The Health Essential Benefits of Leisure Time

Erica Mesirov Food Coach http://www.ericamesirov.com

Want to do something super supportive of good health?  What if I told you there was something you could do that involves no deprivation and would not only make you feel wonderful but also improve your health?  “Sign me up right now!”, you scream!  Ok, great!  I want you to close your e-mail, hide your smartphone, put your textbooks away, get someone to watch the kids and….

You still with me?  Great because this is the good part.

I want you to take some time each day to unwind and relax.  This could mean lighting candles, taking a bath, journaling, meditating, reading a book or whatever else allows you to center yourself and de-stress.

Hello?  HELLO?  Is anybody there?

Gosh, why when I mention taking a little time each day for down-time does everybody leave the room?  Relaxation has gotten a bad rap these days.  It is often equated with being slothful, selfish, lazy and worse.  Leisure time is as vital to your health and well being as eating vegetables, running on the treadmill or reducing sweets!

What happens if you decide not to charge your smartphone?  It eventually dies right?  And your computer?  I bet when you don’t use it after a certain amount of time, it eventually goes into sleep mode.  What about the electricity in your house?  I imagine you don’t run every high powered electric device at once or you will soon be in the basement looking for the fuse box.

We realize our electronics have limits, but we refuse to believe that our bodies do too.  Running non-stop elevates our stress hormones.  We can exist without outward repercussion for a period of time in this inflamed, elevated state.  This fools us into thinking that there isn’t a negative consequence to this lifestyle.  We tell ourselves, we are fine, we feel fine and even though we are teetering on the brink, we don’t yet have tangible signals of the combustive tension building up in our internal organs.

Then one day it happens.  We get a small sign that something is amiss.  Maybe we gain 10 pounds, maybe we have trouble falling asleep, or perhaps we have a little indigestion.  The imbalance and inflammation in our bodies is trying to give us a clue…which unfortunately we don’t have time for because we have a deadline.  Skip ahead about five years, and now we’ve gained fifty pounds, or gone weeks without a good nights sleep or have full blown IBS.   And all these negative side affects of too much stress feeds back into the inflammation and hormonal imbalance that is making us feel crappy in the first place.

Taking leisure time isn’t a luxury.  It is an essential piece of the health and weight-loss puzzle.  Constant pressure and stress is as toxic to our bodies as eating at McDonalds on a daily basis. 

Not convinced?  Here are some added benefits of leisure time.  It allows your clients to have the best and most capable you.  It allows you to work faster in the office.  It makes you more cheerful and patient at home.  It will make you healthier and potentially allow you to live longer to be with everyone who cares about you.

Yes, there are situations like being a single parent that make finding time for you much more demanding.  Take whatever time you can.  If you can only find 10 minutes at a time, that will have to work for the moment.  Just make sure to find it. 

The crazy thing is, after you try it, you might actually find you like it.  So what do you do daily to relax?

The Real Skinny on Going Gluten-Free

So, the world is a-buzz with conversations about going gluten free these days.  Does a gluten-free diet equal a healthy diet?  Is this just a fad like low-carb or low-fat?  Will going gluten-free benefit me?  Good questions!  Here I answer some of your top questions about gluten-free diets!

1) Isn’t this just a fad?  If gluten were a problem, people would have been suffering from this for 1000s of years and yet I just heard of this a few years ago.   Well, it makes sense you are confused. But let me ask you a question.  When your grandparents were little kids, did they eat food bought in a box and warmed up in a microwave, or were most of their meals cooked fresh from whole foods?  Look around your local supermarket.  The only places we see fresh whole foods these days are in the periphery of the market like in the fruit and vegetable section.  The rest of our food is bought in cans, bottles, boxes, frozen etc.  Do you know what helps give these processed foods their texture?  Gluten!  For the first time in history gluten has been separated from the grain and is being artificially added to almost everything we eat. This is why we are one of the first generations to be suffering from the effects of gluten.

2) If I choose options that are gluten-free, that means I’m eating healthy, right?  I hate to disappoint you, but the answer is no.  Many people go gluten-free and fill their diets with gluten-free pastas, crackers, cookies and cake.  These foods are just as processed, sugar filled and nutrient depleted as their gluten filled counterparts.  The difference is the gluten has been removed so they won’t cause a reaction in the gluten intolerant.  In fact, certain gluten-free food products can actually be worse for you.  For instance, many gluten-free pastas are made out of GMO corn.  GMOs can take a toll on health when eaten as a large part of the diet.

3) If I’m not celiac, doesn’t that mean I can eat gluten without repercussion?  Well, not so fast.  Only 1% of the population is celiac.  Statistics show that about 40% of the population is gluten sensitive.  What does gluten sensitive mean?  Well, gluten sensitivity isn’t a conventional allergy and symptoms may take up to 72 hours to appear.  How may you suspect that you are gluten sensitive?  There is a wide array of symptoms.  If you have stomach problems, acne, eczema, depression, mental illness, fibromyalgia, rheumatoid arthritis or frequent flu and colds, you may be suffering from gluten sensitivity. 

4) But, if I took a blood test and it came back negative, that means I don’t have a problem with gluten?  Blood tests are good to measure allergies.  Sensitivities are a bit harder to decipher.  There are some naturopaths who claim to diagnose gluten sensitivity through muscle testing.  The best way I know how to discover gluten sensitivity is to do an elimination diet.  You will eliminate gluten for a two week period and remain aware of how you feel.  Then you reintroduce it and see if any symptoms that went away during the elimination period return.  If you see no improvement in symptoms during the elimination or worsening of symptoms during re-introduction, it means one of two things.  You don’t have a problem with gluten, or there is more than one food that is causing you problems and you need to eliminate the other food as well.  You should always eliminate dairy with gluten since these sensitivities are often seen together, but the foods should be re-introduced apart to track symptoms separately.

5) If I eliminate gluten, the only thing I have to look for on food labels is the word wheat?  Gosh, I wish it were that easy, but finding gluten on a food label can be tricky business.  Grains such as wheat, barley, rye and most oats contain gluten.  Since much of what is being added to processed food is a processed food product, it becomes even more difficult to find it on a label.  For instance, the word starch could mean gluten, soy sauce almost always contains gluten and natural flavoring has the possibility of containing gluten.  The best way to be sure is to look for foods that are labeled gluten-free.  Many stores also have a list that can be accessed online of most of their gluten-free products.

6) I suspect I have a gluten sensitivity.  It is too much trouble to eliminate it, so I just try not to eat it most of the time.  Isn’t that almost as good as eliminating it?  You would think, but it doesn’t quite work that way.  One of the main things a gluten sensitivity does is it creates what is called leaky gut.  Leaky gut, as it sounds, means food is literally leaking through your gut into your blood stream.  Gross, right?  Things like partially digested foods are getting into your blood stream that shouldn’t, creating all sorts of imbalances and havoc.  Once this happens, your gut won’t start to heal if you are continually exposing it to gluten, even if the exposure is less than before.  You need to eliminate it for a period of time and after a number of months, you may or may not be able to tolerate it one or two times a week.  If you are celiac, you can never have gluten again, even if you don’t have symptoms when you eat it. 

7) Will going gluten-free make me lose weight?  The gluten-free diet on its own is not a weight loss diet.  Completely eliminating gluten may help you lose weight only if you are gluten sensitive.  Healing the gut over time will help lesson inflammation, support better detoxification and aid other imbalances that are getting in the way of being a proper weight.  A gluten-free diet isn’t a weight loss diet on its own, but the effects can help those who are sensitive with their other weight loss endeavors.

Well, that is my primer on going gluten-free.  Did I answer the question you wanted to ask?  If not, leave it in the comment section below and I will make sure to address it!

The #1 Tip to Help you Eat Healthier

Erica Mesirov Food Coach http://www.ericamesirov.com

Eating nutritiously can be a drag…well that is how it seems at first.  You know you want to be healthy, but you also know that you don’t want every meal to be a tasteless, bland, unimaginative ordeal.  Eating is one of the joys in life. So how do you balance being in tip-top shape with some type of joie de vivre?

We often begin a diet after a period of less than desirable eating.  With our stomachs full of pastries, pizza and deep fried decadence, we decide it is time to make a change.  Starting TOMORROW, we will eat nothing but nutritious, wholesome and slimming sustenance. 

In my humble opinion, this is the set-up for failure.  When making a diet change, we shouldn’t do anything that we can’t see ourselves maintaining for a lifetime.  Otherwise, our exciting, new healthy eating plan has failure built right into it.  Can you really see yourself resisting cookies, cream sauce and macaroni and cheese for the rest of your life?  Then you shouldn’t set up that type of expectation from the get-go.

A better way to request change from ourselves is to ask ourselves to transition away from the bad for you foods and towards better quality diet choices.  When eating a plate full of sugary, oily, refined carbohydrate-rich indulgence, our taste buds become dulled.  Healthy options are tasteless and diet feels like deprivation.  Give yourself time to transition to a better way of eating, and you will eventually taste all the crisp, fresh, naturally sweet goodness in a plate full of lightly steamed vegetables or a big chicken salad with olive oil and lemon. You will also have the opportunity to balance your blood sugar which will help keep cravings at bay

Here is how transitioning works.  Let’s say that you begin every morning with a big bowl of granola.  The problem with most granolas is that they have tons of added sugar.  They also have a good deal of refined carbohydrate which quickly turns to sugar in the body.  Therefore, you may want to transition to a more nutritious option.  First you may choose a more natural granola made with whole grains, nuts and fruit and only lightly sweetened with agave or honey.  You will eat this for a week while you get used to the taste of lower sugar.  Then the next week you will instead make a big bowl of oatmeal with nuts and just a small amount of maple syrup or maybe some granola sprinkled on top. Again, you are transitioning towards a low sugar, whole food option.   Then finally the next week, you will remove the maple syrup and granola completely, keep the nuts and add lots of fresh berries.  You will have given your taste buds time to transition away from a sugary breakfast and appreciate the subtle sweetness of fruit sweetened whole grain cereal.

You can do this without setting up the false expectation that you will never eat your favorite foods again.  As you transition to a wholesome diet, you will increasingly enjoy the taste of vitamin and mineral-filled health supportive options.  When you eat what used to be your favorite sugar filled cereal, you will notice that the blood sugar rush makes you feel kind of crappy.  When you have achieved stable blood sugar, you can eat your former favorite foods without them throwing you off your game.   Instead of making you want to binge, now the sugar cereal will make you feel depleted, leading you back to your fruit and nut oatmeal the next day.  You’ll enjoy your favorite foods, but not to a point where you WANT to eat them everyday.

Be kind to yourself when changing your diet and make sure to get all the support that you need.  Diet isn’t something you start Monday.  When we slowly adjust our meal plan, our taste buds steadily change and adapt, our blood sugar normalizes and “diet” becomes something that makes us feel good.  Now is that worth taking the time for? 

Living Outside Your Comfort Zone for a Healthier You

http://www.ericamesirov.com

I would like to think of myself as an adventurer.  You know, the type of person who doesn’t let what they’ve done in the past limit what they can do in the future.  I would like to be the person that sees a challenge and decides to march confidently into the unknown.  I firmly believe that limiting your life by only focusing on your known strong points limits your potential.  Doing so can dull your spirit thereby hindering your growth and health.   Unhealthy spirit, unhealthy body.  Having said that, living outside of my comfort zone more often leaves me a terrified, blubbering bundle of nerves.

Take this past weekend.  I was in my first ever aerial hammock showcase.  Unfamiliar with hammock?  It is the art of twisting and twirling yourself with fabric into contorted beauty in the style of Cirque de Soleil.   First of all, I am not your coordinated, ultra-flexible dancer type.  In fact, I dropped out of dance class at six years old because I didn’t want to wear the shoes. (I was a Florida beach baby that refused to wear shoes any more constraining than a flip flop).  Second, I’m petrified of heights.  I don’t have to be 20 feet in the air to be a quivering mess.  Five feet off the ground will have me coaxing myself to not look down.  Third, I took my first aerial hammock class just three short months ago.  Needless to say, my stomach was in such a knot last weekend that I thought I would need a surgeon to untangle it.

When the lights went out and it was time for me to walk onstage, everything became surreal.  I let go of hope and fear and focused on what I had to do in the moment.  Thankfully, the audience was very supportive and they hooted, hollered and clapped me through the piece.  Oh, and you’ll be happy to know that I didn’t fall.  Whew!

So now I am an aerialist.  It isn’t a label I ever imagined I would wear, but now it fits.  Expanding how you define yourself is one of the best things you can do for your soul.  Anything that supports your spirit will also support your health.  Venturing into the unknown can leave you a teeth chattering mess.  Conversely, living in fear sends negative signals to your brain and body eventually leading to deterioration of health.

So live outside of your comfort zone!  Yes, I say this now that this challenge is over.  I’ll make sure to re-read this blog entry next time I have something that tests me.  Overcoming a hurdle will only make you stronger.  When you are stronger, your body and soul will flourish, leaving you a healthier version of you!

Rehearsal Picture  http://www.ericamesirov.com

The Beauty of Breakfast in Weight Loss

So you’ve got a super fancy idea.  You just started your new diet and your brother-in-law is throwing a super swanky shindig tonight.  The whole thing is catered with an (excited squeal) open bar and everything!  You know you will indulge later, so how do you prepare?  You skip breakfast to save calories.  That way you can get lost in the fondue and cocktail franks without repercussion.

Pretty crafty thinking, ay?  Not so fast

Let me ask you a question.  What kinds of activities burn calories?  Walking you say.  Jogging, cleaning the house, sex.  Well, that is a start.  But do you know what else burns calories? There is a significant amount of energy expended to digest and metabolize the foods you eat.  Pretty awesome right?  You burn calories just by eating!  This is every dieter’s fantasy.

So now onto why eating all your calories at night won’t work.   First of all, if you don’t eat in the morning, your body has no need to digest until midday.  This means that your metabolism is completely inactive until your first meal.  Thought you need 1600 calories a day?  Not anymore because you wasted your calorie burning potential in the morning.

Next, studies have shown the people who skip breakfast have higher levels of insulin, the hormone that regulates blood sugar.  This is also a hormone that is responsible for turning energy into fat.  So when you finally have lunch, your meal is more likely to turn into your double chin.  You will also have more of the hormone called ghrelin that tells your brain that you are hungry.  No wonder your stomach is ferociously growling!  By the time you start eating, your body is so desperate for calories that it will push you to binge.  You will likely take in many more calories than if you had actually eaten breakfast.  This isn’t lack of willpower.  This is a biological response to excess ghrelin. 

Want one more reason why you want to limit your trips to the make your own sundae bar at the soiree?  Eating before bed is one of the worst things you can do for weight loss.  This is because your metabolism shuts down while you sleep for other important functions like detoxification and repair.  Without much energy to burn, where do you think that ice cream sundae goes?

Breakfast doesn’t have to be a big meal.  It can be something as simple as a protein smoothie.  Eat breakfast and you will be able to taste, savor and enjoy the food at the party.  You can still eat.  You are just much less likely to binge.  I promise you won’t miss the binge because you barely taste what you are eating when you are inhaling calories.  Yay breakfast!

Cardio Barre, Zumba and Anit-Gravity Yoga – Why Even the Hippest Exercise Trends Can Fail to Take Off the Pounds

http://ericamesirov.com

I see it all the time.  A person gets into that super motivated place where they are ready to climb mountains to lose weight.  So what do they do?  They try to climb a mountain…literally.  The gym is filled with the hopeful, sweating and pumping and stretching up to seven days a week, with the idea that the more they sweat and pump and stretch, the more weight they will lose.  What usually happens to these ambitious fitness enthusiasts?  Most of the time they build muscle, their hearts get healthy…yet those size six jeans only fit in the blissful dreams they have after collapsing at night from all that exertion.

Yes, exercise will be the magic pill for some, but it isn’t the complete answer for all.  Confused?  Don’t worry, I’ll explain.  Your body is the super coolest machine you will ever encounter and it is programmed to keep things in balance.  Keep in mind that we were constructed for a time in history when food was hard to come by and famine was a real concern.  What does your super smart body do after an afternoon of vigorous ping pong?  It starts growling for food like the plant Audrey in Little Shop of Horrors. 

The answer then is to eat less, right?  Well, not exactly.  Remember what I said about your body being smart and wanting to create balance?  Have you ever been able to stick long term to a calorie deprivation diet?  Your body’s job is to stay fueled with a full tank of gas.  Deny yourself now and your body is going to pester you for food even louder later.  Don’t feed it and it will start working more efficiently.  Efficient is good right?  Well, this means it will expend less energy now so you can build up your fat reserves for later.  Starve yourself and gain fat??? Yay for efficiency! (Heavy sigh).

So is the answer to give up exercise for a sloth like existence?  Hell no!  The answer is to exercise in moderation, give yourself enough rest to repair and learn to eat SMARTER.  This will help your body work more efficiently in a way that encourages fat loss. How does this work?  Well, the answer is a little different for everyone since we all have unique bodies.  Nonetheless, this probably means:

1)      Eating more good quality, lean protein.  This helps build muscle as well as remove toxins created by exercise that can be getting in the way of weight loss.

2)      Eating whole grains like quinoa, brown rice or barley which slowly release fuel into our bodies making us fuller for longer. 

3)      Eating healthy fats found in foods like fish and flax seeds to fight the inflammation in the body that encourages fat storage. 

4)      Using food to heal your body and create balance despite fat loss.

5)      Removing man made food products like high fructose corn syrup and hydrolyzed soy protein that get in the way of repair.

So keep training for that marathon.  Because weight loss is like a marathon.  Sweating off quick pounds rarely leads to long term sexiness.  What does work is treating your body like the high-end machine that it is and learning to use exercise as just one tool to create long term fat reduction.

Being Good to that Person Inside the Mirror

How often when you look at your reflection do you feel like you are looking at one of those fun house mirrors?  There are days when I look in the mirror and I’m not really sure what I see.  Do I look fat, thin, ugly, pretty, put together, unkempt?   As far as I know I have 20/20 vision.  So why is it so difficult to see myself accurately?

How many of you have been there?  You look in the mirror and the more you stare at yourself, the more the image starts to shift in your head.  My thighs will grow from being normal to looking huge right in front of my eyes.  Were they always like that?  Or maybe my stomach has gotten a little smaller which is making my thighs look larger.  Or maybe my shirt is hitting my pants in a weird spot accentuating my big thighs.  Or maybe my hair is just out of place, throwing the rest of me off-balance.  Or maybe….

Gosh, sometimes you just need to take a breath. 

The thing to remind myself when my mirror is acting wacky, is that my mirror is just a piece of glass.  It doesn’t have special powers.  It isn’t going to tell me that I look ugly.  It isn’t that mean kid from junior high who shouted nasty one-liners at me down the hall.  It is a lifeless object.  Just an innocent piece of wood and glass.

The mean bully is my own mind. 

Next time I look in the mirror and the reflection starts acting funky, I ‘m going to have a few choice words with my bully of a brain.  I’m going to tell it to stop shouting nasty things at me.  I’m going to tell it to stop making up rumors and lies.  I’m going to tell it to stop being hateful and spiteful. 

Fun house mirrors are for carnivals, not my house. 

Then once my brain is better behaved, I’m gonna look at myself again.  This time my brain is going to say something nice to me.  Because once you have a cooperative brain, the mirror will reflect something beautiful.