So Excited I can't Stand It

In the Trenches

So exciting, I can’t stand it.

This past Friday, I met with John Bauer, co-owner/founder of the The Foodery.

The Foodery is a meal deliver service that focuses on cooking and delivering high quality prepared meals, using organic, pesticide, and hormone free ingredients sourced from local and sustainable sources.

 After reviewing their website and blog as well as meeting with John face to face, I know that The Foodery will be an excellent solution for some of you who struggle with finding good nutritious meals that are also convenient.

As they have generously offered to send me a sample meal bundle, which I will receive Sunday evening, I am holding off on a full and detailed review.  But in the meantime, I wanted to whet your appetite, pun intended, and get the word out there about this awesome company.

Sitting Is the Smoking of Our Generation

Many of you have heard me say on the training floor, “we spend so much time sitting. We sit in our cars on the way to work, then we sit hunched over a desk all day, back in our cars, eat dinner sitting, and watch TV sitting then bed. That is why we try to have you do as many exercises as we can standing.”

In fact, I was just talking with Jess, the Manager of Brookline Village, how I walked by one of our competitors who shall be nameless and noticed that all the exercises were being done seated.  Seriously, not only is it not optimal, I won’t say not effective because even seated exercise is better than no exercise, but I’m thinking B-O-R-I-N-G.  After sitting all day, I want to get up, move around get the blood flowing.

Now granted there are some people that have certain physical limitations and can’t stand.  I’m not talking about them.  I’m talking about seemingly healthy individuals spending 80-90% of their waking day sitting.

That being said, I’d like to share an article Sitting Is the Smoking of Our Generation: Nilofer Merchant.

I have to be honest, I stole it from TonyGentilcore, who is not only one of the most awesome strength and conditioning coaches out there, but he is one of the nicest guys you will ever meet.  Tony stole it from someone else. I’m not sure what the etiquette is in terms of how far back do you need to go to credit someone.  If anyone knows, please feel free to pass on the info.

The gist of the article is that we as a culture have become so accustomed to spending the majority of our day seated that it doesn’t even strike us that it’s something to be concerned about, much like smoking was back in the day.  The author, Nilofer Merchant goes on to discuss the extend that sitting has had on our health and how he has implemented a strategy to help him get more activity into his life.

It’s a well thought out and enlightening read.  I hope you all take the opportunity to read it.

A Paradigm Shift

In the Trenches: A Paradigm Shift

Last week I addressed the idea of making a paradigm shift in thinking of nutrition from a place of restriction

“I can’t eat….” To one of empowerment “I don’t WANT to eat….”

I’d like to continue on in the same vain this week.  I’ve been thinking a lot about this paradigm shift and I realized that when I concentrate on getting strong and eating in such a way that will support my endeavor, I actually eat better and feel more empowered and in control and really good things start to happen.

 I get stronger, that goes without saying.  My body fat usually decreases but more importantly, when I feel strong,  I have a healthier body image regardless of my weight or body fat.

I don’t feel deprived and I’m not always thinking about what I “can’t eat” but about “What I DO WANT to eat to support my goal”.

Terms such as “diet”, “weight loss”, and “fat loss” connote negativity and self-denial.  Whereas terms such as strength and health are positive and empowering.

When making decisions about the food we eat, let’s try to think how does this food affect my body?  Will what I am about to eat feed my body and allow it to work the way it was designed?  Will it help boost my immune system?  Will it support proper digestion? Will it the proper uptake of and production of the hormones that promote good emotional health and sleep?

If we keep in mind that our bodies are a series of complex chemical reactions, then food when broken down into its chemical components is in fact medicine, and good nutrition should be the first thing we think of when discussing health and preventing illness.

Eat a variety of vegetables in copious amounts, throw in a few servings of fruit, plenty of lean protein, some healthy fats: olive oil, olives, nuts, avocado etc. and some whole grains like brown rice, quinoa, millet and whole wheat to name a few.  Drink plenty of water, and keep consumption of added sugar and chemical additives to a minimum if at all.

Eat, enjoy and be healthy.

Nutritional Paradigm Shift

In The Trenches

Happy Post Holidays.

I don’t know about everyone else, but after days or so of not eating optimally, I feel like CRAP.

It’s really amazing how my body after a couple of days of eating hors d’oeuvres and Chinese food is SCREAMING for broccoli, and chicken and other fruits, veggies and good protein sources.

I’ll be the first to admit, I’m not perfect in regards to my nutrition, but I've come a long way. Case in point, here is what a typical day looked like for me back in the day.

• ·        Breakfast: Cereal most likely honey nut cheerios OR I’d pick up a cinnamon bun or doughnut with a cup of coffee
• ·        Lunch: sub, sandwich, hot dog and French fries, whatever
• ·        Dinner: cheese raviolis with veggies, butter and Parmesan cheese.

I also would often make a meal out of nachos. I ate a huge amount of cheese AND I’d always have something for desert, cookies or ice cream.

You get the picture, my nutrition was a mess.

Now that my nutrition is so much improved, I can’t even imagine eating that way for any length of time.

Last week I watched the documentary, “Hungry for Change”.  It’s about how the food industry misleads consumers into believing that chemically engineered “food” is good for us, but in reality is quite the opposite.

There were two key points that I took away that I would like to share:

First was a discussion on how our bodies instinctively know what foods it should eat to maintain optimum health and wellness.  WE just need to get re-connected and learn to listen and trust our natural instincts.

The second and we have all heard this before: “DIETS DON’T WORK”, at least long term. The reasoning, the moment you tell someone NOT to eat something, all they think about is what they aren't eating.  There needs to be a paradigm shift from, “I can’t eat such and such” to “I don’t want to eat such and such”.

How is this accomplished?  Simply concentrate on ADDING in the healthy stuff: vegetables, fruit, lean protein sources, healthy fats from nuts, avocado, and cold water fish.  Eventually the healthy foods and the desire for healthy food will crowd out the less healthy foods, as your body and your mind start to work optimally and efficiently.

Tis the Season for Goal Setting

In the Trenches:

#6 12/4/12

Tis the season for Goal setting.

As we begin to look back on 2012 and look forward to 2013, it is the time of year where we assess how far we have come in achieving our goals, where we fell short, and setting new goals for the New Year.

Goal setting is crucial to success.  For without a goal, without a definitive destination, we will never know when we have succeeded.

But something we don’t discuss is that having a goal isn’t enough.  There has to be action in terms of changing behaviors in order to support that goal.

 

I challenge all of us during this holiday season to not just consider what our goals are going to be, but also, evaluate:

·       Did my behaviors match my goals?

·       If not, then why not?

·       What behaviors do I need to change?

·       If I’m not willing to change my behaviors then maybe I need to change my goals.

If we choose to keep our goals then how do we go about changing our behaviors?  Is it necessary to change everything at once or will a one step at a time approach be as effective?

Now I don’t know about you, BUT I know for myself, even though I know what I need to do to get to my goal of 18% body fat, I’m struggling to just go all in.  I know if I just bite the bullet, I’ll start to see great progress right away, but at the same time, emotionally I don’t think I could handle it.  I’m going to get angry and feel deprived and eventually I’ll just break and all my hard work will go down the drain as I revert back to my old habits.

So what’s a girl to do?

Insanity: doing the same thing over and over again and expecting different results. 
Albert Einstein 

Since as far as I know, I’m not insane, I may be a little crazy, but not insane,  I’m going to try something different, and if you find you are stuck, I challenge you to do the same.

I’m going to work on one behavior at a time. 

I’m going to start with something simple that I know will be easy to implement but make a big difference in my overall health.

I will do this for one week then implement something else.  If after a week I’m still struggling, I’ll give it another week until I feel that I have a handle on it before implementing something else.

My Goal for this week:

Drink more water: specifically drink 3 full 27oz. water bottles or 81 total oz.

This is probably the easiest behavior to start implementing.  Instead of taking something away, like giving up an after dinner treat or glass of wine.  I’m adding something.  I’m adding something that my body needs and will help me function at a higher level. 

Do I expect that just working on my water intake will cause me to lose weight or body fat this week?  Not necessarily, BUT I know by doing so, I am priming my body for what is to come, ensuring that it can function optimally.

If you would like to join me on this experiment, why not email me what your goal for this week will be.

We can all keep each other accountable.

I started this morning.

So far I’ve drunk 1 27oz bottle.  I only have 2 more to go.

I better get drinking.

So who’s in?

Sugar Addiction

In The Trenches:

*Friday: November 16, 2012.

Please note, this was written a few weeks ago and sent to my clients,

eventually I will get caught up and the content will be in sync.

On Wednesday, I shared how I “cheated” with my husband and shared a Triple Chocolate Brownie in a Jar.

As the week wore on, I discovered that there were some interesting repercussions from that experience, which I never considered

And I’m sure you haven’t either, because, unless we are mindful and connected with our bodies, we would miss the connection.

Which leads me to today’s topic:  SUGAR ADDICTION

Sequence of events:

Tuesday:

·        Brownie in a Jar; could not stop eating it until it was gone, even though, I was full and getting to the point where I was feeling not so good.

Wednesday:

·        After lunch I found myself CRAVING sugar.  It was all I could do to resist getting a little treat at Peet’s to go with my coffee.  Now that’s the holidays are here, Peet’s has a nice big glass jar full of individually wrapped chocolate covered Oreos.  It was tempting: I thought to myself, it’s just one.  There is nothing wrong with just one and it’s not like it’s a whole package.  It’s a small controlled amount, just something to take the edge of the craving.  (sound familiar right-the justification)  BUT then my rational brain woke up. What OH NO you don’t!!  You told the ladies you were going to be transparent, you told them that you would be posting what you eat.  If you get that Oreo, you are going to have to post it on the blog, THEN are you going to start justifying it?. but it’s just one.  It’s controlled amount etc.  and then what.  And what happens tomorrow and the next day, it’s just one…..

Thursday:

·      No sugar cravings what so ever.

·        This confirms that I obviously have some level of sugar addiction, or propensity for sugar addiction.

·        Does that mean I never eat desert again? Yeah right, I’m no saint, and let’s face it Chocolate along with Bacon (we’ll get to bacon later) ARE the food of the gods.  But it means that I have to be mindful that if I do choose to indulge there may be some residual consequences in terms of withdrawal.

Sugar is addictive: same as drugs, caffeine, cigarettes etc.

I have broken my sugar habit before, and just like an addict, if I start to eat it again, even if it’s just one little thing like a cookie, it starts the cycle all over again.

I have long known from my own experience that sugar is addictive as I have been able to break out of the habit, but recently many top experts in the fields of nutrition, cardiovascular medicine and neuro- science are actively researching and discovering the extent of the negative impact sugar has on our health, from obesity, cardio vascular disease, cancer and maybe even Alzheimer’s.

Many of you may remember speaking about a 60 minutes segment back in April that spoke to this issue.

Here is the link to that segment.  I highly recommend that each of you take the time to watch it.

http://www.cbsnews.com/video/watch/?id=7403942n

My Food LOG:

Wednesday:

Work out: Rest day.

Meal 1:

·        Ezekiel Bread

·        Cashew Butter

·        Polaner all fruit.

Meal 2:

·        Pear

·        Protein shake

Meal 3:

·        Chicken

·        Mixed veggies

Meal 4:

·        Elite Gourmet protein bar

Meal 5

·        Salad: baby spinach, chicken sausage, portabella mushrooms, pear, raspberry vinaigrette

Meal 6:

·        Protein shake.

Thursday:

Work out: normally this is a training day for me, but I switched it to Saturday so I can work out with a friend.

Meal 1

·        Ezekiel Bread

·        Cashew Butter

·        Polaner all fruit

Meal 2

·        Heart Thrive cookie: the one we sell at the studio

·        Protein Shake

Meal 3:

·        Turkey burger, lettuce, tomato, cheese, bacon (2 slices: because everything is better with bacon-and a couple of slices every once in a while won’t kill you) on a whole wheat bun.

Meal 4:

·        Handful of pistachios

Meal 5:

·        Spinach salad: fresh mozzarella, tomatoes, roasted red peppers and steak tips, balsamic vinaigrette.

 Until next time, remember you can't out train a poor diet.

Welcome

Welcome to my blog,

My name is Michelle Becker and I am a personal trainer working in the greater Boston area.  In an effort to better understand and motivate my clients, I began a "blog".

Due to the overwhelming positive feedback I have received, I decided to take the blog public.

Below is the first installment.  I hope you will find it helpful in your quest for transformation.

Good afternoon everyone,

I’ve been thinking.
I do that every once in a while and sometimes I actually come up with good ideas and solutions to problems.
Who knew thinking could be so productive?

Anyway, like I said I’ve been thinking, why do some clients do so well?
They just seem to get it, and be able to focus and do what needs to be done to lose weight, while others, although they have the best intentions struggle.  It’s not that one group has more information or different information, it just seems that some people are better able to just flip the switch and keep it on, while others seem to for lack of better word short circuit.  There is a faulty switch that can’t decide if it’s going to stay on or not.

I’ve also been thinking a lot about leadership.  What defines a good leader, why are some leaders
better able to inspire and motivate than others.  What and who inspires and motivates me.

Although a big part of my role is to ensure the smooth running of the studio, the part that I enjoy the most and that gets me up in the morning and puts a smile on my face is working with you, my clients.

I take my position as the leader of your transformation very seriously, and I’m constantly thinking of how, I can best assist you.

So, I’ve been racking my brain to find a way to be a more effective leader, to better motivate and inspire and what I realized is the best leaders are those that have not only walked in the shoes of the people they lead but also share their experiences.

Therefore, I have decided to go public and be transparent in regards to my nutrition and training.

I will be from this day forward, “blogging” my own experiences, sharing with you my statistics, my goals, my daily nutrition as well as daily musings, struggles, realizations and anything else I can think of that may be relevant.
My goal is by getting down in the trenches (I’ve been reading a novel that takes place during WW1)-and let’s face it , in many respects, getting healthy, losing weight, changing a lifetime of bad habits is a form of doing battle.

Unfortunately for some of us, not winning the war could be a life and death situation.) I can better understand your struggles and come up with solutions as well as hopefully providing inspiration and motivation for you.

So without further ado, here are my stats.
Age: 48
Height: 5’ 0”
Weight: 115
Body Fat: 24.5%

Goal:
My weight is fine, I have no issues with that.  However, I am looking to drop my body fat down to 18% which for someone my age is pretty lean.  Ideally I would like to get to 18% without losing too much body weight as I am looking to maintain as much muscle as possible and if possible add some mass.

Training:
I work out 4 times a week. Two upper body workouts and two lower body workouts.  I typically try for Monday, Tuesday, Thursday and Friday.

Nutrition:
I have found for myself, that I do best when I eat higher protein and fat and get my carbs from fruits and vegetables, limiting my ingestion of starchy carbs  to breakfast and ideally to the 2 hour post workout window. OR when I really feel
I need them.

I find eating this way provides me with more energy, helps stabilize my mood and allows me to drop body fat without losing too much muscle.

Food log: Tuesday:
Meal 1: (this is my standard breakfast)
1 slice Ezekiel bread (sprouted grain bread)
2TBLS all natural Almond butter
1 TBLS Polaner all fruit
Protein shake

Work out: Upper body

Meal 2:
Home made Chilli: grass fed beef, tomatoes, black beans, green peppers and cheese
Meal 3:
Elite Gourmet protein bar by Dymatize: these are made by the same company that makes our protein. They had sent a sample. 175 kcals 16 grams of protein
Meal 3:
Plain yogurt with blueberries and ½ scoop protein powder
Meal 4:
Home made chilli: see above
Meal 5: cheat
I did cheat. My husband belongs to a networking group down on the South Shore and one of the members is the owner of Wicked Good To Go.  They make brownies and cupcakes in a jar.
She gave him a sample of their new Triple Chocolate Brownie in a jar.  We shared. It was very yummy.

OBSERVATION of the Day:
When I eat “clean” I am better able to self-regulate and I don’t over eat.  In fact, I noticed I eat until I get bored of what I’m eating which is at the point I feel comfortable.  Not overly full.
That being said, when I eat something like the Brownie in a Jar, that is loaded with sugar and fat.  Although the first few bites are awesome, I am not able to stop when it no longer tastes as awesome.
It’s like a drug and recent studies have proven that sugar has the same effect on our brain as narcotics.  I don’t stop until it is gone.  Even if I am able to stop when I’m full, after a few minutes, I’m back at it until it’s gone.