Eating Right For Healthy Living!

Greetings! I hope this blog finds you all well and happy this beautiful day! I felt compelled to write this blog as I am always asked questions about foods to eat and how to stay active! As a personal trainer, I encounter many people looking to change their present situation be it health or size wise. The two go hand in hand, and the bottom line isn't just what you do to be active, but also what you do to fuel your body.
All too often I am fought by clients who don't wish to give up the security blanket that is their eating habits! Be it right or wrong, these are people who hold every chip, cake, fry, pie, and candy near and dear to their hearts. When I am doing a supermarket tour with clients to show them what to get and where, they look at me as if I have just kicked their dog, insulted their mother, or pinched them really hard for no reason. I would never do any of those things, and the look truly is priceless. The horror that I have traumatized these people with seems absolutely unspeakable. I think they would sooner sell their car than give in to my recommendation of stopping the fat ridden, sugar soaked, cholesterol cased and sodium saturated foods that is slowly killing them , as well as affecting their energy levels and clouding their thinking. The proof is in the preservative filled pudding...as they think my concern for their well being should not exclude foods they eat based simply on " taste and habit" . When I advise a client to stop eating a particular item because it is harmful to the health of their kids, family in general, or specifically that person ( perhaps due to health issues), they respond with the same line,..."But we(or I) like this! We ( or I) always eat this!" Really? That is the problem. Let me stop rabbling and get to the point, though I can ramble plenty!
The modern American diet consists of processed foods high in all the bad stuff you read about. You have read plenty of conflicting reports, I am sure, on what is good or bad for you, flopping back and forth on the same items every so often, i.e. eggs-good or bad? Bacon- Atkins says yes, heart surgery says "NO!" With all the confusion going around, let me offer you a bit of sound advice. A diet high in vegetables, fruits, whole grains and seeds is the best way to go. That's right! Nature at it's finest! If you start the day with whole grains and fruit, and taper into vegetables, beans and a bit of fruit into the rest of the day, you have got it made. No, you don't have to give up meet and dairy, but intake at a minimal is highly suggested. Go for 2 or 3 ounces of lean meat or fish. When I say meat, I mean white meat chicken or turkey, and fish that is as fresh as can be and NOT FRIED! Nothing fried has EVER been good for anyone. Great tasting yes, great for you-no way. I recently had a client who thought they were eating well but the packaged lunch meat they chose from the store was LOADED with sodium that made them retain water like the Hoover Dam. Also, it raised her blood pressure and put her body into high stress mode without any other outside source. What you eat can affect your mood and how you feel. It affects your hormone levels, glucose levels, and cholesterol. Even the leanest meats have approximately 20 mg of cholesterol. Even the dairy. Fat free doesn't mean cholesterol free! Low sodium isn't always so low, either. We should keep our sodium levels from 1000 to 1500 mg per day. And that is without present health issues. Want to play a game? Go to the grocery store and read the labels. Look at the sodium levels on the pack PER SERVING. Then look at the number of servings per pack. THEN calculate how much of that package you ACTUALLY eat. Now...do that with ALL the foods you eat through the day. If your family has any health issues, you could actually help discover how diet influenced them into coming to fruition. Plants, grains, seeds, and the absolute bare minimum in yogurt ( Greek is the best if you eat yogurt) and 2 or 3 ounces of whatever meat you eat. And I would limit that to once or twice a week.
If you are thinking, " Girl! You are C-R-A-Z-Y if you think I am limiting myself to that kind of food!" Really? I gain nothing from you eating healthier...but you gain more than you could possibly imagine. Lose weight, feel awesome, live healthier with more energy, and stave off early onset diseases that you could actually prevent if you are ready to take control of your health. If you know anyone with diabetes, heart disease, cancer, or high blood pressure, ask them if they could get rid of that disease, or could've prevented it, what do you think they would say?
You can look amazing for your wedding day, and train yourself to take care of your family and yourself in your new wedded life all at the same time. Eat healthy, get active, and be healthy and happy...for many years to come.
All The Best To YOU!!
Lise Guillet, ISSA CFT