Chickpea Cacciatore – A High Protein Vegan Meal!

This chickpea cacciatore makes an easy, inexpensive and delicous, high-protein vegan meal. It can be made in less than 30 minutes, you can make it ahead of time and it tastes great the next day! While I’ve got you here, a couple of things to tell you about. 1. I’ve got an e-book in the works…stay... Read More » The post Chickpea Cacciatore – A High Protein Vegan Meal! appeared first on Running on Real Food.

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3 crucial (and counterintuitive) strategies for getting loved ones to support your healthy lifestyle.

Changing your eating and exercise habits is hard enough. Getting loved ones to support your healthy lifestyle changes? Prepare to grit your teeth. The company you keep does affect your progress toward healthier living. So here’s how to reduce peer pressure and get the social support you need.

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You beam as you gather your family ‘round the dining table, where you’ve lovingly assembled a colorful and nutritious meal.

Everyone takes a seat.

You serve the grilled chicken, the sauteed broccolli, the pumpkin seed-studded salad. You nervously watch for reactions.

It’s really delicious…You swear!

Then, within moments:

A floret of broccoli makes a perfect arc across the room after your toddler daughter catapults it from her fork.

Your preteen son slumps so low that only his furrowed brow and the top of his phone peek above the table.

Your partner, trying to be polite and supportive, has been chewing his first bite for a good two minutes. Without swallowing.

Even the dog, usually hovering shamelessly, sniffs at a spinach leaf and then flops down in the corner with a sigh.

You feel… alone.

Now what?

To change your eating and exercise habits, do you have to convince your friends and family to change too?

Would getting loved ones on board with your healthy lifestyle changes make the whole endeavor easier?

And if so, how the #@*% do you do that?

This really matters to you.

You’re excited about your experiments with lifestyle changes.

You’re eating more vegetables. You’re walking on your lunch breaks and seeing a trainer on the weekend.

Your body is looking, working, and feeling better.

You feel sparks of inspiration and hope. And you want to keep going.

You desperately want loved ones with you.

Why?

Well, because you love them.

You want your family and friends to be healthy and safe — to feel good. You want to protect them from the pain of poor health.

You want the best for them.

And frankly, you need support from the people closest to you.

It seems hard — even near impossible — to make these big changes alone.

If you’re feeling these things it’s important to know: The thoughts are really, really normal.

It is hard to eat and move in ways that support your own health goals when, in your social circle, Fridays mean beer and tacos; Saturdays mean a Jenga tower of bacon at the greasy spoon; hanging out means meeting at the bar to shoot tequila instead of at the park to shoot hoops; etc.

In some ways, you are the sum of your social circle.

Habits can be contagious.

The people around you matter. And you matter to the people around you.

Research shows that we are affected by the body composition, habits, and lifestyles of those around us. The more people around us are doing something, or living a certain way, the more likely we are to do and live the same — whether that’s what we eat, how we eat, whether we move (or not), how we move, and so on.

If your friends and family are fitter and healthier, you’re more likely to be fitter and healthier. And the reverse is true, too.

Research shows that:

• The weight of those closest to you may help determine your own weight. According to one large-scale study, having a friend, an adult sibling, or a spouse who is obese increases your own obesity risk by 57 percent, 40 percent, and 37 percent respectively.

• Even your friends’ friends matter. Two degrees of separation between you and someone who is obese increases your own chances of being obese by 20 percent. You don’t even have to have met them for this to be a factor in your own weight.

• Your social network affects your obesity risk exponentially. Each obese person you know is correlated with a 0.5 percent increase in your risk of obesity. Thus, having five obese social contacts more than doubles your risk of becoming obese.

• Your weight is more influenced by people of your own gender. For women, this means that a girlfriend’s or same-sex partner’s weight may have a larger effect than a guy friend’s or opposite-sex partner’s; and vice versa for men.

• Weight convergence likely happens subconsciously. Researchers believe that we change our habits to match those of our social group without talking or even thinking about it.

• The amount you eat depends on who you’re eating with. Dine with a big eater, and you’re liable to consume more; sit down with a light eater, and you’re likely to take in less. This effect has been observed even among strangers. When asked, the diners usually attribute the mirroring effect to taste and hunger as opposed to the behavior of others around them.

• How much you eat also depends on the size of the group you’re with. Eating with one, two, three, four, five, six, and seven other people is associated with a 35, 47, 58, 69, 70, 72, and 96 percent increase in energy consumed, respectively.

• Your social network can also have a big impact on what you eat. People whose friends generally meet the guidelines for produce intake are more likely to eat at least five servings of fruit and vegetables per day.

• Your impression of social norms help determine what you eat, how much you eat, and your physical activity level. If getting a light salad for lunch seems “normal”, that’s what you’re likely to do, even if no one’s going to see you eat it. Conversely, if eating a bag of Ruffles for lunch seems “normal”, you may do that, even if you know the salad is more aligned with your health goals. Those who report a high level of physical activity as the social norm are also more likely to be active themselves.

As you can see, most of this happens subconsciously. We often change our habits to match those of our social group without talking or even thinking about it.

It’s not just how you eat and move, of course. Research indicates that you’re influenced by family and friends for other big-deal game-changers, like whether to get married or when to have a baby.

Of course, all of these findings are correlations — researchers are still working out exactly why the body weight and lifestyle of friends and family affects your own.

But why does it work this way? Why can’t you be a lone wolf or a unique individual? Well, in some ways, social influence is a good thing.

Social cohesion keeps us alive.

Human beings are social creatures.

We evolved in small groups who depended on one another for survival. Much of our brain is devoted specifically to social cues and communication: recognizing faces, reading emotions, making and understanding language, etc.

We depended on social cohesion — on belonging — to survive. To be alone (whether abandoned, rejected, or left behind) often meant certain death.

Today, modern medicine shows us that loneliness can still kill: our bodies respond to social rejection and isolation as if they were viral threats. When we are persistently lonely, inflammation goes up, immunity goes down; we get more chronic diseases and die sooner.

Aloneness is scary. Vulnerable. Difficult.

“Aloneness” can be “real”, like the actual aloneness of a young woman who chooses to stay in to eat a healthy dinner and get a good night’s sleep when all her roommates have gone out for pizza and partying.

“Aloneness” can also be a feeling, like the way a guy feels when all his buddies are drinking beer and he’s got a seltzer.

If you’re the only one at happy hour ordering a side salad instead of fries, it’s basically like you’re outside the campfire circle of social safety, just waiting for the lions to attack your tender, undefended flesh.

Thus, protecting ourselves against aloneness is in our DNA.

Swimming against the current is hard.

Of course, it is possible to go it alone. (Terms like “pioneer” and “trailblazer” exist, after all.)

But let’s face it: It’s a lot easier to eat better and get more exercise when your social environment — the behavior of your family and friends — supports your goals.

As with all things, the laws of physics come into play. When you’re trying to change, you may encounter either friction, or momentum.

Friction can make you feel stuck.

Friction makes things harder to do.

Eye-rolling coworkers, spinach-resistant kids, and chili nachos-loving friends — people who explicitly disagree with you or simply engage in opposing habits — create environmental and emotional barriers as you try to move toward your goals.

Friction is:

• when you make a big batch of kale chips for your family on movie night instead of the usual popcorn, and your kids respond with flailing limbs, screeching protests, and exaggerated gagging performances.

• when you sign up for a 10K run and your friends wag their fingers at you and tell you that running will kill your knees.

• when you make an agreement with your mother-in-law that you will take care of the sides for Thanksgiving dinner because you want to provide healthy options, but when you arrive she has prepared all the usual greasy, sugary dishes because she “didn’t want to break tradition”.

When you’re dealing with friction, lifestyle change is like climbing a steep mountain with gravel moving underneath you — complete with cursing, tripping, and slow progress.

Momentum helps you keep rolling.

Momentum boosts you and replenishes your energy.

Willing and/or like-minded loved ones can help keep you accountable, connected, and supported, bolstering you as you work to change your eating and exercise routine.

Momentum is:

• when your whole family chips in to make a wholesome meal, turning food preparation into a family project. You talk about what fruits and vegetables you like, research healthy recipes, and try new weird-shaped vegetables, together.

• when you sign up for a 10K run and your friends ask if you want a cheering section, or at least someone to throw water on you (supportively, of course).

• when you make an agreement with your mother-in-law that you will take care of the sides for Thanksgiving dinner. She gets the hint, lets you do your thing, and takes a cue from you and puts out some local berries for dessert as well. (Of course, people still hit the pie… but…well…c’mon, it’s pie.)

Be brave; be positive.

Now here’s some “PN physics”: You can have friction and momentum, together.

In other words, even if you encounter resistance, you can still get support too.

Even if your loved ones aren’t super-enthusiastic about your nutrition and fitness experiments, or will never love pea sprouts like you do, it doesn’t mean they don’t care, or won’t help.

• You can pursue your goals in the face of wavering or stingy support.

• You don’t have to dump all your friends and family.

• Most importantly, you may not even have to try to convince anyone in order to get them on board.

Social support works both ways.

The people around you can influence you. And you can influence them back.

This is where the good type of “going it alone” comes in: leadership.

While it may be easier to wait until your immediate social circle comes around to prioritizing healthy choices, it’s also incredibly empowering and inspiring to be a leader for change, despite the forces against you.

And in doing so, you’ll build your own small wave of momentum that, little by little, erodes the friction you encounter.

But here’s an important tip: You don’t reduce friction by pushing back. A powerful healthy-lifestyle pioneer… is a peaceful one.

In order to step into that role, try this gentle, sometimes counterintuitive, action plan.

3 crucial strategies for getting friends and family to support your healthy lifestyle.

1. Accept that you may not be “right”.

Step back and embrace some hard truth.

How much of the friction you feel from others… is actually created by you?

Even if you mean well, and even if you are absolutely, 100% correct (yes, smoking is bad; yes, vegetables are good)…

How often have you been judgemental? Insistent? Preachy? Self-righteous? Dismissive? Over-enthusiastic? Maybe even a bit…culty? (That t-shirt that says “Kale University”? We see it.)

Conversely, how often have you been curious? Interested in others’ perspectives? Able to deal with diversity and tolerate various viewpoints? Open-minded? Empathetic and compassionate? A good listener?

Consider this: Maybe “right” isn’t so obvious.

All behaviors and choices have a reason to be there. You might not know the reasons; you might not quite understand the reasons or even agree with the reasons.

But whatever habits your loved ones are practicing, they are doing them for a reason. In some way, their habits are “right” for them. They may have only a limited toolbox of options or coping skills.

This means:

• understanding that your brother feels panicked and crushed under work stress, and sees drinking as the best way to cope.

• having compassion for your best friend, who is terrified to confront her body, and therefore gets defensive and critical every time you bring up your new health regimen.

• understanding that your parents were raised to respect traditional authority figures, so they still believe margarine is better for you than butter, because that’s what their doctor drilled into them 30 years ago.

When we focus on defending our “right-ness” and proving our loved ones’ “wrongness”, our perspective becomes very narrow and our relationships become oppositional.

However, when we let go of judgement and choose compassion and empathy, we make room for understanding.

Understanding dissolves conflict, because it usually shows us that, at our cores, we are all dealing with the same themes — we’re more alike than different.

Understanding helps us collaborate instead of clash; connect instead of criticize. We start to ask questions that, instead of inducing blame and shame, invite connection and support:

“Why are they so different from me?”
becomes
“When have I dealt with something similar?”

“How do I get them to stop the bad habit?”
becomes
“What problem is the bad habit trying to solve?”

“What is wrong with them?”
becomes
“What might they really need?”

As your loved ones begin to feel more understood, and less judged, they may begin to practice more flexibility and less judgement toward your new habits and beliefs too.

(And by the way, it’ll serve you immensely to practice non-judgement, compassion, and understanding on yourself too.)

2. Be persistent, not pushy.

Resistance more often comes from fear than from true philosophical opposition.

Change can feel scary. It can bring up issues of control, security, and identity, and it can also bring up painful emotions like anxiety, panic, shame, or loss.

When our loved ones resist change (in all the creative ways they can come up with — consciously and unconsciously, kindly and unkindly), what they might actually be feeling underneath it all… is fear.

Their fear can be the result of thoughts like:

• What if you become a different person?

• What if this new food tastes gross?

• What if your healthy habits make me confront my unhealthy habits?

• What if people don’t accept us?

• What if you judge me or don’t love me anymore?

• What if I can’t keep up with you?

• What if life gets uncomfortable?

• What if I lose you?

Just like a scared child, resistance and fear in their adult forms don’t respond well to rational arguments and pushing.

So while you must press forward with the changes you’re trying to make for your own well-being, you’ll more likely get support if you practice persistence rather than pushiness.

Pushiness means attempting to force friends and family to join/agree with you, and accepting only a rigid set of compliant responses.

Persistence means continuously offering opportunities for your friends and family to join you on your quest for a healthier life, and yet remains open to a wide range of responses to any given invitation.

So be persistent:

• Keep offering healthy dishes at the dinner table.

• Keep inviting your friends and family to join you on runs, hikes, and exercise classes.

• Keep having conversations about nutrition, healthy body image, and what it means to have a truly good, capable life.

Prioritize positivity and connection when you present these options, and expect resistance, sometimes over and over and over again.

As much as you can, take the drama and emotional charge out of these conversations. Validate your loved ones’ reasons for staying the way they are, and don’t push back.

Perhaps, when their fear subsides and they realize it’s safe to dip their toe in the land of green smoothies and box jumps, your loved ones will join you, and you’ll ride off into the sunset (on your recumbent bikes, drinking coconut water) together.

3. Just “do you”.

Change is difficult.

In order to overcome the many bumps, blocks, and blusters inherent to significant lifestyle change, we need to be anchored to a deep, internal, personalized “why” that will pull us through.

You can’t manufacture this type of motivation for someone else. No matter how hard you try to coerce your kids, spouse, parents, and friends to change, they may have none of it.

And in fact, that may be a good sign. Because that means they know that in order to make the kinds of changes you’re making, they have to want it too.

We call this “intrinsic motivation” — a connection to one’s own, internal reasons for doing something. Research shows that intrinsic motivation leads to change that’s longer-lasting and more self-sustaining than extrinsic motivation, which is based on the desire to obtain external outcomes such as good grades or the approval of others (ahem).

Intrinsic motivation requires deep thought and reflection, and may take longer to develop.

So respect that your loved ones may take time to connect to their own reasons for eating and moving better.

Meanwhile, just “do you”.

Focus on your own intrinsic motivations. Stay connected to what’s driving you, deep inside, to make these personal changes.

Without ignoring your natural love and concern for loved ones, let your attention turn inward. Spend more energy on your own growth and development.

Which could lead to something else amazing…

Think about how you feel when you watch someone you love work toward a BIG goal with heartfelt determination, grit, and bravery.

Think about how you feel when you watch that person persist despite setbacks, failures, and fears.

Think about how you feel when you watch that person triumph, however messily and imperfectly, over adversity.

You feel inspired.

You feel like anything is possible.

You feel like maybe you could do something great too.

And that is the beautiful irony in “doing you”:

By working toward and achieving a healthier, happier, more confident and capable version of yourself, you become the inspiration, the positive influence to your family and friends.

And it all comes full circle when that little healthy-lifestyle wave you started attracts other riders, builds, and then become a huge tidal of momentum to carry you to your final objective — a fit, healthy you — and keep you there.

Influence happens in both directions, remember?

Lead the way.

What to do next.

We’ve learned that change is hard, and changing others is harder. It can be challenging to know where to start.

Take one of these concrete steps today to start reducing conflict and maximizing your own efforts toward healthy living.

Practice sacrificing a “win”.

If you find yourself in a conflict with a loved one, check your instinct to want to be “right”.

Ask yourself who you want to win: you, or the team that makes up you and your loved one(s).

Sometimes we have to sacrifice personal “wins” for the sake of the greater good of the family/friend unit. Often that means loving and accepting our loved ones even when they disagree or aren’t compliant with what we believe is “right”.

This takes practice, and it can be uncomfortable at first.

Find one opportunity to practice non-rightness today, and note the result.

Use “approach” goals instead of “avoid” goals.

To foster understanding among you and loved ones, play with the language you use to (gently) coach them.

“Avoidance” goals — such as “stop eating junk food”, “don’t watch TV after dinner”, and “don’t overeat” — are more likely to make people feel restricted, rebellious, and resistant.

“Approach goals” — such as “try two new vegetables this week”, “eat three different colors of plants today”, and “do something that gets you out of breath for 20 minutes” — are more likely to make people feel expansive, creative, interested, and willing.

Approach goals help make the process of change more harmonious, positive, and even fun for you and your family.

Find objective support that’s just for you.

Having a support person that is detached from your social bubble can be tremendously helpful.

A skilled nutrition and fitness coach provides an objective perspective and functions as a sounding board, a voice of reason, and a resource for practical ideas and inspiration — a source of momentum.

An experienced coach can also provide accountability, which is especially important if you are the lifestyle “trailblazer” in your social circle.

Check your motives.

Each time you make a decision about food or exercise (or any other health factor you’re trying to improve, ask yourself:

Am I doing this because everyone else is doing it, or because it matches my own internal intentions and values?

This doesn’t mean it’s wrong to want to do what other people are doing. But if you do go the way of the crowd, do it consciously.

Involve your loved ones.

Small moments of support can make a huge difference when you’re trying to move away from friction, toward momentum.

So:

• Ask your spouse to help you stretch out after a workout, or to accompany you on a morning walk.

• Ask your children to help you menu plan, choose vegetables at the grocery store, or even help prepare a meal.

• Ask your best friend for a hug when you’ve had a stressful week.

• Ask your friends and family to cheer you on at a race.

Involve and integrate your social network, into your life, without forcing them to change themselves.

Accept them as they are, and be sure to tell them how much it means to you that they are there for you.

Let a Precision Nutrition coach support you.

In Precision Nutrition Coaching, we give men and women the daily support and accountability they need to make lifestyle changes that have eluded them for years. The result: higher confidence, better food and exercise choices, less body fat, and improved health.

The world of nutrition and fitness can make you feel lost at times. But it doesn’t have to. Once you get personalized attention from a knowledgeable coach, your path to healthy, energetic, and capable comes into sharp focus.

We’ll soon be opening the Precision Nutrition Coaching program for new clients. If you’re interested in joining us, please put your name on the presale list below.

References

Click here to view the information sources referenced in this article.

Christakis NA, Fowler JH. The spread of obesity in a large social network over 32 years. N Engl J Med. 2007 Jul 26;357(4):370-9.

Emmons KM, Barbeau EM, Gutheil C, Stryker JE, Stoddard AM. Social Influences, Social Context, and Health Behaviors Among Working-Class, Multi-Ethnic Adults. Health Educ Behav April 2007 vol. 34 no. 2 315-334.

Alison L Hill, David G Rand, Martin A Nowak, Nicholas A Christakis. Infectious Disease Modeling of Social Contagion in Networks. PLoS Computational Biology, 04 Nov 2010 DOI: 10.1371/journal.pcbi.1000968

Holt-Lunstad J, Smith TB, Baker M, Harris T, Stephenson D. Loneliness and Social Isolation as Risk Factors for Mortality: A Meta-Analytic Review. Perspectives on Psychological Science March 2015 vol. 10 no. 2 227-237

Hruschka DJ, Brewis AA, Wutich A, Morin B. Shared Norms and Their Explanation for the Social Clustering of Obesity. Am J Public Health. 2011 December; 101(Suppl 1): S295–S300.

Junge C (2011, May 24). How your friends make you fat—the social network of weight.

Lin N, Ye X, Ensel WM. Social support and depressed mood: a structural analysis. J Health Soc Behav. 1999 Dec;40(4):344-59.

Szalavitz M (2013, March 26). Social Isolation, Not Just Feeling Lonely, May Shorten Lives.

Umberson D, Karas Montez J. Social Relationships and Health: A Flashpoint for Health Policy. J Health Soc Behav. 2010; 51(Suppl): S54–S66.

Vartanian LR, Herman CP, Wansink B. Are We Aware of the External Factors That Influence Our Food Intake? Health Psychology. 2008, Vol. 27, No. 5, 533–538.

Wang D (August 2014). An Empirical Study on the Influence of Social Networks and Menu Labeling on Calorie Intake in a University Dining Hall.

Wansink B. Environmental factors that increase the food intake and consumption volume of unknowing consumers. Annu. Rev. Nutr. 2004. 24:455–79.

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Teaching Kids to Cook Real Food

Preparing meals for the family doesn’t have to an overwhelming, daily project for mom. Kids can help! In this podcast episode, I’m again joined by Katie Kimball, who shares her expertise on teaching kids to cook real food in the kitchen.

Teaching Kids to Cook

Katie Kimball has created an excellent course called Kids Cook Real Food, which helps moms teach their children cooking skills from a very young age and facilitates children helping prepare meals. She is also the founder of KitchenStewardship.com, a blog that encourages other moms to take baby steps to better nutrition for their families while balancing their limited time and budget.

Why Teach Kids to Cook?

Katie Kimball is mother of 4, and the desire to create her Kids Cook Real Food course came out of necessity in her own life. Here are a few reasons she highlights for teaching kids to help in the kitchen:

1. If kids learn how to prepare healthy food well, they will be much more likely to continue to prepare and eat healthy food as adults
2. Teaching kids to cook saves time. For example, one child who learned from Katie’s course is only 3 years old, but now insists on making her own peanut butter sandwiches every day.
3. When kids work with the food themselves, they are more excited to eat it.
4. It helps kids build authentic self-esteem.

What About Kitchen Knives?

In our Western culture, we can often overprotect our children from simple tasks with sharp kitchen knives. As Katie Kimball explains, knife skills are not only safe to learn, they are also important.

Here’s why:

• Cutting raw vegetables is integral to healthy eating habits. Becoming confident in this area is very important.
• Using real tools like a kitchen knife builds real confidence in children.
• Age appropriate knife skills—going from a butter knife, to a paring knife, to a chef’s knife—is a safe and valuable learning process.

Katie Kimball goes on to share several other benefits of teaching kids to cook healthy meals:

• Kids learning how to talk about food, and therefore have better manners when visiting other people
• When kids understand herbs, they can choose and play a powerful role in process
• Kids feeling valued and validated
• Kids understanding that food prep is real work that takes time—and thus are less likely to waste

Appropriate Cooking Skills for Young Children

Helping out in the kitchen is not a task reserved for older kids. Katie recommends these skills as good starters for younger kids.

Age 2–5:

• Carrying plates
• Butter knife skills: cutting bananas, spreading butter, etc.
• Peeling
• Pouring (start with a little creamer pitcher)
• Sorting
• Measuring

Age 6–8

• Advanced measuring
• Reading recipes
• Paring knife skills: somewhat soft fruits and vegetables
• Stove safety

Ages 8–12

• Chef’s knife for all kinds of cutting
• Advanced stove work
• Oven skills

Resources We Mention

• Kids Cook Real Food Course (awesome course- my kids love it)
• Kitchenstewardship.com

Kitchen Skills for Kids

Katie Kimball has offered her 3-video series for teaching kids how to help out in the kitchen. It’s called, Kitchen Skills for Kids, and it’s for free to listeners of the podcast. Click here to get access now.

Thanks for Listening!

Was this podcast episode helpful? If so, please share it with family and friends via email or using the social media buttons at the bottom of this post.

Be sure to subscribe to the podcast in iTunes to receive weekly updates. While you’re there, please leave an honest rating and review of the podcast on iTunes. And join us next Monday for another great episode of the Healthy Moms Podcast. Have a healthy week!

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How to Keep Kids Active All Summer with Adventure Points

Imagine a world where kids happily keep themselves busy and learning all summer while doing activities that they love and learning math at the same time. A place where kids compete in a friendly way by doing athletic activities, creative games and reading books.

Sounds too good to be true, right?

I’ve always heard that necessity is the mother of invention and this is certainly true of a recent idea I had. Ever had one of those motherhood moments where every child needed something at the same time, one had just spilled a smoothie everywhere and the baby needed a diaper change?

I had one of those moments a couple of weeks ago and I realized that for the sake of my sanity and the kids activity levels I needed to have a plan for summer that didn’t involve them watching TV everyday.

We already have the “Mom I’m Bored Jar” which works really well but is more of a help when they are already bored and I wanted to find a way to encourage them to find activities without getting bored in the first place.

In a rare moment of postpartum ingenuity, I thought of a way to play to my kids creative and competitive sides and motivate them to be active all in one system (while learning math): Adventure Points!

What are Adventure Points?

In short, this is a simple system of points for doing creative or athletic activities that encourages movement and creative play over TV watching. It also plays into my kids’ natural competitiveness and has surprisingly reduced the bickering and fighting in our house.

The idea for the name “Adventure Points” came from my kids hiking boots, which they call “Adventure Boots” since they wear them for hiking, fort building and other outdoor adventures.

How Adventure Points Work

I sat down with a piece of paper and thought of activities I wanted my kids to do this summer and assigned a point value to each. The kids helped me brainstorm and we came up with a big list of activities that they enjoy (that don’t involve a screen or a snack). Things like:

• Riding Bikes (30 mins) = 10 points
• Pull-ups = 2 points each
• Push-ups = 1 point each
• Swimming = (30 mins) = 10 points
• Drawing (30 mins) = 5 points
• Preparing a meal for the family = 20 points
• Reading a book = 5 points
• Reading a chapter book = 20 points
• Fort Building = 20 points per hour
• Folding Oragami (30 mins) = 10 points (Great tutorials in this book)
• Make Paper Airplanes (30 mins) = 10 points (They love this book for ideas)
• Draw with sidewalk chalk (30 mins) = 10 points
• Read to a sibling (30 mins) = 25 points each
• Climb a tree = 5 points per tree
• Do a chore (not on regular chore list) = 10 points
• Play Monopoly = 15 points
• Play Scrabble = 15 points
• Play Battleship = 10 points
• Play Chess = 10 points
• Play Uno = 5 points
• Play War (card game) = 10 points
• Play Apples to Apples = 10 points
• Play Hopscotch = 2 points
• Jump Rope = 3 points
• Weed garden (30 mins) = 10 points
• Play a game of wiffle ball = 15 points
• Water the plants = 5 points
• Run around the yard 5 times = 10 points
• Jump on the trampoline for 10 minutes = 3 points
• Do a puzzle = 20 points (this is a favorite)
• Do 25 cartwheels = 10 points
• Write and mail a letter to friends or family = 10 points
• Create a scavenger hunt for siblings = 10 points
• Play legos (30 mins) = 10 points
• Get caught doing something unexpected and kind = 50 points bonus
• Rollerblade outside (30 mins0 = 10 points
• Listen to a history podcast = 10 points

I thought of about 50 activities that were worth points and assigned values to each. Then, I made a list of fun family activities that would be good goals for milestone points. 100 points would earn a healthy dessert after dinner one night while 1000 points would earn a trip to the movies or water park (these are things I planned on doing anyway this summer, so it was just a fun way for the kids to earn them).

I’ve also found that the kids are excited to be helpful around the house when I offer “bonus points” for doing chores or helping me with things that wouldn’t normally be their responsibility. After a few days of using the system, I decided to create two separate lists for older kids (5+) and younger ones (4 and under) to match their skill levels since the younger kids were being left behind by older kids who could do many more pull-ups.

How to Implement Adventure Points

If you’d like to try this system (and I’d highly recommend it!), here are a few tips for getting started:

1. Decide on Activities that Work in Your Home/Yard

Make a list of activities you’d like your kids to do this summer and break it down by age group if needed. Figure out how much each activity is worth in the point system you’d like to use and assign a point value to each. Feel free to use my list as a start!

2. Decide on Rewards

Chances are that while points are a great motivator, your kids won’t be thrilled with just earning points that don’t mean anything. Decide on what the points will allow the kids to do or earn and create a list of this for the kids. We try to focus on activities and experiences rather than stuff so our rewards were activities, but you could also create a system like you’d find with tickets at an arcade and allow the kids to turn in points for physical rewards too.

Some ideas of experience goals:

• Trip to a fun place like the zoo, water park, a baseball game, etc
• A family camping trip
• Going to the local pottery place to paint pottery
• Trip to the jump gym or climbing wall

Some ideas of other rewards that still encourage learning:

• Puzzles
• Legos
• Dolls
• Board Games
• Books

3. Track the Points

I realized that the system wouldn’t encourage the independent creative time I was hoping for if the kids had to check in with me every time they did an activity to get the points. I decided to use the honor system (which has worked really well so far) and get each kid a small spiral notebook to track points. This way, the kids track their points each day and I just tally once a day to keep the running totals.

4. Enjoy Watching Your Kids Learn and Play all Summer

I was really hoping that creating “Adventure Points” would free up some of my time this summer by stopping the refrains of  “I’m bored” and “Can we watch a movie.”  It certainly has and I’m definitely grateful for that.

I’ve found that even more than the free time, I’ve enjoyed watching my kids creativity soar and the older kids play with the younger ones more easily since they have more structure and ideas for activities (and because there is a goal in mind).  Also- keeping track of points has been a fun and unexpected math boost for the little kids as I keep hearing questions like “Does 243 plus 15 equal 258?”

Your turn! What are some fun ways you encourage creativity and activity all summer?

Download the “Adventure Points” charts we use from my free resource library for moms. Click here to get it and many other valuable health resources.

Continue Reading...How to Keep Kids Active All Summer with Adventure Points

from Blog – Wellness Mama® http://wellnessmama.com/120815/adventure-points/?utm_source=rss&utm_medium=rss&utm_campaign=adventure-points
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This Year’s Summer Solstice Yoga In Times Square Is On A Monday (Your Boss Will Understand)

Ready or not, summer’s here! OK, almost here. And it’s time for massive outdoor yoga events. Marking the season’s grand commencement, of course, is the annual Solstice Yoga in Times Square which just opened for registration today. For over 10 years, yogis have taken to the center of sweaty NYC (the world?) to salute the […]

from YogaDork http://yogadork.com/2016/05/31/this-years-summer-solstice-yoga-in-times-square-is-on-a-monday-your-boss-will-understand/
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Harder to Kill Radio 056: Celebrating 1 Year

On this week’s episode of Harder to Kill Radio, I’m taking a look back at the first year of the show!

Subscribe: iTunes | Stitcher | RSS feed | Review

I can hardly believe that it’s been one year since Harder to Kill Radio hit the airwaves on June 1, 2015.

What an incredible year of thought-provoking guests and knowledge bombs!

I’m so proud to say that Harder to Kill Radio has earned some honorable distinctions.

Recently the show passed the 400,000 downloads mark, and it’s been at the top of the iTunes New & Noteworthy, What’s Hot, Health & Fitness charts throughout the last twelve months.

It’s all because of you! Thank you so much for continuing to subscribe and tune into the show.

Today’s episode is a short look back and forward to the future of Harder to Kill Radio.

I hope you’ll tune in and help me celebrate!

In This Episode of Harder to Kill Radio, You’ll Learn:

• Some of the milestones of the podcast and what it’s like to produce the show weekly
• My top 5 favorite episodes in the past year
• Exciting news about the future of Harder to Kill Radio

Links & Resources Mentioned In This Episode:

• Ep 18: The Science of Performance 
• Ep 22: How to Retrain Your Brain to Get What You Want
• Ep 29: Is True Happiness Really Possible?
• Ep 35: Strength Training for Normal Humans
• Ep 51: More Social, Less Media
• Z’s AHS New Zealand presentation about Strength Training for Normal Humans
• Chel’s podcast, Meditation Minis
• Gretchen’s 4 Tendencies Quiz
• The full Harder to Kill Radio archive

Sweet! Thanks for Tuning In!

Have some feedback to share? Leave a note in the comment section below.

If you liked this episode, please share it via the social media buttons on the left side of the post.

I’d so appreciate if you take a moment to subscribe and leave a review for Harder to Kill Radio in iTunes. When you rate and review the show, it really helps others discover the show, and I am so grateful for your feedback.

Subscribe: iTunes | Stitcher | RSS feed | Review

Pin these images from Harder to Kill Radio for later:

The post Harder to Kill Radio 056: Celebrating 1 Year appeared first on Stupid Easy Paleo.

from Stupid Easy Paleo http://stupideasypaleo.com/2016/05/31/harder-to-kill-radio-056-celebrating-1-year/
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VIDEO: Healthy Buffalo Chicken Recipe

At just 150 calories, 1g carb, and 2g fat per serving, this Healthy Buffalo Chicken is packed with protein and super easy to make!  This is one of those recipes that has been waiting in the queue for like 3 months. 3 MONTHS…I KNOW. That’s way too long for a recipe to be sitting all...

Read More »

The post VIDEO: Healthy Buffalo Chicken Recipe appeared first on Fit Foodie Finds.

from Fit Foodie Finds http://fitfoodiefinds.com/2016/05/video-healthy-buffalo-chicken-recipe/
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Sweet Potato Noodles + Creamy Almond Sauce {VIDEO}

How Can Ruediger Switch to Weight Maintenance After Losing 120 lbs From Strict Dieting?

Ruediger faces one of the most difficult questions related to weight control, which is how to maintain your weight after achieving significant weight loss as a result of strict dieting.

Although he has already made huge progress finding an exercise regimen he enjoys, food is more difficult for him. He has only ever known subsiding on lots of junk food or restricting his calories to just 500 per day. Switching to a more moderate approach based on Real Food and not counting calories is appealing to him in theory, but he worries that he will not be able to maintain control of his weight without strongly restricting his eating habits.

Another issue Ruediger faces is that he has a very limited palate as a result of eating mostly processed and convenience foods for most of his life. He’s concerned that at the age of 44 he will be restricted to the handful of vegetables he actually enjoys and not have adequate nutrition. He also struggles with finding the motivation to prepare nutritious foods at home, since chopping, cooking and cleaning rarely feel worth the effort.

Together we examine the limiting beliefs that make changing his eating habits seem difficult and come up with strategies to overcome them.

Wish you had more time to listen to the podcast? I use an app called Overcast (no affiliation) to play back my favorite podcasts at faster speeds, dynamically shortening silences in talk shows so it doesn’t sound weird. It’s pretty rad.

 

Links for this episode:

The Foodist’s Plate

The Convenience Illusion

 

Listen:

Listen on iTunes

Listen on Stitcher

Listen on Soundcloud

 

 

If you’d like to be a guest on the show, please fill out the form here and tell us your story.

from Summer Tomato http://summertomato.com/how-can-ruediger-switch-to-weight-maintenance-after-losing-120-lbs-from-strict-dieting
via Holistic Clients

22 lessons from Precision Nutrition’s biggest weight loss success stories.

What’s stopping you from getting in shape? Whatever your biggest hurdles, our nutrition coaching clients have encountered them — and cleared them. So we asked them: How’d you do it? Here, the 22 biggest lessons from their weight loss success stories.

You wish you felt better, radiated good health, and maybe even weighed a little less. You wish you could still fit into your college jeans.

You wish you felt more confident, capable, and energetic. Perhaps you dream of the day where — as silly at it seems — you post vacation photos to Facebook and are actually excited to share them all. Including the swimsuit photos.

Maybe you’ve been saying or thinking these things for years. But when you want to create changes in your life, it can feel like there’s a big gap between where you are, and where you want to be.

So, if you’ve ever wondered “How do people actually do this?” or “How do you successfully lose weight, get stronger, and feel better?” here’s a tip:

The best people to ask are those who’ve recently done it.

They’ve experienced the same frustrations, doubts, and health concerns you have right now. (And these are fresh in their mind). They fought similar battles. They’ve come out the other side and changed their lives for the better.

So we decided to ask Precision Nutrition Coaching clients who’ve completed one year of coaching with us: How’d you do it?

It turns out they had answers for everything. Check out their stories — and the 22 most important lessons they learned.

++++

1. Don’t think, just do.

“If it’s your time, and you’re sitting on the fence — you want to do it, you’re thinking of doing it, you’re not sure if you should do it — jump off that fence,” says Patrick, 35, who lost 152 pounds with Precision Nutrition. “And give it everything you’ve got. Why sit on the fence when you can be a part of life?”

Patrick realized he’d been sitting around waiting for the perfect time to make life changes, when all he really needed to do was take one small step forward… right now.

Patrick's Transformation

Lost 152 lbs and 20% body fat!

• Age: 35 years
• Weight Lost: 152 lbs (from 417 lbs to 265 lbs)
• % Body Fat Lost: 20% (from 39.1% to 19.1%)
• Total Inches Lost: 73 inches (from 337 inches to 264 inches)

2. Appreciate your body for what it can do.

“Enjoy your body,” says 46-year-old Sharon, who lost more than 30 pounds with Precision Nutrition Coaching. “Take pleasure in movement. Take pride in what you can do.”

This deep appreciation for physical health is what allows many clients to maintain fitness regimens and weight loss over time.

After getting fit and fighting breast cancer, Sharon says, “My biggest regret about my earlier life is that I didn’t have the opportunity or understand what a precious gift my physicality was.”

You have permission to let go of the “sculpt your butt in 3 days” mainstream narrative. Just discover what your body can do. Enjoy it.

Sharon's Transformation

Lost 33 lbs and 13% body fat!

• Age: 46 years
• Weight Lost: 33 lbs (from 151 lbs to 118 lbs)
• % Body Fat Lost: 13% (from 28% to 15%)
• Total Inches Lost: 18.5 inches (from 209.1 inches to 190.6 inches)

3. Imagine your future self.

We all have a specific motivation for wanting to lose fat and get fit. Keep that in mind. Whether it’s getting strong enough to play sports with your kids or looking great on your wedding day.

That last one is what helped 32-year-old Melissa lose 55 pounds.

“The whole time, I had this image of myself on my wedding day in my head,” Melissa says. “Walking tall, feeling amazing — feeling statuesque instead of soft around the edges.”

Don’t just think about how you want to look; think about how you want to feel.

“It’s not just about what you see in the mirror, it’s what you feel inside,” says Melissa.

How do you want to feel? Confident? Capable of handling anything that life throws at you? Free to try new things? Comfortable in your own skin?

Imagine what it will be like to live as your future self. How does that guy or girl look, how do they feel, and what do they do? How could you start living a little more like that person today?

Melissa's Transformation

Lost 55 lbs and 16% body fat!

• Age: 32 years
• Weight Lost: 55 lbs (from 231 lbs to 176 lbs)
• % Body Fat Lost: 16% (from 34% to 18%)
• Total Inches Lost: 38 inches (from 242 inches to 204 inches)

4. Enjoy your food.

Most Precision Nutrition clients come to realize that they’ve been eating mindlessly — packing in calories without really tasting the food — for a long time.

“There’s nothing inherently wrong with dessert,” explains Yano, 35, who lost 76 pounds with Precision Nutrition. He still enjoys dessert occasionally, of course, and finds that having it only once in a while is the key to really appreciating it.

What happens when we really take the time to enjoy our food? We usually slow down. We become more conscious of our choices, and we choose better foods for our bodies.

Yano's Transformation

Lost 76 lbs and 20.9% body fat!

• Age: 35 years
• Weight Lost: 76 lbs (from 256 lbs to 180 lbs)
• % Body Fat Lost: 20.9% (from 34.1% to 13.2%)
• Waist Inches Lost: 10 inches (from 43 inches to 33 inches)

5. Pay attention to your environment.

When clients recognize how their surroundings might be creating unhealthy habits they usually have an “ah-ha” moment. They start seeing the relationship between what’s around them and who they think they are. This helps them change their self stories and start seeing real results.

When coaching with us, 29-year-old Sarah realized that years of work in fast food restaurants made more of an impact on her life than she cared to admit.

Something shifted for her when she asked herself:
“What do I really care about? What gives me joy? How can I get more of that?”

Together with her partner, Sarah started to change where they spent their time, and who they spent it with. They started trying more things.

“We did yoga, treetop trekking, rock climbing, Olympic weightlifting.  Instead of going for drinks and dinner, we started getting more creative with how we spent our time. Our social life started to change.”

What could you remove from your environment or add to your environment to create a healthier life for yourself?

Sarah's Transformation

Lost 52 lbs and 14.2% body fat!

• Age: 29 years
• Weight Lost: 52 lbs (from 191 lbs to 139 lbs)
• % Body Fat Lost: 14.2% (from 26.3% to 12.1%)
• Total Inches Lost: 50 inches (from 239 inches to 189 inches)

6. Stray from the herd.

“It turns out that a lot of people have health and weight issues, just like I used to have,” Yano says. “And often they don’t want to eat poorly; they just do it because everyone else — friends, family, the people around them — is doing it. That was my problem for a long time.”

When you make a decision about what to eat, it’s worth asking, “what do I need?” instead of “what do they want?” This helped Yano (above) lose 76 pounds.

7. Dive below the surface.

We can skim the top of our diet issues and see some small, fleeting changes on the scale, or we can really dig into our relationship with food, what motivates it, and how to make it better.

For Sarah (above), letting herself get vulnerable as she went through Precision Nutrition Coaching turned into her greatest strength, opening her up to the process of self-questioning.

“How have trying times brought me to where I am now, and how have I coped?” “What do I really care about? What gives me joy? How can I get more of that?” This helped her lose 52 pounds.

8. Say goodbye to the old you.

This isn’t some meaningless cliche. We’ve found that many people harbor an invisible fear of losing themselves if they lose weight.

Celebrate (and consciously mourn) your old self as you greet the healthier you.

Many Precision Nutrition clients have been able to recognize (and minimize) certain anxieties this way.

9. Stay connected to all the things you love about yourself.

“Just remember, you deserve all of the amazing insights, strength gains, friendships, learning — whatever you take from this program— as you find and discover a new and best version of yourself,” Sarah (above) says.

“You are worthy.”

It’s easy to get hung up on all the things you want to change about yourself. That’ll drag you down. Instead, celebrate yourself — even your smallest successes — along the way to keep up the momentum.

10. Redefine “knowing”.

“It’s about realizing that no matter how smart I am and how much I know about exercise, if I’m not living it, I don’t really know it,” says Kevin, 40, who lost 37 pounds with Precision Nutrition Coaching.

In fact, you might find value in thinking of yourself as a beginner.

To your family and friends, you might be the go-to person for questions of health and fitness. But if you can find a way to wipe that slate clean and make way for new insights and advice — or even just for hearing them with fresh ears — then you’re much more likely to succeed.

Kevin's Transformation

Lost 37 lbs and 12.8% body fat!

• Age: 40 years
• Weight Lost: 37 lbs (from 177 lbs to 140 lbs)
• % Body Fat Lost: 12.8% (from 20.1% to 7.3%)
• Waist Inches Lost: 21 inches (from 226 inches to 205 inches)

11. Find accountability.

“The truth is, I probably knew three quarters of Precision Nutrition’s dietary recommendations before I started,” says Peter, 52, who dropped 33 pounds.

“But the secret to losing weight and maintaining a healthy weight is consistency,” he says. Get someone to breathe down your neck, and you’ll make healthy choices your habit.

In other words, it’s not about knowing, it’s about doing.

Our clients’ lightbulb moment: Relinquishing control to coaches, who offer the practical lifestyle advice, daily habits, and — this is key — accountability that’s needed to create real change.

If you already know what to do but you’re not doing it, get yourself some accountability.

Peter's Transformation

Lost 33 lbs and 11% body fat!

• Age: 52 years
• Weight Lost: 33 lbs (from 180 lbs to 147 lbs)
• % Body Fat Lost: 11% (from 18% to 7%)
• Waist Inches Lost: 5 inches (from 35 inches to 30 inches)

12. Recognize that there’s no such thing as “too busy”.

Some of our most successful clients are the ones with the least amount of time.

Take Lisanne, who lost 38 pounds on the Precision Nutrition program while taking care of three small children — including a nursing infant — and getting certified as a yoga instructor and doula.

Lisanne says, “at first I wondered if this was a crazy time to start. But then I thought — why not?”

“What better time, when you think about it?”

Other clients work multiple jobs or have to travel five days a week and never know where they’ll be staying next. They tell us that structure is the secret to making it happen.

Lisanne's Transformation

Lost 38 lbs and 14% body fat!

• Age: 39 years
• Weight Lost: 38 lbs (from 160 lbs to 122 lbs)
• % Body Fat Lost: 14% (from 36% to 22%)
• Total Inches Lost: 41 inches (from 229 inches to 188 inches)

13. Focus on what you can do right now.

Forget what you can’t do. Figure out what you’re capable of in this moment, and build from there.

“I had to find it within me to accept that it was okay to do things a bit differently, says Richard, 49, who dropped 103 pounds in our yearlong program. “I had to accept that it was okay to do what I was capable of.”

Eventually, Precision Nutrition clients internalize this mantra: Start wherever you are. Use whatever you have.  Do whatever you can.

Richard's Transformation

Lost 103 lbs and 20% body fat!

• Age: 49 years
• Weight Lost: 103 lbs (from 318 lbs to 215 lbs)
• % Body Fat Lost: 20% (from 40.9% to 20.9%)
• Total Inches Lost: 30 inches (from 285 inches to 255 inches)

14. Imagine yourself as a role model.

Now go be that person.

“I want my kids to be healthy and happy and proud of the way they’re living their lives,” Lisanne (above) says. “It’s not enough for me to pay lip service to that idea — I have to be an example.”

Consider: What does “role model you” do each day? What does their morning routine look like? How do they keep the family fit and healthy?

15. Stop thinking you have to dedicate your whole life to losing weight.

Sure, some of the changes you have to make will be fundamental. But the truth is that you only need a few hours per week to build a great body.

By getting the right kind of help and following simple yet powerful daily practices, anyone can lose weight, get healthy, and feel better.

That’s what Kia realized, and she lost 61 pounds. The big revelation for her:

“No one ever tells you that getting in shape is simple. That you only need a few hours per week to build a great body. That by getting the right kind of help and following simple yet powerful habits, anyone can lose weight, get healthy, and feel better.”

Kia's Transformation

Lost 61 lbs and 19% body fat!

• Age: 34 years
• Weight Lost: 61 lbs (from 199 lbs to 138 lbs)
• % Body Fat Lost: 19% (from 37% to 18%)
• Total Inches Lost: 50 inches (from 252 inches to 202 inches)

16. Find your route at the grocery store.

Many people working on new eating habits get derailed by the abundance of processed food, especially when shopping. Our clients learn how to navigate the supermarket to avoid these temptations.

You’ve heard it before, but it works: Stay on the perimeter.

Calorie-packed chips, cookies, pasta, sauces, and dressings are in the middle. The good stuff like vegetables, meats, eggs, and fruits are stocked on the outside, away from the aisles.

That’s what 46-year-old John learned, and he lost 106 pounds. Instead of being led by shiny packages and tempting marketing tricks, John decides what flavors he’s in the mood for.

“I ask myself, ‘Where do my taste-buds want to go today?'”. Then he buys real, fresh ingredients (like spices, herbs, fruits, vegetables, etc.) to build a meal around his own inspiration. Not a marketer’s.

John's Transformation

Lost 106 lbs and 13% body fat!

• Age: 46 years
• Weight Lost: 106 lbs (from 332 lbs to 226 lbs)
• % Body Fat Lost: 13% (from 39% to 26%)
• Waist Inches Lost: 12 inches (from 50 inches to 38 inches)

17. Own your decisions.

“What I learned was that I had to take responsibility for my own decisions,” says Heather, 37, who lost 47 pounds in Precision Nutrition Coaching.

“I had to get real with myself. I learned the difference between thinking, ‘I have to do x,’ and ‘I choose to do x,’ and ‘I’m doing x.’”

Everyone has to work at it. We’re all imperfect, and so are our lives. So the best thing we can do is to just get out there and do our best.

Heather's Transformation

Lost 47 lbs and 10% body fat!

• Age: 37 years
• Weight Lost: 47 lbs (from 219 lbs to 172 lbs)
• % Body Fat Lost: 10% (from 38% to 28%)
• Total Inches Lost: 43 inches (from 253 inches to 210 inches)

18. Make health programs bend to your needs.

Too often, people become discouraged when exercise and nutrition programs feel like they’ve been written for someone else. And that’s understandable. Because most of them were.

Everyone has different needs. So, for sustainable weight loss, there’s no “one size fits all”.

For example, Cheryl lost 68 pounds despite the fact that she was diagnosed with degenerative disc disease — and was asked to avoid strength training — for most of her Precision Nutrition Coaching experience.

No heavy lifting? No problem. We helped her modify the workouts.

“In some ways, the diagnosis was a relief,” Cheryl says. “It became okay for me to admit that I was skipping out on what others were doing in the gym because of pain.”

Just because long distance running worked for your friends, or just because the trainer at your gym tells you to “go heavy or go home”, doesn’t mean that’s what you have to do.

Cheryl's Transformation

Lost 68 lbs and 20% body fat!

• Age: 49 years
• Weight Lost: 68 lbs (from 245 lbs to 177 lbs)
• % Body Fat Lost: 20% (from 44% to 24%)
• Total Inches Lost: 65 inches (from 280 inches to 215 inches)

19. Concentrate on your behaviors, not outcomes.

For Precision Nutrition Coaching client Katey, this was an essential lesson from the program:

“You can’t focus on weight loss – that’s not something you can control. What you can control is the process. Your choices. Enough good ones built up over time will lead you to your goals. Work hard on the healthy behaviors, let the rest fall into place.”

Katey read that over a dozen times. “It was such a huge key to… everything. It was something I’d missed before. It was at that moment I stopped focusing on what I wanted to happen and started focusing on the next step.”

If you’ve found yourself obsessing about outcomes — trying to get the scale to budge on a daily basis, for example — try focusing on actions instead. What are you doing today to help encourage a different outcome later?

Katey's Transformation

Lost 116 lbs and 21% body fat!

• Age: 36 years
• Weight Lost: 116 lbs (from 255 lbs to 139 lbs)
• % Body Fat Lost: 21% (from 39% to 18%)
• Total Inches Lost: 65 inches (from 260 inches to 195 inches)

20. Clean the slate every day.

“I realized I could have a clean slate every time I messed up because this was about my healthy lifestyle, and not just a diet,” says Patricia, 46, who lost 69 pounds with Precision Nutrition.

“Precision Nutrition Coaching taught me habits and changed the way I view my body and the food I put in it. It’s a life plan, and it’s something I know I can manage forever.”

Whether it’s years of yo-yo dieting, or the pizza-and-wings combo you had for dinner last night, you might have some regrets about past behavior.

But you don’t need to let these ideas about “failures” and “mistakes” hold you back.

Don’t beat yourself up, don’t obsess, don’t punish yourself. Wipe the slate clean each day and concentrate on now.

Patricia's Transformation

Lost 69 lbs and 25% body fat!

• Age: 46 years
• Weight Lost: 69 lbs (from 250 lbs to 181 lbs)
• % Body Fat Lost: 25% (from 50% to 25%)
• Total Inches Lost: 35 inches (from 250 inches to 215 inches)

21. Don’t expect unbroken enthusiasm.

At times it’s a slog — and that’s true for everyone.

“I learned that sometimes you have to drag your a$s to the gym, even if you don’t feel like going. And learning it lifted a huge burden off me,” says Kim, 25, who lost 24 pounds with Precision Nutrition Coaching.

“While the workout may be slow moving and uninspired at first, once you’re there it’s super easy to finish.”

Sometimes workouts feel great. Sometimes the stars align and we cook a perfectly healthy, well-balanced, delicious meal.

Other times, healthy living feels like work. That’s okay.

Love it when it feels good. Let it suck when it sucks. The main thing is to just keep going.

Kim's Transformation

Lost 24 lbs and 16.3% body fat!

• Age: 25 years
• Weight Lost: 24 lbs (from 160 lbs to 136 lbs)
• % Body Fat Lost: 16.3% (from 29.5% to 13.2%)

22. Be brave.

Amazing things can happen when you find the courage to push yourself outside of your comfort zone.

Says Precision Nutrition Coaching client and grand prize winner Lisa:

“I learned to be courageous with the activities I try. To have the courage to take time for myself. And to have the courage to be kind to myself, when I need a break or when I look in the mirror.”

Think about what feels scary or uncomfortable for you. How could you just take on a tiny piece of that thing?

Imagine what you might accomplish if you are willing to try.

Lisa's Transformation

Lost 54.1 lbs and 48.7 total inches!

• Age: 40 years
• Weight Lost: 54.1 lbs (from 222.5 lbs to 168.4 lbs)
• Total Inches Lost: 48.7 inches (from 256 inches to 207.3 inches)

Take the first step. Then let us take over.

For most people, getting started is the hardest thing. Figuring out what to do first. Overcoming inertia. Taking that first step into the unknown.

Precision Nutrition Coaching clients come to us for smart solutions and support with lifestyle changes they’ve been trying to make for a long time. Our coaches help them figure out how to get fit and healthy in the context of real, messy human life — and how to stay that way: capable, confident, and free.

We’ll soon be opening the Precision Nutrition Coaching program for new clients. Spots usually sell out in a matter of hours, but if you put your name on the presale list below, we’ll let you sign up 24 hours before everyone else.

The post 22 lessons from Precision Nutrition’s biggest weight loss success stories. appeared first on Precision Nutrition.

from Blog – Precision Nutrition http://www.precisionnutrition.com/weight-loss-success-stories
via Holistic Clients

S’mores Cookies + Weekly Menu

Prince William Breaks Out His Yoga In The Middle Of A Polo Event

Yoga and polo…yolo? Add Prince William and you’ve got some royal yolo. The heir to Britain’s throne fancied himself some impromptu yoga at the Audi Polo Challenge, a charity polo match in Ascot, England this past Saturday, May 28. A grand public display of yoga if ever we’ve seen one, Prince William was glimpsed getting in a […]

from YogaDork http://yogadork.com/2016/05/29/prince-william-breaks-out-his-yoga-in-the-middle-of-a-polo-event/
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Summer Cookout Menu

Summer cookout. The term no doubt creates images of enjoying some fun in the sun with friends and family, celebrating with some tasty eats.

Three years ago this weekend, I shared a paleo-friendly Memorial Day menu with lots of delicious cookout recipes.

I’ve since added a lot of great recipes to the site, so I decided to put together another updated summer cookout menu.

These are some of the best loved, good for a crowd dishes I’ve got. Mix and match to customize the perfect combination.

Drinks

• Kombucha Slushie – a simple blend of kombucha and frozen fruit
• Watermelon Slush – watermelon was destined for this cool frozen drink
• Easy Paleo Mocktails – alcohol-free but still sophisticated
• Seltzer water with lime and olive garnish

Appetizers / Salads / Side-Dishes

• Broccoli Salad – a riff on the classic
• Jalapeño-Lime Chicken Wings – the perfect finger food
• Paleo Chicken Pineapple Meatballs – bake these ahead of time and keep warm in a small slow cooker
• Paleo Cucumber Sesame Salad – light and refreshing in warm weather
• Watermelon Mojito Salad – a Stupid Easy Paleo classic with watermelon, lime, and mint
• Holy Gaucamole Salad – all the flavors of guac in a deconstructed salad
• Salmon Cobb Salad – this entree salad is great for a get-together

Meats

• Kickin’ BBQ Shredded Chicken (Carolina Style) – take along in a slow cooker
• The Perfect Burger – every cookout needs a killer burger recipe
• Grilled Pork Belly with Chimichurri – marinated pork for the grill
• Grilled Rack of Lamb – a classic rack of lamb with rosemary and garlic
• Simple Shrimp Ceviche – a perfectly refreshing warm-weather dish

Treats

• Vanilla Berry Chia Pudding – fresh summer berries compliment this delicious chia pudding
• Paleo Rocket Popsicles – a take on the classic red, white, and blue childhood favorite
• Banana Ice Cream with Chocolate Shell – a few simple ingredients, plus it’s dairy-free

Pin this Summer Cookout Menu for later!

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from Stupid Easy Paleo http://stupideasypaleo.com/2016/05/29/summer-cookout-menu/
via Holistic Clients