Thursday, June 12, 2008

Making YOU matter

Sometimes, trying to be healthy is hard work. Especially when your family isn’t behind your efforts. By the grace of all things wonderful, I don’t have that issue. I have full support. But I know that most of you are on your own. To me, that sucks. You are busting your butt to improve yourself. It’s not an easy task. You need to put yourself first. Especially when it comes to your health. So if your family is balking, what can you do?

I know for me personally, the worst time of day was meals. I could find plenty of time to exercise, but meals were a headache. I had to find a way to prepare food that everyone would eat happily and that would keep me on track. A woman that was converting to being a vegetarian....can I just say. AGGGHH! Most of the time, I felt like this needed to be done with a wand and magician’s cape rather than a wooden spoon and a frying pan.

Now, I shared with you, my trick for planning your meals. Today, I am going to share another trick that I have learned. Ingredient replacement. It’s quite simple and keeps the whole family happy. Whether you are getting rid of meat or just tossing out some of the not so good stuff. The trick here is to take it slow.  You already have your meals planned out. So now, you just have to replace some of the bad with some of the good. Here are a few ideas for you to try:

Potatoes:
Skip the fries. Completely. Try baking them. Or better yet, replace the potato with rice. If you insist on having them mashed, try using skim milk instead of butter and whole milk. This step alone can save you HUNDREDS of calories per serving.

Hamburger:
Use ground Turkey or Ground Chicken in any recipe that calls for ground beef. Again, hundreds of calories and fat. If you are skipping out on meat completely, use ground soy or crumbled tofu. These lovely items take on the flavor of what you are cooking them in.

Ham or pork:
Use mushrooms. Seriously. They have quickly become one of my favorite foods and holy good for you. They work great in place of diced ham in any recipe that I have tried. Most of the time, my kids had no idea that they were scarfing them down either.

Pizza:
We can’t replace pizza. It alone should be its own food group as far as I am concerned. BUT you can order it much healthier. Try pizza loaded with veggies instead of sausage. as much as it sounds yummy, you need to skip the extra cheese. I know. Sounds traumatic but you will survive. I promise. Also, let me tell you about this wonderful thing called Spinach Alfredo pizza. Oh. My. God. Compared to pepperoni with extra cheese....half the calories. HALF.

I know that Erin mentioned this earlier this week but I will say it again. Move the meat to the side dish side instead of making it the main focus of your meal. We make a ton of salads at the castle. Often we will make a huge salad and then toss some grilled chicken over the top. This saves on the wallet as well as the calorie intake.

Honey is a wonderful sweetener. You also burn it a bit faster than you do the processed white stuff.

Switch your pasta over to whole wheat pasta. Great source of proteins and way less calories. The flavor is incredible too.

There you have it. Some easy breezy ideas of things you can switch over to without shocking your family. Half the fun for me is to make these switches and not telling anyone. Heh. 

---

Wednesday, June 11, 2008

Tips For Exercising In Hot Weather

As you may already be aware of, most of the country is going through a serious heat wave.  For 4 days at least it has been 100 or more here in North Carolina just as it has been in other parts as well.  Today we’re having a cool down at 92!  Considering it is so hot I figured I’d remind you all how important it is to take precautions when exercising outside.  For those of you who enjoy walking outside, or biking, you need to be particularly careful about heat exhaustion.  It really doesn’t matter where you live either - since even where I used to live in MA and RI it got up to 96 yesterday (which is practically unheard of this early in the season!) You CAN still exercise outside, but you just need to be careful.  Here are some important tips to remember:

Drink up before you’re thirsty. Once you start craving water, you’re already 3 percent dehydrated. To avoid that, drink two to three cups a few hours before you work out. Ten minutes before, have another cup - and one cup every 15 to 20 minutes while you’re exercising. If you’re a swimmer, follow the same plan - just because you’re surrounded by water doesn’t mean it’s keeping you hydrated.

Eat often. Dieters often count on summer heat to kill their appetite - but exercising without enough fuel is dangerous. No one’s suggesting a huge plate of pasta. But if you’re going to work out, snack throughout the day on lettuce, carrots, grapefruit, and apples - all great hot-weather picks because they’re naturally filled with water.

Avoid high-heat hours. Hit the streets before 10 a.m. and after 3 p.m. Another stay-cool tip: Run or walk on dirt paths instead of sun-absorbing pavement.

Sport the right gear. To deflect, not absorb, the sun’s rays, wear loose, lightweight, light-colored clothing. Try cotton or “wicking” fabrics, which move sweat away from your body, or GHRI-tested sun-safe clothes. And don’t forget your head: A hat or visor with a four-inch brim will best protect your face.

Slather on sunscreen every two hours. SPF 30 or higher is recommended. Burns aren’t just bad for your complexion; they also raise your body temperature.

If worse comes to worse and you can’t exercise outside, you can always join a gym or for some free walking in the air conditioning head to the local mall!  It really is the best place to get your walk in without overheating!

---

Tuesday, June 10, 2008

Supplements - Are they for you?

We are all exposed to the lovely world of health and weight loss. We can’t fight it. Getting fit is sooo 2008. Right? Well, what we may not know, is whether or not diet supplements are safe, effective or right for you. Hopefully, today, you will be able to answer some of those questions. Please keep in mind as you read that the information provided here is based on these items as a supplement to your diet, not just a general consumption. I drink green tea but I don’t use it as a replacement for a meal. It is my beverage of choice.

• Caffeine is claimed to decrease appetite and raise your metabolic rate. There is currently no scientific evidence that caffeine is effective as a weight loss supplement though. Only that is stimulates your bod. Hmmmm....And there are some side effects. As a stimulant, caffeine can temporarily cause mild tremors, agitation, and insomnia and it amplifies the effects of other stimulants.
• Chromium picolinateis claimed to reduce body fat, increase muscle mass, and boost the metabolic rate. Side Effects: Can cause irregular heartbeat and if you use it for several weeks, it can cause iron deficiency or interfere with insulin activity.
• DHEA (dehydroepiandrosterone) is a naturally occurring hormone in the human body. It metabolizes fat and converts it into muscle. Since levels of the hormone decline throughout adulthood, proponents claim that supplements not only help in treating obesity, but slow the aging process. Side effects: It can produce acne, oily skin, fatigue, irritability, insomnia, and facial hair growth in women. It may promote cancer in people with a personal or family history of the disease.
• Garcinia cambogia (hydroxycitric acid, camboge, butta cambodia, tom rong, gambodia) is said to prevent your body from storing fat but wait..here is the good news: it can cause you diarrhea, possible abdominal pain and vomiting.
• Ginseng is claimed to stimulate the metabolism and help reduce the body’s response to stress. There is no scientific evidence of this fact though. Also, there currently are no side effects listed for ginseng use.
• Green tea is said to speed up the rate of calorie and fat burning. Science has found that it is not clearly useful for weight loss, but useful as an antioxidant. It contains caffeine and can cause mild tremors, agitation, and insomnia. Green Tea is a stimulant.
• Guarana (Paullinia cupana, Brazilian cocoa, guarana bread) is said to aid weight loss when used in conjunction with Ma-huang. It contains caffeine and can cause mild tremors, agitation, and insomnia.
• Guggul gum (didin, didthin, gugalipid) is said to release endogenous thyroid hormone. Scientific studies have been inconclusive to prove this though.
• Kelp (seaweed, iodine, bladderwrack, Fucus vesiculosis) is said to help the body burn fat and suppress appetite. Again, science is inconclusive to prove this.
• L-methionine is said to reduce the appetites of overweight people, but not those of normal-weight individuals. Go figure.
• Ma-huang (ephedra, desert herb, ephedrine) is said to increase energy expenditure, aid weight loss when used with guarana. Ahhh the dreaded Ephedrine - This drug is potentially dangerous. It has been linked to several deaths from heart problems and to more than 500 incidents of serious adverse reactions. Ephedra derivatives are also reported to produce acute hepatitis and other unexplained liver damage. Ma-huang can still be purchased at health food stores under this name even though Ephedrine has been banned.
• St. John’s Wort improves mood and there are few if any side effects. A small warning with this though, it can reduce effectiveness of indinavir, warfarin, and digoxin. It should not be taken with these drugs or with antidepressant medications.
• Uva ursi (Arctostaphylos uva-ursi, bearberry) is a diuretic that is claimed to aid weight loss by increasing the volume of urine excreted. Just what I need - to pee MORE.

My opinion about supplements is a strong one. NEVER EVER ALTER WHAT YOUR BODY SHOULD DO NATURALLY. With that said, I do need to tell you that I do take a multi vitamin when I have been around sick people and I will use herbal supplements if I am injured. The rest, I get from my diet. I do not take them to supplement my diet. I do occasionally take them if my bod needs a bit of help to fix itself. I completely understand that I am in the minority though.

Most people will find the need to have a little boost to their weight loss efforts. If you are going to take a supplement, do your research and please know exactly what you are getting. Herbal “medications” are not regulated by the government. They can contain lots of things that you might not want to be taking. So the royal advice for all of you wicked readers before you alter your body function is to READ THE LABELS. If you are going herbal, get as pure of a product as you can possibly find. And don’t be afraid to ask the nutritionist at the counter or the health food store if you have any questions.

With any luck, you can find the right combination of diet and exercise that will get you where you want to be.

---