As with anything that requires personal initiative and determination, strength in numbers is a given. This is especially true for workout regimens. Setting fitness goals with a friend or significant other can drastically increase your chance of success, especially if you partner with someone who will challenge and impel you. Whether you’re looking for a complete body overhaul, or a gradual improvement, working in pairs doubles your responsibility to get out and active. Foster your relationship and health with modified exercises made for two, and fall into a routine with these long-term workouts.
CrossFit
The CrossFit regimen strongly encourages a sense of community, especially among the genders. In fact, statistics suggest the program is equally popular with men and women, giving it an edge on programs that may unfairly hold a gender bias. Whether you’re looking to get in shape with your husband, wife, or best friend, CrossFit may not demand a powerpoint of persuasion. Focusing heavily on aerobics, calisthenics, and weightlifting, CrossFit provides exercises for all body types and goals.
Zumba
You may have to use your powers of coercion if your partner isn’t stoked about the idea of communal dancing, but the payout is worth it. Zumba is a fun, natural way to get in shape and feel good. Using sanguine music such as hip-hop, salsa, and mambo, the routine often includes high aerobic moves and plenty of squats and lunges. You and your partner will have a blast participating together, even if you’re just laughing off charming dad moves.
Bikram Hot Yoga
You’d be remiss if you haven’t considered adding yoga to your workouts. Bikram Yoga, in particular, features more than 26 moves and positions to strengthen your core muscles. Beginners classes are typically offered in 90 minutes segments and practiced in a room heated between 95 and 108 degrees Fahrenheit. Taking a partner to a few classes will help the two of you grow physically and spiritually, as this practice is designed to reduce stress and ease everyday tensions.
Bootcamp
On the flip side of Hot Yoga is Bootcamp. Most fitness centers offer some kind of Bootcamp class you and your partner can participate in together. This rigorous, fast-paced routine can be relentless for someone not mentally determined to live a healthy, active life. Be prepared to be pushed to the extreme, as these workouts have U.S. military-grade expectations. If you and your partner have the proper motivation, Bootcamp will whip you into shape this season.
Kickboxing
Kickboxing and mixed martial are an educational way to work on self defense with a partner. Taking up a beginners class with a friend or significant other is an unconventional way to stay fit and learn a new sport, one that could potentially save your lives.
Antioxidants – check. Good for your metabolism – check. Good for your heart – check. By now you’re likely well versed in the benefits of matcha. Part of the Japanese culture since the 12th Century, the superfood has been showing up at cafes, restaurants, and health food stores throughout the U.S. in recent years. But as popular as matcha is, its grassy taste is still a bit of an acquired one. Luckily you don’t just have to drink matcha to get its benefit. The green tea is a versatile cooking ingredient, you can add into shakes, hot chocolate, and even pasta. Check out these matcha recipes that make it easy to add the superfood into your everyday diet.
Blueberry Matcha Cooler
Blueberry Matcha Cooler by Raw Generation
This refreshing smoothie from Raw Generation was made for spring. It’ll keep you energized all morning or work as an afternoon pick-me-up.
Serves: 1
Time: 5 minutes
Ingredients:
1 1/2 c frozen blueberries
1 1/2 c water (or use a bottle of your favorite Raw Generation juice as your liquid ingredient)
1 tsp matcha green tea powder
1 tbsp coconut oil
A few dashes of ginger
Optional-sweeten with a couple of dates
Puree ingredients in blender until smooth and enjoy!
Matcha Green Tea Gelato
Match Green Tea Gelato by Chef Jimmy MacMillan
Chef Jimmy MacMillan, a pastry chef with DineAmic Group, is a huge fan of matcha. “The flavor profile has such a unique rich taste that it is simple to include it in just about any dessert.” His recipe for matcha gelato will let those with a sweet-tooth get their ice cream fix without the guilt.
Serves: 8
Time:1 hour
Ingredients:
2 tbsp matcha green tea powder
3 oz sugar
1 oz milk powder
1 oz egg yolks
16 oz milk sup Bia
2 1/2 oz butter
In a small plastic container with a lid, combine matcha green tea powder, sugar, and milk powder.
In a small saucepan, whisk together milk and egg yolks. Add butter and warm over low heat, stirring constantly until butter is melted.
Add the combined matcha powder, sugar, and milk powder mixture to the saucepan, a little at a time, stirring continuously.
Gently raise heat and continue stirring until gelato mixture reaches 150F.
Strain through a fine mesh strainer into bowl and chill immediately to 46F.
Blend on low speed with hand blender (this will create a superior mouth feel).
Process in an ice cream maker according to manufacturer’s instructions.
Keep Matcha Green Tea Gelato frozen until ready to serve.
Matcha Hot Chocolate
Matcha Hot Chocolate by Hello Fresh
Upgrade the childhood favorite with a bit of matcha. This matcha hot chocolate recipe from Hello Fresh is full of chocolatey goodness with a superfood boost sure to help you relax after a long day.
Serves: 2
Time: 10 minutes
Ingredients:
1 tbsp matcha powder
10 oz milk
50 g white chocolate
3-4 large marshmallows
Sift matcha powder into a saucepan. Add 2 tablespoons milk and whisk until no lumps remain. Whisk in remaining milk and add white chocolate.
Heat over medium-low, and stir until chocolate is melted and mixture is warm.
Top with marshmallows and a sprinkle of matcha powder.
Matcha Pasta
Matcha Pasta by Jenny Dorsey
Yes, there is such a thing as matcha Pasta and it’s delicious. Professional chef and artist Jenny Dorsey created this matcha Pasta recipe that adds a healthy twist to comfort food.
Add flours, matcha, and salt to KitchenAid mixer. Create a well and add eggs.
Knead with dough hook, 2-3 minutes, until mixture forms a ball. Remove dough and knead by hand for 10 minutes.
Wrap dough in plastic wrap and let rest 1 hour.
Process through pasta sheeter and/or slicer to desired shape.
Suggested toppings: dashi cream sauce, crab, ikura (salmon roe), uni and nori flakes.
Almond Green Tea Pancakes
Almond Green Tea Pancakes by Birch Benders
There are more ways to add matcha to your morning routine than simply tea. Birch Benders’ recipe for Almond Green Tea Pancakes has us planning Sunday brunch on a Monday.
Makes: 2 stacks
Time: 20 minutes
Ingredients:
3/4 c Birch Bender Protein Pancake & Waffle Mix
2/3 c almond milk
4 tbsp matcha powder
Almonds for garnish
Heat a griddle or skillet to medium-high heat, about 375°F. The pan is hot enough when flecks of water sizzle off quickly after contact. If using a cast iron pan, keep an eye on your heat as the pan will hold heat well and you may need to turn down your burner over time.
Lightly grease pan.
Heat almond milk to a light simmer, about 170°. Stir in matcha powder.
Combine Birch Benders and matcha-infused milk. Using a 1/4 c measure, scoop batter into pan, one or two pancakes at a time, depending on the size of your pan.
Cook until bubbles have formed and popped, and the sides are mostly dry.
Turn once, cook an additional minute. Remove from heat. Store in a 200° oven while you continue making all the batter into pancakes.
Top with maple syrup and garnish with almonds.
Matcha Shortbread Cookies with Vanilla Bean Glaze
Matcha Cookies by Mountain Rose Herbs
These vanilla glazed cookies from Mountain Rose Herbs are so good, you’ll crave the last crumb.
From bone broth to matcha lattes, the past few years have seen a rise of tonics as a way to boost energy and soothe ailments, but the simplest tonic to add to your diet may be apple cider vinegar. Before you start adding a morning shot of apple cider vinegar to your daily routine it’s important to understand the history of tonics and both the benefits and possible side effects.
Tonics and elixirs are anything but new. They date back to the ancient Egyptians who used combinations of plants, barks, fruits, and other products from nature to create bitters, tonics, and elixirs that fought disease, aided digestion, and cleansed the body. Here’s the lowdown on the apple cider vinegar tonic.
What is Apple Cider Vinegar?
Sometimes called cider vinegar or ACV by the cool kids, apple cider vinegar is simply vinegar made from apples. It’s actually pretty easy to make at home if you have apples, sugar, water, and patience—it takes a couple of months to be ready to drink.
What Does it Taste Like?
Honestly, ACV does not have a pleasant taste. It’s a wake-up shot to your system with a very acidic apple and vinegar taste. Thankfully, you shouldn’t actually drink ACV straight, but more on that later.
Lovely, So Why Should I Add Apple Cider Vinegar to My Diet?
ACV has a long history of health benefits, some of which are still thought of as old wives’ tales, but others are backed up by scientific studies. A few of the more established reasons to add ACV to your diet include: it can kill many types of bacteria, lower blood sugar, help fight diabetes, and make you feel fuller. There’s also some evidence that adding ACV to your diet can prevent indigestion, lower cholesterol, and boost energy.
Got It. So How Should I Add Apple Cider Vinegar to My Diet?
Don’t drink it straight. ACV is highly acidic and could make the enamel on your teeth erode leading to a whole host of other issues. Buy raw, organic, unfiltered, and unpasteurized apple cider vinegar. You can add a tablespoon to a cup of tea or even your morning smoothie or simply add a tablespoon of it to a glass of water along with a tablespoon of either lemon or honey. Another easy way to add it to your diet is to use it your rinse your fruits and vegetables. It adds some ACV to your diet while also cleaning your produce.
Chances are you know someone who doesn’t eat gluten and maybe you’ve even tried or are considering cutting back on gluten yourself. Nearly 72 percent of Americans that avoid gluten are considered PWAGs, people without celiac disease avoiding gluten. But before you commit to the gluten-free diet it’s important to understand what gluten is and if avoiding it is helpful or harmful for those without a gluten intolerance. Consider this your gluten-free cheat sheet.
Wait, what is gluten?
Gluten is old. People have eaten gluten for at least the past 10,000 years. In that time gluten has become one of the most consumed proteins in the world.
At its basic level, gluten is what helps bread rise and gives it its chewy texture. It’s a protein found in wheat and other grains including spelt, barley, and rye, that’s created when the protein molecules glutenin and gliadin come into contact and from a bond, such as when bakers knead dough. Essentially, gluten is an edible glue that holds food together.
Got it. So is gluten bad?
For the vast majority of people, gluten is nothing to worry about.
About 1 percent of the population has a severe intolerance to gluten. Suffering from what is known as celiac disease, when these people eat gluten it causes digestive issues, weight fluctuations, and inflammatory conditions. It’s not known exactly what causes celiac disease, although there is an increased risk for those that have a family member with the disease. Those with celiac disease should avoid gluten.
Some people without celiac disease have what’s known as “non-celiac gluten intolerance.” These people may experience fatigue, mood swings, stiff joints, acne, and other side effects when they eat gluten. But the percentage of the population suffering from “non-celiac gluten intolerance” is small. A 2015 study found that of the people who avoid gluten, roughly 86% of them can tolerate gluten just fine.
So, how do I decide if I should go gluten-free or not?
If you’re concerned about gluten you should talk to your doctor so that they can rule out celiac disease. After that, if you want to try a gluten-free diet, there’s probably not much harm in it (again, it’s a good idea to talk to your health care professional first), and then commit to going gluten-free for a set period of time, such as 4 to 6 weeks.
To do that, you’ll want to remove all refined grains from your diet: breads, most baked goods, pastas, beer (yes, most beer has gluten in it). You also likely need to stay away from many foods promoted as gluten-free like those cookies in the supermarket because many foods labeled as gluten-free have a ton of sugar in them. Basically you’ll need to become a pro at reading labels and be aware that your daily meal habits may take a bit more work, at least at first.
Will I benefit from a gluten-free diet?
Maybe. There’s no easy answer. After 4-6 weeks of no gluten see how you feel and work with your health professional to slowly reintroduce gluten. You may find that you feel better when you’re not eating gluten or you may notice no change at all.
Pop quiz – what are the biggest calorie-hogs in the American diet? Pizza? Potato chips? Hamburgers? Actually, try breads, grainy sweets – cake, cookies, donuts – and sodas, says a 2010, American Dietetic Association study. The average American sips at least one can of soda per day, nearly 44 gallons per year. Consumption, though, is at its lowest level in 30 years, plummeting from 54 gallons in 1998. While water has finally won the title of “King of the Refrigerator”, soda enthusiasts claim that glugging a can of soda has health benefits.
Poppin’ Positives
Pop, with a pH level similar to stomach acid (2 to 3.5), effectively treats 50% of gastric phytobezoars, solid masses of indigestible fibers from fruits and veggies that clog the small intestines, by busting them up, relieving nausea, vomiting, and bloating.
Think of soda as Pepto Bismol’s younger, cheaper, bubblier sister. It contains phosphoric acid, the same ingredient found in over-the-counter, anti-nausea drugs. Plus, its carbonation reduces stomach acidity. And its sweet flavors trigger the reward center of the brain, making you feel that you’ve “opened happiness”.
With 23-47 grams of caffeine, a swig or two of soda also increases productivity, memory, focus, problem-solving, and general cognitive function. Although a typical can of soda has seven teaspoons of sugar, according to a 2006 study published in Physiology and Behavior, it can rev up your metabolism, increase your body’s temperature, and break down fat cells.
Falling Flat
With the above benefits, why kick the caramel-colored bubbly to the curb? Regardless of soda’s health benefits, a 12-ounce can, with nearly double your recommended daily sugar intake, can wreak long-term havoc to your body.
Your brain
According to a 2002 study, fizzy high-fructose corn syrup causes learning disabilities. It stunts the production of brain-derived neurotrophic factors (BDNF), which is essentially Miracle Gro for your brain’s cells. Soda has also been tied to Alzheimer’s, obesity, depression, and even schizophrenia.
To make matters worse, some citrus-based sodas contain brominated vegetable oil (BOV), a flame-retardant chemical found in plastics and electronics. BOV prevents the flavoring from separating from the drink, but it also builds up in your system so guzzling more than 2 liters per day can cause long-term memory loss, skin lesions, infertility, behavioral issues, and nerve disorders.
Your teeth and bones
Each time you knock back a soda, its sugar bonds with the bacteria in your mouth, creating acid that lowers your saliva’s pH balance. To buffer the acid, your body leaches calcium from your bones. Your weakened enamel boosts bacterial growth leading to cavities. Researchers at Tufts University also found that dark-soda drinkers are more likely to suffer from osteoporosis. Even though participants took calcium and vitamin D supplements, they had a four percent lower bone density in their hips. An interesting side note: participants that drank citrus-based, light-colored sodas didn’t suffer from any bone loss.
Your heart
Sugary drinks are linked to 180,000 deaths per year. This might be because pop puts a strain on your ticker, says a 2012 American Heart Association study. Researchers discovered that participants who drank just eight ounces of soda per day were 20% more likely to have a heart attack.
According to a 2013 study, downing soda can cause irregular heart function, erratic heartbeats, and even death. The scary cause is high fructose corn syrup and caffeine, two of soda’s main ingredients, which are diuretics that flush potassium, a mineral that helps your heart beat regularly, from your body. Low potassium levels can grind your muscles, and the shredded tissues then clog your bloodstream and make your electrolyte balance go haywire, which leads to further heart problems.
Your lungs
According to a 2012 study published in the journal of Respirology, heavy-soda drinkers are 80% more likely to get COPD. They also have a 30% increased risk of asthma. This is because the ingredients in soda can swell your trachea and obstruct your bronchial tubes.
Your skin
Sugar-packed sodas are like Pac-Man: they gobble away healthy tissue. This causes inflammation that results in dull, dry, sagging skin and worsens eczema and cystic acne. Sick of your deep wrinkles? Ditch darker colas. They accelerate aging because they contain advanced glycation end products that bond with your body’s proteins, fats, and DNA.
Your hormones
Holy Hormones! A 2013 study found that soda-lovers had a 16% higher estrogen level. Produced in the ovaries, the adrenal gland, and the placenta during pregnancy, sky-high estrogen levels activate cancer causing genes, called oncogenes, that can raise the risk of uterine fibroids, uterine bleeding, breast cancer, and endometrial cancer.
The struggle to find something, anything, healthy to eat at the airport is all too real. Whether you had to leave for your flight so early that there was no way you could stomach anything besides coffee or you disembarked from the first leg of your journey starving with a three-hour layover, there’s nothing like airport food to make eating healthy feel like an insurmountable challenge. Yet, while traveling it’s almost more important than normal to stay hydrated and eat well. It helps you feel better physically while en route and when you arrive at your destination.
To crack the code of eating healthy at the airport we spoke to flight attendants from Hawaiian Airlines, Travel Guidebook author James Kaise, Director of the Nutrition and Weight Management Center at the Boston Medical Center, Dr. Caroline Apovian, and Certified Health & Nutrition Coach Caryn O’Sullivan. Here are their tips and go-tos.
Before You Go To The Airport
With a little planning you can sidestep the challenge of eating healthy while traveling. Apovian and the Hawaiian Airlines flight attendants recommend bringing food along whenever possible. Apovian suggested fresh fruit and nuts and a low sugar protein bar with plenty of fiber. If you want to hack your breakfast, the frequent traveler flight attendants said to pack a ziploc bag with dried oatmeal, nuts, and berries that you can add hot water to for a ready-made breakfast. And don’t forget a piece of dark chocolate to compliment a cup of coffee during mid-flight.
At The Airport
Sometimes you’re just going to have to buy something at the airport. If you know you’ll be in that situation try to find out what your dining options are at the airport ahead of time and check out the nutritional information. Avoid anything with lots of added sugars or a low calorie snack that doesn’t have much protein. Kaiser, while not a vegetarian, tends to avoid meat at airports as it forces him to find meals with more vegetables.
Look For
Look for things that contain healthy fats and proteins. You want to choose foods that won’t leave you hungry.Think Greek yogurt, string cheese, hummus cups, salads with hard boiled eggs, or grilled chicken. At some of the more popular fast food restaurants opt for items like an egg white veggie wrap, spinach and feta wraps, and turkey sandwiches. And don’t forget to stay hydrated. O’Sullivan recommends consuming fresh juices and smoothies as they will help keep you hydrated and alert on the go. The fruit can also help you ward of jet lag. Just be cautious and try to choose vegetable and fruit smoothie combinations, as all-fruit smoothies contain a lot of sugar.
So, you think you’ve mastered the fit life. You meal prep every Sunday so you don’t end up having Cheetos for dinner every night the next week. You’ve stocked up on new athletic wear from Forever 21, because holy cow, do they know how to hold a sale. And you’re absolutely in love with the cool fitness classes you’re taking — but stop right there. Is obsessing over fitness and exercising to the max every day the best approach? All signs point to no. In fact, if you’re not familiar with the importance of rest and recovery, you’re missing a huge piece of the puzzle.
Overtraining can lead to serious mental and physical consequences, not to mention totally work against you, rendering all your hard work pointless. Here are just a few vital points to remember about the importance of rest and recovery.
Fitness Breaks You Down — Rest Builds You Up
Exercising breaks your body tissues down. In fact, this is how we build muscle. Resistance training creates microscopic tears in your muscles; as everything heals, it gradually increases in size. But it won’t heal if you’re constantly training, meaning you’ll actually slow your progress down. During periods of rest and recovery, you allow your muscles, bones, tissues, and nerves to reconnect and regenerate. Eat plenty of good food, stay hydrated, and remember to take your supplements.
Sleep is Vital to Hormone Management
Part of your recovery includes getting adequate sleep. During your REM cycle, your body produces and releases more hormones, which aid in repairing your muscles after a grueling workout. It’s not just getting enough rest that matters; it’s getting enough sleep — and the right kind of sleep.
Nutrition Matters — Even on Rest Days
Some of us (myself included) tend to look at rest days as “free days” — meaning we treat them almost as cheat days and forget about being healthy. While the occasional cheat day is A-OK (and even beneficial), look at it this way: If you’re only concerned with your diet on the days you train, and you train four days a week, that’s nearly 50% of your week where you may not be properly fueling your body. How can you progress with half the effort?
Remember that if you aren’t training, you’re recovering from training, and your body needs special care. This includes your nutrition. For example, muscle protein synthesis continues for about a day after you last worked out. Your body hasn’t stopped working just because you’ve left the gym. Respect your body, and fuel properly! If you’re not sure what this means for you, Google nutrition tips for rest days based on your sport.
Mental Fatigue is a Real Thing
Have you ever had a day where you felt like your mind just needed a break? It sounds corny to say out loud, but your feelings aren’t unwarranted. Train too much and you can experience burnout, and your mental wellbeing takes as big of a hit as your physical wellbeing. Even though I miss training, I love my rest days, because I come back determined, mentally hungry, and motivated.
Rest Days Help Prevent Injury
We’ve already learned that physical activity breaks your body down (in a good way), and you need recovery in order to progress. But you also need rest so that the next time you hit the gym, you don’t leave with an injury. If you’re a runner, for example, the joints in your lower extremities are heavily stressed. Muscles tighten, and inadequate rest can mean muscle tears, shin splints, bone spurs, and more. Do these sounds like conditions you want to train under?
What’s more, when you’re recovering, your immune system releases fluid to cushion the worked areas. This is important to healing; but if you try to train while you’re retaining this fluid, you’re even more at risk.
As a Holistic Nutritionist, I strongly dislike the mainstream meaning of the word “diet.” It implies subjecting our bodies and minds to a period of short-term deprivation in order to reach an (often unhealthy or unattainable) end weight goal, and people view it as simply something that must be endured if they wish to lose weight.
This standard diet model rarely works, especially if you are seeking long term weight loss. It might promote short-term success, but at the expense of your mental sanity. Drastically cutting calories, eliminating major food groups, and/or undergoing a radical detox or cleanse program almost always ensures that the weight will come right back.
Image via Pixabay under license CC0
Why? This method of weight loss does not work for several reasons. For example, drastic calorie-restriction or detox programs can actually do permanent damage to the metabolism, they deprive the body of essential nutrients, we end up with uncontrollable cravings which often lead to bingeing, and we never learn how to actually change our eating habits in order to achieve sustainable, long term success.
Weight loss myth #1: Eating fat makes us fat
Plain and simple: Including appropriate amounts of high quality dietary fat does not lead to body fat. Gaining popularity in the 1950s and really taking off in the 1980s, Americans became obsessed with the idea of a low-fat/no-fat diet model.
Image via Stocksnap
While studies show that processed and rancid fats such as trans-fats (hydrogenated and partially hydrogenated oils) will contribute to obesity and a host of other problems, good sources of fat can actually help us lose weight. Sources such as coconut oil, olive oil, raw nuts and seeds, avocados, and flax oil are actually essential to a healthy diet. If weight loss is the goal, moderating them to one serving per meal is recommended (approximately one tablespoon).
Image via Pixabay under license CC0
In fact, studies show that a low-carbohydrate and higher fat diet model can be highly beneficial in weight loss.
Weight loss myth #2: Calories in, calories out is all that matters
Thermodynamics is the study of the relationship between heat, work, and the internal energy of a system. What this boils down to for weight loss is that you have to burn more calories than you take in, plain and simple. (This is basic science.) However, what many people fail to take into account is that not all calories are created equal.
Image via Pixabay under license CC0
Scientifically this holds true, as we cannot eat more calories than we burn and expect to lose weight. However, eating certain foods will increase our metabolic rate and our level of satiety (feeling of fullness), therefore promoting further weight loss. Mary Enig and Sally Fallon in their best-selling book, Eat Fat Lose Fat, point out that eating a low-fat diet can actually produce more food cravings and has been linked to overeating.
Eat Fat, Lose Fat goes on to give some examples of symptoms you may be experiencing that are indicators of nutrient deficiencies in your body that lead to over-eating and sluggish metabolism:
Weight slowly creeping up
Can’t lose that last 5-10 pounds no matter what
Low energy
Feeling hungry after a meal
Craving fried, sweet foods
Experiencing a mid-afternoon energy crash
Feeling too fatigued to exercise
Weight Loss Myth #3: Cravings are controlled by will-power alone
One of the most essential parts to successful weight loss is blood sugar regulation. When our blood sugar drops, we become ravenously hungry and are much less likely to discern between healthy and non-healthy foods, let alone make healthy choices. If we eat at regular intervals throughout the day, and include healthy proteins and fats in each of these meals/snacks, our bodies are able to better sustain energy levels, and avoid reaching the point of feeling famished.
Image via Pixabay under license CC0
Foods that will cause more dramatic spikes and crashes in blood sugar include starchy, high carbohydrate foods, but particularly refined carbs and sugar. That is why eating a breakfast high in protein and good fat (eggs and veggies cooked in coconut oil, with half a baked sweet potato on the side, for example) will set you on the right foot for the day to come, especially if you suffer from blood sugar dysregulation.
While there is no secret trick to magically lose weight, here are some pointers:
-Get adequate amounts of protein (20 grams of protein/meal for an average, healthy adult). Adequate protein has been shown to boost metabolism.
-Avoid inflammatory foods such as soy, refined carbs and sugar (processed pastries and baked goods, candy, white bread and pasta), along with rancid oils such as canola, soy and corn. Eating inflammatory foods and/or foods we might be sensitive too can lead to fluid retention and swelling (among more serious conditions).
-Lower your stress level, as stress produces excess cortisol, which increases insulin resistance. Cortisol is a fat storage hormone, and will lead to belly fat, in particular. Begin a meditation or deep breathing practice, get adequate sleep, and don’t be afraid to say no to social events or engagements that add stress to your life.
-Don’t over-exercise. Excess exercise, especially intense and long-duration cardio, can actually increase your cortisol levels, leading to weight gain.
-Consider toxicity. If you suspect weight loss resistance (inability to lose weight), it might be a toxic load issue (think environmental toxins like mercury, lead, arsenic, etc). Find a healthcare practitioner who offers hair analysis testing for heavy metal toxicity, and undergo a safe detox program.
-Make sure your Omega 3:6 fatty acid ratios are in line. Most Americans are deficient in Omega 3 fatty acids (the kind found in cold water fish such as wild salmon), and too high in inflammatory Omega 6’s (found in vegetable oils like canola). Omega 3’s boost the bodies fat burning capacity, so consider including more wild fish in your diet. If you can’t eat three servings of fish per week, supplementing with a fermented cod liver oil could be beneficial.
By debunking common diet myths, we can achieve healthy and sustainable weight loss that does not sacrifice our sanity. Your body, mind and spirit will thank you.
As a woman who never had a serious health issue, including being overweight, it came as a bit of a shock one day when I looked in the mirror and realized I had gained weight. A lot of it. Never mind that the numbers had been going up on the tags on my clothes over the years. I justified it because, in my eyes, I was healthy.
I never let weight define me as a person. I still looked good. And I felt good, too—until I didn’t. It crept up on me, the not feeling 100%. My knees started to hurt. I was tired all the time. When I ate certain foods, I felt uncomfortable. My energy level was low. I wasn’t walking my dog every day, and I was more sedentary than I had ever been. I felt off. And I was starting to feel depressed too.
I wallowed for awhile, made excuses, and commiserated with anyone who would listen. That didn’t help my cause.
Finally, when my best friend went to see a D.O. for many of the same issues I had and reported his findings back to me, I found myself saying, “I have that!” “I have that too!” “Oh my God, that’s me to a T!”
Realizing that it wasn’t me per se but that I might have some serious health issues, I felt hopeful for the first time in a very long time.
I did my homework and tracked down a top-notch endocrinologist. She ran a series of blood tests, and guess what? I was a mess.
Hashimoto’s? Check.
Low cortisol? Check.
Stage 2 chronic kidney disease? OMG, are you kidding me? Check.
Anemia? Check.
Vitamin D deficiency? Of course.
Celiac disease? Yikes, that’s a check.
High A1C? Why the hell not have type II diabetes too? Check.
Did I mention I was also forty pounds overweight? Ok, I just lied to all of you. I was fifty pounds overweight.
Call me a train wreck. Call me shocked. Call me all kinds of angry at myself for allowing these things to happen to me. I mean, I’m Karin Indestructible Tabke. I don’t get sick!
But I was sick. I had a choice: Live a healthier more balanced life, or start insulin, get heavier, continue to feel miserable, and die early.
I knew what I had to do, but I needed help. My family was happy to cheer me on, but I knew I couldn’t ask them to change their lifestyle for me. I had to do it alone. I had to be my own self-motivator.
In the few months since I began this journey, I have lost 23 pounds, reduced my A1C, stabilized my kidney failure, brought my D and iron levels to normal, and greatly reduced my celiac antibodies.
I have a long way to go to feel 100%, but I know it’s just a matter of time before I’ll be living a healthy lifestyle.
Here are some of the things I learned along the way:
Find a support team with whom you can share your goals, your one step at a time victories, as well as your one or two steps backwards. Find or create a positive place where you can candidly and safely talk about your health issues, including depression. For me, I established a for-women-only place on Facebook called “the A List”. (The “A” is for awesome, by the way.)
Change your routine. Sounds like a no-brainer right? It is, but to many people, desperately trying to pull themselves out of an unhealthy lifestyle into a healthy one is daunting. But it doesn’t have to be. Not when you have support and understand that, yes, you must change bad habits and routines into good ones to become healthier.
But not all at once. Here’s the thing about doing something all at once: It sets us up for failure. All-at-once is a shock to the system, and it isn’t fair to expect that everything will fall into place when the system is in shock. I mean, really, who said we had to do it all and do it all Right. This. Minute? No one. And if anyone tries to tell you otherwise, firmly push back and listen to yourself. Because at the end of each day, no one has your back more than you do.
Changing a routine should be done incrementally so that there is time to adapt. By changing just one aspect of your routine from unhealthy to healthy, you create a new healthy routine where you’re actually living healthy. Slow and steady wins the race.
For me, the first routine change was to increase my H2O intake from nothing to thirty ounces a day. It took me two weeks to really make it a habit. Then, I upped the ounces by ten each week. I did this over a period of two months. I now drink eighty ounces of water from the time I wake up to an hour before I go to bed.
How do I keep my routine a routine? Each morning I take five 16-ounce water bottles from the fridge and place them on my kitchen counter. They sit there as a reminder that they need to be consumed. As I polish off one bottle, I grab another until they’re gone.
A few of the A Listers have created jugs with ounce markers. They fill it up to their desired intake for the day and drink ‘til it’s dry. What works for one may not work for another, so experiment until you find what works for you.
I asked the A List to share one change they have made, and here is what they had to say:
– I changed the way I look at food. Fuel or fat?
– I watch my portions.
– Attitude. I don’t beat myself up when I misstep.
– I move.
– I’m accountable to my Fitbit and my support team.
– I don’t grab a bad quickie anymore; I grab healthy choices.
– Water, water, and more water!
– Walk. (Walking with a friend makes it much more enjoyable.)
These are all simple routine changes, but once they become habit (and you add another, then another), they result in what we all want: A healthy, happy lifestyle.
When you are happy and healthy, anything is possible!
For many people, the prospect of running a road race is tantamount to space exploration or climbing Mt. Everest. These things are possible, yes. But are they probable? Maybe not. For even the most tenuous beginner, running a road race is both possible and probable. Heck, it’s even enjoyable.
Stride for stride, running provides some of the best health and mental benefits, including improving cardiovascular health, weight loss and anxiety reduction. A recent article in the Journal of the American College of Cardiology shows that even five to 10 minutes of running a day at slow speeds (i.e. less than 6 mph) significantly decreases mortality rates from cardiovascular disease. Running helps you train your breathing, burns cortisol and releases endorphins in relatively high amounts, all of which are useful in managing anxiety. Also, running is one of the most cost-effective and convenient forms of exercise around. Now that you’re convinced that running is fun and good for you, here is a simple beginner’s guide for running your first race.
Pick Your Race
Although running a full marathon is an admirable accomplishment, when you are starting out, you’ll want to pick something shorter, like a 5 kilometer run. There is no reason that you can’t a set goal for a longer distance, but you need to accumulate mileage first to train your body. Once you’ve crushed your 5km race(s), you’ll likely have the base to train for those longer distances.
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Start by picking a goal race. Once you’ve got the date set, develop a training schedule that builds mileage and endurance up week after week. You should plan on at least 8-10 weeks of training before race day. It might help your motivation if you pick a race that has personal meaning to you. Many races double as charity fundraisers, so choosing one that supports a cause you care about can make the connection to your goal more meaningful.
Runner’s Toolbox
There are two completely essential, non-negotiable tools in every runner’s toolbox (although a killer playlist could help round out the top three). First you need good, properly fitted running shoes. Second, you need emotional and mental support.
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Never, ever cheap out on running shoes, or use shoes that are meant for a sport other than running. Get help from a professional at a sporting goods or running store to find the right fit for your foot type. If you don’t have the right footwear, you open the door to injury. Also, you should replace your shoes often, every 400-500 miles.
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The biggest challenge in running is not enduring the elements or fatigued muscles; it’s the mental challenge. In terms of motivation to run your race, gathering a support system is invaluable. Either enlist a buddy to train with you, or join a community running group. If you’re in this with someone else, the chances of you quitting before you reach your goal drop substantially.
Walk to Run
We’ve touched on the fact that run training is a cumulative exercise. The reason for this is that the more you run, the more you are building up your cardiovascular endurance; you are also building up your V02 intake (getting the most oxygen you can to fuel your exercise) and lactic acid threshold, which is what contributes to stiffness in your muscles initially after exercise.
You need to be able to walk before you can run. Many training programs employ a walk-to-run training schedule, which varies depending on your existing level of fitness. This is a form of interval training, which combines running and walking, usually for a total of 30 minutes. You start out doing far more walking than running; and as the weeks progress, the ratio subtly flips until you realize that you are able to run longer and stronger for the solid training time.
Even seasoned long-distance runners use the walk/run ratio. It’s called 10/1, where you run for 10 minutes and then walk briskly for 1 minute. The walk breaks, in theory, lessen muscle fatigue and let you catch your breath. For many runners, this will physically allow you to run faster, than if you run straight through without rest.
There are numerous training plans available online, and a quick search will give you lots of choice. Runner’s World Magazine has one that’s easy to follow, for example.
Diet
Even if you are running to lose weight, you’ve got to make sure that you are eating enough (and enough of the right things) to fuel your training. Your calorie intake will differ based on your weight, metabolism and fitness goals; but as a general daily guideline, include three portions of protein, five portions of complex carbohydrates and five portions of fruits and/or veggies.
Focus on lean proteins and slow-release carbohydrates that will combine to give you the energy boost you need. Foods like legumes, peanut butter, whole grain pastas, quinoa, chicken and fish are all good go-tos.
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Don’t forget hydration. Getting dehydrated is not only dangerous, it will impair your running performance. Drink plenty of fluid before, during and after your training sessions. You should also eat lots of foods that have anti-inflammatory qualities, like cherries, raspberries, blueberries and omega-3 rich foods, like fatty fish and flax seed.
Stretching and Recovery
There is a tendency to rush through your post-run stretch, especially if you are pressed for time. Be assured that a little time spent stretching is your best bet to avoiding injury. Injuries are not only painful, but they may you require you to rest for an extended period, which will hamper your fitness goals.
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Focus on stretches that really pull out the hamstrings, quads and glutes. Don’t forget your hips, which are often overlooked and are a particularly tight area, especially in our largely sedentary society. Runner’s yoga sessions can be enormously beneficial as well. Include rest days in your training schedule, so that your muscles can rest and regenerate.
A lifestyle magazine inspired by author Sylvia Day
