Too Much Sugar May Affect Your Nutritional Health

Too Much Sugar May Affect Your Nutritional Health

It looks like science has given us one more reason to pay attention to how much sugar we consume.

A recent study revealed that a high intake of “free sugar” (sugar added to packaged or home cooked foods) can lead to a lower consumption of important nutrients, including calcium and magnesium.  Based on data collected from 6,150 adults, nutritional deficiency was at it’s highest when free-sugar or added sugar consumption reached 25% of their daily calories.  This discovery makes sense, since processed food with high amounts of added sugar tend to be less nutrient dense and contain more empty calories.

It’s important to note that the study also showed that when free-sugar intake makes up less than 5% of overall calories the risk of nutritional deficiency is also present.  This could be related to restrictive dieting and/or not eating enough food since elimination diets have been know to lack important nutrients.

Based on the study mentioned above, added sugar has it’s place and I don’t believe that it needs to be demonized.  However, if too much added sugar can potentially harm our health, it’s probably a good idea to consider limiting how much we consume on a daily basis.  Food for thought.  🙂

Here’s to a happy and healthy week!

Shared with love,

Jennifer

 

Nine Ways To Make Peace With Your Body

Nine Ways To Make Peace With Your Body

There was a time when I was at a really low weight that was harming my health.  I had overtrained and dieted for years and it had caught up with me.  At the same time, I began to notice that I had to work harder and harder to “stay thin”.  I was trapped in a diet and exercise prison and my body was breaking down.  I decided to make a change and focus on self care instead of what the scale reads or what size clothes I own.

Part of my new “self care” plan was to allow myself to gain weight and accept my natural body type.  It turns out I’m naturally curvy and much healthier with additional pounds on my body.

If you are someone that has tried every diet under the sun and nothing has worked, I want you to know that you did not fail.  Dieting failed you.   Science continues to prove that dieting does not work, and it can do you more harm than good.

Instead of blaming yourself, feeling guilty, or searching for yet another diet, I recommend doing something completely different.

Quit dieting for good.  Make peace with your body.  Switch your focus to taking care of yourself and enjoying your life.  Life is too short to waste it on restrictive dieting that doesn’t work and can harm your health.

Making peace with your body may be one of the most challenging and liberating things you will ever do for yourself.  It rarely happens overnight, and it is an ongoing process.  However, the more you focus on self care and less on what the diet industry sells, the more comfortable in your own skin you will become.  I promise.

Here are nine tips to help you say no to dieting and yes to making peace with your body:

  1. Ditch the guilt.  Please don’t blame yourself for the diet industry’s failures and misguided approach to health and fitness.  You are not a failure.  Science is on your side.
  2. Avoid comparison to others.  Just because the latest fad diet or high intensity work out is working for your friend does not mean it is right for you.  We all have different needs and abilities.  No two bodies are alike which is why a canned approach to health and fitness does not work.
  3. Ditch your scale.  If you feel depressed the majority of the time you weigh yourself, the scale IS NOT helping you.  I suggest tossing it in the recycle bin or locking it in a closet.  Taking a sledgehammer to it is another option. 🙂
  4. Listen to your body and your cravings.  Ever crave a salad after eating decadent food for three days?  That’s your body’s way of telling you what you need.  When you let go of guilt and shame and focus on getting your body what it needs, you will seek out eating balanced meals.
  5. Have fun.  Restrictive behavior causes stress and creates a scarcity mentality which can lead to binging.  Allow yourself to enjoy food without worrying about calories.  Being happy and joyful serves your mind and body well.
  6. Healthy bodies come in all sizes.  Over the years I’ve trained people of all sizes and I’ve learned that you should not judge someone’s health by their size.  I’ve had the opportunity to perform numerous health assessments and review enough doctor’s reports to learn that good health really does come in different shapes and sizes.
  7. Take the focus off of weight loss.  A “natural” body weight is normally a weight that you can maintain without restricting yourself from the things you enjoy, or beating yourself to a pulp at the gym.  We all have our own natural weight where our body is most comfortable and can maintain itself.  We also  know when we are overdoing it any area of our lives and if there are things we should cut back on like sugar, alcohol, etc.  Practicing moderation should be about your health, not about numbers on the scale.  When you focus on truly being healthy instead of skinny, weight loss is often times a natural byproduct.
  8. Give yourself room to grow.  Just because we make peace with our bodies does not mean we will always like everything about them and that’s normal.  Being at peace with your body is making the choice to love it and take care of it rather than harm it or manipulate it in pursuit of happiness or acceptance.  I’m way happier at the weight I am now because I am free from the pressures of dieting.
  9. Wear what you like.  You do not have to change your body to wear a swimsuit, tank top, skinny jeans, or any other type of clothing that may seem off limits based on society’s shallow opinions.  Wear what you want and enjoy yourself.

A healthy lifestyle is a total package that has very little to do with what a scale reports.  Healthy living includes things like having healthy relationships, working with purpose, exercising or participating in physical activity you enjoy, having enough energy, eating well and dining with the ones you love, having fun, loving yourself and the people around you, eliminating unnecessary stress, getting good rest, drinking lots of water, getting good check ups at the doctor’s office, growing spiritually and emotionally, and having self-confidence in who you were designed to be.

Here’s to making peace with your body and no longer allowing the fitness and diet industry’s narrow definition of what “healthy” looks like to control our lives and emotions!

Shared with love,

Jennifer

Photo above is by Petar Dopchev on Unsplash

Five Simple Ways To Have A Happy And Healthy Fourth of July

Five Simple Ways To Have A Happy And Healthy Fourth of July

From time to time, I like to check out what other fitness and health professionals are posting on their blogs regarding specific holidays, so I did a search for health tips for the Fourth of July.  What I mostly found was fitness pros sharing a list of rules that had very little to do with fun and more to do with restricting behavior and dieting.  Ugh!

The whole point of celebrating a holiday is to have a good time and participate in the festivities. That usually includes eating foods that are traditionally served on that specific holiday.  It’s something we look forward to and it’s a wonderful way to bring people together.

It also includes a change in routine.  It’s possible that you may skip your normal exercise routine that day and that’s totally ok and normal.

What’s not ok is feeling guilty because you skipped your workout, drank a mimosa before noon, and ate three helpings of Aunt Sue’s famous potato salad or something similar.  I’m sure you are getting the picture.  We all like to celebrate differently. 🙂

I’m not suggesting complete gluttony and I think it’s a good idea to move throughout the day.  However, it’s important that you celebrate the way you, your family, and your friends choose to.

Take the pressure off of yourself and have fun.  It’s totally possible to do healthy “nonrestrictive” things for yourself while you celebrate.

Here are five simple ideas:

Buy quality ingredients.  No matter what recipes you decide to follow or food you choose to serve, buy whole foods and quality processed foods.

Move because it’s fun and feels good.  Sitting around all day can make your body stiff and make you feel sluggish.  Activities like hiking, flag football, bocce ball, horse shoes, swimming, and marching in a parade are all fun ways to stay active without it feeling like a chore.

Spend time being grateful.  Take a moment to be thankful that we live in one of the best places in the world.  This great nation allows us to pursue life, liberty, and happiness each and every day.  For that, I am truly grateful!

Laugh.  Laughter is good medicine and helps relieve stress.

Stay hydrated.  Drink plenty of water and eat hydrating fruits and veggies like celery and watermelon.  Staying hydrated helps your metabolism function at it’s best.

This Fourth of July, I encourage you to “declare your independence” from the restrictive side of the fitness and diet industry.  Eat foods that you enjoy and agree with your body, and choose exercise you like.

Have a happy, healthy, and safe holiday.

God bless you and America!

Shared with love,

Jennifer

Photo above is courtesy of:   Stephanie McCabe on Unsplash