Marilu Henner's Blog, page 133

Eating Out

 

The Total Health Makeover is a plan that enables you to live your life !!   It's about TOTAL health and what's healthier than sharing a meal with good friends?  Here are some tips to help you maintain a healthy lifestyle AND an active social calendar:

- Check out the restaurant's menu on line and familiarize yourself with the dishes.

- Call ahead to ask about substitutions or to special order a vegetarian or vegan selection.  (This is surprisingly easy and especially helpful in banquet situations such as weddings and business functions.)

- Make no apologies.  Order what you want according to your own priorities.  It's your life to live.

- In order to stay hydrated have two glasses of water for every alcoholic beverage.

- Ask for a take away container at the start of the meal.  Packing up half of an oversized serving will make you less tempted to finish it off .

- Check out the appetizers for healthy selections which, when paired with a salad, would be suitable as a meal.

- If there's music hit the dance floor.  You're not the only one there who hasn't been professionally trained.  Move and have fun!

- Remember WHY you're out.  You could always eat at home.  You're there for the company so take your focus off the food and enjoy the conversation and the friendships.

Budgeting for HEALTH

Budgeting means different things to different people.  It's not just about money. 

IT'S ABOUT PRIORITIES !

Are you budgeting your time and money with your health in mind?  

Are you spending your money in the produce aisle or in the pharmacy? 

Are you spending your time on the couch or on the move?

Take a look at your financial budget and your calendar and make at least one change today.  If you need a complete overhaul this is the first step.  If you're already doing this try to make one change anyway..tweak it a little  to keep things fresh!

Menu Planning

One of the best ways to make use of  your time is to set aside a bit of that time for planning.  Menu planning can not only help you stay organized, it can help you avoid last minute trips to the grocery store; and doesn't that always happen during the hours when the store is PACKED? 

It can also eliminate those hurried runs for fast food, which is more "gut fill" than it is a meal. 

There are some easy resources to help you with your planning and we've included a few free templates here.  But a  notebook and pencil will work just as well.  It's a simple matter of organizing your thoughts, checking out your calendar, and making a list.  You can plan by the week or by the month; whatever works best for your lifestyle.

http://unclutterer.com/2008/02/20/creating-a-weekly-meal-plan/

http://office.microsoft.com/en-us/templates/CT010142351.aspx

Members can also check out today's class thread,  our recipe files and class archives for more meal planning tips.

GUSTO

"Without gusto you're merely marking time, and with it, you're devouring time and space."

Marilu Henner

 

Marilu has included GUSTO as one of the 10 basic steps of her program, because  it's every bit as important as the other, seemingly more basic, steps.  Even if you aren't where you want to be with your physical goals you can get through any situation with gusto.  And the added bonus is that it will ultimately improve your self image which will give you even more motivation to improve your health.

Begin today. 

ATTITUDE IS EVERYTHING !!

Words Worth Remembering

"All labor that uplifts humanity has dignity and importance and should be undertaken with painstaking excellence. "


"Nonviolence is a powerful and just weapon. which cuts without wounding and ennobles the man who wields it. It is a sword that heals. "
 
Martin Luther King Jr.

STRESS

STRESS

Everyone has it….it's the extent to which you're able to handle it that determines how much it will affect your life.  Determine how much of your anxiety is brought on by your own decision making, or scheduling practices.  Could you benefit from de-cluttering your office, from stepping off a committee, from allowing someone else to host the next holiday? 

Here are a few tips to help you keep life more manageable and keep stress off your doorstep:

EXERCISE…this burns off stress related chemicals and releases endorphins into our systems.  Thirty minutes of exercise provides immediate reduction in tension.

SAY NO…..at the very least don't say yes right away.  We're so eager to please that we often say yes without thinking .  Always take 24 to 36 hours to think about it before shouldering a new responsibility.  (Obviously this does NOT apply to helping someone in an emergency situation.)

GO SOAK…..take time for yourself in a hot bath, infused with baking soda, epsom salts, or geranium or lavender oils. Or treat yourself to a relaxing massage.

HAVE YOU HEARD THE ONE ABOUT…laughing is thought to increase the various measures of the immune system.  You've heard people say "if you don't laugh, you'll cry",  and it's true as it's an indicator of your ability to find humor in the ironies of life.  It's the ultimate coping mechanism.

SLEEP

Catching up on work or chores when you should be sleeping is not putting time to good use.  SLEEPING is putting time to good use.  Your body needs that time to function properly.  It allows your body to be a natural healer.  You'll be more productive the following day…and frankly, nicer to be around. 

If you suffer from insomnia, or if you just have a habit of not allowing yourself to settle in for the night, try natural remedies and behavior techniques such as a bedtime routine and/or a sleep journal.  Over the counter medications will only treat the symptom but will not correct the cause of your sleeplessness.

EXERCISE

"THE BEST ADVICE I CAN GIVE YOU ABOUT EXERCISE IS TO FIND SOMETHING YOU LIKE DOING AND DO IT."

Marilu Henner

If you're going to make a drastic change (such as join a gym, take up running etc.) you'll want to visit your doctor.  But most of us could stand to use our common sense and just become more physically active.  When you were a kid it was called playing.  You don't have to wait until you have a gym membership, buy a kayak, or lose 50 pounds. 

This is something you can incorporate in the next five minutes!  Take a walk.  Do some jumping jacks. Do some crunches.  Play tag with your kids. Play tag with your spouse.

Just get up. Get moving.  Break a sweat. 

NOW !

The Skinny on Fat

"Fat Free"  figures prominently in advertising these days.  It seems like a modern day miracle that we can eat what we like without ingesting the amount of fat normally associated with it.

The truth is that flavor adheres to fat so those cookies with "FAT FREE" emblazoned across the box probably have lots of sugar and sodium (and calories) added to make up for the lack of fat. 

We need fat in our diet for a great many reasons.  It acts as a wall of protection around your vital organs like your heart and kidneys.  It's what allows vitamins A, D, E, and K to be absorbed into your body.  It insulates your body in extreme temperature conditions and also acts as an emergency fuel supply in times of illness. 

Do your homework.  Learn the difference between saturated fats, (found in meat, dairy, eggs, poultry, and any products made with lard) monounsaturated fats (these are a little better for you and are found in oils like olive peanut and canola and also in peanut butter and avocados) and polyunsaturated fats, whch is found in fish, soy, corn and sunflower oils as well as walnuts and some salad dressings to name a few. 

The key lies not in eliminating fat but in making wise choices about how you'll reduce your fat intake.  There are simple common sense choices you can make today.  Eat your chicken without the skin, and choose broiled over fried.  Sub turkey or fish in place of beef or pork.  Take a look at what sauces you're ladling over your pasta.  Try dairy free ice creams.  There are so many delicious versions on the market now.  If it's been a few years since you've given these a try you'll be thrilled with the variety and the flavor in today's products.

Small changes can make a big difference.

Food Combining

Food combining is based on the biological process of digestion.  When protein and starches are eaten together the body becomes confused and can not produce the necessary enzymes, at the same time,  to properly digest the food.   If you've never experimented with this principle why not give it a try for the next few weeks and see if it doesn't aid your digestion, kick start weight loss, ( if that's your goal) and increase your energy levels. 

Here are some basic rules to get you started:

Do not eat proteins and startches together.  Your body requires an acid base to digest proteins and an alkaline base to digest starches.  Proteins and starches combine well with green, leafy vegetables and nonstarchy vegetables, but they do not combine well with each other

Do not mix fruit with proteins, starches, or any kind of vegetable.  Fruits digest so quickly that by the time they reach your stomach, they are already partially digested.  If they are combined with other foods, they will rot and ferment.  Only eat fruit with other fruit

Melons digest faster than any other food.  Therefore, you should never eat melons with other food, including other fruits.  Always eat melons on their own

Do not mix acid and/or sub acid fruits with sweet fruits at the same meal.  Acid fruits, such as grapefruits, pineapple, and strawberries, can be mixed with sub acid fruits, such as apples, grapes, and peaches, but neither of these categories can be mixed with sweet fruits, such as bananas, dates, or raisins

Eat only four to six different fruits or vegetables at one meal

Fats and oils combine with everything (except fruits) but should be used in limited amounts because while they won't inhibit digestion, they will slow it down

Wait the following lengths of time between meals that don't combine: a) two hours after eating fruit, b) three hours after eating starches, c) four hours after eating proteins

DOES THIS SEEM DAUNTING? 

 We can break this down into a very simple GETTING STARTED tutorial for you:

1.  Eat a fruit breakfast, without worrying too much about which fruits (but maybe keep those sweet fruits separate)

2. If you're still hungry after an hour or two have a protein OR a starch breakfast.  (eggs and veggies or oatmeal and toast, but don't have the proteins and starches together)

3.  Have a lunch that features a protein and lots of veggies

4. Have a starch dinner, also including lots of veggies

5. If you should have proteins and starches some legumes can help aid digestion.  A turkey sandwich could be paired with some pea soup, or seafood and rice would work with a bean salad.  (Vegans have an advantage in this department)