Confessions of a Personal Fitness TrainerWritten by Deborah Caruana RN, MES, CPT
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Eventually I had to add more carbs, I needed more energy. By carbs I mean vegetables, salads and whole grains. At this point I gained back total of two pounds I had lost on Atkins. Body fat went from 16% to 18%, my energy was better. After 7 months I decided it was time to get blood checked out and to my horror discovered that my cholesterol which had always been around 150 had rocketed up to 300!! Luckily my HDL to LDL ratio was still at a healthy level. Thanks to my forcing myself to exercise, I kept my HDLs high. I immediately started drinking hot lemon juice with cayenne pepper every morning to clean my blood. I have now thrown away all high fat foods and have once again, come back full circle to moderation and balance. A balanced diet. It takes a little more discipline but my energy is back and I can now eat same meals as my husband so dinner preparation is simpler. My weight has not changed since I gradually introduced carbs. I avoid at all costs “white foods” flour, sugar, milk. I drink unsweetened soy milk I avoid foods in packages, boxes and bags. I feel a fine layer of fat but that’s okay its winter, I need it, and in summer, heat always melts it off. I am completely off sugar and alcohol to keep blood sugar low. Log into www.vitalsignsfitness in Chat page where a discussion has already begun re: Atkins and other diet plans, add your comments or just read and muse. Or go to Nutrition Program page and find out how many calories (protein, carbs, fats) you should eat to sustain your current or ideal weight.Deborah Caruana RN, AAHRFP, NASM, ACE, www.vitalsignsfitness.com email deb@vitalsignsfitness.com
DEBORAH is a highly respected authority in personal training for overall health and fitness, with more than 22 years of experience and success.
| | The Perfect Body. Written by Deborah Caruana RN, MES, CPT
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What if we all completely forgot about having a perfect body and refocused on being healthy? We’d lose all emotional baggage that comes with perfection. We’d focus instead, on health and feeling good. We would eat properly and sensibly and exercise. Lots of vegetables, lean proteins and some whole grains. Nutrient packed foods, which have negative calories because they're work for body to break them down. It’s man made foods that tempt us and make us eat too much because they just taste so…good? These foods spoil our taste buds: sugar, processed foods, white flour, hydrogenated oils. They take away pleasure of simpler more complex flavors. Plus these once nutritious foods are processed into empty fat storing, blood sugar raising caloric dumping. Yes, okay sometimes we can indulge with a glass of wine or piece of chocolate. We can't always say no. Halloween and holidays are imminent and we need good habits to fortify our resolve without being rigid. Here’s a strategy! Eat healthy foods first. Relish them and get satisfied. After meal is when you go for 'bad' or 'fun' food if you still need to. You’ll only eat a little, because you’re sated. There are no diet secrets, only common sense. Of course there is role of social stigma and media continuing to rev engine of needing to have a perfect body. But we know better now. We may not look like a super star or model but maybe our natural healthy glow from our zoning through life in good health will give us longevity and quality of life we all desire. Part of being productive in our daily life is exercise. Our advanced technology affords us time to make time for daily exercise. Our bodies need, crave it and respond to it once habit is formed. One thorough give it your all effort, for one hour a day is plenty. Exercise is what keeps you looking, feeling and being young. Exercise for survival is part of our evolution. Did our predecessors ever prioritize a perfect body? So forget about perfection. Now get out there eat healthy, exercise and find your zone to enjoy life to its fullest. PS. Can we have perfect body? Absolutely! Can you keep it once you’ve got it? Definitely! But only way it will really stay is a lot of rigid control (saying no) or a lot of losing control by ‘zoning’ and regular exercise. Deborah Caruana RN, AAHRFP, NASM, ACE. Vital Signs Fitness.com EMAIL: deb@vitalsignsfitness.com
DEBORAH is a highly respected authority in personal training for overall health and fitness, with more than 22 years of experience and success.
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