Elite Physique

Slow traffic. Screaming children. A job interview. A crumbling marriage. Any of these could be a stressful situation. We all face stress in our lives, and some days are more stressful than others. Stress can take its toll on our physical and mental health. Learn more about stress and its effects by taking this multiple-choice quiz.

Click Here:Stress Test

Now that you had a chance to gauge your stress level here are 4 easy ways to help reduce it.

1. Exercise: Surprise, surprise….yes we recommend exercise! Aerobic exercise or strength training can greatly reduce your stress level. Natural endorphins (feel-good hormones) are released when you exercise. It’s also a time where your brain can focus on something other than your worries. You can get in tune with the movements of your body, your breath, and your muscles.

2. Sleep: One of the most common reasons for stressful behaviors is lack of sleep. If you aren’t getting the proper amount of sleep, your body doesn’t have time to recover from the day and therefore can feel tired and sore. This tired and sore feeling can cause physical and mental stress throughout the day, making anxiety more prevalent.

3. Eat right: Another surprise, huh?! If you are feeling stressed and overwhelmed it’s easy to reach for the quickest (which tends to be the fattiest) food. Try to plan ahead by cutting up fresh fruits and vegetables and grilling extra chicken breasts on the weekend to have ready to throw on top of salad or into a wrap. Trust us you will feel so much better eating something healthy, than the greasy, to-go foods. We know personally if we eat badly when we’re stressed, then we feel fat AND stressed….not a good combo !

4. Relax: Many people are so focused on work, family, and other responsibilities that they forget to relax. Relaxation techniques such as meditation, yoga, and massage therapy have long been known to reduce stress levels. People often forget that relaxing is a part of a healthy lifestyle and by skipping this aspect, people often cause more stress and feel the effects of stress more profoundly. So just BREATHE!

Hope you find these tips helpful. We’re here for you, just let us know what we can do to help!

Yours in health,

Colleen & John

First, let’s start with a product’s serving size.  This is what the manufacturer’s nutritional information is based on, and how they can make their claims.  What you don’t see on the front is how many servings are in the package, two, three, or even more.  You’ll find this information at the top of the nutritional label found on the back in much smaller letters (bring the glasses).  A good example of the importance of serving size is Non-stick spray (not mentioning any names, but rhymes with ham).  A typical 6oz can contains approximately 529 servings.  That’s not a misprint: 529.  When your serving size is a 1/3 of second, those servings add up fast.  Is it even humanly possible to spray for only a 1/3 of a second?  Most of us just keep spraying until the bottom of pan is covered.   You might ask, “If it’s fat free why should I care?” We’re glad you asked because this brings us to fact number two:  Is the product label telling you the whole truth? With the example of the spray, if you read the list of ingredients it says “Canola Oil.”  We all know oil has fat, but they get to say its “Fat Free” because of the serving size.  If the manufacturer can show the product has less than a half a gram of an ingredient per serving they can claim that their product is that ingredient free.  This is when it pays off to read the list of ingredients in the product, because you think you are getting one thing yet you get another.  Another great example of this is Partially Hydrogenated Oil (aka trans fat).  The front of the label reads “No TRANS FATS!!”  So how can Partially Hydrogenated Oil be in the ingredient list?  Beware of this trick, especially in fat free snacks.  The third fact we want to discuss is converting grams into teaspoons.  The food companies know here in America we don’t use the Metric System much; they count on this.  Most of us look at a label and see grams and don’t really understand how much that is.  The truth is, approximately every four grams equals one teaspoon.  This is really important when it comes to sugar because the average American consumes 130 pounds of refined sugar a year. Now let us take a quick glance at the label of a soda.  The average soda at a convenient store is about 16 ounces, which contains 54 grams of sugar.  We take that 54grams of sugar and divide by 4 (grams to teaspoons) and that gives us 13.5 teaspoons of sugar.  For a good visual of this take a measuring cup, a teaspoon and a bag of sugar.  Then pick just a few items out of your fridge or pantry and use the conversion 4 grams to 1 teaspoon and put that amount of sugar in the cup.  Trust us this will be a real eye opener.  If you would like more information, and to see great visual examples of what we just discussed, check out our short, “Demystifying Fancy Labels.”  Just click on the video and you’ll get a detailed guided tour.  You are now armed and ready to hit the grocery store aisles….no more tricking you!!

Yours in health,

Colleen & John

As most of you know we live along the Emerald Coast of Florida, and I’m sure you all know what is going on with the BP oil spill. This got us thinking about how easy it is to take for granted something precious in our lives.  One day it’s gone and you are left wondering what happened and why you didn’t take more advantage of it.  When we first moved here we went to the beach often, even if it was just to watch the sun set.  Then time passed, we got busy, and life started to take over.  We thought, “The beach will always be there, we’ll go next week.”  Unfortunately, next week turned into next month, and so on, and then one day we realized we couldn’t remember the last time we were there.

Well if you think about it, your health is very similar.  We start out young, running around playing, not even thinking about being overweight or unhealthy.  You could eat whatever you wanted and never had to worry about your waist line.  Then one day comes and you don’t play as much. Who knows why; maybe you got your first car, so who needs a bike?  Or worse, a new video game came out so you just sit on the couch and play.  You didn’t worry about your health, it had always been there, and why would that change (just like those sandy white beaches)?  And so it begins, your health gets taken for granted… days turn into months which turn into years.  Then before you know it life gets in the way and there is definitely no time for exercise (or going to the beach).

Then suddenly it’s gone (whether it’s the beauty of the beach or your health).  Helpless and lost feelings set in, and you don’t know which way to turn.  So you try multiple attempts to get it back, but nothing seems to work (sound familiar BP?)  Then at some point it’s just easier to give up on your health and look for “that magic pill.”   Just as BP is learning about not cutting corners; your health is the same way.  It’s going to take hard work and dedication to get your health back and anyone who tells you differently isn’t telling you the whole truth.  You are worth the effort just like our beaches and the environment.  No one can do this for you, but you can ask for help, and this is where we come in.  We want you to know we are here to offer a helping hand, or create a road map for you to find your health again.  Because once you get a second chance you tend to hold onto things a little tighter to your heart.  We’re very glad to say we have been to the beach 3 times this week already, and we are shooting for more because unlike you, we may not get that second chance.

Yours in Health

Colleen and John

Have you ever attended a party or gathering where someone has made you feel guilty for making healthy choices?  We’ve had a few clients bring this to our attention recently, so we wanted to address this issue. We have also had this happen to us.  Usually it goes something like this,”The Riddles are here so we can’t eat the___________(insert unhealthy food).” The funny thing is we are busy looking for healthy choices, enjoying everyone’s company, and not paying attention to what others are choosing.  We would dare say our clients are probably doing the same. These comments usually come from the guilt people feel for the choices they are making and have nothing to do with you.  The simple explanation could be,  “misery loves company.”  These people are not happy with themselves, so they project their guilt to make you feel bad for trying to better yourself.  It may even go a little deeper…maybe they won’t or can’t make the commitment to themselves, and your success makes them face this fact.  Now we don’t think these people do this to hurt you intentionally, but it can still make you feel uncomfortable.  Do not let these situations get you off track.  You have decided to give yourself the best gift of all, the gift of health, and you should never feel guilty for that.  We just want you to know that you are not alone on your journey to a healthier you and we are here to help however we can.

Yours in health,

John and Colleen.

P.S.

One way to stay on track is our Coaching Program.  Here is what one client had to say about her experience.

“Whether you want to get your fitness program started, back on track, or kicked up a notch, Elite Physique’s coaching program is for you.  I not only lost weight and inches, I also gained a renewed appreciation for what good nutrition and exercise can do for your both personally and professionally.  Partner with Elite Physique  to discover your best self.”

Leigh G.

Alcohol and Your Diet

We have received some questions from our readers about alcohol and how it affects our diet.  Since we have been talking about nutrition we thought this might be a good time to discuss how alcohol adversely affects our diet plans.  Now, some alcohol in moderation can be good for us (lower blood pressure).  If, however, you are exceeding one drink daily, you might be sabotaging your weight loss plans. Below is an adapted article from spark.com by Liz Noelcke.

1) Alcohol is metabolized differently than other foods and beverages. Under normal conditions, your body gets its energy from the calories in carbohydrates, fats and proteins that need to be slowly digested in the stomach. When alcohol is consumed, it gets special privileges and needs no digestion. The alcohol molecules diffuse through the stomach wall as soon as they arrive and can reach the brain and liver in minutes. This reaction is slightly slowed when there is also food in your system, but as soon as the mixed contents enter the small intestine, the alcohol grabs first place and is absorbed quickly. The alcohol then arrives at the liver for processing. The liver places all of its attention on the alcohol. Therefore, the carbohydrates (glucose) and dietary fats are just changed into body fat, waiting to be carried away for permanent fat storage in the body.

2) Alcohol lowers your inhibitions, which is detrimental to your diet plans. Alcohol actually stimulates your appetite. While you might be full from a comparable amount of calories from food, several drinks might not fill you up. On top of that, research shows that if you drink before or during a meal, both your inhibitions and willpower are reduced. In this state, you are more likely to overeat—especially greasy or fried foods—which can add to your waistline.

3) What are more important, calories or carbs? You might think that drinking liquor is more diet-friendly because it has no carbohydrates, while both wine and beer do contain carbs. But dieters need to watch calories, and liquor only has a few calories less than beer or wine. Plus, it is often mixed with other drinks, adding even more empty calories. Hard liquor contains around 100 calories per shot, so adding a mixer increases calories even more. If you are going to mix liquor with anything, opt for a club soda, instead of fruit juice or regular soda.

The list below breaks down the number of calories in typical alcoholic drinks. Compare some of your favorites to make a good choice next time you decide to indulge in a serving of alcohol.

Yours in health,

John and Colleen.

P.S.

Our partners over at Prograde have done it again. Check out their metabolism booster special and save 13%!  Prograde

Colleen@ElitePhysiquePT.com

In response to last week’s newsletter, one of our readers asked, “How can we prepare our bodies for the upcoming flu season?”

We’ll as you guessed it does start with what we eat. Up to 70% of our immune function is located in our digestive track.  Two flu-fighting compounds are Probiotics (the good bacteria), found in low fat Greek yogurt and Quercetin (antioxidant) found in red onions, broccoli, berries, and apples.  These seem to have the biggest positive effects.

Another way to combat the flu is….drum roll please….Exercise! Exercising on a regular basis reduces the amount of cortisol in your body. Cortisol weakens your immune system, not to mention causes fat to be stored around the belly area.  Stress and lack of sleep are large contributors to the amount of cortisol released into the body.  This is a sure fire way to knock down your immune system.  Exercise helps you sleep and relieve stress!

Now there is a fine line with your exercise, you want to stay around 70-85% of your maximum heart rate.  When you exercise above those numbers for a long period of time, like training for a long distance event,  can lower your immunity for up to two days. If you find your self training for a strenuous physical event make sure you are giving yourself plenty of time to recover.

If you already have the flu make sure you listen to your body.  Rest, drink plenty of fluids, and stay home from work (your fellow co-workers will appreciate it).  As you recover, start out with low intensity exercise.  Exercising too strenuously too soon can cause a relapse.  Take it slow, don’t worry, those intervals you want to tackle will be there for you the next week.

This was a great, timely question please keep them coming!

Stop rubbing your eyes you did read it correctly, you can burn calories in your sleep. How you ask? You can burn calories at rest and while you sleep by ramping up your metabolism.  First what is your metabolism? The process of metabolism establishes the rate at which we burn our calories and determines how quickly we lose weight, or worse, gain weight.  As we get older our metabolism naturally starts slowing down.  You start to notice it around age 25 after that it slows down approximately 5 percent each decade. So compared to the 25 year old you burn about 100 calories fewer a day every 10 years.  The average 45 year old person could put on 12 pounds a year if they don’t exercise.  You can see how this quickly adds up around your waist line.