You know what you know
Have you heard “you know what you know” (for instance, you might know how to write your name…)
And “you know what you don’t know “(for instance, you might know you couldn’t perform brain surgery…well, I know I can’t)
But have you heard “you don’t know what you don’t know”?
Until certain facts and experiences are presented to you; you might not know what you really “should” know!
I’m here to help! I wanted to write about some nutrition and fitness facts that through the years I have learned; and I realize many haven’t been exposed to these facts and don’t know they don’t know!
Interesting facts about the FDA…
Nutrition facts label. Mandated by the FDA and required on most pre-packaged food sold for public consumption, the nutrition facts label is meant to serve as a guide to a specific product’s ingredients based on an average 2,000 calorie a day diet.
Although the FDA sets specific and explicit guidelines (down to the typeface and font size to be used), there remains room for ambiguity.
Moreover, did you know that restaurant and packaged foods can actually have more calories than what is indicated on the nutrition label? Studies have found that the worst offenders are side dishes — sometimes exceeding the restaurant’s reported calorie content by as much as 200 percent.
All of that aside here are 10 little known facts about the nutrition facts label:
Foods with less than five calories meet the definition of “calorie free”
If fat is present at a level below 0.5 g, the level of fat is expressed as 0 g
The term serving or serving size means an amount of food customarily consumed per eating occasion by persons 4 years of age or older
The serving size for maraschino cherries is one cherry
Manufacturers determine the accuracy of the nutrient contents of their own product(s)
The FDA does not check for the accuracy of product labeling (but will occasionally collect “surveillance” samples to monitor the accuracy of nutrition information)
The FDA does not maintain a database of nutrition information, but instead reviews and accepts industry databases
For products usually divided for consumption (e.g., cake, pie or pizza), the serving size shall be the fractional slice of the ready-to-eat product (e.g., 1/12 cake (tiny piece), 1/8 pie (tiny slice), 1/4 pizza – usually two slices)
Sulfites are considered incidental ingredients and need not be listed among the label’s ingredients
Allergens other than the eight major food allergens are not subject to FALCPA (Food Allergen Labeling and Consumer Protection Act) labeling requirements. FALCPA’s labeling requirements do not apply to a sandwich that was prepared by say, a deli or a restaurant. Incidentally, the eight major food allergens as defined by the FALCPA are: milk, eggs, fish, shellfish, tree nuts, wheat, peanuts and soybeans.
Here are some fun facts about fitness:
1. For every pound of muscle you have, you burn an extra 50 kcals
2. Muscle weighs 3x more than fat, but is smaller in size (so when you put on muscle, you
might weight a little more and be much smaller!
3. If you are playing with kids and keeping up to their pace…that is equivalent in caloric burn
as a vigorous hike.
4. Mentally visualizing completing a fitness activity is a powerful way of motivating yourself to
complete it. The more you visualize, the more realistic your outcome will be.
5. One pound of body fat represents about 3500 calories of exercise. Generally, running consumes about 100 calories per mile and cycling about 20 calories per mile. The numbers vary with speed, body weight, and fitness level.
6. Muscle confusion workouts are very important to create a fit body. Yahoo.com reports over 88 thousand hits on the phrase “Muscle Confusion.” As opposed to repeating the same workout day after day, Muscle Confusion workouts vary the activities in order to keep your body from adapting too quickly. We previously referred to this epiphany as “cross-training”. For example, a marathon runner intersperses speed work, cycling, and weight training with traditional long distance running workouts. This strategy offers mental and physical benefits. Your body must continuously adapt to new stresses and your mind receives varying amounts of stimulation. You don’t get bored as quickly.
Most of all…keep learning, we all know that when we stop learning, we lack growth and empowerment! Stay educated and interested!
Change is great for our routines
Monday I started to write this week’s Wednesday Wellness with the topic focused around transitions and change. I was thinking about kids going back to school, vacations ending, teachers starting up their classrooms again and parents getting back to their routines.
I was reminded about more traffic in the mornings and the effect this has on our workout plans, our routines, and our social time.
People tend to get more serious around the fall feeling like it’s time for “change” and time to get rooted and grounded.
I wanted to write about how change is great for our routines, the adaptation of change keeps us eternally growing.
Well then, Monday night, I received some personal news about a change that was about to happen in MY world and all of a sudden this whole “change” and “transition” idea didn’t feel so awesome!
I tried to continue my writing about change come Tuesday, then again earlier this morning and had a complete writer’s “block”. I didn’t WANT to transition! I didn’t WANT change!!! I wanted my routine! (can anyone relate?)
One of my (many) awesome sister in laws, reminded me that maybe why I had a hard time writing about transition is because I got totally derailed and I didn’t know how to find my track again. So true! You know, when life offers us expected change, we already have a plan and we can stay to our course. When life offers us unexpected change, often we get off our path and are so daunted and overwhelmed, we don’t know how to find our way and simply decide (because the choice is ultimately ours) to stay “off path”…taking months, maybe years to figure out where we are supposed to be and go. This place of “nowhere” can dig us into a deep hole that can be overwhelming to crawl out of.
The reality here is no matter what transitions happen in our life, deep down, we have an innate belief of who we are, where we want to be and WHO we want to be, or rather know we CAN be. We know what we want in our life, what patterns and behaviors we will and will not accept and we know on some level what our purpose is. We may need to take a pause and look at things a little differently and we might need to make some changes to get there that weren’t in our initial plans; but at the beginning and end of the path, road, rail, journey or day, deep down, we always have a direction if we listen to the quite voice inside.
At the simplest level, when we look at our health, we know what we are capable of. We know what feels good and what doesn’t. We know what will make us healthy in our minds and in our bodies. We know how to transition and we know change is good for us.
Change can make space for things we can’t see when we are so focused on our limitations. Looking back through history, the World’s as well as our own, we see unexpected change can often lead to some of the most amazing stories of our life. We need to be open and stay open, even in times when we are uncertain, scared, frustrated, overwhelmed and plain ol tired! We also need to stay connected to those people and routines which are our foundation…which continue to lead us to a balanced mind and body.
A very special friend passed along a nugget earlier this week to me~
“It is not the strongest of the species that survives, nor the most intelligent that survives. It is the one that is the most adaptable to change”.
No matter if the transition is big or small…it’s time to adapt and rock it out of the park!
Let food be thy medicine
Let food be thy medicine and medicine be thy food”
― Hippocrates
Have you ever heard this before? There are many “known” foods/supplements/vitamins which we know to be helpful to our health, such as Calcium, Flaxseed, Fish oil, and Chia Seeds…but I thought I would share some lesser known goodies to put in your arsenal of healing foods/herbs: I know when I was first introduced to many of these herbs, etc; it changed my entire thinking about “food”!
Aloe: Aloe juice has a healing effect on the gastrointestinal tract and can ease heartburn and acid reflux
Bacopa: Studies show that bacopa reduces anxiety while helping the mind learn quickly and retain information. Some researchers believe it may also help prevent and treat dementia and Alzheimer’s disease
Black cohosh: It is rich in phytoestrogens that may ease both immediate and long term effects of menopause. In one recent study, black cohosh was as effective as estrogen in decreasing hot flash symptoms
Garlic: Garlic helps fight infection; lowers cholesterol levels and triglycerides, reduces blood pressure and slows the progression of hardening of the arteries.
Green foods (my personal favorite) Studies have shown that the healing properties of green foods, such as spirulina, chlorella, wheat grass and chlorophyll, are astounding and have an impact on cholesterol, blood pressure, immune response, cancer and oxygen delivery. Green foods are also rich in essential fatty acids, vitamins and minerals.
Oregano: This herb is used to prevent (or treat) colds and flu, sore throats, sinus congestion, bacterial infection, bronchitis, rashes, aches, and fungal infections. It is rich in antioxidants, minerals, fiber and has some healthy omega 3’s.
Milk Thistle: This herb is a premier liver health nutrient. It’s active ingredient is silymarin, which is a concentrated source of antioxidants. Milk thistle has been used in Europe as a treatment for liver disease since the 16th century.
Maca: Maca is a plant from Peru which is thought to elevate mood and boost testosterone. In menopausal women, maca may help reduce anxiety and depression.
These are just a few herbs and foods known through many studies to help heal our bodies according to Better Nutrition 75th anniversary edition (as well as my own personal experience).
Of course, before you jump into taking these; if you are on any medications or have any known health issues; please check with an expert first!
Go for better health and feel free to ask me any questions! Enjoy~ There’s always an abundance of interesting foods to help yourself get younger from the inside out!
Interesting info…
I read the below in a nutrition magazine and thought it interesting enough to pass along! Enjoy~
Monday
The day of the week when you’re most likely to break a bad habit or start a new, healthy one (like quitting smoking or beginning an exercise or diet plan), according to research by the Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Heath. That’s 52 chances a year to live a better life.
2,000,000
The number of smokers that either quit or die of tobacco-related diseases each year.
Strawberries
The only fruit whose seeds grow on the outside.
Avocados
Have the highest calories of any fruit at 167 calories per hundred grams.
Caffeine
Increases the power of aspirin and other painkillers, that is why it is found in some medicines.
Tooth
The only part of the human body that cannot heal itself.
Tongue
The only muscle in your body that is attached at only one end.
Most of us have insurance…
Most of us have insurance… We have insurance for our cars, our health, our homes, or rental(s). We have liability insurance for our business. In those insurance policies, we have a plan for what might happen in case of something catastrophic happens. We have a “plan” for disaster. We know it could happen (we hope it doesn’t); but just in case, we know we will pick ourselves back up because we have a strategy and a game plan to land back on our feet.
Well, remember the last time you started an intense workout program and you were doing great…ramping up your training, getting ready for your vacation and feeling great? Then unexpected work got in the way and you missed a few workouts…a few led to weeks and then, and, you just stopped. You had a “disaster” (stopping), but no strategy on what your plan was when (I say WHEN…because 99% of the time this happens) you got derailed. It never occurred to you to plan for a failure!
How about that time you were on this amazing weight loss program and you were feeling so strong, committed and determined? Then you went out to dinner with your best buds after this horrendous day at work and the next thing you know you were having fried calamari, blue cheese wedge salad and the biggest cheeseburger you could wrap your fingers around (let’s not forget about the mud pie afterwards). The voice inside your head decided you might as well continue with the debauchery and have pancakes the next morning…leading to a 3 pound weight gain by Monday…. Again, here, you didn’t have your disaster plan set up. After the plate of calamari and dip, you didn’t know what to do for your relief blue print.
The place of denial will get us in big trouble here! Although it’s wonderful to think that we’ll workout every day for the rest of our lives at 99% and we will eat perfectly every meal of every day; however there are some who do this…(few) … but human chances are there will be days that disaster strikes! We get frustrated, we lack confidence, we don’t want to “work” and we simply decide that “just this once” we will go off track. You know what? That’s ok! We ALL (except for the .0001%) do it! The trick is what to do AFTER you go off track so that you don’t beat yourself up and continue the cycle. The other key is to get back on track immediately…not several days or weeks later.
Here’s where the catastrophic plan comes in to play.
Right now, while you feel strong, while you are on track, decide what you are going to do WHEN it happens! Decide how quickly you will turn it around and decide to move on. Make an outline of whom to call; like a friend or coach; or consider writing in your journal. Decide after you come to your senses that the next food you eat will be something nutritious and grown from the earth (vs. a lab)…the healthiest thing you can think of. Write down now that you will go for a walk or a run the next day and stick to your commitment. Whatever feels right to you…don’t wait until after the wheels come off to decide how to pick yourself back up…decide now what you will do so when you’ve ventured down the wrong side of the deli counter, you know exactly what and how you will recover. That is your insurance policy and your deductible is the effort!
Dinner tonight
Many times when we work with clients on nutrition, there is a huge variance on what one believes to be the correct calories and portion sizes for their bodies and the not so pretty truth. One of our clients sent me this link which is eye opening. I love visuals! Check this out to see what you can get for 200 calories. It’s like bargain shopping at Nordstrom’s vs. bulk shopping at (well, fill in the blank here)…
Enjoy and when you have your dinner tonight, consider where your 200 kcals are coming from!
Goals!
Have you ever wanted to achieve a specific goal, yet only claimed it in your “inside” voice? Then quickly thought you could never truly accomplish it?
To say goals are important is an understatement. Goals will help you move forward in life in your work, health, family, personal growth, finances and even leisure. However, goals only become a reality when you actually claim them and move towards them some how, some way…but you move in a direction.
Let’s say you had a goal to run a marathon, (inside voice) but you hardly even go out for hikes. Your bravado might claim this is what you want to do, but that ever present doubt persists and will keep saying “some day”.
Well folks, someday is now! Not that you need to run a marathon tomorrow, but that you start with walking around the block, then a mile, then 2, then 3, then run a lap at the track and so forth. This goal might take years. You’ll need to eat better, rest more and make sure you take care of your body. You set a goal to walk a 5 K, then you run a 5 K, then you train more often and possibly hire a trainer specializing in running; then you run a 10 K…and you keep working. You have days you feel tired, days you feel too busy, days which are cold and rainy and then you realize that most days you feel energized, you feel in your best mood ever and you look in the mirror and see you look 5 years younger than you did a few months ago and you feel 10 years younger!
Last weekend I rode 207 miles with a team of phenomenal friends and clients from Body Firm. We cycled from Seattle to Portland. We did our first 147 miles on Saturday and the rest on Sunday. There were many logistics to making this event successful and many amazing people who we couldn’t have done it without; but at the end of the day every single rider in this event did it from their own perseverance, strong will, determination, focus, healthy habits, dedicated training and most of all pure will.
4 years ago, the goal was a 72 mile bike ride and never in our wildest dreams did anyone think of riding the Seattle to Portland route; it wasn’t even remotely on our radar.
Still, with dedicated spirits, everyone worked just a little bit harder each season, each year and it led us to this past weekend. Truly one of the proudest moments of my life, not only for myself, but for every rider in our group and the overall ride event. They ALL were truly amazing.
The effort was a team collaboration and non of us could have done it as well without the other’s help, encouragement and support. The power of a team and the power of moving towards a goal together is underemphasized in most cases. Over the years, it was one foot (or pedal) in front of the other, each time taking slightly bigger steps while building more confidence and strength.
There were times when sickness came in to play, family issues which were overwhelming needed to be prioritized, finances were overwhelming and injuries occurred (some quite serious)…but at the end of the day, there was the bigger goal, always in sight and never forgotten. That underlying goal was to be and stay healthy and the events were and are a means to keep us there (here).
I’ve seen some amazing athletes with extreme limitations. Riders with one leg (no prothstetic), riders who do not have legs, runners who do have prothstetics (and passed me I might add) and participants who have overcome near death experiences due to heart disease and other health related issues only to become healthier as they age with the right exercise and nutrition.
I’ve seen clients lose 100 or more pounds through extreme commitment, daunting determination and focus. I’ve seen clients who have reversed life threatening diseases through this same grit and fire.
This past weekend, I learned of a rider cycling from Washington to New York…with one arm (he lost his other limbs in an accident). Now THAT is grit.
So why do we give up (“we” meaning so many of us who live this life) so easily…so soon…before we begin?
I think we forget that to achieve our dreams and goals; we first need to claim them~ even start to dream about them! We need to visualize what it will take, map out our action plan and start with that first step. We need to look for professionals to help us and friends to support us. We need to forgive ourselves when we have off days, brush off the dirt from falling down and keep our ultimate dreams in focus and keep moving towards them. We need to have faith in the power of our support systems, encourage others as helping others is a beautiful way to live and most of all…believe in our own power and strength.
Gardening
Have you ever had a garden or even planted flowers? If so (which I suspect many of you have), you would go buy the healthiest looking plants, get some enriched soil and start on your journey to optimal healthy beautiful plants; maybe even producing tasty fruits or vegetables. Then, one day you realize you forgot to water them and they begin to wilt, so you rush out and take care of them; hoping the water and maybe a little extra “juice” can revive the plants.
We go to great lengths for our gardens, flowers, landscaping and even the flowers someone gave us to ensure they are kept beautiful.
Do we do this to our bodies? When we forget to “water”, or give our cells nutrient dense “soil”, do we take care to revive our bodies immediately?
Too often, I see we take care of our bodies as though we are cactus! We forget to water, we fail to use nutrients which feed us well, we feel no need to “prune” our bodies (exercise) and in general, simply ignore our need to grow!
Take notice of the beautiful plants around you this week, see who takes care of their garden ~ and take care of your!
Enjoy the basics!
Alkaline friendly foods, Detox diets, food elimination plans, functional fitness workouts, movement screening…all of these plans we do at Body Firm; however sometimes just getting back to basics is all one really needs to get their momentum started. Basic nutrition is the foundation to anyone and everyone’s good eating plan.
There are 3 macro nutrients
Carbohydrates
Fats
Protein
Each macronutrient holds a certain amount of kcals per gram. A carb is = to 4kcals per gram. A protein is = to 4 kcals per gram and a fat (good or bad) is = to 9 kcals per gram. A slight deviation here is alcohol is measured under a carb, but is = to 7 kcals per gram.
So, if you have a high fat meal with alcohol, you are going to load up on a lot more calories in a little tiny bit of food, than if you had lean protein and light nutritious carbs (like vegetables). In fact by volume, you can have almost triple the same about!
To understand what’s what without making this too complicated…a carbohydrate breaks down, or is reduced to sugars (energy) or a chain of sugars and carbohydrates will look like anything from an asparagus tip, a slice of bread to a jelly bean!
A protein is most commonly recognized as coming from an animal or fish source. Keep in mind although this is true, if its a fatty piece of meat, it’s fat and protein (and remember, those fat grams add up 2 1/2 times faster; so a lean piece of fish and a fatty piece of steak will have hugely different caloric and nutritional values). Other protein sources come from plants (like kale, spinach, artichokes, seaweed, spirulina, peas and hearts of palm)
Fat gets complicated. Fat is found 4 different ways. Saturated fats (bad), Trans fats (bad) monounsaturated fats (good) and Polyunsaturated fats (good). Any easy way to remember good vs. bad is if it’s from an animal or a lab, usually “Bad”; if it is grown from the earth (like an almond or avocado) or from the sea (like a fatty fish) it’s a good fat. Regardless, the calories add up fast; so use these good fats sparingly. A little goes a long way.
Here are some common foods to help you recognize what goes in what category. Obviously there’s many many more foods out there, but maybe this will give help you a little.
Carbs:
vegetables
fruits
candy (if there’s butter in the candy, it will have significant fat content)
bread
potatoes
cereal
juice
sugar
alcohol
Fats:
cheese (some protein)
nuts (some protein and carb)
Tofu (some fat and protein)
olive oil
meat fat
poultry skin
fried foods (also carb from the batter)
butter
avocado
nut butters
most traditional salad dressing
margarine
crisco (the original trans fat)
egg yolk
seeds (some protein)
Protein
egg whites (all protein)
shell fish
fish
chicken (the darker the meat the more fat, but not a ton more)
turkey (same as above)
Buffalo
ostrich
beef (the fattier the beef, the less protein)
milk (some carb and if more than nonfat will have fat too)
vegetable protein powders
whey protein powders
Now when you navigate through the restaurant menus or the grocery stores, try to have all 3 when you eat; making the biggest portions that from vegetables and lean proteins and see if you can have only ONE fat each time you eat. A big bonus…vegetables (except potatoes and corn) are FREE…so go for those often!
Enjoy the basics!
Alkalinity… again
You’ve probably heard me talk about alkalinity once, twice or a hundred times (or at some point completely tuned me out ha ha) …but do you really know what it means?
This might help you out…
Although you may feel you’re pretty healthy and don’t seem to have any major health problems, it is very likely that you’re body is out of balance. I’m not referring to whether you can walk in a straight line – I’m talking about what’s going in interally. Some of the symptoms of overacidity are; bloating, eczema, psoriasis, muscle cramps, swelling, headaches, fatigue, allergies, colds, flu, sinus problems, joint pains, acid reflux to name a few. This can be (and quite often is) linked to an acidic body.
If you have ever tested the PH of a pool or hot tub…our bodies are kind of like this…wherein we have a PH balance. That pH scale goes from 0-14 with 7 being neutral. Below 7 is ACID; above 7 is ALKALINE with the optimal blood level being 7.365.
You can buy PH Strips from most health foods stores. Might be interesting to test yourself (directions are in the packets)
The pH level of our internal fluids affects every cell in our bodies. The entire metabolic process depends on an ALKALINE environment. FACT: The majority of the foods typical of a Westernised diet are ACID-forming; meat, bread, dairy products, alcohol, caffeine, sugar, refined carbohydrates, saturated fats etc. Chronic overacidity corrodes body tissue and can interrupt all cellular activities and functions. It is the root of all sickness and disease…scary; but powerful to know. It is also what’s keeping many of us overweight! (I’m not saying you are carrying excess weight; but if you’re struggling to shift those pounds, then it’s very likely that you’re system is too acidic!)
Tragic…but it’s known that cancer LOVES an acidic environment. Just one more very valid reason to stay limit the intake of meat and the cheese and the dairy products, artificial sweeteners, and all that other refined stuff that we try to convince ourselves are not that bad. (I lived in that place of denial for many many years!)
Okay, so you’re probably wondering what you CAN eat if all the other “good” (read toxic) stuff is out of the question?! (at least for a good 70% of your/our diets.
If you were to guess the answer to that question – what would it be? Something green?! You betcha!! YES…this is why you see me drinking down a plant smoothie every morning!
As human beings, we need oxygen to survive; we simply cannot live without it. Something you might never have really considered is that I oxygen isn’t found in cooked or processed foods, nor is it found in meat or cheese. Oxygen is found in green chlorophyll. Chlorophyll is the substance in plants that allows them to absorb light from the sun and covert that light into usable energy.
Here’s a little known fact…; Chlorophyll is chemically related to blood – the only difference being that the main atom is hemoglobin (blood’s oxygen transporter) is iron, while in chlorophyll it’s magnesium. Chlorophyll contains a powerful blood builder that is said to increase red blood cells, improve circulation, ease inflammation (which we know promotes angiogenesis or cancer cell growth), oxygenates the body and counteracts free radicals. Yes, you can gather that Chlorophyll is really really good for you. So by eating fruits, veggies, dark greens especially, we fill our bodies with liquid oxygen, the single most important element keeping us alive and it doesn’t hurt our cycling performance either!
Here’s a list to help you know which foods are alkaline:
Veggies; cucumbers, kale, broccoli, cabbage, cauliflower, celery, spinach, chard, lettuce, parsley, lentil sprouts, onions, garlic, leeks, alflalfa sprouts, broccoli sprouts, wheat grass, arugula, parsley, cilantro, artichokes, green beans, winter squash, sweet potatoes, Bok choy, beets (golden and red) carrots etc
Fruits; avocados,(many of you smiled at this one) tomatoes, limes, lemons, apples, watermelon, grapes, berries. (Note; lemons, limes and oranges are acidic fruits but actually become alkaline once they are consumed.
Ideally, eat a lot of “raw” foods that are living to give you oxygen, enzymes, energy, minerals, vitamins, cancer-fighting phytonutrients etc. Cooked is great too, however to really maximize the alkaline benefits, foods in it’s most natural state (except tomato paste) give us the highest level of nutrition.
Eat foods that are low glycemic (ie do not send your blood sugar soaring)
If you do enjoy meat/dairy products then try to eat free range~ organic AND adopt an 80/20 or 70/30 rule where you eat 80/70% raw to 20/30% cooked food.
I know this is a lot…and this is “ideal”…so just starting with having more “Green” in your diet is a wonderful way to start the alkalinity cycle!
Enjoy and please ask me if you have any questions about this.