Douglasville Personal Training

If you are a parent, you are automatically a role model. Like it or not. Do you eat poorly choosing fast food and processed food. Guess what? So will your kids. Organic vegans are rarely created from the homes of the unhealthy. If you look at people who are professional athletes, their PARENTS ARE THEIR DRIVING FORCE in most cases.

So seriously, if you cannot or will not change for yourself, look at those little faces and start to make healthy choices for both them and for you in order to better their lives and future.

Most people who smoke claim that their cigarettes calm their nerves. That is a LOAD OF CRAP. Your nerves are shot from the effects of the nicotine from the cigarettes.

A study done in the UK found that stress levels dropped 17% when people stopped smoking. So ya — oh look – another reason to quit

a 15 minute walk with a dog burns about 61 calories and the guilt of not getting your pup out for his daily stroll can make you do it every single day. Go longer if you can but walking 15 minutes once or twice a day is better than sitting on the couch

Excuses, excuses…… well sometimes we are not all cut out for running or aerobics classes. Sometimes we need something a bit more basic. That is where that walk with you family, spouse, children, parents — whoever – comes in.

Walk to the store if you prefer to be a destination walker, walk at one of our great parks if you are a nature buff and like some shade – the options are limitless so just do it.

Interested in the barefoot running fad? Well, sorry I find the idea of running or walking where every dog in the park has peed to be gross and many people do not have the feet for it even with the special shoes.

There are some exercises you can do to improve your foot strength and at the same time reduce your injury risk. These are simple child like fun exercises like picking up marbles with your toes and doing toe raises and using a towel to stretch.

If you are unsure about foot strength, discuss it with your doctor or personal trainer and ask your doctor before switching to the barefoot running as it is not for everyone.

Family style dining can be fun and it can be nice on special days (think Thanksgiving and Christmas not just any given Sunday) but according to a study done at Cornell University, eating family style (serving dishes on the dinner table) can add 35% more calories to your meal than serving yourself from the kitchen or stove.

So save those family style events for the actual day of the holiday and live those other 360 something days portioning from the kitchen.

Did you know that 56% of food factories in the United States have not been inspected by the FDA in 5 or more years. WOW — doesn’t that make you want to drop the processed food — God only knows what is in there. And this statistic is courtesy of the government (Office of the Inspector General, US Dept of Health and Human Services) So think about that next time you are jamming some junk food in. Kinda makes you pause doesn’t it?? Apple that you can wash off vs. Chips from a factory that nobody has checked on in 5 or more years….. hmmmmm

OMG – so it is no secret that I love the EAT THIS, NOT THAT book series. It gives you very simple ways to eat better. So not surprising I also love his blog. Check out the ingredients in some of your favorite fast food. YES LOOK FOR THE ONE THAT CONTAINS SAND!!! Along with all the other scary ingredients!!

http://health.yahoo.net/experts/eatthis/truth-about-your-food

Yes, I know a lot of people love sweet tea here in the South but if you are struggling with weight or health issues, it is a NO BRAINER to ditch this sugary cup of empty calories from your diet.

ONE CUP OF SWEET TEA HAS APPROX 91 calories depending on who made it. ONE CUP — not ONE GLASS — ONE SINGLE CUP (8 oz)

Measure how much you put in your glass if you are unsure how much you are drinking. I am sure you will find it to be SEVERAL CUPS.

A sweet tea at McDonalds (a medium) has 230 calories. In comparison, a McChicken has 360 calories and is a fried sandwich but does have at least some protein buried in there somewhere.

See what I am getting it. There is ZERO nutrition value in a sweet tea. There is only sugar and this can cause a rise not only your weight but your triglycerides and your risk of diabetes.

If you like it for the rare treat (like once a month at most) and you are not diabetic, overweight, have high cholesterol or a heart problem — then MAYBE allow it as a treat.

If you are chugging one every day and can’t figure out why the scale won’t move, then measure and get control of these empty calories. Your weight and your health will thank you.

Organic food is around for a simple reason…… we messed up the food system ROYALLY!!

100 years ago — all food was pretty much organic. And it had a low shelf life. But it also had a quick trip to market as people consumed it locally.

As food manufacturers got ideas for how to make products last longer on shelves, the natural part died in many products. And as they got better and better at it, food lasted longer and got more and more unhealthy.

This is true of almost EVERY FOOD from vegetables to eggs to chicken to beef to processed foods.

So if you are concerned about chemicals, truly do something about it. Pick the item you eat the most of (for meat eaters, this is meat), for vegetarians, this is vegetables – and buy that organic. Organic milk and eggs are DRAMATICALLY different than regular. Eggs are more flavorful and healthy and have less risk of problems. Milk that is organic is not loaded with chemicals and antibiotics and hormones. So if you eat eggs and milk, you should seriously consider organic.

Don’t get me wrong, I like people reading labels but eating processed food is still eating processed food so consider whole foods like fruits instead of fruit snacks. And consider whole grain breads instead of crackers and chips.

Your body will thank you in a mulitude of health payoffs!!