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At some point in our lives, we’ve all wanted to make some sort of a change – cook more meals at home, exercise more, spend less time on our phones, be more productive at work, lose weight, etc. – and for most people, myself included, making a big change in your life doesn’t come easily. It can be quite daunting, and oftentimes intimidation gets the best of us, and we decide to quit before we even get started or soon after starting. This often happens because we have set our goals too high and are trying to take on a challenge that is too large to manage.
While there is nothing wrong with setting a long-term goal, setting short-term goals based on your long-term goal will help you from becoming discouraged and will provide you with the feeling of success. Perhaps you want to lose 30 pounds; rather than trying to lose 30 pounds in a month, it may be helpful to make this a long-term goal of losing 30 pounds in a year. Short-term goals may be to lose a half a pound to one pound per week or three to two to four pounds per month. Involving a friend can also help you successfully reach your goals. Maybe you have a friend, family member, or coworker who also wants to lose weight (or has a similar goal to the one you’ve set of yourself). Partnering with that person will provide you both with a support system and accountability. Supportive family and friends can be there to listen to your frustrations and encourage you when you’re feeling discouraged. Going hand in hand with surrounding yourself with supportive people, it is important to avoid being around (at least temporarily) those who may sabotage your success or will encourage bad habits. Avoiding triggers is another key to success when making a positive lifestyle change. Maybe you’re like me and have a hard time staying away from unhealthy snacks if you have them in the house, or maybe you tend to overeat when you drink alcohol. Whatever your trigger may be, it is important to avoid them in order to reach your goal(s). Taking baby steps may seem like we’re taking it slow – maybe even painfully slow – but it typically keeps us from failing and feeling worse about ourselves. Success through achieving short-term goals gives us encouragement to keep reaching toward our long-term goal. If we surround ourselves with positive individuals, people to hold us accountable, and remove triggers for unwanted behavior, we will be able to reach our long-term goal more easily and will be well on our way to a healthy lifestyle change! Think positive, stay active, and smile. -A http://www.apa.org/helpcenter/lifestyle-changes.aspx https://www.precisionnutrition.com/how-to-change-behaviour
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This blog post is closely related my post last week, Blood Type Diets – Fact or Fiction?, as I will be discussing eating for your body type and when to eat what. As I stated last week, Precision Nutrition has defined three body types, and most people can identify more with one of those types over the other two. Those three body types are ectomorphs (think long-distance runners), endomorphs (think linemen on a football team), and mesomorphs (think gymnasts and wrestlers). There are a lot of factors that play into advising someone what to eat and when to eat it, but determining your body type will help, and it is the first step I use when someone turns to me for advice. So while last week’s blog focus was on what macronutrients (protein, carbohydrates, fats) to eat for your body type, this blog post will focus on WHEN to eat those macronutrients and how important (or unimportant) nutrient timing is.
Nutrient timing (eating certain macros at certain times before, during, and after a workout) has been widely touted as a way to get as many benefits as possible from your workouts and from your food. While nutrient timing is important for professional athletes, body builders, and marathon runners, it may not be as important for everyone as was once believed. This is the opposite of what many specialists believed to be true in the past, but their initial studies often did not look at the long term. While eating for your body type may be beneficial, the timing of meals and snacks probably doesn’t make a HUGE difference for most people. What is most important is to make sure you are eating a healthy balance of macronutrients before and after a workout. The quality and quantity of your meals are likely much more important than the timing of when you’re consuming carbs, fats, and protein. For all body types, it is recommended to eat a normal meal that provides protein, carbohydrates, and fats 1-2 hours both before and after a workout. In general women should include one portion of protein (two portions for men) and one portion of vegetables (two portions for men) at every meal, and they should include one portion of carbohydrates (two portions for men) and one portion of healthy fats (two portions for men) at most meals. As mentioned in last week’s post, ectomorphs are advised to eat carbohydrates at every meal while mesomorphs and endomorphs are advised to consume their carbs with their meals following exercise. Drinking water before, during, and after workouts is just as important as making sure to eat balanced meals. For more information on this, check out my blog post Staying Hydrated during the Winter Months from December 4, 2017. Rather than stressing out about when – and when not – to eat carbs, protein, and fats, focus on getting protein and veggies at every meal, and make sure the foods you’re eating are fresh, whole, and high-quality. Think positive, stay active, and smile. -A https://www.precisionnutrition.com/workout-nutrition-explained https://www.precisionnutrition.com/nutrient-timing https://www.precisionnutrition.com/all-about-nutrient-timing https://www.precisionnutrition.com/all-about-body-type-eating We all know there are TONS of diets out there – keto, low fat, macro counting, low carb, and the list goes on and on. One question I’ve been getting lately is: do blood type diets really work? The idea of the blood type diet comes from Peter D’Adamo, and rather than being a diet that eliminates or cuts back on a certain macronutrient (fat, protein, carbohydrate), individuals are advised to eliminate certain foods based on their blood results. Supposedly by eliminating these foods, a person will digest food more efficiently, will lose weight, and will have more energy and less disease.
D’Adamo has created specific diets for all four blood types: O, A, B, and AB. These diets do not take into consideration food allergies such as gluten or lactose intolerance. The diets also don’t allow much room for personal food preferences; if you’re type O and a vegetarian, you won’t be happy, as D’Adamo encourages those with type O blood to eat a diet high in lean meat, poultry, and fish. The opposite is true for those with type A blood – they are advised to avoid meat all together. The diet for those with AB blood is similar to that of those with type A in that they are advised to avoid meat other than seafood and to focus on green vegetables. There has not been tons of testing done on blood type diets, but the studies that have been done have concluded that there is no evidence that this type of diet is valid. This means that following the diet specific to your blood type will not guarantee any health benefits nor is it guaranteed to keep you from developing disease or illness. While following the diet for your blood type likely won’t hurt you (as long as you keep any allergies you may have in mind), it probably won’t provide the benefits it claims to. What might be a better alternative to following the blood type diet is to eat for your body type. Although this type of eating doesn’t directly take food allergies into account either, it allows individuals to eat foods based on their preferences and any allergies they may have. Precision Nutrition defines three body types: ectomorphs, endomorphs, and mesomorphs. Although not everyone falls 100% into one of these categories, people can typically relate to one of these body types more so than the other two. Ectomorphs are described as individuals with a small stature and thin limbs (think long-distance runners) and do well with diets higher in carbohydrates, a moderate amount of protein, and lower amounts of fat. It is advised that these individuals eat carbohydrates at every meal and to include a large serving of carbs after exercise as well as including vegetables and fruits at every meal. Endomorphs are characterized as having a larger bone structure and more body mass –linemen on a football team fall into this category. Endomorphs benefit from a diet high in fat and protein with fewer carbohydrates. Endomorphs should eat almost all of their carbohydrates only after exercise as well as including vegetables and fruits at every meal. Mesomorphs are fall between these two as they have a medium bone structure and are athletically built with lean body mass (gymnasts and wrestlers), and mesomorphs do best with a fairly equally balanced diet of carbohydrates, fats, and protein. Carbohydrates should be consumed mainly after exercise but may also be included in moderation during meals throughout the day as well as including vegetables and fruits at every meal. Unfortunately there is not one diet we can all follow that will prevent us from gaining weight, guarantee weight loss, or prevent illness – even diets that are specific to our blood type, body type, etc., cannot guarantee this. If you do choose to follow a diet that is specific to your needs, make sure you do your research, and always consult with your doctor and/or a dietitian before making any drastic changes in your eating habits. Think positive, stay active, and smile. -A https://www.webmd.com/diet/a-z/blood-type-diet http://ajcn.nutrition.org/content/98/1/99.long https://www.precisionnutrition.com/all-about-body-type-eating Traditionally when a person goes on a diet or is trying to get in shape, they focus on weight – how much weight they’ve lost, or gained. While losing weight does indicate some success, it can’t be the sole measure of being fit, as there are several other ways of measuring success when trying to become healthier.
What I hope you take away from this blog is that your weight is not an indication of your overall health, and you should not get hung up on the number you see on the scale. While it is important to be aware of your weight, and while it can help show progress of changes you’ve made in your life, it isn’t the only factor that shows progress. Set small goals for yourself – increasing the amount of time you can walk by one minute every week, eating two servings of vegetables at every meal, drinking the appropriate amount of water for your body and activity level – and focus more on how much happier you feel and how much more energy you have than what that darn scale says! Think positive, stay active, and smile. -A https://www.precisionnutrition.com/ways-to-know-if-your-nutrition-plan-is-working http://www.thisisinsider.com/how-to-measure-health-2017-9 Happy New Year! I hope you all had a good holiday season and are staying warm in these frigid temps (assuming you’re basically anywhere in the U.S. other than Miami or Hawaii, where it’s about 75 degrees warmer than it is here in Greenwood, IN)!
This blog post is a little different from my usual blog posts, but it’s full of important information. I’m sure most of you have seen advertisements or social media posts about the latest exercise programs and weight loss trends and supplements. While these products and programs may be helpful in the short term, they are not designed to provide most people with lasting tools to maintain a healthy lifestyle. With the in-home exercise videos and equipment, supplements, and shakes, these programs are also designed to be money makers for the coaches and consultants of the programs and products. I am not saying these programs are not worth checking out - they could very possibly be quite beneficial for some individuals. What I am saying is that they are NOT. LONG. TERM. They do not teach life-long skills, and like all other diet fads in the past and those to come in the future, they are not feasible for providing a long-lasting solution. I say this because I don’t know about you, but I don’t want to drink a meal replacement shake or take a handful of supplements every day for the rest of my life. I want to eat real food that tastes good and satisfies me, and that is what Precision Nutrition teaches nutrition coaching clients to do. Precision Nutrition (PN) has been “coaching clients and certifying professionals since 2005.” Over the past ten plus years, Precision Nutrition has become more well known around the world, and the creators of PN have worked and continue to work with big names including Nike, Titleist, and the Cleveland Browns, just to name a few, and have been featured in Time magazine and The New York Times. Precision Nutrition provides the opportunity for professionals to further their nutrition education through Level 1 and Level 2 certifications. Through these certifications professionals learn the best ways to “coach their clients on eating and living better,” and at this point in time, they’ve helped nearly 50,000 professionals learn the skills to become better coaches. Not only does PN provide coaches with nutrition information, but they teach the psychology behind proven coaching methods. Health professionals who have completed certifications have access to ProCoach, Precision Nutrition’s online nutrition coaching and in-home exercise software. ProCoach nutrition coaching is a year-long program designed to provide clients with the most effective skills and tools to adopt and maintain a healthy lifestyle. There is no need for supplements or shakes with Precision Nutrition – PN clients are taught how to include real food in every meal, every day. Sometimes clients become frustrated with the slow-paced nature this program because they want to lose weight and notice changes immediately. ProCoach is designed to be “slow” for a reason, and although this program is not a quick fix, if clients are motivated and are truly ready for a lifestyle change, sticking with it for the full year will be worth the effort. Not only do clients typically lose weight and inches, they learn a skill set to handle stressors that life throws at them while maintaining healthy eating and exercise habits. Through learning time and stress management skills, helpful shopping and cooking tools, and many, many more skills and tools that will last a lifetime, clients become all around healthier individuals and sometimes even become PN certified coaches themselves! I hope you’ve enjoyed learning more about what I offer through Precision Nutrition, and if you are interested in learning more about becoming a PN coach or a ProCoach nutrition coaching client, I am more than happy to answer questions and provide more information! You can email me at [email protected], or if you know me well, you can Facebook message or text me. Think positive, stay active, and smile. -A https://www.precisionnutrition.com/ #wellness #nutrition #nutritioncoaching #precisionnutrition #werresnutrition #healthyeating #healthyliving #healthylifestyle #eatrealfood |
Allison WerresWife, nutrition coach, dog mom Archives
May 2018
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