Tuesday, August 19, 2014

EXERCISE


Exercise

Many people ask if exercise is important and then they ask why it is important. Exercise has many benefits to your health that some people do not realize. Some of these benefits include controlling your weight, reducing your risk of cardiovascular disease, reducing your risk of type 2 diabetes and metabolic syndrome. It also reduces your cholesterol, blood pressure and blood sugar levels. Exercise also strengthens your bones and muscles. It improves your mental health, memory, and moods. It helps with balance and flexibility.  Exercise also increases your chances of living longer. 
Exercise is great for your heart. It helps strengthen the hearts muscles and it helps to increase the heart’s pumping ability. These help the heart to function more efficiently and with greater ease. Exercise also makes the blood flow through the heart more efficiently. It also helps lower and regulate your blood pressure. This in turn allows the heart to beat more easily and move blood through the arteries with greater ease. When it comes to cholesterol exercise helps lower triglycerides, and raises your HDL which is your good cholesterol. When it comes to blood sugars and exercise, exercise helps stabilize and reduce blood sugar levels. This in turn reduces heart disease risk and promotes a healthier heart.
When starting an exercise program you need to start slow. If you don’t work out at all or you have health issues, you need to consult your physician and see if exercise is alright for you.  If you don’t work out or get any kind of physical activity during the day start with going for a walk to the end of your street and back, or aim for making it around the block once. If this seems like too big of a goal you can do little things such as taking the stairs at work, or going for a walk at lunch time.  If you are moderately active I would go to the gym and meet with a personal trainer. Most of the gyms will do a free goal assessment. They will show you how to use the equipment and talk about what you want to achieve and they can show you what types of exercise to do to get to your goal.  If you work out multiple times a week I would maybe try a class you have not tried before. Mix up your work outs a bit. This will give the muscles you work out all the time a break. And will also activate other muscles that you may not have been using.
Over all the health benefits of working out, out weight the risks. Exercise helps people feel better not only physically but mentally as well. Physical activity will help boost one’s self confidence.   It will also help them start their day off on the right foot. Exercise is known as a great stress reducer, and mood booster.   If you ever question if you should work out or not think about all of these benefitsJ

Mandy Wink

Certified Personal Trainer

Diet Consultant

Monday, August 11, 2014

Life in Maintenance... Food Preperation.

Main-te-nance. That scary 3 syllable word. 
Most people on phase 1 are TERRIFIED of maintenance. Why is that?!
I know exactly why.
Phase 1 and 2 are black and white. We tell you what you can and can't have.
Then phase 3 comes a long and we give you long lists of carbs, fats, sugars, proteins, and hey we even throw in an indulgence day!!!! What the heck, right?
It all sounds so foreign. BUT so wonderful at the exact same time.
A question I get time and time again...
Can I just stay on Phase 1???................................................NO!
Because then what happens is we slowly slip back into our old BAD habits.
You didn't take all this time and money to go backwards. You did this to change your lifestyle so let us help you do just that.

Phase 3 and 4 are fun! (I Promise)
We get to eat breakfast like kings.
We no longer have to stay away from carbs.
We can have a piece of FRUIT!
Fun, Right?!
I know, I know, still a little scary, but use us as your tools.
We have a lot of information and knowledge that we can't wait to share with you.

My main focus for this blog post today is to talk about food preparation and its importance.
Every Sunday I prep for an hour or more.
I will fill you in on a little secret. I HATE prepping.
On a Sunday night I would much rather lay on the couch and watch a Red box, BUT I know that if I don't do this now my week will be rough.
By rough I mean rushing in the mornings, not enjoying what I eat because I just threw it together, or I fall off because I didn't have anything planned. It is a snowball effect. Haven't you been there?!
I think we all have.
Honestly, prepping has taken me a long time to figure out. I am human, I still fail and that red box wins on occasion, and then come Monday morning I am regretting that decision.

A blog that I want to recommend is Lindsay at the Lean Green Bean. Her blog helped me with some great ideas for food prep. Last year her goal was to do some Sunday Food Prep every weekend and that really helped to motivate me. So now I have it down to a science. My grocery list is usually the same each week and my food prep time has cut down since I first started, but I just had to find MY routine, and I encourage you to do the same thing. What works for me may not work for you.

***Here is a list that I use often to make sure I have all of my necessities to keep me on track. This also makes it easier for grocery shopping. So please feel free to use and add food items to each column as you would like. (Reminder this list is for phase 3 and 4)


Food Choices for Phase 3 and 4
(number in the brackets= roughly 1 portion)

Protein
Carbohydrates
Dairy
Dairy Alternatives
Fat
Greens
Fruits
-Chicken (3.5 oz.)
-Turkey (3.5 oz.)
-Wild Meat (3.5 oz.)
-Extra-lean beef (3.5 oz.)
-Rib-eye/sirloin steak (2. Oz)
-Tuna (4 oz.)
-Salmon (2.8-3.5 oz.)
-Shrimp (4 oz.)
-Lobster (4 oz.)
-Cod/Haddock (4 oz.)
-Egg whites (3)
-Whole eggs (1)
-Ham (3.5 oz.)
-Casein/Whey protein powder (25-30g)
-Sweet potato (4.2-5.2 oz. baked weight)
-Wholegrain rice (3.5-4.2 oz. cooked)
-Bulgar Wheat (3.5 oz. cooked)
-Buckwheat (3.5-4.2 oz. cooked)
-Quinoa (3.5 oz. cooked)
-Oatmeal (40g dry)
-Organic Rolled Oats (40 g dry)
-Rye Bread (1 slice)
-Ezekiel bread (1 slice)
-Lentils-all types (4.2 oz. cooked)
-Pumpkin/squash (7oz boiled weight)
-Fat-free yogurt -Fage zero fat-no sugar added (5.2 oz.)
-Skim milk-preferably lactose free (5 oz.)
-4% fat cheese (1.5 oz.)
-Cottage cheese 1% fat (3.5-5.2 oz.)
-Hazelnut Milk (5oz)
-Almond Milk (5oz)
-Fish oil (3 caps)
-All-natural peanut butter (1 tsp)
-Almond butter/other nut butters (1 tsp)
-Avocado (1/2 approx. 1.7 oz. flesh weight)
-Macadamia Nuts (20g)
-Other nuts (20g)
-Butter (1 tsp)
-Coconut oil for cooking (1 tsp/approx. 6-8 g)
-Olive oil (1 tbsp.)
-Ground flaxseed (1 tbsp./approx. 10g)
-Flaked coconut (1 tbsp.)
-Lettuce (any type)
-Brussels sprouts
-Broccoli
-Asparagus
-Celery
-Cucumbers
-Kale
-Spinach
-Watercress
-Cauliflower
-Bok Choy
-Chinese Cabbage
-Arugula
-Bell Peppers
-Bean Sprouts
-Cabbage
-Dill Pickles
-Radish
-Jicama
-Rhubarb
-Tomato
-Green Beans
-Carrots
-Corn
-Eggplant
-Pear (1)
-Apple (1)
-Kiwi (1)
-Grapefruit (1)
-Orange (1)
-Tangerine (1)
-Peach (1)
-Grapes (3.5 oz.)
-Cherries (3.5 oz.)
-Strawberries (3.5 oz.)
-Raspberries (3.5 oz.)
-Blackberries (3.5 oz.)
-Blueberries (3.5 oz.)
-Pineapple (3.5 oz.)

 **Follow Lindsay on MyFitnessPal –Lindsay@iamedicalspa.com

**Go to settings and allow friends to view your diary so I can help guide you

(You can download the app on your smartphone or use their online website Myfitnesspal)
Last, but not least I wanted to share a few of my food prep pics from Sunday. If you have any questions or need more ideas I would be more than happy to help!


Diced Sweet Potatoes-For Sweet Potato Fries

Roasted Cabbage Steaks

Roasted Quinoa with Cumin, Cilantro and Red Pepper Flakes

Fresh Radishes

A great go to...Hard Boiled Eggs


Fresh Lettuce


My Prep...I hope you enjoy the Nerf gun. It is in a timeout from Mr. Brodie! ;)

 


Monday, August 4, 2014

Meet Mandy Wink :)

Meet our newest member of the Ideal Protein at Innovative team... Mandy Wink :)

Tell me about your family…  My family is : My parents Rich and Kim and my brother Chad, as well as my dog Bailey:)
 
1.    Are you good at Chess? Tried to learn when I was little, But I'll take Candy Land any day. 
 
2.    Are you a good dancer?  Not the greatest but I have fun trying
3.    Who’s your favorite singer or band? Luke Bryan, Maroon 5, Miranda Lambert, and Lady A

4.    Would you rather be rich or healthy? Healthy, money only gets you so far!

5.    What’s your favorite movie of all time and why? Legends, Labyrinth, Princess Bride
 
6.    Has reading a book ever changed your life? Which one and why, if yes? Not yet, I have a few that have been recommended to me.

7.    Are you a spender or a saver? I would say spender, but I look for sales!

8.    What one thing are you most proud of?  I would say when I worked on the ambulance and we had a code save, which means we saved someone's life. Just knowing that I had the opportunity to do that and I played a part in that was the most amazing feeling.

9.    What’s your favorite TV show of all time and why? I enjoy the medical ones such as NY med, or true stories from the ER. I am a huge medical buff so they always hook me! Of course you have to throw in Greys Anatomy as well:)

10.  Where do you think we’ll be in five years? I hope to still be happy like I am now as well as making others happy, I hope to have a family of my own and also continuing to improve myself and set goals for myself!

11.  Who is your hero? My Hero isn't just one person but three. I would have to say my parents as well as my brother. My parents have both battled and or currently battling cancer. And they have been just as strong as ever! My brother is also my hero for being as brave as he has been and always being there for me through this. I feel they all wear capes in my family!



Thyroid Gland

One Blood test that we check before starting the diet is a TSH (thyroid-stimulating hormone). Checking for thyroid gland problems is very important.  This test is done to find out whether the thyroid gland is working properly. An under active thyroid gland (hypothyroidism) can cause symptoms such as weight gain, tiredness, dry skin, constipation, a feeling of being too cold, or frequent menstrual periods.  
The thyroid is a butterfly-shaped gland that lies in front of the windpipe (trachea), just below the voice box (larynx). The thyroid gland uses iodine from food to make two thyroid hormones thyroxine (T4) and triiodothyronine (T3).  The thyroid gland stores these hormones and releases them as they are needed.  
Thyroxine and triiodothyronine are essential to maintaining the body's metabolic rate, heart and digestive functions, muscle control, brain development and maintenance of bones.  
This is just one blood test we look at prior to you starting the ideal protein diet your journey to better living. 

Andrea Weiss RN, BS
diet consultant