Health Fitness

Conscious and intuitive eating: tips to create a lasting habit of mindful eating

Mindful eating, intuitive eating, and mindful eating are terms used to describe a way of eating that uses internal cues about hunger, appetite, and fullness to guide our relationship with food. Being in tune and being able to listen to our body allows us to know what and when we need to eat. The focus is on learning to eat in a mindful way that helps our bodies feel and function well. Dieting, restricting, counting calories or fat grams, and targeting weight are NOT components of mindful eating. Conscious eaters eat when they are hungry and stop when they are full. They eat the food they are hungry for. There is no list of “good” and “bad” foods.

In short, mindful eating is the way people who have a healthy relationship with food, who don’t struggle with weight, and who don’t diet, have been eating all along.

When introduced to mindful eating, people often panic. “If there are no rules, I will eat all day.” In the short term, some people do eat more, but eating mindfully is not eating with abandon. Mindful eating is mindful eating, being aware of the present moment; be aware of hunger and satiety; being aware of your appetite and what you are really hungry for. Mindful or intuitive eating involves learning to be aware of the difference between hunger and other eating cues, such as painful emotions, boredom, or tiredness.

The secret:

The secret to success with mindful or intuitive eating is this: You must remember or relearn how to eat mindfully, without shame, guilt, fear, and paying close attention to your body and what it needs and wants. Doing this also requires learning what to do when what your body and mind need and want are No food. You must learn to listen respectfully to your body and learn to nurture your body and spirit without food when food is not what is needed.

The essentials:

Since 1995, I have worked with people to help them break unhealthy cycles of dieting, restriction, binge eating, and overeating by establishing mindful or mindful eating habits. There are two essential components to creating a lasting habit of mindful eating.

1. A conscious registration practice

The goal of mindful eating is to stop obsessing over food/diet and stop going on autopilot with food/eating. To be successful, you will need to create a consistent method of check-in: staying connected to yourself and what you feel and need so that you can respond to these needs and desires and avoid emotional eating. You will need to find a practice that works for you and fits your personality and strengths. If the practice you choose doesn’t suit you, you won’t keep it.

This can be something you do every day when you wake up in the morning or before a meal or when you get home from work. The only requirements are that it be done consistently and that it be something that helps you focus inward, without distractions. It’s often helpful to have some ways to do mindful check-ins at various times of the day.

Examples of possible mindful recordings: mindful meditation, journaling or freewriting, walking or running, prayer or contemplative time.

People often start with writing. It can be helpful to write about whatever is on your mind for fifteen minutes every morning. Especially early on, it’s helpful to keep an emotion/food log, noting how you feel and how hungry you are before you eat. The writing process slows you down and forces you to think, to be attentive, to what you eat.

2. A support system

It is very important to have people (or one person) who support and encourage your belief system about not dieting. Your support system should honor your goals, celebrate your successes, and help you hold yourself accountable for being the person you want to be. Your support system can help you be consistent with your mindful practice. Your followers know that you are No your weight or your clothing size. They are there for you when you doubt yourself or your path and when you run into obstacles or find yourself in a place or feeling where you don’t know what to do. They can help you discover what do when you know you’re not hungry but feel like eating.

People build this support system in a variety of places. Your support may be available in friends you already have. Sometimes, though, the dieting mindset is so ingrained in our families or social circles that it might be helpful to reach out from your current life for support. A group, online message board, or intuitive eating class can be very helpful.

Sometimes people choose to work with someone individually. As a Personal Trainer, I work with individuals to help them successfully break out of a dieting mindset, to develop meaningful mindfulness check strategies that honor and utilize their particular strengths. We work together to get through the scary parts of giving up calorie counting and weighing in. In some situations, a therapist can help you move beyond emotional eating. If you find the emotions behind your food overwhelming or your diet feels out of control, you should consider working with a therapist who specializes in these issues.

Remember: mindful eating is about putting your relationship with food into perspective. When we do that successfully, we discover that it means developing new ways of taking care of ourselves. without resorting to food or diet. It’s a challenge, but the rewards are huge. Developing conscientious registration practices and a strong support system will create a strong foundation for success.

Health Fitness

Hair Extensions For Braids

Extensions For Braids

Before you decide to get braids, you should make sure your hair is ready for the treatment. This means it should be washed, conditioned, and detangled. This will ensure the healthiest hair under the braids and a more effective braiding time. It is recommended to consult a professional for this service, such as Nikki’s Hair Designs & More.

Sew in braids with Dallas hair extensions can be a painless and easy process. This method requires no glue or adhesives, and allows your natural hair to breathe. The result is a secure foundation for the hair extensions and minimal damage to your hair. With this method, you can be confident that your hair extension will last anywhere from six to eight weeks.

When you choose a hair extension salon, it’s important to understand the procedures involved. This way, you can choose the right one for your needs. For example, one stylist may recommend a hair extension for thin hair, while another may recommend an option for thick hair. It’s essential to choose a salon that specializes in hair extensions, as they will be able to show you a variety of options.

Hair Extensions For Braids

Hair extensions can be used to add length, volume, and thickness to your hair. The process is different for everyone, and there are several options available. Your Dallas hair stylist can help you choose the right hair extension product for your hair type. Dallas hair extensions for braids are typically installed using a tedious process, which involves braiding your natural hair into small sections and sewing the extensions into cornrow braids.

Pre-Bond twists with Dallas extensions are a stylish option for women with fine hair. This style is made to give you the look of long, thick tresses without the cost or hassle of having to cut and style your own hair. The extensions will be installed to your hair by a skilled stylist. Afterward, you can remove them easily by clipping them in place.

These hair extensions are applied to your hair with a heat gun and keratin bond. The bond cools and softens, mimicking the structure of your own hair. These extensions can be custom-coloured to match the colour of your natural hair, and can add extra volume.

If you’ve been wanting a new hairstyle but have been unsure where to begin, there are several salons in Dallas that can provide you with the hair extensions you need to get the look you’re after. Dallas hair extensions are available in many forms and can enhance both your short and long hair.

One of the most popular hairstyles for men is cornrows. Whether they are close to the scalp or left loose, cornrows are a great way to add a new style to a haircut. When they are worn properly, they can last weeks. You can even add cornrows to a side part, shaved sides, or any other type of hairstyle you’ve got.

Health Fitness

How to have a healthy baby

Bringing a baby into the world is expected to be in good health. This is a great start in developing a healthy, happy, functional adult for the future to come. This can also help parents and/or caregivers experience a more pleasant experience while raising a child. Having a healthy pregnancy is a great way to start raising your baby. Here are a variety of ways to maintain good prenatal health for a healthy baby.

Establish a healthy pregnancy plan. You can do this on your own and/or with your doctor to help you become aware of the changes and/or improvements you need to make.

Talk to your doctor and/or nutritionist. Find out how much weight you need to gain and/or lose and what foods you need to eat to reach your goal. You should also ask about foods to avoid.

Plan your meals in advance. This is a great way to make sure you eat everything you need for good prenatal health. This will also help you save time and deal less with having to make decisions.

Eat breakfast, lunch and dinner every day. This helps you keep a good mood and full of energy.

Eat healthy every day. Maintain a well-balanced diet by eating from all the food groups. Be sure to give your baby the nutrition needed for good health. Avoid overeating or not eating enough.

Make sure you get enough nutrients and vitamins. This includes protein, fiber, iron, calcium, vitamin B12, vitamin D, and all the other nutrients needed for a healthy baby.

Drink plenty of water. This will help prevent you from becoming dehydrated.

Avoid alcohol, tobacco and any kind of drugs. All of these are bad for you and your baby’s health, especially during pregnancy as it has a direct impact on the baby.

Avoid taking over-the-counter medications. Always talk to your doctor first before taking any medication during pregnancy. You can also talk to your doctor about medications to avoid.

Avoid caffeine. This will help you avoid having problems with your blood pressure.

Avoid eating raw foods. These foods may contain bacteria that are harmful to your baby. This is something you can discuss further with your doctor and/or nutritionist.

Exercise during pregnancy. Talk to your doctor first to make sure this is an option for you. This can help reduce discomfort, regulate weight, increase energy, improve mood, sleep, and allow for a shorter and easier labor.

Avoid exercise and/or hazardous physical activities. Talk to your doctor about exercises you can do to help prevent activities that could hurt you and your baby.

Avoid the use of chemicals during pregnancy. This will help protect your health and the health of your baby.

Avoid sleeping all day. Staying active will help you have energy throughout the day.

Avoid stress and depression. If she feels overly depressed or anxious, contact a health professional and they can help you deal with her feelings in a healthy way that won’t harm your baby.

Tamara Monell MS, LMHC, NCC
09-06-08

Health Fitness

I am freezing! Why Gastric Bypass Makes Patients Cold

Body temperature is the result of your body generating and radiating heat. The body is adept at maintaining its temperature within a narrow range even when ambient air conditions vary. A normal body temperature is 98.6°F. It is common during the period of rapid weight loss for bariatric patients to feel cold or chilly, even when their temperature is normal.

People who experience the massive weight loss associated with weight loss surgery feel cold for two reasons: loss of insulation and decreased energy generation.

Fat is a highly efficient insulator. Consider animals native to cold climates: for example, sea lions and polar bears. They are loaded with insulation and thrive in cold climates. When gastric bypass patients follow the rules: eat protein and exercise, the weight lost can only come from fat or stored energy. In effect, you are losing your isolation. Less insulation makes you more likely to feel cold.

The second reason for feeling chills is that the metabolic processes of the cells do not work as intensely as when they weighed more; fewer calories and less energy are needed to maintain and move a smaller body. Consider using an electric mixer – if you’re beating egg whites for a meringue, the mixer will make this task effortless. But use the same mixer to knead the bread dough and it will get hot to the touch, you are working harder because you are moving more dough. The same thing happens with your body; the more mass you have to move, the harder you work. As a result, more heat is generated.

The body has two well-tuned mechanisms to regulate body temperature: sweating and shivering. What overweight person hasn’t been embarrassed by a sticky sweat at the most inappropriate time? Sweating is a mechanism to cool the body when it is too hot inside. The body gets rid of excess heat by expanding the blood vessels in the skin so that the heat can be brought to the surface. When this energy or heat in the form of sweat reaches the surface of the skin, it evaporates and helps cool the body.

Gastric bypass patients become more familiar with the second temperature regulator, shivering, as they lose weight. When you get too cold, your blood vessels constrict and reduce blood flow to your skin. The body responds by shivering, which creates additional muscle activity to help generate more heat. If you allow your body to shiver, it will start to feel warmer. But this is also a good clue that it’s time to throw on a sweater or turn up the heat. I think most weight loss patients will happily wear a sweater – a sweater is so much easier to take off than that insulation we’ve worked so hard to lose!

Most weight loss patients report that their body temperature regulates after their weight stabilizes, usually eighteen to twenty-four months after surgery. Keep in mind that your body is rapidly losing weight and the rest of your body’s functions are taken by surprise when this weight loss begins. The body’s thermostat needs time to catch up with the weight loss, and it will. Patients who incorporate exercise into their weight loss program experience fewer chills than patients who do not exercise.

Copyright © 2005 Kaye Bailey – All Rights Reserved

Health Fitness

Bird watching for beginners for hikers

I love hiking. It doesn’t matter where I am or who I’m with, as long as I’m on a trail somewhere. One of the things I enjoy is being in nature and having silence or just listening to the sound of some birds. Yeah, it seems like no matter where you hike, you’ll almost always see or hear a few birds. Unlike large mammals, which are more difficult to see, birds are ubiquitous. Here are some simple tips to help hikers learn how to be better birders and get more out of their time in nature.

First of all, it’s important to be quiet and listen (unless you’re in an area heavily traveled by bears). The birds are always talking and listening. This means that they can hear if there are people around, which can sometimes make them quiet. To prevent them from being quiet, you should try to be quiet yourself and listen around you. You may be surprised at how many different types and numbers of birds you can hear in any one place. Once you hear where the bird noise is coming from, the trick becomes trying to see the bird.

Next, try walking or walking slowly. If you take a walk or brisk walk, you won’t see as many birds as if you went slower. The best way to see and hear many birds is to walk slowly and pay attention to the sounds and movements along the trail. If you’re trying to get a good workout in and want to go fast, you can try alternating your pace. For example, try going really fast for 15 minutes, then slow down and walk for 5 or 10 minutes, then speed up again for 15 and so on.

If you still want to walk fast, then another option for you, which is even better than walking slowly, is to stay still. Actually, this is a great idea for anyone, no matter what pace you’re walking at. Pick a good spot somewhere out of the way and just sit or stand still for several minutes. This could be on a rock, a log, or under a tree. By sitting still and keeping your eyes and ears open, you will have the opportunity to see or hear all the birds in the area. The birds may even get used to your presence and start to become active again.

Fortunately, you really can choose any place to sit and search for birds because birds live everywhere in all habitats. You can see birds near water, in forests, open meadows, or high up in mountains. With that in mind, the best places to see most birds are places on the edge of two different habitats, such as at the edge of a forest next to a meadow. Another great place to see lots of birds is near water, such as along a stream, river, lake, or wetland.

While walking or sitting still, you should always be aware of movement. Often, he may only see a flash of movement out of the corner of his eye. That movement may turn out to be just a few leaves blowing in the wind or it could be a bird darting from one bush to another. If you stand still and look in that direction, you may see the bird move again. It can be difficult to see a bird sitting still in a bush or tree. But, once the bird moves, you will easily see it and by following its movement you will be able to see where it lands.

Birds tend to be more active at certain times of the day, which makes them easier to spot because they fly or move around a lot. Fortunately for hikers, the best times of day to see birds are also good times to go hiking. The best times to see birds are in the early morning or evening, as this is when most birds are most active. I love to hike in the morning or at night when it’s not too hot and you can even get the added bonus of seeing a sunset.

Following these simple tips will help you see lots of birds the next time you go hiking. The next step is to learn how to start identifying the birds you are seeing.

Health Fitness

How to be successful with Medifast

I guess if you judge in terms of pounds, I’m a Medifast success story. But I think the real success is in how I have changed my life. I’m so much healthier, I have so much more energy, I’m so much more confident, and I see food (and how it relates to my body) in a whole new way. I finally believe that I am worth something and I am as important as anyone else. I will offer tips and advice on how to be successful with this diet in the following article.

As simple as it sounds, follow the instructions and trust the process: When I tell people that the first piece of advice I would give is to follow directions, I am sometimes met with sighs and rolling eyes. But I have a lot of experience on this diet and weight loss forums and I can’t tell you how many people (myself included) think they know better than the doctors who developed Medifast.

It’s very tempting to look at the plan, know you’re eating six times a day, and think you can do better. Countless people cut back on the number of meals they eat or substitute one of the Medifast meals for one of the larger, fresher, “lean and green” meals. I can tell you with 100% certainty that the weeks I lost the least amount of weight were the weeks I skipped meals or skipped lean and green meals.

You’ll only consume 1,000 to 12,000 calories per day with Medifast, so cutting back is no longer necessary. If you do, you risk slowing down your metabolism and tricking your body out of the nutrients and energy it needs. Eating so often may seem weird at first, but you get used to it quickly and there’s a reason the diet has been designed the way it is. It’s been repeatedly tested by institutions like the John Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health and has been successful by countless others, so trust that you will too and follow the program even if you resist all six meals at first.

Know yourself well and do what works for you: Some people like to surround themselves with others when they are on a diet and others feel that it is a personal process and prefer to do it alone. No matter where you are on this spectrum, you can make this work for you. The company’s website offers tons of free support, resources, and advice. You can interact with others online or in person. Accountability really helps and while I am by no means joining a group, I have found these resources to be quite helpful.

Some people are introverted and feel uncomfortable having to interact. That is perfectly acceptable too. The company offers you tons of resources that allow you to go it alone if you want to.

Finally, I would say know where you have failed before. I know I need a lot of variety. Therefore, I add “safe” ingredients to my foods, such as sugar-free syrups, whipped cream and fat-free cheese, etc. I knew this would be necessary to continue with this and it certainly hasn’t slowed my progress at all.

Don’t let the traps derail you. Accept it and move on: It’s a fact of life on a diet that you’re going to cheat. It is highly unrealistic to think that you will never have a bad day on your diet. Perhaps you eat at a restaurant and choose not to go “lean and green.” That’s perfectly fine and no big deal. However, it becomes a big problem when you allow this to get you down and repeat the process the next day.

When you cheat, just shrug it off and promise to do better tomorrow. It’s not the act of cheating that sabotages you, it’s allowing cheating to become a habit or a derailment. Essentially, you are trying to get into the habit of a new lifestyle. This will happen as you start to have a lot more good days than bad. So don’t let the bad days feed on themselves and prevent this from happening.

Understand how ketosis works: Ketosis is the metabolic state that makes this diet so effective. Because Medifast is low in carbohydrates and high in protein, your body will burn fat instead of carbohydrates. And when you get to this state (which you can test with ketone strips), you’ll feel less hungry and more energized. The best way I can put it is that once you’re in ketosis, you no longer think about food as intensely as you used to. You don’t think so much about diet anymore. You start to lose your cravings and this is generally when you hit your groove.

Obviously, this is your goal and where you want to stay. When you cheat, it takes 2-3 days to return to this state. And, while you can test yourself, you can usually feel ketosis when you’re in it. So use this as a motivation and know that if you fail and get eliminated, all you have to do is regroup and continue.

Know that it is the small victories that change your life: A lot of people get intimate and turn off on diets. They feel very pressured and give in before they even start. What you must realize is that it is the small victories that count, the victories that are repeated and add up. Two pounds becomes five and then ten. Ten becomes twenty. Keep repeating your success until you reach your goal. Don’t look at it as a big, big change. Look at it as little baby steps over time.

Health Fitness

Life of a bodybuilder: some interesting facts

Did you know that bodybuilders have to eat more than 1 g of protein per kilo of body weight? Or that they need to eat every 2-3 hours? Did you know that they go to the gym a lot, but you will be surprised how long they stay in the gym and what they do there? I thought I’d write a quick article to shed some light on some things bodybuilders do.

Most people think of bodybuilding or bodybuilding as a brutal sport full of big, dumb, insensitive jerks trying to make up for something and carrying a serious inferiority complex with them. Have you seen the recent hit on bodybuilders by Planet Fitness gym lately? In it they portray anyone with large muscles as dumb dumb. Well, maybe some are like that, but you can say the same for many people from all walks of life.

A bodybuilder has a relentless urge to work his body, sculpt his body if you will, by using resistance training into a work of art. A hard, chiseled body, perfect in shape and symmetry and based on a healthy diet. In fact, a bodybuilding diet is really amazing. It contains a low fat, high protein, complex carbohydrates and tons of vegetables. All foods cooked to perfection without added salt or fat. It may not be the most exciting diet to live on, but it serves them well in the body department.

Common Bodybuilding Myths:

#1 – The bodybuilder goes to the gym all day and almost every day of the week. This is simply not true. Most serious professional bodybuilders and amateurs will hit the gym 3-5 days a week and usually for about an hour to an hour and fifteen minutes at a time if they are training alone. They learned long ago that if you train past this point, the body releases cortisol and only uses your new hard-earned muscle for fuel instead of carbs or fat as it should. Train for an hour, go home… grow up.

#two – All enormous bodybuilders are in the juice. Is not true. With new advances in supplementation and a better general understanding of the body’s functions with regards to muscle growth and fitness, natural athletes have reached new ground in muscle building.

3# – Bodybuilders go to the gym and train their entire body during their workout. It is usually like this; Go to the gym, work out your chest and maybe a part of your arm (be it the biceps or triceps), hit it from every possible angle. Do about 30 sets of exercises in total. Go home. Come back the next day or the next day, do legs, go home, etc. This grows a lot in your muscles.

4#- All that muscle will turn to fat if they stop exercising. Again, not true. First of all, muscle cannot be converted to fat. Fat is fat and muscle is muscle. Also, most bodybuilders keep most of their muscles forever. Once it grows, it stays. Sure they can be made smaller. Muscle may shrink, but you’d be surprised how much is left forever. Normally, just overeating with inactivity will make you fat.

Here are some other facts that are interesting. Your muscle grows while you sleep. Exercising in the gym with heavy lifting will break down the muscle. The bodybuilder goes home and eats properly and then while resting (especially sleeping) the muscles will grow to compensate for the lifting. Another fact that is interesting is that a typical natural bodybuilder will only gain 8 lbs. of muscle in his body each year. Yes, there are some stories of lifters who put on 20 to 30 pounds. a year but firstly that’s not all muscle and secondly some are enhanced bodybuilders and get a little help with a needle. A natural bodybuilder can gain up to 25 or even 30 pounds of muscle in a lifetime of lifting. And believe it or not, this looks like a ton of muscle. Huge, powerful, hard, dense muscles packed into a frame. Think 175 lbs. skinny guy and now he thinks he weighs 205 lbs. or even more if genetics and proper training come into play.

Well, I could go on with this a bit longer, but I thought some of the basic facts would be interesting for someone who hasn’t lifted weights yet. Here’s a tip. Don’t worry about going to the gym getting too big. You’re not going to get as big as Arnold Schwarzenegger just by working out at the gym. If you could, a lot of people would and we’d have like 200 million, rich (bodybuilding) Mr. Olympia running around the planet. It just doesn’t work that way. If you want to start lifting weights, get a trainer or read about it and go for it. You’ll get hard in all the right places and you won’t look like the giants in popular bodybuilding magazines. Trust me.

Health Fitness

The perfect home gym – Power Rack

The power rack is an essential piece of home gym equipment for anyone who wants to get the most out of their weight training routines. Power racks, sometimes referred to as squat racks, are frequently used to perform squat and bench press exercises. These exercises are necessary for any complete fitness regimen. Power racks can be purchased from a variety of retailers, both brick-and-mortar stores and online.

A quality power rack is equipment that a home gym simply cannot do without. This is due to the wide variety of exercises you can perform on a power rack. Dips, pull ups, inverted rows, rack pulls, bench presses, and front squats can all be done with a power rack. Any athlete knows that a strength training routine would be completely lost without these exercises. Seasoned athletes likely already know how to perform these exercises safely, but people who are new to exercise may want to read up on this. There are a variety of manuals available online, in libraries and book stores.

You may want to consider buying gym quality weight lifting equipment if you really want to exercise and not just a weekend warrior. Surprisingly, small gyms close all the time. When that happens, you can usually get some amazing deals on all the weightlifting equipment they have in stock. Not selling your weightlifting equipment would result in a total loss for them, so they are usually more than willing to make a deal if you take their equipment. This translates to a great deal for you on very expensive weight lifting equipment.

When you finally buy your perfect power rack, make sure you have enough weights to keep you busy for a while in your home gym. There’s nothing more annoying than starting a weightlifting routine, only to find that you’ve gained enough strength that you’ve overcome the weights around you. It’s a good idea to get the weights you anticipate needing for at least the next three to six months at the same time you purchase your power rack.

Always take proper safety precautions when using your power rack and other weight lifting equipment. An injury or accident will delay your exercise regimen by at least several weeks or months.

Keep pumping iron and stay safe!

Health Fitness

Tips for preparing healthy foods for sources of vitamins and nutrients

Cooking a healthy meal day after day, night after night is no easy feat. However, if you want to start eating healthy, you need to pay close attention to the food you buy and serve at the table. Keep in mind that eating healthy foods (and vitamins) means knowing the right foods and making a conscious effort to eat more of them.

* Potatoes are good, as long as they are eaten in moderate amounts.

* Ideally, no more than five ounces of meat, beans, and other protein sources (for example, peas, nuts, and fish) should be consumed per day to ensure your diet has adequate protein. Bake, grill, or broil meat instead of frying it.

* The ideal is to consume six ounces of grain a day. You can do this by eating 3 ounces of whole-grain bread, whole-grain cereal, rice, pasta, or crackers every day. A slice of bread and a cup of cereal each contain about an ounce of grain.

* A nutritious meal consists of healthy foods rich in vitamins and other nutrients, so it is important to incorporate fruits and vegetables into your meals. Eat more dark vegetables (eg, broccoli and spinach). Sweet potatoes and carrots are also rich sources of vitamins and nutrients, as are dried beans (eg, peas, kidney beans, and pinto beans). Instead of eating ice cream for dessert, try to eat fruit, at least two cups a day. Eat a variety of fresh, frozen, canned, and dried fruits.

* Fats are actually essential to our health. Fats negatively affect the body and our health if consumed in excessive amounts. Adverse effects include high cholesterol levels, weight gain, cancer, and heart disease. When cooking, avoid using solid fats (eg, butter, margarine, shortening, and lard). Use olive oil or canola oil instead. Learn to read food labels and check how much saturated and trans fat, as well as sodium, are in canned goods.

* Pay attention to portion sizes. Many people eat more than they really need. Avoid making the same mistake; eat according to your daily activities. For example, reduce your portion size on days when you are not doing any type of physical activity. You can increase your food portions when your schedule includes physical activity, as you will need the energy. Also keep in mind the particular needs of your family members when cooking a meal.

If you decide to follow the tips above, you will find that cooking healthy meals is, in fact, extremely easy. Here is an example of a healthy, well-balanced meal (one serving):

* grilled or roasted chicken breast (5 oz per person)

* 1/2 baked potato

* Mixed green salad

* fruit and frozen yogurt for dessert

With a little willpower, consuming the healthy foods, vitamins, and minerals your body requires won’t be too difficult.

Health Fitness

Too busy to cook and going 100 miles per hour?

I believe in synchronicity, it always shows me what’s next. Earlier today I was listening to the founder of the Omega Institute talk about the “time poverty” we are all experiencing. Too busy to cook, too busy to sit and eat, too busy to sleep, too engaged, exhausted, but too tired to sleep. It’s not a great image. Then, about an hour later, I was talking to Elissa, at Fresh Picks, an organic produce delivery service in Chicago, and she was saying that some of the biggest problems people have buying produce is that they end up throwing it away. , “then why buy them?”, then it seems to me that the thought leads to… fast food to the rescue!

I like this concept of “time poverty”, it speaks to a broader concern. Wikipedia says; Poverty is scarcity or general scarcity, or the state of one who lacks a certain amount of material possessions or money. And when it comes to time, we are convinced that we don’t have enough, there is a shortage, a limited supply, and everything we do removes our limited supply. Leaving most of us feeling exhausted, frustrated, exhausted, convinced that it has to be this way. If most of the people we know live like us, then what we are doing may seem normal.

But what if we could start to slow down, what if we could create, savor, enjoy? How about taking a break, how would it change your day?

I remember about 12 years ago, I was running a studio, seeing clients, taking care of my house, my animal, and my meals looked like healthy fast food; bars and rice cakes, and I actually thought it was good! Okay, it wasn’t a candy bar or McD’s, but it wasn’t nourishing my body and it was an example of how much I didn’t think much about the foods I needed, the time I needed, or the options that were available to me. Definitely in the way of doing it, without listening or giving myself, or my body, a pause or the space it needed. My way of eating perpetuated my hasty way of living.

When I work with clients, many have never cooked for themselves, many not in years, or inconsistently, or are confused about all the options out there, they’re busy, they don’t have time to figure it out. This is the unraveling we do together. What and how we eat affects every part of our body, our food, our cells, our blood, tissues, our organs, thoughts… It does matter.

So I invite you to look at a meal and see what you need to make a healthier choice, what could you do for lunch that you’re not currently doing? Is there a simple meal you could make that you’d like to be a healthy option that wouldn’t take a lot of time if you planned ahead? What if you had something prepared a day ago that you could take out of the fridge and have for lunch, or a leftover that could be made into a breakfast? How different would you feel about yourself? I challenge you to take one meal/day this week and try it. Let me know what you decided.

If you want to take your dietary health to the next level, let’s talk. You deserve to give yourself nourishing food for your body and nourishing experiences for everyone to enjoy, this is not a race here :). To your health, joy and prosperity…