Category: Healthy Eating

The Backbone of a Successful Weight Loss Plan

Successful Weight Loss PlanIt’s no secret that diet and exercise are two of the most important things you can maintain when it comes to losing weight and keeping it off for good.  The formula is simple but, for some, can be hard to maintain.

After twenty seven years in the fitness industry I’ve learned that one of the number one reasons people have trouble losing weight is a lack of consistency.  The reasons that cause people to be inconsistent can vary.  One of the more common reasons is a lack of structure with their time.  Time is fluid and will always find a place to go.  So if it’s not assigned to the tasks that help you reach your goals, it can slip away from you quickly, making it very difficult to add something new like exercise and/or meal planning.

In today’s four minute video I share how structure combined with consistency can help you lose weight.  I also offer valuable tips on how to organize your time and create more structure in your week.

the backbone of a Successful Weight Loss Plan

Structure and consistency are the backbone of a successful weight loss plan and any other goals you’ve set in your life.  When you organize your time and stay consistent with the tasks that get you closer to the finish line, you’ll be amazed at how much you can achieve.

Here’s to a happy, healthy, and productive week!

Shared with love,
Jennifer Ledford

Why Variety In Your Diet Matters When It Comes To Your Health

Healthy Delight

It seems like every month there’s a new “it” food that’s being promoted in the marketplace for health purposes.  While the food being promoted is usually full of potential health benefits,  there is no such thing as one “halo food” that will solve all of our health and/or weight issues.

When it comes to connecting food and your health, diversity is important.  Each nutrient contributes to the overall function of your body and if one nutrient is missing, it doesn’t function  as well as it could.

It’s easy to get into a routine eating the same foods often.  Things like busy schedules and taste preferences can be a factor.  However, minimal food variation can cause you to miss out on some important nutrients that your body needs to help you age gracefully and combat disease.  The key to a balanced diet is eating a wide variety of fruits and vegetables combined with good protein, carbohydrates, and healthy fats.

When adding variety to your diet, try choosing recipes that include multiple fruits and vegetables as well as interesting spices all in the same dish.  Make a side salad to go with the meal.  The more color on your plate, the better.  The colors of plants contain anti-inflammatory and antioxidant compounds that can help boost the immune system and protect against oxidative stress.  Spices used in small quantities can play an important role in boosting your immune system as well.

Nutritional experts recommend that we eat five to nine servings of fruits and vegetables per day.  The majority of adult Americans eat less than two of each daily.  That statistic reveals that most people could be increasing their consumption of fruits and vegetables considerably.

Adding more fruits, veggies, and  interesting spices to your diet is one of the best ways to add more variety to your plate and increase the nutritional value of a meal.

Here are some examples of foods that offer not just variety but great health benefits:

  • Tomatoes, watermelon, carrots, mangoes, lemons, pineapple, broccoli, arugula, blueberries, plums, grapes, blackberries, garlic, and onions are all fruits and vegetables that are known to have protective and healing qualities.
  • Arugula, watercress, and kale all contain a phytonutrient that suppresses cancer-cell growth.
  • Spinach, asparagus, beets, lentils, and fish have B vitamins essential to the repair of DNA.
  • Yellowfin tuna, sardines, sunflower seeds, mushrooms, sauerkraut, pickled beets (raw unpasteurized), turmeric, star anise, and fennel seed are all foods that can help stimulate and protect the immune system.

If meal planning is new for you and your spice rack is pretty basic then start with one new recipe per week.  Stick to the simpler recipes in the beginning and I recommend you avoid picking anything that takes longer than thirty minutes on your busier days.  Over time you will build up a collection of nutrient-dense recipes and a diverse spice rack.  When I sit down and lay out our family’s weekly meal plan, I’ll mix things up by choosing different cuisines like Italian, French, American, Indian, Moroccan, Chinese, Vietnamese, Mexican, Spanish, and Thai.  Any recipe that goes over as a big hit is saved and if it wasn’t popular, it doesn’t get repeated.

Eating healthy doesn’t guarantee that you’ll have perfect health; however, I believe you are better equipped to fight off disease and maintain your weight when you do.  I also believe that balance is very important so make sure you are enjoying the foods you eat and having fun.  Self control is a good thing, an overly restrictive diet that causes stress in your life is not.  Balance is always important when it comes to long-term success.

To your health!
Jennifer Ledford

 

Why I Don’t Seek Approval From Others Regarding My Weight

Why I Don't Seek Approval From Others Regarding My Weight - 2015-03-15 13.51.25

When I was nineteen years old I went to the doctor for a routine check up and when the nurse weighed me, I discovered I was thirty pounds overweight.  After receiving the news, I decided to join a gym and started taking exercise classes.  What’s interesting is I never looked at myself negatively at the time.  I simple realized that I had gained more weight than I needed and should do something about it.

I have a background in ice skating, ballet, and cheerleading so being active was nothing new for me.  After taking a few classes, I quickly realized that the fitness industry was something I wanted to participate in and started teaching group exercise classes.

It was over the next few years that I began to fall prey to an obsession with weight and my looks. I experimented with bland diets and trained hard six days per week.  I shrunk down to a size zero and became obsessed with being skinny and having a perfectly flat abdomen.  People were impressed with my tiny yet muscular physique and I was constantly complimented for it.  Life was good!  Until I crashed.

I became depressed, my body was in pain, and my hormonal system was going haywire.  It turns out that I had been overtraining and God didn’t design me to be a size zero.   The road to recovery physically was a combination of light exercise (twenty minute walks with my dogs) combined with proper rest, and a much more balanced diet that included way more fat than I had been consuming.

Part of my recovery was to gain weight.  Here’s where the emotional healing came into the picture.  Believe it or not gaining weight can be way harder mentally than losing weight.  When you’ve placed a lot of your self worth on your looks, gaining weight for your health can be a scary proposition.  Ask anyone who has overcome an eating disorder.  I had to stop caring what the magazines and even some of the women in my own family said about how I should look and discover what my natural body weight really was.  It turns out I’m pretty curvy.

By the grace of God I was able to overcome my issues with self image and I’m very comfortable in my own skin today but it wasn’t always easy.  I no longer exercise and eat based on the approval of the diet and fitness industry.  I focus on looking my own personal best.  Eating healthy and taking care of my body to maintain an active and fun lifestyle has become the priority.  Being there for my husband and four dogs in a vibrant manner is more important to me than the number on the tag inside my jeans.

When I look back and ask myself who it was all for, I realize that I was searching for the approval of others.  It was a combination of strangers, the fitness industry, and – this one’s a kicker – people that had their own image issues they were struggling with.  Don’t ever let someone that has their own self-esteem issues coach you on how you should view your self worth.  Love them, but be careful what you take in.

I believe we have a responsibility to take care of ourselves in a healthy way and look our best.  However, I don’t believe in crazy dieting that is restrictive and leaves you hungry.  Or exercising to the point of discomfort just to fit in and be accepted by a certain percentage of our society.  Bodies really do come in all shapes and sizes and exercise and diet is extremely personal.

Whether you’ve been on a health and fitness journey for some time now or you’re just getting started, it’s important that you’re motivated by the right reasons.   It’s completely normal to want to feel good about how your clothes fit, look your best for your spouse, or get in shape so you can play with your kids.  But, if you’re torturing and/or harming yourself just to gain the approval of those around you, I encourage you to take a step back and reevaluate.  Doing whatever it takes to be camera-ready is a lot of pressure for a model or an actor and they are getting paid for it.  Why take on that stress when you aren’t even getting paid?

We all have a responsibility to look and be the best we can be.  I believe becoming strong and  lean is a healthy goal as long as reaching your ideal physique doesn’t require unhealthy diets or overtraining your body to the point of a potential injury.  I encourage you to design a healthy lifestyle you can sustain and keep it fun.

Bodies will age and our looks will change; that doesn’t mean you can’t age with grace.  I want that for you and I’m here to help you do it.  It just means we should focus on shining as brightly on the inside as we do on the outside.

I believe 2016 is going to be a phenomenal year.  I pray it’s your most successful year yet in every area of your life.

Shared with love,
Jennifer Ledford