sugar detox

How to Do a Sugar Detox (& Why Everyone Should)

How to Do a Sugar Detox (& Why Everyone Should)  Sugar consumption is a huge health issue today. Even a little bit can have negative effects on the body. But quitting sugar can be tough (especially considering that it’s everywhere). That’s where a sugar detox comes in. Click here to read more…

How to Do a Sugar Detox (& Why Everyone Should)

The Harmful Effects of Processed Sugar and Why you should sugar detox

Sugar is present in many foods (like fruit), but on its own, sugar is only a simple carbohydrate. Below is why a sugar detox is recommended.

Sugar provides quickly digested, empty calories but doesn’t offer any nutrients. In fact, sugar actually pulls minerals (like calcium and magnesium) from the rest of the body for digestion. So sugar is, in some ways, an anti-nutrient.

Processed sugar causes these effects on the body:

  • stresses the liver (excess intake of fructose can cause the liver to create a lot of extra fat, some of which is stored in the liver)
  • increases bad cholesterol and triglycerides
  • can contribute to leptin resistance, which can then cause many other issues like sleep problems and weight gain
  • creates an addictive sugar response in the brain

Sugar doesn’t fill you up and instead encourages you to eat more (often because of a blood sugar crash).

Is Natural Sugar OK?

Sugars that come from foods like fruits and vegetables have minerals as well as fiber, vitamins, and enzymes that help the body cope with the sugar. They are ideal sources of sugar. Natural sweeteners like maple syrup or coconut sugar are better options than refined sugar but they can still cause some of the issues associated with refined sugar (especially when consumed in large amounts).

Getting your sugars from better sources is always a good first step to breaking a sugar habit. In other words, ideally we would eat zero processed sugar and only occasional natural sugars. An example of natural sugars is like maple syrup.

 

How to Do a Sugar Detox

Resist Cravings

Stay Hydrated

Eliminate Junk Food

Don’t Skip Breakfast

Prepare your meals ahead of time

Get Rest

 

Sugar is a major health problem today and has a negative effect on your body.

 

Surviving the Holidays without Gaining a Pound! (…Even Lose a Few!)

 

 

We all want to enjoy the holidays, and of course, the good food, but most of us don’t necessarily want to sign up for extra pounds of weight gain that is so typical between Thanksgiving and Christmas.  Add to that the lowering of our immune defenses with sugar and other unhealthy foods, which allows colds, flus, and other diseases to get a foothold in our bodies. With weight gain and lingering sicknesses, how can we really ‘enjoy’ the Holidays? Is there a way that we can enjoy the company of others and the food without gaining a pound, and actually even lose a few in the process? The answer is, absolutely YES! Here are some tips and guidelines to not only allow you to survive the holidays, but to feel great and move into 2019 with a healthy lifestyle:

(We will unpack each of these in more detail over the next few weeks, so stay tuned)

 

1. Stay Well Hydrated (1/2 BW in oz. of Water)

Quality Spring or Artesian Waters

2. Cleansing Nutrient Dense Breakfast

Eggs & fruit (1 cup or 1 piece)

Fruit Only (1 cup or 1 piece)

Fresh made smoothie

Fresh made vegetable juice

Bone broth

Kombucha

3. Snack on Raw Foods Throughout the Day in Between Meals

Raw veggies

Raw nuts and seeds (walnuts, pecans, almonds, brazil, pumpkin, & sunflower)

Raw Food Bars

4. Start Your Meals with a Large Salad

5. Use Healthier Substitutes:

Proteins: Free range poultry & eggs, grass-fed meats & dairy, & wild caught fish

Sweeteners: Organic, Raw honey, maple syrup, & stevia

Cooking Oils: Organic Avocado oil, coconut oil, sesame oil, grass-fed butter, & Ghee

Flours: Organic Coconut and Almond flours

6. Prepare a Healthy Dish and Let that be the Main Portion
7. Pair Your Food Properly

Veggies, Protein, & Healthy Fats (Raw nuts & nut butter, seeds, olives, & avocado)

Veggies, Protein, & Healthy Carbs (Root Vegetables)

Veggies, Protein, & Dessert or Alcohol

8. Incorporate Intermittent Fasting

  • 5:2: This method allows you to eat normally five days a week. The other two days are your fasting days, although you do still eat. Just keep it between 500 and 600 calories.
  • Eat-Stop-Eat: With this one, you restrict all food for 24 hours, once or twice a week.
  • 16/8: You eat all your daily calories within a shortened period — typically 6 to 8 hours — and fast for the remaining 14 to 16 hours. You can do this every day, or a few times a week.

9. Support Digestion with Targeted Supplementation

Digestive Enzymes- before cooked meals

Betaine HCL with Pepsin-after cooked meal.

10.Exercise Regularly (At least 20 mins 4X a week)

 

SURVIVING THE HOLIDAYS WITHOUT GAINING A POUND!

Benefits of a Personal Trainer in Raleigh, NC

I think we can all agree that we have all set many of health and fitness goals, in our lifetime so far?  It is our human nature to muster up mindset, motivation and willpower to convince ourselves we can do it all by ourselves. Fact is, we all need a little help sometimes.  That is where I am in life and have accepted that my pride will only get in my way and although it might allow me to push myself and reach a short term “goal”, it is almost impossible to maintain. Which means that I will lose my mindset, motivation and willpower, at some point and find myself back to “square one”. Being a Personal Trainer does not mean that I am any different and at times, I lose my motivation and need an extra push. So, I may workout and train with another Certified Trainer, athletes or with friends to shake things up and drive each other past personal plateaus. It is for this reason that I capitalize on the tremendous personal trainingbenefits of working with a Personal Trainer.  On the contrary, Personal Trainers in general are not just for stars and athletes.  In fact, all ages and walks of life can benefit from working with a trainer.  Personal training is truly an investment in one’s own health and well-being. Here is a specific breakdown on how and why anyone and everyone can achieve more with that bit of help from a certified Personal Trainer.

ACCOUNTABILITY & MOTIVATION– Having a set, paid appointment with a Personal Trainer will open the door of accountability but a Personal Trainer in Raleigh, NC does not stop here. Your Personal Trainer will soon turn into your Lifestyle Coach, which will allow the door to stay open and possibly kicked off the hinges with results! This is about you and where you are at with life while developing realistic and achievable short term goals, which lead to long term success. Personal Trainers specialize in this and “CAN’T” is not in their vocabulary.

DEVELOP A ROUTINE– Not all trainers are the same, meaning some do not “practice” what they “preach”. They may look the part but it is important to find a trainer that is highly educated and knowledgeable on the most effective ways to help YOU get to your health and fitness goals. Whether you have not seen your workout shoes in months or feel that you have hit a personal plateau and need a specific routine to hurdle over it.  Maximizing your time in the gym, obtaining results, while not overwhelming you is what we strive for!

FRESH NEW PERSPECTIVES & IDEAS ON HEALTH, NUTRITION, AND FITNESS– There is an overwhelming amount of fitness, nutrition, and health information available. It is impossible for anyone to have time to sift through what is valid, accurate and what can actually be applied to work. This is where we shine! It is our job and passion to stay in the “loop” of all health trends and further our knowledge and education in order to provide you with the safest and most accurate information in the industry. Is that new “fad diet” really effective? Will I really get a bikini body by doing that “popular” workout? Is it true what I read in that fitness magazine? Believe it or not, the list goes on but the good news is, these are just some of the questions in the daily life of Personal Trainers. We are constantly sharing recipes and ways to contend with obstacles in your nutrition such as “candy in the office”, or how to manage menu’s when dining out with friends. Personal Trainers invest in you, while holding you accountable to taking care of yourself nutritionally, physically, and with your overall health!

SOLID, CONSISTENT, NON-JUDGMENTAL SUPPORT– Not everyone has your best interest in mind. Your personal trainer, though, only cares about you and your success. Your trainer will be there. Each hour you spend with your trainer is an hour to focus on you and only you! They will provide consistent feedback to help you better yourself and achieve your goals. Most importantly, the trainer is able to do this without making you feel inadequate or judged. We have all gone into the gym and worried about what we look like doing an exercise or compared ourselves to someone else. Trainers don’t judge or derogate. They help you to see all of your successes, big and small, even when you can’t see them yourself. Through this support, trainers will hold you accountable and motivate you, despite your feelings about yourself!

PROPER TECHNIQUE & FORM– Watching all the you tube videos in the world and reading all the fitness magazines, does not substitute having a person by your side providing you immediate feedback on form and technique. It is very easy to hurt yourself in the gym. Trainers pay attention, cue both your mind and your body and help you achieve your goals more quickly by making sure you are doing each exercise correctly. They can help you develop better running form, improve your posture, and increase your strength by teaching you to recruit the proper muscles and making a mind body connection. With each exercise trainers will hold you accountable to proper form and technique preventing injury!

SPORTS SPECIFIC TRAINING– Are you an athlete? Even a recreational athlete can get better at their sport. Personal Trainers in Raleigh and throughout the country have studied body patterns and movements. They know the best exercises to help you develop strength, endurance, speed, and agility for your sport. A personal trainer will know if you have been keeping up your routine through your performance and will hold you accountable to the sports specific exercises in your program!

MAXIMIZE WORKOUT/MINIMIZE TIME– You will burn more calories in less time when working with a personal trainer in Raleigh or anywhere else. A trainer develops a program that is efficient and allows you to get the most in, in the shortest amount of time. Time does not need to be lost at the gym. If you are finding it hard to find time to work out, not only will a trainer help you to get the most out of your work out, but they will teach you how you can do that on your own. Each week trainers will follow up to see if you achieved our workout goals for the week, holding you accountable to exercise on your own time and make tweaks to the program to help you be successful!

INJURY PREVENTION and/or INJURY REHAB– Often people shy away from equipment in the gym because they are afraid of hurting themselves. Likewise, one may stop attending the gym due to an injury. Trainers will teach you how to use equipment properly so that you do not injure yourself. Trainers will also work with you to prevent injuries in everyday life by helping you increase your balance, flexibility, and core strength. They are able to focus on specific exercises that will benefit you based on your activities of daily living. And in the chance that you have suffered an injury, trainers are able to work with you to safely exercise, keep your range of motion, and get your strength back. A personal trainer will not let you use an injury as an excuse to not workout!!

PERSONALIZED PROGRAM– Personal training is just that, PERSONAL! A trainer will develop a program that is specific to you and your goals. If you have an injury, if you want to climb a mountain, if you want lose weight to become pregnant, have lower back pain… The program will be specific to you and only you! A program your trainer takes the time to develop and teach to you. You know they are going to hold you accountable to achieving the goals of that program!

RELATIONSHIP BUILDING– Some of my favorite time during the week is with my clients. You develop a relationship with your trainer like no other. Your relationship is very personal. There are not very many people whom you share your goals so specifically, who in turn will work so diligently to help you achieve them. Often that hour (or two, or three) a week you spend with your trainer, is the only time in your week that is truly devoted to you, your goals, and your successes. I have had sessions in which my client is angry and just wants to workout. There is no talking for the hour. I have had sessions with clients who have recently lost a loved one and their hour with me is their time to escape. I also have sessions with clients where they are so excited to share with me their personal successes and how what we are doing in training is translating into their life outside the gym. Often time’s intimate details of life are shared in sessions and I am so grateful that people trust me enough to allow me these details. It is these personal relationships and the intimate knowledge of who you are that helps the trainer work specifically with you and to hold you accountable to your goals!

RESULTS– Last but certainly not least, working with a trainer will allow you to achieve the results that you cannot achieve on your own. Each person’s goals are extremely personal. Whether it be weight loss, injury rehab, sports training, or seeing your trainer as a life coach, a personal trainer is going to develop goals that will lead you down a path to success. As a personal trainer in Raleigh, I work diligently with each of my clients to help them recognize their results, tangible and intangible, as well as results they never anticipated having. It is these results that not only hold you accountable to me, but they hold me, your trainer, accountable to you!