trick yourself outta unnecessary treats

• the culprit: the night-stalker
  eating perfectly all day, striding easily by the box of donuts at the office, and saying no to any temptation in sight this nutrition superhero has it all together – in the light of day.  then like a bat at night, those emotions come out haunting and attack right after dinner which leads to unnecessary calories right before bed. this is OH so frustrating, because really who needs energy right before bed…calories that are merely stored as fat?  (note: author is herby admitting to being such a little bat but has conquered this with these tricks!)

• trick #1:  couch rule
  tv can be your worst enemy if you’re a night eater…your mind zones out, you reach for your (fill-in-the-blank-comfort-food) and you will keep eating until your tummy hurts.  research shows we consume 36 – 71% more calories if we eat while watching tv!  so watch your tv, fine but have a couch rule.  you’ve heard of “mindful eating”.  this is when you’re only focused on eating – nothing else.  this concept came from reading “women, food & god” – the couch rule.  it’s night-time… you’re winding down, nothing to do, a bit bored… this is when you need to use this rule .  force yourself to eat dinner at the table, not on the couch and if you want a snack after dinner – head back to the table.  You may recall feeling like you’re 5 sitting at the table finishing your corn by yourself, so maybe you’d rather watch an episode of your favorite show than sit at the table by yourself?  try this: it works.  no eating on your couch!

• trick #2: distract thyself
  tv is mindless and frankly useless, but admittedly entertaining.  imagine this: how much richer your life would be if you spent your time doing something you enjoyed other than watching tv.  do something that your love, maybe you like to write or curl up with a good book and head to bed a half-hour earlier.  the point being is this: 1) you expand your world just a little bit by doing something you enjoy and may not try otherwise, 2) it’s actually very relaxing and there’s a sense of accomplishment, and 3) try scarfing down food while doing any of the above activities…nearly impossible!  yes – it’s tricking yourself, but it works!

• trick #3: freeze it
  there’s nothing wrong with a little snack after dinner – nothing at all!  it’s when that little snack leads to mindless eating that it’s a problem.  i found a trick: freeze it!  not only does freezing your nighttime snacks make it automatically seem like an ice cream treat because it’s frozen, but hello – it takes forever to eat…no scarfing!  so right after dinner make your nighttime treat (always about 150 calories….unless it’s too late then i’ll skip it) and pop it in the freezer.  some ideas of what you can freeze:  protein pudding (protein powder mixed w/almond milk), non-fat greek yogurt or cottage cheese mixed with frozen berries, strawberries dipped in dark chocolate, grapes, or even just a protein shake and eat it like slushy!

• the culprit: the social butterfly
  this little flittering creature flies through each day eating clean as a whistle, making good choices, passing up temptations, and then a social situation presents itself and WHACK – it’s like flying smack dab into a windshield: all hell breaks loose.  their mantra is: “enjoy life” or ”it’s just one dinner” but unfortunately they make up for eating healthy all week by cramming well over 3000 calories into “just one dinner”.  the good news: there are ways to be social, enjoy the party, and still not smithereen your hard work all week long.

• trick #1: have a plan
  there are situations you know you’re heading into when you go out:  bread, appetizers, drinks, entrees, sides, dessert…the list goes on!  going out for mexican with your friends?  decide before you go that you’re skipping the chips and going to have 1 drink instead.  dining italian?  maybe choose to forgo the bread, have a glass of wine and share dessert.   your reward is enjoying a heart-healthy glass of wine with dinner.   this is life – you have to make choices and you can’t have it all - but you have to have a plan.  it’s a lot easier to enjoy yourself once you’re there if you know what your plan is going in.

• trick #2: sharing is good
  in a social situation, often times there are appetizers galore so try to have a say on the sides that the table might share so you have control over what you’re eating – so if they want fried calamari, suggest the shrimp cocktail or some sort of veggie starter.  entrees are SO big at restaurants – see if anyone is interested in sharing with you…you’ll cut your calories and bill in half.  then, when it comes time for dessert, see if anyone wants to share the sorbet & berries.  if not then just thoroughly savor your 2 bites of the chocolate souffle or cheesecake that someone else ordered, but don’t be the one licking the plate clean. your hips will thank you.

• trick #3: drink up
  water, that is.  you’ve heard it a million times but this works especially in social situations.  first off: ask for a straw – it’s easier to drink more water through a straw!  then follow these little rules: drink 1 glass of water before you take a drink of any other beverage you might be enjoying for the evening, drink another glass of water with your entree and finish that before you even think of touching dessert, and then try and polish off one more glass after dessert!  that way you get full on fewer calories and stay hydrated and still eat what you want (in moderation).

• the culprit: the weekender
  not to be confused with the social butterfly, the weekender is a species who eats healthy all week and then turns around and sabotages his or her success on the weekend, even if there’s no social situations whatsoever.  this is the “i was good all week so i deserve this” person who takes it a little too far and unfortunately may undo most if not all of the hard work for 5 days by indulging for 2 1/2 days starting on friday at 5pm and going straight through til sunday night.  here are little tricks to keep your weekend in check:

• trick #1: single-serving
  want to enjoy frozen yogart once a week? …have at it.  sure it makes sense to get the larger size for 50 cents more, but be careful.  will you really stop at half and save the other half for next weekend?  i think not.  whether your “treat” for the week is frozen yogurt, pizza, or chocolate, choose to get only 1 serving …enjoy it, savor it, and then be done with it!  there’s no need to have it in your house haunting you for the rest of the weekend. that’s unnecessary use of your willpower.  try to keep things that tempt you out of your house altogether. that’s not a sign of weakness, but a sign of strength on your part to know your “trigger foods” (as hungry girl calls them) and to avoid them.  oh, and one more thing: make sure your single-serving is reasonable: 8oz of frozen yogurt, 2 pieces pizza, 1 chocolate bar…don’t overdo it people!

• trick #2: just say no
  ah, the holidays.  you go somewhere for the weekend, they want to send leftovers home with you…repeat after me: “no thank you!”.  there’s no reason for you to have the creamy casserole that aunt bee made in your fridge unless you want to pack some pudge on your backside.  while a sweet offer, just politely decline.  if you host something at your house, send leftovers home with them!  this, of course you can feel good about because you hosted a somewhat healthy get-together to begin with.  right?

• trick #3: eat in
  as fun as it is to eat out on the weekend, use the extra time you have to make a healthy version of your favorite foods and bonus: leftovers for the week!  we all complain that we have no time to cook – but it can often be just as relaxing (and much cheaper) to make a healthier-for-you meal at home and curl up with a movie on the couch than spend a lot of time and money out and about.  try this just one night a weekend and you’ll save money and calories – lots of ‘em.  ideas for eating in: try bison burgers with baked sweet potato fries, make do-it-yourself pizzas made with whole wheat tortilla crusts and all the fixin’s, make a big pan of veggie & whole wheat noodle lasagna and enjoy with some vino, or with this crisp fall weather, have your crockpot do the work and have a pot-roast ready for you by friday night chock-full of veggies… the list goes on!  you have a home-cooked, comfort food to enjoy at home and left-overs to enjoy the rest of the week!

• so there you have it my little pretties…tricks to keep you spooky fit this fall and throughout this holiday season!  remember to treat yourself…in moderation.  share your top 3 treats with me – what are they?  here are mine, in order: golden spoon (preferrably pumpkin & graham cracker swirled together), a great glass of wine, or dark chocolate.  hmmm…who has a sweet tooth?

spookily yours,
Angela

day 22 of 28: breakfast of (zone) champions

there’s always that lingering question when i crawl out of bed at 5:30am: to eat or not to eat before my workout?  there are many schools of thought on this, but i’ve always followed this logic: cardio is okay on an empty stomach – and you tap into fat stores faster without calories in your body to burn off first.  and always eat a little protein/carb combo before doing any strength training…you want to build muscle, not burn it!  problem is: i always wake up hungry. it’s incredible.  i can’t even sleep in on the weekends without my growling tummy waking me up. so knowing that i had only cardio to do today, i chose to forgo breakfast, stomach growling and all.  again, an adjustment to my routine – there were no treadmills available (again!) so i hit my beloved stepmill (really, i do love it). 30 minutes, dripping sweat, done.  little foam rolling, train a few clients and i was out.  leaving me famished.

so needless to say i was stoked to try out this recipe that i saw from muscle & fitness: peanut butter protein pancakes.  even more stoked when i looked at it and noticed it was zone/block friendly!  trust me, love the zone but day after day of scrambled eggs, black beans, avocado & a corn tortilla OR oatmeal with fruit/nuts, i was ready to shake it up. and so, i did.  here’s this scrumptious recipe, courtesy of muscle & fitness :

• 1 tbs peanut butter (i love laura scudders or justin’s nut butter)
• 1/2 cup old-fashioned oats
• 3 egg whites
• 1 egg
• 1 tsp cinnamon
• splenda or stevia to taste

combine all ingredients in bowl and mix until smooth. spray pan with non-stick cooking spray and turn on medium heat. pour batter onto pan and flip when slightly firm or bubbles form…remove & enjoy once done! 
nutrition:  362 cals, 16g fat, 27g pro, 31g carbs, 5g fiber

ok i admit…i drizzled sugar-free, calorie-free, nothing-natural-about-it walden farms syrup on top…maybe 2 tbsp. it just seemed wrong to eat my pancake dry.  however you could go with agave nectar or real maple syrup, which is PACKED with antioxidants – but watch the portion, it’s also packed with sugar.

so that kicked off my beautiful fall morning: workout and healthy breakfast, followed by a hot cup of coffee. i need to bottle that feeling so that i can remember that when i dread stepping my toes onto the cold floor at 5:30am. it’ll be worth it!

make it a great day!
angela

day 21 of 28: plan c

at an incredible SMARTY event today, 150 women entrepreneurs (and 2 men!) from across southern california had the honor of touring the fantastic dermologica headquarters and hearing founder jane wurwand tell her fascinating story making her dream a reality.

the tidbits of brilliance were priceless, including to be authentic as she quoted the great oscar wilde:
“be yourself. everyone else is taken.” 

or sharing a life-lesson her mom taught her at a young age:
“life is not about balance. it’s about resilience.” 

then she spoke on the importance of having a plan c.  of course everyone has a plan a and some people have a plan b, but who has a plan c?  the truth

getting SMART! (see, i do where something other than workout clothes!)

is, in life or in business, rarely does anything go as planned. i speak of this often when i rant about my broken tailbone or my head cold that threw my little workout life into a tizzy.  but this applies to so much more of life. this lesson is something you’ll eventually learn, especially if you’re an entrepreneur or a mother (right moms?).  jane’s example was one of finding a passion and you’ll know you’ve found that passion when you’d do it everyday for three years without ever getting paid.  you have big plans, ideas, and dreams…but along the way, you learn that plan a doesn’t always work out so well, so you shift to plan b.  and she humourously joked (in her eloquent british accent) that if plan b doesn’t work out that you might just think about plan c: give up and get a job!  half-joking and half-truth i think. there are many times that we have to look at our lives and wonder if we should keep doing what we’ve always done and possibly keep getting what we’ve always got?  or will one more time around result in a different outcome?  it’s a stretch, but let’s apply this to my gym experience this evening.

plan a:
head home RIGHT after work, toss back a quick protein shake, hit the gym by 5 to avoid the rush and knock out my seriously insane crossfit workout that i’d already neatly jotted down in my fitbook.  what a great plan! 

**plan averted: getting into the office later than expected after the SMARTY event, i wasn’t able to tear myself away until 6. of course i hit traffic, had to take little mylo for a quick walk and suddenly it’s 7.  (briefly) considering a quick jog instead of going to the gym at rush hour, i left for the gym before i could talk myself out of it. 

plan b:
hit the gym at prime time to do a workout that consists of running sprints on a treadmill circuited with pushups, pullups, squats, and sit-ups…5 times through.

**plan averted: with not one single open treadmill, my plan came crashing down.  and even if one opened up, i’d literally have to do my pushups, squats & sit-ups ON the $%&# treadmill so as to claim it so i could quickly do my next 200m sprint. while it would be quite entertaining, i decided it would not be the best option to play treadmill hog.

so you know how well i deal with plans changing. i seriously was pacing back and forth with this little conversation going through my head:“maybe i’ll circuit with the elliptical…but no, that wouldn’t get my heart rate up fast enough.  maybe i should take a spin class – but it doesnt’ start for another hour!  hmm…maybe i’ll go home, yes that seems like a good idea. ok, no ang you can’t go home silly…you’d have to blog about it!  seriously, why didn’t i wake up and go this morning? ugh!”

yes, this is what chaos goes on inside my head. and yes, i too think about just sauntering out of the gym because “it must be a sign that i’m not supposed to workout because the treadmills are taken”!  but thinking back about what jane said: i knew i had to be resilient and put a plan c in place. 

plan c:
quickly thumbing through my fitbook to see how i could rearrange my week, i decided to switch thursday’s workout with today.  low and behold the rowing machine was open (of course it was, who actually enjoys it!?).  30m on the rowing machine followed by a killer 20m ab workout: crisis averted!

so thank you jane, not only did you inspire me as an entrepreneur and business woman, but your wise words taught me a useful little lesson about staying on your toes.  we must be open to whatever life throws our way. always have a plan in place, but never underestimate the power of having a plan c.

angela