Spice it up!!

Hi everyone I hope you have had a wonderful week. We are getting ready to close out January and that means we are getting closer to spring, well at lest I can see the glass half full right? :) If you are living in the south I hear we may see highs in the 60's this weekend!!! I intend to get out and get some vitamin D and exercise this weekend and I hope that you can do the same. Take a walk or stroll, moving is good for the body and the soul!

As we close out the month I wonder how you are doing on your goals? Maybe you are right on track and maybe there have been some bumps in the road either way you can still do this! One of the obstacles that people face is getting bored with their food choices. If you are going to stick with this lifestyle change thing, then you have to get creative. That's right, you have the right to be innovative when it comes to how you prepare your food!! One of the great joys I have found in the last two and half years is learning all these new ways to prepare food. I have found some great substitutes for my old favorites and then there have been times that my experiments have not turned out so well. The story of my attempt at making "healthy" chocolate no bake cookies has become folklore amongst the family. Then there has been success, such as when I took a suggestion from a friend and found that plain strained Greek yogurt works great as a substitute for sour cream! You should try it, it really is good.

I challenge you, look for ways to make new "favorite" dishes. Will it taste exactly like the fried additive filled concoction that you were used to? Of course not, but you will find that your body will love you for filling it with healthy nutrients. Before long you will be surprised to find that you will start craving the new healthy dishes that you are creating!! Don't sabotage your hard work and commitment by getting bored with the same old food. Fill the cabinets with wholesome ingrediants and get in that kitchen and work your magic. Remember if you need a taster I'm just an email away :)

Till next time... Travis

Something not quite right?

Hello everyone, I hope that you have had a good week up to this point. We are on the down hill slide to the weekend!!!! I wanted to give you a quick message about something that is common among many of us when we initially change our diets and increase our exercise. This is the feeling of being unsettled or feeling blue. When you make positive changes in your diet and begin to exercise it is not uncommon for a week or so to actually feel worse than before you began your change. I know I know, that sounds terrible doesn't it? I mean you have made these great sacrifices and you are moving in the right direction and now I am telling you that you may feel sluggish or depressed in the first couple of weeks??? Here is the deal, you are making changes to yourself and to your environment and your body has to adjust to that. Some of the unhealthy food choices you had been making may have created a chemical reaction in which now you are withdrawing. Sound like addiction? Yes it is not unlike that, unfortunately most of the processed food that you may have been eating was actually poisoning you and creating a dependency. I don't mean to sound extreme but there is a bunch of research that points to this being fact. So between the fact that your body is trying to figure out this new regiment and the fact that you may be detoxing from an unhealthy diet, you may initially feel tired, irritable, and down and out.

This is also accompanied by the fact that you are now physically working hard. When you begin exercise you are physically sore but you also are opening a way for your emotions to find an outlet. There is something about sweating that opens up some of the "stuff" we have been bottling up in our life. It is not unusual during or after a work out to feel emotional. Its OK, this is a time to get some of this "stuff" out and this is a healthy way to do it! This may last for a week or two before you feel better and you may see this same pattern each time you increase your exercise or make a new change in your diet. Hang in there all this doesn't last forever and you will find that if you keep a healthy diet and exercise that you will be happier and have more energy than ever before, but for some you will need to work through this. DO NOT GIVE UP!!!! You can do this, as I said in an earlier post, you will have step outside your comfort zone but when you do you will be heading in the right direction!

Till next time.... Travis

We Have a Winner!!!

Ok everyone we have a winner, no wait make that 2 winners! Yes I have decided to give away 2 copies of the book. The winners are...... Amber and Crystal R! I'll wait for the confetti to subside................. Now I need for these people 2 individuals to email me a place I can mail their copy of the "The Maker's Diet For Weight Loss." Email tsmithnc@gmail.com I didn’t want any of the rest of you to turn up empty handed so here is the consolation prize. Below you will find a great recipe for a Raw Berry Crisp this comes via our friends at Whole Foods Market. You will notice it’s not extremely low in calories. Its dessert people!!! Enjoy it in its proper serving :) It is made with nutritious ingredients and is gluten free!



Serves 8
Rich nuts and sweet dates make a tasty topping for mixed berries in this no-cook version of berry crisp.

Ingredients
6 cups mixed berries, such as blackberries, blueberries, raspberries and sliced strawberries
1 tablespoon pure maple syrup, more or less to taste depending on sweetness of berries
1 cup raw pecans
1/2 cup raw walnuts
1/2 cup pitted dates, roughly chopped
1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon

Method
In a (7- x 11-inch) dish, toss berries with maple syrup. Put pecans, walnuts, dates and cinnamon into a food processor and pulse until coarsely ground. Scatter nut mixture over berries and serve immediately, or chill until ready to serve.

Nutrition
Per serving (about 5oz/146g-wt.): 240 calories (140 from fat), 16g total fat, 1g saturated fat, 0mg cholesterol, 0mg sodium, 25g total carbohydrate (8g dietary fiber, 16g sugar), 5g protein

Easy as 123

OK here we are in 2011. You made it through the weekend so how are those resolutions going? Maybe you had a few hiccups.. no big deal. You are so much more than one day, besides your goals will not be made or lost in the work of one day or weekend. The work you are beginning is about a change in the way you live!

I wanted to start the week off with another ingredient to being successful in your wellness goals. That ingredient is: Consistency. I eluded to this in the last post when I talked about the importance of accountability. Whether it is your menu choices or your exercise plan you have to develop some regularity to be successful. Human nature is that we are creatures of habit, so your goal is to develop some healthy habits and the way that you do that is to commit yourself to a diet and exercise routine and keep on schedule. The first step is to be reasonable. If you are starting an exercise plan or restarting a plan, set attainable goals. Maybe it is to walk outside or on the treadmill 3 times a week. I promise as you make progress and feel better you will want to increase your exercise because you are seeing results. Start slow and start with a plan that you can keep on schedule. This applies for your food choices as well. Develop a food plan that you can live by. Remember this is a change not a one shot diet! Lets stop the all soup for a week, watermelon the next week, and then eat fried chicken for 4 days straight diet :) !

One of the changes that I made in my eating choices was to go clean and organic. This has made a big difference for me. I would say that I eat about 80-90% organic. There are many reasons for this and I will dedicate a later post to the benefits of organic. That's just one example of how I changed my food choice that was not all about losing weight. So develop consistency within your eating. Maybe there is someone who works at your local gym who can guide you on some positive food choices. Health care systems have dietitians and you can schedule an appointment with the dietitian through your physician or in some cases calling yourself. Of course I will be providing my 2 cents worth here as well from time to time. The issue is develop consistency in your eating choices. If you need help with the exercise plan schedule an appointment with a trainer at your local gym. Any exercise is better than no exercise so just get moving. Remember consistency is your friend and will help you attain your goals.

Till next time... Travis