Lesson’s Learned: Love and Behavior

Five years ago, this month, my Grandmother passed away.  That night, in her home of more than 50 years, she was surrounded by her entire family – husband, children, grandchildren and great-grandchildren, singing one of her favorite hymns as she took her last breath.  She has always been the rock of our family.  Hard-working and extremely well prepared and organized, she also had a contagious laugh that would sweep the entire room.  She would purchase next year’s Christmas gifts during the post-holiday sales, wrap and tag them, and by the following year, forget what she had gotten everyone. She would always joke that she did it that way so she could be surprised too. 

And, she had a love language that spoke volumes to me.  She had 3 daughters – for my mother, she would pick us up every day from school and keep us until Mom got home from work.  For her eldest daughter that worked in our school kitchen, she would volunteer her time every morning to prepare and serve the school lunch, because the school could not afford to pay another worker to help my Aunt.  For her youngest daughter, who had 3 small children of her own, my Grandmother would drive across town each week to clean her house and finish numerous loads of laundry.  As I grew up, I admired my Grandmother for many things, but most of all it was for her love.  I valued the relationship she and my Grandfather had, so much that it’s what I’ve always dreamed to have for myself in a relationship. 

Now that I have 3 children of my own, I’m beginning to notice some patterns and practices that seem very familiar to me.  Bottom line, it all relates to the language of Love.  You may have heard of Gary Chapman’s book:  The 5 Love Languages.  (I know, you probably just checked your browser to make sure you were reading the right blog – you’re still on H3Daily… just trust me, it will come full circle on how this relates to health J…)  As described in the book, the 5 Love Languages are as follows: 

1. Words of Affirmation


2. Quality Time


3. Receiving Gifts


4. Acts of Service


5. Physical Touch

Clearly, my Grandmother’s love language was acts of service, which I certainly gravitate more to myself.  I’ve noticed my oldest daughter, Hala, seems to respond more to quality time and physical touch.  If I consciously take the time to engage in a specific activity with her, her behavior is much better.  I am naturally better at showing my love through acts of service, and I have to work harder on showing through physical touch or even words of affirmation. 

The way we demonstrate love for others, as well as our perception of how others love us can have a large impact on our behavior.  If we do not feel love from those closest to us, it can impact our self esteem or even lead to depression, which in turn may impact our weight.  If your focus on diet and exercise has not lead to success, what are you missing?  Take this assessment to learn what your Love Language is, what words or actions make you feel less loved, and how others might be expressing a love that you aren’t recognizing.  Discover the impact this has on your relationships and experience the improvement this understanding may have on your health. 

Affirmation of the Day:  “Believing there is a solution paves the way to a solution.” – Dr. David Schwartz

Healthy Recipes: Rustic Peach Tart

INGREDIENTS:

Filling:

3/4 cup Brown sugar

2 Tablespoons Cornstarch

1 teaspoon Cinnamon, ground

¼ teaspoon Nutmeg, ground                    

6 cups Peaches, fresh, and sliced

H3 Cream Cheese Pie Dough (recipe below)

Glaze:

¼ cup Egg beaters

1 teaspoon Sugar

1 teaspoon Cinnamon, ground

PREPARATION:

• Preheat oven to 375˚F


• Follow directions for the H3 Cream Cheese Pie Dough.


• Roll pie dough out in a rustic shape (not a perfect circle) at about ¼ inch thickness onto a clean kitchen surface.


• In a small bowl mix brown sugar, spices, cornstarch and sliced peaches.


• Place pie dough onto a greased sheet tray.


• Place peach filling in the center of the rolled out pie dough.


• Fold the edges over the pie dough creating a rustic circle. The edges do not have to be the exact length.


• Brush egg beaters or egg wash lightly over the edges of the pie crust.


• Then dust cinnamon and sugar mixture over the tart.


• Bake in oven for about 30 to 45 minutes.

Number of servings: 12

Serving Size: 1/12

Calories: 120

Sodium: 150 milligrams

Carbohydrates: 25 grams

Fiber: 3 grams        

Protein: 2 grams

The one skill you must have to lose weight, get healthy

How many times have you promised yourself you were going to eat right, start exercising, lose weight, get healthy? I made those promises to myself for over 30 years, experiencing some success, only to undo it and start over again and again and again. My weight was a literal battleground as I bounced from one diet and/or obsessive exercise routine to another. I was in a constant war with myself that included plenty of guilt, shame and punishment.

What was wrong with me? Why did food have so much power over me? Why did I allow it to rule my life? Was I lacking some magic motivation gene or willpower chromosome? Around age 45, I began to take a closer look at my way of life and the choices I was making. I realized I wasn’t missing anything. I had simply lost faith in myself.

It may come as a surprise to you as it did to me, but losing weight and getting healthy for life doesn’t have to be complicated. Chances are you already know exactly what to do. You just don’t do it. Most people think they need a lot of motivation and willpower. You don’t even need that. What you must have is self-belief. If you’ve stopped believing in yourself, the first step toward losing weight and getting healthy is to rehabilitate your word.

To regain trust in yourself, make a list of actions or tasks that you’ve been putting off that would make a difference in your life if you completed them. They can be small, easy actions, like returning a phone call, filing some paperwork, cleaning out your purse or closet… Or, they can be significant like clearing up a misunderstanding with a friend or family member or volunteering for a charity project. Don’t get stuck on the magnitude of the action. It doesn’t have to be a giant step like getting married/divorced or going back to school—although it could be.

Sometimes just clearing off your workspace or calling for a medical checkup or hair appointment can give you a breath of mental fresh air. There’s no right or wrong. Just do it. Make a list of 3-5 things each day. As you check items off of this list, your brain will get the message: When he/she says something is going to be done, it gets done. You are retraining your subconscious mind to know that your word is golden.

If you have this one skill—the ability to keep your word—you will accomplish what you set out to do, no motivation or willpower required. I will ________ (exercise, choose healthy food, eat smaller portions, drink more water, etc.) because I said I would.

Weight loss doesn’t begin with a diet. It starts with a decision. What’s on your healthy to-do list? Start trusting yourself to get the job done, one step, one day, one decision at a time.

 

Healthy Meal Planning Made Simple

It can be very challenging coming up with some variety in your daily meal plan.  Without trying to research a ton of different recipes to start trying, perhaps there is another approach you can take when planning your meals.  I usually like to start with picking my protein first and going from there.  You could also pick a theme for your protein and build your meal plan based on various themes throughout the week.

Monday- Mexican Night

Tuesday- Tuscan Night

Wednesday- Leftover Night

Thursday- Seafood

Friday- Pizza Night

Saturday- Grilling or BBQ

Sunday- Leftovers or Sandwich night

It doesn’t always have to be a cuisine that you pick; it could just be the type of food you pick.  How many different types of pizza could you make? Well, off the top of my head I can think of BBQ chicken, Mediterranean, Tropical Vegetable, Basil Pesto, Fajita, and many more.  How about sandwiches? I could easily think of burgers, wraps, clubs, tuna melts, BBQ pulled chicken sliders, or a simple egg salad. 

This method should help spice up the creativity you’re looking for in your meals—it doesn’t have to be fancy, just tasty. 

Don’t forget to check out the Mix and Match handout that can aid in getting the juices flowing for ideas.  Remember these key sauces that can help drive the style of the food you’re cooking: Marinara, Alfredo, Teriyaki, Sesame Ginger, BBQ, Savory Gravy, Mango Chutney, Scampi, Salsa and Basil Pesto Cream sauce…need I go on? Use your ‘Unwise, Better, Best’ tool to ensure the ingredients you are picking fall under the ‘better’ or ‘best’ categories.

While cooking, put on some of your favorite tunes to help you get in the mood!

Friday Fitness: Choose Jacob's Ladder for Quick Fitness

“A journey of a thousand miles begins with one single step.” – Lao Tzu

With much anticipation and eager excitement, we hold an open space to introduce you to our newest addition to Cardio Central: Jacobs Ladder! F.E.A.R. no more: (FEAR= False Experiences Appearing Real). As this cardio “climbing” machine is designed for ALL fitness levels!

For form junkies and spinal alignment enthusiasts, like myself, the unique design of the Jacob’s Ladder encourages the spine to be positioned at a safe 45 degree angle. As a result, when climbing on Jacob’s Ladder there is no stress on the lower back. Ahhh…spinal/postural liberation!

Cardiovascular driven, this spiffy machine is self-powered and self-paced. Therefore, the faster you go, the faster it goes. Unlike stair-climbers, stationary bikes and other similar fitness equipment, Jacobs Ladder invites variety, FUNction and fitness. In my opinion, it is by far an unparalleled addition!

Check out the comparison between Jacob’s Ladder and other standard cardiovascular equipment below:

Are You Underestimating Calories?

As you know, one of my favorite mantras is “Unwise, Better, Best.” And while I think under most circumstances it can help, sometimes the best choice may not be that good. For example, the Ruby Tuesday’s Avocado Turkey Burger sounds pretty healthy, and might in fact be better than most of their other burgers, but at 1130 calories there are probably many other items on the menu that would be better choices.

The fact is that we tend to significantly under estimate the calories in food, especially if we think it is a healthy choice. Brian Wansink, who you may recognize as the author of one of my favorite books, Mindless Eating, said, “when people are eating in a restaurant that they think is healthy, they grossly underestimate how much they ate by about 50%.”

Even dieticians do a lousy job of estimating calories in the food served in restaurants. Over 200 trained dieticians were asked to estimate the calories and grams of fat in five typical restaurant meals. They significantly under estimated the calorie and fat content. For example, they on average estimated the calories in a burger and onion rings meal to be 863 calories when in fact it was 1550 calories; they estimated a tuna salad sandwich to be 374 calories when in it was almost double that at  720. If even well trained nutrition professional have a difficult time estimating calories in restaurant meals, imagine how bad the rest of us do.

Fortunately, more restaurants, especially chain restaurants, are posting their nutrition information online. In fact, the FDA will soon require all restaurant chains with more than 20 restaurants to make that information available to their customers. So the next time you go out, take a few minutes to see if the restaurant you are going to has posted their nutrition information online. If so, you will be in position to make a more informed choice. In addition to checking the specific restaurants’ websites, websites like Livestrong.com, myfitnesspal.com, sparkpeople.com and calorieking.com provide the nutrition information for dozens of restaurants in one convenient place.

5 Ways to Conquer Gym Intimidation

From Samantha Lazaris @SamLaz12, Program Intern

Whether it is your first time to the gym or your hundredth time, hopping on a new piece of equipment can be quite an intimidating experience. But have no fear, that’s where I come in! Getting comfortable in a gym may definitely have challenges, but I am here to give you the solid foundation for a smooth and stress-free workout.

Here are 5 tips that will demolish that fear of walking into a gym!

Tip #1: GET A TOUR!!

You are not alone!! There are tons of fitness specialists willing to help you on your journey to a healthier you. First recommendation when starting a new program is to simply ask the front desk to give you an intro to the facility and equipment. This will allow you to get familiar with the equipment without having to worry about any embarrassment or injury. This is also a great way to meet a potential personal trainer for the long run! 

Tip #2: Focus On Yourself, Not Those Around You!

Remember to NEVER be intimidated by “the regulars” because they were once in the same place as you!! (a newbie to the gym!)

Also, never compare yourself to other people! Although this is easier said and done, the thing that helps me the most is to stay focused on my own personal improvement and goals! AKA: Get in “THE ZONE”! Worrying about other people while working out will only slow you down, so just smile and stay focused on you! 

Tip #3: Start Small, Progress Big

Typically when walking into a new facility, we are overwhelmed and 1 of 3 things happen…

1) We make a run for it straight back to our car without ever looking back again.

2) We do too much and end up losing interest.

3) We get into a habit of doing the same 2 machines every single workout

To avoid any of these from occurring, start off with a simple cardio routine with maybe 1 or 2 days of strength and progress up! Switch up your cardio between treadmill, elliptical, bike (or my favorite) the Arc Trainer and separate your strength days into upper and lower body! Here I have included a sample progressive workout plan!

	Mon	Tues	Wed	Thurs	Fri
Cardio	45 min (Treadmill)	30 min (Arc Trainer)	45 min (Eliptical and Bike)	30 min (Eliptical)	45 min (Treadmill and Bike)
Strength	Stretch	20 min (upper)	Strech	20 min (lower)	Stretch

 Tip #4: Try and LOVE Group Fitness!

Group fitness is an absolutely amazing way to become comfortable in a gym while also allowing you to be in a more private area to workout in! No rhythm or coordination? No problem! Group Fitness often offers a huge variety of classes ranging from ab/core toning to classic boot camp.  You won’t know unless you try. Rule of Thumb: Try group fitness for a least 3 classes before making your final decision. I promise you will be hooked! 

Tip #5: Workout Clothes Guarantee!

                I will lay it all out on the table right now and guarantee that with a new workout outfit, you will not only feel more confident walking into the gym; you will also be more apt to actually go! On a budget? Don’t worry! TJ Maxx/ Marshalls has a HUGE selection of designer workout clothes for a great price. Use new clothes or athletic shoes as a new incentive for accomplishing a goal!