healthy and beautiful

Change is necessary, can be a challenge, and inevitable. Sometimes we have no control over change as with the aging process or certain illness. What we can control are changes making us healthier people. That means taking an honest look at our lifestyle. What are we eating and are we exercising?  How do we implement all this change?   Change is a big part of this journey of life. None of us are exempt from the constant changes needed to make our situation better. Did you know our bodies change at every level each day without our knowledge?   Personally, I have undergone a lot of change in this life as an athlete. My healthy lifestyle enabled me to face many physical challenges. One of the toughest physical changes was rehabilitation from injury. It required perseverance not to give up, and acceptance of not being able to perform athletically as before.  The inevitable change often difficult for me presently are the changes occurring with the aging process. No amoun...

The last ten pounds can be a struggle. The scale stops budging and frustration has taken over. The stress of it all is putting the adrenal glands on overdrive. A cortisol rush is the last thing our body needs when trying to lose the last ten pounds. Studies show chronic stress and cortisol release hinders our ability to lose weight. Plateaus are normal for all of us living a healthy lifestyle . Many don't realize food intake and exercise programming require constant review and change. If the plan doesn't work, change the plan but never the goal.  Remain positive and progressive with your fitness regardless of what the scale says. Many factors are at play when the body stops showing results. Usually, a simple review and program change are all that's required to gets things moving again.  Things to consider:  Are you eating enough? The body knows when it's not getting enough fuel. If we restrict too many calories, our body will refuse to give up any fat stores. The body ...

Achieving a lean and healthy body is possible for all of us. We have the ability to do what it takes to make it happen. It doesn't cost lots of money, require anything special, not even a gym membership. We can achieve a lean body naturally by choosing a healthy lifestyle. The choices we make each day determine what our body will look and feel like. Consistency with eating right, exercise, plenty of rest, water and decreased stress will help create the body we want. It starts with our grocery lists and foods we buy to maintain our physique. If we're buying processed sugar filled food products then we will create an unhealthy body . It really is that simple but many of us refuse to change this basic part of living. The same goes for   exercise . I f you're not taking care of your body with a regular fitness program, it will let you know through injury or stiffness. We can lean up naturally by purchasing healthy foods and eating at home most of the time. Our hard earned ...

Getting fit and healthy takes a balance of eating right and exercise . Nutrition plays a primary role in the equation. Overeating is off the charts for a large percentage of the populous. Portions are out of control and people are literally biting off more than they can chew. Super-sized plates draped with enough food to feed an army are common in restaurants. I will refrain from my soapbox about the all you can eat buffet. I love the famous quote " eat to live, don't live to eat " because this gold nugget of information is absolutely true. This is not saying indulging occasionally is not acceptable. Honestly, a treat in proper portion size is not going to break our fitness banks. However, stuffing our faces to the point of having to roll to the sofa in a food coma is an upsetting example of living to eat. Calories people! What it comes down to is the basic science of chemistry and calories. When we eat too much, fat is stored. Eat too little, weight is lost. Eat just ri...

Are you motivated to get fit? What does your fitness and nutrition program look like? What changes are you making to get closer to your fitness goals? The holidays are around the corner and probably the best time to adopt a healthy lifestyle. It will prepare you to make better food selections, reduce portion sizes and get in some workouts. I am here to motivate you to adopt a healthy lifestyle by providing nutrition and exercise tips. Although I'm a guide and not a goal, it's nice to see what other fitness professionals are eating to maintain a lean and healthy body. My typical daily food intake: Meal 1:  1-2 cups coffee Organic whole grain toast with natural peanut butter and fruit spread. Meal 2: 1/2 cup Greek plain yogurt with 1/2 cup organic blueberries or warmed apple, 1/4 cup flax meal. Mix and eat. Meal 3: Lean turkey and avocado sandwich on a thin bun with 1 slice Havarti cheese and basil pesto. Meal 4: Grilled fish (3-4oz), roasted assorted veggies Meal 5: 1/2 cup cot...

What I mean by supplements are those products promising a fit and healthy body simply by using whatever is in the bottle. I surely don't believe wrapping my mid-section with herbs will reduce my waist size either. I guess you could call me highly skeptical when it comes to fitness gimmicks . I really have to believe in a product to endorse or promote it and this is a rare occasion. Products guaranteeing increased fat burning, muscle size and super powers receive a raised eyebrow from me. I say let's see the research to back up your claims. Supplements and pseudo-fitness products are unregulated so companies market with the lure to sell. Sadly, they lack adequate clinical studies so we are left in the dark regarding safety, purity, and effectiveness. Also, they can come with harmful side effects. The next time you pick up a bottle of fitness magic, take a close look at the label. You will find in fine print the following: " results obtained when combined with a healthy die...

Fitness goals are awesome. We want to lose fat, gain muscle and just feel healthy, right? There is nothing better than living a quality life feeling our best. Of course, reaching these goals requires a certain lifestyle.  Are you really eating for fitness goals? Did I ping you on the forehead just now? The lifestyle required includes consuming healthy foods and exercising consistently. Not living this way should make you feel weird. Do you feel weird? If the answer is yes, there is something askew with your fitness program. It usually comes down to what you're eating . Often times we convince ourselves eating off track is acceptable because we work out several times per week. This falls under, you can't out exercise a crappy diet. I have seen great fitness success turn into the entitlement of eating off track as a reward for doing so awesome. Your well-deserved food frenzy has snowballed into a struggle to get back on track. It can begin as innocently as saying "oh this ...

Do you think eating healthy is too hard? I say keep it simple and don't stress. Too many of us are getting frustrated counting calories, weighing food, and calculating macro percents ad nauseum. Healthy food choices have become an overwhelming chore. Have you heard of the saying throw out the scale? Apply that mentality to our food by tossing the scales and calculators. Eating right is about quality and not calories anyway. Who needs a scale if your pounding down kale, right? Eating donuts, pastries, and white bread is a different story. Eating right is simply swaping out unhealthy choices for healthy food. Instead of eating french fries, bake sweet or even white potatoes. It also helps to use nutrient timing and eat every 2 to 3 hours. Eating small meals throughout the day stimulates our metabolism, regulates blood sugar, and eliminates feeling hungry. Eating healthy is a good thing . Keeping it simple will allow you to enjoy your food and feel good about your healthy lifestyle....

It would be easy to blame food for being overweight and unhealthy. The truth is food is not the enemy. In fact, our very survival is based on   food and water for optimal body functioning. Let's be honest. Getting healthy is about taking responsibility and making the right daily choices to improve our fitness . It's up to us to choose the right food to support a healthy body. We only have ourselves to blame when the grocery cart is filled with frozen pizzas, pastries, ice cream and sodas. Then there are the portion sizes. We are eating way too much at one sitting. Whether the food is healthy or unhealthy, eating too many calories and not burning that energy creates an excess energy bank stored as fat. We may also try to convince ourselves eating processed foods in the appropriate caloric portions is healthy. Outwardly we may give an appearance of being an appropriate weight, but inside we are a hot mess and feeling like it. We have become a skinny fat person . Processed fak...

Losing 12 pounds is not only a realistic goal, but can be done in a short amount of time. I'm not talking about a fad diet or weight loss gimmick. I'm referring to healthy weight loss accomplished with appropriate methods. Being more specific: consistent healthy eating , exercise, increased water intake, limited alcohol intake, and plenty of rest.   Application of a healthy lifestyle in all areas will allow for approximately 1 ½ pounds on the lower end and up to 3 pounds on the higher end of weight loss per week. Working successfully with clients who use my healthy eating guidelines supplied with their workout routines are losing in the middle range of 2 pounds per week.  Think about what this means in terms of time. Realize this is only six weeks of sticking to a consistent fitness program. There is no diet but eating lots of amazing healthy food and exercising at least four to five times per week for a minimum of thirty minutes. Sodas are eliminated and alcohol is lim...

Babies use nutrients to build and develop a healthy body. They have a built in alarm clock every two to three hours that cries out to be fed. They will also stop eating when they feel full eliminating the need to count calories. Babies eat to live naturally. As adults, we can learn much from our precious infants. The nutrients they consume are usually quality coming straight from Mom’s milk, or formulas containing everything a growing body needs to be healthy. If we could only implement this nutritional strategy , we would be on our way to adopting a healthy lifestyle. Sadly, the majority of eating is no longer about growing a strong healthy body . Quality nutrients have been replaced with processed fake food linked to obesity and disease. We don't pay attention to our full barometer and consume too large of portions. We also fill our stomachs with foods that lack in nutritional value. Eating processed foods lacking in nutrients promotes inflammation in our blood stream, the root ...