SMART Carbs

Today is a look at the sort of Carbohydrates you should be consuming!

 

SMART CARBS

Carbohydrates are vital for energy.


Recommended serving size:
Fist-size portion

• Dairy: milk (1% or skim), yogurt (low fat) with fruit
• Bread: corn tortillas, whole grain breads, whole grain English muffins, whole grain tortillas
• Fruit: apples, apricots, bananas, berries, grapes, kiwi, melons, oranges, tangerines, peaches, nectarines, pears, pineapple, plums
• Grain: amaranth, barley, bran cereals, buckwheat, corn, couscous, long grain brown rice, oatmeal, popcorn, quinoa, spelt, whole grain cereals, wild rice
• Pasta: brown rice pasta, whole grain pasta
• Root Vegetables: potatoes (russet, red, gold; small 3.5cm diameter), sweet potatoes/yams (small 5cm diameter, 10cm long)
• Legumes: beans (boiled or low-sodium canned), edamame, lentils (boiled or low-sodium canned), peas

Smart Vegetables

Today we are looking at the SMART vegetables you should be eating!

SMART VEGETABLES

Vegetables fortify your body with vitamins, minerals and fiber.

Recommended Serving Size:
Two fist-size portions
Artichokes, arugula, asparagus, beets, bok choy, broccoli, Brussels sprouts, cabbage, carrots, cauliflower, celery, collard greens, cucumber, eggplant, endive, green beans, kale, lettuce, mixed greens, mushrooms, mustard greens, okra, onions, peppers, radicchios, radishes, rhubarb, romaine, rutabaga, snow peas, spinach, sprouts, squash, tomatoes, turnips, zucchini

Bod-e Smart Food Guide

Over the enxt few days, we want to share with you the Bod-e Smart Food Guide to see what foods are best to eat in conjunction with the Bod-e Plan.

Lets start with Smart Protein!

SMART PROTEINS

Protein is essential for weight loss management since it helps build muscle.

Recommended Serving Size:
Palm-size portion

• Bod•ē Shake, Bod•ē Burn
• Dairy: cottage cheese (low fat), eggs, egg substitutes, Greek yogurt (nonfat plain), yogurt (low carb/high protein)
• Poultry: chicken, duck breast, ostrich, turkey breast (low sodium)
• Red Meat: beef (lean cuts), buffalo (ground), elk, roast beef (low-sodium deli), venison
• Seafood: catfish, clams, cod, crab, halibut, lobster, mussels, salmon, scallops, shrimp, snapper, tilapia, trout, tuna
• Vegetable Protein: tempeh, texturized vegetable protein, tofu
• White Meat: pork (lean)

The Truth About Fats and Carbs - Part 2

Myth #2: Fat is “bad” and needs to be eliminated from your diet completely.

Once again, fat is an essential part of a body’s essential nutrients that needs to be eaten – again – in moderation.  FDA food guidelines insist that a healthy diet should be made of up 20-30% fat because it provides energy and helps to transport vitamins such as Vitamin A, E, K and D throughout the body. 

However, fat has a terrible reputation due to the fact that a single gram contains more than twice the calories than a gram of carbohydrates or proteins.

Unfortunately, recent studies have shown a typical American diet is made up of 40% fat.  This is a number that certainly needs to be addressed and lowered. However, there also needs to be a bit of ‘fat education’ promoted to those with such fat-laden diets - because, just like carbs, not all fats are created equal. 

“Bad” fats that raise cholesterol and increase blood pressure are Saturated Fats and Trans-Fats. Too many Saturated and Trans-fats can also increase a person’s risk for heart disease.

Saturated fats are typically found in animal products such as:

·         Bacon

·         Poultry skin

·         Ribs

·         Hotdogs

·         Sausage

·         Coconut oil

·         Palm oil

High levels of Saturated Fats can also be found in dairy products such as:

·         Cheese

·         Sour cream

·         Butter

·         Ice Cream

Trans-fats are made from liquid oils.  Trans-fats are processed chemically making the oil a solid or semi-solid when brought to room temperature. Trans-fat is typically found in partially hydrogenated oil which is an ingredient in most packaged sweets, baked goods and snack foods and margarine.

Instead of these unhealthy fats that make up 40% of so many American diets, 20-30% of a healthy diet should consist of healthy fats: Monounsaturated, Polyunsaturated, and Omega-3 Fatty Acids. These fats are more natural, less processed and therefore the body recognizes them as being a helpful tool rather than a something that should be stored.

Monounsaturated fats are found in:

·         Olive oil

·         Canola oil

·         Nut

Polyunsaturated fats are found in

·         Fish

·         Flaxseed

·         Walnuts

·         Soybeans

Omega-3 Fatty Acids are found in:

·         Cold water fish such as salmon, herring, mackerel and anchovies

·         Flaxseed oil

·         Flax seed

·         Walnuts

Omega-3 fatty acid is a polyunsaturated fatty aid that helps the body to build cell membranes in the brain.  It also control blood clotting and it has proved to provide benefits to those suffering from cancer and rheumatoid arthritis.

…The bottom line is – the more you fuel your body with all of the nutrients, minerals and vitamins that it requires – in the quantities that it expects and needs, the more efficiently and effectively it will function. 

The body is a machine and it operates at peak performance when it is fueled with ‘high-test fuel’ in the proper amounts at the proper times.  We cannot expect our body to do what we want it to, to make drastic changes and to maintain them - unless we start by giving it what it wants and needs as well. 

Work with your body’s needs instead of against them, and you’ll be surprised at how much faster you can reach your health and fitness goals!

The Secret to Health and Fitness Success

The Secret to Health and Fitness Success

Use the Secrets of Wildly Successful People to Achieve Your Health and Fitness Goals!

To improve your health, it takes dedication day in and day out and – most importantly – the ability to pick up and stay motivated even when you face challenges or failures.  

…Henry Ford failed in his early business ventures and was officially broke 5 times before he successfully founded the Ford Motor Company.  

…Oprah Winfrey was fired from her job as a television reporter and told she was “unfit for TV.”

…Walt Disney was fired by a newspaper editor who told him that he “lacked imagination and had no good ideas.” 

The difference between those who are successful and those who aren’t is not the rate of failure.  In fact, successful people have often failed far more than those who have made fewer attempts at goals. 

The only difference between those who are successful and those who aren’t is simply – that the successful did not give up, no matter how many times they stumbled or failed. 

According to the CDC, more than one-third of the U.S. adults (35.7%) are obese.  That means roughly 78.4 million adults in the United States are currently living in a state that drastically increases their risk for obesity related illnesses and death.  

…Now of this 78.4 million, how many have tried to reduce their weight, increase their fitness and improve their lives?  The sheer number of billion-dollar diet companies, gyms and fitness equipment companies in the U.S. alone is proof that millions try to improve their health each year.  

…Then why do the obesity statistics continue to rise? 

While we all have ideas about factors that could be to blame, consider a simple factor…How many people give up on these goals each year simply due to the frustration of  challenges and failures?...And if you are one of those people, how can you stop that cycle? 

Start by Setting SMART goals -   Goals that are: S – Specific / M – Measurable / A – Attainable / R – Realistic / T – Timely.  You may have heard this term in a work or business setting.  But goal setting for your personal life is no different!

·         S – Specific Goals:  Set goals that are clear and precise, not vague.  Don’t say “I want to lose weight.” Say: “I want to lose 30 lbs. by February.”

·         M – Measureable Goals: Remember when specifying your goals, there needs to be a way to measure your progress.  If you are setting the goal to lose 30 lbs. by February, break it down into weekly increments and that will give you a set weekly goal that you can measure against to see whether you are on track to reaching your goal.

·         A – Attainable / R – Realistic: Don’t set yourself up for failure.  Setting unattainable or unrealistic goals like, “I’m going to get to the gym for an hour every single day” – will simply make you feel like a failure the first day you miss a session.  Set small goals – “I’m going to get to the gym at least twice a week” and then aim to exceed them!

·         T – Timely – Set a time-frame in which you can achieve your goals so that you stay on track. Ex: “I will reduce my cholesterol by x amount by x time.”  Pick a goal that your doctor agrees is achievable in the timeline you have set and create specific steps for attaining that goal. 

Also, set short-term milestones.  Keeping motivated when staring at the mountain peak is difficult.  Instead, break a large goal into smaller increments.  Plan to lose 5 lbs. by the next holiday or increase the speed of your walk by 1 minute by the end of the week. 

After your SMART Goals are set, keep the following tips in mind to keep yourself motivated:

·         Give Yourself Credit – If you were coaching a friend to achieve a goal, you would likely praise them each time they overcame a challenge.  Remember to give yourself that same praise you would give a child, a friend or a family member.  We all need positive encouragement and reinforcement to maintain a positive attitude!

·         Set Small Goals – Remember from the SMART Goals above – A = Attainable and R = Realistic. Start small and work your way up.   Pennies add up to dollars very quickly!

·         Stop Thinking in Black and White – Life is not always 100% one way or another, good or bad, perfect or terrible, so stop thinking that way!  There is no such thing as perfection so expecting to eat perfectly every single day or to stick perfectly to your ideal fitness routine is again – unrealistic. 

Instead, give yourself credit for improvements.  Aim to improve over the day before and give yourself credit for going against the little voice inside trying to throw out an excuse for not working toward your goal.  Again – positive reinforcement and realistic expectations will allow you to live in the ‘gray’ and improve a bit more each day.

All in all, remember that the failure rate for those who are famously successful is no different than yours and therefore you are just as likely to succeed in any goal you set for yourself.  Just keep getting up every time you stumble and keep moving towards that goal!