall success in reaching your goal. Write them down.
Your list is probably pretty long, right? If you feel overwhelmed, then you're doing it right! The next step makes it easier to achieve your stated goals.
Fourth, break these big steps into tasks. Using my example of walking everyday for 20 minutes, I'll need to do a few things first. Here are a few examples of tasks that will help accomplish this step of our plan: buy some shoes, get up 1/2 hour earlier, lay out clothes the night before, simplify breakfast to a smoothie.
Some things won't need a task list, so don't think you need to break everything down into its component tasks. Laying out your work clothes the night before isn't going to require a step-by-step list. However, if you aren't already in the habit of making smoothies, you may need to create a shopping list, find time to do the grocery shopping, and maybe even make the smoothie the night before and re-blend it in the morning.
Fifth, celebrate your accomplishments as you achieve the steps. Make these rewards something to support your overall goal. If you are planning to write a book, the steps would be something like write an outline, plan the chapters, find a publisher, write the book. When you get the outline completed, you probably deserve a celebration like a great dinner with a friend. If your goal is weight loss, you'll want to plan something like a trip to coast or a hike. You don't want to celebrate weight loss with a hot-fudge triple scoop sundae, right? Well, you may want to, but your goal is staring you in the face, so you'll make a better decision.
The point is to plan your celebrations so you have something to look forward to when you accomplish the steps to your goal.
If you'd like to come to the workshop and do some of this work, register at Tamarack Wellness Center, 541-683-7506 or online at Tamarack Wellness Center.
I hope you will set some goals and use these coaching tools to help you reach them.
Wednesday, May 6, 2009
Boost Your Immune System
Do you want a stronger, more competent immune system? Sure you do!
If you take loads of supplements hoping that will do the trick, you could be overloading your system, leading to the OPPOSITE outcome.
Here are a few things you can do to enhance your immune system while not going to extremes.
1. Get sufficient Vitamin A, which is an anti-viral. Eggs, calves' liver and milk are animal products with pre-formed Vitamin A. Vegetable sources have carotinoids which your body converts to Vitamin A. Sources high in carotinoids include carrots, cooked spinach, kale, and raw red bell peppers. How do you know if you are deficient in Vitamin A? If you have permanent goose bumps on the back of your arms, you're likely deficient.
2. Other vitamins are important too, of course: C, D, E, and minerals such as zinc, iodine and magnesium. I'm a proponent of low-dose, naturally occuring vitamin supplementation. Look for supplements that say whole food derived. Cleaning up your diet and eating organic, locally grown foods are an excellent way to boost your immune system while cleaning up the 'terrain' of your body - the host for viral, bacterial, fungal, and other illness-causing invaders.
3. Hydrate yourself. If you drink half your ideal body weight in ounces of pure water every day, this is a great start. Why your 'ideal' body weight? It's just too daunting to think that if you weight 250 pounds, you need to drink 125 ounces of water daily. However, if you drink lots of caffeine containing beverages: soda, coffee, green tea, or loads of juice, alcohol, and other diuretics, you'll need more water to offset those dehydrating beverages.
4. Reduce sugar and simple carbohydrates in favor eating less processed foods. Nutrient dense, properly prepared food is key to boosting your immune system and providing your body with the building blocks for maintenance and repair. Variety is important to get all the micronutrients needed for a strong immune system. Adequate protein is particularly important. In case you didn't get the memo - eggs are fine to eat daily. Read more about the benefit of eggs here. If you are a vegetarian not eating eggs, be sure to use good protein combining skills. Don't leave it to chance that you will get all the essential amino acids you need to enhance your immune system. Quinoa, hemp seed, kelp, spirulina - eat these nutritious foods often.
5. Rest, sleep, relax! Our body does its greatest repair while we sleep.
6. Move - the dreaded E word is EXERCISE. After resting, move your body to detoxify through perspiration and deep breathing. Exercise circultes blood and lymph. Lymph moves toxins out of your system. If you want to enhance that pathway, try dry skin brushing when you can't adequately exercise.
7. Remove stressors, such as allergens. If you know you have a wheat allergy, an egg allergy, a chocolate allergy, etc. don't eat the foods that cause your immune system to over-react. Instead, concentrate on healing your gut, which is often inflamed from dealing with allergens. Seventy to eighty percent of your immune system is adjacent to your gut. A healthy digestive system can go a long way to enhancing immunity. I'm a nutritional therapist, so this is my personal bias and there is plenty scientific information to back me up when I say, "Heal the gut, heal the entire body." If I was a chiropractor, I'd probably say something like, "Balance the nervous system, balance the entire body." Another way to say this: don't challenge your immune system unnecessarily.
Here's a quick recap for increasing immunity: adequete nutrients, ideally from foods and low-dose supplements; good hydration; get rid of crappy foods in your diet; sleep 7-8 hours nightly; exercise; reduce stressors.
If you take loads of supplements hoping that will do the trick, you could be overloading your system, leading to the OPPOSITE outcome.
Here are a few things you can do to enhance your immune system while not going to extremes.
1. Get sufficient Vitamin A, which is an anti-viral. Eggs, calves' liver and milk are animal products with pre-formed Vitamin A. Vegetable sources have carotinoids which your body converts to Vitamin A. Sources high in carotinoids include carrots, cooked spinach, kale, and raw red bell peppers. How do you know if you are deficient in Vitamin A? If you have permanent goose bumps on the back of your arms, you're likely deficient.
2. Other vitamins are important too, of course: C, D, E, and minerals such as zinc, iodine and magnesium. I'm a proponent of low-dose, naturally occuring vitamin supplementation. Look for supplements that say whole food derived. Cleaning up your diet and eating organic, locally grown foods are an excellent way to boost your immune system while cleaning up the 'terrain' of your body - the host for viral, bacterial, fungal, and other illness-causing invaders.
3. Hydrate yourself. If you drink half your ideal body weight in ounces of pure water every day, this is a great start. Why your 'ideal' body weight? It's just too daunting to think that if you weight 250 pounds, you need to drink 125 ounces of water daily. However, if you drink lots of caffeine containing beverages: soda, coffee, green tea, or loads of juice, alcohol, and other diuretics, you'll need more water to offset those dehydrating beverages.
4. Reduce sugar and simple carbohydrates in favor eating less processed foods. Nutrient dense, properly prepared food is key to boosting your immune system and providing your body with the building blocks for maintenance and repair. Variety is important to get all the micronutrients needed for a strong immune system. Adequate protein is particularly important. In case you didn't get the memo - eggs are fine to eat daily. Read more about the benefit of eggs here. If you are a vegetarian not eating eggs, be sure to use good protein combining skills. Don't leave it to chance that you will get all the essential amino acids you need to enhance your immune system. Quinoa, hemp seed, kelp, spirulina - eat these nutritious foods often.
5. Rest, sleep, relax! Our body does its greatest repair while we sleep.
6. Move - the dreaded E word is EXERCISE. After resting, move your body to detoxify through perspiration and deep breathing. Exercise circultes blood and lymph. Lymph moves toxins out of your system. If you want to enhance that pathway, try dry skin brushing when you can't adequately exercise.
7. Remove stressors, such as allergens. If you know you have a wheat allergy, an egg allergy, a chocolate allergy, etc. don't eat the foods that cause your immune system to over-react. Instead, concentrate on healing your gut, which is often inflamed from dealing with allergens. Seventy to eighty percent of your immune system is adjacent to your gut. A healthy digestive system can go a long way to enhancing immunity. I'm a nutritional therapist, so this is my personal bias and there is plenty scientific information to back me up when I say, "Heal the gut, heal the entire body." If I was a chiropractor, I'd probably say something like, "Balance the nervous system, balance the entire body." Another way to say this: don't challenge your immune system unnecessarily.
Here's a quick recap for increasing immunity: adequete nutrients, ideally from foods and low-dose supplements; good hydration; get rid of crappy foods in your diet; sleep 7-8 hours nightly; exercise; reduce stressors.
Thursday, April 16, 2009
Make a Commitment to Wellness
Recently, I moved into an office at Pure Life Chiropractic. That's the practice of Dr. Matt Freedman in Eugene, Oregon. He puts out a newsletter too and one of the articles inspired me to write this. Thanks, Dr. Matt!
How would you define health and wellness?
It’s certainly not as simple as being upright and vertical, or being able to get from point A to point B without assistance. It’s also not just the absence of overt symptoms or illness.
Over 50 years ago, the World Health Organization (WHO) defined health as, "A state of complete physical, mental, and social well-being, and not merely the absence of disease or infirmity."
In addition to the WHO definition, you might choose to define “health and wellness” as a balance of body, mind and spirit. Do you feel balanced in these three areas? Can you say that you’re living up to your highest potential, living fully in every area of your life?
Not many of us will answer these questions with a resounding, unequivocal, and confident “Yes.” Well, maybe Deepak Chopra! We can say that it’s never too late to start the journey toward wellness by embracing and DOING the activities, behaviors, and lifestyle changes that will move us closer to health and wellness.
Here are some actions and behaviors that can be incorporated into your lifestyle to move you steadily toward a state of well being and health. When it comes to wellness, every little bit helps - at any age.
• Choose to eat right – Fast foods, sugar and artificial sweeteners, soft drinks and most snack food just won’t add up to wellness. Fresh fruits and vegetables, fish, grass-fed lean meats, nuts and seeds, whole grains – these are foods that promote health. Drink lots of pure, clean water. Moderate your alcohol consumption. Don’t buy unhealthy food in the first place. Remember – out of sight is out of mind. If it’s not in the kitchen, you can’t eat it.
• Make exercise a habit – Our bodies are made to move. Regular exercise can lead to a healthy cardiovascular system, while increasing your metabolism which burns more calories and prevents or reverses unhealthy weight gain. It also enhances your skeletal system including bones, muscles and ligaments. Exercise boosts your immune system and sweating helps detoxify your body. We all know that obesity has reached epidemic proportions. Proper nutrition and exercise can reverse this trend.
• Get enough sleep – Your body heals and recharges during sleep. Adult needs 7 – 8 hours of sleep nightly, young growing children and teens need even more. Sleep is necessary to restore and repair the body so it can function optimally the next day. Plan to get enough sleep and take action to correct poor sleep patterns. Your health depends on it.
• Live the healthy life – This goes beyond your physical needs. Express kindness and compassion toward yourself and others. Seek to develop a code of moral and ethical principles. Then live by them. Discover your life’s purpose. Connect with joy and connect with others, not just through Facebook or Twitter, but in person. Nurture your spirituality and religious connections. Bring someone else joy by helping others who are less fortunate.
Lastly, remember that it’s never too late to get on track to true health and wellness. Make a plan, draw up a list, then ask yourself, “What’s on my list and how will I get there?”
How would you define health and wellness?
It’s certainly not as simple as being upright and vertical, or being able to get from point A to point B without assistance. It’s also not just the absence of overt symptoms or illness.
Over 50 years ago, the World Health Organization (WHO) defined health as, "A state of complete physical, mental, and social well-being, and not merely the absence of disease or infirmity."
In addition to the WHO definition, you might choose to define “health and wellness” as a balance of body, mind and spirit. Do you feel balanced in these three areas? Can you say that you’re living up to your highest potential, living fully in every area of your life?
Not many of us will answer these questions with a resounding, unequivocal, and confident “Yes.” Well, maybe Deepak Chopra! We can say that it’s never too late to start the journey toward wellness by embracing and DOING the activities, behaviors, and lifestyle changes that will move us closer to health and wellness.
Here are some actions and behaviors that can be incorporated into your lifestyle to move you steadily toward a state of well being and health. When it comes to wellness, every little bit helps - at any age.
• Choose to eat right – Fast foods, sugar and artificial sweeteners, soft drinks and most snack food just won’t add up to wellness. Fresh fruits and vegetables, fish, grass-fed lean meats, nuts and seeds, whole grains – these are foods that promote health. Drink lots of pure, clean water. Moderate your alcohol consumption. Don’t buy unhealthy food in the first place. Remember – out of sight is out of mind. If it’s not in the kitchen, you can’t eat it.
• Make exercise a habit – Our bodies are made to move. Regular exercise can lead to a healthy cardiovascular system, while increasing your metabolism which burns more calories and prevents or reverses unhealthy weight gain. It also enhances your skeletal system including bones, muscles and ligaments. Exercise boosts your immune system and sweating helps detoxify your body. We all know that obesity has reached epidemic proportions. Proper nutrition and exercise can reverse this trend.
• Get enough sleep – Your body heals and recharges during sleep. Adult needs 7 – 8 hours of sleep nightly, young growing children and teens need even more. Sleep is necessary to restore and repair the body so it can function optimally the next day. Plan to get enough sleep and take action to correct poor sleep patterns. Your health depends on it.
• Live the healthy life – This goes beyond your physical needs. Express kindness and compassion toward yourself and others. Seek to develop a code of moral and ethical principles. Then live by them. Discover your life’s purpose. Connect with joy and connect with others, not just through Facebook or Twitter, but in person. Nurture your spirituality and religious connections. Bring someone else joy by helping others who are less fortunate.
Lastly, remember that it’s never too late to get on track to true health and wellness. Make a plan, draw up a list, then ask yourself, “What’s on my list and how will I get there?”
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