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The apple doesn’t fall far from the tree…
Yesterday, I read with interest, an article by Kim Heinrich Gray in the Calgary Herald. Ms. Gray’s article was in response to a comment written by Drs. William, Martha, James, and Robert Sears in their book Ten Ways to Get Your Family on the Right Nutritional Track. In this book, Sears writes that kids mirror their mother’s eating habits more than their father’s. This concerned Ms. Gray as her habits are less than stellar. This doesn’t surprise me at all - does it you?
Food for thought. Your kids are watching you. Do you do as you say? When they say they are hungry, do you tell them to grab a piece of fruit while you are eating a cookie? Do you tell them to have a glass of water, while you are drinking a frappucino? Do you tell them to go play outside, while you are sitting in front of the TV?
In the house I grew up in, snack foods were usually chocolate, cake like food or cookies (my Dad) or cheese & crackers and chips (my Mom). Rarely did I see my parents snacking on fruit or what I would now consider healthier choices. What I did notice though, was the food my Mother choose to eat during the day. In retrospect, not the healthiest choices necessarily, but the effort was there. She quite often made herself a seperate meal of fish, vegetables or lean proteins & salads. The fact that the fish was breaded or the salad swimming in dressing didn’t matter - she was doing the best with what she knew how. She never had a weight problem either as she nipped it in the bud early. This did make an impression upon me - unfortunately, my snacking tendancies tend to want to mirror my father.
I think, just as then, we do the very best with what we know now. So in that vein, here is what I know to be true today:
Healthy snacking is important for the whole family. Yes you too. Not being afraid of food is important and knowing that healthy food is necessary fuel for our bodies, integral to our functioning well.
Avoid mindless snacking/eating - in front of the tv, computer or xbox.
Keep your snacks small and filling - Dr. Sears recommend choosing nutrient dense foods for snacks. You get more bang for your buck that way. A small handful of nuts, whole grain muffins, string cheese and fruit, pita with hummus or blueberries with yogurt.
Choose snack with high “water” content ie/ fruit - YOu get volume without the calories.
Lead by example with your family. Make a healthy lifestyle change.
Steph
Filed under: Thoughts — Stephanie @ 12:21 pm
The Ultimate Pajama Party…
Filed under: Thoughts — Stephanie @ 11:40 am
“Life shrinks or expands in proportions to one’s courage” Anais Anin
Last weekend I had the pleasure of speaking at a wonderful women’s event - the Ultimate Pajama Party, where hudreds of women enjoyed great food, great friendships and wonderful entertainment at the Jasper Park Lodge (great location!)
Looking around the room on the Friday night, it was wonderful to see pure joy on so many faces. It’s a wonderful soul fix that is so hard to get any other way - time with just the girls. No dishes to wash, no dinners to make, just you…and only you and your nearest, dearest friends. Laughter, freedom, commaraderie…and smiles so big on everyone’s faces that you just knew they were having the time of their lives.
Every fall, I go for a weekend away with my 3 dearest girlfriends. We meet on the island and spend 3 days, laughing, sharing, spa-ing….reading, sleeping…running…whatever brings us enjoyment. It’s such a special time for me. We are longtime friends - since High School and although our lives are all very different, it’s just like yesterday when we see each other again.
Soul fixes, girlfriend time, time to yourself - are all important to your wellness. Our lives are busy and full - and sometimes we get lost in the noise. Make sure you take some time for you - in the big picture it helps create perspective and reminds you of the things most important to you in your life.
Filed under: Thoughts — Stephanie @ 11:26 am
Top 50 coming your way…
Recently, I’ve been compiling a list of tools/tips that help one on their way to getting healthy. I’d like to share some with you today… Try to make a small change.
Start with Small Changes…
- Eat a big breakfast. It starts your metabolism and helps you eat FEWER calories throughout the day.
- Food journals work! Keep one and be honest.
- No more super sizing your food!
- Make sure your plate is half full with vegetables and/or fruit at lunch and dinner.
Easy ways to cut calories…
- When eating out and having a dessert, always “share”.
- Put your food on a plate instead of eating out of the jar or bag.
- Switch to 1% milk instead of whole or 2%.
- Limit your fruit juice to 1 – 8oz glass/day. It has as many calories, ounce for ounce as pop.
- Use mustard instead of mayonnaise.
- Eat more broth-based soup. Non-creamy soups are filling and low calorie.
- Take your lunch to work.
- Sit down at a table when you eat.
- Do as the Chinese saying “Eat until you are 8/10’s full”
- Limit your alcohol consumption to weekends.
“The miracle isn’t that I finished. The miracle is that I had the courage to start.” John Bingham
Filed under: Thoughts — Stephanie @ 4:50 pm
And you think you know it all…
Often, people say to me that they have no idea why they aren’t able to lose weight. They are eating well, exercising, making healthier choices in all aspect of their life and it just doesn’t make sense! Obviously, they share with me, they must have a hereditary weight issue.
I always listen intently and then gently ask if they are, in fact, following the guidelines as stated? Are they really doing everything they can/should to achieve their results? Have they read all their information? If they are not being honest, ultimately, they only hurt themselves and discourage any positive results. It’s so very very important to read all your information to make informed, educated choices - otherwise, it’s like trying to drive a car without ever having read the manual. Equally important, is to reread that manual on occasion.
This brings to mind a very recent occurence in my life. In my quest to run the Vancouver marathon this May, I’ve been running with a marathon group and increasing my mileage weekly. I’ve gone from being a 3-4times/week runner to running 5-6x’s/week. Now my running includes fast runs, hill training and long slow distances. It’s become very scientific and very hard on my body.
Last year, I endured an overuse/training injury called ITB syndrome. A ligament, that runs from my hip to just outside my lower kneecap had become inflamed and very sore. Due to lack of proper stretching and remediation, it literally brought my running to a screeching halt. To assist in my recovery, I went to the Running Injury clinic in Calgary to be assessed. I was given a series of stretches/exercises to speed in my recovery and to strengthen a muscle imbalance. If I did these - I would prevent this from happening again. I had the power to aid in my recovery and ensure it didn’t happen again!
Well, here I am mid way through my training and my ITB is acting up. This past week, I was extremely annoyed by this - after all, I was following the stretching/exercise recommendations to a “T”. Stretching, strengthening, icing…just as the Dr. had ordered. HE WAS OBVIOUSLY WRONG!!!
Then, while sitting here at my computer, I turned to look at a file. Above the file, were the diagrams of the recommended stretches and exercises. Oh no. I’d been doing them WRONG! No wonder they weren’t working.
Somewhere along the way, over the past year, I had started to do these exercises wrong. Thinking they were habit now, I had never gone back to “double check”.!
Foolish, arrogant - yes. Was I really doing everything right, following the recommendations, 3x’s/day? Obviously not.
Lesson learned - and now, hopefully shared. Read your information. Learn and recheck it on a regulary basis to make sure you are not missing anything.
steph
Filed under: Thoughts — Stephanie @ 2:30 pm
Ready or not….
Excerpted from a piece written by Michael Josephson
Ready or not, someday this life will come to an end. There will be no more sunrises, no minutes, hours or days. All the things you collected, whether treasured or forgotten, will pass to someone else.
Your wealth, fame and temporal power will shrivel to irrelevance. It will not matter what you owned or what you were owed.
Your grudges, resentments, frustrations and jealousies will finally disappear. So too, your hopes, ambitions, plans and to-do lists will all expire.
The wins and lossses that once seemed so important will fade away. It won’t matter where you came from or on which side of the tracks you lived. At the end it won’t matter whether you were beautiful or brilliant and even your gender and skin colour will be irrelevant.
So what will matter? How will the value of your days be measured?
What will matter is not what you bought but what you have built; not what you got, but what you gave.
What will matter is not your success, but your significance.
What will matter is not what you learned, but what you taught.
What will matter is every act of integrity, compassion, courage and sacrifice that enriched, empowered or encouraged others to emulate your example.
What will matter is not your competence, but your character.
What will matter is not how many people you knew, but how many will feel a lasting loss when you are gone.
What will matter is not your memories, but the memories that live on in those who loved you.
What will matter is how long you will be remembered, by whom and for what.
Living a life that matters doesn’t happen by accident.
It’s not a matter of circumstance, but of choice.
It is up to you to choose wisely.
Words I have been pondering all day. Hope they make you think too.
Steph
Filed under: Thoughts — Stephanie @ 8:54 pm
Feel…thought….action
The other day, I had a friend send me a desperate email. She’d been trying for many years to lose weight, but couldn’t get herself focused on getting healthy. In fact, her self sabotage was getting the better of any effort she was making and she was desperate.
I shared with her a valuable tool that I have used for the past 5 years. Some of you will know it as visualization, but it’s actually much bigger than that. Yes, I visualized getting to my goal weight. I visualized how it would feel, what I would say, how I would “feel” in that moment. The key to it though was on a daily basis, I visualized getting healthy. I visualized what that felt like, how I would think about it (banish the negative thoughts…”it’s too cold, I’m too busy, there’s no time”…) and then I visualized putting it into action.
Feel it, think it, and then act on it. When people visualize, we tend to forget the last part. This is an extremely valuable tool.
To keep it in the forefront of my thoughts, I do two things. The first thing is that I create is a visualization/inspiration board. I keep them posted by my computer. Currently, I have two…one for the marathon I will be running in May and another for the opportunity to serve and teach others about health and wellness. I see these and they remind me to take my thoughts and feelings and ensure I put them into action.
The second thing I do is create “anchors”. Anchors are the physical manifestation of the power of suggestion. Some people put pictures of what they were or don’t want to be on their fridge. I choose to keep reminders of what healthy feels/looks like on my person. I keep a picture of my unhealthy person in my purse all the time. I keep reminders of milestones/moments I hit on my journey within close reach. What we are pleased to offer soon for purchase on our site is our new silicone bracelet - in the colour of success a physical representation and reminder to eat well, be active and feel good. Feel great because you are in control.
Lastly, I welcome you to use these valuable tools in your journey and to ask question of us.
Please email any questions you might have and we’ll post our answers to those FAQ’s. Together we can get healthy, stay healthy and inspire others in their question.
Steph
Filed under: Thoughts — Stephanie @ 9:23 pm
Believe in the process…
When I decided that I really needed to make some changes in my life, all aspects of my life - I realized that I needed a process. I love process. I love order. I love to goal set. When I can break things down and climb and reach each step - I am motivated. I am motivated to keep going, believe in myself more and to know that I can do things that I never thought possible. To lose weight, I broke it down….5lbs at a time or the next 5 or 0 - whichever came first. First, I learned about food/nutrition/portion control, then I added exercise, then I attacked the most difficult part - the emotional side of eating. Step by step, process.
On New Years Eve, I attended a party. At the party was a woman I knew as an acquaintance. I actually know her husband better. For a Christmas gift, he had given her a marathon training class. She was a casual runner who had “casually mentioned” that she would like to run a marathon someday (she was thinking outloud). He thought this would be a great gift. She was telling me about this with some trepidation. It would require time, hardwork, energy and a 45minute drive to train with a group of strangers. I was in awe. Wow! A marathon - less than 1% of 1% of the population run marathons - 42.2k. She was going to do it.
I run but I don’t race. Why? I’m afraid. I’m afraid that I won’t be physically or mentally strong enough. Then my friend Carol said to me “But Stephanie, less than 1% of 1% run a marathon, how many people do you think lose 160lbs and keep it off?” I couldn’t answer her. Why was I stopping myself from even trying?
I am now training for the Vancouver marathon. Every week, my new friend and I drive to train with a group of committed runners…and I am terrified. When I think about it - scared out of my skin. But, I believe in process. I believe that these instructors who lead the course, have run numerous marathons themselves, know what they are talking about. I believe that I can learn. I believe that as each week goes by, I can run a bit further. I believe.
Yesterday, I ran around the Glenmore Resevoir (17km) with my new friends. Can I run 42.2k…? I’m not thinking about it - but I can run 19k…and I’ll do that next week. Process. Step by step. Each time I run a new distance - I know that I can run a little bit more.
Will my body hold up? Will my spirit hold up? How do I nourish it when I run that far? I don’t know - but I am learning and each time I learn something more…I believe.
Believe in process. Believe in you.
If we get out of our own way…we often find our own way.
Filed under: Thoughts — Stephanie @ 2:37 pm
Knowledge is power…
I’ve been invited to speak to a group of students this week on a most interesting and contraversial topic. Obesity. Not just obesity, but whether or not people who are obese (a controllable risk factor) should have to pay higher health care premiums or be denied non emergency medical care for a weight related issues. The students will then have to debate both sides of the issue. My goal - to educate them.
Wow! Heavy topic. When it was first mentioned to me, I was shocked by the audacity of the topic. It offended me on so many levels that I was beside myself. I soon realized, it was the opportunity to educate young minds on empathy, compassion, relations.
Many people will say and I agree - that obesity is the last form of “acceptable” bias/criticism. Take for example the latest tyrade in the news of Donald Trump against Rosie O’Donnell. His very public attack of her physical appearance was the perfect example. Were people outraged? Some, but not enough. His criticism put “fat”, “slob” “disgusting” all in the same sentence. Gee Donald, tell us what you really think about overweight people?!
So, my goal this week? To educate these young minds on what it is like to be a morbidly obese person in this world. How people treat you and look at you. How it is to move and breathe at the same time. How it is physically - rashes, aches and pains. How the medical community treats you. And then to educate them on life as a “healthy” person…a comparison. At the end of the presentation, I’ll introduce them to the person who suffered those experiences as an overweight person - me. Now that you know me, would you treat me differently?
My intent - to create empathy, compassion and to make them think. Is it really right to alienate these people due to their obesity when society already treats us differently? Could we not promote and support healthier living instead ? Educate and encourage, build up instead of tearing down?
Life throws us interesting curves and I look forward to this opportunity to spread some kindness in the world.
Filed under: Thoughts — Stephanie @ 2:29 pm
Live your true self…
Back in December, at a conference for professional speakers, a well known American speaker gave me some advice. She said “Your story is remarkable and you tell it with passion, but you need to help people figure out why they need to lose weight”.
I was dumbfounded. I hadn’t thought about that. As a morbidly obese person, it never occured to me that I didn’t have to lose weight. All my life I had been large - I always knew, even as a child that I needed to lose weight.
We know. You know. I don’t have to tell you. You know if you are missing out on life because of your weight. You know if it’s hard to breathe, walk, talk and move. Not being able to keep up with your children, ashamed to wear a bathing suit, always buying black clothing…you know. You live, know and understand the “numbers”.
In retrospect, I now realize what she was saying to me. “Stephanie, help people discover why losing weight is important enough to them to stick it out - through the tough times and to believe that they can accomplish this.” That’s what she was saying to me…and here’s what I share with you.
It’s true…YOU are the only person who can take this trip, journey, path - whatever you choose to call it…the road to health. But YOU are not the sole reason for doing it. Look around, what do you see?
When I had my light bulb moment, I was explaining to my children how to escape out of our bilevel home in case of fire. Have I mentioned my children are beautiful…big blue eyes, deep and soulful. As I showed them where the fire escape ladder was kept, I realized in that moment, I couldn’t fit out the window. I would not be able to save my life. They saw it in my eyes…the realization that I might not be able to save them either…and would not be around afterward to take care of them. WHAT HAVE I DONE????? literally screamed in my head at that moment. My years of selfishness, eating what and when I wanted, not moving, not living was causing everyone to pay a price - everyone I loved and adored.
Here is it….it’s not about you. It’s all about the people who love you. Fortunately, you will benefit from a healthy life…but in the end, so will they, because you will start to live one again.
That’s what keeps me going through the tough times. Three beautiful, innocent faces to whom I am the world. Two sons who need to know their Mother is strong, fit and healthy - capable of making her dreams come true. Sons who know that beauty is only skin deep and that a healthy body and mind are important. A daughter who knows that her self-worth is not determined by her body image and who sees herself and strong, capable and confident. The full meal deal.
They are my anchors…the motivators who keep me moving forward to I can live to see them live their lives. Only I can do this, but it’s not all about me. I am accountable to them. I am their world.
To whom are you the world?
Filed under: Thoughts — Stephanie @ 4:54 pm
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