Category: Nutrition

Fitness, Nutrition, Personal Development

6 Things Healthy People Do Every Morning

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No matter your season of life, or the season of the year, it seems we are all VERY busy. We are so busy that one of the first things we sacrifice from our crammed schedule is self-care. We all know it’s important to take care of ourselves, but there is a lot of noise out there about what is really necessary to optimize our health. While there is certainly no cookie-cutter solution for everyone, below are six healthy habits that will set you up for success on your healthy living journey. Try incorporating them into your morning routine to make the rest of the day feel less chaotic.

  1. THEY EAT VEGGIES AT BREAKFAST

If you take time to eat breakfast (and you should), are you eating what you need to really feed your machine? I promise you can do better than toast or bowl of cereal. Aim for a balanced breakfast that includes protein, fiber, fat and a variety of colors from real food to keep you satisfied and prevent mid-morning cravings. I love knowing that my breakfast is jam packed with super healthy real food ingredients to jump start my day. Try these simple Spinach Egg Cups for a grab-and-go option.

2. THEY HYDRATE

Since your body gets dehydrated overnight, drinking water when you first wake up is a great idea. And proper hydration is crucial for glowing skin and maintaining healthy muscles and joints. I like to add lemon to my first big glass of water to wake up my digestive system. Fill up your water bottle for the day and plan to refill it a few times during the day. There are too many benefits to being well hydrated to list here, but suffice it to say that you need to drink lots of water.

3. THEY SWEAT IN THE MORNING

If you are like me, there are way too many easy excuses to skip exercising after work. Many people find they’re most successful with exercising if it happens before heading to the office. I love getting my workout done at home in the morning with the help of the greatest library of workout videos available streamed to any enabled device. Most take only 30 minutes to do and require little or no equipment. If home workouts, the local gym, or going for a run in the morning isn’t for you, find another way to get moving in the early hours of the day. That could mean parking farther away, taking the stairs or exercising at your desk. Just 15 minutes of moderate-to-intense activity daily can help you reach your healthy living goals.

4. THEY MAKE A GAME PLAN FOR DINNER

Not only is meal prepping a huge time saver but it also ensures you always have a healthy option on hand. Before leaving the house in the morning, make a game plan for dinner by defrosting proteins or using a slow cooker to do the work for you. It’s also helpful to find a recipe and write down your shopping list so you can pre-order your groceries (we love the Kroger ClickList) or swing by to pick them up on your way home. My go-to healthy eating resource, 90/10 Nutrition, offers a meal planning service and integrated shopping list app that makes it easy to plan your trip to the grocery store.

5. THEY TIME BLOCK THEIR DAY

Whether it’s emails or social media, there are plenty of distractions that can be obstacles to getting everything done. That’s why time blocking is a great tool. Review your top to-dos, and set aside a specific amount of time for completing them. Make sure your health priorities (such as a midday workout or meal-prepping) are in the plan, too. Schedule your morning routine like you do any other important appointment.

6. THEY REST

It’s important to ensure you’re getting enough sleep, but remember to account for the time required for your morning routine. Include a few minutes to relax — I love to take some quite time to journal my prayers. Don’t feel guilty for taking a few minutes to enjoy your coffee, read the news, mediate or take a walk. Set yourself up for success by allowing for some rest time every morning.

Fitness, Fortitude, Nutrition

What Happens When You Go “All In”

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Angie and I recently finished a rigorous fitness & nutrition program called 80 Day Obsession. The name is a little off-putting as I don’t like to think we are (or ever need to be) “obsessed” with our fitness or physique. I prefer to think of this endeavor as 80 days fully committed, focused, and “all in.” It was a personal test to see if I could eat really healthy for 3 months and stick to a challenging workout schedule. I often say we must do hard things if we want to be our best, so I put my words to action. Here are a few key takeaways from the experience:
Results are Visible
While my photos may not blow you away with transformation like Bruce Banner to Hulk, some pretty cool stuff happened to my body.
Lost over 4% body fat
Lost about 3″ from my waistline
Gained nearly 1″ in my arms
Gained about 5 lbs.
Angie reported losing over 8 lbs. and 7 inches overall which is significant for someone who is already fairly petite. There’s one thing you need to remember about the scale though. Muscle weighs more than fat, so to focus on the scale as the judge & jury for success in your healthy living journey is very short-sighted. No one wears a sign with their weight on it. It’s about how you carry the weight, how you FEEL in your skin, and what you can DO now that seemed impossible before. Clothes fit better, and in Angie’s case she’s down a couple sizes even though the scale only says down 8 lbs. More importantly, she’s gained confidence from this experience which brings me to my next point.
Invisible Results are Awesomer
That’s right, I said awesomer. Doing something hard like a rigorous fitness program does amazing things to you that can’t be seen in before & after photos.
     Added significant strength – Angie & I both increased our weights more than we could have hoped. We FEEL so much stronger because we ARE MUST STRONGER.

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     Mental fortitude increased – I can’t say enough about this part. The “doing hard things” is mostly mental. The body will go where the mind takes it. We are so apt to quit when something is hard, so to LEARN to conquer our mind and tell it “No!” when we feel like quitting, when we feel too tired to exercise, when we feel like eating cookies instead of carrots, is a really big deal. The DISCIPLINE learned is that I can do more than I thought, I CAN conquer my mind – my thoughts, feelings, and attitudes to align with my goals.

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     Eating Healthy Isn’t Punishment – I had my doubts about the nutrition plan that goes with the workout program. Yeah, you probably think I’ve been a healthy eater for a long time so this would be no big deal. You are mistaken my friend. To REALLY dial in the nutrition by eating certain food groups at specific times of day in specific quantities, and eating ALL THE FOOD I’m supposed to was a huge challenge at first. Practice became habit. My body adjusted to eating 5 meals with 6 servings of veggies a day . All the veggies! I was rarely hungry, no energy crashes, VERY regular digestion, and we saved money at the grocery store.

“Hmmm. Eat more, save money, and get more lean? Where do I sign up??”

Further, meal times required no fuss or thought. No scavenging through the pantry. I planned ahead. I did meal prep on the weekends. Virtually all my meals were accounted for ahead of time. Super easy. And when I wasn’t at home, I could either take a healthy snack with me or just make good choices. Just because donuts are offered, doesn’t mean I have to eat them. Especially in the last month of the program, I found it easier to make healthy choices. Instead of craving sugar and junk food more as I went along, I wanted it LESS. And when I did treat myself, it was disappointing at best. It’s miraculous really. The body craves real, healthy food and rewards you when you eat it.

Bottom line is that eating healthy is actually a blessing, a gift rather than a punishment. My transformation is mostly mental in the way I see food. I understood the ideas of healthy eating before, but this experience has changed me. Healthy habits refined. Momentum built. Confidence growing.

I firmly believe that when you conquer your mind with discipline and a lifestyle of healthy habits, the benefits can reach into other areas of your life to make you a better spouse, friend, parent, worker, etc. Do you want to be a better person? Gain confidence? Get in the best shape of your life? All at the same time? Maybe it’s time for you to go “all in” on a complete fitness and nutrition program.

Fitness, Nutrition

The #1 Habit You Need to Lose Weight

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Do you know how many “weight-loss habits” there are? When you ask Google (you know, THE authority on ANY topic) you will find 34 million or so articles to  tell you what to do, what not to do, common advice that is bad, etc. Ask 100 people what the one habit is that makes someone successful at long term, sustained weight loss, and you will get nearly 100 answers. So how can you really know what you NEED to do to lose weight?

To be fair, a habit is sort of nebulously defined. I think we can all agree that a habit is anything you do regularly, but according to the definition used in psychology, a habit also needs to be done automatically — as in, without really thinking about it. Which is why identifying habits by yourself is so hard. How can you think about the stuff that you don’t have to think about?

You see, all habits need a trigger — a little reminder that says, “Hey, you should do this action now.” They also need a reward — a little reminder that what you just did was a good thing. But these are really hard to identify by yourself because they happen below our level of consciousness. It’s really hard to remember new triggers, and it’s hard to remember to reward yourself. Habits are hard. Isn’t crazy that bad habits seem to sneak up on you, while the healthy habits are so hard to keep? This one habit makes all the other healthy habits easy. So without further ado, The Number 1 Habit You Need to Lose Weight is:

FINDING PEOPLE TO SHARE YOUR JOURNEY

Permanent lifestyle changes happen in relationships. Whether they take place with peers, a coach, family, friends, coworkers, the other anonymous people at the meetings, or the participants in one of my healthy living challenges, new habits happen when people get together and help each other out.

Finding your own triggers is hard. Seeing other people’s is easy. Remembering to tell yourself, “Great job!” is hard. Remembering to tell other people is easy. Figuring out how to work new foods, new activities, and new steps into your own life is hard. Watching and learning from a whole bunch of other people like you who are trying to get to the same place you are is just so much easier!

This all-important, Number 1 habit can also be called, “Creating a community of consistency.” And it can be as big a commitment as hiring a coach, or as simple as telling a friend what you’re doing to lose weight or inviting them to join you in a Team Quadzilla Healthy Living Challenge. Whatever you can do to share the load of learning, planning, remembering and rewarding will be one less thing you have to worry about.

Life is meant to be lived in community with others. In today’s virtual world people can easily connect with one another even though there are many miles between them. People are looking for others with the same struggles so they can relate, find encouragement and help, and to be a help to others. That’s a key reason why I started Team Quadzilla. We are all on a journey to do what is right and to be our best. If you are struggling to make progress in your journey, whether physically, mentally/ emotionally, or spiritually let this be your encouragement to find a community to plug into.

Special thanks to Coach Stevo for doing the heavy lifting on this article. Coach Stevo is the nutrition and behavior change consultant at San Francisco CrossFit. He is a Certified Strength and Conditioning Specialist, holds a BA in Philosophy from the University of Chicago and an MA in Sport Psychology from John F. Kennedy University. He teaches habit-based coaching to wellness professionals all over the world and he contributed to Intervention by Dan John in 2012. 

Nutrition

Why Do Beans Make You Fart So Much?

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Beans, beans the musical fruit, the more you eat, the more you toot. The lyrics to the classic childhood song may be silly but, as anyone who’s over-indulged in the bean dip knows, those words can be embarrassingly accurate. However, what’s considered impolite is actually a sign your digestion is on track.

“Beans have soluble fiber, insoluble fiber and amino acids,” says Gretchen George, RD and professor at San Francisco State University. “We need these for healthy balance in our gut and amino acids for protein building.”

We know that beans are so good for you. The real question is: Why do they make you fart so much?

“Flatulence often occurs for two reasons,” explains George. “First, a person is not used to eating fiber.” In this case, George suggests adding it to a diet more regularly and gradually increasing the amount over time.

“Second, the diversity of the microbes in the gut may be low. Eating more probiotics to populate the gut and more prebiotics to feed the microbes in the gut will help.”

Think of these microbes as a microscopic farting factory in the human digestive system. Everyone has naturally occurring microbes in their intestines. When carbohydrates come down the pipe by eating high-fiber foods, like beans (a natural prebiotic), the microbes feed on those carbs and it’s that feeding that creates the gas. The gas then allows our bodies to absorb the nutrients in the food.

To all the people following the latest diet trend to avoid beans (yes, Paleo-people, this means you) you’re missing out on some seriously health-inducing farts.

When you crunch the numbers, beans add up to be about as caloric as lean meat. The difference is that beans are mostly water and fiber, which makes you feel full longer. One cup of pinto beans has 15 grams of fiber (about 62% of your RDA) and 245 calories. The same portion of lean chicken breast has 231 calories and lean tri-tip has a whopping 970 calories, but both provide zero fiber.

“The bulking component of fiber can make a person feel more full and also metabolically have more stability with blood glucose,” says George.  “This aides in control of hunger, thus helping with weight loss.”

Losing weight is obviously the goal for many, but that’s only one of the tootin’ benefits of a bean-heavy diet. While good for the waistline, beans may also help in decreasing your chances of serious diseases like cancer, diabetes and heart disease since being overweight increases the likelihood of developing these diseases. It’s also been proven to lower cholesterol.

Beans are good for you because they make you fart and farting is really good for you. However, does anyone really want to be breaking wind with every step, shimmy and squat? Unless you’re a caveman, the answer is likely no. So there’s a few things you can do about it:

1. COOK THE BEANS YOURSELF 

While canned beans are convenient, you have zero control over the amount of gas-producing starch in them. Try buying good-quality dried beans and then soaking and cooking them yourself.

2. CHANGE THE WATER

Ideally, beans need to soak before cooking, preferably overnight, so they can absorb water and soften. By changing the water a couple of times while they soak, you help remove the excess starch. Then simmer them (using another round of clean water) until tender. Most beans won’t need more than 20 minutes to half an hour if they’re well hydrated, so most of the effort is the ‘set it and forget it’ type.

3. ADD GINGER OR ORANGES

Some people think adding a bit of raw ginger or eating oranges before you eat the beans helps, too. We’re not sure about this, but it’s an old wives’ tale so why not try it? In the end, everyone’s gut is different and will have different reactions. So try both and see how it works for you.

Above all, the next time you’re out and about and feel the need to let one go, don’t be shy. Like a burp is a compliment to the chef, your booty is just ripping you a big message of thanks for giving it the good stuff.

Thanks to Amy Machnak and the myfitnesspal blog for this great article. I’m so glad to have a good reason to talk about farts.

Fitness, Nutrition

What If You Were As Serious About Your Health As You Are About Your Job?

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Think about this with me for a minute. You have a job. You need a job. It pays you so you can buy things you need and maybe even a few extras. You have to show up every day and give you best effort at your job, because if you don’t there will be trouble. With me?

You won’t let yourself fail at work because you need the job. You are focused at work. You do what needs to be done. You might even go above and beyond the call of duty and eventually get rewarded for it. You have proven that you are capable of focus, consistency over time, and hard work. You are a hard worker!

What if you took even 1/2 of that focus, consistency, and effort and applied it to other areas of your life? Would you be a better spouse, parent, friend? What would your health look like with this kind of effort? I talk to people all the time who are great at their work, but their health is not so great. They don’t have time, or they are too tired they say.

Baloney.

Listen, you need to take care of your health as if it were part of your job. If your health fails, can you work? If you are overweight, stiff, exhausted, or frequently ill can you properly take care of your kids and spouse? In order to be your best at the roles that are most important to you, you need to optimize your health.

So what are you waiting for? It’s never too late to start. You can make changes to your health now that will help you be your best in the future. But don’t wait. There is a sliding scale of returns on your health investment. The longer you wait the harder it will be to get where you want with your health.

Your health is your job. In fact, it is your most important job. I beg of you to take your health seriously. You have one life to live, one chance to make an impact on this world, one chance to leave a lasting and positive legacy for future generations. Don’t be held back from being your best because you chose to lay on the couch and eat junk food. You are better than that. You know you can do it, because you do it at work. Treat your health like your job. Put in the focused effort to eat well, to exercise, and to be consistent at it over time. You will be rewarded for your work and it will feel better than the raise or promotion. You will be your best at life AND your job.

There are lots of ways to go about improving your health. Everyone starts at a different place. There are no cookie cutter solutions. That’s one reason why I think it’s important to have a coach or advocate on your side. Someone who is willing to work with you, to help you, encourage you, kick you in the pants once in a while. Find someone to be that for you. Ask me. I will help you. No nonsense, no fluff, no pills, patches, wraps, or magic elixirs. You can do this. Let’s go!