50 Weeks to a Happier Healthier You - One Small Step Each Week

New Years resolutions can be exciting & overwhelming. Whether it's lose 50 lbs, eat better, go to the gym more, less this, stop that, go here... Breaking things down into smaller easier things can often be a more ideal way for people to stick with their goals long term.

Here are 50 small things you can do, one per week, to help better your health and life. Some things may be easier than other, so I'm breaking them down into groups of 5 that you can choose which one you want to do first - just be sure to do them all before going to the next group.

Step 1: Make room for good things to come
1. Clean your bedroom. You'll be surprised how much more clearer & organized you'll feel to start.
2. Go through your pantry and remove any expired foods.
3. Check your closet. Be honest and get rid of anything you haven't worn in a year or not planning to wear in the next year. Saving one special occasion outfit outside of these parameters is okay.
4. Pick that one corner, room, other closet or huge box you've been dreading to tackle, and then tackle it. Get it over with!
5. We all have one more place that needs a cleaning: bathroom, car, other closet. Pick one and be done!

Step 2: Trim the Fat
6. Donate everything you have left from Step 1. There are many MANY other people out there that can put to use the things you are not.
7. Check your food labels & get rid of the things no one should have: trans fats & aspartame.
8. Get a large water bottle for daily use: 32oz is great, 64oz is what you'll need in a day, and 20oz should be the minimum smallest size.
9. Find or make a playlist (iTunes, Pandora, Spotify, cassette tapes, whatever) that will help you relax after a stressful day.
10. Take just 1 minute each day this week to remind yourself of all the things you've accomplished so far, and all the things you will continue to accomplish this year.

Step 3: Add some eats
11. Add or eat 1 piece of fruit each morning during your work week. Apples and bananas are convenient. Berries are yummy & full of antioxidants. Melons & cantaloupes have a very high water content and usually the least calories.
12. Find a vegetable you would like to add or eat more consistently in your diet, and figure out a couple ways to prepare it that you like (raw, grilled, slow cooked, baked, with pepper? olive oil?)
13. Think of an easy, healthy, go-to snack (less than 150 cals) that you can keep in your car or desk at work whenever hunger strikes that can save you from making poor drive-thru or vending machine choices. This could be a handful of nuts, trail mix, dried fruit or a fiber bar.
14. Remember that water bottle you got in Step 2? Use it daily. I like to freeze half of it overnight & fill the rest up in the morning to have cold water all day. Add some fruit or lemon juice if you like.
15. If you choose to have dessert on occasion, find a healthy alternative option. My favorites are frozen Greek Yogurt bars, Soy or coconut milk desserts, and sorbets. Enjoy most of these guilt-free desserts at less than 100 calories.

Step 4: Get Connected
16. Sign up for MyFitnessPal: www.myfitnesspal.com
17. Talk with a friend or family member that has had success in reaching their health or fitness goals.
18. Find a health or fitness website that interests you.
19. Sign up for daily emails for tips and ideas from an online magazine that interests you.
20. Download a free exercise app for your phone.

Step 5: Put Your Connections to Use
21. Try logging your food every day for a week in MyFitnessPal
22. Find a friend, family member, coworker or classmate to engage in some form of exercise with. This can be as simple as a single 30 minute walk.
23. Find a healthy recipe online that you'd like to create this week.
24. Think of an inspirational quote for your week.
25. Do an exercise from one of the apps you downloaded on your phone.

Step 6: Review & Reinforce
26. Look what you did in Step 1. Redo anything that needs to be reinforced.
27. Look what you did in Step 2. Redo anything that needs to be reinforced.
28. Look what you did in Step 3. Redo anything that needs to be reinforced.
29.  Look what you did in Step 4. Redo anything that needs to be reinforced.
30. Look what you did in Step 5. Redo anything that needs to be reinforced.

Step 7: Substitute
31. Replace 1 non-water drink during your day with water or unsweetened tea.
32. Replace cow's milk with almond, rice, or organic soy milk.
33. If you drink alcohol, have a glass of red wine this week instead.
34. Replace all white sugar in your house with stevia.
35. Replace all processed white pasta in your house with whole wheat, organic rice, quinoa, or vegetable pasta.

Step 8: Move
36. Walk 10 minutes 5 days this week.
37. Do 20 squats or 20 lunges once a day for 5 days this week.
38. Find a 10 minute YouTube video of Pilates or Yoga to end your day with.
39. Try a 20 second plank. Try to increase your hold time by 5 seconds each day for 5 days.
40. Find a 5 minute arm workout online and do it.

Step 9: Daily Life
41. Get a planner (paper or online.)
42. Make a grocery list for the week. Only purchase and eat things from that list.
43. Schedule a 30 minute time, 5 days this week in your planner where you will do some form of exercise.
44. Drink a minimum of 64 ounces of water per day.
45. Eat a fruit of vegetable with every meal.

Step 10: Last steps
46: Designate 1 cheat day a week for your meals. Follow your healthy habits the other 6 days of the week.
47: Pledge to not put knowingly harmful ingredients into your body (aspartame, BHT, trans-fat, etc.)
48: Get a minimum of 60 minutes of strength training per week.
49. Find a workout buddy or consistent fitness motivatior.
50. Do something nice for yourself this week. You earned it!

Top 5 Things That Keep Me Full

I've been on another level of constantly hungry the past couple of weeks, and if I didn't know myself I'd think I was pregnant or a 16 year old stoner. I've easily been eating 25% more a day than I normally do and it's driving me crazy, wondering if my body is trying to store up for the winter like a bear, or my metabolism suddenly had a spike increase out of nowhere. The bear theory is probably more likely.

350 more calories a day is a whole sixth meal - a large one - added on to my already 5 meals a day. On my small 5'2" frame, that can lead to extra unwanted fluffiness real quickly. Continuing to track my food in MyFitnessPal I tried upping my protein to 40%, which is high for me, to try & reduce my hunger. No such luck. On to things that help fill me up...

1. Egg Whites
Or rather, egg white scrambles that I make with mozzarella cheese and tomatoes. Egg whites have a lot of protein in them, but none of the fat, so I can eat a very large plate for only about 200 calories, fixings included.

2. Quest Bars
My favorite clean cheat snack. With 20 grams of protein and 17 grams of fiber with a great variety of yummy flavors, it's no wonder I buy these things by the box.

3. Soup (tomato or broth based)
This almost slipped my mind until tonight, when I yet again was staring into my fridge 15 minutes after I finished eating. I started making my own soup in the beginning of this year and really like it - it's chicken broth based with lots of veggies. I'll share the recipe later this week. Or, Trader Joe's Roasted Red Pepper & Tomato Soup is delicious at only 100 calories per cup. I like to have two cups and sprinkle a little parmesean on top. Sometimes the consistency is a little thick for my preference, like tonight, so I just add water over the stove.

4. Pasta or Quinoa
One of the things that is way too easy for me to eat excessively, but I do measure it out in moderation. I usually consume about 1&1/2 servings, equivalent to about 300 calories, and it's a great inexpensive & versatile option. Sometimes people say it's preferred not to have carbs like these at night, but once or twice a week it makes for a really satisfying dinner. I make my own pasta sauce usually too, which is awesome.

 5. Chicken
The only meat I regularly purchase at a store. I used to not eat meat (or many animal foods) for quite awhile. I began eating more early 2013 as I introduced more protein in my diet, and I took the easy way out by adding in more animal foods, like chicken, Greek yogurt, and eggs. I usually consume about 5 ounces, which is equal to about 150 calories at a time.





I will definitely be making soup tomorrow night. The tomato soup was very satisfying this evening.

Have a great week!

~Samantha Marie

End of EAT ME Week, Start of...?

I hope you all enjoyed EAT ME week & that some of you are a lot less afraid to eat more food, and hopefully got some new ideas on what to pick up the next time you're at the grocery store. My current goals are to have at least 25-30 grams of fiber per day, eat at 30% lean protein, 25% healthy fats, and 40% complex carbohydrates. I perceive 40% carbs being rather low, but it's also rather difficult for me to hit that target usually. If you get the vast majority (probably 90%+) of your carb ratio from vegetables, with some fruit & whole grain thrown in, it adds up relatively low. The quality fats & protein I consume helps keep me full and I don't have much of a desire to eat simple carbs. Spacing meals out and getting top-notch nutrients helps a lot with that.

Some changes are happening this week for me and my blog here. October is starting in just a couple days here and I will 1) be on the hunt for a Halloween costume tomorrow, and 2) the gym that I work at is starting a $1.7 million dollar renovation that I've been waiting on since I transferred to this location in January. The Halloween costume I want to look cute in, but my gym will be undergoing upgrades for the next two months. Although it will technically still be open, the showers will not be available and there will be limited changing space. I will still be doing most of my strength training at work, but it's time to put together a solid home-gym workout plan that includes body weight exercises, cardio, and some consistent Pilates. I really love Pilates and will look at this time to take advantage of some of the things I've been wanting to do at home.

Make a home gym with me! I'll give you some ideas, but encourage you to hunt for different things as well that you may find interested. If you're wondering where exactly to even begin, a couple pairs of dumbbells and a resistance band is a good start. A Bosu ball (it looks like Saturn got cut in half) and a stability ball (also called a Swiss ball, those very big gym ones) are two other great options. Pick out a few DVDs and let's play!

EAT ME Week: Day 4: Let's Get Fat!

Today is a tribute to healthy fats!

Healthy fats are amazing & full of so many good things you should be putting into your body. Fats are NOT created equal. Trans fats you should pretty much never put into your body. Monounsaturated fats however, you should definitely be making room for them in your daily life. I'm not going to save the best for last, I'm going to start with it. Ladies & gentlemen, may I reintroduce you to the Avocado:

Avocados are one of nature's most perfect foods. Not only are they a top-choice healthy monounsaturated fat, they are loaded with fiber and potassium (more than a banana!), have B vitamins (metabolism) and vitamin c. If you're like most humans, you love guacamole - Make your own fresh & fall in love all over again. I like using half an avocado in my salads. Studies have also shown that people who do eat 1/2 to a whole avocado during a meal have increased extended satiety, which means it keeps  you fuller longer and consume less calories over the next 4-6 hours than those who went sans 'cado. They are also good for your heart and decrease inflammation. They also offer a great replacement to mayonnaise in your sandwiches. Some people also use them in making smoothies and chocolate fudge!

Double your nutrient power by having some of these healthy fats that also contain Omega-3s:
Salmon
Chia Seed
Flax Seed
Tuna

Don't forget nuts: Almonds, Peanuts, Cashews, Pistachios, Walnuts and Pecans are all good choices. Mix it up!

Instead of butter, try using coconut oil instead. This is great not just for breads, but also in basic cooking, even coating your pan. Coconut oil is a saturated fat, which means it is solid in room temperature. This is normally a negative thing when in reference to saturated fats found in meat, but not with coconut oil. Coconut oil is also a great medium to mix other essentials oils with and has anti-bacterial properties.

Olives & olive oil are good as well.

Now that you are hopefully less scared of fats & you plan on making room for them in your next meal planning day, I will remind you that yes, fat does have calories and a significant amount of them. It would be great if we could all eat four avocados a day, or drown everything with half a cup of olive oil, but alas, it does not work that way. An avocado a day is great, mixing your own olive oil & balsamic vinegar for dressing is great, and a handful of nuts as a mid-afternoon snack is also great. Healthy fats have so many added benefits that you really should value them for all their worth like an investment in your body.

Now, let's have some guac!

:)

~ Samantha

EAT ME Week: Day 3

PROTEIN!

I am going to extend my right to bias on my personal blog & talk more about vegetarian sources of protein, but will still include a few top options for all the carnivores out there.

Two of the best reasons why you should be focusing on protein in your diet if you are losing weight is 1) it helps keep you full, and 2) it helps maintain your muscle mass, so you lose more fat instead of muscle.

My Top 5 Vegan Sources of Protein:
Pinto Beans
Quinoa
Peanut Butter
Chia Seeds
Organic Soy (in soy milk, tofu, etc.)


Here is a list of great complete vegetarian proteins, from Greatist: http://greatist.com/health/complete-vegetarian-proteins





My Top 5 Non-Vegan Sources of Protein:
Greek Yogurt
Eggs/ Egg Whites
Chicken
Tuna
Whey Protein Supplements (powder, bars)

As a bonus, I will add my favorite food: Cheese!

Other Great Sources of Protein:
Spirulina (read about it!)
Salmon
Hemp Seed
Turkey
Nuts (Peanuts, Almonds & Pistachios are high in protein)
Tempeh
Cottage Cheese
Peas

Have you heard me talk about alkaline foods? Here is something to put in a little perspective the next time you go to the grocery store:

 

Enjoy! :)

~Samantha

EAT ME Week: Day 2

FIBER!

Yes. Eat more of it. 80% of you do not get anywhere near your recommended daily amount. For females, you should be consuming AT LEAST 25-30 grams of fiber a day, and males at least 35 grams. Don't stop there though - aim for 50+! Fiber helps keep you fuller longer, helps stabilize blood sugar, lower cholesterol and blood pressure, and keeps your food digesting regularly through your system.

Some of my favorite ways to get more fiber in my diet are beans, avocados, edamame, and leafy greens like spinach and kale. Eat fruits & veggies WHOLE - instead of just the juice. The pulp is what has the fiber and keeps your blood sugar steady when eating carbohydrates. For the love of god, eat your carbs! The good, natural amazing nutrient-rich source that is complex carbohydrates will do your body amazing whether you are trying to lose weight or just be healthy. Here is a handy-dandy info-graphic I stole from one of my Pinterest boards

My favorite "cheating" ways to get more fiber in? High fiber cereals (watch for added sugar), high fiber bread (whole grains, minimally processed) and fiber bars (watch for sugar content again.) I'm also a huge fan of Quest bars, which are usually about 17 grams of fiber & 20 grams of protein! You can also throw in Chia or Flax seeds into salads or smoothies for an added boost! Both are also high in Omega-3s! Double boost!

Check out easy ways to get more fiber, via SparkPeople: http://www.sparkpeople.com/resource/nutrition_articles.asp?id=442#_a5y_p=1976719

EAT ME Week: Day 1

Let us take a week to celebrate the awesomeness that is food.
Over the next 5 days, we will highlight a group of amazing foods you should plan to put into your body as soon as possible.

Today we will start with anti-inflammatory & antioxidants!
Antioxidants are in foods that help destroy free radicals. Antioxidants are believed to play a role in helping to fight and prevent cancer, heart disease, Alzheimer’s disease, and other chronic conditions. They are even used in many skincare ingredients and treatments to help promote healthy and younger looking skin!

Anti-inflammatory foods is what seriously everyone's daily eating habits should be focused on consuming. These foods help ward off, protect and overcome many illnesses & diseases such as heart disease, cancer, diabetes & osteoporosis.  A vast majority of these types of food are alkaline - which is imperative to maintain a healthy pH balance within the body. Bonus: They can make you look & feel younger too!

Here's a top 10 list to take with you to the grocery store:

Virtually any kind of berry: Raspberries, Blueberries, goji berries...
Avocado
Spinach
Chia & Flax seeds
Red peppers (bell & cayenne)
Garlic, Onion & Ginger
Green & White Tea
Nuts
Cucumbers & Celery
 Lemons & Lemon Juice

Eat Good Food First

Where did the past two weeks go? Oh yes... I was scrambling to get a good grade in my Intro to Dietetics class, and my wonderful mother came to visit me from Oregon. My first real available day off, I slept until about 3pm.

Catching up on emails and articles of the past month as 5 o'clock rolls around, I come across "The Top 20 Foods You Should Be Eating." There are SO many foods we should be eating, how on earth do we eat them all? Or if you're one of the people in 2/3rds of America's population that are trying to lose weight, myself included, you wonder how you're supposed to eat and lose weight at the same time.

I tried many different experiments on myself when I began to eat more healthy and lose weight a couple years ago, but only a few things stuck. A couple of new things that I had to force myself to try ended up being so second nature to me that I hadn't really thought of them much anymore. Sometimes after a long time though, old habits sneak back in without you realizing, and then you get reminded of that simple thing that helped you a great deal in the first place.

Food is awesome. Even crappy food is awesome. How many of us would gladly eat three times as much as we do now if it meant we would still be healthy and not gain weight? Heck, I even keep eating after I'm already full, which we all know is a big no-no. I'm human just like everyone else, continuously working on fixing my flaws.

Eat good food first.
Let's go a little deeper in to this. It's more than just trying to eat healthy (or eating less if that is your healthy goal.) We have recommended daily values, and they differ depending on who we are. Instead of focusing on what you "can't" eat, focus on what you should be eating enough of, and eat those first. For myself, this includes having a goal of 30+ grams of fiber a day, and making sure I get enough of my micro-nutrients like calcium, iron, and vitamins, and macro nutrients like 100 grams of protein a day (your needs may be higher or lower.)

The point of this goal is: Try to get into your body what you already need for that day. When dinner time (or after dinner time) comes around & you see you're low on fat for the day, or carbs, it's totally fine & acceptable to have some extra cheese or glass of wine. Get in what you need first, and if you need help figuring out what that is & how to track it: www.myfitnesspal.com

Stay healthy, my friends!

~Samantha

Dinner in Under 350 Calories!

I have a mini-vacation coming up in a few weeks which includes me wearing a bikini in public for a good majority of the time. Cue me keeping an even closer eye on what I eat & how much of it!

Dinner tonight in under 350 calories: 

Baked Teriyaki tofu, penne pasta with lemon garlic shrimp, tomatoes & Parmesan and sautéed spinach. 

 

Here's all that's in it (special thanks to MyFitnessPal as always for the detailed food database):

• 1/4 block organic firm tofu
• 1 TBS teriyaki Sauce
• 8 medium shrimp
• 1/3rd cup organic brown rice penne pasta
• 1/2 cup cherry tomatoes
• 1/2tsp olive oil
• 2tsp balsamic vinegar
• 2 cups spinach
• 1/4 cup lemon juice
• 1tbs crushed garlic
• 2tbs Parmesan cheese
• basil & ground pepper

Total: 335 Calories, 26g protein, 22g carbs, 12g fat, 2g of fiber & just 390mg of sodium.

*Please note: I eat about 5 times a day, with dinner usually being my largest as the rest are about 250-300 calories.  I do not support eating under a healthy amount.

Welcome to My First Official Blog Post!

Let me start by introducing myself.

I was born & raised the first 25 years of my life in South San Francisco. Yes, South San Francisco is not in San Francisco, it is south of it. I used to say I do everything in San Francisco except sleep, but now I am official resident of one of the most fabulous cities in the world.

I started dancing when I was 3 and trained heavily in tap, jazz, ballet, lyrical (my fav!), hip hop, Afro-hatian, modern and character dance all through my grown up years. By the time I was in high school I was choreographing my own competitions - some even against my teachers - and teaching for my peers. My life and world revolved around music & dance to the extent that I could never see my reality outside of it. The happiest moments of my life have been seeing a production come together, and having this vision you saw in your head & hoped you could make it real actually become real. It's definitely still at the core of my heart to this day, but life has a way of turning your world upside down, doesn't it?

Fast forward a few years into my 20's and doctors started putting me on pills for anything that was wrong with me. (That's what they were supposed to do, right?) I had struggled with depression since I was in junior high, but I developed an anxiety disorder that felt like it came out of nowhere, and things went pretty downhill after that. Within a few years I was having some major heart issues and was in the ER about a dozen times. I couldn't work, I couldn't dance, I couldn't do anything and I really felt like I lost everything I had in life at that point. I was getting worse & doctors wanted to put me on more pills & I just wanted it all to stop. I really believed in nutrition and I wanted to try & fix myself naturally. I had studied a bit previously, but by no means was I an expert. Around this time I also lost my home, as being a freelance makeup artist was not enough to make ends meet forever. I'm not sure how I mentally got through all that, but I think that's something I'm learning about myself in time. Something had to change, and in 2012 I began the year-long process of getting myself off prescription medication, and getting myself healthy enough to get out of bed & be active.

From being a hardcore ballerina, I wanted to jump right in to being active once my heart was officially okay to do so in January of 2013. By that I mean I overcame tachycardia (where your heart rate is never below 100bpm) and lowered my blood pressure from 150/100 to 117/78. What did I decide to do? The Insanity home workouts, of course! Well that was obviously not a good idea for someone who's arms would hurt from moving a laptop, but hey, we learn. After a couple of weeks learning how to pace myself, I was getting good progress. I was also consistently tracking my food & nutrients in MyFitnessPal - which I encourage everyone & their mama to use. Food is medicine - that is the truth. I was eating so amazingly right for my body that I felt - and still continue to feel - better than I ever had in my whole life. I have more energy than I did when I was a teenager or in my 20's, and get this - I'm HAPPY! No, I don't have everything in the world or a lot of "things", but I feel actual pure happiness. That is something I never had before. I tried, I wanted it, I faked it a lot, but between good food & vitamins, I now have it.

In a matter of months I decided to finish getting my Personal Fitness Trainer Certification, because I wanted to help people not have to go through the things I went through. I want people to have the right tools & education to help themselves and not feel like a pharmaceutical is the only answer. I want people to be healthy and happy! Of course, I am continuing to further my education in nutrition and looking forward to being all nerdy excited about food. 

So here we are - Natural Beauty and Body! Feel good, look great, eat wonderful, exercise awesome, better yourself and your world around you.

This journey is going to be filled with easy healthy recipes, fitness tips, home and gym workouts, nutrition information, beauty info and tutorials, natural remedies and mindful things to be aware of for our planet. We're also going to have fun and feel amazing!

Thank you anyone who took the time to read my first post. I look forward to taking our exciting journey together. :)

Sincerely,

Samantha Marie