Greetings. Today's posting offers help for what I call addressing 'American sagging diets'. Many times we're rushing about here and there but we forget to slow down for proper hydration...or even the bathroom.
Always take care of your kidneys. Alot of people are walking around in dehydrated states, suffering from what I call 'water/oxygen depletion'. Ask the fireman in your local community what their primary concern is. They'll tell you...people are poorly hydrated.
Then, if we shift to addressing dietary fads -- diets really don't work for the long haul. They'll help you shed the initial water weight, even burning fat at the expense of lean muscle... but because your body constantly likes to believe it's sitting in feast or famine states, you see the challenge to keeping a leaner body. You always have to keep your body 'off-balance', training at different times of the day, changing also what you eat..., when you eat.
So what can you do? Do you negate newer diet trends or do you ignore recent findings
or do you follow the doctor's recommendation for a 'low-fat' diet (usually a poor long-term recommendation). More will be shared along those lines in the coming paragraphs but let me share with you my solution.
A primary rule I use when food shopping is to follow the cavewoman's guide to proper nutrition --
'Feed the inner cavewoman'. By that.., I mean to suggest evolution has been in charge of our genetics for a very long time. Now that Americans have been consuming processed foods for several decades, it's creating changes in the way be break down and absorb our nutrients and it's not pretty. A large majority of people are now facing obesity earlier in life. So, you have to think along hunter - gatherer lines whenever you're walking down a food aisle.
It doesn't hurt you to eat berries and nuts.
If you consume your fats during the day, stick to early morning or noon. Eat lean foods later on as nighttime approaches...and drink just a bit more water during your early PM.
You know that any label which makes a food look pretty probably isn't helpful. You want high nutrition instead of empty calories. You know what the rules are already.
Stick with raw foods, if you don't have a sensitive digestive system (as in having had no prior cases of serious food poisoning compromising your intestinal tract).
Anything with a 'hydrogenated' anything is NOT helpful. Your body doesn't know how to handle it.
When you're craving sugar, that's your body's signal to eat lean protein.
Starve the fat in your body by reducing the sugary intake but feed your muscles and you'll begin to see changes in your metabolism. Keep in mind, by feeding the genetic
cavewoman within, over time... you will see positive changes. If you gain weight initially with any dietary changes or changes in the way you exercise, that means you're adding muscle first. Then, your body will begin to burn the fat.
Let's address the doctor's recommendation to stick with a 'low fat' diet. Don't take this advice too far. You need good fats (Omega 3's and 6's...you can find in fish)...but you have to stay out of the bakery section. Sorry. If you can't do that, then buy 'Low Pudge Brownies' made with vanilla yogurt and consider using a margarine substitute like low calorie applesauce bake. You can use this product in place of butter but never use Crisco. That stuff will permanently clog your arteries!
To nurture working moms further --
The reality is we have to be strong and full of vitality to take good care of ourselves and others. So what some will say is good for you -- well..., you'll have to decide for yourself. In all things, my #1 rule is to use common sense. It's served me and others like me very well.
If you're feeling fatigued too often, consider adding a decent multi-vitamin and minerals to your daily diet. A strong mineral supplement I highly recommend is Emergen - C (pronouned emergency). You can find it in the powdered supplement section. If you're not sure, feel free to ask someone in the store for help. They'll know what this product is. But, it boosts immunity greatly. It will help you fend off colds and other nasty unwanteds. There's also a joint formula I recommend that's very good. Take 1 or 2 packages/day, depending upon personal preferences.
3 other rules you want to keep in mind daily, to shed unwanted weight or to manage present weight:
1) Control your carbohydrate intake
Good carbs..., bad carbs..., it doesn't matter. Your body knows how to convert starches into sugars easily. So, you have to limit your intake of these substances (whites, whole grains, etc.), whatever they are just to keep your body optimally burning those daily calories.
2)Control your weight
Additions of weight in the winter are common. One of the best ways to offset this weight gain due to limited outdoor activity levels is to find a variety of exercises you can easily adopt, indoors or otherwise.
What you gain in the winter, you must shed in the summer. There's no way around this reality.
3) Burn fat and speed metabolism
Let's face it. Whether you're running after your children or running after a collegue, this is the best activity you can get each day. I know working moms are tired but consider walking farther in a parking lot (instead of parking close to your house or work entrance).
Avoid the elevator. Take the stairs as a rule. Always do this if your knees will allow. If you're greatly overweight, then use your common sense. Push yourself a little bit more than you're traditionally use to and ask a doctor if you're not sure what you can incorporate. But, whatever you choose to do..., walking, walking faster..., taking those stairs, you have to become more active than you are now, if you're going to burn the fat, speeding up your engine.
If you're stuck, consult a gym. Consider paying for a professional fitness assessment to determine where you should begin. If that's not workable, consider
joining a support group of some type where everyone shares in a similar goal (working out often..., helping each other stave off unhealthy foods..., goals like that).
4) Bonus rule -- if you're underweight -- don't carb out. You have to begin to add muscle by most likely adding weight lifting or some type of weight bearing activity. This will help you put meat on your bones. You'll want to add more lean protein to your diet to accomplish this goal but you must keep your workouts going consistently to hit this new target.
If you any questions, feel free to leave a comment or an e-mail and I'll do my best to personally answer your fitness/dietary needs.
Supporting Better Health,
Barbara Brinkmeyer, MBA
4th Degree Black Belt
Certified Instructor
New Paradigm Marketing, All Rights Reserved on Original Content 2008.
