I am thankful for all the strong women I know.

A Poem by Sam Levenson, oft-recited by Audrey Hepburn :

For attractive lips, speak words of kindness.

For lovely eyes, seek out the good in people.

For a slim figure, share your food with the hungry.

For beautiful hair, let a child run his/her fingers through it once a day.

For poise, walk with the knowledge that you never walk alone.

People, even more than things, have to be restored, renewed, revived, reclaimed, and redeemed; never throw out anyone.

Remember, if you ever need a helping hand, you’ll find one at the end of each of your arms. As you grow older, you will discover that you have two hands, one for helping yourself, the other for helping others.

The beauty of a woman is not in the clothes she wears, the figure she carries, or the way she combs her hair.

The beauty of a woman must be seen from her eyes, because that is the doorway to her heart, the place where love resides.

The beauty of a woman is not in a facial mole, but true beauty in a woman is reflected in her soul.

It is the caring that she lovingly gives, the passion that she shows.

The beauty of a woman grows with the passing years.

~Sam  Levenson

Have a wonderful Thanksgiving,

Coach Nancy

If you are like most people then you probably glance at the Nutrition Facts label on foods once in a while. Maybe you check for the number of calories or fat grams that an item contains, or maybe you are watching something specific – like your sodium intake.

Whatever the case, it has been proven that those who pay attention to the Nutrition Facts label end up eating healthier.

The more familiar you are with the Nutritional Facts label, the more likely you will be fit and healthy.

Each Nutritional Facts label has been designed to quickly and efficiently give you all of the important facts about a food item. You need to know what you are looking for. Read on as we break down the Nutritional Facts label into 7 important facts.

Fact #1: Serving Size
This small detail skews the entire label if you don’t read it closely. An item may seem like it is only one serving, but the Nutritional Facts label will consider it to be 2 or 3 servings. If the label says 100 calories, but there are actually 3 servings, then you are getting a total of 300 calories. Pay close attention to what makes a serving.

Fact #2: Calories
Most people don’t have the time to count every calorie that they put in their mouth – this is understandable. However, you should have a pretty good idea about the amount of food that you eat each day. When you approach a new item, read the calorie totals on the Nutritional Facts label, and factor the new calories into your daily intake. Steer clear of high calorie items – especially in the form of snack foods.

Fact #3: Fat
By now you have undoubtedly heard that all fats were not created equal. Here is a quick 1-2-3 breakdown.

1. Limit your intake of Saturated Fats – this deadly fat contributes to heart       disease.

2. Avoid Trans Fats at all costs – not only does it contribute to heart disease,  it  also raises LDL cholesterol (the bad one).

3. Focus on eating monounsaturated and polyunsaturated fats – these don’t raise LDL cholesterol and can even help lower blood cholesterol.

As you decide what food to include in your diet, keep your eye on the type and amount of fat included in each item. Remember, all fats were not created equal.

Fact #4: Carbohydrate
Although zero carb diets are losing their momentum, you may have been influenced by the idea that all carbohydrates will make you fat. That is simply not true. It is true, that some carbohydrates are healthier than others. Consuming refined carbohydrates (such as soda pop, white rice, and white flour) are one of the reasons behind the rise of obesity we see today.

Choose fibrous, complex carbohydrates over sugary, simple carbohydrates. Remember Fresh Fruit and Colorful Vegatables

Fact #5: Protein
Choose protein from lean meats, dry beans, poultry, and low fat/fat free dairy products.

Fact #6: The Good Stuff
Directly beneath the protein count on the Nutritional Facts label you will see the percent daily value of Vitamin A, Vitamin C, Calcium and Iron that the food item contains. These numbers are easily overlooked, but hold great importance to your overall health. The more nutrient-rich food items provide you with the greatest benefit per calorie.

Fact #7: Evaluate Your Lifestyle
Now that you understand the Nutritional Facts label on your food, you may still have questions about how to change your fitness level.  Eating right is just one part of the equation in your quest for a healthy, fit body. Exercise is vastly important as well, and happens to be my specialty. If you have questions about how you can get into the best shape of your life, please contact me today.

To Your Best Health,

Coach Nancy

Here are some tips I when it comes to food.

• Understand I have control over my eating behavior. In other words, I might not be able to predict the mood of a four year old girly princess but I can decide what goes in my mouth during the day
• Food is just food. It is not an emotional outlet. I should not let food become my best friend. I don’t need a pint of Ben and Jerry’s to overcome the stubborn attitude of preschoolers
• Listen to your body- eat only when you are hungry and stop when you are full. (see above)
• Cravings come and go. Ignore them stay busy. There is always something next to accomplish on my To Do list so get busy and stop thinking about food. (again see above)
• Keep moving- Did I mention I always have more to do? In order to get everything done I don’t need to stop at any point in the day.
• Portion size is important. Measuring food, logging it in a journal is an important visual tool when it comes to eating properly.
• Practice practice practice…..  The old saying “Practice makes perfect” applies to eating. The more I practice eating well, the easier it becomes. The more I measure my food, the easier it becomes out of the house to know when to stop eating. The more I log my food the better choices I make. Don’t just say it do it.
• Its okay to say “no”. In social settings its okay not to eat something of everything. In fact the more you let others know you are eating healthy, the easier it becomes to do so.

Most of these behaviors build on each other. Once I understand I have control of my eating habits, I can rationalize that food is not part of my emotional wellbeing. From there I can listen to my body and know what it needs, how much it needs, and when to stop. I can think beyond cravings. I also realize I’m not perfect so when I give in, or fall off the wagon. I just keep on practicing.

To your health,

Coach Nancy

Ummm....No....

Many women have the impression they should train differently then men. Pink dumbbells, swiss balls and aerobics are the order of the day.

What’s up with that?

There is a misconception that if women train with weights – heavy weights in particular, they will start to “look like a man”. This is patently false, as the vast majority of women do not have the hormonal profile (ie. testosterone) that would allow this to happen.

It is also clear this kind of thinking is causing women to suffer unnecessary health challenges as a result.

For example, let’s take a look at Osteoporosis. Studies clearly indicate that weight bearing exercise reduces the risk of spinal challenges and broken bones, and 2lb foo-foo dumbbells are not going to get it done.

Women’s bodies need to be challenged and pushed, and the fundamental exercises are the ones that give the toned athletic look many are after.

Ladies, don’t be afraid of the iron!

Coach Nancy

Many moms (and dads) want to eat healthy and they want their kids to eat healthy too, but how do you get a ten year old to choose healthy eating? How do get them to crave foods that will not harm their bodies? How do you go from Fruit Loops and Pop Tarts, to Granola and Fresh Fruit?

There is hope!

In the process of changing children’s diets, just remember that they are probably not as excited about this new way of eating as you are, yet they do respond much more quickly to diet change than adults. You won’t change anyone overnight, but little by little you will get there.

Here are a few points to consider if you don’t want to face a food battle each day.

• Set the example. The old motto “children do as I say” does not work well unless they can also “do as you do”. They are aware even if you think they are not watching.
• Sit your child down and explain to them on their level what a good diet and bad diet can do. Let them know about diabetes, how TV commercials seldom advertise healthy foods, and what different types of food do once they are in your body.
• Make mealtime a positive time for the family. Let them fix part of the meal, talk about fun activities at the table. This is not the time to go over the note sent home from the teacher. Why not let them choose a meal each week?
• Try to make your meals as colorful as possible.
• Try one new recipe each week. This will gradually give you a large variety of meals to prepare. This can also add to the fun. Monday night could be designated “Mom’s new meal night”. How about letting each child pick a recipe out to try each week?
• Encourage your children to eat salad. You can add many different types of veggies into the salads and offer a wide variety of salad dressings.
• Most children love bread. Try to replace most of the bread in your children’s diet. This might be the one area you tackle before making a main dish that is all-natural and healthy. Instead of serving bread try brown rice, quinoa, spaghetti squash, or bulghar.
• Variety is the key to a balanced diet. It is more important to have a variety of foods eaten at one meal than quantity.

Change happens little by little and inch by inch. Changing one or two things in your family’s diet each month will evoke less resistance than emptying out the cupboards of everything familiar and replacing them with foods your kids recognize.

Don’t Give Up!

Coach Nancy

Sensible Meal? Try Again!

Most women today work outside the home and have a family. Life is hectic, and in order for an eating plan to work, it must be simple and realistic.

The most important ingredient for success is planning.

The most common reason for failure is lack of planning.

Here is my simple plan for planning that first week’s menu.

Start with the meals your family already enjoys. List what your family has eaten for dinner for the last week. Do the same thing with your lunch and breakfast meals.

Now tweak these meals to include the focus of our nutrition –  Protein, Produce and Water. Water is the easy one, that’s what you’ll be drinking at each meal.

For example:

Spaghetti  is your first dinner meal. Does it have meat in the sauce? A pound of browned ground beef makes a quick fix to that. You’ll need to fit more veggies besides what is in the tomatoe sauce so add a salad. Now to make it the best you can substitute vegetable fettuccini for the pasta.  A meal made up of protein, produce and water.

These same tips can be applied to each meal. Some meals like tacos will only need to have the tortilla or chips removed to make a taco salad.

This will take a few minutes but it is much easier than switching everything your family knows and loves for new recipes they’ve never tried. You’ll only need to do this once but if you attempt seven new recipes you’ll have to find at least a few more recipes the next week because face it, not all new recipes will be well received.

Keep the ones that work, tweak or get rid of the ones that didn’t.

Once you have your meals modified to fit your new mantra of protein, produce and water, you’ll need to make your grocery list and shop. This is actually the longest part of the process. I don’t like standing in check out lines either!

Here’s another tip –  while you are standing in line don’t waste your time reading the tabloids, start planning what prep  you’ll need to do with the food you are buying. Make a quick list of veggies that will need to be cut up, or sauted. Don’t forget those to make a big dinner salad for the week. You can also brown all your beef at once and hard boil eggs.

Use this plan to create your to do list for your preparation part of meals.

You can do this.

Remember the saying, “Insanity is doing the same thing over and over and expecting different results”? Does that describe your approach to nutrition?

Start planning your meals.

Get the results you want from your eating plan.

It all starts with a little planning.

“So little time and so much to do.”

I say this a lot. I understand the strain raising kids, keeping house, along with working and keeping my hubby happy can be. It’s difficult to do everything that we’d like to do in caring for our family. If we could, many of us would cook every meal ourselves- from scratch, take educational vacations, and spend our free evenings reading and discussing the classics. Obviously this isn’t possible for most of the working or going to school moms.

There is one basic thing we should try to do as often as possible: prepare food that is healthy and nutritious. Feeding our family well is the most important thing we can do to ensure they lead healthy lives. With school just starting back after a beautiful summer packing homemade lunches will establish good eating habits that will last a lifetime.

Making lunch every day—before lunchtime, no less—can seem like a daunting task, as it adds one more thing to our morning to-do lists, but eating a good lunch is so important. In fact I would say the effort it takes along with the time to carry out our plan is more than worth the effort. A homemade lunch is far better than letting them fend for themselves in the cafeteria lunch line. Sending our kids to school with a well-balanced meal ready to eat allows us to show them, by example, how to eat healthfully. They’ll carry that experience with them when they leave home to navigate the world of food on their own.

At this stage in life I don’t have children rushing off to school each morning at 7 but that was not always the case. It seems just like yesterday I was kissing Tim on the head as he headed off to kindergarten…….. now he’s 24.

All Grown Up

The point is to plan. A lunch plan for the week is just as important as planning our dinner meals. You have to eat and so does the rest of your family. Take time each Sunday to decide the meal plan. Turkey and chicken is a light, healthful protein perfect for lunches. Fresh roasted chicken with a thinly sliced Granny Smith apple, a cheese stick, slices of red and green pepper make wonderful lunch. Try rolling a few slices of turkey meat around a slice of your favorite cheese  and supply a bit of mustard to dip it in. Pair it up with an orange and celery sticks. At the end of the week make chicken or turkey salad with the smaller bits that are always left over—add a few pinches of curry powder and some raisins for a retro version. I always keep a supply of healthy treats like fresh fruit, veggie sticks, hard boiled eggs,  raisins, and other dried fruit on hand to supplement lunches.

A healthy lunch says, “I love you” in so many ways. What better way to express care than by preparing a homemade lunch that is full of good food?

Additional Tips:
* Take advantage of the snack size Ziploc bags. They are the perfect size for most lunch items.
* Check labels if you buy the small snack size portions of applesauce, don’t buy it if they add sugar.
* Keep small bags of blue gel ice in the freezer and pack one in with cold lunches to keep them fresh and safe.

What is your favorite lunch? Your kids?

To your health,

Coach Nancy

Lunch Box Chicken Salad

½ cup plain yogurt
4 teaspoon Dijon style mustard
Dash of pepper
2 Tablespoons orange juice
1 cup cooked green beans
5 ounces chicken, turkey, ham, or even tuna
½ cup shredded carrots
2 Tablespoons sliced green onion

For dressing, mix yogurt, Dijon mustard, pepper, and the orange juice. Add green beans, carrots, green onions, and meat toss with dressing. Divide it in 2 containers. Chill overnight for best flavor.

Vary the veggies with whatever you have on hand. Peas, green and red peppers, broccoli, snap peas, The varieties are endless. Enjoy.

Fiber! Boring? Well maybe, but from what I know most Americans have very unhealthy colons mostly caused by poor diets. The problem with most people’s diet is that it doesn’t include enough fiber. There are two kinds of fiber one is soluble,  which can be digested, but takes longer than simple foods to break down. The second type of fiber is insoluble. It doesn’t digest but just passes through the digestive tract.

It is the second kind – insoluble – most people do not get enough of.

Why?

Most processed foods do not contain any insoluble fiber. Insoluble fiber includes the bran and germ from grains, and is found in many fruits and veggies. (celery and apple peels are a good example).

Think about how much of these types your family takes in as a whole. If they’re like mine it is not as much as you think.

Some benefits of fiber? According to the ADA,

Fiber normalizes bowel function in its effect on transit time & nutrient absorption.

Insoluble fiber exerts a laxative effect, accelerate intestinal transit, increased fecal bulk, & reduced gastrointestinal pressure.

Dietary fiber plays both a therapeutic & a preventive role in management of gastrointestinal diseases & is used extensively in clinical practice to treat constipation.

The effect of dietary fiber may also be beneficial in the treatmen t of diverticular diseases & related disorders including hemorrhoids.

Epidemiologic evidence supports the role of dietary fiber in reducing risk of colon cancer. (However, evidence from clinical trials is still divided about the relationship between dietary fiber & colon cancer in human beings.)

Dietary fiber is known to be beneficial in the management of certain diseases, including cardiovascular disease, diabetes, & obesity, via its effect on nutrient metabolism.

Soluble fiber have been shown to improve glucose tolerance & serum lipid profiles.

Clinical evidence suggests that dietary may play a role in improving glycemic control in individuals with diabetes, & it provides a high satiety benefit in weight-reduction & caloric-controlled diets.

Epidemiologic observations suggests that high-fiber diets contain less calories & and are less likely to contribute to the development of obesity.

Research has reported that dietary fiber in whole foods or soluble fiber supplements function to increase satiety, delay gastric emptying, speed intestinal transit & reduce nutrient utilization.

Think about it.

If the colon and the digestive track in general are healthy and clean and can do their job well the next part of the body effected would be the liver and kidneys. The liver takes out toxins from our body. If the colon does it job well this makes the livers job manageable. If the colon is already doing double duty and is clogged up with gunk it can’t expel the toxins and therefore the liver has to do more work and it can get clogged up too (in a different sort of way).

Then we hit the skin. The skin also works to expel toxins from our body after they have reached the blood stream. So now the skin is working extra hard to keep up. Make sense?

Processed foods and white sugar will make your body go into glucose shock and mess up lots of things. Good nutrition is key for healthy looking skin. Cleaning out the colon and digestive track will be the starting point. The next step is keeping it clean with healthy foods and lots of fiber. There are many products you can find online for a colon cleansing. That is a quick way to clean out the colon but it sometimes takes two or three cleansings to see the results the site says you will. (Too gross to describe.) You are better off discussing a cleanse with your doctor, and considering a doctor supervised cleanse from a qualified practitioner as our strategic health partner Dr. Laura Jones.

Cleansing your body as a whole is not a quick thing. It will take more than a day, more than a week, more than a month. The cleansing kits just speed up the initial process. Most people’s colons look like a kitchen sink drain with a grease clog in it. Draino might work the first time but it might take two or three bottles too. (nasty analogy, sorry) To keep it clean you’ld need to add lots of fiber and water to your diet.

I don’t think there will be an overnight cure to the skin issue. I do believe in the process. Clean colon, healthy diet, beautiful skin.

To your health,

Coach Nancy

Mealtime can be one of the most strenuous times of the day around our household. The kids are hungry and complaining a half hour before I even start dinner. After reading several articles on child hood eating habits and experimenting with my own kids I have found kids are natural mealtime grazers. Let me explain.

As each tiny newborn entered our house, they were put on a three hour feeding schedule until they could sleep through the night.  Some parents choose to feed newborns on demand. The point is babies eat often.

When I ran a childcare center for infants to age twelve, the USDA regulated how often we offered food to the kids. Their rule was every three hours no matter what the age. We had to offer them food.  They didn’t have to eat but the option was there.

Did you catch the similarity in eating every three hours?

Suppose I ate every three hours.  How many meals would I be eating? Depending on sleep patterns, that would require five to six meals per day.  But the typical American diet contains only three meals a day, Breakfast, Lunch and Dinner. When and why do we transition them to this pattern? Is it the best for them? Is it the best for us?

Now lets take that tip from our tiny ones. Remember the fussiness that accompanies a hungry tummy?  “A child’s demeanor often parallels her eating patterns. Parents often notice that a toddler’s behavior deteriorates toward the end of the morning or mid-afternoon. Notice the connection? Behavior is at its worst the longer they go without food. Grazing minimizes blood-sugar swings and lessens the resulting undesirable behavior.” www.askdrsears.com

And Dr. Tim Reynolds says “Eating more often with less food makes sense no matter how old you are. It raises insulin levels less, which allows you to keep hormonal changes in better balance.  If you eat six small meals a day, you will also be less hungry when you do eat. This means you will have a much better chance of eating nutritious foods instead of reaching for something high in sugar.”

From personal experience letting my kids have small meals more often in the day has made for a much happier home. My kids are much more content, less whiny, and that makes for a happier mom!

To your health,

Coach Nancy

1.  Get quality sleep

You’ve heard us say it many times but sleep is important. Getting 6-8 solid hours of sleep is essential for your body to rejuvinate, replenish, and repair itself. Your body is doing a lot while you sleep. Beyond the health benefits, think how much happier, smoother, and relaxed your day goes when you wake up ready to tackle the activities of your day.

2. Surround yourself with people that encourage you.

Most people are hard on themselves to begin with. We blast ourselves for not being perfect. Perfection in our diet, looks, actions, talk, relationships, and work will not happen. We need to be our best but don’t beat yourself up for a failure; learn from it and move on. The last thing we need to do is spend time with people that are critical toward us or people that are always bleak and downhearted. Spend time with people who see you and value you for who you are. They are the ones who make you feel like you can accomplish anything.

3. Exercise regularly

Exercise raises your serotonin levels. You know those happy ones. The physical challenges you overcome in your training will boost your confidence outside of the gym as well. Exercise sends you a message that you are worth the time and effort you make for yourself.

4. Eat a clean healthy diet

Eating clean healthy food is another way of sending a message to yourself that you are worth it. You are worth the best foods, the time to plan your meals and prepare them. Avoid processed foods. Focus on foods fresh fruits and vegetables and a variety of protein.  Remember to healthy diet keeps your hormones in balance, which helps activate the cycle of a happier, healthier you.

5. Finish what you Started

Something motivated you to start each and every action you do each day. An angry boss might motivate you to be on time each day to work, while a small paycheck might motivate you to show up to work. There are also motivations to do laundry, plan meals, make bootcamp each time you are scheduled. Once you start something you will soon find there are often obstacles that get in our way. Laundry might be put on hold while dealing with a sibling dispute, dinner might be late on the table because an unexpected phone call interrupted your prep time. Each time you overcome an obstacle and succeed by finishing your task it adds to your sense of accomplishment. Taking the obstacles seriously will enable you to focus on it and then get back to your plan. It is a great feeling to start something and cross it off your daily list. It is even a bigger boost to cross things off your weekly or monthly to do list.

6. Eliminate “Can’t” and “But” from your vocabulary

Those obstacles that get in your way when working toward a goal will come. How we handle those obstacles define our success. When we start allowing those obstacles and life to get in our way we often start making excuses. You’ll start off by saying “ I can’t get the laundry done today because the kid were acting up.” “I didn’t get my workout but I did walk a lot while doing errands.” Those words are self-defeating. Turn those two little words into possibilities. You can do anything you truly set your mind to.

7. Focus on yourself

All of us were created differently with special talents and abilities. They define us, they give us character and personality. We all have something we are really good at. Focus on those things. I’m not saying we shouldn’t stretch our selves in our weaker areas but comparing ourselves to others is unfair. You are unique. Enjoy that part of you that makes you special.

To your health,

Coach Nancy