Descending Dove

Mac and cheese, on the lighter side 👌

https://www.cookinglight.com/recipes/creamy-light-macaroni-cheese?utm_source=emailshare&utm_medium=email&utm_campaign=email-share-recipe&utm_content=20191117

Today I was asked to do a seminar on nutrition in December.

Most people want to know one thing, and it’s not WHAT to eat.

It’s HOW to have the motivation to eat what you know you should be eating vs. just eating what and how much you actually want to have.

When I tell clients, you should be eating this and not that. What do they say? “I know that, but that’s not what I want to eat.”

Here’s the deal. One meal, one slice of cake, one this or that isn’t going to hurt your nutrition goals. It’s when you have XYZ and say “well…there goes my goal” and you continue to eat like a person who doesn’t want to lose weight.

It’s that line that puts the brakes on your weight loss goals and derails your mindset.

One of the most common reasons people give up on a training and nutrition program is expectations. You go in with a certain result in mind in a given time period.

Then it becomes easier to give up when you don’t see quick results, rather than using elements of the program that works best for you.

To be successful, you must learn to assess your own needs and be in tune with your body.

What does this mean? We head into a goal most often with too high of expectations and when we don’t achieve the goal quickly, we blame the program.

“That program doesn’t work!”

No…that program doesn’t work FOR YOU.

Programs are a guide, a starting point. There are tons of programs out there, but the most important is being educated and choosing a guide that works for you.

One of the best things I can offer clients is education on different health and fitness programs. I help them move in a direction to reach their goals. I guide them through education and learning about how they can improve their health and fitness to meet their goals.

It’s not a one size fits all situation.

Cold nights? Beef stew…light style

https://www.cookinglight.com/recipes/peppery-beef-stew-with-root-vegetables?utm_source=emailshare&utm_medium=email&utm_campaign=email-share-recipe&utm_content=20191113

Did You Know?

👉🏻Only 1 in 3 children are physically active every day.

👉🏻About 1 out of 3 children is either overweight or obese in the United States.

👉🏻Overweight teens have a 70% chance of becoming overweight or obese adults.

👉🏻Kids learn from their parents behaviors. Parents who prioritize good nutrition and fitness will have kids who do the same.

Challenge kids with running on the weekends, walking around the neighborhood on nice days. Walk home as often as possible with them from the bus stop, and on bad weather days, create play in the house that’s safe. Invite them to join you doing a workout video and chose one that is fun for kids.

Invite them to do exercises that you are doing because it not only encourages physical activity, but it shows that it’s an important part of the day.

Making health and fitness a priority not only benefits us as parents, it also helps our kids to grow up healthy as well.

Here is Monday Motivation.

I gave my HIIT/strength girls a challenge to reach a 2 minute plank by Thanksgiving. We call it “planksgiving.”

We have been working on it 3 days a week for only 11 days. Keep in mind, most of my girls are age 50 plus and the oldest at mid-70s…and proud of it.

As of today, almost half of them have blown past the 2 minute mark and all of them are within 10 seconds.

To say I am proud of them is an understatement. To say how much they motivate me would take too many words.

And they are already asking for a Christmas challenge.

People find their motivation in different places, people, thoughts, songs, quotes, or all of the above. Find what works for you and go for it.

We are more capable than we believe ourselves to be.

Meal prep.

By making nutrition a priority, you also need to plan it out. One of the biggest complaints I get is that you simply don’t know what to eat so you grab the most convenient thing.

Meaning, drive through or snacking on junk.

This is where a simple plan comes into play. This doesn’t require hours on end of planning and prepping. This means having an idea of what you are going to eat when short on time.

Some ideas:

👉🏻Grill extra protein for salad toppings and quick lunches.

👉🏻Pre-slice the veggies that you can.

👉🏻Separate snacks into pre-portioned bags and carry them.

👉🏻Write out dinners for the week.

👉🏻Have a nutrition shake on hand for a breakfast on the go.

👉🏻Boil eggs ahead of time for quick lunch or snack ideas.

Anything you can do when you have time and ahead of time, will prevent you from heading toward something not so healthy.

A little thought and planning goes a long way when it comes to making sure you are ahead of the nutritional game.

For more tips and ideas, feel free to message me.

Salted Caramel Apple Pie – Cooking Light style.

https://www.cookinglight.com/recipes/salted-caramel-apple-pie?utm_source=emailshare&utm_medium=email&utm_campaign=email-share-recipe&utm_content=20191109

Weekly wrap up.

Let’s talk challenges. I love a good challenge, but everyone sees challenges differently.

So what’s your challenge? Maybe it’s not health and fitness related, maybe it’s a life challenge. Maybe it’s a long term or short term challenge.

Next question…will you attempt your challenge? We all come up with some good ideas in our minds, but then we get stuck attempting the things we want to conquer.

Will you achieve your challenge? Or stop half way through?

Most of us end our challenges right about here. We make a challenge, attempt a challenge and then part way through, we stop because of some reason or another.

That’s where accountability comes in, and that’s why having people around you that support your challenges and goals are so important.

Sometimes it’s a simple reminder that says “hey…YOU wanted to do this, what’s happening?”

The only time you can fail a challenge is by not completing it. If your challenge has to change, morph, or extend in time…don’t stop.

When it comes to wellness, nutrition is 80% of the equation. You have more control over your weight with what you eat than how much you exercise. 

So what is the key to this 80 percent? 

Consistency. 

No matter what plan or program you are doing, here are the facts:

If you consistently eat to lose, maintain or gain weight….you will consistently lose, maintain or gain weight. 

It’s that simple. Within each of those categories is a numbers game to accomplish the goals, but no matter what your numbers are….

How you eat consistently over a long period of time will determine if you lose, maintain or gain weight. 

Not a short period of time, not eating or eliminating carbs, not a slice of cake or big bowl of salad.

How you consistently eat over a long period of time will determine your weight. 

What’s your normal?  Is your normal eating a healthy diet that fuels your body correctly for the goals your have?

If it doesn’t, let me know. I’m educated in finding your numbers to get to your goal. All YOU have to do is be consistent with them.