westufit.com Blog

It’s what I said to myself right before my 2nd daughter, Ella, was born.  I knew sleep was about to be scarce for a few months.  I knew my free time was going to be cut in half.  I knew that if I was to be a role model of health and fitness something had to change.

I worked out and conditioned myself regularly; 4-5 times a week, 20-30 minutes a session.  I knew that wasn’t going to increase.  In fact I knew that getting my workouts in were going to be tough and there were going to be days I would be too tired from not sleeping the night before.

So I looked at my food intake and said “But I eat healthy.  How can I make better choices here?”  Then I really took a look at what I fueled my body with and noticed I really could do better.  I’m a firm believer in the 80/20 rules  - eat well 80% of the time and enjoy the other 20%.

I was going to clean up my 80% even more so than what I was already doing.

My 3 changes:

1. Consume way more fruits than I’ve ever consumed in my life.

2. Consume way more vegetables than I’ve ever consumed in my life.

3. Slightly reduced the amount of meat in my diet – replaced by all the fruits and vegetables.

The Results:

Only 6 weeks after I have made these 3 changes to my food intake, I have dropped 2.3% body fat.  Doesn’t sound like much I know, but I was already at 8.6%.  I didn’t have much to lose in the first place and, get this, I wasn’t even trying to lose it.

Think about it:  I made 3 changes to an already healthy food intake and made massive gains.

You say you eat healthy, but where can you make 3 small little changes to the 80% of your food intake?

Is the life you're living worth the price your paying for it?

Seriously.  Take a look at your health - your body, face, blood pressure, weight, energy and your ability to simply move.  Are you truly happy with the current state of your physical health?

You can probably say that your physical health doesn't slow you down that much.  If we take a look at most of our jobs, they don't require much physical effort over the course of an 8 hour work day.  It's more mental than physical so you operate at half capacity and can get away with it.

But what if you were attacking your days with just 20 or 30% more energy than you have today?  You see, great performances (pursuing your career, caring for your loved ones, weekend sports, dating your spouse, playing with your kids, improving your health, living a life of purpose) are not about continually expending as much energy as possible.

No.  Great performances are about the ability to expend energy at very high levels for measured periods of time, offset by periods of rest and renewal.  Great performances come from within.  By owning your own change, you become PROactive with your life instead of REactive.  It takes focus.

The problem in the world we live in is that focus, our undivided attention, is under siege.  We have never had so many avenues available to distract ourselves - email, texting, facebook, twitter, blogging, LinkedIn, TV, and on and on the list could go.

The great challenge of our times:  The ability to delay gratification and put aside short term indulgence for long-term, focused value.  Own your own change by starting in a new direction.  Here's what happens when you start a new direction: your self-esteem increases immediately!

Starting in a new direction could be as easy as eating an apple.  An apple a day could make you the healthiest you've ever been as part of the commitment to that new direction.  Nobody has to be around and you don't even have to announce it to the world.  Munch on the first apple and say this is the beginning of a healthy lifestyle that will give me the vitality to do whatever I want for the next 30 years.

Now if you eat an apple the second day, you almost become delirious.  You say "WOW...I'm on my way!"  With just 2 apples?  YES!  "I did it yesterday and I did it again today."  This is proving to yourself, without an audience, that you're in control.  You're on your way to the healthiest you've ever been.

That's how easy it is to change the direction you're traveling.  It's a small, daily journey to change direction.  The choice is yours.  As Gandhi once said "Be the change you want to see in the world."  Don't wait for someone else to take the lead.  Be bold.  Take action.

Own your own change!

“Don’t resent growing old.  Many are denied the privilege.”  – Unknown

Let’s talk about the MASSIVE elephant in the room for a second: Growing Older.  About the only thing in life that comes to us without effort is aging.

Everywhere you turn, products and services are trying to help you defy the aging process.  Pop this pill to boost testosterone; rub in this cream to wipe out wrinkles; eat this “special” berry to live longer. You could detox for 3 days to increase hormone regulation and drink this tea / juice / “unique” formula for anti-aging benefits (all claiming to provide youthful results).

We are a world obsessed with looking, feeling and (sometimes) acting young.  Most of us are in denial about growing older.  We think we’ll always be able to play strenuous sports, travel anywhere we want, or continue working 12-14 hour a day.  Just assume that if something goes wrong, we’ll be able to fix it.

The reality of growing older tolls on our minds and bodies:
- Declining strength & lack of energy
- Sagging body parts & increased wrinkles
- Failing vision & hair loss
- Trembling hands & painful joints
- Forgetfulness & loss of hearing

It’s an endless list of stuff that doesn’t work very well anymore.  Is this all that we can expect from growing older?  Or can it be something more?
Growing old has its limitations but if you prepare mentally, physically, emotionally and spiritually for whatever comes your way, it will make all the difference.
Prepare now for the challenges that might lay ahead.
Aging will not take you by surprise if you prepare.
Embrace aging as part of the grand plan for life.

Whether you’re 23, 51, 67 or 93 (WUF’s oldest client is!!), you still have a purpose here.  Are we producing fruit that replenishes others or do we complain and drain others that look forward to living full lives? By our attitude do we make the young among us dread growing older?

Growing older doesn’t exempt us from fulfilling our purpose in life.

Look to impact those around you regardless of age. Look for the higher purpose in every circumstance and in every face or voice you encounter daily.  For a wise man once said “the time He has given you is not without PURPOSE.”

Prepare for each day by opening your eyes to what’s going on around you.
- Your smile can be purposeful.
- Your pain can be purposeful.
- Your journey though life can be purposeful.

In a world captivated by speed and instant gratification, our infatuation with relics, antiques, and well-worn jeans seems disconnected. Growing old is authentic, genuine and valuable.  Embrace it.

The measure of life is not it’s duration, but it’s donation.  Don’t retire from life.

You’ve been given the dignity of choice.  You’re not a robot.  The CHOICE:  To be part of who we were meant to be or ALL of who we were meant to be.

Enjoy your purposeful journey as you grow older.

In honor of Leap Year, here are 29 ways to
LEAP INTO PURPOSEFUL HEALTH

• Start writing down your food- It is worth the time and can save you each day from the overeating that is keeping your from your goal
• Cut artificial sweeteners- your body doesn’t recognize the chemicals as anything useful and therefore they can cause inflammation in the body.
• Stop eating out- except maybe for a once a week cheat meal.  The average meal when eating out will range from 700-1500 calories.
• Visit the outdoors- get off the couch and go do something.  As simple as that, put down the phone, turn off the TV and get moving.
• Plan your grocery trips- If you don’t the other option is to follow your stomach which will always lead you in the wrong direction.
• Learn the word “no”- Most of the time when you want something in life ( lower bf percentage) you have to say no to the  things you like but are keeping you from getting it (fast food, alcohol, desert, etc.).
• Get the family involved- Success is much easier when you have a team of supporters going down the same healthy path.
• Avoid the fad diet- They just don’t work! If someone or something is promising you a result that sounds too good to be true, it is!  Starving yourself only leads to a poor metabolism.
• Keep temptation out of the house- Why would you keep cookies, ice cream, wine, whatever your temptation might be, in the house if you are trying to improve your health?!?!?
• Donate the clothes- If you have lost weight, don’t keep your “fat” clothes.  Don’t give yourself that option to go backwards!!!!
• Stop making excuses- If you don’t want to lose weight, then you won’t.  To win in health, you have to change the way you think and your lifestyle.
• Throw away the magazines- Or better yet, don’t buy them.  Women, stop looking at the celebrity magazines with air brushed/ photoshopped females.
• Use accountability- If it is a weekly weigh in, a weight watchers meeting, whatever it is that you can utilize to keep yourself on track, do it.  Accountability works!
• Get on a plan- Rarely do people succeed without a plan.
• Listen to a motivational CD- Why not?  We all need encouragement.
• Unify your life-  Bring health into all areas in your life.  Success will not come unless you truly embrace it.
• Stop mindless eating- Are you watching TV and eating, are you eating off your kids plate, are you just eating because you are bored?  Yes!  Then stop it!
• Use your successes to promote more success- Write down the little successes you have had, they will remind you that you have done a good job and will continue to do so when times look hard or impossible.
• Reward yourself with a treat- No one expects perfection from you, enjoy a treat a week.  But don’t go down the path of always feeling you deserve this piece of chocolate, this glass of wine.  What you do deserve is good health!
• Ignore your friends- If you have negative people keeping you down, run away.  It is amazing what those around you can do to your success.  Many people are intimidated by success; it causes them to be negative Nancy and bring you down with them.
• Subscribe to a healthy cooking website- Many websites out there will send free recipes out daily, sign up and take away the work of you having to search out what’s for dinner tonight.
• Give more- Are you really pushing it in all you do?  Are you giving it 100% in your workout, training, sprinting, and attitude?
• Ask for help- If you are having trouble getting to the gym?  Hire a trainer or meet up with a friend who enjoys working out too.  Don’t be afraid to ask for help!
• Don’t quit- Consistency has proven to be one of the key components to success.  Success does not happen overnight.  Keep pushing; you already have the momentum going, why cut it off (remember it takes more fuel to get a plane off the ground then to keep it in the air)?
• Write down those goals- And post them where you see them daily.  We all know this is a sure way to head down the right path, yet we are so afraid of doing it.  Why?
• Stay away from infomercials- Whatever piece of equipment they are trying to sell you isn’t going to hold up on the promises it is selling.  Simply put, they don’t work!
• Sign up for a race- We all like a little friendly competition.  Sign up for a race, a tough mudder competition or maybe even a triathlon.   Have something to work towards.
• Read a book- Since you are already interested in improving your health, why not fill your head with healthy information.  When is the last time you read something about someone’s life changing weight loss experience or someone who is still staying active and conquering life with one leg?
• Surround yourself with success- This one came up on number 20, but I feel it is so important to mention again, in a different way.  Those who are just blah about life and health are not doing anything to help you be the best you can be.  Who is that friend that believes in you always, that compliments you even when you feel there is nothing to be complimented about and who is also trying to be the healthiest she can be?  Hang around her, she is good for you!

You CAN do it!

Cassie

Remember what it was like to wake up feeling refreshed and full of energy after a solid night’s sleep as a kid?  Is it the same now?  Probably not as the average American adult only sleeps 6 hours, 30 minutes a night during a typical work week.

We seem to have our priorities mixed up here: We say those who work late into the night, sleep only 4-6 hours, and return first thing in the morning are a success.  We say those who leave at normal hours, get 7-8 hours of sleep, and return at normal hours are lazy or not dedicated.

To fully appreciate what a full night of 7-8 hours of peaceful sleep can do for you, let me break it down for you this way:

• Your Muscles:

As you enter a deep sleep, your body releases a surge of growth hormones that stimulate muscle growth and repair.  Without a regular release of growth hormone to your body, you’ll experience weight gain, loss of muscle mass and a decrease in your capacity to workout.

• Your Brain:

Sleep is essential for memory, decision-making , and your attention span.  Why?  When you sleep, you rejuvenate the connection between brain cells.  The longer you’re awake, the more inconsistent they connections become.

• Your Immune System:

The more deep sleep you get, the healthier your immune system will be.  As your sleep time decreases, so do your white blood cells – the kings to fighting off sicknesses.  Sleeping fewer than 6 hours a night will increase your chances of viral infection, stroke, and heart disease by 50%.

• Your Blood Sugar:

Snoozing less than 6 hours a night increases your chances by 4.5 times of developing diabetes.  Enough said!

• Your Mood:

The longer you sleep, the more positive, optimistic, and less irritable and depressed you are.  By feeling more confident about yourself, you’ll be more likely to set bigger goals for yourself and change your entire life – all from regular 7-8 hours of sleep!

I know what you’re saying right now: I function just fine on little sleep.  Really?  If you think you function and operate daily at 100%, just think how much more effective you could be if you slept a full 7-8 hours.  God designed us to sleep when it’s dark and he did so for the reasons stated above.  You can’t defy the laws of physiology.  Your body needs the rest, recover and renewal that sleep brings.

When we are young, you tend to get away with sleeping less.  Over the years though, it catches up with you.   You begin to use caffeine to “get going” in the morning, a mid-afternoon jolt of more caffeine or sugary snack to keep going and then cap the night off with a glass or two of your favorite wine to “help” you go to sleep.

The crazy thing about using alcohol to fall asleep fast is that you don’t realize the disruptive effects it has on sleep later in the night.  After the alcohol has metabolized and it’s sedative effects have worn off, you’ll suffer from a reduction in the total time you actually spend asleep, a decrease in your sleep efficiency and an increase in the amount of time you spend awake throughout the night.  All this prevents you from falling into the deep sleep zone that your body needs to be in to fully recover and repair after a long hard day of work, family, stress, working out, metabolizing foods, thinking, decision making, and fighting off illnesses.

Almost 100% of the population requires a full 7-8 hours of sleep each night.  Insomnia and poor sleep habits are mostly self induced and learned behaviors that you can self correct with a few simple steps.

1. 1. Bedroom environment:
   1. Dim the lights – Insomnia feeds off the glow from the TV, computer, iPad, Smartphone, Tablet, or even the digital clock next to your bed.  The light suppresses the secretion of melatonin, a sleep-promoting hormone.  An hour before bed, turn off the electronics and read a book or journal.
   2. Chill Out – Sleeping in a cool environment slows down metabolic processes, including the mindless thoughts, to-do lists, and tomorrows stresses that prevents you from drifting off.  Drop the temp to 68 degrees Fahrenheit for starters.  If insomnia is still persistent, drop the temp even lower!
2. 2. Bedtime routine:
   1. Most importantly is to keep a regular sleep schedule – even on the weekends.
   2. Try some Chamomile tea that has calming effects instead of a nightly glass of wine.
   3. Keep your cell phone out of reach at night and the ringer and alert message off.
   4. Spend 5-10 minutes reflecting on the positives of the day by writing them down in a journal.

We were naturally designed to sleep 7-8 hours a night to fully recover for the next day’s hard labor.  Don’t try to convince yourself differently.  When your systems fully rested, recovered, renewed and repaired, you can attack your day with a full tank of energy.

Just a reminder that I am not a RD or nutritionist, but here are my thoughts on what that would look like.

Breakfast:

Organic cut up fruit 1 c.

Ezekiel Good for Life Bread 1 slice

Organic  peanut or almond butter 1tbs.

Snack:

Natural Raw Trail Mix  ½ c.  You would find something like this in the bulk section.  Make sure it has not been salted, roasted, etc.  Just plain and  raw.

Organic Apple ½ of apple.

Lunch:

Quinoa 1c.

Black Beans 1c.

Salsa or Pico ¼ c.

Organic Chicken Breast ½ breast

Snack:

Apple ½ of apple ( the other half from the morning)

Fage yogurt ½ c. with a dash of cinnamon

Dinner:

Salmon Filet 1 piece

Mixed Green Salad

Any veggie 1 c.

Salad dressing, evoo and red wine vinegar 1 tbs. combined.

If your eating habits are far from this, baby steps are fine.  Making too many changes at once can seem restricting, unless you can handle that type of change- then GO for IT!  I hope this has helped somewhat in the direction to take your daily eating habits.   Keep the questions coming and I look forward to next month.

Cassie

Nutrition is easily overlooked with it comes to an individual’s quest to lose fat.

Most think they can out-train a bad nutrition plan. They think that if they only run an extra three miles and hit the gym six times vs only four, they will be able to stay ahead of the game and continue to lose fat. They think that if they stay on the bike for an extra 30 minutes, skip breakfast, eat a salad for lunch and consume a regular dinner, their metabolism will remain elevated. They think that if they sleep only 4-6 hours a night, the body will be able to fully recover, build muscle and refuel the energy needed to tackle work, family, and training with 100% intensity.

Let me put it practically for you: You’ll never out-train a bad diet.

The #1 place to start with change in your nutrition plan is to (get ready for this) consume high quality carbohydrates. Think of carbohydrates as the body’s fuel supply to keeping you active, thinking clearly and being on top of your game every day.

The trouble is with low-carb diets being touted as the best plan for weight loss is that we now believe that carbohydrates are bad. Adequate carbohydrate intake and stores within the body (a.k.a Glycongen) are critical for optimum performance in the game of life, in the gym, and for your career.

So the first step you need to take to adding them to your daily nutrition plan is to understanding what qualifies as a high quality carb:

• Fruits – Blueberries, Blackberries, Strawberries, Plums, Tomato, Kiwi, Pears, Grapes
• Vegetables – Spinach, Kale, Romaine Lettuce, Broccoli, Cauliflower, Squash, String Beans
• Whole Grains – Buckwheat, Quinoa, Wild & Brown Rice, Oatmeal, Rye, Milo, Barley

It is important to know that energy demands of exercise dictate that carbs are the preferred fuel for exercise intensities above 65% of VO2max. 65% is nothing really. At 65% of your VO2max you should be able to speak in complete sentences, but have a little difficulty in finishing them.

To back this up with current research, shorter and more vigorous workouts are the best of fat burning goals.   To make sure you are completing these workouts fresh and fully recovered, you need to be fueling your body with high quality carbs. There is a strong relationship between the pre-exercise muscle glycogen (stored carbs) and the individual’s ability to exercise repeatedly at high intensities.

Remember, high quality carbohydrates are the fuel your body needs to maintain peak performance and crushing your fat loss goals!

Ingredients:
1/8 of a head of green cabbage
1 carrot
1 stalk celery
1 apple
2 eggs ( or for vegan use 2 tbs. baking powder instead)
2 cups of your favorite cake mix (spice, chocolate, lemon , white, organic.) Try using gluten Free too!
2 Tbs.. Agave Nectar

Preparation: Pour ½ the cake mixture into a bowl, with cone #1 shred all of the vegetables & apple.
Instructions:

Mix cake mix, veggies and eggs in mixing bowl until moist. Pour cake mixture into pan (5 Quart pan). Follow baking time on back of cake box.  When a tooth pick or knife comes out clean cake is ready. Flip the cake over onto a plate, let cool down and serve

Stop Eating Sugar!!!!