The Importance of Planning

Setting a goal is not the main thing. It is deciding how you will go about achieving it and staying with that plan.  ~Tom Landry

It's early evening as I write this blog post.  Like most of us, after you finish your work day, you're faced with household chores and the tasks of getting ready for the next day.  Often the last thing we want to add to that laundry list of chores is planning what we're going to eat.  Sometimes the thought of just putting one more thing on our "to do" list is enough to make us want to rebel, grab the bag of Cheetos and defiantly head to the couch. 

If it makes you feel better, sometimes I'm tired and don't want to plan either.  But because healthy eating is important to me, I make the time since I know it gives me that solid foundation to look and feel good and perform at my best. 

So my question to you is:  If something is really important to you, don't you make the time for it? 

Here's an excerpt from a blog post I wrote about planning earlier this year. 

Many people don't like to plan their meals or what they're going to eat. Instead they go about their day and grab whatever is available when hunger strikes. A lot of times we justify it in our minds by thinking: "Hey I'm busy, I don't have time to worry about another thing," or "It's not my fault I had to eat unhealthy food. I didn't have any other options. It was out of my control."

If you're trying to make a change in your nutrition, the importance of planning cannot be underestimated. To quote a chapter in Debbie Danowski's book The Emotional Eater's Book of Inspiration, "It is best to decide what to eat when you are full." Why you ask? Because when you're starving and ready to gnaw on your desk, it's much harder to make healthy choices when anything and everything looks delicious.

Now before you start throwing things at your computer screen and saying things like "Planning - she thinks I have time to plan. Does she know all the things I have to worry about?" You may be thinking, "I don't want to plan. I just want to eat whatever I want when I want."

To quote a passage from Debbie's book:

The truth is that you do have every right to eat anything at any time. But the question to ask yourself is how well has that been working for you? Are your eating patterns the way you want them to be? Is your life happy? Do you feel peaceful? Is your body a size you're comfortable with? In short, is this what you want for yourself?

If you're not happy with your life then the only solution is to try doing things differently.

It's just that simple.

There is no other way to change.

If you really want to make a change, don't allow yourself the excuse that you don't have time to plan. Take a few minutes to plan out at least a few meals and snacks. Give it a try. And if you need more personalized plans and support, I'm always here to help.

Skin Deep: Toxins in Cosmetics & Personal Care Products

While nutrition is focused on what food we're putting into our body, we also must consider what we're putting on our body that could have negative consequences to our health.

Today we're bombarded with reports about how our bodies are overloaded with toxins. In a previous blog I wrote about a Consumer Report's study that discovered toxic metals in several popular protein drinks and powders. Yet one culprit we make not think having a toxic load is our cosmetics and personal care products.

Though Glamour magazine reports that a woman eats anywhere from 4-9 pounds of lipstick per year, I don't think anyone would call Glamour a bastion of scientific knowledge. So while I think this figure is suspect, it still brings up the point that we may be ingesting chemicals that we never intended to. Many mainstream lipsticks consist of synthetic oils, dyes, and petroleum waxes.

Though this is slightly off-topic, I thought it was an important issue to raise. I also wanted to let you know about a helpful tool I found from the Environmental Working Group (EWG).

The EWG has a searchable cosmetic and personal care products database. You can search anything from makeup to skincare to sunscreen to toothpaste. The database rates each product on whether it has a low, moderate, or high toxic hazard based on its ingredients. I used it to search the makeup that I use and based on it decided to make the switch to organic makeup.

Good nutrition and health is not only about what you put in your body but also what you put on your body.

Product Spotlight: Sunflower Seed "Bread"

I'm happy to admit that I'm a health food product junkie. I love to flex my "chic card" by shopping not for shoes or clothes but for healthy food items that I can recommend to my clients. Going to the grocery store is a fun activity as I peruse the aisles, looking for the latest and greatest products. I get really excited when I find something new to recommend.

This weekend I found Lydia's Organics Sunflower Seed "Bread." Though it's called bread, it has the consistently of a dehydrated cracker but there is not a grain or flour in it. The list of ingredients is composed of easily recognizable, real food: Sprouted sunflower seeds, carrots, celery, sprouted flax, parsley, basil, dulse seaweed, herbs, and Himalayan salt. The 'bread" is gluten-free, raw, organic, and vegan. One slice is 100 calories with 5 grams of healthy fat coming from the sunflower seeds, only 7 grams of carbs, 4 grams of dietary fiber, and 5 grams of protein. This nice balance of nutrients is great for keeping your blood sugar and energy levels stable. One serving has 45% of your Vitamin A and 8% of your daily iron. It's also a low sodium food with only 65 milligrams per serving.

Since it's dehydrated, you can eat it like a cracker or quickly dip it in water to rehydrate it for a softer texture. Now that we're fully in the summer travel season, this would be a great product to take with you on trips - either in the car, on the plane, or even out camping.

I found this product at MOM's Organic Market in the DC metro area. You can also purchase it online. Check out Lydia's site as the company offers other interesting products such as green crackers, energy bars, and grainless cereals. Let me know what you think if you try any of the products.

The Nutrition Mistake Even I'm Guilty Of

I was in grocery store the other day and was walking past a display of cookies. The store had opened a container so people could sample it. Automatically my survival seeking lizard brain shouted "Free Cookie Must Eat!" I quickly snapped out of this barely conscious thought and was shocked at my mind's knee-jerk reaction. I wasn't hungry or particularly interested in the product, but it reminded me of the old joke of how you're on a "seefood diet" - you see food and eat it.

While noshing on free samples typically isn't an issue for me, I'm guilty of tasting things at home. Spoon some food on the plate and have a little taste. Cooking something and have a little taste. Putting the leftovers away and having a little sample. While having a little taste here and there doesn't seem like a lot, it can add up easily because it's such an unconscious habit. This is often a challenging point for my clients who have kids. Unconscious snacking can occur as you eat the leftovers off your kid's plate or snack as you make their lunches. An effective way to help realize how much you're really snacking is to take a ziploc bag and instead of putting all those little food tastes in your mouth, put in in the plastic bag and see how much food has accumulated by the end of the day. This exercise can be really shocking.

Another strategy that can help with unconscious snacking is keeping a food diary. Even if it's for only a few days, just the act of having to write down what you're eating often makes you much more aware of what you're putting into your mouth and provides insight and motivation into what changes need to happen.

Here's a link to a free food and activity diary called Figwee. What's different about this tool is it provides a picture of what you've eaten along with the nutritional information.

While your lizard brain may not be happy with your new focus, your waistline will.

Super Smoothies

I just finished my seminar on how to make nutritionally packed super smoothies. Smoothies are a delicious and easy way to include more fruits and vegetables in your day. Making smoothies yourself helps to control the calories and added sugars as many of the smoothies you buy at the popular chains can be anywhere from 400-500 calories for a small or medium and as much as 800-1000 calories for a large. Also, now that smoothies are so popular, beware of the frozen bags of fruit that say "smoothie packs." These tend to have added sugar instead of just plain, frozen fruit.

Here are a few recipes for some of the smoothies I made today. I like to use frozen fruit in my smoothies to thicken it instead of ice since I feel it dilutes the flavor a bit. I also like to use unsweetened Almond Breeze almond milk. Here's a link to a previous blog entry where I talk about this product and include another simple smoothie recipe. Feel free to experiment and modify the ingredients to fit your taste and calorie budget. You might also need to add more liquid depending on how many ingredients you add in and if you prefer a thinner or thicker texture.

Chocolate Peanut Butter Cup

1 cup low fat chocolate milk or unsweetened chocolate Almond Breeze almond milk

1/2 - 1 frozen banana (I take my overripe bananas, peel and slice them, place in a ziplock bag and freeze for smoothies)

1 scoop chocolate whey protein powder or protein powder of your choice

1 tablespoon natural peanut butter

Estimated calories: 300-400


Amazing Acai

Notes: This recipe uses frozen acai berries - an Amazonian berry that tastes like a blend of blueberries and chocolate. Acai berries are rich in antioxidants and healthy fats. You can find it next to the frozen berries at a natural market, such as Whole Foods, but feel free to substitute other frozen berries if you have difficulty finding it.

1 cup chocolate or vanilla unsweetened Almond Breeze almond milk

1 packet unsweetened Acai and Acerola frozen berries such as Sambazon or substitute 1/2-1 cup frozen unsweetened cherries

1/2-1 cup frozen wild blueberries, such as Wyman's

1 scoop chocolate protein powder

Optional: 1-2 small cooked beets, handful of fresh spinach and/or green powder such as Amazing Grass Green Superfood powder.


Estimated calories: 250-320

Starting the Journey

A journey of a thousand miles begins with a single step. - Lao-tzu

Do you ever just think about something on your "to do" list and feel so overwhelmed that you don't even know where to start?

I feel that way about organizing my office. Some days I feel like I'm drowning in paper. It's a constant daily struggle that I have to think about and work on if I want to keep up with it. I've fallen a bit behind on my filing and right now I have a large stack of papers taunting me.

Often when one feels overwhelmed, it's even more difficult to start on a task since you feel like a small step will hardly matter. It's amazing how we are magically able to find almost anything else to do - even organizing your sock drawer - rather than address the real issue.

Many people have the same feeling about losing weight, getting in shape, or just living a healthier lifestyle. You keep letting it go until the problem seems too overwhelming to tackle. You then become stuck, feeling like you don't even know where to begin.

It's often at this point we play the "justification" game on why we can't address the issue. We come up with a laundry list of reasons on why this isn't a priority such as I'm too busy or too stressed. Some folks focus on others and rage against the injustice of it all. For example, "Those darn healthy, skinny, muscular, etc.....___________ (fill in the blank) people have it so much easier than I do. It's just not fair." Others convince themselves it doesn't matter to them and it's really not important because if it was that might mean they would have to take action.

When the goal seems overwhelming, the most important thing is just taking the first step. Maybe that's choosing to eat a piece of fruit for dessert instead of a cookie. Maybe that's choosing to go for a walk around the block instead of settling into the couch for the evening. It's the consistent small steps that add up to the big changes.

If you're just learning to run, you can't expect to run 2 miles one day and be ready for a marathon the next. You have to train, practice, and keep working at it. You will accomplish your goal one step at a time but you'll never get there if you never start.