Is Work Sabotaging Your Diet?

Let’s face it, we’re all busy and it can be difficult making the best decisions for our health, especially when it comes to nutrition! Couple this with a hectic day at the office and it doesn’t seem so unrealistic that the meal plan you started on Monday has been forgotten by Wednesday. 

When I am at work I get the sense that I am the “food police.”  I never comment on things but I do stick to my game plan and others pick up on it. In turn, when I am around, whether on purpose or not, my colleagues seem to keep that candy drawer closed. How can we make this easier for ourselves and others? Below I list out 4 simple tricks to prevent falling of the wagon week after week!

1.     Plan. First things first, if we don’t plan ahead for the week or even the day, we are setting ourselves up to take the easy road. What does this mean? If the boss says we’re ordering Pizza, you eat the pizza. Instead, on Sunday evening, take a few minutes to think about your week. Will you be eating breakfast at home or at the office? If so what will it be? A protein packed shake and a piece of fruit is a convenient option to have on the go. Next move to snacks, and lunch. Any lunch meetings or special events? Think ahead to those and figure out now what you will eat.  Will you bring a healthy salad? Or choose that meal as your weekly reward me? The clearer you are about planning your week, the more likely you will stick to your eating agenda.

2.     Prepare. Set aside time during the week to go to the grocery store! Not only will it be forgiving on your waistline but on your checking account too. Think about how many $10 salads you buy at Sweet Green or Whole Foods! Don’t get me wrong, I love these places, but it adds up! Whether its ten minutes the night before, an hour on Sunday, or the day of, build time into your day to  prepare your snacks and meals. If the food is in the refrigerator or on the counter you be more likely to eat it than if it isn’t there at all.

3.     Stock. Stock up your office! Pick up some nuts, apples, cans of tuna, your favorite protein bars, a can opener, and plastic ware. Keep a water bottle there as well. I know it may sound silly, but seriously having these things around will help when hunger strikes. It can also save you from rummaging through your coworkers candy drawer. That’s the worst: mid- afternoon hunger pangs and the next thing you know you’ve downed a bag of Reese’s.  Walk past the candy bowl. Better yet, create your own “candy bowl” and fill it with Larabars or fruit.

4.     Decide. Decide ahead of time that you are committed to your healthy lifestyle. Do not be easily influenced by coworkers to indulge. It is easy to say, “Well, it’s just today.” But trust me, those “just today’s” and up to weeks, months, and before you know it, you’ve become another statistic: as of 2010 69.2% of Americans 20 and older were overweight or obese!

The next time your colleagues ask you to lunch, what will you do? You’re gonna stick to you game plan J!  Let me know what tools help you succeed with nutrition at the work place!

Sources: Centers for Disease Control & Prevention.  20130. Obesity & Overweight. Retrieved on August 15, 2013 from http://www.cdc.gov/nchs/fastats/overwt.htm.

Cardio with Jill Coleman

One of my best friends in the world jut happens to be one of the best fitness experts in the world J I may be biased, but Jill Coleman has opened up my eyes and heart to following my passion for fitness. We met back in 2004 at Wake Forest University where we would meet religiously at 6:30am to train. She still teases me for being the only college student to get up that early for “fun.” We would talk about our goals of competing and gracing fitness magazines. Jill has done that and so much more already and she’s barely in her thirties!

Jill is the owner of JillFit Physiques, a business partner with her husband of Metabolic Effect, a National Xfinitiy Fitness Personality, a professional figure athlete, and a great author. Today Jill spoke with me about cardio, something I think we all have a love/hate relationship with. Here’s what she had to say.

KV: A few days ago I wrote about high intensity training and an effective cardio workout in 20 minutes. Can you tell us your philosophy on interval training and its benefits for health and physique?

JC: The bottom line when you’re talking fat loss is intensity, not duration. And though it sounds counterintuitive, the only want to boost intensity is to build in rest to your workouts—hence interval training.

The more you rest, the harder you can push. This is the basis for Metabolic Effect’s Rest-based Training (RBT) concept and for fat loss, it works great. Push until you can’t; rest until you can. Because intensity is most important for results, I usually keep pushing segments to 60 seconds or less, and rests vary from 30-90 seconds. In general, shorter and harder is best!

KV: I know from our good old days at Wake Forest, we used to be Cardio Queens, you would have the Stairmill, I'd take the treadmill, we'd switch. I think we've both experienced the down side to hours upon hours of daily cardio. Can you elaborate on why endless cardio is not beneficial to overall health and optimal metabolism?

JC: Adding more and more minutes to your cardio routine is unsustainable and can definitely damage your metabolism in the long run (especially when paired with chronically low-cal or low-carb dieting).

When you use cardio as your primary tool for fat loss, the more you do, the more you have to continue to do to stay the same size. A study came out a couple years ago that showed that for distance runners, they had to increase their mileage by a certain percent each successive year just to maintain their weight. Ugh.

In short, that kind of volume is simply unsustainable, but at that point, you are caught up in a cycle where your body expects a certain amount (is operating at a certain volume) or else you gain. Not fun. Breaking the cycle takes time and strategy. Not to mention, your metabolism becomes less and less responsive the more up and down your weight fluctuates.

One other thing to remember, is that the more cardio you do, the more your hunger and cravings increase. So the cycle becomes: do more cardio, get hungrier, eat more and then need to do more cardio to “exercise off the extra cals”—not a great place to be.

KV: Ok, so people are probably asking, how do you lose weight if you are only doing 45-60 minutes of cardio. Can you share your secret with us?

JC: I actually do a lot less than that J I focus on weight training first and foremost. I train heavy with weights 5 days a week for 30-40 minutes each. I will usually do track sprints 1-2x/week and maybe 10-20 minutes of interval training 1-2x/day, plus lots of slow, restorative leisure walking.

I’m personally at the point now that I don’t need or want to lose weight, I simply want to enjoy my workouts, do the least amount of cardio possible in order to maintain my weight and muscle mass.

But for those who are trying to lose weight, focus your energy in the kitchen. You only have so much willpower and using it up by doing hours of cardio each day leaves you with very little to resist food temptations. For fat loss, nutrition is the gross control, while exercise is the fine control.

KV: What does a week of cardio in the world of Jill Coleman look like?

JC: Monday/Tuesday/Thursday/Friday, I do the following:

10-15 minutes of interval training on either the stepmill or treadmill, followed by 30-40 minutes of heavy weight training, followed by 30-60 minutes of leisure walking (the last piece I don’t consider exercise because it’s restorative)

Wednesday: I train heavy legs by itself, plus leisure walking

Saturday: I do track sprints. Either 8 x 80m or 6 x 200m.

KV: Any advice for the annoying voice in our heads that says, you didn't do enough?

JC: The thing that always helps me maintain perspective is the fact that ultimately, I want a cardio routine that I could do forever. Two hours of cardio a day is simply unsustainable.

And if you find yourself having to clock more and more minutes to simply maintain your weight, you’re in a cardio cycle and can potentially be damaging your metabolism long term (not to mention be miserable!).

So instead, ask yourself, “Could I do this regimen forever?” and if the answer is no, then head back to the drawing board. Sustainable exercise will be a) time-conscious (not take hours), b) fun or enjoyable (you don’t dread it) and c) it will get results (remember those??). If you’re logging time on the tread, don’t forget to measure!

The right amount of cardio, in my opinion, will be the least amount you can get away with and still maintain your physique.

If you’re interested in trying my favorite INTENSE cardio interval and sprint workouts, I recently put out a workout workbook containing my tried-and-true routines: The Cardio Acceleration Workout Workbook. [link: http://jillfit.com/cardio]

Thank you Jill! Tweet at us and let us know your cardio regimen @kelleyvargo @jillfit #cardio

Have a great weekend everyone! I look forward to seeing you tomorrow!

Xo,

Kel

5 Fast & Fit Breakfasts

Mornings can be a challenge! Whether its kids, work, class, catching the train or bus, things get hectic! But do not let the craziness of the morning be your excuse for not having a fit-minded breakfast.  Start off on the right (or wrong) food nutritionally can be the dealmaker (or breaker) for the day.

Below I list out 5 Fast and Fit Breakfast ideas. Notice how each one of them has a source of protein. Protein is key because it helps keep you satiated and also suppresses the release of Ghrelin, the hormone in our body that tells us we are hungry. Protein is also a key building block for muscle, skin, and bones. Also make a note how each breakfast has a source of carbohydrates. Carbohydrates are the body’s main source of energy and after a night of sleep, it is important to refuel of the day ahead.

1.     Protein Shake: A quick and simple way to get in the nutrients you need in the morning. What’s great about a protein shake is that it is convenient and portable. You can drink it in the car or at the office.  Not sure you will have time to blend up a concoction in the morning? Make this ahead the night before and leave in the freezer (just don’t forget to grab it in the morning). By the time you get to work and settle in, the drink will have begun to thaw allowing you to drink it. A sample recipe for one of my favorite breakfast morning shakes is: 1 scoop Official MetRx Vanilla Protein Powder, 6 oz Unsweetened Almond Milk, 2 Tablespoon PB2, and Ice!

PB2 Protein Shake with Coffee = Perfect Start! 

2.     Egg Whites with Toast: For convenience you can buy the liquid egg white cartons. Simply pour in a frying pan over the stove. And in less than five minutes you can have a protein packed breakfast. Not enough time there? No biggie, hard boil eggs on Sunday and peel them right away. Store the eggs in a Tupperware in your refrigerator. It’s a simple fix to having protein in the morning. I typically eat 4-5 egg whites. The yolks are fine but if you are watching your cholesterol or trying to shed some lbs. leave the yolks behind. Couple your egg whites with a piece or two of Trader Joe’s Sprouted Bread. I recommend this bread because it has (-) impact carbs, meaning you won’t get too high of a blood sugar spike and will be having plenty of fiber!

3.     Oatmeal with Protein Powder: It’s super convenient to keep both of these ingredients at your desk. Pick up some packets of plain oatmeal (the flavored kind tends to have a lot of sugar).  Literally you can make this meal at your desk.  Make the oatmeal as usual (with hot water or unsweetened almond milk) and add in a scoop of your favorite protein powder. You may need to add more liquid to your desired frequency. Other tip for making this breakfast is to keep a bowl and spoon in your work drawer.  As for storing the protein powered, the tubs can be cumbersome. I like to pour mine in a gallon sized zip-block bag and keep the scoop in there.

4.     Low-Fat Cottage Cheese with Berries: Another quick and easy suggestion. To make the morning prep work even quicker, wash your berries ahead of time. Scoop out a cup of cottage cheese and toss those berries on top. Need a to go? Zip block makes great circular containers to put your cottage cheese in. I bring my berries along separately in a bag while transporting. Another solution is to keep a container of cottage cheese and berries in the office refrigerator.

5.     Protein Wrap: Another travel friendly option! Pick up some low carb wraps at the grocery store, I recommend any wrap where the net impact carbs are low, hence lots of fiber. Ezekiel brand has a good wrap. Cook up some egg whites similar to that of an omelet. Once eggs are cooked slide those puppies onto your wrap. Throw in some spinach, tomato, low-fat cheese, and wrap away. You create the same dish on two slices of that Trader Joe’s Sprouted Rye Bread as well. Think you’re pressed for time in the morning? Make it the night before and keep it in the refrigerator.