Traveling Healthy

Are you traveling for the holidays?
I know traveling and trying to eat healthy can be difficult. However, with a little bit of prep and planning it doesn't have to be.  You have some options.

The easiest, I find for me is just to take my food with me. I go with the fastest food on the planet! I pack things like apples, carrots, mandarin oranges, almonds, dates, bananas, kiwi chips, Suja green juices or shakeology powder and some water.

If you don't have space to pack your own food or just don't want to,  here are my tips:

1) Stick with water for liquids. No sense getting extra calories in through your drink. This is good advice anytime.

2) The airports usually have apples and bananas in some of their shops ( although anything you buy at an airport will cost you more. )

3) Now that almost everyone has smartphones, it is easy to google things like juice or smoothie bars.

4) At restaurants, choose salads with dressing on the side. Pick things like baked fish, poultry. Steamed vegetables. It is wise to not even look at the menu but to just ask the server, what vegetables they have on hand and then pick your source of protein you'd like. If you make sure you are getting plenty of fruit and vegetables on your trip it will fill you up and you won't have as much room for the not so healthy items. Some restaurants have healthy options noted on their menu though for your convenience.

5) Make sure you continue to move! We are traveling for Thanksgiving this year. My plan is to do some jumping jacks, squats, and jogging in place at the rest stops and potty breaks. 24 hours in the car can cause constipation so it's good to move as much as you can when your not in the car. I plan to do a pretty intense workout before I leave. I am also taking some workout videos that don't require equipment to do during my trip. You can also just do body weight exercises easily in a hotel room or small space if you don't have access to a gym. Take advantage of all the sight seeing and walking opportunities when you travel. Take the stairs when possible. Park further away and get some walking in.

6) Make sure to let those around you know in advance that you are trying to continue your healthy eating during the trip. Support is crucial to success.

7) Sleep and relaxation are great for digestion and weight loss.  So find time to relax and enjoy your trip.

These are some of my go to favorites when traveling. If you have found additional tips that help you, comment below. I'd love to hear what works for you.

Almond Pulp Crackers

I like to make my own almond milk. I do this because I know exactly what goes into it. I also do it because my family likes the taste better than store bought. One of the benefits is not only do I get fresh almond milk but I also get pulp which can be made into so many things. I have made peanut butter cookie bites and brownie bites (both healthy by the way) and today I made these almond pulp crackers. I'm not quite ready to post a recipe yet as I still have some playing around with it to get it perfect. They did taste good though. I made an apple cinnamon (top left), a garlic cheesy hemp (top right) and Garlic Italian (bottom). So far taste testers have picked the garlic cheesy hemp as their favorite. I agree it is the best so far. All ingredients for this recipe are in the healthy category. They are vegan and gluten free. Here are some more pics.

Almond Cinnamon:

I wanted to make a sweet cracker that could be eaten for breakfast or as a dessert. I have a sweet tooth.

Garlic Cheesy Hemp:

I used nutritional yeast in these to give them the cheesy flavor. These are by far my favorite and have turned out the best.

Garlic Italian:

These have great flavor but fall apart easily. I need to figure out that part. But because they fall apart easy, I am going to use them as a salad topper or with zoodles.

Eating healthy doesn't have to be hard or time consuming. It just takes a little bit of prep and getting your timing right. I recently did a workshop teaching others how easy it was to make their own homemade almond milk. They couldn't believe how quick it was. It is a staple in my kitchen. Because I do not eat tons of meat, most of my protein and fat comes from plant sources. I use almonds a lot due to their fantastic nutritional content.
Let me know what you think. Are you ready to bring some excitement into your diet and life!

Food and Connection

Most of the times when we are craving food, what we really want is connection. Someone to listen to us, validate us, and spend time with us.
We reach for that snickers bar or pan of brownies when we are sad and no one is around to comfort us. Food doesn't reject us like people do. It is always there. But it doesn't have to be this way. We can crave and desire God. He will always be there and never go anywhere either.
 So many of our traditions and activities are centered around food. A women's get together, a holiday, a church potluck. We become inundated with food and bad food choices at that. There are solutions to this as well.
I have been wanting some girl time. So today, I got together with a good friend. We talked and connected. We also made a healthy meal together. We took a social encounter and made it healthy.

This is creamy garlic roasted red pepper zoodles. The recipe came from pichofyum.com. It was so nice.
It was so fun to cook together, visit and eat.

I also made a dessert for the occasion. Healthy Homemade Banana Coconut Cream pie. X marks the spot on this healthy dessert. It was so yummy.

When the meal was over I felt fulfilled both from my friend and from the healthy food. No guilt here. If you need help turning a recipe healthy or more ideas on how to be healthy in today's world, let me know and stay tuned.

Surviving the Holidays

Are you worried about the holidays wrecking havoc on your health goals? They definitely can but you don't have to let them.  Here are some tips to help you enjoy the season without effecting your waistline.

1. Make your decisions now instead of later.   By this I mean, plan and decide now how often you will partake of foods that are not on your plan. By doing this you don't have to put yourself on the spot and be tempted in the heat of the moment. Once you have decided, stick to it. Tell friends, family and colleagues in advance your choices. It helps when everyone is on the same page.

2. Eat ahead of time.  When you eat a healthy meal before the party or event, you are less likely to binge during.  You can still have a small favorite something but this will keep you from hanging out by the buffet table.

3. Take a health treat with you to share. You can be an inspiration to those around you by bringing a healthy yummy alternative.

4. New Traditions. Many holiday traditions tend to be centered around the food. This is sad because what we really crave is connection. If you focus on being entertained by the people instead of the food, this will take you far. Incorporate some new games or activities into your holiday that strengthen family bonds.

5. Continue to make time to work out. This can help with holiday stress. If time is a real factor, try little things like taking the stairs, parking in the back of parking lots, or even doing 10 mins here and 10 mins there. 50 jumping jacks or 50 squats doesn't take very long and you could do them multiple times throughout your day.

6. Hydration. Make sure you are getting plenty of water. We need this anyway but especially to help us flush our systems. Also if you drink a huge glass or two of water before a party or gathering you will feel fuller as well.

These are just a few tips. At this time of year it is important to be thankful for our health and know that with out it we may not get to celebrate in all the ways we want to. Your health is the most important gift you can give yourself this holiday season. The cool thing about this is that it is a free gift that only costs you some time, awareness, self-control and love for self.

Struggling..Try these 5 tips!

Struggles with food? weight? body image? Exercise? 

So do I! I wanted to share that with you so you know that I am a real person who struggles with these topics  just as much as you do. I feel your pain, your heart ache. I know and I am here to help. 

I want you to know that I have struggled with this for 27 years and have tried everything under the sun. I even have several degrees in the topics at hand because I thought that would help. I'd like to share with you what I have learned from all this. 

1) Knowledge: Having knowledge is not enough, you have to do something with it. There must be action and application. There also must be consistency. 

2) Why: A solid "why" or "want to" is important in keeping you acting consistently. a reason to keep you going through the hard times, the bumps and excuses.  My "why" has changed over the years and now my why is God. (Look for future posts on this.) I have realized that this is a spiritual trial that I have always dealt with physically.

3) Failure: This is extremely helpful if you allow it to be.We must analyze our previous attempts, learn from it and apply failures message. We must get up and keep trying. I want you to know that if nothing else, I have this going for me. I have failed a lot over the past 27 years in this department. I am not where I want to be but I am not giving up. 

4) Accountability: It is a lot easier to let yourself down and give in to excuses then to someone else. I need accountability as much as the next person. That is part of the reason for this post. 

5) Professional Support: Did you know health coaches even hire health coaches? I have several people that I discuss my health with. Hire a coach. Someone who can help you see clearly, set goals, and help you get where you want to go. 

I want you to know that I do believe this will happen for me and for you in God's timing. I come to you at this low point to let you know that I believe in me, in you and in God to make this happen. I have experienced your pain with food, with weight, and self-confidence. 

It is time to start living and taking care of this body the way God intended. Let's be accountable to each other. With God, nothing is impossible. 

Will u join me in this journey?

If so I ask you to do a few things. 1) Like this post. 2) Share it with friends. 3)Send me a message and let me know where you are at in this journey and how I can help you. 

I hope you liked this post and have a great day!

Faking it till you make it!

There are things we see or hear about all the time that we think, "I sure would like to be this way or that." Okay, maybe you don't, but I do. I see really fit people at 80 years old, or someone rock climbing, or someone who has a great relationship with their husband or kid, that I would like to have.
Well it's time to stop wishing, hoping, wanting and instead doing! I get it. I can hear you saying, "But Amy, I really can't climb up that 100 feet. (or whatever obstacle your thinking of.) I agree, you may not be able to go out and do that today. What I am asking is for you and I to really think about that person, doing those things. What did they have to do to get there? What small choices and decisions can be made everyday, if you are acting like that person, to eventually reach that goal?

Some things are easier to fake until you make. For example, nutrition. You see someone who has a strong fit body and you desire that for yourself. No you may not be able to dead lift 300lbs but what do they eat? And can't you at least start doing dead lifts with no weight?
It's time to decide and start acting like the person you truly want to be, starting with small and simple choices and decisions because they all add up in the long run.
That is what I am going to be doing!

Starting Over

How often do we start something, never finish and then have to start over. That is essentially my life in a nut shell. Even though this is disheartening, I see a positive.

I keep trying and keep working on it.

I may not have reached my goals yet, but at least I have not given up. I have determination to beat this issue with food and weight. I bet some of you are the same way. I hear all the time if you are sick of starting over just stick with it. I would love to be able to do that. In somethings I am better at that than others. But instead of being down on myself for not being able to fully finish my 30 day greens challenge because I got a kidney stone and the doctor said to stay away from spinach for a while, I am making sure I make healthy choices outside of that. We do the best we can, give yourself some credit. I love this analogy that I saw on Facebook or Pinterest. If you dropped your phone you wouldn't say oh its completely ruined, I'll just run it over with my car now. No, You'd pick it up, see if it still worked, try and salvage it. We need to do the same thing with healthy eating and exercise. Not throw in the towel because we had a slice of pizza that wasn't on our plan. The next meal, the next thing you put in your mouth is a fresh start a fresh choice. Just because you over slept and missed your morning workout, there are still hours in the day to fit that in.

So what I am saying, is use this gift of determination and starting over as a blessing from God. Because even if you start over several times, you'll be further along than if you quit for good. The key I am finding is to start over with every meal/food choice. I start over every day when I exercise. To have the amount of time between each time we start over be shorter and shorter until we find that we are consistent in eating healthy and exercising. So I say rejoice in starting over minute by minute, choice by choice. Staring over doesn't have to begin on Monday or the first of the month, or the first of the year or at your birthday. Start now and make a good choice.

Glorious Greens

No matter how often we hear it, we know that we need to be eating our vegetables, especially those dark green leafy variety.  So why is this such a hard thing to do? I haven't completely discovered myself why this is so hard but I have some theories. Maybe it is the fact that it is just easier to prepare or grab something else. (Or is it???) Maybe it is the fact that our taste buds have become too accustom to artificial tastes and prefer sweet instead. Maybe it is the fact that veggies can be more bitter and our ancestral genes tell us bitter is dangerous. No matter what the reason is for you and me, we still need to do a better job at eating them.

As I have been thinking about this a lot lately, I have decided to work on a 30 day challenge to eat more vegetables, especially green vegetables. (Cause let's face it carrots and peppers are pretty easy for most of us. ) So for the next 30 days I am going to eat more vegetables, gather up recipes and meal plans so that next month (JUNE) you can start your own green challenge, sponsored by me. So more details to come on that. I will promise you that it will not all be in the form of green smoothies and salads. These will be dishes that you can have as a meal all by itself or it can be added to whatever else is on the menu. My goal is to get dark leafy greens into every meal, even breakfast.
So I will let you contemplate this challenge for a bit. I will post some sneak peaks along the way. I will also log my own experience with this so you know what to expect. Our health is so important. Life has a tendency to get in the way of this sometimes, but I know that there is no better time than now to start. So keep checking back in for more information.

 

 

 

Life's Stresses

Life is always going to give you trials and challenges. The twists and turns, even though sometimes unenjoyable have something to offer us.
I have a tendency to get  stressed easily.  I think many of us do. Stress can if we let it negatively impact our health. Stress can cause weight gain/weight loss, high blood pressure, digestive issues just to name a few. So how do we handle life while minimizing the impact it has on our health?
A couple things to note: Did you know we have a 2nd brain in our gut? Did you know that your thinking greatly impacts how stressed you are and how well you digest your food?
Here is a couple examples from my own life.
Lately, life has felt turned upside down in our house. I went to the doctor for some routine stuff . They took my blood pressure, as they normally do. I am usually very low like 98/60 however this morning I was 130/78. That was a sign to me that I am letting my body internalize too much of this stress. So my remedy:
1) Meditation: Spending time doing a daily meditation. Even if it is just for 10 min makes all the difference. I sit comfortable and clear my thoughts and focus on my breathing. The amazing part about this is that my husband and kids notice when I do this and when I don't.
2) Working on Thoughts: Some times I journal my thoughts on paper and other times I just do turn- arounds in my head. What is a turn-around you ask? Well, Have you ever heard of  "The Work"  by Bryon Katie? It is really powerful and will change your life!! For example, let's say I am thinking.." Life is so hard. My stress isn't going away." A good turn around might be, " I'm being hard on myself. My stress wants to go away if I let it." or "Life is as hard as my thinking. Life is easy if I release my stress and negative feelings about it."
3) Gratitude and Positivity : I keep several journals. One is taking note of everything that good happened throughout my day. What am I grateful for? I try and name several before I go to bed. Another thing I do with this is try and learn and grow and be positive about a situation. For example, my husband is out of work right now however it has given us some quality family moments. It has provided us time to become better at managing money, communicating, having faith and developing patience. By no means do I want him to be jobless forever just to receive these blessings but you get the idea.
4) Exercise : Exercise helps us in so many ways and it does here as well. Exercise is one of the best anti-depressants. It changes our hormones and internal chemistry allowing us to release the stress and tension from life.
5)Our 2nd Brain: When stressed I have been programmed over the years to emotionally eat. However, when we eat and are stressed our food doesn't metabolize as well. So to help with this when stressed it is important to do some deep breathing exercises while sitting at the table before you eat. This will help activate the parasympathetic nervous system so your body can rest and digest properly. I usually do 5 to 10 deep breaths before eating and clear my mind of negative thoughts.

There are many more ways to get through hard times and stress but I thought I'd take a moment to share my favorites with you today. I hope this helps you enjoy some stress free living in this crazy stressed out world we are in.