Holistic Approach to Eating

Ever feel like the fitness industry, the "experts", and the general media is feeding you full of mumbo jumbo? You can't eat this cause it will give you cancer but another media report will provide details on other benefits the same food will provide you to stay healthy. How does anyone make sense of all the hype and "advice" we receive on a daily basis on what we are supposed to do? Most of the public throws their hands in the air and say's "what's the point?". I've felt the same way for years and have been on a journey for a lifetime trying to figure out what I should be doing to eat right. I've visited registered dieticians, been through every weight loss program available, and I'd just given up throughout much of my life as nothing seemed to work. Sure I'd lose a few pounds and then when I went off the diet or couldn't afford the program any longer, I'd just return to the old eating patterns as I hadn't learned a thing. Eating was a reward and why stop doing something that makes you feel better or tastes sooo good! I found myself thinking "I'm not eating too much in a day and besides I skipped lunch today". Not good! I really had no idea what I was doing and in retrospect I felt miserable all the time, physically and emotionally.

I've spent the last 4 years educating myself on eating and fueling my body properly and let me tell you, it isn't easy. Dieticians are great but it just was too much for me to measure, count, and examine every little detail of nutrition. I needed a better approach that I could live with and needed to get to a diet that I could deal with for life. To date, I've lost 140 pounds, never measured a single portion, never counted a single calorie, and never stressed over an occasional over-indulgence to satisfy a craving. Here's what I've learned:

1. Love yourself and desire a better life than you've created for yourself so far
2. Stay in control and be determined even when the pressure to conform to the crowd may be high. Beat your own drum.
3. Learn how to read labels. You'd be appalled at what those pre-packaged foods have in them.
4. Eat for nutrition only. A calorie isn't just a calorie, that's why calorie counting doesn't work. You'd be surprised what a calorie of sugar will do vs. a calorie in protein in your body.
5. Balance your nutrition between protein, carbs, and fat.
6. Focus on low glycemic foods and avoid foods with no nutritional value.
7. Eat six small meals a day to keep your body fueled throughout the day and never hungry.
8. Take a good multi vitamin.
9. Understand portion size and control portions you are consuming but it's not necessary to measure food to manage portions.
10. On a scale of 1-10 with 1 being extremely hungry and 10 being extremely and uncomfortably full, eating should cease when you reach a level 5 or 6. This should be a feeling of satisfaction with no hunger pains but not completely full. Never let your hunger get below a level 3 which is why the 6 small meals a day is so important.
11. Man made foods, processed foods, or pre-packaged foods are things to avoid.
12. Focus on whole foods.

These are just a few things to focus on when chosing a food to eat. Still confused? Learn what these things really mean and take the mystery out of what and how to eat by joining us for one of our Holistic Health Seminars starting in Aug. Contact us for details or go to our web site for more information at www.rockbrookwomensgym.net. Educating yourself on how to eat for life is the only method that works along with a good exercise program! Healthy trails to you!

Welcome To Rockbrook Women's Gym

For all you bloggers, it's time to get out and get moving. Computers and the internet are great but take it from a pro, if you don't balance your life with some fitness routines, you miss out on the best part of living and feeling great doing it.

Just a little about me....I'm a middle age (ouch) overworked ex-corporate America professional who, like many, neglected her health. Taking care of a blooming career, growing kids, and demanding schedules left little time for myself and when some time for myself was found, it was spent doing something to "relax" because I deserved it! I'll tell you what you deserve...a good workout, something to get your heart pumping and your energy level up but more about that later. I spent over 20 years in an IT related profession, sitting behind a computer and a phone for 10-12 hours a day. Sound familiar? Always justifying my actions for my family and my career and what was I left with? Exhausted, overworked, overweight, and miserable. Health on the decline, borderline diabetic, high blood pressure (the kind that makes you physically ill), and high cholesterol and at morbidly obese weight levels. Who was this person? I sure felt young and energetic but boy was I wrong. After facing the reality of where I was headed after a visit to the doctor for more medication to make those horrible blood pressure headaches to go away, I decided I was headed for premature death and I had so many things to live for, like RETIREMENT, grandkids, and just plain feeling better. That was October of 2004 and I was off and running (or biking in my case).

Fast forward to the present....I am now 140 pounds lighter with only 35 more to go. I'm not looking to regain my slender physic of my youth but just want to be healthy. I lost weight the right way, slow and sure and I CHANGED MY LIFE! I didn't go on a diet, I didn't subscribe to any gimmicks or fast weight loss programs. THEY DON'T WORK! They are a temporary solution to a long term problem and will never allow you to stay healthy for a lifetime. Change your diet; don't diet! It is possible to never diet again as long as you take the time to learn WHAT to eat and when to eat it. I incorporated exercise, slowly building my endurance and finally incorporated weight training to make the most of my aging and slowing metabolism. I couldn't be happier or healthier. I weigh less than I have in 25 years!

I left the corporate world in 2006 and bought a gym so I could make a difference in the world! I've always been a bit idealistic but I have a true passion for helping those that want to be helped. I can't make you change, you have to want to change and be willing to do it for the rest of your life! It doesn't mean giving up the things you love, it just means loving life more than the temporary satisfaction you get from eating something you like. I am very fond of the quote from Jack LaLanne (the original T.V. Fitness guru) on his thoughts on the two simple rules of nutrition, "if man made it, don't eat it", and "if it tastes good, spit it out." You can still enjoy eating food but you just need to get back to the basics of nutrition and fitness.

We are here to help through our holistic approach to life changing fitness. If you need support, we're here to support you, if you need guidance, we're here to guide you. Don't let one more day pass and start making changes today because there might not be a tomorrow. Who knows what course your life will take if you create a branch to a healthier lifestyle today!