Getting Back on Track

Chandi Schwab
We hope you all had a very Merry Christmas! We all can safely admit that we were lazy and ate terribly over the holidays. If that wasn't the case for you, way to go! But for the rest of us it is time to get back on track. We don't need to wait for the start of a New Year to be healthy again. In fact, if we start now it is better because we will already be in a routine and have a jump start on our New Year resolutions. Here are some ideas to help us through the process.

1) Eat breakfast, and make it a healthy one: This is the most key thing for me. If I eat any sort of sugar first thing in the morning, I feel sick to my stomach and for some reason I convince myself that if I eat more sugar I will feel better, it is a vicious cycle and my whole day is shot. I feel like CRAP, and I am always tired and lazy.
 On a normal day I grab a handful of nuts and a piece of fruit or drink acai boost, and head out for a run or workout. When I come home I eat a bowl of plain oatmeal or a protein shake or smoothie. This is what works for me. Everyone responds differently, so eat what makes YOU feel good. I also like to eat eggs after a workout, or whole wheat toast with natural peanut butter.

2) Eat all day long: This is hard for some people. But it is so key. You can't ever let your body feel starved. As soon as you feel hungry at all, have a snack ready (Under labels we have healthy snack ideas) approximately every 2 hrs. Some examples are Greek yogurt, bananas, citrus fruits, apples, veggies, cottage cheese, nuts, raisins, craisins, jerky,pretzels, triscuits, smoothies,etc...Remember to have a few healthy snacks in the car, or in your purse for on the go, and always have a bottle of water with you. This way you don't go hog wild because you deprived yourself all day.

3) Eat a normal Healthy Dinner: Keep in mind that a good dinner is important because we don't feed our bodies all night long. If we don't get very much food, our bodies again will be starving when we wake up and will want to hold onto any calories it can when we wake up. So eat until you are comfortably full. Don't over stuff yourself and don't leave yourself hungry. Try to find a balance and include healthy fats in your meal.
We have to find a balance because my kids don't like the really healthy food that I like. So I make lasagna, spaghetti, enchiladas, tacos, soups, etc... I just use healthy alternatives such as whole wheat pasta, and ground turkey instead of hamburger.

4) Cure your late night munchies: If you are an active person and you find yourself hungry at 8 or 9 pm, I say feed yourself! So many diets preach to not eat past a certain time, but how does that make sense? If you eat dinner at 6 and don't eat again until breakfast the next morning, that is at least 12 hrs. that your body is going without food. If you do this continually your metabolism is going to be shot, and again hold onto all the calories it can when you do eat. If you are craving sugar at night, make yourself a fruit smoothie, salt? Try lightly sea salted nuts. In the winter we really like to make hot cocoa with our chocolate flavored Dymatize protein powder.

Be in tune with your body. If you are an active person it is important to fuel your body. If you have any questions or have any ideas to share leave a comment... So get to it and Good Luck!