Food for Real

This morning when I woke up, I paused for a moment to compare how I feel today with how I felt 5 days ago. I feel stronger, leaner, faster, and more energetic. Yes, I am also very sore and would love to take a three hour nap, but I know these feelings will pass and will leave me feeling like a million bucks later.  I consider myself a pretty active person, but rarely do I have the chance to not only do all of Phyllis’s classes during the week, but also go on some amazing bike rides and runs in the meantime. I believe that we’re all born with a love for movement… The more ground I cover, the better I feel.

I’ve gotten a lot of feedback lately about how hard it is to make it to the gym as often as we’d like. Our busy schedules certainly do take chunk out of  our “me time” especially if you have children, a full time occupation, or both! Phyllis understands this too, and it going to be adding some more videos on YouTube for those  of you who want to learn some of her moves and do them during your own free time. Check out her Body Shop video.

A few days ago, Phyllis sent me a text message: “To sum it all up: These are not just workouts. This is a workout plan. And it’s all designed to cross train a woman’s body to be lean, toned, fit, and strong, all while maintaining minimal injury.” Couldn’t have said it better myself.

Day 5 – 10:30 a.m. Specialty Group Strength Training Class

Phyllis’s specialty group strength training class is a small group of gals that meet on Friday mornings to sweat it out. It’s great, because unlike in some of her more crowded classes, we can take advantage of all of the equipment in the studio. Phyllis has us using the steps on an incline for abs, the treadmills for 3-5 minute cardio intervals, 5 lb and 8 lb weights, and a body bar. The equipment list and cardio drill changes every week, but this is what we used today.

Noemi looking fabulous after having a baby not too long ago! Doing her "mummy tummy tucks"

Phyllis and I sharing a step for our killer one leg squats to shoulder press

Tricep kick backs...Lift arms up high and open your hands at the peak point for optimal results

Squat and bicep curl while squeezing the step...nice form!

Squeezing the step hard after those killer squat/bicep curls...And looking incredible after giving birth to three chlidren! You go girl. (She travels from Natick for these classes...dedication at its best!)

Butt buster..this one HURT (in a good way of course)

By now, you probably know the drill: 20 minutes of hardcore abs to begin, 5 minute cardio drill, first set of unique strength training moves followed by a second set of equally butt busting exercises. One of the most interesting parts of today’s class was the cardio drill, or “treadmill dance” as Phyllis likes to call it. We were skipping, squatting, and squat-skipping – getting our heart rates up! I loved this part of class, because it was fun and fresh and something I’ve never done before.

Squat-skip on the treadmill for 5 minute cardio interval

Treadmill skip

You can do these while waiting for a class to start. Phyllis encourages getting in a little cardio while waiting!

Getting that heart rate up

After class, Phyllis did a little foam roller routine with us. I love the foam roller and usually it is enough, but today I was also in serious need of a massage. So I booked one. Normally I would talk myself out of it, but I felt that I deserved to treat myself a little after all the exercise and writing this week! I spent a half hour with Randi (amazing!), and then headed home for lunch: salad, tofu, 100 calorie almond pack, 1/2 whole wheat bread with hummus, and a coconut water for rehydration.

Phyllis demonstrates back foam rolling

Rolling the ham string and working the arms

Hitting that IT band

Natual coconut water for rehydration

Sesame ginger tofu, whole wheat with hummus, leftover salad, 100 calorie almond pack

I’ve felt so fortunate to have the opportunity to work with Phyllis at this capacity this week. Even if you could fit in one class with her throughout the week, I am sure your exercise technique would vastly improve in no time. If there is one thing you take away from this week’s feature, it would be Phyllis’s philosophy on how to stay lean and strong: Whole body workouts using a lot of slow and controlled reps, lighter weights, cardio interval bursts in order to keep your heart rate up, functional exercise like Pilates to target the smaller muscle groups, get pumped up to your favorite jams, keep good form for better results, and have fun while working it! For more information on Phyllis, shoot her an email at plondon@healthworksfitness.com. Be well, and enjoy the weekend!

What an incredible day so far…

Woke up, met with the lovely Elizabeth Jarrard about our new blog on intuitive, mindful eating and positive body image called Guiltless. (check it out!) Had an iced coffee (yum!) then headed over to Healthworks Fitness Center for Women in Brookline for Day 4 of the Five Days of Fat Burning with Phyllis London: 12:15 p.m. Smart Bells followed by Hoop class!

Guiltless Gals

SmartBell 4.5 lbs

These two classes are the perfect combination of fun and fitness. Smartbells is a strength and cardio challenge while hoop is a super creative way to target your core. I’ve been taking Smartbells for a few years now, and I love it more and more every time. The smart bell (pictured above) is a innovative weight (I use the 4.5 lb one, but you can also use a 3 lb or a 6 lb) that tones the muscles in non-traditional ways because of its unique design and structure. I feel that it helps me keep my elbows closer during tricep work and keeps my shoulders properly aligned during back/shoulder work.  And Phyllis always keeps the class fresh with new, challenging moves that focus on a whole body strength and cardio workout.

Elizabeth looking and feeling strong! Visit our website at www.iamguiltless.com

Plié Squats w/passing the smartbell under the leg

Lunge, twist to the side

Jess doing a killer hip-flexor strengthing move

Side reach, leg lifts

New move! Tones legs, obliques, abs, shoulders and glutes

Phyllis side lunge, smartbell lift

I just started attending hoop class. It is so much fun! Even if you’re not a regular hoopster, you will definitely catch on after a week or two and you’re start to see results in your abdomen area in no time. The music during this class is always fun and keeps you hooping to the beat! During hoop class, we do lunges, balance work, arm work, and hoop intervals w/different leg and arm positioning.

Hoop class!

Balancing hoop

Tricep work on the hoop

After the gym, I stepped outside to find that the rainy morning had transformed into a truly gorgeous day. I headed home for a quick stop to make a salad and hummus sandwich. I often enjoy refueling after exercise with vegetable based meals, because they feel clean in a way. After working out, I usually feel more in tune w/my body and pay a lot more attention to what I’m eating/drinking.

Salad and Hummus Sandwich on Whole Wheat

After lunch, I called a friend and asked him to go on a bike ride.  We headed into Jamaica Plain and over to Turtle Lake for a swim where we spent an hour or so swimming with a few (awesome) dogs and their owners. Turtle pond is absolutely gorgeous. It will definitely be one of my favorite triathlon training sites this summer. Can’t wait to go back!

Tomorrow is the last day of the five day feature on Phyllis’s workout plan. Stay tuned for a summary of her philosophy, some effective exercises, and tips on how to bring your physical activity to your highest potential. Be well and enjoy the day!

Phyllis on the Pilates reformer machine

Rebecca is in amazing shape! She participates in weekly Pilates and Gravity, mixes in some Body Shop here and there, lives an active lifestyle, and is on a minimal cardio plan

According to Phyllis, “Pilates is the feel good exercise.” Pilates is the strengthening of the weaker muscles. Running, lifting, biking, swimming…these sports work our larger, global muscles. The point of Pilates: strengthening your smaller muscles results in better performance of your larger muscles, fewer injuries from working out and your daily activities, increased confidence, and better exercise technique. In other words, Pilates should be the foundation of your workout.

One of my favorite pilates moves: Works the abs, back, and shoulders

This Pilates move stretches my lower back and feels great after two days of intense cardio and strength training

Working the abs and arms

We all know those spots on our bodies that can cause us discomfort: tight traps, weak knees and rotator cuffs, sore lower backs, etc. And with our busy lifestyles, it’s very likely that one of these parts will be inconveniencing us at some point. I highly recommend incorporating Pilates into your workout routine at least once per week, because Pilates has actually reversed these body discomfort situations for me. I feel strong in my joints, tight in my core, and confident that I am at decreased risk of injury because of my training.

Another favorite!

Check out that tone in Rebecca's arm during this shoulder training exercise!

With that being said, I recently decided to start training for a sprint triathlon. I’ve never considered myself a distance athlete, but after doing Pilates for so many months, I’m seeing a difference in how long and hard I can run, bike, and swim. The triathlon is a quarter mile swim, 13 mile bike ride, and 5K run, and I’m participating in it with my friends Susan and Dave. I can’t wait! So after Pilates today, my friend Matt, a professional cyclist, took me on a beautiful bike route around the city. He taught me about changing gears on the bike, how to properly ride up a (very intense) hill, and he showed me what being fast really means (Holy cow, he is FAST).

Matt Casserly! It was a beautiful day for biking around town. Matt is a professional cyclist and participates in weekly races.

So I’m feeling good, a little tired, slightly sore, but totally stoaked for the rest of the week with Phyllis and for the triathlon training ahead! For more information on signing up for Pilates with Phyllis (you really should try it out!), please contact her at plondon@healthworksfitness.com.

Talk about working up a SWEAT! Tuesday w/Master Trainer, Fitness Specialist, and Group Exercise Instructor Phyllis London at Healthworks Fitness for Women in Brookline is most definitely an essential day to the weekly workout schedule. Her class schedule includes strength training, core, and interval rope training. Since I did Body Shop yesterday, I only participated in the interval rope training and the core work today. However, it’s imperative that I tell you about all three, because really, they are just all so fabulous. Here’s a recap of how I got my butt kicked:

Day 2 of the Five Days of Fat Burning w/Phyllis: Gravity Strength Training and Core and Interval Rope Training:

After a busy morning of research and errands, I arrived at the gym around 11:30 a.m. to watch in on Phyllis’s Gravity class – a strength training routine that takes place on a glide board which is used to support the body’s positioning. Her Gravity classes take place on Tuesdays at 9 a.m., 10 a.m., and 11:00 a.m., and they are a perfect alternative to Body Shop. So if something comes up on a Monday and you miss out on your favorite Body Shop class, you can call Phyllis to find out if she has room in the Gravity class. Why miss a strength training routine w/a fabulous instructor if you don’t have to?! Or be a real champion like some of her regulars and do a double. That’s right. Body Shop on Monday followed by Gravity, Core, and Jump Rope on Tuesday. Hard. Core. Love. It.

Gravity: Killer pulses while holding the Pilates balls...one of Phyllis's famous moves

Phyllis instructing Katie on the Gravity machine.

Gravity: Total side-body work

This is Melissa. She lost 20 lbs by dedicating herself to Phyllis's weekly routine. Wow!

Gravity is somewhat of a fusion between Body Shop and Pilates – it works the core intensely and targets trouble spots like the underarms, lower glutes, and those lovely love handles we all adore. In fact, one of her clients, Melissa, lost 20 lbs (20 lbs, people!!!) after dedicating herself to Phyllis’s weekly routine including gravity. And wow, you should see her! She’s in incredible shape. The results speak for themselves!

Next stop: Phyllis’s intense core workout. For 15 minutes (starting at 12:15 p.m.) before the Interval Rope Training class, Phyllis targets the abdominal muscles. She’s a firm believer is starting her workouts with core work in order to “wake up the core muscles before working bigger, surrounding muscles.” My abs were a bit sore from yesterday’s Body Shop class, but it felt so good to work up a sweat by using my core this afternoon. I always feel stronger and taller after an ab workout. And with Phyllis’s focus on form and alignment, I can be confident that my hard work will pay off.

Killer core routine!

Check out Marina's beautiful side plank

Jess toning her back. Phyllis works all sides of the core during the routine

After the core routine, we broke out the jump ropes! I LOVE jump roping. Ever since I was a little girl, jump rope has been an exercise that I  really have a lot of fun with. But you certainly don’t have to be a jump rope pro to enter this class. During Interval Rope Training, you will not only get a great cardiovascular workout, but you will also learn how to jump rope.  And believe me, it’s an exercise skill that you will benefit from for your whole life. And while I always knew that, Phyllis actually taught me something today that confirmed this belief: When you jump vertically, you’re body is tricked into thinking you are actually 3 times heavier than you are, so you are actually burning way more calories than you think! This is why jump rope is so fabulous for weight loss, toning, and cardiovascular work.

Phyllis demonstrating the shift jump

She starts the class off with a quick warm up doing the “shift jump” during which you alternate one foot in front of the other while jumping. Then we move on to the basic jump with the feet together. In order to relieve her class of lactic acid build up and cardio intensity, Phyllis fuses her Interval Rope Training class with lunges and sports drills, which serve as functional breaks between rope intervals. The two hardest jumps we did today were the cross over and the double jump. I’m decent at the double jump, but I’m looking forward to working on my cross over during the next few weeks. I hope to get it down by mid August! And this actually brings me to my last point: Working out is not just simply exercising. You are learning, developing, and fine tuning your skills. This will bring you strength, balance, and confidence which leads to better workouts and visible results.

Basic Jump

Luce's AMAZING cross jumps!

The Slow Lunge Jump - Killer Thighs/Glutes Work

One of Phyllis's most unique sports drills: Jog Roping across the studio!

After the workout, I headed over to Newton to hang by the pool in a cabana with some friends at Hotel Indigo. On the way there, I needed a quick snack for work out recovery, so I ate a Lara Bar in Cherry Pie flavor (one of my favorite quick snacks on the go!) This Lara Bar contains dates, almonds, and unsweetened cherries. Yup. That’s it. And it’s 200 calories, 30 g carbohydrate, and 5 g of protein.

Cherry Pie Lara Bar - Post workout snack

Tomorrow is Pilates on the reformer! This is one of my favorite moments of every week.  I’ll save the description for tomorrow, but get ready to be pilates-inspired! If you want more information about Phyllis London and her classes, feel free to email me.

When it comes to looking good and feeling your best, some health professionals insist that there is “no magic bullet.” I beg to differ. The secret is Phyllis London,  a Master Trainer, Fitness Specialist, and Group Exercise Instructor at Healthworks Fitness for Women in Brookline. I’ve been working out with Phyllis for about 4 or 5 years now. Through her work outs, I’ve learned how to maximize the effectiveness of exercise by using the correct form, by pushing myself hard, and by listening to my body. During her classes, Phyllis pays close attention to her clients, adjusting even the slightest, least visible form fault in the room.  She emphasizes ALL of the components of physical fitness – cardiovascular, muscular strength, endurance, flexibility, and cardiorespiratory – for better health and better results. She’s a firm believer that the best exercise routine includes whole body work outs with strength training and cardio intervals paired with weekly Pilates and FUN. And I must say, I wholeheartedly agree! This week, I’m going to work out with her every day Monday-Friday in order to give you a glimpse at how incredible her routines really are!

Phyllis London

Day 1 of the 5 Days of Fat Burning w/Phyllis included a 10:30 a.m. Advanced Body Shop Class:

Phyllis created and is the only instructor to teach this class – an advanced level strength training class which incorporates several props such as core boards, resistance bands, and stability balls. The class always starts out with a killer core workout targeting the abs, obliques, and backside.

Phyllis starts Body Shop w/some intense core exercises...you can probably see I'm already sweating less than 5 minutes into the workout.

Phyllis doing oblique work on the bosu

Her famous back, glutes, and thighs leg circles…I will definitely be sore tomorrow because of this one

This whole body workout seriously kicks my butt every week and leaves me feeling energized and strong and ready for the day. In the words of the master herself, “Bringing your body to body shop is like bringing your car to an auto shop.” During this class, you’re tuning and toning up your parts via slow and controlled reps using 5 and 8 lbs weights and creative workout routines coupled with hardcore, yet short, cardio intervals. During the cardio intervals, Phyllis encourages her class to try something different. Today, I did plyometrics. Last week, I sprinted on the treadmill. Next week, I’ll jump rope.

Phyllis had us use a body bar on top of the bosu for our 2 sets of sweat drenched 15 push ups

Dead lift, bicep curl, shoulder press: One of her classic full body moves

Phyllis doing kick backs while targeting the inner thighs by squeezing the bosu.

According to Phyllis’ philosophy, it’s certainly important to do a lot of reps, but you won’t see any results unless your reps are slow, controlled, and effective. She’s taught me how to “hold where the work is” instead of flying through my reps, and I swear, once I started to employ this philosophy, I saw muscle tone that was once not there suddenly appear. Gotta love that!

After Body Shop, I usually have a snack containing some protein and carbohydrates in order to repair my muscles. After a tough workout, it’s usually best to start recovery within 30 minutes of the work out, so I usually stop by the Healthworks cafe after the class. Research shows that replenishing after a hard workout with carbohydrates and protein (usually a 4:1 ratio for professional athletes) can store up to 40 percent more glycogen in the muscle than those who don’t recover or wait too long to eat after activity. Glycogen, the storage form of glucose (blood sugar), is what fuels the muscles. My recovery snack: a cup of fresh pineapple and a low fat snack pack of cottage cheese.

Recovery Snack: Approximately 170 calories, 28 grams carbohydrate, 12 grams protein. Not a 4:1 ratio, but good enough for my workout.

Exercise and nutrition really do go hand in hand. A healthy blend and balance of the two is key to developing a healthy lifestyle. The reason why I am spending a week writing about this is because I also believe that the type and functionality of the exercise is parallel to the benefit you receive from it, and this is something Phyllis enforces on a daily basis.  She’s taught me that it’s important to be functional with how I exercise! I’m excited for tomorrow’s class: Core and Jump Rope. I’ve actually never done this class, because it was created while I was in NYC. So I’m trying to prepare myself, because I hear this class is TOUGH. We’ll see what happens tomorrow!

What a weekend! After being back in Boston for a week, I was thrilled to head back to NYC on Saturday for my friend Mike’s birthday party. Even though it seemed like a whirlwind trip, it was really great to get together with everyone for a night. Usually when I head to NY, I take a bus or a train, but this time, my friends Ange and Dan decided to drive, which was really a lot of fun! But however fun they are, road trips can be tough on snacking. The highway is peppered with billboards for McDonald’s, Burger King, and other fast food options, so if hunger strikes on the road, you’re really out of luck if you’re hoping for a healthy snack. So before heading out on our trip, I decided to put together a healthy snack pack for three.

Healthy Snack Pack: Apples, Hummus, Low Sodium Triscuits, Pomegranate White Tea, 100 cal almond packs, water bottle "ice pack"

Ange and Dan enjoying the Pom Tea as we search for a "Fuel Stop"

What I packed:

• 100 calorie almond packs: Almonds are a great snack, but nuts are high in calories, so portion controlled packages are a great strategy for snacking on these nutrient packed legumes. Nuts contain heart healthy fats and are a great thing to snack on if you know that you’ll be having a few cocktails that evening, because the fat helps to slow down alcohol absorption.
• Low Sodium Triscuits: Triscuits are a great go-to 100% whole grain cracker. Ange and Dan agreed that you couldn’t even tell that they were low in sodium! 6 of these bad boys have only 50 mg of sodium.
• Hummus: Just because it tastes so great on the Triscuits and for a little protein balance to the snack pack.
• Apples: Fruit is high in water content, low in calories, but high in fiber, so it’s a snack that will keep you feeling full and satisfied but won’t load on the calories.
• Pomegranate White Tea: Usually, I recommend against drinking your calories, but with only 35 calories per serving, this beverage just tastes so good and is relatively low in added sugar. Plus, it can’t hurt to add a little antioxidants to your diet before a night out in NYC.
• Water bottle: A good trick is to freeze a water bottle overnight and use it as an ice pack.

Happy Travels!

It’s so nice to have my kitchen back! I forgot how much I enjoy cooking in my own apartment. I invited my lovely friend Elizabeth over for dinner last night, and I must say we had a great time. Before dinner, we went to an amazing hot yoga class at Baron Baptiste Yoga Institute. It was such a great work out and a perfect prelude to dinner.

Before the class, I whipped up one of my one dish wonders. I am a big fan of one dish dinners, because they’re so simple and light (think salads, soups, pasta salads, etc.) For my first dinner back in Boston, I decided to make a pasta salad with fresh herbs from my parent’s garden, vegetable radiatore, grilled asparagus and portobello mushrooms, and a marinated bean salad. Here’s the recipe:

Ingredient List

Fresh Herbs from the Garden: Oregano, Fennel, Basil

Ingredients:

• Fresh herbs: Oregano, Fennel, Basil (handful of the combo as seen above)
• Organic pasta: Vegetable Radiatore (From Trader Joes). Radiatore is a combo of whole wheat pasta and pasta made from veggies like beets, spinach, and red bell pepper.
• Marinated bean salad (Again, I bought mine at Trader Joes, but any will do)
• 2 portobello mushrooms
• whole package of fresh asparagus
• Olive oil, salt, pepper, curry powder

1. First marinate the mushrooms, because the longer they remain in the marinade, the better. I used olive oil, salt, pepper, and a little bit of curry powder. (I use odd combos sometimes to give the dish a little kick…curry powder isn’t typically used in these types of dishes, but I think it worked!)

2. Put on a large pot of water and bring to a boil

3. While water is heating, grill the asparagus. I used a Foreman grill, but any grill will work. Lightly saute the asparagus in olive oil and sprinkle salt and pepper to taste. Throw them on the grill for about 3-4 minutes.

Grilling asparagus

4. At this point, water should be boiling. Add in a bag of the veggie radiatore. Stir occasionally.

Vegetable Radiatore (Whole Wheat pasta would work here too!)

5. Strain the marinated bean salad over a bowl and set aside. Keep the marinate so you can use it to flavor the pasta salad later.

6. Wash the fresh herbs and lay on paper towel to dry

7. Grill the mushrooms for about 2 minutes

Grilling mushrooms

8. Around this time, the pasta should be done boiling. Strain the pasta and run it under cold water.

Pour cold water over cooked pasta

9. Add pasta to a bowl. Add fresh herbs (take off stem first). Add a little freshly ground pepper.

10. Cut up mushrooms and asparagus and add to bowl.

11. Add marinated bean salad to bowl and flavor with about a tablespoon of marinade.

12. Stir and taste! If it needs more flavor, add more marinade and/or herbs.

Herb & Grilled Veggie pasta salad

Store it in the fridge for about 30 minutes or during a yoga class! Serve the pasta salad cold. This is something you could keep in your fridge all week. If you don’t like mushrooms or asparagus, try this dish with grilled summer squash and green beans. Enjoy!

Well it’s been a whirlwind summer so far, that’s for sure! I’ve been home in Boston for 48 hours and am only starting to attempt unpacking from my 6 weeks of living in New York. It’s been fun, to say the least, but as you most likely know, when you’re having fun or feeling busy, you sometimes tend to forget to sleep well, hydrate properly, and/or eat healthfully. My major issue w/being busy is remembering to stay hydrated. Too many times I’ve looked at the clock only to realize it’s already late afternoon and I’ve only had a cup of coffee to drink. Bad news, people!

We need about 1 mL of fluid for every calorie we require. So if you require 2000 calories per day, you should be drinking 2000 mL of fluid, or about 8 and 1/2 cups per day. Individual water requirements can vary greatly, even on a day-to-day basis, primarily because of differences in physical activity and environmental conditions but also because of differences in diet. Dietary factors  influence water requirements, because total water consumption should be sufficient to excrete metabolites of protein and organic compounds, as well as excess electrolytes. But enough w/the science babble! We should just drink when we’re thirsty and try to keep track of how much.  A good trick is to carry around a water bottle like CamelBak Water Bottle (BPA Free) and keep track of how many times you fill it up.

So why is hydration important? There are so many reasons! To name a few, fluid intake maintains our electrolyte balance, our blood volume, our waste/toxin excretion processes, our digestion and absorption processes, our body temperature regulation, it helps maintain skin turgor, and it, um, keeps us alive. Plus, simply put, feeling dehydrated really sucks!

Much like there is a wild abundance of marketing focused on telling you what to eat, messages about what to drink are too flying at you from all directions. The market for hydration is saturated with sports/recovery drinks, but a lot of them contain added sugar and/or artificial flavoring and coloring. For example, Vitamin Water sounds refreshing and nutritional right? But it’s not! One bottle has about 32 grams of sugar. And although they may taste good, it’s just not the healthiest way to hydrate.

However, not all drinks on the market are bad! One product that I’m into right now is natural Coconut Water. Coconut water is the clear liquid found in young, green coconuts. It’s low calorie, all natural, and contains important electrolytes like potassium (which Americans aren’t getting enough of in general). Coconut water is becoming more and more popular ever since Wimbledon star John Isner was quoted saying that it keeps cramping at bay and ever since celebrities like Demi Moore and Madonna invested in Vita Coco (my fav coconut water brand). In fact, Vita Coco, which was founded in 2004, saw sales jump from $4 million in 2007 to $20 million in 2009. Not too shabby!

My go-to drink is always water. I drink water to stay hydrated, because it really is the simplest, best option. Still, coconut water is a good low calorie drink with some nutrition benefit. But one thing to keep in mind is that most people don’t exercise with enough intensity to require anything more than water. However, if you’re feeling dehydrated because you’re either forgetting to drink fluids or maybe you went on a really long run without properly hydrating first, or maybe you had a little too much to drink last night, I find that coconut water is a great way to kick start your re-hydration. Try it out and see what you think!

Did you read the title of this post and think, “Duh, Steph. We eat b/c we’re hungry!” Touche! But why else do we eat?  There are all kinds of reasons: Because we’re bored, sad, happy, tired, anxious, angry, distracted, because of who we’re with or because someone else is eating, because “it was there,” or maybe we’re sick, hungover, watching TV, driving, reading a book, walking through a book store, studying, at the beach, at the park, up too late, up too early, up in the middle of the night, avoiding something, at a family celebration, at the movies, because something smelled good, because it was in sight, or maybe you eat because you enjoy food so much that it’s tough to stop! I’d say that eating is at least 85% emotional for most, and a lot of it comes from the need to feel comforted. Think about it! Even if you only eat when you’re hungry, hunger still triggers emotions, right? How many times have you heard someone describe themselves as grouchy when hungry? How many times have you become frustrated while trying to figure out what to eat or while preparing a recipe for the first time? I personally tend to get extremely indecisive about what I want when I’m too hungry, and I know I am certainly not alone! But letting our emotions drive our eating tends to get a bit out of hand. Of course, it’s impossible to eliminate all emotions from eating, but that’s actually a good thing! We want to enjoy sharing meals with others and we want to be merry, curious, and exploratory about food. But it’s those “bad” emotions or habits that could potentially take control and do some damage to our psyche, never mind our waist lines!

So how do we get control of ourselves? That’s a toughy, because it’s different for everyone and there are different strategies for different habits. However, while the strategies vary, I do have a few tips depending on the type of emotions or habits that drive you to eat while NOT hungry:

If you’re the type that tends to overeat while watching TV, find something else to do with your hands while enjoying your favorite show. You could invest in one of those stress balls, learn to knit, paint your nails, get a rubik’s cube, flip through a magazine during commercials, etc.

Angry Eating!

If you’re the type that tends to eat when you’re sad, angry, or anxious, I suggest physical movement. Taking a walk or doing crunches or doing a little yoga/stretching are great ways to relieve stress, calm nerves, and increase endorphins and will inevitably have a more positive effect on your mood than a big tub of Ben & Jerry’s Phish Food!

Don't eat your stress!

I am a tried and true study/stress eater. During finals and midterms, it’s nearly impossible for me to sit down for a long study session without snacking. I’ve come to accept that this will probably not change while I’m still in school, so I had to find a strategy! Instead of cheese and crackers and peanut butter and cookies and more cheese, I snack on grapes, cherry tomatoes (Beth’s idea!), celery, cucumbers, or basically any low calorie fruit or vegetable with a high water content.  Having a BIG coffee helps too. That way, getting smart does not equal body expansion! Also, it’s important to make time to exercise when studying, even if it’s just for a 1/2 hour! The endorphins and increased oxygen help you stay alert.

He's hungry

How can you avoid the “grouchy when hungry,” dilemma? A good trick is to snack! If you have dinner plans and you’re friends are running late, but you’ve been avoiding food since noon because you know you’re going out for dinner, you’re probably going to release the inner monster. Instead of passively aggressively reminding your unarmed friends about how “punctuality is really a virtue,” snack on some almonds (about 10-20 to keep the calories in check) and a piece of fruit. This will keep you from attacking the bread basket (and will keep your buddies from attacking you!)

If you’re the type that eats when you’re bored or “because it was there,” it might be worth your while to train yourself to start mindfully eating. What do I mean by this? Pay attention to your hunger and satiety cues and to what you’re putting in your mouth, and don’t let yourself forget about the last thing you ate. This goes for grazers too! Sometimes if you’re at a party or you’re just mindlessly reaching into the bag of whatever you’re eating, you may end up consuming up to 500 more calories more than you wanted to/expected to/remember doing/have the energy needs for. If you do this every day, you could be consuming up to 3,500 extra calories per week which is equal to one pound per week! Yikes! (This is highly unlikely, but I just wanted to illustrate a point.) This may be the hardest behavior to modify, but if you really want it, and if you give yourself a break once in a while instead of going crazy, and if you have realistic expectations, soon enough you will get to the point where eating ‘because it’s there’ or because you’re bored will no longer be an issue.

I bring up this topic today, because I think that the abundance of readily available food in our society has resulted in some interesting eating habits. We all have them, and most of us don’t really enjoy having them. I hope one day, the only emotions we have surrounding eating include happiness, interest, and gratitude.

What’s your #1 reason for eating while NOT hungry? Do you have your own strategies? Do you want new strategies? Always a pleasure to hear from you!

Be well, and enjoy the day!

I hope everyone had a happy and healthy Independence Day! Over the weekend, I was having dinner with my friends Sara and Brian when I noticed Yoo-Hoos in the drink refrigerator of the burger joint we were at. Brian brought up the funny fact that the Yoo-Hoo isn’t even chocolate milk, but rather a “chocolate drink.” I started to wonder what exactly constitutes a “chocolate drink,” so I decided to take out a Yoo-Hoo and check out the ingredients. So what is a chocolate drink? It’s water, dairy whey, high fructose corn syrup and/or sugar, non-fat milk, corn syrup solids, cocoa (processed with potassium carbonate), soybean oil (partially hydrogenated), sodium caseinate (protein source), salt, tricalcium phosphate, dipotassium phosphate, xanthum gum, guar gum, mono-and diglycerides, vanillin (an artificial flavor), soy lechitin, calcium ascorbate (vitamin C), natural flavor, vitamin A palmiate, niacinamide (vitamin B3)…Yes, all of these ingredients are FDA approved, and currently, the scientific body of literature does not allow us to make evidence based claims about these ingredients and health effects. But is this really something you want to be sipping on? After giving this some thought,  I realized that it’s unrealistic to stop craving yoo-hoos if this is on your “i love…” list. So I decided to come up with a few solutions to help you avoid ingesting things you can’t pronounce.

1. Chocolate milk: Instead of a yoo-hoo, have a100 calorie single serving pack of Pacific Almond chocolate almond milk. It’s SO good and tastes better than a yoo-hoo, trust me.  Or, just make regular chocolate milk with skim milk and cocoa.

2. Convenience Bars: When you’re on the go and you’re thinking of just grabbing a bar,  stick with Lara Bars or Kind Bars. These bars have all whole ingredients as opposed to some of the other bars out there. For example, a South Beach Diet bar contains a ridiculous amount of ingredients, and they don’t even taste good.  My new favorite is Lara Bar’s new carrot cake flavor. Lara Bars can be found at Whole Foods, Trader Joes, other health food stores, and some convenience stores.

3. Frozen Pizza: My fav is Amy’s Roasted Vegetable Pizza. The ingredient list looks a little longer than some of the other products I’ve mentioned, but it’s all natural, good-for-you stuff as opposed to some other frozen pizzas like DiGiorno. Plus, if you’re looking to keep it on the lighter side, the cheese-free roasted vegetable does not sacrifice flavor for calorie-saving, and it tastes great with Tabasco sauce!

4. Soup: Once again, gotta love Amy’s. Amy keeps all of the ingredients real and as simple as possible. My favorite is the Organic Chunky Vegetable Soup. I used to love the Progresso soups until I glanced at one of the ingredient lists and realized it was a little long for my taste. Progresso does some great things to enhance the nutritional content of their soups, but I just get a little anxious about buying the stuff because of the amount of preservatives listed on the label.

5. Chips: Ok yes, I know Doritos are delicious. But they have unnecessary ingredients in them like flavor enhancers, artificial flavoring, and something called “food acids.” So when I really want chips, I tend to go for Cape Cod potato chips. They contain three ingredients: Potatoes, Canola Oil and Salt. Real simple, just the way I like it! Just have to be careful about the amount of salt you’re taking in on days you decide to snack on chips!

The list could go on and on, but the main idea is to look for products with shorter, simpler ingredient lists if your goal is to incorporate healthier, more natural foods into your life. Overall, I prefer to stay away from packaged foods because of the sodium content, but it’s unrealistic to think that you will cook everything from scratch every single day for the rest of your life. And like I said, all of the ingredients in foods in the supermarkets are FDA approved and most have not been linked to harmful, long term health effects (yet). But even if you’re not concerned about the effects these ingredients have on your health, I think that simple foods just simply taste better. Enjoy the day!