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!

Good Home Cooking
As a Nutrition & Lifestyle coach, one of my goals is to inspire people to eat more home-cooked food. Over time, I have gradually increased the percent of food that I cook at home, and I have experienced the benefits. Here are a few of the often overlooked benefits of eating at home.

1. Know what you’re eating
The most obvious benefit to preparing your own food is that you know what’s in it. Did you know that people consume 50% more calories, fat, and sodium when they eat out? I also find that restaurant meals are heavy on things like rice and noodles, and lighter on vegetables. It’s tough to get your days’ worth of vegetables when you eat out.

I find that when I eat out, I gravitate towards less healthy foods. Restaurants tempt us with French fries, pizza, bread, and desserts. It is also a lot easier to overeat at restaurants because the portion sizes are typically a lot bigger than what we’d serve ourselves at home. (If you do eat out, you might want to order a salad and split the main course with the person you’re with — or ask for a doggy bag and put half of the food away BEFORE you start eating.)

2. Save money
I’ve realized that I can save a lot of money by eating more home-cooked food. This is true even when I’m buying high-quality organic fruits, vegetables, and meats. In our house we typically spend $100 per week for food for 2 people. This is usually enough food for all of our meals for the week. We’d likely spend more than twice that amount if we ate all of our meals out, and that’s figuring we’d be eating at relatively inexpensive restaurants. I figured $2 for breakfast, $6 for lunch, and $8 for dinner. Multiply that times 2 (for 2 people) and times 7, and the total is $224. Now I know most people don’t eat EVERY meal out, but this demonstrates how much you can save by cooking your own food.

3. Get your dose of Vitamin "L"
The benefits of eating home-cooked food go beyond nutrition, calories, and saving money. I know you’ve all heard the saying "you are what you eat" and I think there’s some truth in this. Have you ever cooked a meal with friends and been amazed at how good the food tastes? I had this experience last week when I cooked a basic stir fry with my friend Lisa. We had fun cooking, were able to choose the ingredients we love, and then sat down and savored a delicious meal. I believe that part of the reason the food tasted so good, is that it was made with love. Before you laugh, think back to eating your grandmother’s famous chicken soup (or other traditional food). The soup was the best you’d ever had, and even though you have the recipe, it’s never tasted as good as when your grandmother made it. Again, she put a lot of love in her cooking.

Do you think the same is true of restaurant food? Have you ever looked in the kitchen of a busy restaurant? What you’ll probably find is a group of tired, stressed-out cooks, running around busily preparing your food. If you believe in the idea "you are what you eat," do you want to eat the food made with love or the food made under stressful conditions?

Get Inspired!
Don’t get me wrong, there is a time and a place for eating out. Going out to eat can be a wonderful, relaxing experience. I would, however, like to inspire you to prepare more of your food at home. If you love pizza, make a pizza. If you’re craving steak, make a good quality steak with some beautiful vegetables and a salad.

What's Your Metabolic Type?
Do you know what foods work best for your body? If so, great job! This can be tricky to figure out, but once you do, you’ll find it’s much easier to feel satisfied, have great energy, and make lasting changes in your body.

Have you ever beat yourself up because you had a tough time following a particular eating style or plan? I know that I have. A few years back I looked at friends and family who appeared healthy and at their ideal weight, and I tried to eat how they ate. I thought, “it’s working great for them, so this must be how I should be eating.” I would try these various eating styles and when they didn’t work (or I didn’t feel good eating that way) I would judge myself. What I didn’t understand at the time is that those eating styles simply weren’t the right fit for me.

What I have come to learn is that there’s no one right way of eating that works for everyone. This is at the cornerstone of the work I do with clients. Learning what foods work best for you is a like putting the pieces of a puzzle together. One way to help you with this puzzle is to determine your metabolic type.

What type are you?

The Protein Type
If you are a protein type it means your cells tend to burn carbohydrates too quickly. You need a high-protein intake in order to slow down your overly rapid cellular oxidation rate. Protein types do very well on a diet that includes plenty of high-density, high-fat proteins.

The Carbohydrate Type
If you're a carbohydrate type you need a higher percentage of carbohydrates in your diet in order to speed up your naturally slow cellular oxidation rate. Carbohydrate types typically do well on a low-fat, relatively low-protein diet -- one that includes liberal amounts of carbohydrates in the form of vegetables, fruits and whole grains.

The Mixed Type
If you're a mixed type, it means you're somewhere in the middle of the other two types, which have more pronounced or clear-cut metabolic imbalances. You actually need to eat a mixture of protein type foods and carbohydrate type foods. This will keep your cellular oxidation rate, which is neither too fast or too slow, in balance.

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.

Are You Eating Enough?
Sometimes when I speak with my clients, I find they aren’t eating enough and that this is sabotaging their efforts to make good food choices and to lose weight. This may sound strange because in our society we’re taught that the less we eat, the healthier we will be.

Does this sound familiar?

You get up in the morning and have coffee, juice, maybe a small bowl of cereal or you skip breakfast altogether. You’re not hungry when you first wake up, so at first you feel ok. By mid-morning you’re hungry and dragging, but you have a cup of coffee or a diet soda and you’re able to make it to lunch when you have a salad or a small sandwich.

Then the late afternoon hits and you’re overwhelmed with cravings for sweets or salty/crunchy snacks. You can’t make it until dinner, so you raid your pantry or the vending machine at work. Or maybe you head to Starbucks for a Frappuccino.

If you have enough energy, you prepare dinner at home. If you’re feeling tired and still having cravings, you order takeout or go through a fast food drive-through. Dinner is your biggest meal of the day and when you’ve eaten dinner you feel relief that you finally feel satiated.

What is wrong with this picture?

First, let me say that if this is similar to how you’re eating, don’t feel badly. You’re not alone! This way of eating is often the consequence of having been on one or more calorie-restrictive diet programs. This is how you’ve been taught to eat.

Eating this way causes a few problems:

• Denying yourself enough food early in the day causes low energy
• Low energy causes cravings for sugar and caffeine
• Eating sugar and caffeine causes more cravings for these foods
• Not getting enough food earlier in the day may cause your metabolism to slow down
• Feeling deprived most of the day can lead to binging or unhealthy eating later in the day or evening
• Compensating for under-eating by eating snacks in the afternoon and a heavier dinner, isn’t working with the natural rhythm of your metabolism and may cause you to gain weight

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.

F*ree Workshop by Phone: Fall Cleansing:

F*ree Workshop-by-Phone:
How to Jumpstart Changes in Your Body with a Fall Cleanse

Would you like to break free from unhealthy eating habits? Do you wish you could feel healthier and more vibrant? Are you suffering from headaches, acne, allergies or low energy?

In this workshop you will learn:

• 8 ways to know if it's time to cleanse
• 15 ways your body would benefit from a cleanse
• 16 things that may be making you toxic
• 9 ways to cleanse your body (including simple and more advanced options)
• 3 times that are perfect to cleanse

Prior to the call, you will receive a Health Assessment to complete. We will discuss this during the call and it will help you determine where you're at and whether now is a good time for you to cleanse.

This Workshop-by-Phone is being held on Thursday, October 16th at 12:00pm EST.

Click here to register:

http://www.wellnesshealthcoaching.com/october08.htm