Protein in Our Diet

Briefly discussed this morning amid curls, lunges, sprinting and wood chops, protein was the subject of the day.  Yes, as trainers we throw it out there, suggesting everyone go home and drink a glass of chocolate milk. OK, this IS the right idea.  Why?  I'll send you to this link from Livestrong.com.

http://www.livestrong.com/article/41094-protein-intake-muscle-growth/

Please note that too much protein intake can be metabolized into fat and cause a variety of health problems.  Also note that your protein requirements can be derived entirely from real food.  Supplements should be used with caution, labeling read thoroughly and probably leaning toward whey and casein as the source.  As athletes, we will aim for about .3 - .5 gr of protein per lb of body weight. 

A good rule of thumb:  You will get 1 gram of protein for every serving of fruit and vegetables, 5 for every egg or handful of nuts you eat, 10 for every cup of milk or yogurt, 15 for every cup of beans or half-cup of cottage cheese, and 25 for every 3-4 ounce serving of meat.) ~ Mens Fitness

Bottom Line:  Achieving greater muscle mass, and at the very least maintaining the muscle mass we have as we age is a healthy endeavor!  We discussed today that 1% per year may be lost as we enter the ripe old age of just 30 years old!  If this seems insignificant, note that by age 50, we may have lost 20% of our muscle mass.  Besides not looking pretty, this is a hindrance to maintaining the strength needed in our lifestyles to continue functioning physically in the way we have been accustomed.  Need a kicker here?  With proper protein intake (not to say low carb!  NEVER!) metabolism remains high and our fat burning capabilities will exceed our peers making us appear more youthful!  Well, that's because metabolically...we are!

Blueberries and Sugar Snap Peas

One of our earlier topics this year was letting the kids help us shop for healthier foods and making this fun as well as a learning experience for them.  We just touched on this a couple of weeks ago, but like me, you may have let "life" get in the way and these ideas find their way to some archive file in the brain gathering dust. 

I can't wait until my new grandson, is old enough to participate in this kind of experience!  What fun, allowing your kids to choose veggies and fruit from the following colors and encouraging them to help you prepare a meal using their choices!  So what if they choose blueberries and snap peas?   It's their choice.  Work with it.  My favorite way to prepare a meal based on ingredients we have on hand:  "Google what you got!"  

~ Kimmy 

Google is my amazing "go to" no nonsense search engine and I am never disappointed with creative and often simple recipes that had not occurred to me.  

Color	Foods
blue/purple	blueberries, blackberries, eggplant, dark plums and prunes, dark grapes, purple cabbage, purple potatoes
red	raspberries, strawberries, tomatoes, red bell peppers, radishes, beets, watermelon, red grapefruit, cherries, pomegranates, red-skinned apples
green	broccoli, kale, spinach, Swiss chard, arugula, asparagus, watercress, Brussels sprouts, parsley, peas, celery, artichokes, okra, kiwi, avocados, honeydew melon
orange/yellow	carrots, butternut squash, pumpkin, sweet potatoes, orange or yellow bell peppers, corn, peaches, apricots, mangoes, papayas, oranges, cantaloupes, pineapples
white	cauliflower, onions, leeks, garlic, potatoes, mushrooms, rutabagas, parsnip, bananas, jicama

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This Resolution is Not New

Not so New Year’s Resolution

Did You Make This New Year's Resolution Again?

Why?

…do we make the resolution every New Year’s Eve to:

a.       eat healthier

b.       lose weight

c.       exercise more

…do we do this only half hearted spending a couple of weeks practicing a, b and c, and then abandon the effort.

…do we then recklessly enter into  a, b and c two weeks before our next beach vacation.

…do we fail miserably year after year and gain a possible 10 lb every decade

Drove by the gym yesterday. (Sunday) 

The parking lot was full.  This is the gym where I work.  Usually pretty quiet on a Sunday ….but Memberships are up!  It’s Christmas for the gym.  Stopped by Whole Foods Grocery yesterday also.  Traffic jam in the produce aisles.  Everyone was wearing fitness attire.  We will assume many have made the “a b and c” resolution.  I understand how the gym traffic works.  It will quiet down in a few weeks, smell better and have no treadmill time limit sign ups.   Whole Foods will be serving beer tastings at yesterday’s empty counter bar.  But hey!  What a fun experience!  Grocery shop and drink beer!  Like me, does a drink inside a grocery store loosen your wallet permitting an unbridled urge to purchase a wheel of brie?  Reminds me of a funny trip to Tijuana where all the store employees offered me a complimentary shot of peach tequila!  Now I have digressed and will save this thought process for future review.

So Why?! 

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2013/01/02/diet-fails-17-signs-your-new-years-resolution-is-hopeless-photos_n_2396622.html#slide=1632487

A bit comical yes, but these are some of the reasons why year after year we get....FAIL!  Can we drive to work or out for errands without the waft of restaurants enveloping our senses?  French fries smell a lot better than bananas.  Don’t they?   A banana muffin smells a lot better than bananas.  It has become very trendy to deep fry just about anything.  How do we fight this? Clothespin on the nose perhaps?

Bottom Line

It’s so easy to eat so wrong.  It’s easy to skip exercise when we eat bad foods. (so much of our food is bad). Many food products, (aptly named) do not provide necessary nutrients for energy and restorative hormone release.  We all know this sluggish feeling.  It’s the rebellion of our one and only vessel of life!

Do This!

• Spend at least 5 minutes every day with quiet breathing practice.  Quiet your thoughts and relieve some stress.
• Get a good night’s sleep.  You may think you can rock on 4 hours of sleep, but you are kidding yourself.
• Eat these alkaline forming foods: Figs, dates, molasses, green leafy vegetables, almonds, beets, (I love beets) celery, parsley and cantaloupe.  Read here why:

http://altmedicine.about.com/od/popularhealthdiets/a/alkalinediet.htm

• Decrease refined sugar.
• Add more protein.
• Drink more water (duh).
• Moderate caffeine.

Then think about these things:

http://www.psychologytoday.comblog/thinking-thin/201001/10-tips-stick-your-diet-0

We know the not so new Resolution just doesn't work!

I don’t claim to have all the answers for healthier lifestyles.  I too fight the “Muffin Top” battle. The answer (although I joke about this) is NOT to buy pants with a higher waist line!   Yes Folks, admittedly it's an uphill battle!  I'm certain I  remember the first box of Pop Tarts my mom brought home from the store.  Eggs were out, and Pop Tarts were in!  Now our own kids get a taste early in life for Goldfish, hot dogs, French fries and chicken nuggets.  How does a banana taste to a kid who is having Lucky Charms for breakfast?  I’m so proud of my daughter who is feeding her baby real sweet potatoes, carrots, pears and yes bananas.  I'll wager that he, nor any of his friends will ever get a bowl of Lucky Charms in  her house.  Take your kids to the grocery and give them a color to pick a vegetable and fruit.  They might think this is fun.  Let them help you prepare a meal using this food. 

Do you know?

New research shows that the “21 days to form a habit” is a myth.  66 days is a more accurate time frame to notice that our increased exercise and healthier eating habits feel completely at home after you've stuck with it!  Make it through this winter (Jan, Feb, and March) and don’t lean your motivation toward Spring Break.  Come up with a New Year’s Resolution to improve relationships, your community, maybe the world.  Decide never to make the ” a, b and c” a resolution again.  Wow!  I’m getting hungry and there are some lovely Gala apples right in front of me. It’s a good thing the Christmas cookies have been tossed with the fudge because I am weak.  Now that we are armed with a new mindset that might change our eating habits from "comfortable" to "I FEEL INCREDIBLE", I'm wishing all my Friends a  Happy Healthy New Year!

Kimberly Robinson has been a Fitness Instructor for over 30 years and a Personal Trainer for 19 years.  She is certified in many areas of fitness and nutrition and affiliated with the American College of Sports Medicine.  "Experience is key as life hands us new physical challenges every decade.  I help my clients find a "fit balance" when the brain says, "I'm twenty," but my body says, "oh yeah, I'm 48!"