Priorities

Posted on May 9, 2013 by danayeats

We all make priorities; for me one of my priorities is to eat dinner as a family. It is a time where we all come together over one of my favorite things: FOOD. My husband and I truly cherish this time with our kids; even if we are silently looking back and forth at each while both kids are trying to tell really horrible knock knock jokes or singing Ba Ba Black Sheep at the top of their lungs. We both get a twinkle in our eye and most likely a little bit of a headache as well.

I pride myself on providing a healthy and balanced meal at dinner but let’s be honest we are all not perfect and some nights you just have to let go of the control and give a little. So if every now and then your perfect dinner is buttered noodles and veggies – I say go with it and sing Ba Ba Black Sheet at the top of your lungs.

Remember, it is about balance in all aspects of your life . One night or one meal is not is not going to derail you and your health aspirations. Be kind to yourself and you will continue to achieve and surpass your health and life goals.

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Tofu Cranberry Apple Salad

Posted on May 8, 2013 by danayeats

Here is a quick and easy salad recipe that I am sure will become one of your favorites. When I first get my tofu home I slice it width wise, about 1/4 thick and store in fresh water and a tupperware so it is handy.

Take 2-3 slices of tofu and place on a plate. Cover with a paper towel and lightly press down. Leave it for 5 or so minutes; this will help eliminate the excess water.

Warm of up a saute pan with a  teaspoon of extra virgin olive oil. Sprinkle the tofu with your favorite herbs. I personally love Costco’s “organic no-salt seasoning”; it contains 21 spices and goes great on many things (meat, tofu, potatoes, veggies..etc…). Saute each side for 2-5 minutes. You want it to firm up but not burn.

While your tofu is cooling combine the following ingredients.

1/2C -1 C spinach

1/2C-1 C romaine

1/4 C dried cranberries

1/2 apple

Now add your chopped tofu to top and lightly dress with your favorite dressing. I prefer olive oil and balsamic or a blush wine vinaigrette on this salad.

I hope you take the challenge of adding tofu to your life and enjoy this salad that can be made a head of time for lunch or made into a light supper. You will enjoy the benefits of soy (which you now know about from my prior post) along with all the fiber, potassium, iron and protein packed into a low-fat meal.

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Benefits of Tofu

Posted on May 7, 2013 by danayeats

Have you been discouraged to eat tofu because you think it is bland, worried about the “soy/estrogen” factor, or just because it is called tofu.

I was a non-tofu person  as well, probably like most of. About 4 or so years ago I truly discovered how to cook and enjoy tofu. Even my husband who let’s be honest the first time I served him tofu he pretty much turned up his nose at me and said something to the effect of ” do you really believe you will get me to eat that…”, now enjoys and eats tofu pretty regularly.

I understand if you are concerned or scared about the soy/estrogen since there are many different views out there today concerning this topic. I honestly feel based on all of my studying and individual research, that if you substitute one or two meat meals a week with tofu, the benefits far outweigh the negatives.

Not only does tofu provide calcium, vitamin E, and isoflavones (which help reduce and rid our body of free radicals),  it also helps lower cholesterol. You will lower your bad cholesterol when you substitute meat with tofu a couple of times a week. The great thing about tofu, is it takes on the flavor of whatever you are cooking. I love tofu in stir-frys, or sauted with some herbs to go in a salad.

One word of caution with tofu though, please buy organic. Soy beans are the number one genetically modified foods out there. To truly gain the benefits of soy, you want to ensure you are eating 100% soy and not something made in a lab. Come back tomorrow for a quick and easy recipe for a delicious salad that can be made a head for your busy lifestyle.

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Workouts…Finding The Time

Posted on May 6, 2013 by danayeats

If you are like most people, the idea of fitting in exercise is a daunting one. We all can find many excuses why we can’t workout: too tired, need to do the laundry, clean the house, run one more errand.

It is time to respect yourself and your health goals. I find that if clients of mine schedules their workouts in their calendar, and block off that hour of time, they are more likely to stick with it and complete their workout. If you schedule your workouts at the beginning of the week, you are setting yourself up to complete them and feel energized as you check them off.

Not only will you achieve your workout goal for the week, you are more likely to stick with healthy food choices when you are consistently working out. You realize you don’t want all of your hard efforts sabotaged by that bowl of ice cream or bag of chips.

So start your week off right and respect yourself, your time and your health goals. Schedule in 4-5 workouts for this week. Good luck. I would love to hear how it is going from you once you schedule in your workouts; feel free to directly contact me at 4pillarscoaching@gmail.com.

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Yoga Best Time to Practice

Posted on May 3, 2013 by danayeats

Are you new to yoga and trying to figure out the best time of day to practice?
Here are a couple of tips:

  • If you are naturally flexible you might want to try a morning routine when your body is naturally tighter. This way you won’t over flex your muscles and will limit potential injuries.
  • If you are like most people and run on the tighter side you might want to try a mid morning, afternoon or evening yoga practice. Your body and muscles will be naturally warmer and will be more willing to stretch and bend.

Yoga is a wonderful exercise to add to any routine. It will allow you to get deeper within yourself  by stretching not only your body but your mind. It will also aid in your normal workouts and allow you to do push yourself longer and harder.

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Kale – How to save it

Posted on May 2, 2013 by danayeats

Hopefully, you have now fallen in love with the kale strawberry smoothie but maybe you discovered that your kale went bad before you could use it all.
Here are a couple of tips at keeping your kale fresh.

  • Wash and dry kale once you get home, store lightly wrapped  in a kitchen towel or a zip lock bag with holes and a paper towel to absorb any excess moisture
  • Process all kale in your blender after you have washed it and freeze it in an ice-cube tray. Next time you want your smoothly just throw in 4 or more cubes of your pureed frozen kale.

If you are like me, nothing is more frustrating than throwing out fruits or veggies that went bad before you ate them. This will save you time and money.

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Increase Calorie Burn

Posted on May 1, 2013 by danayeats

Want to increase your calorie burn post workout? It is simple, make sure you are incorporating resistance training to your routine.

This Post Calorie Burn has been well supported and documented by many organizations. Resistance training will not only burn calories during the workout but also increase calorie burn after the workout is completed. This is known as excessive post-exercise oxygen consumption (EPOC). An increase in the intensity of a workout, such as performing resistance training, will make the body consume more oxygen. The more oxygen demand that is placed on the body the longer it will take to restore the body to a resting state. This is when EPOC comes into play. During this transition from intense workout to a resting state, the body will consume more calories as it attempts to restore the body to a normal, resting state. It is also important to consider how the resistance training is being performed when thinking about increasing calorie burn.

The more muscles you can recruit to work during an exercise the higher the calorie consumption. For example, standing while performing a resistance exercise forces the body to use balance and stabilization muscles that would not be employed while sitting or lying on a hard surface. Using a cable machine to perform a chest exercise will burn more calories than using a seated machine for chest. Additionally, the longer the muscles are under tension the more calories they will expend. This means that movements should be slow and performed for a higher number of repetitions. The last thing to consider is the break time in between exercises. If the body is allowed to fully recuperate between sets or exercises, the total amount of calories burned will decrease.

Adding resistance training to your exercise routine will not only increase your calorie burn during and after your workout, it will continue to push your body to change and evolve. Add it today, what do you have to lose, besides inches!

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BBQ Chicken Salad

Posted on April 30, 2013 by danayeats

Hope you enjoyed my time management and meal planning post the other day. Here is the easy and delicious BBQ chicken salad recipe. Try it for an easy lunch to take on the road or make it for dinner.

1/2 or 1 sautéed boneless/skinless chicken breast chopped
Large bowl of chopped romaine lettuce
1/4 – 1/2 C organic corn and black beans rinsed to remove any excess salt(please always buy organic corn as it is one of the most genetically modified foods out there) – I usually keep a can in my pantry
1/4- 1/2 C Chopped red bell pepper, and cherry tomatoes

If you want to add fresh cilantro and parsley.
Dressing: BBQ sauce and a little bit of ranch (lightly dress your salad)

So next time you are cooking chicken, go ahead and add another piece so you can make this quick, easy, delicious and nutritious lunch for the next day. You will get protein, vitamin C, beta-carotene and plenty of fiber from this salad. Enjoy!

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Time Management – Meal Planning

Posted on April 29, 2013 by danayeats

Do you feel like you can make the time to cook dinner but then are having to grab lunch on the go and not feeling good about your options that are available?
Here is a handy and simple tip to better meal planning.

If you make chicken for dinner, make an extra chicken breast that you can prepare into a salad for the next day’s lunch. It is always easier and faster to add one more piece of chicken to cook if you are already in that mood and process.

Try to make extra at dinner so you can take if for lunch. Making stir-fry, make extra rice and veggies to turn into a nutritious and healthy lunch. Making tacos, make extra that you can turn into a taco salad. Stay tuned for these recipes and more ideas to turn your left-overs into a new and exciting meal.

This is truly one of those small changes that I talk about often, that will add a lot of balance, extra time and nutrition to your life.

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Emotional Eating and Triggers

Posted on April 26, 2013 by danayeats

I urge everyone to look at what their primary foods are. Now you are probably asking yourself, what does she mean by “primary foods” and has she completely lost her mind now that she is 2 months away from baby number 3?

Primary foods are considered everything that feeds you that doesn’t go on your plate. These could be your personal and professional relationships, spirituality, hobbies, pets, job etc…

Now ask yourself do any of these areas trigger for you to feel: happy, excited, relaxed, loved, or stressed, anxious, nervous, and depressed. We need to start finding out about our own personal triggers and if we are reaching for food to fill that void or take away that anxiety.

Now that you are becoming more aware of your own personal triggers (which trust me you are not alone, as we all have them), I recommend you write them down to help you stay mindful and focused. During these moments where we all want to stray and go for the quick pick me up (which inevitability leads to the even quicker crash); I know you can stay in the driver seat and fill up on your other primary foods that bring you joy and satisfaction. If you would like to discuss your personal triggers and struggles please feel free to contact me directly at 4pillarscoaching@gmail.com. Again, I know you are capable of fighting the urges; but you need to expect things of yourself before you can change.

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