by Lucy | Oct 15, 2016 | Motivational Mondays
Monday, October 17, 2016
As your favorite dietitians, Kristen and I strive to give you lots of motivation, inspiration, and information to eat and live well-balanced. It is our goal to fill, not just your inbox, but your mind and wellness toolbox with plenty of resources and ideas to live a healthy and fulfilled life.
In the height of the election season, I cannot get used to what each of us is subjected to daily – if not hourly – with all the news, social media, and other interferences constantly bombarding us with negative messaging.
Politics aside, I’d like to speak about how you feed your mind. Aside from your weekly Motivational Monday and Wellness Wednesday articles how are you choosing to input information into this computer system we call our minds? Darren Hardy says it best in a recent Darren Daily episode that likens our brains to a Google search. The search engine is only as good as the information available – do you have enough reliable information on living well in your database?
I am always seeking to further develop my personal growth and continue to improve myself. I choose to listen to podcasts such as EntreLeadership that build me up and feed my mind with new and motivating ideas to be a better leader. I enjoy reading books like Farmacology that provide information to using food as medicine. I attend Grace Church as a regular reminder of how to continue to grow spiritually.
Food for thought:
Here’s your chance to put this to practical application. Take a moment to list your common media diet (such as what news you watch or read, what social media you enjoy, or what radio stations or podcasts you’re listening to)
- ____________________________ ________
- ____________________________ ________
- ____________________________ ________
Next rank each one on a scale 1 to 5 – 1 being “junk food” for the brain and 5 include thoughtful, well-balanced resources or information.
For example, Snapchat is on my list and I’d give it a 2, because realistically that is fluff in helping me reach my personal development goals (but it’s so much fun!)
Bonus points! Take a moment to list two or three resources you would like to utilize to reach your own personal goals
- ______________________________________
- ______________________________________
- ______________________________________
by Lucy | Oct 9, 2016 | Motivational Mondays
Monday, October 10, 2016
On occasion, I get the surprising question in the middle of a client session “well, what do you eat?!” It’s human nature to be curious – plus most people figure out early on that I’m an open book.
I had the opportunity to order and take lunch to our new office (yay!!!) to share with my lovely business partner, Kristen, and our small business lawyer, Richard Bobholz, a couple weeks ago. I noticed a few things that make us dietitians unique in our eating habits.
During lunch, Kristen pulled out the BBQ chicken from City Barbecue, which was probably about 10 to 12 ounces. Seriously y’all, this chicken breast was the same size as her head!
As dietitians, we do not assume the portion at the restaurant is one serving size. Everyone needs a different amount of energy each day, but most people are satisfied by 3-6 ounces of protein per meal.
Don’t forget the sides! Before picking up lunch, I was on the phone reading Kristen the long list of side options, including but not limited to coleslaw, french fries, baked beans, hush puppies, etc. Our lawyer picked baked beans and mac & cheese; meanwhile, the dietitian got coleslaw and green beans. To break it down, Kristen’s plate was covered with half vegetables and a more personalized serving of chicken. (She also enjoyed some of the Texas toast included!)
We may not eat much, but we do eat often! During lunch, Richard mentioned he had not eaten anything for over 7 hours because he got busy during the workday. Kristen and I sighed as we both would have passed out or become quite hangry. There is no magic formula to eating 3 times versus 6 small meals, but I know first hand if I wait too long in between eating I’m much more likely to overindulge and much less likely to gravitate toward healthy foods.
Food for thought:
There is not a one-size-fits-all diet – different approaches work for different bodies. There are, however, lots of little things each of us can do to make well-balanced choices every day.
Let us know in the comments below how you eat like a dietitian!
by Lucy | Oct 4, 2016 | Well Balanced Wisdom
Do you know about this SIMPLE way of improving your overall well-being? There is one medicine that when taken regularly is proven to…
- Be an effective antidepressant in mild to moderate cases of depression
- Protect an aging brain against memory loss and dementia
- Defend your heart against heart disease and stroke
- Lower your bad (LDL) cholesterol while increasing good (HDL) cholesterol
- Keep your blood pressure in check
- Slash your risk of diabetes, asthma and some cancers
- Increase bone density and help prevent osteoporosis
- Support Vitamin D levels
- Boost your circulation and increase oxygen supply to the brain
- Increase muscle mass and tone
- Burn more calories
Now you might expect this medicine to cost you a fortune. I hate to tell you this but insurance does not cover it at this time. Lucky for you and me… this medicine doesn’t cost a thing.
So what is this medicine?
Walking. That’s right. The simple act of putting one foot in front of the other is proven to improve our well-being in many, many ways. All those benefits sound great, right!? So, why aren’t we all hitting the pavement more often? Although it requires no equipment or gym membership, walking just isn’t as easy as swallowing a pill. It takes a little more effort. That’s why I am sharing Peggy’s story with you today.
For her, walking went from a chore to “I can do more!’
Peggy was noticing that her weight was starting to creep up and results from a recent doctor’s visit prompted her to think about incorporating exercise into her days. She had tried going to the gym, taking group exercise classes, and doing exercise at home on her own. Nothing seemed to stick. She knew that exercise would help her cut back on medications, but it was always such a chore.
Then she made it a goal to walk one mile outdoors most days of the week. Sometimes she would think to herself, ‘if I can’t walk a mile, I might as well not walk at all.’ She didn’t realize it then, but this was a limiting belief that was getting in her way. One day she had a “lightbulb moment” when she read this quote: “It doesn’t matter how slow you go, as long as you do not stop.” It was then that she realized if she were to make walking a regular habit, she would need to do it nearly every day, even if her walk was short. She started walking 15 minutes at first and built her way up to 30-40 minutes most days of the week. Ten weeks later, walking is part of her routine, and she doesn’t feel right without her morning stroll.
“The first 2 weeks were the hardest. It wasn’t easy to get out there and get going. But once I started walking, I would feel the benefits and that motivated me to continue. Some days, I surprise myself. I’ll get out there for a short walk but then I end up going further then I planned! So to others I would say, “It’s okay to start small.” Just get out and be consistent.“ – Peggy Cole
Food for Thought
The moral of her story is this: You need to build momentum to make a new habit stick. The only way to build momentum is to get out there and go – no matter how slow, how short or how sloppy the result. Simply get out there consistently. Once you’ve done it a few times, you’ll feel motivated to keep going and before you know it you’ve built a habit.
by Lucy | Oct 2, 2016 | Motivational Mondays
Monday, October 3, 2016
I recently had the pleasure of meeting with one of my first clients, I will call her Allison, from last year who has done remarkably well reaching her goals while working with Well-Balanced Nutrition and Weight Watchers. I’m so proud of Allison for committing to her own well-being and her change in attitude and behaviors – must be all those tasty roasted vegetables!
Returning home from a fun summer vacation in Florida, Allison came back unmotivated to get back in the groove. After reviewing her Fitbit data, she was horrified to realize she only exercised 4 times during the entire month of August where she was previously working out up to 6 times a week. During our session, it came to light that Allison had not fallen that far off track, but she felt like she was back to her old ways. Together we came up with an action plan to get her back in motion and successfully packing well-balanced lunches and snacks for the workweek.
You may be sitting there thinking, “Yep, that sounds familiar.” You are not alone!
Life happens.
If you find yourself in a similar situation, check out a few tips below to get you back on the road to your most healthy and well-balanced self.
Start small. If you’re feeling mentally unbalanced perhaps just 5 minutes of prayer, journaling or meditation will offer the peace your mind craves. Sometimes, the hardest part is getting off the starting line simply because it feels like there is too much to do. Living healthy does not need to be complicated or include a complete 180 degree turn. If you’re currently not moving during the day then adding a 10 minute walk at lunch is a small yet powerful change to live well.
Make it easy. I’m so grateful for Bulldega market in downtown Durham that makes it easy for me to pick up fresh local produce for dinner or a quick lunch from their prepared food fridge. Another way to make it easy is by picking one day a week to do a bulk of your chopping or food prep. Spend a couple hours on Sunday and you will have food ready to heat and eat for the rest of the week.
Pick only delicious & nutritious. Eating well should taste good! Add salt or other seasonings and herbs to your meals. Trust me, you are likely not adding nearly as much as the fast food and sit down restaurants you may be frequenting instead of cooking at home. Check out this tasty resource – RawSpiceBar – for monthly spice packets and recipes delivered to your front door!
Food for thought:
I don’t know about you, but I am my own biggest critic. It’s okay to have high expectations, but even better to practice self-love.
What is one way you can better take care of your own wellness this week?
by Lucy | Sep 29, 2016 | Well Balanced Wisdom
My little one has just discovered the movie Frozen and is now addicted. Every morning on the way to school we listen to one or more of the songs from the soundtrack. You might think that it would get old listening to the same song(s) every day but it’s great, actually. Being able to sing your heart out in the car with your 3-year-old is pretty awesome. You’ve probably heard the iconic song Let It Go even if you’ve never seen the movie. It’s really fun to sing along to and is so catchy that it tends to stick in your head alllll day.
Well, one day this week as I was belting out the tune, part of the lyrics spoke to me in a whole new way.
In the movie, a little girl named Elsa has trouble controlling the magic powers she was born with. She grew up being told to “conceal, don’t feel” because no-one could know of these powers. Every time she thought about them or felt any emotion her powers would get the best of her. One day when they were revealed by accident, she ran away flustered at first but then she decided to embrace them. That’s when she sings…
It’s time to see what I can do
To test the limits and break through
No right, no wrong, no rules for me,
I’m free!
Let it go, let it go… I’m one with the wind and sky….
Now you might be thinking…where is she going with this? Why do I care about Elsa and her powers? And why did she get this song stuck in my head? Hear me out…
Because her family perceived it as a bad thing, Elsa was afraid of her power. The harder she tried to conceal it the more out of control is got.
Here’s how it relates to well-balanced eating: Think of all the foods that you label as bad, especially the ones you feel have a certain power over you. You try to do the “right” thing and stay away from them, but the harder you try the more mental space they take up in your consciousness. It becomes hard to control your thoughts about that food and all you want to do is eat it, so you do. Sometimes, guilt and shame can follow because you weren’t able to hold back.
We all have a tendency to label foods as good or bad. It makes sense. Our brain just wants an easy way of making decisions. We can then say we either did the “right” or “wrong” thing. But it’s not that straight forward. Food is a complex thing that cannot be summed up as simply good or bad. And when we do label them in this way, we give them power over us and we feel out of control.
So if you’ve ever felt this way, it’s time to “let go” of the idea of a perfect diet. “Let go” of labeling your food as good or bad, right or wrong. You’ll gain freedom and control. Then you’ll be singing along with Elsa..
It’s time to see what I can do
To test the limits and break through
No right, no wrong, no rules for me,
I’m free!
Let it go, let it go… I’m one with the wind and sky….
Food for thought: Here are 2 practical suggestions for letting go…
- Mindful eating can help us embrace all foods and receive the feedback we need to make food decisions. We can learn which foods our body enjoys, which ones it doesn’t care for and how much of them we need when we tune into our 5 senses.
- When you hear yourself saying or thinking good, bad, right or wrong, try to replace those adjectives with alternatives like tasty, nutritious, decadent, sweet, colorful, natural, bland, flavorful, comforting, and so on.
What other ways can you think of to let go of the perfect diet?
