by Lucy | Mar 3, 2017 | Motivational Mondays
Monday, Mar 6, 2017
I love that moment when I tell people that Mondays are my favorite day of the week… If I could read minds, I’m guessing their thinking, “there’s something wrong with this girl,” or “she must be on something.”
As the story goes, in 2009, when I started Well-Balanced Nutrition (the first time) Monday’s quickly became my favorite day of the week because anything is possible. I see each Monday as a mini New Year and the opportunity to start fresh. Most people start the New Year feeling happy and optimistic. Why not start each week with the same enthusiasm?
When restarting Well-Balanced Nutrition, in May 2015, I knew it was time to rekindle that love of Monday to share an empowering, motivational, and health-focused message with our Well-Balanced nutrition tribe (that’s you!). I was blessed to have Kristen join the team early 2016 and together we strive to bring you uplifting and authentic wellness information.
But really, how do you make Monday’s “the best?”
1.Do something that makes you happy on Monday morning.
I designate every Monday as my admin time and make it very sacred time to get all the businessy stuff accomplished. Uninterrupted. Slightly odd that this is my happiness; however, I feel grateful to have the time to focus on what needs to get done and I feel so accomplished when I check those tasks off my to-do list!
2. Include positive brainwashing.
Also, I start each Monday morning with a mentor chat from my man, Darren Hardy, followed by an inspiring TED talk with breakfast. Have you discovered these yet? It’s amazing what you can learn in a 10-20 minutes inspiring video.
3. Eat something well-balanced and delicious.
Often, we get a little too liberal on the weekends and feel the need do penance to the diet gods on Monday for being “bad” over the weekend. This is bound to make Monday even less fun. Instead, I enjoy avocado toast w/ a fried egg and yummy fruit – nom nom nom!
4. Get moving.
My motto is a body in motion stays in motion, a body at rest stays at rest. Even if there’s not much time, include a 10-minute walk around the block before you head to work, a brisk walk during the first 15 minutes of your lunch break, or ending a long work day with a brief stretching session with doyogawithme.com.
Food for thought:
What makes Monday truly great? My state of mind. I choose to believe that Monday is the best and therefore I wake up with a positive attitude every Monday morning because anything is possible.
What are you gonna do to make your Monday the best? We’d love to see your comments below!
by Lucy | Mar 1, 2017 | Well Balanced Wisdom
It’s National Nutrition Month and the theme, Put Your Best Fork Forward, has me thinking about the trouble with DREAMING BIG. It’s great to dream big and set big goals for yourself because nothing is impossible. The trouble is when we dream big yet forget how powerful the little things can be.
For instance, when we are finding excuses for ourselves, it’s easy to devalue our small actions. We say, “what’s one bite?” or “What’s one day going to hurt?”
Our habits are a sum of our actions and each action counts toward that sum. Once we embrace this concept, we can keep ourselves on track and accountable.
Small things add up. Baby steps count as steps.
Another way to think about it: People wouldn’t keep a change jar if it didn’t add up.
So we can devalue those small things and let them set us back or we can realize the power in them and use that to our advantage. If you choose the latter, scroll down to see 5 baby steps worth considering. Try one or try them all and be consistent. When you do, you’ll be putting your best fork forward!
- Put your fork down between bites. This is a simple way to start eating mindfully. It forces you to slow down. Consequently, you become more aware of your hunger/fullness signals and increase the chance of eating no more than what your body needs.
- Eat more fruit and less cakes, cookies, candies (and other high calorie sweets). Replacing processed sweets with naturally sweet foods can increase your intake of disease-fighting properties, vitamins and minerals. Now that’s a delicious way to put your best fork forward! =)
- Think about dinner at breakfast time. Dinner can be the hardest meal of the day because it’s one of the last things we think about until its 5pm. By then our will-power tank and motivation level is low. But thinking about dinner in the morning gives you a head start. You can also think about tomorrow’s breakfast at dinner time. This is a simple stepping stone to regular meal planning and prepping.
- Have one less (or one more). Quitting cold turkey isn’t for everyone. If you are trying to cut back on something like drinking sugary drinks consider doing it one at a time. If you drink 4 sodas a day, try drinking just 3, then once you achieve that move to 2 and so on. If you stick to it, the momentum will build and that will keep you motivated.
- Keep reading our Motivational Monday email. One study from Kaiser Permanente found that people who received weekly e-mails about diet and fitness for 16 weeks substantially increased their levels of physical activity and intake of healthy foods like fruits and vegetables while cutting back on trans and saturated fats.
Food for thought: What baby steps are you taking today? Tell us in the comments. 
by Lucy | Feb 24, 2017 | Uncategorized
Friday, Feb 24, 2017
My favorite at home yoga tool:
Doyogawithme.com
This is a fantastic resource for people that are interested in doing more yoga or starting out and feel intimidated by the group fitness classes. There are several styles offered and different levels depending on your ability. The length of the videos start at 5 minutes and some classes are up to 75 minutes. So many options!
My fa
vorite Toby Face!
On Tuesday we had movers coming into the apartment and instead of leaving Toby, our beautiful 9-year-old yellow lab, to bark at them all day he came to the office with me. I decided we needed a picture with the newly bloomed daffodils. And this is the face Toby made!
Favorite recipe: Carrot Raisin Oatmeal Bread w/ Coconut Flour
To wrap up our heart health whole-grain month, I’m including a version of the carrot raisin bread I made with oats and coconut flour last week. Yummy!
by Lucy | Feb 18, 2017 | Motivational Mondays
Monday, Feb 20, 2017
Last week, one of our tribe members told me “I think I’ve lost my mojo, I just have no motivation!” She’s been working long hours from 7 AM until after 5 PM. She states “I should do some activity in the evening, but I just have no motivation.” I replied, “please don’t should all over yourself.” When we say “I should” we are focusing on the negative or external expectations because the unspoken truth that follows is “but I don’t want” or “I can’t…” Rather than focusing on should, it’s helpful to accept the reality, be kind to yourself, and make a plan.
Whether you:
1. Gained weight at the holidays
2. Suffered an injury that required steroids and lead to a 20-pound weight gain
3. Just plain got busy
There’s hope and a strategy! Let’s reflect how to get back on track and over the speed bumps of life.
The best way to reach your potential is to create a roadmap and revisit the map regularly. We often have big goals at the beginning of the year such as losing 30 pounds or training for a marathon. Big goals are similar to taking a road trip. In order to plan a trip, we need to know the specific destination and what path will take us there (without too many detours!). If your goal is weight loss, you may first want to assess your eating and exercise habits to determine what steps will help you lose weight.
Create the path
Start by tracking your food intake and exercise habits to determine what can be improved. If you are mindlessly snacking at the desk or in front of the TV, set a new habit to drink water or unsweetened tea instead. If you are not getting at least 7,000 steps/day, find ways to include more movement in the day.
Markers of success
Set up mini goals or milestones along the way. Continuing with weight loss example, perhaps you get to buy a new article of clothing for every 5 lbs you lose!
Stay on track
It’s easy to feel discouraged when the scale won’t seem to budge or goes up a pound or two. Consistently checking your weight at least 1 time per week will give you the accountability to stay consistent with your new healthy habits.
Get a copilot
There are lots of people that want to support your goals! Tell your family, coworkers, best friend, and other members of your favorite group fitness class about your goals to have a few more people cheering you on. Some days feel harder than others, their support may be just what you need to keep going.
Food for thought:
If you find yourself thinking “I should,” pause and consider if it’s really something you want to do? If not, please stop ‘shoulding’ on yourself. Create a roadmap, find an accountability partner, and set the vision so you know what success looks like!
What’s your next well-balanced destination?
by Lucy | Feb 17, 2017 | Friday Favorites
Happy Friday! How are you feeling? I hope you had a healthy and productive work week!
I’m feeling grateful because I’m just coming back from a “stay-cation” with my husband and little ones. We were able to slow down our busy lives for 7 days and enjoy each other’s company in town. It was a lovely reminder of how much I love spending time with my family and how much we love the Durham/Raleigh/Chapel Hill area. Therefore, I thought I’d show some local love in this week’s Friday Favorites.
Favorite Gluten-Free Local Restaurant: Primal Food and Spirits in Durham, NC
I don’t have to follow a gluten-free diet and for some people it’s a fad, but for those with Celiac disease it’s a serious matter. That’s why I think it is really awesome that Primal Food and Spirit keeps a 100% gluten-free kitchen, meaning there is no possibility of cross-contamination. We’ve been there a few times, not because it’s gluten-free, but because the food is really good, unprocessed, healthy and unique. I was very happy with my Valentine’s Day lunch there: chopped kale salad with hard boiled eggs and bacon-wrapped dates.
Favorite Local Museum – Marbles Museum in Raliegh, NC
I can’t say enough great things about this place. My little girl is just the right age (almost 4) for the Around Town exhibit. She spent hours exploring and playing in the pint-size town on the first floor. They had a grocery store and kitchen area that (of course) I just loved watching her play in. As I dietitian, I really appreciate the emphasis on healthy living in the kitchen area, farm area and the Power2Play area.
Favorite Family Dinner Time Saver for Busy Weeks:
Did you know that Foster’s Market in Durham and the Root Cellar in Chapel Hill have family dinners? If you know you are going to have a crazy hectic week, can’t plan/prep ahead, or just plain need a break from cooking simply order a week’s worth of family meals in advance and you can eat local, scratch-made, delicious food without any fuss. All you have to do is heat and eat! LIFESAVER!
Have a healthy, happy weekend!!!
