Finding your foodstyle

When it comes to fitness, it’s not just about exercise. We all know we have to “eat right” in order to see the changes we want to make in ourselves. The question is, what does it mean to “eat right?” Is there really only one right way to eat?

The answer is no. There is no one set way to eat that is right and all others are wrong. There is, however, a right way to eat for your own personal body and lifestyle, and it’s up to you to figure out what works best for you.

For me, what works best for me to feel healthy and keep fit is being vegan (eating no animal products including meats, cheeses, eggs and other dairy products), avoiding high fat oils, sauces and additives, eating mostly fresh or frozen produce, and steaming or oven baking most of my foods. I also have some non-negotiables in my diet that I will not budge on: low calorie mini blueberry crumb pies, breads, and melon. They make me happy and they aren’t too horrible for me, so I will eat them.

I have found a balance and it works best for me, inside and out, but it certainly won’t work for everyone. You have to find what foods make you feel better on the inside and which foods to avoid in order to stay healthy and keep in shape. If eating only whole grains and avoiding sugar altogether works best for you, that’s great. There are plenty of natural no-calorie sweetener substitutes now that Stevia is on the mass market, and almost every food now has a whole grain version. If eating meals that consist of lean proteins and greens, avoiding many processed carbohydrates is what helps keep your weight at your desired level, then by all means eat this way. It’s all about finding out what your body needs to function at its best.

When you have your new nutrition lifestyle down, the next step is to balance it with the rest of your life. Do the foods that work best for you fit in your life? If you’re a mom or dad with a full house, can you find foods that are easy and fast to cook that are also nutritious a delicious enough to serve to the whole family? If you’re a busy college student or working professional, you may eat out and get take out all the time. Can you find the foods you need on the go? These are important things to consider, and the best way to figure this out is to ask questions, check menus, research recipes and try new things.

There is no book, no formula, no secret of the trade that will tell you what this is. You simply have to try new things, change things up a little at a time and figure out what combination your body responds best to. And once you have it, don’t forget to treat yourself every now and again. It’s not a failure, it’s not falling off the wagon and it’s not giving up completely if you have a slice of cake or a chocolate covered strawberry. It’s human. It’s delicious. And it’s okay! Just don’t do it all the time. ;)

Dance Floor Fitness

Burning calories I mean. This is gonna be a short entry because I just wanted to tell all my readers and fans out there something that should make you all smile.

On the dance floor at a club, whether you're a frequent at a night like Blue Monday or a top 40 dance party, you can be burning up to 1000 calories all night long! It's equivalent to taking zumba class! If you only take short breaks off the dance floor for water every song or so, you may burn between 300 and 600 calories per hour! (Actual amount of calories burned depends on individual weight and intensity of dancing).

So go out, enjoy yourselves and dance the night away! You'll sweat off some pounds without even realizing it!

Changes are greater than a number

I can feel my body change, get stronger. I can feel my body tighten up and I can see my muscles growing, my skin firming. I can see these changes right before my very eyes...

So why am I so concerned about how much the scale says I weigh?

Technically, I'm "putting on weight." SCARY!!!

But when I really think about it, it isn't scary at all. In fact its a really good sign that I'm gaining pounds because that means that I'm working out hard enough to build muscle!! I should be ecstatic to see the numbers climb!

But I still have that anxiety that we feel when we see our body "get larger" in any form. So today I want to share my feelings and resolutions with you all, whom I'm sure have felt this way at one time or another when you start working out and weight training. It feels like this:
"I'm working out so hard!! How am I still gaining weight??!?!?"

But it isn't like that. It's not that you're gaining weight. Your body is changing. It is morphing into a well oiled machine of muscle and strength. You are gaining power and losing weakness. You are building a core instead of letting it all hang loose. This weight, is good weight.

I have started to see these changes in the last two weeks, ever since I started taking weight training and other exercise classes at my gym. It's incredible, the changes I am seeing in the mirror. But what's more amazing is the change I can feel. I can lift things that used to be too heavy for me (like carrying a 25lb bag of cat litter up three flights of stairs at my apt), I can work through an hour of hardcore ballet training and go straight into my next class without my legs feeling weak, and I have more energy than I ever have.

It's the best thing I've ever done... short of marrying David, of course... >.> lol

Don't be afraid to gain weight if it's the right kind of gain. Gain strength. Gain muscle. Gain power. And lose your dependence on that number. It really is just a number and it really is what's inside that matters.