Meal Plan Guide

New You Challenge Guide

1. Start by cleaning out your kitchen.
2. Keep a food log.
3. Drink lot's of water
4. Get 8 hours of sleep
5. Choose your favorite meal plans
6. Pick at least 3 breakfast choices, 3 lunch and 3 dinner options
7. Make a list and go shopping
8. Make extras to have left overs
9. Need snack options? Click HERE

Bathing Suits, Shorts and Tank-Tops Oh My

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With the weather warming up, I am starting to hearing the buzz from my clients, "Trina I need to be in a bathing suit for my trip in 10 days. What can I do to make this happen?"  The answer is simple.  It will take some consistency and discipline however. Here are some tips to get you on the right track:

1. Grocery shop with seven days worth of food in mind.  This step is the most important one. Planning ahead will make your life much easier. When planning ahead you will have stocked shelves and less likely to order out when getting home from a long day.
2. This is the easiest step: when cooking dinner, cook enough to have some leftovers.  You can freeze what is left for another night or have it for lunch the next day.
3. Pack your lunch the night before. Be prepared for a long day at the office and knowing that you may not get a lunch break. Stock up on 'easy to eat foods'. Skipping meals is not allowed!
4. Skip the dairy. According to the Center of Disease Control, dairy (cow’s milk) is one of the top 9 foods that can cause food sensitivities.
5. No Bologna, ham, salami, pastrami or corned beef.  Skip the processed foods and choose quality beef, turkey, or chicken.
6. Eat wild fish – not fish that is farmed raised.
7. Serve up fruit.  Any kind! Try dipping your fruit in nut butter
8. Skip the grains. Wheat is number on the list; more than 35% of us have sensitivity to wheat and other grains.
9. Think color with Veggies! Eat many and all kinds
10. Limit baked goods. This is the 2nd leading source of saturated fat in our diets.
11. Hydration is the key to keep your body running like a champion. So drink up!
12. Space your meals about 2-3 hours apart.  Eating often keeps the metabolism burning hot.
13. Eat as many veggies as you want. Think small with everything else. A fist size is one serving of fruit. The size of your checkbook is your protein serving size. 3 dice is the size of your fats.

This lifestyle change can happen not only for your trip but for everyday living.

Consult your physician before starting a fitness or exercise program.  Trina’s column is written for educational purposes only. In no way is it to diagnose, cure or treat any medical conditions.

original post can be found at The Independent News Paper

How to Avoid Shin Splints

Now that the weather is starting to warm up, this is a great time to dust off your shoes and get outside for a run. One of the more common running injuries that can occur is shin splints. When the athlete over loads their training routine the muscles in the shin area can become inflamed and cause intense pain. So before you up the intensity of your training I have asked my good friend and trusted Physical Therapist Ben Shatto to share his tips with us.

• Check your shoes.  Your shoes may be worn out and may be the cause of the pain. Shoes typically only last 350-500 miles.  If you are nearing those miles, then it may be time to change.  If you’re unsure if your shoes are performing correctly, visit your local running shoe store.  
• If you change running surfaces, progress slowly.  If you are used to running on softer surfaces, such as dirt or a running track, progress carefully and slowly when you run on a harder surface like concrete.  Over all, softer running surfaces are better for your body.
• Have your gait analyzed while running.  Gait or running abnormalities can increase your risk of developing shin splints.  Over striding tends to occur while running downhill.  Check with your local running store or a physical therapy clinic for a monthly gait analysis clinic. 
• Warm up prior to exercise.  I recommend that you increase your normal warm up time by at least 10 minutes in order to increase blood flow to the area.  This allows for better mobility and also prepares the tissues for exercise. .
• Cool down.  After performing your exercises, take extra time to cool down and stretch.  Focus on calf stretching as well as general lower extremity mobility stretches.  Try a foam roller.
• Strengthen the stabilizing muscles of your hips and ankles. Strengthening the muscles of your hips and ankles will help to maintain normal gait mechanics during exercise and running.  Not only will this help to prevent shin splints, it will likely help to prevent developing other orthopedic issues such as plantar fasciitis and hip or knee pain.
• If you experience pain, seek help early.  Don’t ignore those little aches and pains that can develop as you exercise and train.  They may be early warning signs of a developing problem. 

Thank you Ben, and as always you provide us with trusted information and empower us with knowledge. To read more from Ben Shatto you can visit his website at www.thephysicaltherapyadvisor.com.

Original Source from Independent News Paper

It is never to late to start

Lumina at the age of 72 lift weights 3 times a week and hikes daily. Judi, age 76 participates in a CrossFit workout 3 times a week and walks the green belt. Stan at the age of 64 jump ropes, lift weights and runs short distances. There is definitely something to be said that we can work out later in life and still reap the benefits.  According to a study researchers tracked 9,500 women for 12 years, starting when they were at least age 66. In that time, they found that those who went from doing little or nothing to walking just a mile a day slashed their risk of death from all causes and from cancer by nearly half. Their risk of heart disease also fell by more than a third. In fact, they enjoyed nearly as much protection as women who were physically active before the study began and remained so. Jane A. Cauley, DrPH, of the University of Pittsburgh, "We're talking about women with an average age of 77 at the second visit," she tells WebMD. "And we're talking about their engaging in very mild exercise -- and not running marathons."

If your only form of exercise is working out with your cell phone here are a few tips to get started:

Get a checkup before a workout. A visit to your doctor is wise for anyone beginning an exercise program, but it's crucial for the elderly or others who have been inactive because of health problems.

Start  slow. Once you get the okay, the key to avoiding fatigue and muscle pain is to pull out of the gate very slowly. You may not be able to do more than 15 minutes the first few weeks.

Go more often. Of course, those few minutes of your exercise program can be done several times a day. First, try to do some activity for a few minutes several times a day.

Listen to your body. Don’t worry about going fast. If you are tiring easily or cannot talk comfortably you will need to slow it down or stop.

Don’t do it alone.  Studies show you are more likely to continue long term if you have an accountability partner.

Do what you enjoy. Far too often do I hear “I really don’t like to exercise” Pick an activity that you enjoy, gardening, swimming, tennis, hiking, or skiing. Most important is that you keep moving.

original article written: http://www.theindnews.com/

Source: http://www.webmd.com/fitness-exercise/20030513/never-too-late-exercise

Thanks for hanging out with me

I am appreciative for this journey you took with me - thank you so much. I learn something every time we do a challenge. My wish for you is to remember what foods brought you to this challenge in the first place and how that food made you feel. Look at how you did this challenge, where you could have improved upon, and hopefully I see you at our next challenge!

I picked two winners this challenge - Paleo Challenge Points Jan 2016

1. $125 GOES to Jennifer had the most points on the board worked hard to earn those points - Great JOB JENNIFER!
2. $125 GOES to Peggy was the most consistent with her food and lost the most percentage of Body Fat! -4.97% If you know Peggy you wonder where she hid all the extra body fat - and she looks great!

CONGRATULATIONS LADIES

Many of you lost AMAZING amounts of body fat. Tawnie came in at -4.90%. Katie lost -4.90%. Andrea lost -4.03%. Ashely with a -3.52% lost. Lanette - 3.14%.

BF CALCULATIONS ARE BASED OFF OF ZONE BOOK AND DR MICHAEL EADES BF TABLE.

Day 30 of our Paleo Challenge

Welcome to Day 30 of your 30 day Paleo Challenge. Today February 2nd you will record your points from 2/1/16 by Midnight. (As a reminder I will not except posts after Midnight)

There are so many women in my life, current clients, past clients, friends, and acquaintances that struggle with weight loss - but they won't give up their alcohol. I have posted this before and it is worth reading.

Can you have your wine and see results too?

I doubt it’s a big surprise that avoiding chronic alcohol use is best for a lean body composition, but do you know why? It’s not just the added calories (alcohol offers seven calories per gram compared to carbs and protein, which contain four each). Alcohol affects  metabolism because when you drink it, and your body puts all other metabolic processes on hold until it has processed the alcohol. Your body can’t convert the calories from the alcohol to fat, meaning it needs to use them up, and will delay all other fat burning and energy use until the alcohol has been processed.

Drinking alcohol affects your hormones as well, increasing cortisol and modifying steroid metabolism in the liver. This results in lower androgens for both sexes. Women with higher levels of androgens and men with lower levels are equally at risk for belly fat gain, and for men, lower androgens mean less testosterone.

Bad news! Read On

And the good news! 

Day 29 of our Paleo Challenge

How did the weekend go? Did you try a new recipe idea? Please share. Today you will post your points from Sunday 1/31.

Day 28 of our Paleo Challenge

"I get plenty of sleep every night, and my body appreciates how I take care of it." ~Louise Hay

Welcome to Day 28 of your 30 day Paleo Challenge. Today January 31st you will record your points from 1/30/16 by Midnight. (As a reminder I will not except posts after Midnight)

I still give my kid's cereal and I TRY and choose what I thought was better than most. Only to find out NOPE its still bad and laden with sugar. Watch a quick video here about cereal

AND another creepy read about what we still allow to have in our food that other countries have banned. READ ON

Many nights I awaken every hour until I finally surrender and just get up. I never thought of eating more food before bed, or getting natural bedding. Here are some great tips if this happens to you...READ ON

This might also be a good time to re-do your workout to see if you score has changed from day one. And if you are ready go ahead and send me your after photos and post your measurements. This will give me a head start on calculating your percentages lost.

Paleo Challenge Points Jan 2016

Day 27 of our Paleo Challenge

Today is Day 27  January 30th. of our Paleo Challenge. You will post your points from 1/29 I am honestly surprised not one you has mentioned having a reaction to gluten after eating it during this challenge. BUT mostly what I am surprised about is that early on most of you complained of bloating and weight gain. Bloating is the #1 side effect to a food source and giving up gluten is the #1 food source to cause the bloat among DOZENS of other side effects. My wish is for all of you to recognize how food makes you feel - that is the first step to making clean food choices.

Exercise Challenges, Water Challenges, Sleep Challenges....Oh MY!  What ?? more food challenges?? Can you do with out fruit? Can you do with out Meat? Nuts and Seeds? Bars? Eggs?

Sometimes our menus look like these examples:

1. Eggs, Apples, Lara Bar, Pear, Chicken, Almonds, Hard boiled Egg

2. Sausage, Peach, Nuts, Raisins, Coffee with Almond Milk, Pork Chop, Lettuce

3. Smoothie, Nuts, Raisins, Jerky,  Paleo Granola with Almond Milk, Apple

4. Protein Shake, Nuts, Raisins, Jerky, HB Egg, Protein in Water, Chicken Leg, Strawberries

5. Pancake, Nuts, Berries, HB Egg, celery, Almond Milk with coffee, Paleo Cobbler

Yes there are holes in each one of those daily meal examples. We all need variety, however we all eat the same things day-to-day. What should a menu look like? Try a variety of menu ideas. Take these last few days to venture out and make a new menu plan. Explore vegetables that you have never cooked with before. Make a Fruit compote to pour over meat. Drag out your crock-pot. Make a veggie Paleo Pizza. Have fun this weekend. Spice it up!

Have you visited our Facebook page and downloaded all the FREE cookbooks available to you?

Perfect timing on a email I just received:

Last week, I got a frantic call from a client of mine. She had identified that gluten (the protein found in wheat, barley & rye) was a real problem for her digestive system, energy and mood. She had been gluten-free for a couple months now & was feeling really good.

Until she went to a party and ate something that she thought was gluten free. When she woke up the next morning, she realized she was wrong. She was starting to have GI symptoms and was getting super stressed that she had done some type of irrevocable damage or had undone all of her good work.

I understand this. When you go from feeling bad to feeling good, and then are threatened with feeling bad again, that is scary and stressful and sets you running to the the phone for help. 

I call it getting "glutened" because I'm using gluten as the example, but exposure to any food/compound that you are sensitive to can create symptoms: milk, eggs, nightshades, beans, sulfites, MSG, nuts and on and on. It's possible to have old symptoms pop back, or new ones to crop up.

Fear not, my dears!

There are quite a few things you can do to help lessen the consequences of exposure. When I was talking to my client about them, it occurred to me that I should share them here, too.

Also, you are NOT undoing all of the good work you've already done. You are not worsening your health. This is a blip in the road, something that will right itself even if you don't do a thing in most cases.

These are the main strategies I implement:

1. Digestive enzymes: Typically I have people take 2-4 digestive enzymes every 3 hours or so, POST exposure. This helps break up not only the problematic proteins or carbohydrates you may be ingesting, but will help chew up inflammatory molecules they generate.

2. Hydration: In my undergraduate career, I studied biology, marine biology and ecology as my loves. I learned a phrase in my studies I've used innumerable times in clinical practice: "dilution is the solution". In ecology class, it was referring to pollution, but we can extrapolate that to the inner pollution one feels upon exposure. Drink up! Water, that is. I recommend a 12 ounce glass as soon as you realize you've been exposed, and then at least 8 ounces every hour, getting several (like 3, more if this is already your normal level) liters in throughout the 2-3 days following exposure.

3. Activated charcoal: 1-2 caps every couple of hours will help absorb gas and those feelings of yuckiness. It WILL turn your poop black if you take more than a couple of grams, so be ready for that :)

Side note: Charcoal, if you brush it all over your teeth, let it sit for a couple minutes (yep, it looks kind of crazy on there!) and then rinse it all out is a surefire formula to lift stains and make your chompers sparkle.

And lastly, fear not! The vast majority of reactions that are due to non-anaphylactic, non-Celiac exposure typically last no more than 72 hours. You can expect to feel much better within three days, and by using the above strategies, you can reduce it even more.

Source: Dr Jillian from metaboliceffect.com

Day 26 of our Paleo Challenge

Today 1/29 you will post your points from 1/28.  

If you have not seen this, it is a must read! Where People Go Wrong When Starting a Paleo Diet

At some point during this challenge you found yourselves eating in front of family, friends and co-workers.  You will either decline a certain food or they may ask you a question about what you are eating.  Other people (usually the typical overweight/unhealthy American who frequents the doctors office) will have the tendency to say something to you in reference to the way you eating such as “oh…man that really sucks” , “I feel sorry for you”, or “I could never do that.”  Upon hearing this you may also start to think these thoughts in your head by saying “yeah…this does suck”…or…”sucks to be me.”  This will only get worse….soon you’ll be crying out for help telling the world about how bad you have it now that you can’t have soda, sugar and white bread.  Or worse…you may convince yourself that you can’t do this and start shoveling the Twinkies an Doritos in your mouth.  This is absolute non-sense and it should be recognized immediately for what it is, which is RESISTANCE that wants to keep you stuck.  It’s the same RESISTANCE that has everyone else stuck, fearful of moving forward and making positive changes happen.  Practice not playing the victim role whether it’s coming from external or internal voices. Read On