Why Paulo & I Dipped Our Toes into Plant Based Eating

Oh my gosh!  September 9th was such a transformative day for me. I partook in Mindy & Bruce Mylrea’s One Day to Wellness workshop because I have been trying to “Raise my Healthfulness Game” in 2017.  This year I started with the goal of practicing meditation and mindfulness daily, while increasing my knowledge of nutrition and healthy eating.  When I read about the workshop, I thought it might be just what I needed. I had no idea it was going to be as educational and motivational as it turned out to be.  It raised my awareness game and seriously began our personal experiment into vegetarianism and vegan eating.

Bruce & Mindy spoke about their experience in what they called their “transition” to plant based eating, but they also presented significant amounts of the current research behind plant based eating.  More and more research is linking animal protein consumption to cancer, heart disease and diabetes.  There is a significant amount of research that support a relationship between high protein diets and kidney disease. (Even Arnold Schwarzenegger is turning VEGAN!)  And it is difficult to ignore the impact of animal food production on the environment, not to mention concerns regarding the ethical treatment of animals.

So, Paulo & I decided it was time to listen to science and see how our bodies responded to a change in eating style.  Right now we are 3 weeks in to our MOSTLY VEGANISM.  Admittedly, learning to eat this way is taking some practice.  There is a lot of volume of food required and we are rethinking our meals and meal planning.  But, we feel good.  Maybe a few pounds lost and body fat is down.  We are committing to our plant based eating style for the next month and checking the results of our experiment at our next checkups!   For the next chapter, stay tuned!

Moderation in All Things...

Yesterday I was on social media and I began thinking about expectations. Many of the people I see on Instagram, FB and other social media platforms display themselves as something that may seem unattainable to some of us.  They are 100% vegan, they do triathalons, their workout videos are intimidating & they have a body fat percent so low it is astounding.  And that is all great!  I admire them immensely.

 But what stops most of us from taking the time to exercise regularly or to cook healthy food for ourselves?  I think in many cases it is because we feel as if we can’t compare to these images we see regularly.  It is feeling like it is not worth doing if we can't be like these images we see!   Nothing could be further from the truth!  We don’t have to be “all in” to benefit from living a healthy lifestyle.

Don’t let feeling overwhelmed stop you from making a few small changes.  Try to begin by doing these simple things:

1.    Move Daily (walking is cheap & easy!)

2.    Drink Water

3.    Strive for your fruits & veggies

4.    Cut back on processed foods (including processed meats)

5.    Reduce sodas & sweets

 I am often reminding my clients that fitness is not a straight up hill climb, where we are always feeling great, strong, and healthy. Fitness is rolling hills.  Sometimes we are climbing up smoothly and then suddenly something pushes us down the hill, like family, work, injury, et cetera.  The important thing is that we pick ourselves up and start the climb over.  Remember, Fitness is a Journey, not a Destination

Strength Training is Crucial for Women Over 50 (and under but that is not my topic!)

When I was a young mom, people asked me why I lifted weights.  My answer was “so I can carry both my children up the stairs at the same time!” My reason now?  I still want to be a strong, independent woman!”  I love introducing my clients to the feeling of accomplishment they have as they get stronger and can do more and more without asking for help!

My friend in California recently contacted me to help her get back in the gym…WHY? I mean she is a triathlete for heavens sake!  She has run marathon upon marathon! She is fit!  She is strong!  So I asked her!  Her answer:  “Because my arms are getting jiggly!”

Seriously! Then she followed it up with this: “I was an athlete my whole life, naturally strong upper body, but even I didn't think the words of my 7th grade health teacher "muscle starts to decline after 30" would ever apply to me.”  In her words, “there's only so much you can do to your face to remain young... put that time, money & effort on your body and you'll start to FEEL like you're turning back clock as well as look it. “

As we age, we lose muscle mass, we lose bone density, our metabolism slows down.  Strength training can combat all of that, with the additional benefits of increasing flexibility, reducing joint pain, reducing peri and post menopausal symptoms, sleeping better, and if that isn’t enough, being more mentally fit, (NYT: https://well.blogs.nytimes.com/2015/10/21/lifting-weights-twice-a-week-may-aid-the-brain/).

Luckily, strength training (also known as resistance training) does not necessarily mean joining the muscle heads at the local Gold’s Gym!  You can start to build muscle with your own body weight and slowly adding resistance as your strength increases.  Things around your house, such as cans, milk cartons and dirt bags  can be used to add weight and resistance.

My caveat?  I do recommend consulting a fitness professional for guidance on technique if you have never done resistance training before.