Is Your Exercise Working For You?
I talk to my clients a lot about their exercise because I feel it is crucial to whole body wellness. Exercise is great for stress relief, a healthy heart, strong bones, balance, and weight loss. I am not a personal trainer, but I have read a lot about exercise and I’ve experimented for years with my own workout routine. (Of course, you always want to consult your physician before embarking on a new exercise routine.)

Here are a few questions you might want to ask yourself:

1. Have I changed my workout routine lately?
We are creatures of habit and once we find a routine that we enjoy and feel comfortable with, we tend to stick with it. It’s natural. The downside of this is that our bodies are very efficient and adjust quickly to new physical demands. This means that over time, our body doesn’t have to work as hard to complete the same activity.

2. Am I doing cardio and strength training?
I commonly speak to clients who do cardio or strength training, but not both. I personally believe the best results come from a combination of the two, not to mention that both are important for our physical health. Cardio is good for our heart, and strength training is great for our bones. Strength training helps you build muscle, and one pound of muscle burns more calories than one pound of fat. Cardio helps you burn calories and fat. And, as you build more muscle, your cardio is burning more and more fat.

3. How much am I challenging myself?
Everyone has different goals around exercise, and I do believe there is a benefit to more relaxing, and meditative exercise. But I also know that I see changes in my body when I do workouts that really make me sweat and leave me feeling like I couldn’t possibly do more. You want to be safe about this so you don’t injure yourself, but it’s about pushing yourself a little bit outside your comfort zone. You don’t necessarily have to do this for your entire workout. A few minutes might be all you need.

Is Eating Out Sabotaging Your Results?
I know you’ve probably heard multiple times about all the reasons not to eat out a lot. You know that the food is heavier and the portions are much larger than what you’d eat at home, but has the reality of this set in for you? I am not a big fan of calorie counting because I don’t think it works for the long term. That being said, I do think it can be helpful to have an awareness of the number of calories in some of the foods you’re eating – especially when it comes to eating out.

Take a look at some of these common dishes with their calorie count:

Chinese cashew chicken 1232 calories
Cobb salad 1200 calories
Beef teriyaki 1110 calories
Pasta with pesto (2 cups) 990 calories
Cheese quesadilla 900 calories
Shrimp scampi 932 calories

If you were eating a relatively healthy meal prepared at home, you’d probably consume about half the amount of calories. (Of course this can vary greatly depending on your portion size and the ingredients you’re using). I am all about moderation and I think a special “splurge” meal out once a week is totally fair game – even if you want to lose weight. But how often do you eat out or get take out each week? Could the excess calories you’re consuming be adding up and getting in the way of you reaching your goals? Aside from the calories, food prepared out is generally not as healthy as what you could prepare at home. Restaurants typically don’t serve many vegetables and they use large amounts of unhealthy fats.

When eating out, choose the healthier options:
Chinese steamed veggies and chicken 490 calories
Bowl of chili and salad 475 calories
Snapper in wine and tomatoes (4 oz.) 200 calories
Shrimp taco 320 calories
Broiled salmon (4 oz) 175 calories
Grilled chicken with Veggies 270 calories

Here are some additional tips for you to try when eating out:

• Pick one meal per week to eat out as a special “splurge” meal.
• When eating out at other times, think of your meal as a replacement for what you’d have at home and choose the healthier options on the menu.
• Choose restaurants that have healthier options.
• Only eat half of your entrée and add on a salad or a side of vegetables.
• Ask for sauces and dressing on the side.
• Keep ingredients for a couple of quick meals on hand, so you’ll find it easier to eat at home.

Are you feeling confused about how and what you should be eating? I know how you feel because a few years ago I was exactly where you are, and I don’t want you to struggle (as I did) to figure out how to eat in a way that works for you.

Healthy Restaurant Eating?
Last month I wrote about the many benefits of eating home-cooked food. While I am still a proponent of eat home-cooked food, eating out can be healthy, fun, and relaxing. Here are some tips for healthy restaurant eating.

1. Pick a restaurant with healthy options.

Eating out should feel like a special treat, so think carefully about what kind of food you want to eat. While most restaurants do not cater to healthy eating, there are a few gems out there. I encourage you to check out the "Healthy Boston-area Restaurants" section of the Free Resources page on my website. I am always looking to add to this list, so please email me your favorite healthy restaurants (in Boston or elsewhere).

2. Customize your meal.

Don't be afraid to ask your server to modify a dish or to create a special dish for you. Restaurants are usually willing to accommodate your desires, as long as the have the ingredients on hand. Some requests you might make include asking for extra vegetables, sauce on the side, an entree portion of an appetizer, or steamed vegetables instead of sauteed.

3. Watch your portion size.

As I mentioned in my February newsletter, restaurants typically serve larger portions than what we would eat at home. I find that it's very tempting to eat all of the food that's put in front of me, so here are some strategies to avoid overeating.

• Fill up on a large salad and then order a bowl of soup or appetizer rather than an entree.
• Share a main dish and a side dish with a friend.
• Ask for two plates and put half of your entree on the second plate. Only eat from the second plate if you are still hungry. If you don't eat the whole portion, take the rest home for leftovers.
• Drink a lot of water and chew your food thoroughly.

4. Don't starve yourself before eating out.

If you know you are going out for dinner, you might be tempted to skip a meal earlier in the day or eat substantially less. This strategy will backfire because you will be so hungry once you are at the restaurant that you will end up over-ordering and overeating.

5. Enjoy yourself.

Keep all of the above in mind without depriving yourself. Don't order something just because you think it's healthy. Order food that you know will satisfy you and then don't feel guilty about it!