What do you think of when you hear the word “exercise”? Do you imagine a casual stroll through the park or a grueling, uphill both ways, in the beating sun sprint? Do you think “no pain no gain”? If you’re not sweating you’re not working hard enough? Do you think the whole point of exercise is to lose weight, burn calories or achieve a specific body shape? If so, its time for you to rethink the true purpose of exercise! Society has us under the impression that the one and only point of exercise is to work you body to the max, burn calories and ultimately lose weight. Many feel like if they aren't sweating daily, constantly...
Juice, detox, 10-day green juice, full-body and other master cleanse systems have been in the news lately with extravagant claims to “renew, repair and reinvigorate the body”. These extremely low calorie, typically all liquid plans claim to help individuals shed X pounds in only days! Sounds like a dream come true! All you have to do is drink strange concoctions: some examples which include mixtures of water, lemon, maple syrup and cayenne pepper or juiced fruits, vegetables and spices. Many of the plans promote the use of laxatives, diuretics and fiber supplements to aid in “flushing all the gunk out of your intestines”. Can I share a secret though? Your body is equipped to do this all on its own! Our...
First society demonized fat then carb- and now we have moved on to gluten. Gluten free diets seem to be a major up and growing craze! 86% of Americans claim that they are gluten sensitive which has led most resturants and grocery stores to start accommodating. However, it is proven that only 1% of people are actually wheat sensitive! That means 85% of the people following a gluten/wheat/grain free diet are doing it for no reason. They are falling into the media’s trap that has convinced us that gluten is bad- the cause of weight gain, low energy and inflammation. While gluten may cause this effect in some people, its only very few! Most of us can and should include...
I hate dieting. I truly do! Just the idea of being restricted in any form or fashion regarding the foods I can or cannot eat makes me cringe. However, if I was forced to choose one diet to follow, Paleo would definitely be my go-to. Some diets emphasize restricting all carbs, all fats or greatly increasing protein- which are all very poor dietary choices! Paleo thankfully does not encourage any of those, yet promotes a healthy balance of all three macronutrients (carbs, protein and fat) which is a good basis for any meal plan. I love that the paleo diet encourages eating fresh, whole foods from nature with little, to no, processed items. I believe every meal...
We have discussed the idea of dropping “good” and “bad” food labels as well as learning how to listen to and honor hunger sensations and food cravings. In the third and final step of eating without a diet we will discuss how to find balance in our lives with food! Of course we want to eat whole foods, from nature most of the time! Think fresh fruit, vegetables, whole grains, lean meats and low fat dairy. But we also need to leave room in our meal plans for fun foods such as cake, cookies and pizza! A balanced diet is one that includes ALL foods which can be eaten when the body is craving...
