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SUTTLE LITTLE CHANGES

Wednesday, August 4th, 2010

 

We all have habits or addictions that we pull around.  How many times have we said to ourselves “That’s it!  I’m done with this or that, and I’m quitting….tomorrow” just to have tomorrow come along and we repeat the action.

We realize at that moment we are a slave to whatever it is that we want to quit.  There are so many habits or addictions…eating, smoking, drinking, drugs, biting our nails, negativity, spending money…the list goes on and on.  We want to quit cuz we realize these little things are pulling us down. 

Every night I enjoyed having a glass of wine.  No harm in that, right?  However, I noticed that every morning it seemed to take me awhile to really wake up and be clear minded.  There is no way it could be the wine.  After all, it was only one (rather large) glass!  So, I decided to experiment and skipped my normal glass of wine.  The next morning I woke up and what do you know.  I was clear minded and felt really good.  Hmmmm. 

To break habits or addictions takes small little changes.  Instead of my glass of wine, I replaced it with ice water with lime.  (I guess I really just wanted something a little fancy.)  How many times do we eat when we are not hungry?  Replace it by doing something creative, or read a book.  How about negativity?  Replace every negative thought with a positive one.  I was raised with negativity.  My parents had me pretty much paranoid about people and situations.  I was about 20 and had just become a Christian and still my mind struggled with negativity.  I had a very close friend who was raised in a Christian home tell me “Every time you are worried about something, count your blessings”.  I took his advice, and within 1 week of replacing worried thoughts with thankful thoughts, my mind started to change. 

If you REALLY want to change something in your life, start making little subtle changes.  The little changes will pay off in great big dividends!

Laurie J. Souza

Offering in home personal fitness training

Lauriesimplyfit.com     370-8228

Posted in Diet and Nutrition | No Comments »

Summer time is here!

Thursday, July 22nd, 2010

Well, here it is, the hot weather and many of us have not taken off the extra pounds that crept up on our thighs and bellies during the winter.  We thought we had plenty of time and actually we did, but we put it off and now here it is…summer clothes season. 

People, this should not have happened in the first place.  Why put yourself through summer after summer of worry about being self conscious in “less than winter covering” when this should be maintained all year around?

Do you think this is easy for me????  I am 5’2 inches tall.  I do not have a lot of body to take in extra calories so therefore it accumulates quite fast on me!  As yes, I yell “unfair”!  I love to eat and have quite the healthy appetite.  My little friend who is smaller than me eats like a little bird and seems quite satisfied.  I would love to have an appetite like a bird, but I follow more after a horse.   Dear people, keeping a regular schedule of exercise and healthful, portion controlled eating is strict discipline for me.   And, it has paid off.  I feel good most everyday, my skin and hair is still in tack, I THINK I think pretty clear (?) and I still fit into my clothes in the summer. 

Anything worth having takes hard work, sacrifice and discipline.  Many of you are disciplined in your work, or taking care of your family and home and yet you fail when it comes to taking care of yourself.  If you do not take care of yourself, it will become more difficult to take care of the things that matter so much to you.  You become worn out, grumpy, and simply do not have the energy to accomplish your goals or attend to the needs of your loved ones.  Women often feel guilty taking time for their selves to exercise.  They feel it takes away from giving to their families.  This is foolishness!  Our families certainly aren’t thinking “Oh, I won’t watch anymore TV. Since it takes away from my relationship with mother!”

So, here’s the plan…make a plan.   Example of a plan….

#1. Put a 1 week goal at the top of the page.  Example:  lose 1 pound in one week.

#2.  Write out the strategy you will take to accomplish that 1 pound loss.

#3.  Map out Monday through Sunday, and check off each day you successfully stuck to your plan.

#4.   At the end of the week, write in “goal accomplish” because with just a slight change, I’m sure you will drop 1 pound in a week.

Now make a new goal for the next week, check your weaknesses and strengths and continue going forward.

 

Laurie Souza offering in home personal@ or group training

Lauriesimplyfit.com

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ALCOHOL EFFECTS METABOLISM

Wednesday, July 14th, 2010

Quite a few of my gal-pals have been complaining that they are not losing weight like they used to.  Before they could diet a few weeks and knock off the weight.  But now the weight isn’t dropping.  Upon further questioning, one thing is in common.  Every one of them indulges in alcohol.  If they were beer drinkers, they gave it up for hard liquor mixed with diet, or straight shots thinking that would solve the problem.  I too thought that drinking in that way would be alright, since I have always believed in calories in/calories out.  But then I started wondering exactly how alcohol affected the body.  Particularly the metabolism.  And since metabolism can make or break you, I did some research and found this article which I will just copy and paste.

“Weight loss and alcohol do not go together.  Anyone serious about weight loss should be aware of the sabotaging effects of alcoholic beverages.

A research paper in the American Journal of Clinical Nutrition can shed some light on fat metabolism and it’s affected when a person consumes alcohol. Eight men were given two drinks of vodka and sugar-free lemonade. The drinks were spaced 30 minutes apart. Each drink contained less than 90 calories. Fat burning was measured before and after consumption of the drink.

Alcohol Affects Fat Metabolism by Halting Fat Burning

Researchers found that for several hours after drinking the vodka, fat burning in the body decreased by a massive 73%. The researchers also found that only 5% of the alcohol calories were converted to fat. The rest of the alcohol was converted into a substance called acetate. Acetate was measured at 2.5 times the normal value in the vodka drinking participants. This apparently brought fat burning to an almost grinding halt.

It seems that alcohol acts like jet fuel in the body. It surpasses all other forms of fuel in the body to become the main fuel of choice to meet the body’s energy needs. The body stops burning fat or even carbohydrates. It resorts to burning only alcohol until it is completely depleted.

Alcohol Affects Weight Loss by Increasing Appetite

Weight loss efforts are further sabotaged when an alcoholic beverage is consumed with meals.  One such study was published in the International Journal of Obesity. The researchers wanted to find out the effect of consuming wine and beer on the amount of food consumed. 22 non-obese men were served a meal with beer, wine or a carbonated soft drink. The calories consumed were measured.

The researchers concluded that alcoholic beverages and wine in particular, increased the total calories consumed at a meal. The study seems to indicate that the consumption of alcoholic beverages generally increased appetite. So if you take wine with a meal, the study suggests that you would eat more than you would if there was no wine.

Looking at the 2 studies together, the following would be happening to anyone consuming alcoholic beverages;

  • Someone consume a glass or two of wine with a meal
  • He or she would eat more due to the appetite increasing effects of the wine
  • The alcohol consumed would become the body’s main fuel of choice
  • The body’s fat burning is reduced massively
  • All the calories consumed at the meal are stored as fat. Mind you that one would have eaten more than the amount if he or she had not consumed the wine.

Weight Loss While Drinking Alcohol

Some may argue that they don’t eat when they drink. Well these people would obviously drink more. The alcohol would stay in the blood longer. Their body’s fat burning system would be shut down longer and they would not be much better off.

Anyone consuming alcohol cannot achieve effective weight loss.  Not when the research shows that it decreases fat burning by a massive 70% for a few hours!  You may not have known earlier but at least now you know. Does that mean that you can never drink? Well not really. It’s just that you can’t drink and expect to lose weight at the same time.

Why would you spend an hour on the treadmill to burn 200-300 calories and then bring fat burning to a grinding halt by drinking? To me, it’s synonymous to driving a car with one foot on the accelerator and one foot on the brakes. Remember that the participants of the study only consumed 24 grams of alcohol.

Get yourself down to the body shape that you want. Restrain from alcohol until you are satisfied with the body that you have. Once your body gets used to your new weight, you may indulge in some drinks now and then. But don’t expect any fantastic weight loss while continuing to drink.

Laurie Souza offering in home personal training….lauriesimplyfit.com

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WARNING!!!

Wednesday, May 12th, 2010

WARNING: 

When you see packaged foods marked low fat, light, ect, beware.  It does not mean that it is better for you, and in my opionion, I think in some products it is worse.  Often times food producers will replace fat with added sugar to make it taste better.  And these low fat or light foods contain large amounts of bad sugars, bad carbohydrates, bad fats, artificial flavors and other chemical agents that bring only empty calories to your body.  Not only that, but most of them are sold in oversized portions. 

Fat in foods produce the feeling of fullness, consequently giving the feeling of satisfaction.  When you choose to eat only low fat foods (processed) you end up eating more calories because you become hungry much faster.  This is why there had been so much success with the Adkins’s diet.  It is high in fat, and very low in health.  Fat is to be eaten within limits, just like anything else.  Moderation is the key. 

When I speak of fat, I am talking about good fats which are found in nuts, cheese, olive oil, animal and dairy products.  I am not talking about the chunk of fat attached to that rib eye steak, which I must admit I eat.  Yep.  I take a bite of straight fat with a bite of meat.  Healthy?  No.  But I do not eat steak that often and when I do I enjoy!  Anyone who enjoys a steak with me is quite surprised since they are cutting off and eliminating the fat and I am asking for theirs!

Unless you are a vegetarian, pick a variety of foods.  Use fresh vegetables and fruits instead of canned or frozen.  Right now the little fruit and vegetable stands are up all around us.  Also the farmers market is going on in our town and also Chico.  It is fun and feels good to buy straight from the growers.  And, they usually have fresh beautiful flowers!

Use butter instead of margarine.  Margarine is made up of chemicals…yuck!  Your body burns natural foods naturally.  Chemicals in processed foods are nothing more than poisons that we put in our body. 

Eat clean.  Exercise.  Be happy!

Laurie Jones

Offering in home personal fitness training

Lauriesimplyfit.com

 

Posted in Diet and Nutrition, General Health and Fitness | No Comments »

20 fat loss tips (part 3)

Wednesday, May 12th, 2010

Article continued 20 fat loss tips

15.  Keep track….of what you eat; what you drink; quantity and exercise.  If you got to write it down, you are more apt to stay on track.

16.  Be prepared for a rough ride.  Stresses piling up?  The comfort of French fries calling to you?  Stressful moments can easily trigger a return to bad habits, especially within the first 6 to 12 months of successful weight loss.  You need strategy!  Take a walk, work in the garden, call a friend.  ANYTHING which does not involve eating.  Remember!  You are trying to break bad habits.

17.  Stay positive.  After weeks of progress your weight has slowly crept up one or two pounds.  Don’t worry; simply make a few small adjustments.  Skip dessert, pass on that second glass of wine, and walk a couple of extra blocks. 

18.  Stay consistent.  Weekends are for relaxing, but it does not bean you can let yourself go.  Remain good eating habits every day of the week. 

19.  Realize your goals now.  Sometimes people will say that as soon as they lose weight, they will start doing this or that.  Do the things you want to do now.

And finally…

20.  It is going to get easier.  The longer you keep the weight off, the longer it will stay off and the easier it will be.  You will have replaced life’s bad habits with new and healthy good habits. 

Ok, that was 20 fat loss tips taken from a pamphlet I had saved.  Now I am sure you out there have your fat loss and exercise tips that keeps you on track.  E-mail me your ideas at simpleefit@yahoo.com or you can check out my website and post your ideas there.  I shall gather them all together and do this again!

Laurie Jones

Offering in home personal fitness training

Lauriesimplyfit.com

 

Posted in Diet and Nutrition, Exercise and Training, General Health and Fitness, Goal Achievment | No Comments »

20 fat loss tips (part 2)

Thursday, May 6th, 2010

Article continued from last week…..20 TRIED AND TESTED RULES FOR PERMANENT WEIGHT LOSS.

6.  Whenever possible, always limit bad carbs, those with a high glycemic index, when consuming foods with a high fat or protein content in the same meal.

7.  Use olive oil in place of butter, margarine and vegetable oils.  Olive oil is the staple of the Mediterranean diet where none of the inhabitants of Crete suffer from obesity or diabetes.  They do not suffer from cardiovascular problems, hypertension or high cholesterol.  They are also the healthiest people in the world.  They consume more than 20 times as much olive oil as other western Europeans.

8.  Avoid these foods:

·         Foods with white sugar such as cakes, pies and doughnuts.

·         Soda….one can has 10 teaspoons of sugar! 

·         Fried foods.  (Unless we are frying in olive oil????)

·         White breads.

·         Beer.  It contains maltose.

·         Over-processed foods.  The longer the list of ingredients or ones you cannot pronounce don’t touch!

9.  Check out the labels.  Every year portions seem to get bigger.  20 years ago, a bottle of soda pop was 8 oz.  Now there are 20 oz bottles.  This is why people are getting fatter. 

10. Eat small portions often throughout the day.  This will keep you from starving and over indulging.

11.  Eat with your wrong hand or chop-sticks.  (Well, that would surly slow you down)

12.  Treat yourself every now and again.  (Remember!  Now and again)

13.  Brush your teeth after you eat.  (After you eat your reasonable portion)

14.  Put a “Before” picture of yourself on the fridge.  Seeing yourself before you changed your ways will remind you of never wanting to be in that place again!  It’s like remembering a bad relationship that makes you think “Run for your life!”

 

Article to be continued

Laurie Jones offering in home personal training

Lauriesimplyfit.com

Posted in Diet and Nutrition, General Health and Fitness, Goal Achievment | No Comments »

20 fat loss tips

Friday, April 30th, 2010

Good morning Mirror readers!

For our fitness and health articles I will be listing 20 tried-and-tested rules for permanent weight-loss” which I found in a pamphlet.   

1.      45-60 minute cardiovascular work at least 3 times a week.  This will speed up weight and fat loss.  Walking, speed-walking, jogging, swimming, cycling, cross-country skiing and any exercise that gets your heart beating and your brow sweating. 

2.     Weight training at least twice a week.  You’re not going to grow huge muscles ladies.  Weight training will increase your strength, muscle tone and endurance.  This will help maintain lean body mass.  One pound of muscle burns between 30-50 calories per day while one pound of fat burns 2.  All you need to get started and power-boost your metabolism is a simple set of dumbbells and a few exercises.

3.     Keep moving as much as you can during the day.  Small, everyday movements add up (just like small everyday bites of empty calories).  No remotes; park in the farthest parking space; use the stairs.

4.     Never skip breakfast.  (Hmmmm.  Not sure what to say about this one since I always skip breakfast unless I didn’t eat the night before which in turn makes me hungry in the morning.  My personal practice…I eat when I’m hungry, not by the clock.

5.      Start your meal with a soup.  (This is a new one to me).  This is a good habit especially when you go out to eat at restaurants.  A clear broth soup with vegetables is nutritious and is going to give you the feeling of being full.  Even most vegetable cream soups are a healthy alternative.  After a bowl of soup you’re going to be less likely to fill up on bread and you’re not going to be compelled to overeat.

To be continued….

Laurie Jones offering in home personal training

Lauriesimplyfit.com

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MAKING IT WORK (PART 2)

Wednesday, April 21st, 2010

MAKING IT WORK (PART 2)

Last week I started my article on how to make exercise and eating healthy work when we are so busy.  In the article, I wrote about being creative and thinking differently.  For example, yesterday I was very busy at my office and knew I would not make it to the gym and would not want to do it at home.  I have 12 pound weights at my office and used them for about 20 minutes.   You can pick up weights pretty cheaply in the store or bands are great too.  Keep this equipment at work and then USE THEM!!!

As for food.  There are several things that make you drive up to the fast food window and order. 

1.      Convenience

2.     Quickness (your hungry NOW!!)

3.     Cheap

4.     Habit

Convenience:  cuz you did not take or make the extra time at home to prepare your food and take it with you.

Quickness:  cuz now you are sooooo hungry you need something quick!  Something fast!!  Or you just know for sure you will pass out!!

Cheap:  cuz it’s a two for the price of one Friday special!  And, you can supersize it for just pennies more!

Habit: cuz it’s what you always do!

If you would have just gotten up a little earlier, you would have conveniently had the food in your purse or bag, and you could have popped it in your mouth with quickness which then you would not have had to dig in your wallet keeping lunch cheap today while creating a new and healthy habit.

 

Laurie Jones offering in home personal fitness training

Lauriesimplefit.

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SUPERSIZE ME

Thursday, March 25th, 2010

Some time ago I watched the documentary “Super size me”.  Parts of it were boring, but there were some facts in that movie that cannot be ignored.  I need to say that I thought it was unfair to single out Mc. Donald’s since most fast food chains are alike.  They should have taken a month of eating from the most popular fast food restaurants instead of one.  Even so, based on one chain, what you learn from the movie you can apply to all fast foods. 

The man that the experiment was conducted on was checked out by doctors who put him through testing and he was in good health.  He put himself on a diet of Mc Donald’s for 30 days.  As the days went on his health started to sink to the point that the doctors said if he did not get off of that diet, he was putting his life in danger.  He started suffering from depression, and lack of energy.  The food was affecting his major organs, and his cholesterol jumped high and fast.  At the end of the month he had gained approx. 25 pounds. 

The movie showed how much sugar a person consumes in about a week’s worth of super sized soda drinking.  They showed what I believe was a quart jar and it was almost filled to the top with sugar.  One week’s sodas worth.  It blew me away. 

They showed a school that was for delinquent kids.  In this school, they served only healthy foods to the kids.  The kids changed.  They were calmer, able to think much more clearly.  They were staying out of trouble.   Even before seeing this movie, I am personally convinced that what our kids are consuming is causing trouble for them and all those around.

Many have become accustomed to the drive ups, and their taste buds have been polluted.  The “so called” foods are highly possessed, leaving nothing good.   Parents, when taking your little ones up to the drive thru and getting them fries, think again.  The kids are developing a taste for high sugar, salt, and fried foods.  When my boys were little, I would take them to lunch out to those places, but at the most once a week.  I packed their lunches in grade school. 

In conclusion, fast food, processed foods are not food.  They are items of poison, poisoning your body, mind and emotions.  Experiment on yourself.  Stop eating the poison for a month.  At the end of 30 days, see how you feel.  E-mail me your story, and I will put it in my column.   

 

Laurie Jones

Offering in home personal fitness training/nutritional guidance.

Lauriesimplyfit.com

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FOOD IDEAS

Tuesday, January 19th, 2010

                                                                                FOOD IDEAS

 

One of the problems we run across when trying to make healthier eating choices is knowing what to eat.  

The fitness industry has come up with an eating plan that makes sense.  This is eating small portions throughout the day, about 5 times a day.  The concept is keeping the metabolism burning hot with smaller amounts of food instead of starving yourself and then over eating at one meal.  I’m not going to label any of these as breakfast lunch or dinner.  These are meal and snack ideas.  All combine carbs, fat, and protein. 

 

*Poach 2-3 eggs, eat only one yolk.  Put egg on 1 piece of GOOD dry toast. 

*Oatmeal..The kind you have to cook.  Add chopped up apple, raisons, almonds, cinnamon, and milk. .

*Cold cereals..Brand name Kashi… (Sure I spelled wrong) This cereal is sweet with protein.   

* Banana or apple (or both) with healthy peanut butter.  (Get rid of the skippy’s.  Squeeze your own at Raleys or buy Adams or Laura Scutters.  Pour off the oil instead of mixing in.) 

*Cottage cheese.  I find Knudsen’s to be the firmest and best.

*Baked potatoes topped with red or black beans and salsa. 

 

*Sweet cravings:  Flavored yogurt with almonds or walnuts.

*caramel rice cakes spread with peanut butter.  Add slices of banana, apple or both with raisons.

*favorite fruit or combination of fruit; small amounts of nuts; cinnamon and milk. 

* Favorite small amount of ice cream with fruit cut up and small amount of nuts for added satisfaction.

 

*Salty cravings:

*Kashi crackers or pretzels in health food isle.  Dip in cottage cheese.

*Smoked salmon with crackers, cottage cheese, olives or pickles.

* Rice cake spread with cottage cheese, pickles or olives.

*Popcorn without butter.

 

*Salad ideas: make those salads heavy with bulky veggies: carrots, mushrooms, cucumbers, onions, cabbage, apples, walnuts, beans, ECT.  Lettuce comes last.  Instead of heavy dressings, try feta or blue cheese crumbles and then a low fat or none fat dressing.

 

*All leans meats including pork are low in fat and high in protein.  When having a meat in your diet, side dishes should be a veggie, salad or both, then choose between a bread OR a starch (potato, rice, pasta).  Do not use bread and starch at same meal.   

Those are just a few ideas that are really good and satisfying, and I have many more but not enough room to write!  Maybe I should write a book!!

 

Laurie Jones offering in home personal fitness training

Lauriesimplyfit.com        370-8228

 

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