[THIS IS IT!!!] Find me from now on @ www.hilaryglaus.com!!!

Hey beautiful people!

The time has come...

...to retire the blog on Blogger, as I've graduated to a website all my own, www.hilaryglaus.com, which I encourage you to visit and continue to read. I post lots of juicy content, including workouts, nutrition tips, insights, and motivation to live life health-usiastically. I also encourage you to sign up for my email list! I send out an email once a week with exclusive content that you won't see on the blog, Facebook, or anywhere else.

It's like being in a super-cool secret club :-)

Anyhoo, I can't wait to see you over in my little corner of the web. As always, I look forward to hearing from you, so don't be shy. Reach out and touch me (in the internet-sense, that is!)!!!!

xoxo,
Hil

The case for low-fat muffin tops!

Recently, I was chatting with a client as I took her through her workout. We were discussing the danger of talking about foods in moralistic terms, i.e. the tendency that we all have to label foods as either "good" or "bad." I (naturally) took the position that no food is good or bad, it just is. Food is inanimate and and by nature benign: the way that we think about food is what causes us to perceive food as good or bad. I'll always argue that when we assign these labels to foods, we do ourselves a disservice because what we're really doing is self-identifying as good when we eat "good" foods and bad when we eat "bad" foods. When our self worth is defined in terms of what and how we eat, we base our value on a completely arbitrary system, a system that tells us: "My sense of self is completely skewed towards what I do (or don't do) rather than who I am." Unfortunately, this way of thinking is very common and very insidious.

My client had a different thought. She was very adamant that yes, there are foods that are good and bad! She said that to be considered good, a food should be either nourishing and pleasurable, or just plain pleasurable. The metric is entirely subjective and relative to the individual. One person's pleasurable could be another's bad, and vice versa. For example, we know that spinach is a nourishing food, but it's not necessarily pleasurable for everyone. For some, spinach may be the least-appetizing vegetable they can think of to eat, in which case they should not force themselves to eat it but rather find another equally-nourishing green vegetable that is pleasurable. Alternatively, one may be hard-pressed to find anything objectively nourishing about french fries, but if the pleasure factor is high, it's a good food despite how fries may be vilified by the healthy-eating community!

It would be hard not to get on board with this alternate theory of good/bad foods as relative to the tastes of the individual. I was, however, curious how my client would classify "diet" foods, and what place, if any, they would take on this spectrum. Unsurprisingly, she had a strong opinion on the matter and needed little coaxing to reveal her true feelings about such foods: that they are bad, period, and not worth the calories they're reduced by. She recalled a conversation she had with a friend who is on a diet and eats low-fat muffin tops as snacks. Needless to say, she does not approve! She said that she just "doesn't see the point of them."

I considered her overt disdain for low-fat muffin tops, and how the way that she bristles at the idea of eating a "diet-friendly" muffin shows how evolved her perception of food is. I admire how she does not allow her food choices to define her. I think that she made a very good point that is not at odds with my aversion to labeling foods as good or bad. Her system of categorization of foods is not arbitrary; rather, it implies a considerable amount of forethought and mindfulness. If she wants to eat a muffin, she will eat one and make darn sure that it fulfills her criteria!

However, I did have to play devil's advocate...

Before I get there though, I must confess: I would never choose to eat a low-fat muffin top or other "diet-friendly" food now because it would not satisfy me. Satisfaction is the axle around which my nutritional commitments rotate, and the reason why I am able to "navigate the nutritional middle" with relative ease. In short, satisfaction is what makes moderation feasible. When I am satisfied by my meals, I don't feel deprived and don't find myself reaching for something I don't want or need later in the day.

Personally, a low-fat muffin top would increase my satisfaction quotient by a factor of 0. Whether I ate it in the morning or as an afternoon snack, it would leave me feeling deprived and chances are I would find myself grazing the cupboard later for something I would later regret. This is not something I've always known about myself, however. It's taken several years and a lot of trial to error to determine that a low-calorie snack pack or low-fat muffin top will not take the edge off of my hunger, but only add to it. Furthermore--and this is embarrassing to admit!--eating a snack like this earlier in the day used to not only make me more likely to binge, but help me justify my binges, as if these diet foods were my Get Out of Jail Free card!!!

All this to say that one gal's kryptonite is another gal's best defense...

...which brings me around to my point: low-fat muffin tops and other "diet" foods in general are only bad if they do not serve a greater purpose, by which I mean they help to increase our overall satisfaction and move us steadily towards our goals. As far as I'm concerned, it is not my place to judge one person's choices as better or worse than another's because #bioindividuality!!! We are all as different psychologically as we are physically and biochemically, which means that we all experience hunger, cravings, and energy fluctuations differently. In other words, while a low-fat muffin top might turn me into Little Miss Cravings, it might be just the thing to take the edge off a craving for someone else. By all means, if snacking on a low-fat muffin top is a tool that you need to use to keep hunger and cravings at bay, keep on keepin' on and don't let anyone tell you otherwise!

What foods help YOU take the edge off your cravings? 

Why what we tell ourselves about ourselves matters

Happy (almost) 2016!

This has been one heck of a year. I'm so proud of everything that I've accomplished this year, and I'm looking forward to what 2016 has in store with a healthy mix of excitement, optimism, and fear. 

Yes, fear.

Not the kind of debilitating fear that renders one inert; rather, a fear that motivates and encourages by its being faced down and overcome. In other words, I fear that I'll try and fail, but the greater fear is that I won't try at all and never fulfill the potential that I know I possess. Frankly, I think this is a pretty positive place to be!

Despite that fact, it is not natural for me to exist in a state of blinder-less conviction. In fact, my self-esteem rises and falls by my ability to control my fear and direct it towards action. The less motivated I feel, the more I question myself and my "credentials," and the harder is becomes to damper my fears. The more afraid I feel, the more I feel like a failure, and the less motivated I am to do anything productive. It's a self-defeating cycle that can be hard to break out of.

Before I came to the realization that a career in health and wellness was inevitable, fear controlled me and permeated all aspects of my world. I lived my life in a state of perpetual self-criticism; it enshrouded me like the storm cloud follows Grumpy Bear wherever he goes:

Lacking the insight that I now possess, I searched aimlessly for a method, mantra, or phrase that I could repeat to myself to set me up with a positive outlook for the day. I'd read that repeating positive mantras to oneself could be transformative in terms of how you think, feel, and relate to yourself. I figured it couldn't hurt to come up with something I could easily repeat to myself every morning in the mirror to start my day off on the right foot, and I'd be much better of if I internalized these positive affirmations. 

And it did work...for awhile anyway. Perhaps it was just a placebo effect: I felt that I would work, so I subliminally created a more positive outlook. The problem was that there was no thrust behind the words; that is, there was no narrative attached the words so they were only words. In essence, I was like Al Franken's character, Stuart Smalley on SNL, except that I was an outsider looking in who could see straight past that veneer of positivity. I couldn't help but detect the bullshit that I couldn't necessarily hear but certainly felt.

Because I felt no attachment to them, I eventually stopped saying them and I went back to my same old habits that dimmed my light and left me in a very fearful and lonely place.

"One of these things is not like the other...!" [How an evolving mindfulness practice helped make this the most fulfilling holiday to date]

In years past, I would wake up the day after Christmas a remorseful, bloated, unhappy mess. Instead of reflecting joyfully on the time spent with family around the table and tree, I'd immediately begin plotting how many hours of cardio I would have to do in penance for my dietary "sins."

Needless to say, any relief I could elicit from guilt-exercise was brief to say the least, and left me feeling bereft: Both overindulgence and its resultant guilt left me no emotional bandwidth with which to form pleasant memories of the holiday. Instead of feeling abundance in heart, soul, and mind, I felt emptiness. I blamed myself for my lack of self-control, thus perpetuating the idea that overeating "bad" food meant I was an inherently "bad" person. 

Thanks to lots of conscientious practice, grace and patience, this year was different. I was fully immersed in the celebration of the day; I indulged mindfully and joyfully; and in moments of weakness, I reached out to another human being for emotional sustenance as opposed to turning to food. This represents a huge turnaround for me, and I just want to shout to the rooftops that #moderation365 works!

#moderation365 is a mindset around food that takes time to cultivate and practice. It requires that you discard tendencies to define foods in moralistic terms and just see it for what it is: food. Something benign, but which can and should be both nourishing and pleasurable. When you eat this way, nothing is ever off-limits, which has a crazy way of making formerly "forbidden" foods seem much less tempting. When foods are less tempting, we're much less likely to overindulge in them. The radical notion that we can sample any food that we want at any time makes it easier to eat in a way that supports our physique goals without having to expend as much physical and mental effort. It sounds counter-intuitive, but it's not...

Take this photo for example: 

Behold, an accurate depiction of what I've eaten in the past 48 hours. I've sampled my favorite Christmas cookies; pumpkin pie; fancy cheese; stuffing; and turkey skin. I've also helped myself to plenty of protein; brussel sprouts; and #BAS (big-a$$ salads). For me, this is what #moderation365 looks like. Sure, I'm not eating Christmas cookies and stuffing everyday, but on any given day, I work something similar into my diet...something that I would have previously scorned and avoided (only to overeat on more and worse things later on). 

One of my intentions for 2016 is to keep practicing #moderation365, with the hope that it becomes more and more effortless. My wish for you is the same: that whatever health-or-fitness-related intention you have, you practice it with a full heart and plenty of compassion. I hope that you seek out support from others, and remember that I am here and more than happy to cheer you on. #letsdo2016right :-)

My 5 Most-Effective Ways to Avoid Weight Gain this Holiday Season...and Beyond: Tip #5

Today's Tip:

Employ the 10-Minute Rule to stay mindful and present at all your holiday gatherings

Before I became a believer in #moderation365, I had only two dials: on plan and off plan. When I was on plan, everything that didn't meet my arbitrary standard of "health food" was off the table, and I employed willpower to the best of my ability to avoid cravings. Off plan meant that I was free to cut loose and eat with abandon. I told myself that my on-plan sacrifices had earned me the right to eat whatever I wanted for whatever window of time I allotted myself. More often than not, I took this leniency way too far and ended up feeling so stuffed and regretful that I couldn't recall even one pleasurable bite! This was not a way to live, and my metabolism proved that this strategy was doing me more harm than good. 

The times I'd give myself a wide berth were usually around holidays, especially Christmas. With all the parties and gatherings, it seemed impossible to approach this time with any modicum of self-restraint. As a result, when I'd show up at parties and make my way to the food table, it was almost as if a haze descended over me: I would get almost giddy at the prospect of eating as much of the food assembled as I wanted. It was literally intoxicating; it was like an out-of-body experience. 

Like many things, however, the anticipation of the thing was 10x better than the reality of it. I would end up spending all my time hovering around the food, trying not to "give myself away" as the greedy one at the party. I would watch others like a hawk, stressing over whether or not I would be able to get more of "x" dish before it was gone. I would watch resentfully as others helped themselves to a reasonable portion and continued to enjoy themselves and engage others in meaningful and interesting conversation. Since my focus was laser-pointed on the food situation, it left little brain bandwidth to engage my fellow party-goers. And when someone did try to engage me in conversation, I could only half-pay attention because my mind was elsewhere!!!

My 5 Most-Effective Ways to Avoid Weight Gain this Holiday Season...and Beyond: Tip #4

Today's Tip:

Don't ignore cravings, anticipate them! The more aware you are, the more equipped you are to make a good choice

"Deprivation Roads Leads to Binge City"--@hilaryglaus

I came up with this metaphor because it illustrates what happens when we ignore cravings and white-knuckle our way through a strict diet, only to end up binging when our willpower inevitably runs out. We can only rely on pure force of will for a finite period before everything starts to look like a cupcake! You know the saying "When you're a hammer, everything looks like a nail?" If you're hungry and deprived and irritable, everything--whether you even like the food or not!!--starts to look like the most delicious thing in the world on account of the fact that it's "off limits." When literally everything starts to look appetizing, how can we expect ourselves not to give in? And when we do, what happens? We feel like a failure, and blame ourselves for our lack of willpower. In such a defeated state, we're more likely to turn to food or some other counterproductive behavior that resets the cycle anew. 

So my fourth strategy to help you avoid weight gain this holiday season and beyond is to anticipate cravings. Yes, that's right; don't presume when you're feeling super-motivated that it's not necessary to establish an action plan. Cravings are a biochemical reality which can't be ignored (not for that long, anyway!), but can be managed effectively so that you're not tempted to throw the baby out with the bath water! 

The best place to start is by playing "diet detective" to determine what foods, consumed in small amounts throughout the day, will help you feel satisfied and less likely to binge. Some examples are bacon and other breakfast meats; heavy cream for coffee; cheese; avocado; charcuterie; olive oil; protein bars, etc. When you're sated, it's also less likely that you'll experience strong cravings. I've blogged before about the 80/20 Rule and how eating 80% of your daily calories from protein, vegetables, and high-fiber sources sets you up for success. It allows you some wiggle room for when it comes to that remaining 20%. Think about it: what are a chocolate bar, a couple cookies, or a slice of cake when measured up against that 80%?! It seems pretty insignificant when you look at it objectively, doesn't it?! This strategy is effective when it's utilized to reexamine how we perceive the way that we eat: when we chose to look at our nutrition from an objective standpoint, we tend to see that what we criticize ourselves for is really only a small drop in the larger bucket of learning to eat in a sustainable way for life.

My 5 Most-Effective Ways to Avoid Weight Gain this Holiday Season...and Beyond: Tip #3

Today's Tip:

Prioritize protein and fiber-rich foods

Protein and fiber-rich foods increase satiety and stabilize your blood sugar. It's a win-win because these foods provide bulk and volume without adding too many calories, so yup stay satisfied longer with fewer dips in your energy levels. You get much bang for your proverbial buck with these foods because it's hard to really overdo it: realistically-speaking, how much chicken breast can you really eat after all?!? The same goes for high-fiber foods, which have the added benefit of keeping you regular (!) If the bulk of your diet (80% or so) is comprised of quality protein and fiber-rich foods, you're well on your way to avoiding the common pitfalls that befall us when it comes to eating in a way that aligns with our goals. 

[Foods that are high in fiber & protein! Sources, clockwise
from upper-left: Greatist ~ Minimalist Baker ~
Nature's Secret ~ Livestrong

Does anyone else notice that it seems as though, right around this time of year, clean protein sources and vegetables all but disappear from peoples' consciousness?!? So while the goal may be to prioritize these foods to get the most mileage out of our calories, this time of year presents a unique conundrum. I've been to countless holiday parties between Thanksgiving and Christmas, and I'm pressed to find a green leaf, spear, or bean anywhere! Even protein un-sauced and outside of some pastry shell is hard to come by. And for those who consider raw veggies an alternative for those who choose not to indulge their every tasty whim this time of year: I'm sorry, but plain crudités is just not going to cut it.

If you think the gathering you're heading to will be a vegetable-and-protein desert, there are certain things you can do to ensure that you don't fall prey to overindulgence. Firstly, consider bringing a large dish that fits the bill. This way, even if there's nothing else at the party that you choose to eat, you have something delicious and plentiful, plus you know exactly what's in it. An added bonus? You get to show others that nutrient-dense, physique-friendly foods can be palate-pleasing, too!

Great salsa recipe from JillFit!

Healthy party dishes for your holiday fete! Sources
clockwise from upper-left: Taste As You Go ~ Pinterest ~
HuffPost

Secondly, consider eating a hearty serving of protein and veggies before you leave. That way you walk into the party ready to mingle instead of make a bee line directly to the dessert table. A protein shake with a fiber supplement added could suffice here, and its ease and portability makes it a great option if you're short on time or heading to your party straight from work (or the gym!).

My 5 Most-Effective Ways to Avoid Weight Gain this Holiday Season...and Beyond: Tip #2

Today's Tip:

Ramp up the metabolic resistance workouts and ease up on the cardio

Metabolic resistance training (MRT) is a type of training protocol where you perform a series of resistance-training exercises for reps or for time, resting as little as possible. MRT is an effective way to burn fat while simultaneously building muscle to improve body composition and overall work capacity. Because you are resting very little and moving either your bodyweight or some external weight, MRT leaves you breathless. This is the idea: you should be gasping for air.

MRT can be performed on its own for a short, effective workout, or you can add a session onto the tail-end of a lifting workout as a potent finisher. When you perform MRT, your aim should be to get as sweaty as possible and work as hard as possible. You get the benefits of cardio via the heart-pumping pace of the workout, and spend much less time to achieve the desired effect.

This is me completing an MRT circuit of ME (max effort)
box dips & OH squats

By cutting back on cardio, you will experience fewer negative effects like exercise-induced cravings and hunger. You'll also find that you need fewer calories to get through your workouts because they're shorter, so you'll naturally be less hungry throughout the day. When you improve the ratio of body fat to lean muscle tissue, you will increase your resting metabolic rate so you burn more calories throughout the day. Plus the increased ratio of lean muscle mass to body fat means that your body can withstand a few extra calories here and there without any discernible negative physique changes.

Stay tuned for the next tip! It's going to be a good one!!!

My 5 Most-Effective Ways to Avoid Weight Gain this Holiday Season...and Beyond: Tip #1

Happy Monday, ya'll!

I hope you had a great weekend. I spent mine coaching bootcamp, meeting with clients, revisiting the American Museum of Natural History and buying and decorating my first Christmas tree! I say first because I've never had one in my own apartment before. Since I go back to Maine for the holidays, I've always just waited until my Christmas vacation to trim the family tree. It's a nice tradition: the adult children coming back to decorate the tree and listen to Christmas tunes. I realized that the only drawback is that I end up suspending my full holiday immersion: it's like I can't fully embrace the season until I get back to Maine. Because I'm eager to get into the spirit a little earlier this year, I bought my own little Charlie Brown-style tree which I'm in the process of decorating with red lights and hand-strung garland. My hope is that this little tree, along with the smell of pine, gets me into the holiday mood (and hopefully motivates me to finish my shopping!).

Want to know what doesn't need to be motivated to get into the holiday spirit? My stomach, LOL. This time of year is like an endless smorgasbord, and I'm sure you can relate when I say that it can be hard--like really hard--to stick to our healthy-eating goals.

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But if you know me you know that I love a challenge, which is why I am not only aiming to maintain this holiday season, but lose a little extra fat. Don't misinterpret this, though!: I am not passing any judgement on myself for "letting myself go," or making this out to mean anything other than what it is. I'm a wee bit softer than I prefer to be right now, and that's it. No guilt, no shame, no judgment, just a fact.

To help me shed this holiday season, I'm employing some of my most helpful strategies to avoid holiday weight gain by actually putting the seasonal indulgences to work for me. These tips have helped me to lean out, stay energized, and avoid any crazy, neurotic behavior that's derailed past efforts. Over the next couple of days, I'll share with you my most effective tips 'n' tricks for healthy fat loss that you can use any time of year. Whether it's spring time and you wanna shed a little fat before hitting the beach, or the holidays when food is abundant and willpower is at a minimum, these strategies will get you on track without diminishing from your quality of life!

Today's Tip:

Structure your indulgences around your workouts

Carbs are often vilified in the fitness industry, but when it comes to making gains in your training, carbs are your friend. Consumed prior to a workout, they'll provide energy to get you through those long lifting sessions or killer metcon workouts. You'll lift heavier, jump higher, sprint faster, and perform better when your body has that immediate source of energy at its disposal.

Consequently, after a heavy workout, our bodies tend to be more glycogen-depleted we deplete our glycogen stores. Glycogen is the storage form of carbohydrates, and it is the primary form of energy that your body accesses in order to perform. Intense exercise vastly diminishes these reserves. When glycogen stores are in this depleted state, you can afford to eat more carbs because your blood sugar levels won't rise as fast or as high, so you're not going to experience that damaging insulin spike. In fact, post-workout nutrition can help to optimize the release of insulin and human growth hormone to help promote muscle synthesis.

Some articles on this topic get into the minutiae of post-workout feeding, arguing that a high-glycemic carb source paired with a fast-acting protein (like whey protein isolate) will most effectively promote muscle synthesis post-workout. I'm sure there's an ideal ratio to best exploit the glycogen-depleted state, but I'm a firm believer in both feeding my muscles and appealing to my palate. If I can sneak in some of my favorite foods and mitigate their effects, I'm not going to worry too much about the macronutrient make up of my post-workout. In other words, #justfeedmecarbs

In conclusion, there are a couple of ways to strategically indulge over the holidays to both avoid weight gain and even lose some fat. By structuring your treats around your heavy workouts, you benefit by either increasing the stores of energy accessible to you during your training session or taking advantage of a state of glycogen-depletion where a heavier meal won't hinder your fat loss efforts, and may in fact spur muscle growth and protein synthesis! 

just because you don't see it doesn't mean it's not there!--object permanence as metaphor for establishing a healthy mindset

Until about four months of age, babies' cognitive development is lacking such that they can't recognize that just because they do not see an object doesn't mean it no longer exists. In other words, when you show an infant a stuffed animal and then place it out of view, that object all of fails to exist in the baby's mind: it's as if it never was. As the child's cognitive abilities develop further, she begins to display what psychologists call object permanence, or the child's capacity to understand that the object still exists even though she cannot see it. This is the stage at which the child would look around in search of the missing object because she recognizes that it's been obscured, not destroyed. 

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How discovering my physical strength helped me uncover my many emotional truths

There's one thing that I admire about Donald Trump: He doesn't care what other people think because he says what's on his mind. 

*crickets*

No, really, hear me out: that's his shtick and for better or worse, it's his calling card. Sure, he's brazen, disrespectful, racist, classist, misogynistic, etc. I would never, ever, ever in a million years vote for him or support him in any way. And to a certain extent, I even wonder how much of what he says he actually believes. I'm sure that there's a kernel of conviction in what he says, but the point I'm trying to make is that he's bold and unapologetic about his comments, however deranged he may come across when sharing them. 

This lack of censorship and willingness to just say whatever is a characteristic shared by many powerful men. Our culture rewards men who speak their minds, and so many men are simply conditioned to speak out because they've never been encouraged not to. Women, on the other hand, are discouraged from speaking out loud, being opinionated, and not caring about what others think of them. Society demands that women in positions of power behave more reservedly, and they're encouraged to invoke diplomacy to resolve disputes instead of boldly taking action and delegating like a man in the same position would be expected to do. 

This is very distressing, and it's very ingrained. These gender normatives run deep into the very fabric of our culture, informing most if not all interactions that occur whenever and wherever women and men encounter one another. Unfortunately, it's not a big leap at all between the way society expects men and women to express themselves and women struggling with poor body image, yo-yo dieting, and the culture of women-against-women. 

Think about it like this: Before young girls hit puberty, they are on an equal playing field with their male counterparts. They experience little shame in the classroom or on the playground, and are just as likely to raise their hand to answer a question in class as their male classmates. Around the time puberty hits however, this changes as girls start picking up on subtle social cues that their stock as women goes up in direct proportion to how pretty they are. They begin to notice, by observing the interactions of the men and women in their lives, social media, their peer groups and the like that women with opinions who speak up and out are scorned and even ostracized. In some cases, women and girls that speak up are labeled as "know-it-alls" "bitches" "snobs" or the most damning epithet of all: "feminist." As a result, society inculcates in young women a deep-seated fear of being labeled as such. This has the added side effect of stifling young women's voices at a time when they're most impressionable, and therefore most likely to absorb these expectations. 

3 Effective Strategies to take the Edge off Cravings

Back when I was a cardio addict, running upwards of 20 miles per week and training for road races, I had the hardest time controlling my cravings, specifically for sugary treats and breads. Pancakes, french fries, hero rolls, pastries, cupcakes...you name it, I wanted it. Although I don't know what a sugar plum is, I had visions of them, along with every other sweet treat imaginable, dancing in my head!

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When your thoughts are consumed by certain foods, it's very hard to resist the impulse to indulge a craving. The trick, therefore, is to find strategies that have you thinking less about food in general and leave you more satisfied overall.

[Source]

When I was a cardio queen, I would be so ravenous after my workouts that I would eat everything and anything in sight. Not only was my body sending me biochemical signals that it was hungry, but my mind was telling me that I had "earned" my post-workout meal. This pass I granted myself to binge would give me a high, but when scratched, the itch immediately became raw: I'd always end up feeling remorseful. As a result, I'd default to deprivation mode, swear to myself that I would exercise more willpower next time, and then further flog myself with more cardio. For the longest time, I didn't see any possible way to extricate myself from this pattern despite the fact that I was seeing few results and yet doing more and more cardio. It was both physically and mentally exhausting, given that I blamed myself for my lack of adherence and felt completely out of my power.

[Source]

It wasn't until I started strength training and reading up on performance nutrition that I realized that my regimen was inadvertently the cause of my symptoms. Sustained cardio has the effect of increasing appetite, making it harder to ignore the biochemical signals that the body needs to eat. Increased appetite often leads to overeating, which means that you have to do more cardio to compensate. I'm sure you can see how this cycle perpetuates itself.

When I stopped doing so much endurance cardio, my appetite decreased dramatically. As I gained muscle, I craved less sugary foods and was satisfied with far less food than before. Plus I spent much less time working out! Looking back, I can't believe how much time I wasted doing cardio and feeling stuck as it became harder and harder to get the scale to budge. I was very reluctant to try anything new, however, because I was afraid of what would happen to my body if I suddenly stopped doing cardio: What if I blew up like a balloon? What if I suddenly gained back some weight? What if I couldn't control my appetite? Giving up cardio meant giving up some control which was a very scary prospect. I took it slow, however, and I'm glad I did because time allowed the changes to sink in and make an impact. Adopting the philosophy "more is not better; better is better" helped me home in on what types of workouts would give me the most bang for my proverbial buck in the shortest amount of time. And the shorter and more intense my workouts, the less likely I came to experience exercise-induced hunger and cravings.

[Source]

We've all been down Deprivation Road: we know where it leads, and that's straight to Binge City! In all seriousness, I can't think of any worse way to combat cravings than to ignore them completely. When we pretend they don't exist, we ignore reality: we are playing a losing game because reality has a funny way of catching up with us but only 100% of the time! The better bet is to set yourself up to be able to ride cravings out, and a good way to do this is by incorporating preemptive cheats.

Preemptive cheats are things that you can build into your meals throughout the day in order to take the edge off potential cravings and keep you from fighting the desire to binge later in the day. I've blogged about preemptive cheats before--a strategy I learned from Jill Coleman of JillFit Physiques--and they are entirely unique to the individual. It's all about what your dietary preferences are and what keeps you both physically and psychologically satisfied. Some of my preemptive cheats are nuts, dried fruit, nut butter, and real cream in my coffee. I also operate better with a little more carbs in my diet, so I like to incorporate sprouted grain bread and starchy veggies like sweet potatoes, all varieties of squash, rice and couscous. Adding a serving of nut butter to my toast, or a handful of trail mix in the mid-afternoon helps me to navigate the middle when it comes to my nutrition.

How strength training and an unintentional elimination diet helped me cure my chronic migraines

In my early twenties, I suffered from debilitating migraines. I experienced all the typical symptoms: sensitivity to light, smells, even extreme nausea.

How I felt when I got a migraine...[Source]

The only way I knew how to treat them was to go to sleep for several hours or pop several Excedrin. At any given time, I had to have a bottle of pills on me because I never knew when a migraine would strike. For the longest time, I assumed my migraines were hereditary: my dad used to get horrible ones that rendered him completely in functional for hours at a time. I remember many an afternoon spent tiptoeing around in an effort not to wake him from one of his "migraine naps."

[Source]

At the time, it never occurred to me that my lifestyle might be what was causing the migraines. I had no clue that my diet could increase my propensity towards migraines...until I did an unintentional elimination diet.

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In retrospect, it's remarkable that I actually discovered the foods that triggered my migraines because I was such a nay-sayer! I completely prescribed to the school of thought that doesn't attribute diet to any physical condition like migraines, acne, or bloating. I even distinctly remember a video my dermatologist gave me as a pre-teen when I first started developing acne. In one scene, a bunch of teenagers are chowing down on pizza and French fries as the voiceover states that despite popular belief, greasy foods and your diet in general do not make your acne worse! So they were essentially saying "Enjoy your diet, and here's a prescription medication to treat the symptom, not the root cause, of your unfortunate skin condition!!!!"

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It's funny to think about now, but I was totally on board with the western method of treating any physical ailment: with medication. Truthfully, I didn't want to do the hard, investigative work involved in determining what, if any, foods I might be sensitive or rather what foods may exacerbate my migraines and other more subtle physical issues. I was a disbeliever to the nth degree until I started to reintroduce foods that I'd casually eliminated: the biggest culprit was processed sugar.

My Top 3 Tips to Avoid Overindulgence this Holiday Season

I used to look forward to the holiday season with a mix of both excitement and dread. I love everything about the holidays: the decorations, the family times, the music, the generosity of spirit that makes this time of year the most special, and of course, the "reason for the season," which marks this time of year one of the most important on the Christian calendar. I also love the festivities, but with all the holiday parties to attend and host, I would often find myself operating with a low/grade of anxiety from mid-November through the New Year. All this improved dramatically, however, when I made a conscious choice to remain mindful whenever an opportunity to indulge presented itself. I developed strategies to navigate the mine field that is the holiday party circuit and holiday eating in general, and I'm going to share them with you here:

NYC holiday decorations are second-to-none! I love this City's holiday
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1) In this day-and-age, you can find anything that you want to eat, anytime you want to eat it: Because anything is available anytime, it sort of takes the wind out of the sails of the argument "But it's a special occasion, so I have to eat xyz!" For me, this has been and remains a tough trap to avoid because the holidays are one of the very, very few times a year that I am back in my childhood home, under my parents' roof, for an extended period of time. As a result, there are often lots of goodies around that my mom only makes for the holidays that aren't only delicious, but for which I am nostalgic. This is a potentially catastrophic combination, as I believe nostalgia and mindfulness are mutually exclusive. 

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Last year, I turned a corner in my mindful holiday eating practice. I had this realization, which I played on loop in my head, that just because I only eat these treats when I'm in my childhood home doesn't mean that they are off limits at other times during the year. Of course they're not! All the ingredients are readily available, and I can get the recipes from my mom anytime I have a hankering for a few haystack candies or Russian wedding cookies. In other words, when I was able to put some emotional distance between myself and the feelings around the holiday foods I love, I realized that they're not really that powerful anymore. Nostalgia is a powerful force from which it takes effort to extricate ourselves; however, it rarely serves us because it keeps us rooted to the past, a bygone time to which we cannot and should not return, especially if we're trying to sustain healthy habits. 

The Important Lessons I've Learned as a Reformed Fitness Infomercial Junkie

Recently while training a client in her living room, I caught the majority of an infomercial for a popular workout method. I won't name-names, but suffice it to say that the fitness personality behind the product is well-known in the industry and has her name behind many other workout programs and products.

While watching this infomercial, I had a couple of thoughts: 1) The people who produce these infomercials have the delivery down to a science; and 2) Wow, I totally used to fall for this, hook, line, and sinker! It's true, I'll admit it: at one point in my life, I was a fitness-infomercial product junkie. I fell for all the hype, believed all the wild claims, and bought into the amazing transformation stories. I remember the emotional highs I would experience when I watched these infomercials and saw what I thought were the faces of people who were fundamentally transformed by their experience with this or that program: to be blunt, I was gullible and every marketer's dream. 

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Not long ago, I was in Maine visiting my parents and going through old boxes of my stuff. I came across my collection of informercial purchases, including:

1) Billy Blanks' Tae Bo-->

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2) Mari Windsor's Pilates-->

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3) Greer Childers' Body Flex-->

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I remember distinctly being totally loca for these programs: I'd watch the infomercial over and over again. I don't know how I convinced my parents to allow me to order all these videos, but in their defense, I'm sure it pleased them that I was more interested in working out in our basement than engaging in other, less savory activities! 

In retrospect, the anticipation of waiting for the videos to arrive and unwrapping them was more exciting than actually working out to them, ha! This was especially true of the Body Flex videos which promised a leaner, healthier physique by performing various breathing techniques. I'll never forget one called Lion's Breath: the sound that she instructed us to make was a cross between a wheezing bulldog and a cat in the midst of coughing up a hair ball. This was supposed to make me lose weight!!! I can't help but laugh now! 

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I remember being really jazzed about the workouts for several weeks or months, and then my interest would eventually wane. After all, who could stay motivated by a video that promised great results by making sounds like a dying animal?!? Now, it's much easier to say that it's no wonder my efforts failed since they were built on the unrealistic premise that my results would we swift and informativeness. However, back in the day, I was quick to blame my lack of results on myself: my lack of discipline meant that I was an intrinsic failure. As a result, I continued to look at and be seduced by infomercials, perpetually in search of the one that would "work" for me. This was a self-fulfilling cycle which only served to keep me dependent on the external as the means of achieving my goals, and if you been reading the blog for awhile, you know how that turns out. 

3 Strategies to Help You Avoid Overeating at Restaurants (While Still Enjoying Yourself!)

In the first season of The Real Housewives of New York, Jill Zarin tells her daughter a story a story in which she was out to eat, and in order to stop herself from eating all the french fries on her plate, she drenched them in water. While I disagree with the context in which this story was shared with her daughter, as I believe it underscored Jill's attempt to control her daughter's eating habits specifically and her body more generally, her tale resonated with me. I'm sure it also rang true for other women who've done the same or equally absurd things to keep themselves from overeating when they're out to eat.

Even Real Housewives aren't immune to hot, oily, salty
goodness :-)

Self-Portrait: The Time I Threw Away Half a Cake...and then
proceeded to dig it out of the garbage and eat it anyway

Many women struggle with overeating in general, but it can be particularly difficult to rein oneself in when sitting at a restaurant. First of all, the portions are often very large; much larger than what we would typically serve ourselves at home. Secondly, the food is often prepared with a lot of butter, salt and other flavors that trigger the pleasure centers of our brain, making it hard to stop eating simply because we're full. Thirdly, many of us struggle to reconcile 1) the notion that it's wasteful not to clean our plates with 2) our best intentions to eat mindfully.

It looked appetizing at first...but after bite 1,000, I'm feeling
a little bit ill...can you feel me?!

For me, the struggle not to overeat at restaurants is real. I love dining out and I love food, but I hate the lack of control that I feel when I don't take my time and instead eat until I'm busting at the seams (Having to unbutton your pants after a meal? Not a good look!). To help me stay true to my intentions and my goals, I've come to rely on a few strategies to avoid overeating at restaurants:


1) Don't order an alcoholic beverage when the server first comes around for a drink order: Going out to dinner is exciting! Whether it's date night, an evening out on the town with girlfriends, or a special celebration with family, it's tempting to want to "get the party started," so to speak, as soon as you're seated. When we do this, however, we make it that much harder to remain mindful around food because our mind is already slightly clouded by alcohol. When we order a cocktail or glass of wine right off the bat, it's an implicit invitation to ourselves to disregard our intentions and give into those voices that are telling us to "just let loose."

Don't order a Scorpion Bowl until AFTER they bring your
egg roll :-)

In my experience, that initial drink order will either make or break my evening. I've made the wrong-for-me decision too many times to not have developed an alternative solution which is to wait until my meal comes to order a beverage. By ordering plain or sparkling water to start, I make a conscious choice to ease myself into the evening, stay present and enjoy the whole experience. I feel empowered when I make choices that reflect my goals, and as a result, I am able to fully engage with my company. I'm not worried about whether or not someone is "judging" me for abstaining from alcohol (not that my choice gives them reason to, but it's all about my perception anyway!) because I simply say, "I'm going to order a glass of wine with my meal." Not only am I making a choice I feel comfortable with and that allows me to remain fully engaged in the present moment, but I give myself more time to pore over the wine list (<--see what I did there?!) in conjunction with the menu and decide what wine best pairs with my meal of choice. I stand by this strategy as a way to help me avoid overindulgence because it enhances the entire experience of dining out, and when I am truly enjoying myself, I am much less likely to make a decision that will dramatically alter that course.

The "Good v. Bad" Food Dogma that's Keeping You from Achieving Your Health Goals

I love glazed crullers from NYC coffee carts. Like, love 'em. If you live in NYC like me, you know the carts I'm talking about:  they're everywhere! You can find them on almost every corner in the City, selling everything from piping hot coffee to buttered rolls to baklava. They're the bomb.com. My favorite cart proprietor knows my order even before I open my mouth! #noshameinmydonutgame.

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I don't remember how I got on my cruller-kick, but they are in the regular circulation of indulgences that I enjoy. I know, I know, you're probably thinking: what in the world is a fitness professional doing eating a cruller from a coffee cart?! Well, I'll let you in on a little-known secret: we "fitness professionals" are *gasp* not immune to the magical combination of sugar and butter, nor are many of us willing to sacrifice the foods that we truly enjoy in order to walk around at 12% body fat. Now don't get me wrong: if that were my goal, I'd definitely rein in the weekly donut indulgence. There's also nothing inherently wrong with wanting to be super-lean...as long as it's not at the sake of your quality of life and mental stability. Ultimately, I know what it takes to lean out to that extent, and that a weekly donut habit would hinder such a goal. However, that's not where I'm at now, so I see no problem with enjoying every satisfying and decadent bite of donut without a twinge of guilt. 

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Now believe me: it's taken me along time to get to the point where I can eat a donut and not hate myself for it. I've come a long way, and doing the tough mental work required to manage my emotional eating has been nothing short of the biggest struggle of my life so far. Part of getting mindful about food, however, involves actively rejecting almost EVERYTHING I used to believe about food and what I should and should not be eating. This daily struggle was the source of endless anxiety for me, until I realized that most of what the conventional industry preaches is a crock of s**t.

I hate the way the fitness industry demonizes certain foods as "bad" and labels others as "good." I think this sends an incomplete message to people who are trying to take control of their health and overcome unhealthy attachments to food. As far am I'm concerned, speaking about something like food in moralistic terms such as these accomplishes the following:

1) Alienates people 

2) Makes people obsessed

3) Facilitates the diet cycle, where you're either "on" or "off"

4) Undermines the efforts of those individuals who've found an alternative to the "hamster wheel" version of dieting where you're constantly moving but not getting anywhere fast. 

My Encounter With a Card-Carrying, Men's Rights Misogynist...in a CrossFit Gym ;-)

As a white woman, I rarely face discrimination. I frequently encounter sexism, however, but a combination of the two? It's rare, if not non-existent...before yesterday morning, I can't recall a single occasion.

While in the gym prepping to coach my bootcamp, an older, white gentleman came in the door. He asked for the yoga instructor and I reminded him that she teaches on Sunday mornings, not Saturdays. He continued to engage me in conversation about fitness and recent workout he witnessed where the class was running around the block with med balls...don't ask :-)

Anyway, this man proceeded to reach over and touch my bicep, as if to measure it with his two fingers. He looked impressed, and I was expecting him to congratulate me or say something positive. Instead, I got an earful about how he does not agree with women looking like I do. But that wasn't all: he pontificated that God created men to have broad shoulders and narrow waists, and women to have narrow shoulder and broad hips. When that symmetry is reversed, it's against His will. He explained that all "this intense exercise" that women are now doing is the cause of a plethora of societal ills and attributes it to the rising incidence of Caesarean births, among various other preventable health problems. He drew a rather broad stroke, essentially drawing a link between women who dare to buck the tide and...the problems in Ferguson?! Yes, ladies and gentleman, this gentleman argued that what's going on with communities of color is a result of women not following some pre-ordained, submissive path! Don't even get me started on what he claims about single mothers and how they're single-handedly ruining society! I could tell that believed every word that he said, without a stroke of irony, and spoke as though it was the most natural thing in the world for him to give his opinion despite how offensive his comments were. It never seemed to occur to him how inappropriate his comments were, and how they were certain to fall on deaf ears, given the fact that we were conversing in a CrossFit gym! 

Anyhoo, I held my tongue. I was fuming, but I kept it cool and told him that we would have to agree to disagree. He agreed, but continued to share his unsolicited opinion. The whole time this was happening, I couldn't help but feel like I was suspended above, watching this interaction take place because it was so surreal. This man actually believes that the way I look is an abomination. Before that moment, it never occurred to me that I am making a political statement with my body, or that I am a walking billboard for something that certain people wouldn't think twice about protesting. 

This realization was a game-changer.

Prior to this encounter, my choice to look like I lift heavy weights was a personal one. Now I realize that it's actually bigger than me. I now recognize that I've been bestowed a certain responsibility to go forth and, in the best and most authentic way that I can, live the truth that I've discovered: strength training for women is a vehicle to uncovering your unique power. The world will be a much kinder, more beautiful, and less judgmental place once women embrace their inner and outer strength. Ahhh, I've got goosebumps!!!!

Please, please, PLEASE, leave a comment below and tell me how strength training has enhanced your life. I want to hear all about it so that together we can shift the conversation in a direction that encourages all women--and the men who love them--to uncover the power that strength training makes manifest.