Lana’s Kick Your Cold’s Booty Shake

Lana’s Kick Your Cold’s Booty Shake

We don't need to run to chemicals every time we start to feel the sniffles coming on. Nature has provided us with amazing natural remedies. My husband and I used this shake to kick our cold's butt.

1 Scoop Greenberry Shakeology
1 Cup fresh pineapple
1 Cup fresh blackberries
1 Cup grapes (your color choice)
1 Cup pink grapefruit
1 Tablespoon finely diced fresh ginger
30 Drops Herb-Pharm Liquic Echinacea
30 Drops Herb-Pharm liquid Cayenne (This gives it quite a kick, so you may want to use less if you cannot take the heat. Does not effect the taste, but has quite an after-heat in the throat.)
3 Opened capsules of Electric Institute Fresh Freeze-Dried Garlic
Just enough water to blend.

Blend well with ice or pour over ice after blending. Has a very refreshing fruity taste with a hint of heat aftertaste.

Calories:

1 Scoop Greenberry Shakeology - 140
1 Cup fresh pineapple - 83
1 Cup fresh blackberries - 62
1 Cup grapes (your color choice) - 104
1 Cup pink grapefruit - 74
1 Tablespoon finely diced fresh ginger – 5

TOTAL: 468
Lots of nutrition packed into these calories.

If you would like a sample of Shakeology, email me at coachlana@beachbodycoach.com

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Why Am I Eating When I'm Not Hungry?

Why Am I Eating When I'm Not Hungry?

Every now and then we catch ourselves munching mindlessly when we are not hungry. Yikes! Do this often enough and we can really pack on the pounds.

Here are a few situations that may sound familiar and 1 or 2 ways to cope.

The Mood Hits...

You like to celebrate with food or you like to soothe with food. If food is the center of every happy, sad, angry moment, it's good to stop and identify that. Keeping a food journal and identify your feelings around each meal may help stop you in your tracks. Once you are aware, you can figure out ways to combat it. Call a friend when you're sad, do a rigorous workout when you're mad, etc. Find what works for you.

I'm Bored!

Your hands and mind want to keep busy and they may be doing that by picking up Cheetos. Try finding something mindful to occupy your time. What types of activities have you been  wanting to try or is there something you want to learn? How about reading a gripping novel or starting a blog?

Everyone Else is Eating!

You are out with family and friends, the conversation is great and the food is flowing. You don't have to eat every single thing. Yup, that is true. Don't let the hand reach too many times. Check in with how you are feeling. Are you full? Then just enjoy hanging out.

If I See It I Will Eat It!

Food in plain sight can be so hard to resist. Our eyes trigger us to want it. Here's  a couple things to keep those treats out of sight. If you buy treats, store them high up and away from plain view. When you are at a party or event, hang out away from the treats or have your back to them. Also, keep healthy foods out where you can see them.

It's Party Time!

There's always an event with lots of yummy food! Keep it in perspective; the event is about the people, not the food. You don't have to indulge. If you can't resist diving in, you may want to avoid the event or bring a healthy alternative to munch on.

I Can't Say No!

If you have a hard time saying no to food that is being pushed on you, you can try "I'm not hungry," "I'm watching my weight," or any number of similar reasons. If that still does not work, see if you can split it with someone else or just take a small bite and get rid of the rest.

I'm Tired.

It's tempting to reach for a sugary treat when we are feeling that afternoon lull. But, it will lead to a later afternoon crash. See if all you need is a little movement. Walk around the office or take a quick trip outdoors in the sunlight. You may be dehydrated, drink some refreshing water or eat a juicy piece of fruit.

What About The Starving Kids In Africa?

Do you feel like you have to clean your plate? Guess what? We live in a wonderful time full of refrigerators and to go containers. It's OK to take some food home and have them for leftovers later. Eat slowly and gauge your appetite often.

This is certainly not an all inclusive list. But, I hope these few topics got you thinking. It's just my 2 cents.

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Lowfat, No Fat Diets Do Not Work. What Fats You Should Be Eating.

We tend to get a bit extreme when we are trying to lose weight. Our first assumption is we need to cut all fats out of our diet. This is false. Research shows that a moderate fat diet, about 35 percent of calories, helps people lose weight permanently, feel full longer, and avoid bingeing.

What we want to do is eat the right fats so that we increase satisfaction and boost weight loss. Fat is important for weight loss. Fats help with sugar metabolism so less sugar is stored as fat. Fat slows down digestion and aids in nutrient absorption so you stay full longer and get more nutrition from your foods. Essential fatty acids like omega-3s may boost your metabolic rate and increase fat burning. Fat tastes good and feels good in your mouth which can help you feel happy with less food.

To get lean you need to eat the right kind of fat. Eat less saturated fat found in red meat and whole fat milk and avoid trans fats found in processed foods. Choose more monounsaturated and polyunsaturated fats. Some of the best sources are:

1. Fish like salmon, albacore, tuna, herring, mackerel, and sardines have omega-3 fatty acids.

2. Heart-healthy oils like olive, canola and peanut oil have been shown to lower cholesterol and reduce the risk of heart disease. You only need about 1 teaspoon to get all of the oil’s benefits. Add a little vinegar with vegetables and herbs for maximum absorption of the minerals and vitamins in the vegetables and herbs.

3. Avocados are another great source of fat. Added to salads and avocados aid in the absorption of phytonutrients like lutein and beta-carotene. As little as one quarter helps with this absorption.

4. Almonds, walnuts, pecans and peanuts are full of good nutrition. They are full of antioxidants, minerals, and monounsaturated fat. Folks that ate about an ounce of nuts per day tended to weigh less than those who didn’t. The protein, fat, and fiber make nuts more filling. Also, because nuts are so satisfying, you get the psychological effect of not feeling like you are on a diet.

5. Flaxseed contains fat, protein and fiber. It’s a plant source of omega-3 fatty acids, making it a good vegetarian source. Ground flaxseeds have 3 grams of fiber per tablespoon, which helps slow digestion and keep your blood sugar stable.

Now, we don’t want to go crazy with the fat. Fat is 9 calories per gram, so we still need to be mindful how much we are eating. But when we eat the right fats, we absorb nutrients better, we feel more full and satisfied. That will help us stay on track with our weight goals.

So, there’s my 2 cents. I hope you found it interesting.

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How To Add Life Giving Water To Your Day

We’ve all heard about how important it is to drink water.  Our bodies need it to function correctly, so that we have energy, to clean out our kidneys, to be able to go to the bathroom, yes, I said it, and so that our skin looks healthy and young. But, how do we add more water to our day. Here are a few quick tips. I’m sure you can find lots more if you try.

1.    Start your day with a cup of water. It will help wake you up and most of us wake up dehydrated after 6-8 hours of sleep. You will feel refreshed and ready to attack the day.

2.    Chop up peaches, pears, apricots, lime, lemon, whatever you like and put in a large pitcher with ice and water. Serve immediately or store in fridge for the day. A great low calorie refreshing drink.

3.    Drink a low caffeine, not decaffeinated, tea like white tea hot or over ice. So this is a personal pet peeve. I try to avoid processed foods and chemicals when I can. So, I gave up my decaf coffee for a low caffeine white tea. Either way you get water. So, it’s really up to you.

4.    Keep a water bottle on your desk and sip often. Convenience is key.

5.    Eat more fruit. Fruit has a high water content and you will get vitamins, minerals, and fiber too!

6.    Eat low sodium light soup. You can get water from your foods too.

7.    Bring a water bottle to your workouts. Sip often and be sure to drink a lot afterwards so you can wash the toxins out of your body.

Note you can drink too much water. So, be aware of how you feel and always listen to your doctor if you have any special medical conditions. But, the fact of the matter is, most of us don’t get enough and water is like air, we need it. So, give your body what it needs and you will feel refreshed, energized and ready to go.

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FREE Food is Not Really FREE - Don't Sabotage Your Diet

FREE Food is Not Really FREE. It's funny this topic has come up a lot in the last couple weeks, so I decided to dedicate a post to it. Is FREE food really FREE? Well, it's usually not fat free, sugar free, calorie free, and so on. As I walked through Costco every aisle had FREE treats to try. A sample at each aisle would surely put me at about 500+ calories before I walked out the door. Besides calories I would also need to consider what is the quality of these extra calories I'm taking in? Are they whole foods, organic, low sodium, low sugar, hmm? Doubtful!

We are bombarded by free food every day. It's another hurdle to maneuver when you are trying to clean up your diet. Let's not forget that our diets are 80% of our weight loss or maintenance success. So, we need to be prepared to fight this battle.

If we are not being accosted by free samples in the store, it's someone's birthday at work and there's free cake, it's the holidays and the treats are piling up on the corner desk we pass every 10 minutes. It doesn't stop!

Only we can take control of our appetites and mouth! Put the fork down as an acquaintance of mine would say. Ask yourself, "Is it really worth it?" Just because something is free doesn't mean we start shoveling it in like we haven't eaten in weeks.

There are a couple techniques you might want to use that friends have shared with me:

1. Do the math. A pound is 3500 calories. So in order to lose a pound a week you have to be at a 500 calorie deficit every  day. That's either don't eat it or burn it. To burn 500 calories, the average person would need to do 1 hour of intense cardio exercise. Is the cupcake worth it?

2. Exotic. Is it a treat that you will not be able to have again or for a really long time? If it's a store bought brownie that you can get any time of the year, drop it. But if it's Aunt Sadie's super special apple fudge cream cake pie surprise, well, you might want to indulge if she only makes it once a year.

3. Teeny Tiny. If you are going to indulge, just take a taste or a few bites.  Take the smallest portion you possibly can to get the flavor and enjoy it. If there are lots of treats to try, go for 1 spoonful each. The calories add up and an office holiday party could end up being 3,000 calories without self control. If there is only 1 item to taste make it 1-3 bites. Honestly, after about 3 bites, our taste buds start to get dull to the flavor anyway. Then we are just noshing for nothing.


4. Prepare. Eat a healthful meal before you are in the situation where you will be tempted to indulge.  This does require you have the ability to say no. It can be hard when your grandma is looking at you with those, you better eat it or you are out of my will eyes. Joking or am I?

5. Avoidance. When you see the free samples in the store, avoid them. Take the long way, don't look them in the eye. The little hyenas will leave you alone.  At the office birthday or whatever celebration show up late and leave early. Say your happy whatevers, have fun, chit chat and scoot out before you are tempted to eat the treats.


6. Play the Part. Sometimes there is peer pressure to indulge. If there is no way you can say no, act the part. This is going to seem crazy, but I've used this and it works. When someone offers you the treat and you cannot say no, accept only the smallest portion they can give you and don't eat it. Pretend you did. Take the cake, mess it up a little so it looks like you took a bite or two, hold your fork like it just came out of your mouth and when you get a chance, throw it away. Yes, throw it away. You don't need to sabotage your success for someone else's feelings. They probably won't notice you didn't eat any of it anyway.  And don't feel bad about throwing away food. Cake is not food! This may be my own personal opinion, but I'm the first in my household to throw the box of doughnuts out. I'll go out of my way to preserve fruit, veggies, healthful foods. But, cookies, cakes, candy can hit the round file and I could care less. There is no nutritional value whatsoever and it's just going to mess up my diet success.

So, there are a couple ideas. I'm sure there's tons more and you won't find success with all of them. Find one that works for you. But, at least think about it. Every bite counts. Let's make those bites healthful fuel for our bodies.

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