Final “Fair” Days of Summer

Here in Tennessee, we continue to enjoy the final days of summer – including state and county fairs and nights at the ballpark.  Within the last couple of weeks, we’ve had multiple county fairs and local teams taking part in the Little League World Series.  I really enjoy these last moments of summer.  However, there are still a few things we need to be wary of.  Among these are a list of some frightful foods that can be found at cookouts, fairs, and ballparks.  I encourage celebrating and enjoying all things in moderation.  However, the following is a list of the foods we should avoid or limit whenever possible:

• Deep-fried foods & snacks: You're at greater risk for high cholesterol and heart disease if you eat a diet that includes deep-fried or breaded foods, which are high in fat. Diets high in saturated fat and trans fats tend to raise cholesterol and blood pressure. When you fry foods that already contain saturated fat (like Twinkies at the fair), you simply add more fat to them. But even a fried veggie like the Bloomin' Onion has more than 800 calories, 58 grams of fat, 22 grams of saturated fat, plus 1,520 milligrams of sodium. These numbers don't include the dipping sauce, which is also loaded with fat, calories, and sodium.
• Processed & refined carbs: Eating foods with fewer than three grams of fiber and more than ten grams of sugar (check the label to be sure) increases your risk for heart disease.  Stick with whole wheat bread, whole grain cereals, and brown rice or whole grain pastas.  If you’re at a location that doesn’t offer whole grain, enjoy an open-face sandwich (take off one piece of bread). 
• Hot dogs & bologna: Processed meats are fat-&-salt bombs, and they also contain nitrates, which have been linked to several types of cancer.  Pick lean poultry or red meat, or even better, go for the seafood.  Opt for grilled shrimp wrapped in a whole grain tortilla over a greasy chili dog.
• Artificial sweeteners: Five hundred times as sweet as sugar and zero calories?  Sounds pretty good, but studies show that those of us who use them are more likely to be overweight than not.  The reason is that the sweet taste tricks your body to making you crave even more food, especially sweet stuff.  Opt for natural sugars in fruit and veggies or add agave syrup to coffee or honey to your whole wheat toast.  Limit diet sodas by choosing water with lemon or lime juice and sweetened with agave.
• “Fortified” junk food: Don’t be fooled by flashy nutritional claims on the front of a package – it’s the label on the back you need to study.  Avoid products that list sugar (or sucrose, fructose, etc) among the first three ingredients.  And remember that “enriched flour” is just a fancy way of saying “refined white flour” – it has to be enriched because the refining process destroys most of the nutrients.  Even kids’ snacks like granola bars or “fruit snacks” can be loaded with sugar and not contain an ounce of real fruit.  Choose real fruit and a handful of nuts over an energy bar or candy bar. 

Enjoy the final days of summer – celebrate, relax, and spend time with your family and friends.  Just make sure you also make smart choices to keep you healthy enough to enjoy many more in the future!  Use my personal recipes below for a healthful meal you can enjoy with your family in these final days of summer.  Now is the time to get the very best out of the final days of summer. This meal uses the most flavorful seasonal ingredients, like peaches, arugula, and raspberries. The best seasonal meals are made of the tastiest ingredients and prepared in simple ways. It’s delicious and nutritious. The following recipes serve four.

Grilled Pork & Peaches on Rocket

Ingredients:

4 thick-cut (1-inch) bone-in pork chops (8 oz each)

4 firm peaches, halved & pitted

2 T extra virgin olive oil (EVOO)

1 t salt, ½ t pepper

4 cups arugula (aka rocket)

1 small red onion, thinly sliced

¼ cup pine nuts

½ cup crumbled blue cheese

2 T balsamic vinegar + 2 T EVOO

Directions:

Preheat a grill on high. Brush pork chops & peach halves with EVOO. Season pork with S&P. Grill pork for 4-5 minutes on each side. The outside should be slightly charred while still pink on the inside. Grill peaches flesh side down for about 5 minutes or until charred & softened. Note: if peaches are too ripe, they will turn to mush.

While pork & peaches grill, prepare rocket salad by tossing remaining ingredients in a bowl. Serve salad on a plate & top with a pork chop & sliced grilled peaches.

Pork compares favorably for fat, calories & cholesterol with many other meats & poultry. In fact, cuts from the loin, like pork chops, are leaner than skinless chicken thighs. Plus, pork rivals milk as a source of riboflavin. Riboflavin plays an essential role in the release of energy from food, promotes the growth & repair of tissues, & maintains healthy skin & eyes. Pick pork that is mostly pink (the white spots are fat). So many times chops are fried, but pork can be a good pick!

Arugula, also known as rocket, is slightly spicy & pairs perfectly with the sweet peaches. It is a leafy green that stands out as a rich source of many vitamins & minerals. Compared with iceberg lettuce, arugula contains about eight times the calcium, five times the vitamin A, vitamin C & vitamin K, and four times the iron. Plus it also contains the antioxidants beta carotene & lutein which are known for the prevention of diseases like cancer & macular degeneration.

Pine nuts are nature's only source of pinoleic acid, which stimulates hormones & helps diminish appetite. Pine nuts also contain oleic acid which aids the liver in eliminating harmful triglycerides which helps protect the heart.

Raspberry Tea

Ingredients:

1 quart fresh brewed Black or Green Tea – chilled

1 T agave syrup

¾ cup fresh raspberries, plus a few for garnish

Ice

Directions:

In individual glass or large pitcher, muddle (crush with end of wooden spoon) agave, raspberries, & ice. Pour chilled tea over mixture & serve with a few fresh raspberries on top! This tea is perfect any time of day. For a refreshing adult beverage, add a shot of whiskey or dark rum!

Tea contains healthful doses of antioxidants, or poylphenols that may ward off a range of diseases. Make sure to always brew your own – commercial bottled tea contains such small amounts of these antioxidants that you’d have to drink 20 bottles to get the polyphenols present in one cup of home-brewed tea. The fresh raspberries not only add sweetness, but even more nutrients & eye-appeal. Now that’s invigorating!

Peach Melba Parfait

Ingredients:

2 cups fresh raspberries

2 T agave syrup

2 ripe peaches, thinly sliced

4 cups fat-free vanilla yogurt

Fresh raspberries for garnish

Directions:

Combine raspberries & agave in a bowl. Mash with a large fork or potato masher until you get a chunky consistency similar to preserves.

In individual tall glass dessert dish or cocktail glass, layer vanilla yogurt, peaches, & mashed berries in at least two layers. Use glasses tall enough to see the colorful layers. Garnish each glass with a few raspberries or peach slice.

For this dessert, use peaches that are slightly riper than those in the pork dish since they aren’t being cooked.

Yogurt contains probiotics or "good" bacteria that aid in digestion & immune function. Just stick with lowfat or fat free versions that say "live & active cultures" on the label. Yogurt also provides a dose of protein & calcium, plus vitamin B-2, B-12, potassium, & magnesium.

I hope you are able to use this as an opportunity to spend some quality time with your loved ones.  If you want more recipes, meal ideas, or any help living a healthier life, go to http://www.coachdconsulting.com/Services.html to see all the ways I can help you and those you love.  Obesity is 100% preventable and we can start by savoring each moment…even these final “fair” days of summer. 

Heroes vs. Champions

Superheroes

This seems to be a summer that is ruled by heroes.  From Olympic athletes to political crusaders to Batman and Spiderman, they are everywhere we turn.  The trouble with admiring a hero and setting them upon such a high pedestal is that they all have a tragic flaw and they will inevitably let us down.  We recently learned that the Olympic athletes that we hold to such high standards and idolize have been engaging in heavy drinking and extreme sexual encounters while living in the Olympic Village.  And so many of those who fight for a political cause end up forgetting the principles of right and wrong and letting prejudice determine their actions or allowing fame and fortune to cloud their minds.  And while Bruce Wayne and Peter Parker may be superheroes when in uniform, they are essentially living a lie – they are taking justice into their own hands and allowing revenge to prevail. 

Rather than allowing outside influences and personalities to determine our ideal hero, I think it’s time we allow ourselves to be our own champion.  Webster’s dictionary defines the difference between heroes and champions.  A hero is “any person admired for courage or nobility; the central character in a novel or play”.  Webster defines a champion as “one who fights for a cause; defender; excelling all others; to defend or support”.  I don’t know about you, but I don’t want to look up to a character who may have a false sense of courage and may have deemed himself noble.  A hero typically exerts some kind of power, but as we all know, “power corrupts”.  Even Peter Parker himself stated, “with great power comes great responsibility”.  It seems that many of today’s heroes allow the power to go to their head and it ends up corrupting their actions.  So let’s take the responsibility upon ourselves to allow heroes to remain characters in a story.  Let’s focus on finding true champions who believe in and defend a cause and excel above all others.    

True Champions

The awesome thing about a champion is that they can be found all around us – even within ourselves.  I have the pleasure of knowing and coaching many young champions myself.  One in particular is nine years old and she is a true fighter.  This summer I have taught her to hit from the left side – she’s a right-hander who can hit, slap, and bunt from the left side.  Last week, she surprised herself at how well she did and did not want to stop – even giving herself blisters.  After softball she stays for my boot camp workout and hangs in there with women who are decades older than she.  A couple weeks ago one of the ladies told this girl that she was a rockstar.  The girl nonchalantly, without missing a beat, responded with “yeah, I get that a lot”.  Its kids like this that make me want to be a champion.  I want them to be able to look up to me and know that I will believe in them and defend them forever. 

Just like this kid, I am a champion for all of my clients.  I believe they can become healthy and live longer better lives.  I fight for them and with them, and I support them no matter what.  Along the way I show them they can be their own champion.  No matter your age or stage in life, I encourage you to avoid the hero hype and become your own champion.  In the meantime, I will be your personal champion and we will fight for your life and for your future and together we will win!  Go to http://www.coachdconsulting.com/Services.html to see all the ways I can help you and those you love.  Obesity is 100% preventable and you can be the champion in your own life!

Fat to Fit – A Real Fight

Drew Manning: one year ago, 6 months, now

I have recently been seeing and reading a lot about a man who purposefully gained weight only to lose it again.  He is Drew Manning, a personal trainer who decided to go about this in an effort to better understand and sympathize with his clients who were trying to lose weight.  He calls it “Fit 2 Fat 2 Fit”.  He gained 70 pounds by not going to the gym and eating very unhealthy foods.  He then applied what he already knew to lose the 70 pounds in only six months.  While I appreciate his effort and respect the fact that he actually accomplished it, I don’t think he can fully sympathize with his overweight clients.  Most overweight or obese people are unwillingly, or at least not purposefully, overweight and unhealthy.  They’ve never been at a healthy weight and don’t know how good it can feel and what higher quality life they are missing out on.  That is why it is typically very hard for most people to lose weight and get healthy. 

I, on the other hand, was never fit before I was fat.  I know exactly what it feels like to hate, or at least dislike, what you see in the mirror but not know what to do or how to go about changing it.  I had to struggle for years with my weight and my health before I finally figured it out.  I did not have the foresight of Manning, I had to learn how to read labels, how to fit exercise into my schedule, and how to love my body for what it could do and not what it looked like.  The path to getting there was tough and at times ugly, but it was well worth it.  Here is my story – the good, the bad, the ugly, and the beautiful.

As a child I was very active in sports, so I did not spend much time in front of the TV.  But, I did spend a lot of time in the car and on-the-go.  We rarely had sit-down meals during the week – instead opting for French fries from the drive-thru or stopping at a chain restaurant between games and jobs in the evening.  I can remember eating lots of PopTarts, frozen cheese sticks, and pasta and rice from a box.  I would make a box of pasta and eat the entire thing while I was home alone.  I had no idea that my personal serving actually consisted of four servings.  I had no clue the amount of sugar and saturated fats I was putting in my body.  I did not know what it meant to read a nutrition label. 

As I reached my teen years, I began to feel uncomfortable with my body.  I had stretch marks on my inner thighs and I outweighed my friends by at least 30 pounds.  As I said, I was athletic, so I was never obese, but I was overweight.  I can remember trying to strategically tuck my shirt in a way that would hide my belly.  In 8^th grade, my class took a trip to Biloxi, MS.  For months before the trip, I dreaded the one day on the itinerary that would be spent on an island.  I hated shopping for that bathing suit – I knew no matter what I got I couldn’t hide from teenage boys and the petite cheerleaders that would look so much cuter than I.  I can also remember going to Opryland (back when it was a theme park and not a mall).  In high school, we would go as a group and we would have the opportunity to sit in the lap of the boy we liked on some of the rides.  I can remember feeling devastated on one trip when I was actually bigger than the boy I liked and felt ashamed to have to actually sit in his lap.  I remember one Christmas season when we made Chex party mix (you poured butter over cereal, pretzels, and nuts and baked it) for the holiday.  My mother had gone out for the evening and I decided to snack on some of the party mix.  I couldn’t stop myself and ended up eating way too much and felt sick.  I laid down for bed but I felt awful – full of shame, regret, and disgust.  I got up and tried to make myself throw up.  Luckily I couldn’t do it, but I tried so hard to gag myself, I woke up the next morning with broken blood vessels around my eyes. 

Me in my teens and me now

Being overweight and unhealthy is a very lonely, unhappy, miserable place to be.  You are disgusted with yourself, but too ashamed to ask for help.  Luckily in college I matured and gained respect for myself – my body, my future, and my inner and outer beauty.  I learned how to read nutrition labels.  I researched how foods and beverages affect the body.  I personally went from being able to jog no more than a quarter mile to running 20-30 miles a week.  I discovered that lifting weights isn’t just for buff athletes – it’s essential for everyone.  It may have taken me years to get here, but I am now in the best shape of my life.  I don’t workout to impress anyone or to improve my outer beauty.  I workout because I love the feeling of empowerment afterward.  And I eat healthfully because I know its fuel for my body and mind – nothing tastes better than that.  I love knowing I am adding to the quality and quantity of my life. 

I may not have been able to lose 70 pounds in six months like Manning did, but I did lose 50 pounds over several years and I gained my life.  My path wasn’t as clean cut as his, but I feel I fought much harder.  And my fight has equipped me with the tools, the resources, and the sympathy to now help others fight the same fight and win.  If you’ve ever felt disgusted, ashamed, or embarrassed about your weight or health, now is the time to fight.  I’ve been where you are and together we will gain your life.  Go to http://www.coachdconsulting.com/Services.html to see all the ways I can help you and those you love.  Obesity is 100% preventable and soon you will be able to tell your story – the good, the bad, and definitely the beautiful!

This is also the time to prevent our children from having to fight obesity.  On June 18^th, I will be hosting a nutrition & wellness camp for kids.  Kids of all ages will learn about eating well & getting plenty of exercise.  They will learn how to read nutrition labels and even how to shop at a real grocery store.  They will also get a tour of the brand new Athletic & Wellness Center at BGA.  This is an opportunity not to be missed.  Go to https://www.camperregsecure.com/bga/programdetails.php?programid=CR23 to register. 

Today is Your Day

I am not sure whether I am thankful or sad to actually have the time to sit down and write this.  Since my last blog entry over two months ago, it has been non-stop softball and this will be my first week without BGA softball practice or games since early February.  Our season came to an emotional end last week in the first round of the regional play-offs.  We ended the season with a 1-15 record; however, that in no way colors our season which was full of incredible accomplishments.  This team has shown determination, raw talent, and great potential. 

I knew we’d face challenges this year – our team consisted of 13 girls, seven of which were 8^th graders.  We only had two seniors, one sophomore, and three freshmen.  Several of the younger girls didn’t even know how to throw a softball or swing a bat.  Our equipment and uniforms had not even been touched in nearly two years, and our locker room was a yoga studio.  However, the joy I have experienced watching these girls grow individually and as a team has far outweighed any difficulties we’ve faced. 

One of the things I enjoyed most was watching these girls look fear in the face and run towards it rather than away from it.  It is very scary to play against much more mature teams who have been playing together for years.  I know it was frustrating to my seniors to lose most every game, but they stuck it out and gave it their best.  It would have been easy for these two girls to enjoy their senior year without playing softball, but they stepped up and led the team with dignity.  I also know it was hard for the younger girls to face opponents much stronger and knowledgeable in the game, but they never gave up.  It would have been easy for the 8^th graders to play middle school and enjoy the game without as much pressure (BGA’s middle school team went 8-3 with only 6^th & 7^th graders).  This team did not let fear stop them and they are better for it. 

I am so thankful for the opportunity to teach these girls about the game of softball and hopefully a little about life as well.  We had many talks about respect and sportsmanship.  One lesson came when several of our opponents used fists rather than an open hand when we shook hands at the end of a game.  The girls and I talked about how we will always respect our opponent – whether we lose 20-0 or we win 20-0.  We also had another lesson when the seniors became quite emotional after a 19-0 loss.  They said things out of anger, which we have all done.  I had to recognize that these were frustrated 18-year-old kids and they simply wanted better.  This has been a very tough and challenging year for all of us in many ways.  I did not blame any girls for having feelings and emotions – teenage girls are going to be emotional.  But I did ask that they respect each other – and that was required by each and every member of this team. 

While we have learned about softball and life, my hope is that they have also come to love the game of softball and gained confidence in life.  Playing a sport fosters self-awareness, self-assurance, and self-belief.  I had many talks with the girls this year about school, tests, boys, girlfriends, family, homework, and beauty.  It was awesome to see that as their confidence on the field grew, so did their confidence off the field.  If you can step into a batter’s box and face a pitcher that has been playing for nearly as long as you’ve been alive, walking up to a lunch table and asking to sit down is no sweat.  When you stand on the field waiting for a ball to be hit at you at 70 mph with nothing but a piece of leather on your hand, taking a biology final is a piece of cake.  When a group of shy, fragile, meek, young girls come together to form relationships and create a strong team, they become less boy-crazy and realize that they complete themselves. 

We can all learn something from this group of girls.  They faced their fears head-on and came out stronger and more confident.  I gave the girls the words to Shania Twain’s song Today is Your Day.  Not only does it reflect our season, but you can use it in your own life. 

You got what it takes you can win
Today is your day to begin
Don't give up here, don't you quit
The moment is now, this is it
Know that you can then you will
Get to the top of the hill
Part of the fun is the climb
You just gotta make up your mind

Whether you want to learn the game of softball or get back in shape and gain confidence, today is your day!  Don’t let fear stand in your way – take that first step – whether it’s onto the field or simply off the couch.  And if you need a coach or a friend to help you do it, go to http://www.coachdconsulting.com and contact me today.   

Pride Lasts Forever

Six months ago I agreed to take on a new role as the head coach of Battle Ground Academy’s varsity softball team.  When I quit my job as an engineer two years ago, this was not necessarily the new role I had envisioned.  My plan was to coach individuals and families on health & weight loss and to start my own budding small business.  I am a planner – I prefer to have a specific plan, goals, expectations, and the future mapped out so that I know what to expect.  However, my role as a softball coach has been one of the most rewarding and enjoyable unexpected events in my life so far. 

Shortly after accepting the coach’s position at BGA, I met with all high school girls interested in playing softball this spring.  I was disheartened when only five girls showed up.  I spent several months trying to drum up interest in varsity softball.  I began conditioning with the girls over the winter and we were able to add a few girls and lost a couple along the way.  However, due to the low numbers of high school girls, we made the decision to pull up all the 8^th grade girls so that we would be able to have a varsity team.  Of my 14 varsity players, eight of them are 8^th graders. 

BGA did not have a varsity team last year, so there were many tasks to complete in addition to adding girls to the team.  In the weeks leading up to our first scheduled practice, I set out to get our locker room (which was being used as a yoga studio and, while beautiful, more closely resembled an Austin Powers movie than a locker room), storage room, equipment, and uniforms ready for the season.  I came home many nights with cobwebs in my hair and dirt up my nose.  I washed uniform pants that were stiff as a board, cleared out water-logged balls, and even dumped out a few bags that were still filled with sunflower seeds.  We also had two weekends where the girls and their families came to clean, organize, and decorate.  All this hard work was worth every second to see the final result. 

We held our first official softball practice on February 13^th.  To be honest, I had many sleepless nights leading up to this day.  I knew several of my girls had never played softball before.  Many did not have gloves or cleats.  And many of us had to learn how to throw (which foot to step with) and how to swing a bat (where and how to hold the bat).  I was honestly worried about my own ability to coach this team.  I had a fear of letting this young BGA team down.  However, I was pleasantly surprised by these amazing young girls.  They are extremely coachable, tremendously determined, and very gracious.  After the first few days of practice, I was already seeing glimmers of hope and great potential. 

I have watched girls learn how to hold a bat, swing at a ball on a tee, and eventually hit a ball off a pitching machine.  To see the look of pride on their faces is worth more than any personal achievement I could imagine.  The ultimate achievement came this past weekend during or first games of the season.  We played in a play day against teams with girls 4-5 years our senior and with years of playing together as a team – we’d only had three weeks of practice as a team.  The weather was very cold (my car said 39 degrees when we left the park at 9:30pm) so I wasn’t sure if our teeth were chattering from fear or chill.  But, after the first game, the “deer in the headlights” look began to fade and we started to bond as a team.  In one of the games, a 13-year-old girl who had never played a day of softball in her life was up to bat and hit a looping line drive to the first baseman.  It was caught and she was out; however, she went right back to the plate and picked up her bat to hit again.  I realized this was my fault – that is how we hit batting practice – I allow them a few hits before we rotate.  It broke my heart to have to tell her she was out.  However, that heartache disappeared during her next at-bat.  The bases were loaded and she was up.  I simply told her to breathe and to smile.  She stood up there and knocked the ball into the outfield – earning a 3-run RBI.  I have received lots of personal awards in my life – both for my softball career and my engineering career – and I have been extremely appreciative of each one.  However, the joy I felt after this hit doesn’t even come close to those.  My heart leapt as I jumped along the third base line!  And my heart melted during our huddle at the end of the night when one of my seniors said, “I am most proud of you” referring to this young 8^th grader.  We lost all three games we played, but I could not have been more proud – we gave it our best and we held our heads high. 

Softball runs in my veins – I even slept with my glove as a kid – the smell of leather, sweat, and dirt brought me comfort.  Softball is second nature to me.  However, the experience as a coach is a new, amazing, confusing, and awesome view of the sport.  The pay is low, the expectations are high, the hours are long, the pain is deep, and the joy is immense.  For my girls, I am a mother, a sister, a friend, a teacher, a therapist, a disciplinarian, a chauffeur, a maid, a cheerleader, an encourager – I am a coach.  It is a role that is priceless to me.  I have come to realize through the game of softball that youth matures, pain fades, and fear subsides, but pride lasts forever. 

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In Poor Health and In Poor Taste

As a devoted viewer of the Food Network, I perked up last week when I heard the news that Paula Deen was diagnosed with type 2 diabetes.  While I do not and would not cook many of the dishes I see on the Food Network, I do enjoy watching the cooking shows for ideas, inspiration, and ingredients that I could use to make my own healthful meals and dishes.  I have enjoyed Paula Deen’s shows over the years, admittedly mostly as entertainment.  If you don’t know of Paula Deen, she is most well known for her overuse of butter and does not shy away from sugar or fat.  She is a southern cook who goes the extra mile in ruining the reputation of southern cooking, and appears to enjoy doing it.  She has become famous for her butter-loving ways and has earned a fortune from her shows, cookbooks, restaurants, and appearances. 

When I heard the news of her type 2 diabetes diagnosis, I was not at all surprised.  This is a woman who is a self-confessed “fat girl” who admits to not exercising and had a bust of herself made of butter.  But I must say that the way she handled the public announcement was a huge disappointment to me.  She same out on the Today Show and made successive appearances on numerous talk shows throughout the week last week.  As it turns out, she was diagnosed three years ago and kept it a secret.  She made the announcement last week which just happens to coincide with her new endorsement deal with Novo Nordisk, the pharmaceutical company that makes an injectable diabetes medication that she began promoting.  She and her sons Jamie and Bobby (neither have diabetes) are all now paid spokespersons.  This week of announcements and appearances also coincides with the launch of her sons’ new television shows.

As I watched Paula and her sons’ appearances last week, she said that she does not blame herself for her type 2 diabetes.  She does not plan to change her lifestyle or cooking style, other than limiting her sweet tea.  She said that she, like all other baby boomers, must face the reality of developing diabetes, heart disease, and high cholesterol.  Since when did these health conditions become inevitable for baby boomers?  I have personally helped baby boomers, as well as younger and older generations, eliminate their medications for all three of those health conditions simply through healthy eating and exercising.  The fact that she is capitalizing on fattening and sugary recipes and now simultaneously capitalizing on a drug that combats a disease caused by them is simply distasteful.  To me, it is similar to making money on tanning beds as well as skin cancer treatments, or cigarettes and nicotine gum.  Moreover, she is advocating a medication as the way to alleviate type 2 diabetes symptoms.  However, the American Diabetes Association states that the main treatment for type 2 diabetes is exercise and diet.  Many people can control their type 2 diabetes without medication. 

I also heard Paula say several times that a diabetes diagnosis is not a death sentence.  While it may not be a direct sentence, adults with diabetes have heart disease death rates about 2-4 times higher than adults without diabetes.  And the risk for stroke is 2-4 times higher among people with diabetes. 

The important thing to remember is that Paula Deen is a celebrity – a public figure that should be enjoyed for entertainment and not consulted for nutrition.  We are in control of our own cooking & eating and we decide how much to exercise.  Paula Deen may be in poor health and in poor taste, but that is not your fate!  Take control of your health – I will help you find your good health and do it in good taste!  I’ve got delicious recipes as well as personal catering that will do your taste buds and your body good!  Go to http://www.coachdconsulting.com/Services.html to see all the ways I can help you and those you love.  Obesity is 100% preventable – let’s tastefully eliminate it! 

New Year, Better You

As we head into the New Year, I keep hearing the phrase “New Year, New You.”  I’ve seen it on TV news shows, run across it online, and read it in every magazine.  It is a great concept – start a new year and create a new you in the process.  However, unless you’re Madonna or Sylvester Stallone, most of us can’t successfully reinvent ourselves each year.  Typically, we are who we are, and it will take more than a simple statement for us to change our lives.  Some of the top resolutions each year are life changing – lose weight, get in shape and/or eat healthy.  But, only about 50% of people keep their New Year’s resolutions for three months, and even less keep them for six months.  So many times we don’t stick to our resolutions, especially when it comes to weight loss or exercise because we either put unrealistic limits or expectations on ourselves.  Besides, who can honestly follow through if they resolve to quit sugar or workout every day of the week?   This year, instead of making a New Year’s resolution that sets you up for failure, make one that will ensure you succeed. 

Take small steps each week or month towards doing something that will make you feel better.  This approach takes away limitations and restrictions and focuses on adding exercise, healthy eating, and yes, even rest!  For example, instead of telling yourself that you can’t have dessert, just add at least one vegetable serving each day.  Rather than resolving to lose 20 pounds, make a promise to yourself that you will increase your workouts each month.  And if you are already lifting weights, add a few minutes of cardio to your routine.  Or, if you are doing cardio, add a couple of weight lifting exercises to your routine.  Also, try to get an extra 10-15 minutes of sleep each night for a week.  Just don’t overload yourself – that’s when we feel overwhelmed and are more likely to give up.  Concentrate on what you can do, not what you can’t do; and focus on what you can have rather than what you can’t have. 

And don’t think January 1^st is the only day you can make a change.  You can decide while it’s still 2011, or February 2012, that you will make an improvement and strive for a better you.  And don’t think of slip-ups as reasons to give-up.  Just because you miss a day at the gym or you eat more than one brownie, pledge to make a better choice tomorrow.  You don’t have to become a new person in the New Year to be successful, you can simply become a better you.  You will live better, look better, and feel better. 

It’s a New Year!  You don’t have to reinvent a new you – just uncover a better you!  I will help you find the better you in 2012.  I promise to help you find ways to live better, look better, and feel better.   I will make sure you haven’t given up before Valentine’s Day rolls around!  You’ll continue to see a better you all year long, and I guarantee the better you will be ringing in 2013!  Go to http://www.coachdconsulting.com/Services.html to see all the ways I can help you and those you love.  Obesity is 100% preventable and it’s time for us to all find our better selves!