10 STEPS

It may be wet outside, but that doesn't mean bikini season isn't nearby. How do you like to get beach-ready? 

Whether it's hitting up your local gym, working with a personal trainer, grabbing a buddy and some equipment and squeezing in a workout at home, or finally, taking care of that dreaded spring cleaning, there are so many different ways to be active. And, this goes for diet as well. Getting ready for beach season doesn't mean you have to eliminate anything from your diet or skip meals. What might work for one person does not necessarily mean that it's going to work for you, either. 

For me, getting in shape is about being healthy. Yeah yeah, we all want to look good, but this is really just the cherry on top of the sundae--how about getting fit, eating right, and feeling good about it? Because let's face it, you can have a great body, but if you don't have the confidence to flaunt it, then it's worth nothing.

Aside from maintaining a healthy diet and exercising regularly, and the obvious: skip the soda, don't eat junk, reach for veggies, not potato chips, drink lots of water, only eat when hungry...tested and approved, here are my top ten steps to a healthier you:

1. Don't over-exercise / based on personal experience, I know the downfalls to exercising too much. First, you get run down. Okay, if all you're doing is working out and maintaining a diet that (somehow, perfectly) supports all of your workouts, then you might be able to do something extreme. But how long will it last? If you aren't able to get enough rest in between workouts and eat properly to support whatever workout you're doing, you won't see results. This, my friends, will only lead to frustration. Your body needs rest. Finally, over-exercising can lead to injury. Luckily, I've never really had to experience this, but you can imagine the injuries associated with over-training.

2. Eat to live, don't live to eat (and get the most bang for your buck!) / we've all heard this one before, and it's in reference to portion control. Portion control doesn't mean you have to measure everything you consume down to the calorie.  Although, depending on your diet and nutrition goals, perhaps measuring your food is important to practice. Get the facts (see 8) and find what works for you! On a budget? No problem. This doesn't mean you can't eat healthy. Buy whole foods like fruits and vegetables, and whole grains. As for protein? Beans, legumes, and eggs are all inexpensive sources of protein.

3. Stay positive / and what better way to stay positive than with a workout buddy? Grab a friend who has similar goals to you. Check out videos and workouts online to do together at home or at the park. I like BodyRock and the girls from Tone It Up! Most importantly, though, motivate each other! It's amazing what a little partner work can do to improve your workouts, and your self-esteem!

4. Fad diets are so last year / find a diet that works for you! Today, there are tons of different diets that we can pick and choose from: low-carb, Atkins, gluten-free, vegetarian, vegan, paleo. But no one diet is going to work for everyone. It may take some time to figure out what diet works for you (it took several years for me), but let me tell you, it's well worth figuring out!

5. Sustainability / based on my experience, most people are impatient. And when it comes to losing weight/gaining weight/getting the body or health they want, people are no different. When making changes to your fitness routine and diet, it's important to make sure that these changes will function for the long term. In hopes of seeing instant results, people will restrict themselves of certain foods (and therefore, certain nutrients) or try to exercise a lot. What good will these changes be, though, if after you've lost the weight/gained the weight/achieved the body or health that you were looking for, your body starts to crave those nutrients you were restricting and you get an injury from working out too hard? My advice is to make gradual changes to your diet and fitness routine, and long-lasting changes.

6. Don't compare / everyone is different, find what works for you. You can look towards images of beautiful women in the media, but remember all the work that goes in to making these women look this way. Every body is unique. So, while you can turn to pictures of women in magazines and determine whether you find them beautiful or not, it's not healthy to obsess about their bodies and the way they look. Again, it comes back to finding a diet and fitness plan that works for you and most importantly, makes  you feel great from the inside-out.

7. Indulge / don't restrict yourself. Whether it's a rest day that you're keeping yourself from taking or a brownie that you're resisting biting into, it's important that you allow yourself these things (or whatever the equivalent might be for you). You might try to eat healthy all of the time, but it's important that every once in a while you treat yourself. And, if you're trying really hard to stick to a new diet or fitness routine and fall off the horse, don't worry. Don't feel guilty, don't beat yourself up. Just get back up and get going!

8. Don't play dumb / get the facts, read! I could go on in length about the lack of nutritional literacy prevalent in society, but let's keep this short and sweet. Nutritional information is constantly bombarding consumers, is often confusing, and sometimes contradictory. Read a lot and refer to numerous sources. And again, find what works for you.
 

9. Find a support group / I don't mean AA, although if some sort of weight loss support group works for you, then by all means, do it! What I mean by "find a support group" is to simply surround yourself with people who care about your health and well-being, people who care about your health goals. This is different than a workout buddy. This is anyone/everyone who will support your goals.

10. Love yourself / this one sounds so easy, but when you think about how critical we are of ourselves on a regular basis, it should come as no surprise that I would include this as one of my top ten steps to a healthier you. Make an effort to eliminate self-criticism, trust yourself, forgive yourself, acknowledge your efforts, and take time for yourself.

What are your best tips for a healthier you?

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images via brown dress with white dots, the littlest rebel, mojo's movement, get fit or die, fitness magazine, miss alyssa dawn, and pinterest 

FOR EVERY BODY

Last week, I briefly touched on the importance of nutritional literacy--and how, in a world like the one we live in today, consumers are constantly bombarded with nutritional information that is often contradictory and that which leads to ‘nutritional confusion’. And, as I pointed out, it is important for individuals to educate themselves about health and nutrition in order to lessen the confusion. That’s possible, right? Ultimately, to be nutritionally literate is to self-educate, to learn about and to understand health and nutrition information, including the sources that are providing this information, and finally, to recognize that there is no absolute. Nutritional information is in constant flux. And, what works for one person might not (probably won’t) work for another. As I mentioned in my previous post, health and nutrition is personal.

(warning: this is a long one)

Lately, my friend W has been asking me a lot of questions about her own health and nutrition. She, like so many of us, is looking to tone up and get beach body ready for the coming (warmer) months. And, like so many of us, W is confused. Out of all the people I’ve met who are either really into nutrition and/or fitness, W has read a lot about either topic and while I consider this a good thing (educate yourself, right!?), it can also be a cause for concern when you’re led astray. How many calories am I supposed to consume in a day? Should I be exercising more or less? And, the big question that W has: if I am eating healthy and exercising regularly, why aren't I seeing results?

With W's permission, I wanted to share some of the concerns that she has been having in terms of diet and nutrition. When it comes to being nutritionally literate, W is not uninformed about certain foods and products--in fact, I would argue quite the opposite--however, because of her vast knowledge about various diets and meal plans, she is confused about what to eat (and when). W leads a very active lifestyle--she loves to run and practice Pilates, she often joins me for boot camp and boxing classes every week. But she just doesn’t know what to consume in order to sustain her energy levels, burn fat, and develop lean muscles in the process. Recently, she described a day of meals to me. And, we’ve talked about different recipes and things we like to eat. She’s no stranger to healthy foods (like real, whole foods). She strays away from ‘bad’ sugars and ‘bad’ fats. But, W still claims that she isn’t seeing results in terms of her physical appearance (personally, I think she looks great--but everyone is their own worst critic, right?). So, she’s supposedly eating really healthy (oatmeal for breakfast, salads for lunch, eggs and cheese for snacks, etc.) and working out lots, but nothing’s happening?

                                                                        

Well, I have a few pieces of advice that I can offer, take 'em or leave 'em. Based on personal experience, I can tell you that if you’re working out consistently and the workouts are difficult (whatever that may be to you), you need to make sure that what you are putting into your body is going support what you are putting out. The boot camp classes that W and I have been doing recently are not easy. I consider myself a fairly fit person, particularly when it comes to high intensity workouts such as boxing and HIIT (high-intensity interval training), but even I find these classes challenging. If you are doing some form of exercise that requires a ton of energy, you need to be replenishing whatever energy is being used. I think a huge problem for a lot of women who exercise and who are looking to burn fat and gain lean muscle is that they don’t eat enough. They often need more calories than they are consuming in order to support their workouts and then see results. That said, for some people who are looking to lose weight, a low-calorie diet might be an option. It really depends on what results you are looking for and your body composition. Remember, every body is different.

For W's diet, my main piece of advice was to include lean protein with every meal. For whatever reason, I think a lot of people--at least in my experience--dismiss protein whenever consuming a meal or snack. But protein is what helps you feel full over a long period of time. True, the right fats (healthy, unsaturated fats) and dietary fibre (from whole grains and produce) can also help to slow down digestion and keep you full for a lot longer than say, saturated fats or simple sugars found in processed foods. But, if you include lean protein with every meal, you can avoid excess calories and ward off hunger. Some of my favourite sources for lean protein include:

Eggs and/or egg whites

Raw nuts

Almond or soy milk

Whey protein

Plain, low-fat yoghurt

Canned tuna

Beans, such as garbanzo or black beans

Quinoa

Chicken breast or thighs

Pork tenderloin

Beef flank steak

Shrimp

Tofu

Edamame

Salmon or basa filets

What's your favourite source of lean protein?
 

Something else that W isn't sure about is consuming carbohydrates (what I will refer to as ‘bready carbs’, because let’s face it, carbohydrates are basically in everything...so, when I say carbohydrates, I mean grains and starches). First of all, anyone who tells you that they don’t like carbohydrates is lying. I love carbohydrates, and if you’re going to support hard sessions at the gym (even if you’re just going to do yoga!), you need this super nutrient. I think that a common mistake is that people consume these ‘bready carbs’ covered in unhealthy fat, salt, and sugar or that their portion sizes are too large, and this is why they do not see results at the gym or they try to cut carbohydrates all together and find their body later craves them. This is not to say that you cannot follow a low-carbohydrate diet--for some, this actually benefits weight loss. It also depends on your activity level. If you're really unsure about your carbohydrate consumption, talk to a nutritionist. Otherwise, join me with some of my favourite 'bready carbs' carbohydrates:

Brown rice

Steel cut oats

Sweet and/or regular potatoes

Quinoa

Soba noodles

Brown rice pasta

Rice noodles

Whole corn tortillas

I now follow a gluten-free diet, but for anyone who is not gluten-free, I would recommend consuming whole grains. Check the package, especially for pastas and breads--manufacturers are good at sneaking in unhealthy ingredients like 'enriched wheat flour'.

Since W was a little unsure about introducing more carbohydrates into her diet in order to support her increased workout--as she has been following a fairly low-carb diet for a while, but at the same time feels that she isn't seeing results--I recommended that she start the day with a ‘bready carb’ like oatmeal, include another carb like brown rice or sweet potato with her lunch, and then taper off the end of the day with lean protein and vegetables for dinner sans 'bready carbs'. But again, do what works for you. I often eat brown rice or potatoes with my dinner as well--everything in moderation, right?

Then, there’s fruit. W has heard from numerous sources that fruit should be eliminated from one’s diet when trying to lose weight and tone up. Me? I couldn’t imagine cutting fruit from my diet. First, my mum’s side of the family are fruit farmers—my grandparents, and now my uncle have maintained a beautiful fruit orchard in the B.C. Okanagan. I spent summers there as a child, getting lost amongst the trees, picking cherries, and playing baseball with rotten apples. Okay, the last memory is not so admirable. The point is, I love fruit. Since eliminating refined sugars from my diet, I’ve become a firm believer in the whole “fruit, Mother Nature’s candy”. It really is. Have you ever eaten pineapple in Jamaica? I don't really know if pineapple has any super food-worthy health benefits, but it's certainly tasty. That said, there are tons of fruit that do have health benefits, and so I think everyone should include a little fruit in their lives. Now, I know the issue with fruit is that some may think it is high in sugar. True, if you’re diabetic, you might have to watch your intake of too much fruit. For everyone else, though, there are a lot worse things that you could be consuming (ahem, refined sugar). Eat an apple.

In the end, though, W and I both agree that in order to be healthy, happy, and see results, the most important thing is to have a positive attitude. If you are eating healthy and you maintain an active lifestyle, then know that you're doing all that is required and you'll quickly start to feel and look good (trust me on this one).
 

This blog post simply shares one example of some common assumptions that individuals make when considering health and nutrition. Only after trying the whole 'low-calorie, low-fat' fad years ago myself and then struggling for years after to find the appropriate balance that now exists in my diet today, I am able to comment and critique the 'nutritional confusion' in which so many people find themselves. 

I, in no way, intend for readers to follow any of the advice given. We are all unique and we all have different nutritional requirements. Educate yourself and discover what works for you as an individual.

images via a sweet pea chef, the creative mama, and flickr

LITERACY AND CONFUSION, BRIEFLY

I'm still surprised with the number of people who are uninformed about health and nutrition. Especially with the rise of obesity and chronic illness facing North Americans today, you would think that more individuals would have a greater concern for their health. From what I've observed, there is still a vast amount of ignorance about the topic of health and nutrition. And even when people think they are informed, they're often just confused.

Whether it's because I'm writing my thesis on nutritional literacy and the idea that the lack of nutritional literacy prevalent in society today is a threat to consumer health, or because I'm recognized by many of my friends and family as leading (or at least trying to lead) a healthy lifestyle--particularly with regards to diet and fitness--I get a ton of questions about what's 'healthy', what's not, what people should be consuming, what kind of exercises they should be doing, why they aren't losing/gaining weight, etc.

Well, I'm no nutritionist. I'm also not a personal trainer. But I do read a lot about either topic and through my own experiences with trainers, nutritionists, and medical professionals, I have obtained a great deal of information (not to mention, it is part of my thesis). Whether or not this information is adequate, though, is up to me (the consumer) to decide. Ahem, and you.

'Nutritional confusion' is a term first developed by sociologist Gyorgy Scrinis and later popularized by scientific writer Michael Pollan. The term describes the state in which consumers find themselves when faced with constant, often contradicting nutritional information. This confusion is dangerous insofar that it perpetuates an ignorance about nutrition. Even for someone who tries to stay informed about health and nutrition, I'm often faced with an uncertainty about a particular food or health product (often because of contradicting information) and have to either do further research to uncover more information about this so-called product and/or make a personal judgement call about whether or not I think this product is worthwhile.

When friends and family ask me about particular foods, diet plans, fitness routines...I always offer my informed opinion, but I also encourage them to research whatever it is on their own or or to seek the help of other individuals well versed in the topic or even professionals who might be able to offer some guidance. Health and nutrition is personal. The ways in which one person conducts his or her life in terms of diet and fitness is not necessarily going to be the same for another person. This is why I think self-education is so important. Individual health and nutrition should start here. Whether through literature or with the help of others, every person must find what works for him or her. You can try different diets (vegetarian, vegan, raw, low-carb, gluten-free, paleo), try different eating routines (several experts recommend six small meals a day to keep your metabolism boosted and your blood sugar levels at bay, but some people do just fine with four meals a day?)...whatever it is, every body is different. Find out what works for you. 

Stay tuned for more on this topic, including my take on health and nutrition.