Halloween Health

Adults can't eat candy like kids can. That's just the way it is! Kids can consume candy bar after candy bar, while we eat one Milky Way and start to feel the side effects.

What can we do, as adults, to enjoy Halloween without going crazy? (because I liked this one too...)

Here are some tips to stay on track for Halloween:

1. Watch your drinking. Halloween translates to "party" in my generation, which means lots of opportunities to drink your calories. Even if you demonstrate self-restraint in the candy bowl, drinking 3 beers at a party can do just as much damage to your diet. What's worse, submitting your body to alcohol stops the fat-burning process in your body. Your liver can only do one thing at a time, and if it is processing the alcohol you just consumed, it cannot burn fat. Therefore, your physical goals are put on hold twofold. (hey, that rhymed!)

2. Eat chocolate! Yes, I said it. You can eat sweet treats without going insane. Portion control is key: go for one small "snack sized" bar over a full-size bar. Go for "healthier" candy options, too (check out this article from Reader's Digest that informs you of the 6 worst Halloween candies on the market).

3. Eat fruit before candy. If you want a candy apple, just eat the apple first. Go into your house and eat fruit before you eat the candy. This will curb your sweet tooth and fill you up (with the fiber from an apple, for example) before going crazy on the candy.

4. Make your own sweet treats! If you want to eat something on Halloween that's delicious, make your own candy! Most of the candies on the market today have so many preservatives and saturated fats. You can avoid it by making your own things on which to munch while giving out candy on your porch. For example, check out this chocolate-covered banana pieces recipe from my Gluten Free Advocate blog. 

Keep Halloween healthy in your book this year, and have a great night! 

Embracing a Fitness Funk

My sister has always been my fitness idol. She got in shape while we were in high school and hasn't stopped ever since. As I started my fitness journey, she taught me that there will be days where, for whatever reason, I will experience what I call a "fitness funk". The music just isn't pumping you up, you are feeling a little too hungry (or ate a little too much pre-workout), whatever. These days will happen.

I actually had one today.

I was working all morning on graduate school homework when I realized how little I had eaten all morning (and, also, how starving I was)! I heated up some brown rice, black beans, and garbanzo beans in a bowl with some Parmesan cheese. Yum. :]

Shortly after, however, I tried to fit in the only 30 minutes I had available for a workout. I popped in my Focus T25 DVD, took an Ibuprofen for my headache, and began to work out.
I don't know if it was the food or the headache, but I just couldn't push through the intense cardio moves like I typically do. I texted her and this is what she said:

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

It's true!

 

The same thing will most likely happen to you, and it's important to forgive yourself when it does. And so, with that in mind, I am going to make some green tea for myself and get ready for the rest of the day.

 

 

 

Mama's Got a Pair of New Shoes! ...Athletic shoes, that is.

If you are an athlete in any form (novice, intermediate, etc.) and feel a bit clueless about athletic shoes like I do, read these FAQ's that I (and other people on my fitness team) have asked in the past. It's worth the read!

How often do you buy new athletic shoes? 

It's a question that I've been learning more about as I exercise on a very regular basis. As I have learned, you should not give your running shoes a birthday. (This also goes for people who do high-impact exercise as well!) I recently found out that I blew through my first pair of serious running shoes in SEVEN MONTHS! This blew my mind.

I'm not a runner. Should I buy running shoes?

Not necessarily! If you are strictly a cross-trainer (ie. kickboxing, high-impact, interval training), running shoes may not be the best bet for you. Running shoes and cross-training shoes offer different levels of support for your feet and body as a whole. It is in your best interest to go to a runner's specialty store and see if you need running or cross-training shoes. 

Can you wear down athletic/running/cross-training shoes without running?

Surprisingly, yes! If you worked as, say, a waitress and are on your feet all day, you are putting pressure on the cushion of your shoes. Standing in athletic shoes for one hour puts the equivalent of one mile of wear on the shoes. Even more so, other forms of cardiovascular exercise (like kickboxing, Zumba, P90X, Insanity, etc.) puts pressure on the cushion of your shoes, thus wearing them down. 

What happens if you work out a lot and DON'T buy new shoes?

Wearing athletic shoes that are too old mean that the cushions of the shoes are too compressed to provide adequate support. Some runners notice certain pain surfacing when it's time to buy new shoes. (I think that my time is here to buy new shoes- I am noticing inner knee pain on one leg.) Not giving your body the support it needs while doing strenuous exercise can result in short- and long-term physical pain and injury. Don't be cheap with your joints! If you exercise almost daily, INVEST in the right shoes and BE WISE ENOUGH to know when to buy new ones!

I don't think I could ever work out. Who can I turn to for help?

I provide 100% FREE coaching to those who reach out and ask for it! All it takes is a click to sign up and start working towards a healthier, happier you. Let me help you today!

Food Mapping

As of October 2013, I have found meal planning to be virtually impossible. How do you say "no" when your 16-year old brother goes out to dinner to celebrate his academic victory, and they invite you? Should you really respond, "thanks, but I already had my healthy meal planned for tonight!"
I say no to that because family time is too precious.


From what I have discovered, though, is that through food mapping, you can start to see where the most difficult meals lie for you and how to fix them with future planning. I find it less intimidating than scheduling every single meal for the week.


Here is a typical week for me (which fluctuates, depending upon my academic schedule):

Monday: Cook 1 cup lentils in morning (while doing classwork);
Oatmeal for breakfast, banana post-workout;
Leftovers for lunch (at home);
Shakeology en route to hour-long grad school commute
night class 5-9pm: lentils (cooked earlier in day), applesauce, Greek yogurt, cheese, rice cakes

Tuesday: Day off!
Oatmeal for breakfast, banana pre-workout;
Shakeology post-workout;
Lunch leftovers as discovered;
Dinner with the fiancé

Wednesday:
Oatmeal for breakfast, banana post-workout;
Eggs and veggies for lunch (at home);
Shakeology en route to hour-long grad school commute
dinner with my grad student friends!

Thursday: 
Oatmeal for breakfast, Shakeology post-workout;
Lentils and veggies for lunch and dinner (at work)

Friday: 
Eggs for breakfast, Shakeology post-workout;
Last bit of lentils + chickpeas + veggies for lunch;
Dinner plans with the fiancé


Saturday:
Banana for breakfast, Shakeology post-workout;
Chickpeas + veggies for lunch;
fruit as snack mid-day;
Dinner plans with the fiancé

Sunday: (rest day, no workout)
Oatmeal for breakfast, 6 am;
Banana AND Shakeology, mid-morning snacks (10:30 and noon)
(this is where it gets tricky) late lunch (2-3 pm)
Family dinner




When you write down what (and how) you typically eat in a day, it says a lot about you. You see what is the most difficult to plan and stay healthy with, which, in my case, is definitely dinner. I struggle constantly with getting enough food at dinner and end up snacking later. By food mapping, you can see where your weakness lie and work on strengthening them.


What will you do to keep yourself healthy and on track?

My Story's YouTube Official!

Ever wonder what results I have earned through Focus T25, P90X and working hard for a year? See my results in less than 2 minutes here:

My Results with Focus T25 and One Year of Health!


Ever think, "I could never do what she did. I'm not athletic like her."? Yeah. I did too. I ALWAYS told myself I would never be in shape...until I decided to change that.

Watch the video. 
Follow my journey on Facebook.
Kick your goals in the pants and get happy! :) I'm here for you!

One Year.

October 1, 2012

On October 1, 2012, I was a 20something woman who always, always, always joked about how out of shape she was. People told me that I should play basketball (because of her height), but I always joked and said that I would be no good due to the fact that I was afraid of the ball!

On October 1, 2012, I was a gluten-free eater. I ate a lot of GF pastas, like a lot of people, and made lots of Lean Cuisine chicken meals (yes, there was one Lean Cuisine that was gluten-free!). I constantly ran to the grocery store and bought my daily meal, not thinking about much more than that.

On October 1, 2012, I had been drinking Shakeology for a month. I was feeling incredible and wondered how far I could run with this feeling, both literally and figuratively.

On October 1, 2012, I decided to stop living as the sum of my excuses. I decided that I was sick of being out of shape. I made a goal to run just one mile by December 25, 2012. On November 1, 2012... I ran two.  On December 23, 2012...I ran three.

On October 1, 2012, I changed my life in countless ways. Within a week of beginning my exercise journey, I had a personal revelation: I was ready to return to graduate school. I found energy and passion and a direction that I had been longing for, and so I began to apply for a graduate degree that I always felt was best for me (but was afraid to reach for it).

On October 1, 2012, I began to consider making a gluten-free blog. "There are countless blogs out there," I thought, "why would anyone read mine?"

October 1, 2013

On October 1, 2013, I have finished a 10k race.

On October 1, 2013, I am a graduate student in a fabulous program, making fabulous friends.

On October 1, 2013, GlutenFreeAdvocate.wordpress.com has Twitter followers, Instagram followers, Facebook followers, Pinterest followers, and almost 8,000 blog views.

On October 1, 2013, I have lost 8 inches off of my waist, hips, and thighs. I haven't lost much weight but have gained incredible muscle that I am so proud of.

On October 1, 2013, I am in the process of getting my teeth and jaw fixed through braces and upcoming oral surgery. (This was something I have NEVER had the courage to do.) 

On October 1, 2013, I am engaged and planning a wedding to my best friend.

On October 1, 2013, I am a Beachbody Coach. My fiancé and I are both coaches and help many people lead healthier, happier lives. As a result, he and I have bigger dreams to create and build and live than I ever thought possible. Honest.

In the span of one year, fitness, health, and overall wellness has transformed my life into something I NEVER dreamed for myself. While you may doubt that all of these things are connected to making a goal of running one mile, they are. I have learned over the course of just one year that we are the sum of daily, repeated, seemingly small actions. Those actions are adding value to others as well as eating one extra serving of vegetables. Even my braces are a result of this compound effect.

What can being truly healthy do for you?

Can Fitting in Fitness be Fun?

When people say "I'm really busy", I struggle with finding too much sympathy for the other person. I currently work five part-time jobs while commuting over an hour away for graduate school classes and still fit in time to work out and be a fitness coach. Is it time-consuming? Absolutely. Does it make me insanely busy and obsessive about keeping my day planner next to me at all times? Why yes, it does.

Is it fun?

yes!

I have found that when I make my health a priority, a lot of other things fall into line. For example, I worked out with my sister last Saturday morning. We wanted to do Focus T25 together. We figured out that, instead of killing 30 minutes watching television on a Saturday morning, we worked really hard and had an incredible amount of energy for our day! I showered and immediately went straight to work. Was I busy on Saturday? Yes. Did I work out? Yes. Did it make me feel better? Yes!!


How could fitting in fitness be fun, you ask?
1. Find your fitness soulmate. If you don't like running, don't run! If you don't like to lift weights so much, then don't lift weights. If you like to feel like you're dancing the whole time, then dance the weight off! Do whatever you will want to do almost every single day, and don't settle for anything less.

2. Find a way to commit. Do you like to work out with another person? Then make sure you have that person know your goals for accountability and support. Do you like to jump around in your living room alone? Then make sure you set a calendar alert on your cell phone and stick to it. Does your fitness program come with a schedule for a variety of workouts? Stick to that calendar 100%.

3. Don't quit on yourself. Just because you're out of shape doesn't mean it will always be this difficult. The hardest thing to do is to establish new habits that counteract habits you have subconsciously maintained for years. You must push play on that DVD player every single day and do not quit on the process!

4. Celebrate the victory! REAL healthy habits equal REAL RESULTS! This isn't rocket science! I'm not trying to sell you some get-skinny-quick program. This is a lifestyle change that will continue to reward you! Imagine not being concerned about how you will fit into your winter clothes. Imagine knowing already that your bathing suit will fit just as it did last year. Could you put a price tag on that feeling? Investing in a fitness program that works for 100% of you is like investing in your future. It really is. You are investing in your health, which will mean a healthier, happier, longer life with the people you love. Can you put a price tag on that?

5. Do it today. You don't have to be great to start, but you have to start to be great. Just go run around the block. Buy that fitness program that you saw on a Sunday morning infomercial. Just start for yourself.


And on that note, I must go press play and jump around in my living room. :) Go out there and make this fun!