Merry Christmas!
Feliz Navidad!
Joyeux Noel!
Kala Christouyenna!
Buone Feste Natalizie!
Feliz Natal!
Wednesday, December 24, 2008
Sunday, December 21, 2008
Nutritional Consistency!
I am not sure why, but during the Christmas season, I get into the baking mood. This is probably because, as a child my mother often baked cakes and I always helped her. Last weekend I baked a coconut rum cake (from scratch of course) and on Friday night I baked Belgian cookies. My husband wanted to go to the store to buy cookies and since I never buy cookies and we had none in the house, I told him I would make some instead. The rum cake was really, really delicious but the cookies were not as good (they weren't sweet enough for my husbands pallet).
So what does all this have to do with healthy eating? Rum cake and Belgian cookies isn't exactly healthy, and although I added less sugar than the recipe required for my rum cake, I wouldn't really consider it healthy eating. Also did I mention that my husband and in-laws do not like desserts that are not excessively (what I call head-rush) sweet. I made a cake once that had less sugar, and now every time I am making a dessert my husband's comment is that it will not be sweet enough. His family believes that you are suppose to add more sugar than the recipe calls for. Unfortunately my desserts are not exactly healthy choices (if they were, they would not be eaten). As a result, during this Christmas season, I have to practice "Nutritional Consistency", this is expecially important during this time of year .
In the book "The New Rules of Lifting for Women, there is a chapter about "Nutritional Consistency". One of the principles of "Nutritional Consistency" involves practicing moderation. Basically eating a piece of cake instead of the entire cake, having a scoop of ice cream instead of eating the entire container. Okay, some of that is a bit extreme, but the next time you are about to take a slice of cake maybe you can downsize to a smaller piece!
Enjoy the holidays and healthy eating!
So what does all this have to do with healthy eating? Rum cake and Belgian cookies isn't exactly healthy, and although I added less sugar than the recipe required for my rum cake, I wouldn't really consider it healthy eating. Also did I mention that my husband and in-laws do not like desserts that are not excessively (what I call head-rush) sweet. I made a cake once that had less sugar, and now every time I am making a dessert my husband's comment is that it will not be sweet enough. His family believes that you are suppose to add more sugar than the recipe calls for. Unfortunately my desserts are not exactly healthy choices (if they were, they would not be eaten). As a result, during this Christmas season, I have to practice "Nutritional Consistency", this is expecially important during this time of year .
In the book "The New Rules of Lifting for Women, there is a chapter about "Nutritional Consistency". One of the principles of "Nutritional Consistency" involves practicing moderation. Basically eating a piece of cake instead of the entire cake, having a scoop of ice cream instead of eating the entire container. Okay, some of that is a bit extreme, but the next time you are about to take a slice of cake maybe you can downsize to a smaller piece!
Enjoy the holidays and healthy eating!
Saturday, December 13, 2008
A goal is a dream with a deadline. - Napoleon Hill
It’s almost the start of a new year and it’s time for me to start thinking about my goals. I don’t call them New Year’s Resolutions because I want to be able to set my goals all throughout the year. I don’t want to set a resolution or goal and then a month or two later realize that I am off the mark and then just forget about it. I see these goal-setters every January at the gym. You know the people who set a resolution to workout and then a month later because they missed a few days just fall off the band wagon. I don’t totally mind, since the gym gets empty again and then I can get the equipment when I want it. But I digress and must get back to my point…
I must confess, I have not been as disciplined as I should be right now. There are all these temptation around me, Christmas parties, vendors sending you cookies, brownies and chocolate and it is difficult to resist. My excuse to myself right now is that some of my clothes are still too big and I want to fit into them so I have been indulging. But I am going to start thinking about my goals for next year because I don’t want 2009 to sneak up on me and I haven’t even thought about what I want to accomplish.
First and foremost, I have to write down my goals, just thinking about them isn’t good enough. Since my competition I’ve been saying that I want to gain muscle but I have not actually written this goal down so I don’t feel that I am getting anywhere.
Second, my goals are going to be specific and measurable. Just saying that I want to gain muscle is pointless since this is not specific enough. I am going to have to start taking my measurements again and decide how much muscle I want to gain and in what time period.
Third, my goal needs to be realistic. If I stated that I want to gain 10 pounds of muscle in 2 months that would not be realistic. I often hear people set unrealistic goals which just causes them to fail. For example, someone will state that they would like to lose 10 pounds in 2 weeks. This may be unrealistic for fat loss, a good rule of thumb is to expect 0.5 to 1 pound of fat loss per week.
Fourth, both short-term and long-term components should be used when setting goals. So if my long term goal is gain 10 pounds of muscle by Jun,e then I will have to break it down and create a short-term component/goal. My short-term component will be gain 2 pounds a month.
Finally, tell someone about the goal. Once you set specific goals that you’re committed to sticking to, tell someone about them. If a goal is a secret, it’s easy to blow it off. For example, during my last contest preparation I thought about cancelling, postponing, basically quitting, because I didn't feel like I was ready. I basically couldn't because I told so many people and even had my contest prep on this Blog. So now my next goal is out there and I have to be accountable!
I must confess, I have not been as disciplined as I should be right now. There are all these temptation around me, Christmas parties, vendors sending you cookies, brownies and chocolate and it is difficult to resist. My excuse to myself right now is that some of my clothes are still too big and I want to fit into them so I have been indulging. But I am going to start thinking about my goals for next year because I don’t want 2009 to sneak up on me and I haven’t even thought about what I want to accomplish.
First and foremost, I have to write down my goals, just thinking about them isn’t good enough. Since my competition I’ve been saying that I want to gain muscle but I have not actually written this goal down so I don’t feel that I am getting anywhere.
Second, my goals are going to be specific and measurable. Just saying that I want to gain muscle is pointless since this is not specific enough. I am going to have to start taking my measurements again and decide how much muscle I want to gain and in what time period.
Third, my goal needs to be realistic. If I stated that I want to gain 10 pounds of muscle in 2 months that would not be realistic. I often hear people set unrealistic goals which just causes them to fail. For example, someone will state that they would like to lose 10 pounds in 2 weeks. This may be unrealistic for fat loss, a good rule of thumb is to expect 0.5 to 1 pound of fat loss per week.
Fourth, both short-term and long-term components should be used when setting goals. So if my long term goal is gain 10 pounds of muscle by Jun,e then I will have to break it down and create a short-term component/goal. My short-term component will be gain 2 pounds a month.
Finally, tell someone about the goal. Once you set specific goals that you’re committed to sticking to, tell someone about them. If a goal is a secret, it’s easy to blow it off. For example, during my last contest preparation I thought about cancelling, postponing, basically quitting, because I didn't feel like I was ready. I basically couldn't because I told so many people and even had my contest prep on this Blog. So now my next goal is out there and I have to be accountable!
Wednesday, December 3, 2008
5 Keys for Healthy Eating
Okay I admit, I did not create these rules but I do follow them as best as I can.
Rule #1. Eat every 2-3 hours.
Now, you don’t need to eat a full meal every 2-3 hours – some of them can be smaller snacks. That may seem like a lot, but understand that each meal will be smaller than the ones most people eat, and that eating this way can help prevent storing excess calories as body fat.
Rule # 2. Include lean protein in each meal and snack.
I find that including protein in each meal keeps me full longer. Before I started following this rule, I just used to eat a salad and then 30 minutes later I would be hungry again. Now I know better and including lean protein helps me to control my appetite a bit longer.
Rule # 3. Include vegetables or fruits in at least 3 of your meals or snacks.
Yes I said it, eat our vegetables! I know this can be really, really difficult and I will usually include vegetables in 3 of my meals. So for my first meal of the day I will include a fruit (the best time to eat fruit is first thing in the morning), and the rest of my meals except for my post workout shake I will try to include vegetables. I am always surprised when people don’t like vegetable. I know someone who was a vegetarian and didn’t like vegetables! How is that possible? Needless to say, she is no longer a vegetarian.
Rule #4. Save carb-heavy meals for after exercise.
Research shows that the best time to eat carbs (rice, pasta, potatoes) is right after exercise, apparently your body is better able to process carbohydrates in the 3 hour period after intense exercise. On non-workout days, then it’s best to eat carbs earlier in the day.
Rule #5. Include a good balance of healthy fat in your diet.
There are 3 types of fat: saturated, monounsaturated, and polyunsaturated. Eating all three kinds in a healthy balance can dramatically improve your health, and actually help you lose fat.
Saturated: Most foods containing lean protein also contain some saturated fat, so you probably don’t have to worry about getting saturated fat.
Some of the best sources of Monounsaturated fat include nuts (almonds, walnuts etc), and olive oil.
Sources of Polyunsaturated fat include flax seed oil, fish oil, and mixed nuts.
Voila, here it is. It’s not easy but it certainly helps to plan your meals in advance. I usually know exactly what I will be eating for each meal the next day.
Rule #1. Eat every 2-3 hours.
Now, you don’t need to eat a full meal every 2-3 hours – some of them can be smaller snacks. That may seem like a lot, but understand that each meal will be smaller than the ones most people eat, and that eating this way can help prevent storing excess calories as body fat.
Rule # 2. Include lean protein in each meal and snack.
I find that including protein in each meal keeps me full longer. Before I started following this rule, I just used to eat a salad and then 30 minutes later I would be hungry again. Now I know better and including lean protein helps me to control my appetite a bit longer.
Rule # 3. Include vegetables or fruits in at least 3 of your meals or snacks.
Yes I said it, eat our vegetables! I know this can be really, really difficult and I will usually include vegetables in 3 of my meals. So for my first meal of the day I will include a fruit (the best time to eat fruit is first thing in the morning), and the rest of my meals except for my post workout shake I will try to include vegetables. I am always surprised when people don’t like vegetable. I know someone who was a vegetarian and didn’t like vegetables! How is that possible? Needless to say, she is no longer a vegetarian.
Rule #4. Save carb-heavy meals for after exercise.
Research shows that the best time to eat carbs (rice, pasta, potatoes) is right after exercise, apparently your body is better able to process carbohydrates in the 3 hour period after intense exercise. On non-workout days, then it’s best to eat carbs earlier in the day.
Rule #5. Include a good balance of healthy fat in your diet.
There are 3 types of fat: saturated, monounsaturated, and polyunsaturated. Eating all three kinds in a healthy balance can dramatically improve your health, and actually help you lose fat.
Saturated: Most foods containing lean protein also contain some saturated fat, so you probably don’t have to worry about getting saturated fat.
Some of the best sources of Monounsaturated fat include nuts (almonds, walnuts etc), and olive oil.
Sources of Polyunsaturated fat include flax seed oil, fish oil, and mixed nuts.
Voila, here it is. It’s not easy but it certainly helps to plan your meals in advance. I usually know exactly what I will be eating for each meal the next day.
Tuesday, December 2, 2008
New Phase
Yeah, I started working out again and I am starting a New Phase. This phase will last for the entire month of December and I will change things up a bit in January. I am going to focus on really working on my upper body, particularly my shoulders. I know it's going to be really difficult during this holiday season to eat clean. There are goodies everywhere. I am going to limit my cheats to twice a week. Wish me luck!
My workout today was plyometrics and cardio. I did 20 minutes of cardio and did stuff like box jumps, air squats, Turkish Getups, mountain climbers and some core work.
I did receive my book, New Rules of Lifting for Women and I am only on the third chapter but so far I like it. The author is entertaining and it's an easy read. The book begins with Rule #1 and I am only at Rule #10 which I really like. Rule #10 is "Endurance Exercise is an Option, not a Necessity for fat loss"! That's my favourite so far considering that I don't like doing lots of cardio.
Maybe when I am done, I'll do a book review!
My workout today was plyometrics and cardio. I did 20 minutes of cardio and did stuff like box jumps, air squats, Turkish Getups, mountain climbers and some core work.
I did receive my book, New Rules of Lifting for Women and I am only on the third chapter but so far I like it. The author is entertaining and it's an easy read. The book begins with Rule #1 and I am only at Rule #10 which I really like. Rule #10 is "Endurance Exercise is an Option, not a Necessity for fat loss"! That's my favourite so far considering that I don't like doing lots of cardio.
Maybe when I am done, I'll do a book review!
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