Take The Time

Last time, I touched on the concept of “Eating Slowly” and that it is one of the most difficult but important habits in affecting fat loss. In our fast paced society, we have all of our responsibilities and activities CRAMMED together and we always still seem to say “there aren’t enough hours in a day” (For those of you that know me, I’m probably one of the worst!). Truth is if it was a priority, we would make time for it. Therefore, I encourage you to TAKE THE TIME!

Now, the question becomes: “How much do I need to eat?”

                There are different methods that work for different people and different personalities, like calorie counting and measuring, visual and physical cues, preplanned menus, and much more. Sometimes, with all of the information out there, it can feel very overwhelming to understand what would work best for you. Google search results for “How much do I need to eat” results in 518,000,000 possible articles and websites that can help you research this information. That’s a lot!!

                I am going to quickly touch on:

·         Calorie counting-What I have found to be one of the most common approaches in the health and fitness world.

·         Visual and Physical Cues-Also known as “Appetite Awareness” and something Precision Nutrition has opened my eyes to in more detail and that I am liking a lot!

Calorie Counting

                What equation to use?! Harris-Benedict? Sterling-Pasmore? World Health Organization Equation? Mifflin-St. Joer? Tables and charts that give you a number to multiply by? An online calorie calculator? So many different options, which is the best to choose?

                The most common equation in my experience has been the Harris-Benedict formula.       

Male:   66.5 + 13.8 x (weight in kg) + 5 x (height in cm) – 6.8 x age                                                             

Females:   655.1 + 9.6 x (weight in kg) + 1.9 x (height in cm) – 4.7 x age

                Once you have determined the above answer (your BMR-Basal Metabolic Rate), you then will multiply that number by an “activity coefficient”.

             Little to no exercise                                                    x 1.2

                Light exercise (1-3 days/wk)                                 x 1.375

                Moderate exercise (3-5 days/wk)                       x 1.55

                Heavy exercise (6-7 days/wk)                               x 1.725

                Very heave exercise (2x/day, extra heavy)      x 1.9

               

At this point, you then have a “number” that will tell you approximately how many calories per day you need in order to maintain your current body weight.

                “Wait! Maintain? I don’t want to maintain!”

                I know, I know, I didn’t forget about the weight loss or weight gain part, I promise!

                For example, in order to lose/gain weight:

                                3500 calories equals 1 pound therefore if you want to lose 1 pound per week, you must subtract 3500 calories from your week with nutrition and exercise.

                                For example, if you reduce your intake by 250 calories with nutrition and exercise off 250 calories, that gives you a total of 500 calories less than your maintenance. If you can do this 7 days a week, that would equal 3500 calories reduced from your maintenance calories. Therefore, you would lose 1 pound per week.

                                OR if you would like to gain weight, just add 500 calories to your nutrition 7 days a week in order to gain 1 pound per week.

                Possible dilemmas with calorie counting…

·         Counting calories can create a mindset of restriction and limitation

·         Counting calories doesn’t take food choices into consideration

·         Counting calories is not always accurate.

o   Research suggests even meticulous calorie counting can be up to 25% off

·         Counting calories can be very time consuming.

·         Calorie counting doesn’t focus on building habits. Most people can make great progress just by changing and practicing some very basic principles, consistently, making them habits. Now, if you are looking for extreme and specific results, calorie counting with an added macronutrient split focus may be beneficial for you.

If this is a method you prefer and works best for you, please continue but just remember my encouragement: TAKE THE TIME!

Visual & Physical Cues .aka. “Appetite Awareness”

            “If you are aware, you are in control.”

                TAKE THE TIME!   Appetite Awareness focuses on taking the time to really listen to your body and its hunger and satiety (fullness) cues. A lot of us eat so quickly and without really paying attention that we have learned overtime to bypass those cues and have difficulty even recognizing what they are anymore.

                When you eat today:

·         Ask yourself, “am I physically hungry?”

·         Eat slowly. Remember 20 minutes to full!

·         Stop after each bite.

·         Check in with your body (tummy growling, aching stomach, full stomach, hunger pains gone?)

·         Ask yourself, “am I still physically hungry?” If yes, continue eating MINDFULLY. If no, stop eating.

·         When you stop, check in with yourself. Notice what that’s like, to stop. Take a moment. What thoughts come up? What sensations? Can you sit with those sensations and not fill them with distractions?

·         Stop eating at 80% full. (Precision Nutrition’s 2^nd “SUPER HABIT”-Important!)

o   How do I know what 80% full is?

§  You can also think of it as a scale of 1-10. 1 being no hunger and 10 being the hungriest you have ever been (eat everything in sight sort of hunger).

§  Don’t get too attached to the number though. Listen to your body and let it tell you when you are finished. Now, keep in mind, this is a learning process and does not happen overnight. SO, just as you would TAKE THE TIME to count calories throughout the day, you must also TAKE THE TIME to learn your body! Either way, TIME is important and must be a priority in either method.

**Email me at hjones@mvhospital.net for Precision Nutrition’s “Hunger Scale Worksheets”**

**Stay tuned for next time when we begin discussing WHAT to eat**

Please feel free to email me with any questions regarding nutrition and/or exercise!

Hayley Jones, BS, CSCS, PN1

hjones@mvhospital.net

AMRAP- 25 mins: Lets Get After It!

Want to get a workout in that kicks your rear, makes you sweat, tuckers you out, and is over in 25 minutes??

Try this full body 25 minute AMRAP (as many rounds as possible)

• 10 pushups
• 10 body weight (air) squats
• 20 Physio ball mountain climbers (use a physio/yoga ball. Get in a plank position on the ball by placing your elbows or hands on the top of the ball and extending your feet out behind you so your body is in a table position. Alternating sides, slowly move one knee towards the opposite arm.)
• 10 bicep curls to shoulder press (with dumbells, do a bicep curl then up to a shoulder press, then back down to a bicep curl, and so on)
• 10 alternating side lunges on each leg (with or without weight)

The goal is to complete as many rounds of these 5 exercises as you can in 25 minutes. Take a stop watch or timer with you, set it for 25 minutes, and get after it! You break when YOU want to break..you push yourself however hard YOU want to push yourself. Set a goal.

Ready...Set....GO!!!!

Chances

So, exactly how many second chances or start overs does a person get? Depending on who you are and what your experiences may have been, you might think we get none...or some. I however, am a believer that we get as many as we need.

I don't know about you, but I spent a fair amount of my life thinkin I had to be perfect...the first time.  Wow...the pressure that comes with that!! Usually afraid to ask questions and heaven forbid I should make a mistake and look like a fool. Some things I never even really gave a good effort because I wanted it to be right the first time and unfortunately now, wish I had. Heaven forbid I should practice and take the chance of looking silly or like I don't know what I'm doing.

It's amazing how incredibly hard we can be on ourselves in this adventure we call life! The beautiful thing is...we get to have as many chances as we need to learn the things we are meant to learn. Everyday is a clean slate where we can create the life we desire and where opportunities and  unexplored potential lay before us. Sadly, we tend to take that slate, dredge up the past, splash it on the clean slate and say that's all there is for us, believing we will never be more than what we've done or already failed at.

So my challenge to you this day, week and month is to see each new day for what it is...a new day. A clean slate. A day of adventure waiting to happen, both inside and outside of us. A day of Celebration.  Find the ways you can celebrate yourself and not just in big ways...all those little things count as well! Make a list and you will be amazed and just how fabulous you truly are!

Celebrate the fact you woke up to a new day. Celebrate the bed you slept in and that you can shower. Celebrate that you bumped your toe and it brought you back to awareness. Celebrate watching your children and all they can teach you. Celebrate you went to the gym (or even just set out your workout clothes) or pushed a little harder in a workout. Celebrate the food you have and the body you have to enjoy all these things with...even if it's not your ideal body at the moment. Celebrate it! Accept it!  Love it!

When you can accept each day as a day of possibilities, whatever they may be for you, then the changes you desire to make can begin to happen.  Go out and be courageous and put your full self into all that you do knowing that you are growing and learning...not failing. Love the moments you may feel like a dork and you will be able to let them go and realize that a second chance, or an 80th chance, will be available for you and You Will master the things you desire to master.
Glad I am finally figuring this out...now where is my guitar?

Until next time...Go BE Great!!


For more information or interest in Intuitive Life Coaching contact Jennifer...jsaunders@mvhospital.net or call 557-2823.

HOT Summer fun!!

Hot summer fun!!

Cell phones, IPods, Lap tops and Skype have brought our world into our homes and have stopped us from going out into it. June is such a beautiful month in Idaho, are you outside enjoying it or are you spending your workout time inside on another piece of electronic equipment? P90X, Cross fit , boot camps and ultimate challenges have shown us that we don’t need a lot of equipment to get a good workout. This style of exercise open the door for so many opportunities to get out and breath fresh air, fire up some more brain cells and get some sun!!

So this month FREE UP YOUR OPTIONS…..and get outside. Here are a few good reasons why…..

1. It’s Free

One of the greatest benefits of exercising outdoors is that it’s free! While a gym membership could cost $30 or more per month, no one’s going to make you pay to walk outside, go for a bike ride or go hiking. There’s more space, more freedom and you don’t have to pay a dime to experience any of it.

2. Exposure to Vitamin D

The sun is a great mood booster, and the vitamin D it provides is wonderful. It makes your bones stronger, strengthens your immune system and helps protect your body against cancer. Although vitamin D can be obtained from other sources, the sun is still the best source for the human body.

3. More Fresh Air

No one likes the musty, sweaty smell of gym air, and we know that it’s dirty, too. Environmental agencies in the United States predict that indoor air is two times more polluted than air outside. Who doesn’t prefer the smell of nature to the smell of their treadmill partner’s sweat?

4. Mental Stimulation

Exercising outdoors provides mental stimulation that indoor workouts can not. Whether you’re working out at home or in a gym, you’re surrounded by the same four walls for your workout – and they probably aren’t very exciting if you exercise there regularly. On the other hand, going outside gives you constantly changing scenery that stimulates and excites your brain, your mind can get a workout at the same time your body does when you exercise outdoors.

5. New Exercises

Although video games may claim that their exercise simulations are just like the real thing, it simply isn’t true! Hiking outdoors is physically more demanding than a treadmill on an incline, and bicycling on a biking path gives you more opportunities to push yourself than setting a program on a stationary gym bike. There are more exercise types to try if you are willing to go outside, so give them a try.

6. Mood Improvement

Exposure to sunlight is a common treatment for depression and other mood disorders. Studies show that depressed exercisers who go for a walk outdoors feel happier and have better self esteem than those who walk on a treadmill indoors. Endorphins, which can raise your mood and keep it stable, are released when you spend time in the sun. A walk outdoors is the perfect fix for a bad mood!

Don’t forget to stretch

Send any questions to ghouston@mvhospital.net or call 208-557-2823

"Slow it down!"

“S-L-O-W”

Did you know that eating slowly is one of the hardest yet greatest habits to master in order to affect fat loss?!

            Last weekend I was in Boise for districts for tennis and anytime my teammates and I are in Boise the first place we always want to eat is… “The Cheesecake Factory”! Who can pass up the opportunity to eat there?! Amazing food that we don’t have here in Idaho Falls, so jumping on the opportunity is a no-brainer! However, in my previous experiences, leaving the Cheesecake Factory in anything but a food coma with an extremely full belly is just impossible to imagine. Eating slowly has proven to be very difficult for me but this time, luckily, was a little different…

My Precision Nutrition program asked me, “What would it be like to leave the table feeling light, lean, full of energy and yet still satisfied?”

·         When people eat fast, they eat more. Sometimes even with more food they still don’t feel satisfied. Ever felt burpy, bloated, regretful, heartburny, or like you ate nothing at all?

How do we change this?

·         20 minutes to full

o   From the moment you smell or see food, the body begins working to make enzymes and hormones to digest the food we are about to eat and eventually tell the brain that we have had enough.

o   Unfortunately, this process is somewhat slow and we don’t usually get the “I’m full” memo for about 20 minutes. Can you remember the last time your meal lasted 20 minutes?

o   Amazingly, your body knows what it needs! You just have to do your part by slowing down and allowing it the opportunity to send the right signals at the right times and not eat so much so quickly that your body hasn’t had a chance to catch up yet.

Some strategies for eating slowing…

·         Set aside time to eat.

o   I actually have to schedule time in my work schedule to eat. Seems crazy but sometimes if I don’t do it, I won’t eat soon enough and when I wait too long, my hunger overwhelms any good decisions I would have made as well as the amounts I would have chosen.

·         Use smaller serving plates.

o   I actually really like this one and use it often. I use side plates for my meal plates when I at work and home.

·         Put down utensils between bites. Breathe.

o   This was an especially useful tool for my “Cheesecake Factory” expedition! When I set down my utensils I would also then sit on my hands (I was partially cold in the restaurant) but it also helped me focus on the mouthful that I had and not rush into the next while visiting with my teammates.

·         Become curious about food tastes and textures.

·         Set a timer.

o   The strategy that has worked best for me…when I remember to set my timer!

·         Eat with as few distractions as possible.

o   This is a tough one for me!! Anyone else struggle with this? Email me your thoughts!

Just remember, the quickest way to GAIN weight is to eat fast! Just ask Dr. Berardi who gained 70 pounds in 2 years while applying the F-A-S-T principle aka “speed gobbling”. So, SLOW DOWN and focus on PROGRESS not PERFECTION!

Until next time!

Hayley Jones, BS, CSCS, PN1

hjones@mvhospital.net

208-557-2823 O

208-821-2354 C

Find me some water!!!

FIND ME SOME WATER!!!

Okay, today is a Monday, my mind is blank, and I am having a hard time focusing. To top that off...it is beautiful, warm and sunny outside, but I am trapped indoors for awhile longer! So, when I think about working out I want to make it FUN today and I want it to be somewhere outside enjoying this wonderful day. That being said...why not find a pool, lake, pond, canal, creek, ANYTHING with deep enough water to get a good workout in? Water is a fantastic form of resistance and is a killer cardio workout and muscular endurance workout...so try this!

Water Workout

Jumping jacks
swim laps
high knees
butt kickers
squat jumps (squat down then burst/jump up as high as you can. swing your arms)
jog/sprint laps

***do each exercise for 1 minute. Complete 3 (or more) rounds total- 1 minute rest in between rounds

*always pump, swing, and press your arms up and down to utilize the resistance in the water to work your arms.
* push yourself as hard as you can to get the maximum benefit
*try to rest as little as possible

HAVE FUN, enjoy the sunshine, catch a few rays, and get an awesome workout in!