5 Small Changes that Equate to BIG Results

Start and end your day with a mindfulness practice. This could be a 10 minute morning meditation, a midday walk in nature and 5 minutes of writing a gratitude list at night. This simple practice, will help set the tone for your day, bringing mindfulness and attention to task that need to be done, in order to reach the goals you set.

1. Reduce excess and minimize your living and work environment by decluttering. This simple change can help you shift from living in a state of overwhelm to a more focused and on intentional state of living. Donate what you don’t use, organize your space, and reduce clutter and noise around you. With a clear space, you will be able to better focus on the goals you have set for yourself.

2. Indulge in a technology detox. There is no doubt that technology can make life easier. However the constant chatter from social media and emails can add more clutter to your headspace, distracting you from the tasks essential to reach your goals. Take a tech break and re-assess where you are in relation to your goals. When you re-introduce technology back from your “detox”, observe your social media feeds and email inbox. Does the content on your screen inspire and motivate you? Or does it leave you feeling negative, searching for comparison, and welcoming self - doubt?

3. Aim to eat fruit or vegetables at every meal. This is a sure way to start and end your day with good nutrition and balanced meals. The American diet is usually low in fiber, micronutrients, and vitamins and minerals that are offered in vegetables. If you focus every meal on making sure you get in at least one vegetable and fruit you’ll increase these important components and reduce the amount of processed foods.

4. Leave two bites behind. If weight loss is one of your goals and the idea of eating smaller portions makes you feel like you are on another “diet”, start with simply leaving 2 bites behind at your meals. This simple small change will really add up to a decrease in overall calorie intake and over time, you will see and feel the results!Reaching a new goal does not have to be complex or complicated, but goals do need to be set with intention, and action will be required daily to reach that goal. Start your day with a simple mindful practice to set your intention and remember your WHY. Need a strategy session to map out how you can achieve your goal? Contact me today!

Slow and Easy Ratatouille

Prep time: 15 minutes
Cook time: 3 to 6 hours

Ingredients:
2 Tbsp extra virgin olive oil
1 large onion, coarsely chopped
3 cloves minced garlic
2 medium zucchini, halved and sliced
1 eggplant (about 1 1/4 lbs.), peeled and cut into 1-inch chunks
1 medium fennel bulb, quartered and thinly sliced (white base only)
1 small red pepper, seeded and diced
1 small yellow pepper, seeded and diced
1 (29-oz.) can crushed tomatoes
1 (6-oz.) can tomato paste
1 tsp each: dried basil, rosemary and thyme
1 tsp sea salt or to taste
Ground or smoked pepper to taste
Snipped fresh basil and grated Parmesan cheese (optional)

Directions:
Heat oil in a large skillet. Add onion; cook and stir over medium high heat for 5 minutes. Add zucchini, eggplant and garlic; cook for 5 more minutes. Transfer to a slow cooker with all remaining ingredients except fresh basil and Parmesan. Cover and cook on HIGH for 3 hours or on LOW for 6 hours. Serve hot or at room temperature topped with fresh basil and Parmesan. Makes 8 servings.

Quick Stovetop Variation: Prepare as directed above, cooking in a large pot instead of a slow cooker. Bring to a boil; reduce heat and simmer, covered, for 30 to 45 minutes or until vegetables are cooked to your liking.

(Reproduced with permission of http://www.tomatowellness.com/)

5 Health Positive Ways to Kick Off 4th of July

1. Start by Being Active: Kick off your holiday by starting your day with a walk, run, bike ride, or swim. Holidays are a great time to get active with friends and family members. Not only will a workout jumpstart your metabolism, but you can also use that time to connect and catch up with a quality conversation!

2. Drink More Water: Regardless of where you live, July is hot! Be sure to drink plenty of water to keep your body hydrated and prevent overheating. The best way to monitor your hydration is through the color of your urine. Dark yellow urine means you need more H2O, whereas pale yellow urine means your body is most likely adequately hydrated.

3. Savor Seasonal Foods: Tis the season to enjoy fresh summer produce! A few of my favorite July produce include eggplant, corn, avocado, mango, strawberries, pineapple, green peas, watermelon, and zucchini. The number of meals, snacks, side dishes, and desserts that can be made with these foods are endless. Forget snacking on chips and store-bought cookies! And instead, sink your teeth into some savory foods from mother nature’s summer crops.

4. Keep Cold Food Cold and Warm Food Warm: There is nothing worse than getting a bout of food poisoning from a summer BBQ to ruin your vacation. With an increase in outdoor temperatures during the summer months, we usually see a spike in food-borne illnesses. The warm temperature creates the perfect environment for bacteria that cause food poisoning. The most important thing you can do to combat this is to make sure that cold foods stay cold and warm foods stay warm.

5. Wear Sunscreen: If enjoying the outdoors is part of your July 4th plans, then wearing sunscreen is essential to having a healthy holiday. Wear a broad-spectrum sunscreen with at least 30 SPF and make sure to reapply often. Take the extra step and wear a hat, sunglasses and maybe even a rash guard for extra protection.

Summer Guide to Lifestyle Medicine

Lifestyle Medicine is a new buzz word in the world of health and wellness, and while the term might be new, the principles of Lifestyle Medicine are things nutrition and wellness experts have been preaching for years. According to the American College of Lifestyle Medicine, Lifestyle Medicine is the use of evidence-based lifestyle therapeutic approaches, such as a plant-predominant dietary lifestyle, regular physical activity, adequate sleep, stress management, avoiding the use of risking substances and pursuing other non-drug modalities, to treat, and prevent chronic disease. 

This month I’m sharing why the summer is the perfect opportunity to embrace Lifestyle Medicine and how you can incorporate these principles into your day to day routine! With Lifestyle Medicine, you’re empowered to take charge of your own health.

Summer Guide to Lifestyle Medicine

Why wait till September or January to start thinking about changing your nutrition and health habits, when you can start today? The summer is actually the perfect opportunity to embrace Lifestyle Medicine and start implementing new habits. Listed below are some easy things you can start doing today and reaping the health and wellness benefits.

• Eat Seasonal Produce. The cornerstone principle of Lifestyle Medicine is to eat a plant-predominant diet consisting of vegetables, fruits, whole grains, beans, lentils, peas, nuts, and seeds. The summer months are filled with produce harvested in their prime including sweet corn, ripe tomatoes, juicy berries, and more. Take advantage of this season to create new lifestyle habits by eating more seasonal produce. Here are a few ideas to get started: mix in spinach, tomatoes, and peppers into your eggs, enjoy fresh fruit and challenge yourself to add more plants to your meals by cooking with at least three different vegetables.

• Sign Up for a Summer Rec League. Summer is the perfect season to sign up for a new sport. While you may love watching a good baseball game on a summer evening, there is nothing like playing the game! No need to let your skill level, age, or your busy schedule hold you back. As I like to say, where there is a will, there is always a way! Check out your local rec center and see what adult leagues are offered. From volleyball to softball to pickleball to kickball there is bound to be something that fits your skill level and schedule. If participating in summer sports does not interest you then sign up for a local running club. The key is to not only find something you enjoy but also has a set schedule of practices and events to show up and participate!

• Maintain a Consistent Sleep Schedule. Avoid letting the temptation of long summer days, lack of school schedule and vacation mindset result in late nights. While late nights catching up with friends is okay to do every now and then, it is not a healthy habit for the long term. Sleep is not only important for your mental and physical health but also for . healing and repair of your muscles, tissues, and more. Chronic sleep deficiency is linked to increased risk for heart disease, high blood pressure, and diabetes as well as mental health issues such as anxiety and depression.

• Create White Space In Your Schedule. Stress management is an essential component of Lifestyle Medicine. One thing I’ve observed working with clients is that not having enough time or having too much to do is a big contributor to stress. The summer is the perfect time to address this. Where can you create white space in your schedule to do less? White space, also known as free time, is just as important for your physical and mental well-being as staying active and engaged in physical and social activities. Take the challenge and see where can you create a little more white space in your schedule? How does extra free time help with your overall stress levels? How can you keep this white space protected for your foreseeable future?

• Soak Up Sunshine! The sun is one of the best ways to get vitamin D, the nutrient essential for bone health and fighting depression, just to name a few. While it is important to wear sunscreen when spending time outdoors and sunscreen will inhibit some vitamin D absorption. However, you will still get some of the benefits. The more time you spend outdoors the more your body will be able to absorb this nutrient over time. Sunshine is also very good for your overall mental and emotional wellbeing. Whenever spending time outdoors be sure to follow the sunscreen guidelines from your physician.

• Be Mindful of Summer Drinking. Summer can be a challenge for people who’ve struggled with alcohol and other substance abuse issues. Be mindful not to fall into the habit of drinking a few cocktails or glasses of wine during the summer nights on a regular basis. And if you’ve already kicked the habit (like stopped smoking, recreational drug use, or reduced alcohol consumption), don’t fall back into it. If this has been a struggle for you in the past, know that the simple act of self-awareness of what, when and where your struggles are is huge. The next step is to create a support system and plan on how you will not revert to old habits. Lifestyle Medicine is avoiding the use of risking substances because the effects on your overall health and well-being are serious and can be life-threatening.

5 Reasons Not to Go on a Diet

Before diving into all the reasons to stop dieting, let’s clarify the difference between a diet and dieting. 

According to Merriam Webster dictionary, diet is defined as food and drink regularly provided or consumed; habitual nourishment; the kind and amount of food prescribed for a person or animal for a special reason. Whereas the act of dieting is defined as: to cause to take food; to cause to eat and drink sparingly or according to prescribed rules.

The dieting mentality is associated with a variety of physical and emotional health risk that won’t lead to lasting weight loss and in the long run, could be more detrimental to your health. This month I’m sharing a few reasons not to go on a diet and how you can shift typical diet mentality thoughts into creating a healthy relationship with your daily diet, ultimately creating a healthy lifestyle. 

Here are the reasons:

1. Dieting actually leads to weight gain. As counterintuitive as it sounds, dieters are more likely to gain weight after the diet than non-dieters. Dieting (aka restricting), triggers an increase in stress hormones which is also linked to weight gain. The rules and restrictions that come with diets have you ignoring and suppressing your body’s natural hunger cues. Over time, this can make you more vulnerable to binge eating and less intuitive about listening to your body’s internal hunger and fullness cues that help naturally regulate weight.

2. Dieting can slow down your metabolism. Restricting calorie intake can lead to weight loss, however, the drop is due more to a loss in metabolically active muscle mass than actual fat loss. By losing muscle, there is a decrease in the amount of energy the body needs to maintain its weight, meaning a slower metabolism. A slow metabolism burns fewer calories at rest and therefore you have to eat less to avoid gaining weight.

3. Dieting often means numbers trump nutrition. When following a diet, you are often most concerned about calories than anything else. This leads to eating foods based off a number rather than actual nutrition, and let’s face it, not all calories are created equal. A hundred calories of Swedish fish isn’t the same as a hundred calories of Greek yogurt and fresh berries. Foods labeled as “reduced-fat” often means more sugar or other additives to make it palatable. Taking out the fat means taking out some of the flavors, and eating foods with less flavor often leads to consuming more to feel satisfied. By just focusing on calories, you lose sight of the nutrition your body needs. However, eating a balanced diet takes into account the nutrition that is essential for regulating hormones, fighting diseases, managing cravings, and giving your body energy to thrive.

4. Dieting sets off a self-shaming cycle. Beyond the negative physical and health consequences, dieting can have a negative impact on your psychological health and wellbeing. You start your new plan feeling good and optimistic that these rules and restrictions will help you reach their goals. During the first week, you lose a few pounds and you are motivated this will continue. Then you hit a plateau, the scale does not budge. You begin to feel frustrated that your weight is not changing as fast as promised or expected. This leads to feeling upset and maybe a little depressed, feelings of deprivation start to creep in and eventually you give up. You eat something “off limits” from the diet rules, this leads to a binge followed by feelings of despair, shame, and frustration. These feelings lead back to the cycle of dieting -> deprivation -> overeating -> feelings of shame and unworthiness. Over time this cycle can be extremely detrimental to your mental and physical health and this is a big reason diets don’t work!

5. Dieting can lead to eating disorders and disordered eating. “Diets” have you depending on rules telling you what, when, and how much to eat. While this works for a short period of time, eventually you will fall off the diet. Falling off your diet intensifies the feelings of guilt and shame, which contributes to the cycle of restricting, purging, bingeing or excessive exercise. Over time this can develop into a serious eating disorder, leaving you with long term disordered eating habits. Other side effects of dieting include increased risk of depression, decrease in self-esteem, emotional distress and more weight gain.

Healthy Habits To Better Blood Sugar

 Make a new holiday tradition...
 
Instead of crashing on the couch before AND after your holiday feast, create a healthier tradition by encouraging your family and friends to get outside and play a game of football or frisbee together. You could also simply take a walk with your family to prevent those spikes in blood sugar when eating larger amounts of food. Research has shown that routine physical activity can help to improve blood glucose levels and even lessen your need for insulin or oral diabetes medications. Remember, the more you move, the less spikes you will have!
 
Additional perks of exercise:

• Increased level of good cholesterol (HDL)

• Leaner, stronger muscles

• Stronger bones

• More energy

• Improved mood

• Lower blood pressure

• Weight management

• Better sleep

• Stress management