Category Archives: Healthy Balance

Fitness, Healthy Balance, Nutrition

What I really think about “diets”

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This is probably long overdue. The word “diet” is all too popular in our society today. And it seems like there is one for every kind of person. The vegetarian, the meat lover, the sugar addict, the bikini model, the power lifter, etc. So what is the one that you choose? How do you know which ones are “right”? The answer, you don’t. There isn’t a one size fits all model for nutrition, because everyone has different goals, different metabolisms, different activity levels and different bodies!.

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I would consider myself to have been a professional dieter, I have tried just about every one out there. South Beach, Atkins, Juice Cleansing, raw foods, no carbs, high fat, etc. And you know what? I lost weight on just about every one of them! But you know what else? I couldn’t live on them, I felt deprived, hungry, crabby, weak. Something in every one of those above mentioned plans was missing–MODERATION. Our culture is an extreme one, everything is instant, and quick and guaranteed. That is not realistic, and it’s not healthy.

Granted, this is just my personal opinion. But I feel compelled to share it because it breaks my heart to see so many people, women especially, beating themselves up physically and emotionally over food and weight loss.

Food is awesome, people! It freaking rocks! It tastes good, it’s fun and it’s part of being a social human! But the other thing is, it’s just food. And there is plenty of it. So my point would be–save the decadent, completely ridiculously nutritionally void treats for the special occasions and enjoy them, fully. But the rest of the time–it’s just food. You need it to survive, to stay healthy, to have energy and build muscle and run fast and be awesome. You need carbs, they give you energy. You need fats, they help insulate and facilitate functions in the body that are too numerous to list. And protein is vital, it boosts metabolism, repairs damaged tissue and gives you energy.

I have found that for me, knowing how much of each macronutrient (that means: fat, protein and carbohydrates) my body needs to function optimally and helps with my fitness related goals; has given me IMMENSE freedom from the restrictions and yo yo patterns of my hard core dieting days. I don’t feel that anything is “forbidden” any more. If I want a brownie for dessert with my family–I make that “fit”. If I want a glass of wine with my husband after the kids go to bed, I make it fit. This is not to say that I don’t practice self control and discipline with my food choices the majority of the time. But I don’t feel like I am living out of balance any more. I am stronger, leaner and feel that this is a long term lifestyle change that i can maintain.

How much moderation do you feel your current “diet” has? Do you feel like you can maintain eating the way you are currently for the rest of your life? Do you feel like your food choices are helping you to achieve your health and fitness related goals?

 

 

Fitness, Healthy Balance, Nutrition

The Truth About a Cleanse

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I know that this will probably touch a few nerves, as some of you may have had “success” on something like what I am about to discuss. I guess my question would be what are you trying to accomplish during a cleanse or a detox? If the answer is health, lasting weight loss and a sustainable lifestyle change–you’re barking up the wrong tree there. 

Can you lose a significant amount of “weight” only drinking juiced fruits and vegetables? Sure! Will your belly flatten down if you stop eating solid food for 14 days? Of course!
Does drinking a caffeinated “health drink” 4 times a day give you more energy? In a way, yes.

Here’s another thing that I think confuses people “detox”. This notion that we are full of poisonous “toxins” that need to be removed from our system with an elixir or product that will cleanse our bodies. Let me share a secret with you: our bodies are completely capable at removing unnecessary substances on their own. Our livers and kidneys are created for this purpose. So unless you’ve actually ingested poison, you have a built in “cleansing system” already in place. Assuming you have well functioning kidneys and liver, you’re good to go there 🙂

But let’s step back a second and think about this in a longer time frame than a few days, weeks or even a month. Suppose your “plan” tells you to not eat carbs or processed foods; then your husband or child has a birthday, and there’s birthday cake, and you have a piece. Then what? You’ve “fallen off plan”, screwed up. But it was so good! The sugar makes you happy, you were part of the social event. This is where these sorts of programs get hard. It is really easy to follow a strict, restrictive plan when you’re at home or can pack your meals to bring to work, school, etc. But what happens when you go on vacation? Or there is a family Christmas party? Do you not eat?

I realize that there is something to be desired about a quick fix, suffer for the cause for a few days/weeks and you can magically fit into those skinny jeans again. But here’s the hard truth…the weight you’re losing isn’t the unhealthy body fat you’re wanting to get rid of. It’s mostly water weight, some intestinal bulk (yes, that means poop), and probably even some precious muscle mass. And here’s another kicker–the more times you utilize these extreme “diets”, the more weight you will gain over the course of a lifetime! 

So, proceed with caution if any program suggests that you radically reduce your calories, cut out entire food groups (carbs, fat, etc). I am all for programs that encourage the consumption of more whole foods–a glass of green juice a day is excellent! Heck, even a few glasses a day are great! But ONLY consuming that, not so much.

Including a variety of foods, incorporating the proper kinds of exercise, and knowing what amounts of the different macronutrients (protein, fat AND carbs) your body needs for the goals you’re trying to achieve are the keys to lasting success.

 

Fitness, Healthy Balance, Nutrition

Do you even Tea?

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Lately I’ve been on a kick with tea, and I just wanted to share with you some of the benefits that I personally have been seeing, and also include some others that would hopefully be beneficial to you! Specifically green tea and Yerba Mate tea.

1. Antioxidants–this is something that I don’t think a lot of us really think about, but we probably should. Every day we are exposed to pollutants, chemicals, preservatives, free radicals…these things damage our cells, the basic foundation of the human body, putting us at risk for disease, fatigue, and even death! Green tea, and especially Yerba Mate tea, are chocked full of antioxidants that help to fight off the free radicals that are trying to damage our bodies all day long!

2. Energy–both teas contain caffeine, which is obviously a source of energy that probably 99% of the people reading this depend on to get through the day! Yerba Mate also contains theobromine and theophylline, which are also stimulants that act similarly to caffeine.

3. Aids in Weight Loss–Ding Ding Ding, I’m sure this is the one that most people will latch onto the quickest 😉 Green tea has thermogenic properties, which means that it can aid in the fat burning process, while Yerba Mate has properties that create a sensation of fullness after eating so you’re not as hungry all the time (please note that I am not by any means promoting an all tea diet…the proper inclusion of proteins, fats and carbohydrates is the name of the game with me!) It also helps your body to burn carbohydrates more efficiently so you will have more energy and your body will be functioning better during physical exercise.

I personally have noticed that my digestive system functions better while drinking 24oz of a Yerba Mate Green Tea blend per day, I sweeten it with Stevia and enjoy it hot with a splash of milk, or iced without the milk. I feel less bloated, have more mental clarity (less of that foggy mind), it can help with depression slightly, and I do notice that things are a little “cheerier” 🙂 My skin is clearer day by day now that I have been including the tea in my diet as well.

Sometimes getting a full gallon of just plain H2O in a day can be tricky, try adding in a cup or 2 of these teas and let me know how they work for you!!

Cheers!

 

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Faith, Family, Fitness, God, Healthy Balance, Nutrition

How To Make It Stick

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So many times we hear about, or even have experienced ourselves, making new resolutions to change our lives. We go into the new “plan” guns blazing ready to conquer the world, only to have it all lose it’s sparkle a few weeks later. Why is this? There are probably a million answers why: scheduling issues, illness, financial stress, lack of desire, the list goes on.

So how can we make a change that will stick? My answer: make it gradual. The majority of the weight loss schemes these days are flashy and bright, they promise extreme weight loss and a glamourous body in 14 days. But to get there you have to eat nothing but cucumbers and a shake for 2 weeks, and then continue to eat cucumbers and shakes to maintain your new dream bod. Think about that, is that even realistic? Of course not! Life is about balance. You are going to go to a wedding and have a glass of wine and a piece of cake. You’re going to go to a birthday party and have a piece of pizza and a beer. There will be days when working out doesn’t work with your schedule, or you just want to curl up on the couch and watch TV with your family. THAT’S OK!! Life is about balance. Anything that says that you have to give up life’s simple pleasures or cut out entire food groups from your diet or rearrange your entire schedule to workout for 2-3 hours a day, for the average person, is just not do able. Sure, there are those who can sustain a lifestyle that way, but chances are they aren’t terribly happy with it.

Be gentle with yourself, be forgiving of yourself and your “slip ups”. I can’t tell you how many times I get texts and emails from clients “confessing” to a “cheat” or the fact that they missed a workout and feel so terrible about it. Brush yourself off, learn from your experiences and keep on keeping on. Now, let me make it clear that I am not saying that you should ALWAYS be skipping workouts or having cocktails and chips and salsa…think of the 80/20 or 90/10 rule, 80-90% of the time try to keep your diet right on track and really push yourself in your workouts, so that the other 10-20% of the time you can indulge and enjoy life a little bit.

The idea behind the SPELL Fitness program is to make it sustainable, for there to be enough variety in your diet and in your workouts, and to have someone in your corner motivating and encouraging you so that this becomes a lifestyle, and not a quick fix diet. Life is about balance. God gave us a body to take care of, a circle of friends and family to lean on and love, and a whole world of amazing things to experience.

Sweat Pray Eat Lift and Love. 

It’s really that simple 🙂

Faith, Fitness, God, Healthy Balance, Nutrition

What Does God Say About Health and Fitness?

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This is such a broad and open-to-opinion subject, but since faith is the basis for what my business is built on, I wanted to write a post about how I interpret the Word when it comes to our bodies and our health. (Key being I interpret…as in, this is my opinion. You’re entitled to yours as well 🙂 )

God created us to be in His image, perfect and blameless before Him. We fell short in the Garden of Eden, but have been redeemed through the sacrifice of His Son. Now we have one earthly body, and an eternity of perfection promised to those who accept that Jesus is their Savior. That earthly body is what I’m interested in 😉 I don’t think God put us here to just go through the motions. 2 Timothy 1:7 ““For God has not given us a spirit of fear and timidity, but of power, love, and self-discipline.“  We are to be intentional with our lives, and to take control of them, including our health. He gave us things to enjoy! Beautiful places to see, amazing people to meet. But if we are tired, or hungry, or sick…we can’t fully enjoy what He has provided for us. Obesity and eating disorders are directly linked with anxiety and depression, when the body is not properly fed and conditioned, it affects us on more than just an aesthetic level. Hormone levels get thrown all out of whack, which leads to emotional instability, sleep disruption, appetites get blown out of proportion, and it creates a vicious cycle. Please note, that I am not saying that everyone has to be a certain clothing size, or fit into a certain “look”. The key is that we are HEALTHY, and that could look a little different for everyone.

“Beloved, I pray that all may go well with you and you may be in good health, as it goes well with your soul” 3 John 1:2

I think that God wants us to be happy, to enjoy His creation, to feel a sense of balance and pleasure in life. And in my experience, being in a state of physical health makes all of those more of a reality. Not feeling exhausted at the end of a walk around a shopping mall, being able to get good restful sleep, having your hormones balanced so that unexpected life stressors aren’t as overwhelming, having energy to run and play with your kids, feeling confident in your skin; these are not things of vanity. Yes, there are people who will take them to the extreme, and become obsessed and lose sight of what is really important. But God doesn’t want us to forget about the fact that we have a body, a temple for His Holy Spirit, a gift from Him that we are to treasure and care for.

“Because My Body Is a Temple” 
“1 Corinthians 6:19”

Love yourself like God loves you. He wants you to be happy, to be healthy, to be balanced, and to enjoy this life.

Healthy Balance

The Best of Both Worlds

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I hear so often how women “sacrifice” themselves for their families. Giving up on things that were once important to them, hobbies, jobs, their own health, etc; for the lives of those whom they love most. And I couldn’t agree, and disagree, with it more!

I am a wife, I am a mom, but I’m also ME. I have my own dreams, my own interests, my own hobbies and my own body. I believe that there is a way that we can have the best of both worlds. That our families not only deserve a mom and a wife who will do anything for them, but also one who will do anything for herself.

Now don’t get me wrong, I don’t want anyone reading this to think that I am trying to tell you drastically put yourself at the top of your priority list in a way that will negatively effect the rest of your family. No, I am saying that with a few schedule tweaks, and some knowledge on subjects you may not have been too keen on before, that you can have more energy, feel a little better in your skin, have some new healthy recipes in your dinner arsenal, and hopefully be a better version of the already amazing person you are!

Health and fitness is different for each of us. For some, just going for a long walk with the dog after bedtime or first thing in the morning is enough to clear our minds and give us that extra boost we need. For others, they want to tighten up a little after having a few kids and some weight training and interval cardio might be the best fit. For others, they already have the working out part down pat, but are just lost when it comes to how to feed their bodies to maximize their efforts. And yet for others, they want nothing more than to have some healthier options for meals and supplements for themselves, their kids and their husbands.

I can help with all of it; don’t settle for second best, or wait for “your time” to come. Your husband, your kids, your friends and you, all deserve the version of you that is healthy; spiritually, mentally, emotionally and yes, even physically.

Healthy Balance

Why SPELL?

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I realize that the name of my business/blog is kind of random to most, if not all, of you. So I figured that an entire post dedicated to the reason I chose this would be a good idea.

There are probably a dozen “Fit Mom” “Fit Wife” “Healthy Mom”, etc blogs, all of them are amazing and I love what each of them represents and teaches. I think that I fit into those categories as well, I am a mom, I am a wife and I would consider myself to be healthy and fit. I wanted something a little bit different for my brand so that I could appeal to more than just moms and wives.

The “S”. Sweat. We love it, we hate it. It smells bad, and makes us look less than glamorous. But it also is probably one of the bodies most amazing processes and when you’re sweating you are probably doing something that is eliciting a million other bodily functions as well. Moving our bodies and sweating gets endorphins pumping, and I’m sure almost all of you have heard about these little gems, they are the “feel goods” that we get after a run, after sex, after accomplishing a brutal hike, after riding a roller coaster. And honestly, who wouldn’t want to have more of them every day? So Sweat is the first and most integral part of my acronym, cuz I love “feel goods” 🙂

“P” for Pray. Actually this one is probably the most important letter, but I couldn’t think of anything cute enough that started with a “P”! Praying, in my opinion, should be like breathing; something that we just can’t live without. I don’t want this to be a deal breaker for any potential clients, but I firmly believe that God is to be an integral part of everything that we do. Whether it’s our jobs, our parenting styles, our marriages, and even how we take care of our bodies. He gave us one body for this life, and I believe that we have a Christian responsibility and calling to take care of it as best we can in a way that is honoring to Him. So, know, that if you are training with me as a client, that I am praying for you in your fitness journey. And that I pray for myself in mine daily, for motivation, for strength, for rest, for inspiration, for peace. And that whenever we do something with God at the center of it, we cannot fail!

“E” EAT! Who doesn’t love food, and eating?! It is such an integral part of our society, food is central to almost every social event, and obviously it is vital to life. But so often people are just uneducated about how or what to eat to look and feel their best. When to eat carbs, how to prepare fish, how much protein, do I need a vitamin supplement, what is a good fat? The list goes on and on. I am here to help you answer all of those questions! I have been preparing food for others since I was 15 working in kitchens, to becoming a wife cooking for my husband, to becoming a mom cooking for my children and now as a personal trainer and nutrition specialist creating meals that are not only delicious, but also can help me (and hopefully you, too) reach fitness goals and feel my very best.

“L” Lift. As in lifting weights. I will admit that I used to be a cardio bunny. I would get on that elliptical every day and just stride my little heart out. And I would run, 4-5 miles a day, and thought I was going to become this ripped little housewife. But you know what? It never happened…I would just sweat and run and stride, and eat salads and smoothies, and I still had a little post baby pooch, and I still had scrawny arms and I really didn’t have a butt to look twice at. And then I was awakened to the notion that if women engage in weight/resistance training, that they can build muscle, and get toned, and not look like a macho man! So slowly I began to lift heavier weights and engage in more resistance training and minimal cardio and I cannot tell you how much of a life changer it has been! Not only does it help your body shape the way you want it to, but it also helps with posture, metabolism, etc.

“L” Love. The world needs more of it, I needed another letter on my acronym, and what better than Love. Be a little more forgiving, share what you know, help someone out, love yourself, love your family, love your friends, love strangers and love God. It makes the world go round.