Practice Mindful Eating Habits

No matter what your health and wellness goals: to lose weight, improve your health markers (cholesterol, blood sugar, etc.), improve your brain health, or simply to feel more energetic, good nutrition is the best way to achieve your goal.

While having a solid nutritional plan is the best way to achieve your goal, just being in tune with and aware of your nutrition can make a big difference. That’s why I find mindful eating a great way to get in touch with what and why you are eating.

With mindful eating, you take the time to focus on not just what you are eating, but why you are eating, and how the experience makes you feel. Mindful eating gets you in touch with your personal hunger cues, improves your ability to taste your food, and makes the eating experience more pleasurable.

So, how do you practice mindful eating?

The first step you should take when eating mindfully is to get quiet. This may mean eating alone at first to avoid distractions or getting away from your desk or office. I had a friend that regularly ate lunch in her car so she could have time to herself to eat. Think of meal time as a type of meditation, connect with the experience, eat slowly, and enjoy it.

Once you have gotten quiet and focused, ask yourself:

“Am I hungry?”

If your stomach is growling, you feel weak or shaky, you are irritable, or have a headache then you are probably hungry. If not, then perhaps it is better to wait until you are truly hungry. Now, this does not mean skipping meals or starving yourself. However, as you get in touch with what physiological hunger feels like, you will be better able to take in nutrition when you body needs it rather than mindlessly shoveling food into your mouth.

2. “Do I want to eat?”

Sometimes our habits and emotions get the best of us and we eat because we think we are supposed to, “Hey, it’s 4pm it must be snack time”, “I haven’t eaten for 3 hours I’m not hungry but I better eat something anyhow”, or “Damn, that meeting was really stressful, I need a candy bar.” In these cases asking ourselves if we really want to eat or are simply responding to habit and emotions can keep us from making poor nutritional choices.

3. “Does this food choice support my goals?”

If your goal is to lose weight, eating a big bowl of popcorn and a box of chocolate covered raisins at the movies is not the best way to achieve your goal. Likewise, having a burger and fries won’t help your reduce your cholesterol. Asking yourself if the food choice supports your goal reminds you of what you are working so hard to achieve and can stop you from making a poor choice. If, after you ask the question, your response is to still eat the food then you must be willing to accept responsibility for the choice. Looking great in those jeans or ice cream, which is more important?

Once you have started eating, focus on the experience.

Eat slowly and consider these questions as you go along:

• What does the food taste like? Sweet? Sour? Spicy?
• What is its texture? Smooth, grainy, mushy…
• How does eating make you feel? Happy? Comforted? Guilty?
• Are you enjoying it? Eat slowly and consider these questions as you go along.

Every few bites, stop and ask yourself, “Am I satisfied?” If you are, then stop eating. If your answer is, “no”, then take a few more bites and ask again. Remember, it takes 20 minutes for your body to register fullness so take your time.

Eating mindfully takes work, and it is likely you will not be able to do it with every meal especially in the beginning. Start slowly and shoot for practicing for 2 meals every day.

If the process seems overwhelming, that’s ok. Start slowly with 1 thing at a time. Perhaps you can find a quiet distraction free place to eat and just do that for a few days. Next you can ask yourself 1 or 2 of the questions. Once it is your habit to check in before eating, then you can move on to another question or step. Progress at your pace. The key objective here is simply to create awareness of your eating in relation to your goals. Do not obsess over it, make it fun, enjoy eating!

If you need help building your nutritional plan or if you would like help learning to eat mindfully, I am here to help. Email me at achievewellness@ymail.com for a complimentary 15 minute consultation.

Recommit to Building Healthy Habits

Back in March when COVID cases started to rise and communities started shutting down restaurants, gyms, nonessential businesses, and more and more people started working from home a lot of people made a commitment to start taking better care of their health. Internet searches for at home exercise routines and healthy meal recipes soared. There wasn’t a dumbbell, physioball, jump rope, or exercise band to be had anywhere.

In my own neighborhood, I started seeing neighbors I hadn’t seen in months out for a run, walking their dog, or doing squats in their driveway.

But now it’s September and my neighborhood is again a quiet little hamlet. No more family bike rides, no more sidewalk yoga, and no more strolling puppies. Everyone it seems is settling back into their routines.

Restaurants are open, people are eating out again, fitness equipment is back in stock, and the number of online workout classes is starting to dwindle.

Folks commitment to better health is slowly going by the wayside. As we edge slowly closer to our lives returning to “normal”, we are falling back into old routines where physical activity and good nutrition are no longer on our, “to do” lists.

So, what about you:

• Are you sticking to an exercise routine, either at home or in the gym?
• Do you find yourself eating out more often, maybe grabbing a quick burger and fries rather than making a healthy dinner?
• Have you stopped having your groceries delivered and started doing your own shopping only to find yourself making impulse purchases like the newest flavor of potato chip or those M&Ms that were on sale?

If you have found yourself sliding backward into old habits, NOW is the time to recommit to those healthy habits you pickup earlier in the year.

You may need to get creative if your schedule is less open and flexible than months past, but with a little thought and planning you can keep those good habits going.

This week pick 1 of your healthy habits and commit to focusing on building and reinforcing that habit to the best of your ability each day.

Don’t let your old normal ruin the progress you made during your “new normal”.

Good luck, have fun, and have a happy healthy week!

Healthy Habits Lead to Success in 2020

Happy New Year and welcome to 2020!

If you resolved to lose weight or improve your heath this year, congratulations!

So, what is your plan? Do you have one?

In 10+ years of working with clients on health and nutrition, I have often found that when January 1st rolls around people decide to make dramatic changes to their eating habits: cutting out all sugar, eliminating all carbohydrates, avoiding alcohol, or eating only chicken and steamed vegetables.

While this may seem like the best way to lose weight and clean up your eating, there are a few flaws with this type of plan.

First of all, if you have spent the past 2 months indulging in cookies, mashed potatoes, wine, and pumpkin spice lattes it will be difficult for your body to give them up cold turkey. You have conditioned your mind, as well as your body, to expect these delicious, comforting treats.

When you say, “Sorry, no more fat, sugary goodness for you!”

Your body replies, “Oh yeah, I’ll just see about that!”

The next thing you know, you are in the midst of some serious carbohydrate and/or alcohol cravings. And we all know that eventually you will cave in and go off the rails vowing to start again tomorrow or next Monday. Even worse, you may quit trying altogether.

Secondly, our bodies need all of the food groups to heal, grow, stay healthy, and function on a daily basis. Eliminating an entire group of foods, such as carbohydrates or fats, restricts the amount of vital nutrients our bodies receive. We may not need processed carbohydrates and saturated fats to fuel our body but we do need to include fruits, vegetables, whole grains and healthy fats from nuts, seeds, or avocados to insure our body functions at its best.

Rather than adopting a drastic “all or nothing” approach, I encourage my clients to make small, manageable changes over a period of time. A kind of “ back to basics” approach that introduces easy to apply lifestyle habits as opposed to diets and deprivation.

For example:

• Eat slowly and mindfully – Rather than scarfing down dinner in front of the tv, sit at the kitchen table and make an effort to experience and enjoy the food you are eating. If you normally finish dinner in 15 minutes, set a timer for 20-25 minutes and allow the act of eating to fill the time.
• Eat less by reducing your normal meal size by 20% – Rather than cutting out, start by cutting back. If you normally get a medium latte, try a small. If you grab a bag of potato chips from the vending machine each day, start cutting back by only eating 1/2 the bag (save the other half for the next day or throw it away if you simply can’t put it down). At lunch, eat your normal foods but order a smaller portion, put some in a to-go box, or share with a friend.
• If you managed to maintain a fairly healthy diet through the holidays, perhaps you focus on adding 15-20 minutes of physical activity to your day 4-5 times per week.

Pick 1 new lifestyle habit and focus on doing it everyday for 2-3 weeks. Strive to do a little bit better each day. Once you have gotten a firm grasp on the habit you can choose to expand on it, such as increasing your physical activity to 30 minutes 4-5 days per week, OR you can add a new habit to your healthy habits repertoire.

Yes, it will take longer to lose weight or improve your eating pattern, however in the long run this slow steady approach will lead to greater success and better long-term results.

Give it a try, be patient, and keep an open mind. If you do, you will see yourself making the progress you want while still enjoying your life.

If you are unsure of where or how to start, my nutritional coaching program will help you get on track and stay on track. Learn more now!

Remember:

Don’t Get Derailed Over the Holidays

With the New Year just a few weeks away, you may be tempted to say, “Hang the healthy eating! I’m gonna have some fun!!! I’ll get back to my diet/healthy eating plan after the first of the year. After all, that’s what New Year’s Resolutions are for!”

I am here to remind you, that taking that attitude is a mistake! Not only can it lead to end of the year weight gain, but it can also help reinforce or instill bad eating habits. Let’s face it, if you get in the habit of having a glass of eggnog and a few cookies before bed every night for the next 2 weeks what makes you think you will magically be able to stop when the calendar turns to 2020?

And why set yourself up for even more work next year by adding 3-5 pounds (or more) of holiday weight that you need to “resolve” to lose?

We have all heard the statistics: only 25% of people that set New Year’s resolutions stick with them past 30 days and only 8% actually achieve their resolution!

I am not saying don’t enjoy the remainder of the holiday season. I am simply encouraging you to make smart nutritional decisions.:

Limit the amount of sweets, processed foods, and alcohol you eat and drink. Notice I said LIMIT, not eliminate! An easy trick is to keep your intake of holiday treats and beverages at less than 15% of your normal daily intake (you can measure this by counting calories or by “eyeballing” it on your plate; 85%+ fruits, veggies, lean protein, complex carbs and <15% processed food/alcohol).

Using a little common sense and some self control can ensure you enjoy your holidays and still start the New Year off on the right nutritional footing!

If you are like most of my clients you have tried a whole host of different diets, “super foods”, and nutrition gimmicks to lose weight and get healthier.  And like many people you probably overloaded yourself with rules and restrictions, and eventually gave up and went back to your old ways of eating and drinking.  

Luckily, there is a better way.  With my nutritional coaching plan you focus on making small changes over time the lead to big results for a lifetime.  In under 1 year you will be in better shape than you ever imagined was possible.

The program guides you through daily lessons designed to help you build easy and effective nutritional and lifestyle habits.  You can choose to read or listen to the lesson, which ever fits your schedule.  You practice each new habit for 2 weeks to give you the opportunity to learn and apply it until it becomes natural.  And the program holds you accountable through daily check offs and regular progress updates.   The program tracks everything from your measurements to your habits, so you can see how much progress you are making throughout the year.

With this self guided program you get all of the lessons and workshops you need to create and practice a lifetime of healthy nutritional habits that can help you not simply lose weight, but sleep better, manage stress, become more mindful, and feel more confident no matter what life sends your way.  

If you are ready to have the body you deserve and be in control of your health and fitness, this program is for you. You will learn doable daily actions designed to make nutrition and fitness a part of your life, without taking it over.

Normally, I only offer this nutritional coaching program with one-on-one personal coaching, but my final nutritional coaching program for 2019 is closed.  Because I am passionate about helping as many people as possible have the health and fitness they deserve I am offering this self guided option, so you can start building a lifetime of healthy habits NOW!  Don’t worry it won’t interfere with your holiday plans either.

For the remainder of 2019, I am offering this self-guided plan for only $69/month!  That is $100 less than the regular personal nutritional coaching program and you get all of the same habits and supporting lessons.

Don’t wait until the new year to get started!   Make today the day you commit to taking control of your health and fitness.  Sign up NOW!

$69.00 Contribution

Want to include exercise to your daily health routine?  Add on our personalized workout plan for $39/month.  You will get month workouts created with your goals in mind along with options to modify exercises or even workout at home.  And at a mere $39/month it is much easier and more economical than hiring a personal trainer.

Yes, I want to add on workouts!

$108.00 Contribution

You CAN Build Good Nutritional Habits Over the Holidays

Traditionally, Halloween marks the start of the holiday season. With Halloween and the start of the holidays just a few days away you may think that starting a nutritional overhaul is an invitation to failure. But, with the right plan you can build a healthy lifestyle without having to give up the food and fun of the holidays.

Simple things like: eating slowly, drinking plenty of water, eating 5-7 servings of fruits and vegetables daily, choosing lean protein, and getting plenty of rest can make a big difference in building a healthy lifestyle.

My nutritional coaching plan is based on simple nutrition and lifestyle habits that will help you look good, feel great, and maybe even lose some weight this holiday season all without depriving you of your favorite foods. Find out more at https://procoach.app/wellnessphx

The plan progresses slowly giving you a new healthy habit to practice every 2 weeks along with daily lessons that help explain and reinforce your new habit. Over the course of a year you will develop a set of habits that you can use for the rest of your life to help you look and feel your best. And the best part is you get 1-on-1 access to me, your coach, through out the program, so you are never alone.

The next program starts Monday November 18th. There are 15 slots left and they will fill quickly, so don’t wait too long.

Because I want to help as many people as possible successfully navigate a healthy holiday season, I am offering a 20% early bird discount for the next 2 weeks. That makes the price of the program $127/month! That is an amazing value for all of the lessons, tips, and personalized feedback you receive. After November 11th, the price goes back to $159/month, still a great value, but why wait: Sign Up Now!

Having fun over the holidays and following a solid nutritional plan ARE possible, IF you have the support and guidance to help you build good habits and keep you motivated. Make 2020 the year you don’t make losing weight or eating better one of your resolutions, get started now, click here to get started now!

Declutter to Achieve Your Nutritional Goals – Clear Your Cabinets

So far this month we have cleaned out your refrigerator, pantry, and kitchen drawers. This week, we tackle the kitchen cabinets.

Now in case you have forgotten, we have devoted this month to improving our nutritional habits by decluttering our kitchen. The faster, easier, and more efficient it is to locate healthy food and cooking implements the more likely you are to prepare nutritious meals and snacks.

Depending on the size of your kitchen, clearing the cabinets can be a long and arduous task, so I recommend setting aside 20-30 minutes each day over the next week or 2 to clearing out 1 cabinet per day.

• Sell or donate any small appliances you no longer use: toaster, coffee maker, ice cream maker, waffle iron, etc.
• Sort and stack your plates, bowls, cups, and glassware. Give away anything that you have not used in the last year.
• Get rid of plastic food storage containers that are warped, discolored, or missing a lid (or vice versa).
• Look through your pots and pans and get rid of any that have a scratched nonstick surface, permanent scorch marks, or broken handles. Stack the pans neatly and organize the lids in an extra baking pan or large plastic storage container.
• Inventory, sort, and stack serving platters/bowls, mixing bowls, cutting boards, strainers, etc. Throw away anything that is cracked, scratched, bent, or broken. Donate or sell anything you haven’t used in 2 years.
• If it is broken or otherwise does not work, throw it away!
• Purchase cabinet organizers for things like cookware lids, baking sheets, paper products, small appliance accessories, etc.

Here is an example of a few of my cabinets:

While it may seem like a boring pointless task, decluttering and organizing your cabinets is a great way to motivate yourself to eat healthier by making it quick and easy to prep and cook healthy meals and snacks. You will be amazed at how much more pleasant it is to use your kitchen when things are tidy and in their place.

We are almost done with our kitchen decluttering project, just a few more things to clean up. Next week we move on to the freezer. Until then, have a happy healthy week!

Decluttering your kitchen is just 1 habit that can help you reach your health and nutrition goals. Eating slowly, drinking plenty of water, adding more fruits and vegetables, and even getting plenty of rest are a few more ways you can achieve your nutrition goals. To find out how to build these and many other lifelong habits that will keep you on track, visit my website: https://procoach.app/wellnessphx

Declutter to Achieve Your Nutritional Goals – Clear Out Your Drawers

This month we have been cleaning the clutter from our kitchens in order to improve our nutritional habits.

Studies show that having an organized and clutter free kitchen makes us more likely to prepare healthy meals.

So far, we have cleaned out our refrigerator and our pantry. This week we are moving on to our kitchen drawers.

Having quick access to spatulas, measuring cups, measuring spoons, tongs, and potholders makes preparing a meal much easier than having to search through drawers full of broken utensils and bric-a-brac.

Over the next week, go through your kitchen drawers:

• Throw away any broken utensils, melted spatulas, split wooden spoons, etc.
• Stack measuring cups and measuring spoons. Try hooking them together with a pipe cleaner or carabiner clip.
• Buy drawer organizers to sort silverware, serving ware, and utensils.
• Toss out stained or worn towels and dishrags.
• Next, be brave and tackle the “junk” drawer (it’s ok, we all have one). Get rid of pens that don’t work, separate paperclips, rubber bands, and batteries into plastic cups/baggies, throw away old business cards, coupons, and flyers. Sort and organize take away menus.
• If you don’t use it or it doesn’t work get it out of your kitchen.

You will be amazed by how getting your kitchen drawers in order will make meal prepping time faster, easier, and more enjoyable.

That’s it for this week. Next week we will clean out your cupboards. Until then,

Happy Decluttering!

Review Previous Posts:

The Refrigerator

The Pantry

Declutter to Achieve Your Nutritional Goals – Purge Your Pantry

Last week we discussed how decluttering your environment can have a powerful positive affect on your life. From reducing stress and increasing productivity, to helping you feel happier, more optimistic and even improving the nutritional choices you make. If you want to review last week’s post or get caught up, click here.

Decluttering your kitchen makes preparing healthy meals faster and easier. When there is plenty of room in your fridge for healthy foods like vegetables, lean protein, nuts, and fruit you are more likely to choose those rather than eat processed junk food. The easier it is to navigate your pantry and cabinets the better the chance you will prepare nutritious meals as opposed to stopping for take out or ordering pizza.

Your task for last week was to clean out your refrigerator. I showed you what mine looked like before I cleaned it out and I promised to show you the after. So, here they are:

I make a habit of decluttering and cleaning my fridge every few months, so there wasn’t a big difference, however it is definitely easier to find what I am looking for post-cleaning.

Now, if you took the time last week to declutter your freezer as well as the fridge, bonus points to you. But if you didn’t, don’t worry, we will get to that in a few weeks.

Now, on to this week’s task. Much like the refrigerator, your pantry can become a collection of stale crackers, half-eaten bags of chips, expired cans of food, nutritional supplements you haven’t used in years, and cookbooks and magazines with recipes you will never actually cook. Over the next week, take 10-15 minutes each day to declutter 1 shelf in your pantry. Throw away anything that is expired or stale. If you have canned goods you won’t eat yourself, donate them to a local food bank. Use baskets and tiered organizers to make it easier to see what is in the pantry. Store nuts, grains, cereals, etc. in clear glass/plastic containers to keep them fresh and easy to find quickly. Don’t forget to label them so you remember what they are. Go through your cookbooks and magazines and tear out the recipes you use regularly and create a binder or computer file to store them neatly away. Wipe down the shelves and line them with shelf paper if you choose. I’m pretty OCD, so I alphabetize everything based on category: spices, canned goods, baking supplies, oils, etc. It makes finding things quick and easy, but it is a bit extreme.

Once you have your pantry decluttered, cleaned, and organized, take stock of what nutritious foods you still need to prepare healthy meals such as: grains, spices, nuts/seeds. Add these items to your shopping list.

Having a pantry that is organized and easy to navigate will make preparing nutritious and delicious meals faster, easier, and more enjoyable as well as keep you on track with your nutritional goals.

Until next week, happy decluttering!

Decluttering your kitchen is just one easy habit that will help you stay on track with your health and wellness goals. Building a series of healthy habits is the best way to maintain your goals for life. My nutritional coaching program is designed to teach you how to build a healthy nutrition routine that you can maintain for life. Learn more about how I can help you achieve a balanced and healthy lifestyle by visiting my website today!

Declutter to Achieve Your Nutritional Goals – The Refrigerator

Back in elementary school, I had a teacher that frequently “reminded” us, “A messy desk means a messy mind”.

It turns out she was right, scientific research proves that clutter can have a negative effect on many aspects of our life, from our career, to our relationships, finances, and yes, even our health and wellness.

A cluttered home or workspace can lead to increased feelings of stress, depression, and unhappiness. Remember that time when you were facing a deadline at work and you had files, reports, and binders all over your desk? How much did you enjoy working on that project?

Clutter also has a negative effect on nutrition. Studies show that individuals with a messy kitchen are more likely to choose highly processed, fat and sugar laden foods. Also, if your cabinets and drawers are full of pots, pans, plastic takeout containers, broken measuring cups, and melted spatulas, it can be difficult to find the tools you need to cook a healthy meal. Additionally, if your fridge is loaded with jars of pickle juice, multiple containers of ketchup, expired milk, and a moldy mystery container, there is no place to put healthy fruits and veggies. And those 5 bags of potato chips in the pantry, well let’s just say they are not giving you a good return on your pantry shelf investment.

The point is, if preparing healthy meals in your kitchen is difficult or impossible, you are more likely to stop for take out, or binge on those chips in the pantry, neither of which supports healthy nutritional goals.

This month we are going to be working on decluttering our kitchens. Don’t worry. We will take it slowly. Over the next 4 weeks I will share a short project designed to help get your nutrition and your kitchen into tip-top shape.

This week’s task is to clear out and clean your refrigerator. You will need about 15-20 minutes, a large trash bag, and a recycling bin if that’s your thing.

Go through your fridge and toss out anything that is expired, moldy, or otherwise unappetizing in appearance.

Combine all of those partially empty ketchup bottles (you know you have at least 2). Repeat with the other condiments.

If you haven’t used a sauce, salad dressing, or condiment in months, put it in your trash bin.

Consider donating any unopened cans, jars, or packages of food to your local food bank.

Look at each item left and decide if it helps support your nutritional goals, if it does not then into the trash it goes. It is ok to have a few small treats, I keep some chocolate in my refrigerator at all times, just make sure the majority of the items favor your goals.

Once you have cleared out all of the old food, condiments, etc. give your fridge a good cleaning. Wipe down all of the shelves, drawers, and walls.

Now that your refrigerator is free from clutter, restock it with fresh fruits, vegetables, grains, and protein. Invest in containers that can neatly store precut vegetables, precooked grains, nuts, seeds, etc. The more organized and easier it is to find things in the fridge the more likely you are to use them to prepare yourself a healthy meal or snack.

I declutter my refrigerator every 2-3 months and it’s due for a good cleaning. Here’s what it looks like right now:

Check back next week to see what it looks like after I declutter.

Decluttering does not have to be hard work, it just takes a little time and the willingness to let go of things that are not serving your health and happiness.

Until next week: Happy Decluttering!

If you want additional help reaching your nutrition and fitness goals, my coaching program can help. Learn more today!