Nutrition 101

When starting a new fitness program it is important to review all areas of your fitness and nutritional habits. Sometimes changing old habits or establishing new ones is required to reach your goals. Make small changes at first. Here are a few ideas to help you:



Eat your breakfast!  ½ cup dry Oatmeal w/fruit or yogurt, 1 cup cereal, or 1 egg/1 egg white w/1 slice of toast is a healthy choice.

Drink one cup of water upon waking every morning. This will wake up your digestive system. Add a little lemon or apple cider vinegar if you wish

Plan and prepare. On a Sunday night or a quiet time is a good time to boil 6-8 eggs, prepare a garden salad or a fruit salad or cut up veggie’s. If its there in the fridge it becomes easier to make choices when you are hungry.

It’s not what we are eating: it’s our portion size! Your meat portion should be approx. 3 oz. (the size of your palm.) A normal restaurant meal is approx. 3-4 times the portion size that we should eat. So when you order ask them to place at least half your meal in a take out container and now you have a meal for the next day.

Eat fat!!!!! It may help you to lose weight by maintaining the efficiency of your bodies systems. (This only refers to healthy oils) avocado, nuts, fish. Use avocado on toast instead of butter/margarine

Healthy Food Choices:

1 pc. Multigrain (healthy bread) with 1/8 avocado instead of butter ( pre- post workout)

1 whole egg and 2 egg whites. (You can boil these up to 3 days prior and leave in fridge) or scramble with onions, peppers. (Add some salsa to your eggs for flavour)

Snacks:

A garden salad is considered free food. Eat as much salad as you wish. (Again be creative add salsa for a change, low fat dressing (under 30 calories per spoonful)

eat at least 1-2 pcs. Of fruit per day (buy frozen berries and add then to yogurt, salad

You MUST eat 30 minutes after your workout. While you exercise you deplete all your bodies energy systems. After you have a window of 30 minutes to replenish the energy or you will not recover efficiently.

An apple and 4 celery stalks with ½ tsp. peanut butter (again can be pre made and kept in fridge (good pre or post workout)

If you in your vehicle each day stock up on bottled water (drinks) and snack. Bring some fruits veggi’s with you to keep the energy levels up

½ can tuna on top a salad is a great idea! Or a sandwich. Try mustard instead of mayonnaise. (If mayo is used it MUST be fat free) Try tuna, peppers, onions all mixed together on a bed of lettuce

Things to consider:
Watch the carbs (white pasta, starchy foods, breads (unless you are pregnant) then watch the TREATS!!!!!!!

Remember: 80/20 Rule

80% of the time you must make a healthy choice with food because 20% of the time you will be somewhere the choice is not that easy to make.

Ask yourself: Is it more important to eat my snack/treat or is it more important to reach my goals!

Helpful Hints:

Use salsa on baked potatoes or green salad, or a dip for raw veggi’s

Use 1/8 avocado instead of butter on toast

Mix 1/8 avocado in your salad or soups

By a slow cooker and make some healthy soups full of vegetables, lots and lots of vegetables

Mix tomatoes, peppers, onions, cucumbers, carrots (any veg) into a bowl and add some low fat dressing and keep it in the fridge so you have it ready to snack on. Make a big bowl so it lasts a few days. Then take some and sauté it with grilled chicken (a protein) for supper or just sauté with a little soy suce or balsamic for lunch

Sometimes in our crazy and hectic world we tend to get a little carried away at times. I always like to try to keep it simple. How we deal with our health & fitness has become so complicated. We hear of all the exciting new fitness trends, nutritional fads that are the answer to solving our problems. Eat this and you will stay healthy or try this and you will lose those 20 lbs and avoid diseases. So you try it and maybe it doesn’t work so well... Next month there is new marketing that tells you to try something different and you will get even better & faster results. So again, you try it and maybe works a little but……….time consuming, Frustrating...Now what?

KISS: Keep It Simple Silly!

We are smart individuals with a whole world of information available to us and sometimes it all seems so overwhelming that we seek a simple solution. Really what is the simple solution to our healthy lifestyle? I assure you that if you eat your fruits, vegetables, nuts, avocado's, whole grains avoid processed and fast foods, and simply exercise 2-3 times per week your body will rebalance itself, detoxify and start functioning the way it was designed to function with little or no effort on your part.

Try it, you will be surprised.

Simple ideas for some serious results

1. Drink a cup of water upon waking each morning. Add a little lemon or apple cider vinegar to get your digestion system going

2. Eat your oatmeal w/fruit or yogurt. Try to avoid breads for breakfast because the chance of you craving bread later is greater. I really don’t care if you not a breakfast person your body is!

3. Drink your water but not during your meals. (slows down digestion) Most water to be consumed before 3 pm

4. Never go longer than 3-4 hours without eating something. (see snacks)

5. Do not eat sugar. Just don’t unless it’s a special occasion or a rare occasion.

Must do’s

• Stop consuming 2 ( what I call unessasary) items from your nutrition for the next 30 days. (pop, ice cream, chips, cookies, alcohol) Remember just make small changes.

• The couple of hours you spend with your trainer each week is not enough to get serious results. This is a lifestyle and what you wish to focus on now is making small lifestyle changes. Spend 15-25 minutes 2-3 days per week at home exercising, stretching or go for a walk.



Nutrition

Use salsa on baked potatoes or green salad

Use avocado instead of butter on toast

Mix 1/8 avocado in your salad or soups

Do not consume any mayo or creamy dressing!!!

Eat well, Stay healthy.