How Do I Get Started With My Fitness Goals?

How has your New Year’s goals been since January? 3 months has passed for 2024 already and there’s still time to achieve your fitness goals. However, that’s much easier said than done!

You may have said, ‘New year, new me,’ and set some fitness goals on New Year’s Eve with the best of intentions, but it turns out that following through — and even just starting out — can be tricky. But don’t worry! We’ve all been there, and I’ve got some tips that will help you see some progress on your fitness goals in no time!

Tips for Getting Started With Your Fitness Goals

1. Set Small, Measurable Goals

One of the biggest mistakes people make when setting fitness goals is starting too big. Yes, ambition is a great thing, capable of getting you all fired up, but it can also quickly lead to demoralization. After all, if your initial goal is overwhelming and unrealistic, chances are you’ll feel discouraged when you don’t make as much progress as you’d hoped.

Instead, it’s better to start with smaller, more achievable targets. For example, instead of heading into 2024 with the goal of losing fifty pounds, you might decide to go for a ten-minute walk each day. Instead of resolving to run a marathon this year, you might start with a 5K, then a 10K, and maybe a half marathon.

2. Get A Gym Buddy

Going to the gym can be a hassle. Forcing yourself to wake up early to head to the gym before work takes a lot of willpower, and finding the energy to hit the gym after a long day is equally challenging. That’s why having a gym buddy can make all the difference.

Not only will a gym buddy add accountability (you can easily ignore your alarm and sleep in if you were planning on working out alone at the gym, but you probably wouldn’t want to leave your friend hanging!), but they can also make the entire process more fun. You’ll be able to workout, socialize, and receive the motivation and support you need. It’s a win-win!

3. Schedule Time On Your Calendar

Life can get really busy. With all the hustle and bustle, it’s easy to let fitness take a back seat, so scheduling dedicated time for your workouts is a must. Treat your fitness routine like any other appointment. In the same way you’d mark a coffee date or a doctor’s appointment in your calendar, you should also carve out a special slot for your workout sessions. This helps create a routine and ensures that you prioritize your health and well-being.

4. Prioritize Protein

Many people forget that getting in shape isn’t just about working out. Nutrition also plays a significant role in achieving fitness goals — and that means eating protein. After all, not only can protein help when it comes to muscle repair and recovery, but it can also help you feel full for longer, which can support any weight loss goals.

Not quite sure what to eat? Don’t worry, I’ve got you covered! You should try to include lean sources of protein like chicken, fish, beans, and nuts to support your fitness endeavors.

5. Get A Trainer

If you want to meet and even exceed your fitness goals, the best thing you can do is hire a trainer.  Not only can a personal fitness trainer assess your current fitness level, but they can also tailor a workout plan to help you meet your specific goals. With their expertise, guidance, and personalized attention, you can establish a safe and effective workout plan or level up your current one.

A trainer can correct your form, offer tips, and provide accountability. They’ll also know when it’s time to switch up your workouts for variety and can offer invaluable advice when it comes to your diet. Sounds pretty great, right?

If you’re ready to tackle your fitness goals, get in touch with me today at happyhelen@gmail.com today!

Why Am I Not Losing Weight?

There’s nothing more frustrating than hitting a weight loss plateau or being unable to lose weight in the first place. However, there are plenty of reasons why you might not be seeing the results you want, ranging from your exercise routine to your stress levels to your diet.

Weight loss isn’t easy. In fact, it can feel like navigating through a confusing maze of conflicting information and setbacks. So, even if you’re giving it your all, you still might not be hitting your weight loss goal.

Putting in the hard work but not seeing results can feel discouraging and frustrating, but the good news is you’re not alone — and you’re not destined to stare at a scale that hasn’t budged forever. There are several common weight loss mistakes that might be holding you back, so making a simple change can result in a major difference.

You might struggle to lose weight if:

You’re Exercising Lots But Are Ignoring Your Diet

Everyone knows exercising can help people lose weight and get in better shape. However, you can’t out-exercise an unhealthy diet. An extra lap across the pool or weight lifting session at the gym won’t automatically balance out unhealthy eating choices. Ultimately, your weight comes down to 30% exercise and 70% diet, so you must carefully examine your nutritional intake.

Your Workout Needs To Change

Repeating the same workout routine for an extended period can lead to plateaus in weight loss progress. Over time, your body will adapt to repetitive movements, meaning the effectiveness of your workouts will diminish. To avoid this, incorporate a variety of exercises into your routine and change the intensity and duration regularly.

You Have A Sedentary Lifestyle

Spending hour after hour sitting at your desk or in front of a screen can put a damper on your weight loss efforts, leading to reduced calorie burn and a slower metabolism. Of course, you can’t help it if your job requires you to sit at a desk all day, but you can incorporate movement into your daily routine.

But don’t worry! You don’t have to uproot your entire day. Small changes can make a major difference. In fact, something as simple as standing up and stretching once an hour can result in a 13% boost in metabolism!

You Aren’t Sleeping Enough

Sleep might never cross your mind as a factor behind weight loss, but a lack of quality sleep can impact your hormones and, by extension, your metabolism. Aim for seven to nine hours of quality sleep each night to support your weight loss goals and overall well-being.

After all, if you’re awake longer, you have more opportunities to eat, less willpower, and poorer decision-making skills. On top of that, the North American Association for the Study of Obesity has found that people receiving less than four hours of sleep a night are 73% more likely to be obese than those getting seven to nine hours a night.

You Are Too Stressed

It’s easy to dismiss stress as an unavoidable part of everyday life, but chronic stress can derail your weight loss goals. You might be too overwhelmed to plan out well-balanced meals if you’re constantly stressed. Instead, you’ll choose convenient options like fast food or microwave dinners. You may even end up stress-eating! Plus, chronic stress can impact you on a hormonal level. It can release cortisol, a hormone that can promote fat storage in the abdomen.

You Aren’t Eating Enough

It may seem counterintuitive, but eating too little can actually hinder your weight loss journey. Severely restricting your calorie intake can result in a fast initial weight loss, but it will slow down your metabolism over time, making it more difficult for your body to burn fat efficiently. Instead, your body’s survival instincts will kick in, causing you to store additional fat, not lose it. Significantly cutting back on calories can also impact your thyroid, blood pressure, and period.

What’s more, maintaining a low-calorie diet isn’t a walk in the park. It’s all too easy to become bored or hungry with a strict diet. Drastically cutting calories can even lead to binging cycles and a poor relationship with food in general.

You’re Depending On “Avoid” Lists

Some people swear by strict “avoid” lists that tell them what they can and can’t eat or even go so far as to demonize certain foods. However, labeling foods as “bad” can lead to misinformation, resentment, and an unhealthy relationship with food. You may avoid “off-limits” foods yet seek comfort in other unhealthy foods. Or, you might experience feelings of guilt and deprivation. Either way, “avoid” lists can wreak havoc.

Instead of completely cutting out foods you enjoy, try to eat in moderation. Watch your portion sizes, but allow yourself to enjoy the occasional treat. It’s all about finding a healthy balance and taking a thoughtful approach to your diet.

Your Diet Is Too Monotonous

If you try a new diet and see some progress, it’s easy to fall into a pattern and eat the same foods every day, but that’s a mistake. Having a monotonous diet can lead to boredom, cravings, and complacency. Plus, you’ll likely miss some vital nutrients. So, try incorporating a wide range of fruits, vegetables, proteins, grains, and healthy fats into your diet, and don’t be afraid to experiment with your meal planning or recipes!

You’re Eliminating Entire Food Groups

While completely cutting out carbohydrates, proteins, or fats from your diet may seem like a good plan on the surface, eliminating entire food groups can actually deprive your body of essential nutrients, leading to imbalances. Your body needs nutrients, and each food group helps meet those needs! Instead, try to create a well-rounded diet containing various foods from across the food pyramid.

Ready to turn things around and conquer those weight loss hurdles? While changing your workout routine and diet can be a challenge, you don’t have to do it alone!

I’m ready and willing to help you lose weight. Reach out to me today at happyhelen@gmail.com to get started!

The Pros and Cons of Ozempic: The Weight Loss Drug

Ozempic was developed in 2012 and first placed on the market in 2018 to help diabetes patients control their blood sugar. However, these days, Ozempic is being touted as a magic injection for weight loss.

In the second half of 2022, we saw the #OzempicChallenge going viral on TikTok. Rumors about celebrities using the drug for weight loss also began to swirl, and we saw many people bringing it up online, in our personal lives, and even at the Academy Awards. You’ve also probably seen a commercial at one point or another and gotten the Oh! Oh! Oh! Ozempic jingle stuck in your head.

It seems like there’s no escaping Ozempic! But if you’re not sure exactly what Ozempic is, don’t worry! I’ll go over all the basics, including its pros and cons, so you can decide whether it’s the right option for you!

The Basics of Ozempic

Ozempic (semaglutide) mimics glucagon-like peptide-1’s (GLP-1) effects, meaning it can help regulate blood sugar levels while suppressing appetite. For those looking to lose weight, Ozempic and other semaglutide medications like Wegovy seem like a dream. They can simultaneously slow down the emptying of your stomach and decrease your appetite, meaning you’ll feel less hungry, feel full faster, eat less, and lose weight. Plus, the injection process is simple.

Ozempic is injected once a week into the stomach, thigh, or upper arm. Once injected, Ozempic will stimulate insulin release in the pancreas whenever your blood sugar levels are high. It will also reduce how much sugar your liver releases and slow the digestion process. Not only does this mean it will take longer for your stomach to become fully empty, but you’ll also feel full for longer, which could lead to a smaller appetite and weight loss!

Just note that Ozempic isn’t for everyone — and you should consult a medical professional before taking Ozempic regularly to go over your medical history and the drug’s potential risks and benefits in depth.

The Pros of Ozempic

Ozempic is popular because it has a lot to offer those looking to shed some pounds. If you decide to take Ozempic, you can expect:

• A suppressed appetite: Since Ozempic mimics the effects of GLP-1, your appetite will be smaller than usual. You’ll feel fuller faster — and for longer, so you’ll be one step closer to saying goodbye to overeating.

• Moderate effectiveness: There’s no denying it; Ozempic can be an effective weight loss tool. Studies report Ozempic users losing an average of 13.5 pounds in just 26 weeks. (For comparison, those not on Ozempic only lost 2.5 pounds in that same time frame.) And the best part is that participants maintained much of that weight loss. After one year on Ozempic, you can expect to weigh an average of 11.5 pounds less.

• Increased insulin sensitivity: Since Ozempic was originally created to help type 2 diabetes patients, it’s hardly surprising that it can boost insulin sensitivity. However, it’s also worth noting that improved insulin sensitivity can promote weight loss, as insulin resistance is associated with blood sugar spikes after eating, weight gain, and extreme hunger and thirstiness.

• Convenience: Ozempic is an incredibly convenient option for weight loss. While you might need to take other weight loss medications daily, you only need to inject Ozempic once a week.

• A boost for someone who needs weight loss to be able to walk/move: If someone is not able to walk due to obesity and losing some weight will help that person move again, then this can be life changing.

The Cons of Ozempic

Ozempic has some benefits, but it also has drawbacks you need to be aware of, from the cost to its side effects. Before you start taking Ozempic, you should know that:

• It’s moderately effective: Yes, this was a pro, but it’s also a con, especially if you’ve heard how Ozempic completely transformed someone. Remember, Ozempic users lose an average of 11.5 pounds in a year. It’s certainly an accomplishment, but it might not be as impressive as stories would lead you to believe. Most people losing significant amounts of weight while on Ozempic also change their eating, exercise, and lifestyle habits.

• It is expensive: It’s also worth noting that Ozempic isn’t cheap — especially if you don’t have a good insurance plan. While those who qualify for insurance coverage can get their hands on Ozempic for $25 per month, you’ll need to be ready to shell out around $900 per month if you aren’t covered by insurance. Put simply, it can be a major investment!

• It comes with some side effects: Many medications have unpleasant side effects. In fact, according to Doctor Cecilia Low Wang, roughly one in five people stop taking medications due to side effects — and Ozempic is no different. When taking Ozempic, you may experience nausea, vomiting, diarrhea, and other unpleasant gastrointestinal side effects.

• It doesn’t mix well with alcohol or fats and proteins: Since Ozempic slows the digestion of fats and proteins, you may experience indigestion and bloating if you eat a food with both fats and proteins, such as meat. Additionally, since drinking alcohol while taking Ozempic increases your risk of low blood glucose and the severity of common side effects like nausea and diarrhea, you might need to cut back on or completely avoid alcohol while on Ozempic.

• Its long-term safety is unknown: Since Ozempic only hit the market back in 2018, it’s still relatively new. There’s a lot we don’t know about it, including its long-term safety. For all we know, it introduces additional risks when used over many years or decades.

• It isn’t a one-and-done situation: Ozempic won’t magically make you lose weight and keep it off.  You’ll still need to make lifestyle changes with exercise and food.  You’ll likely need to keep up with injections indefinitely, as those who stop taking Ozempic usually regain weight quickly without sustained lifestyle changes. Given how much it costs, its side effects, and its unknown long-term safety, this can be a major drawback of Ozempic.

Lifestyle Changes = Sustainable Weight Loss

For some people, Ozempic is a good option that sets them on the right path to losing weight. For others, it can have a slew of adverse side effects and only result in moderate weight loss. It boils down to this: Ozempic is not a magical injection. Taking it won’t make you lose weight and keep it off without some lifestyle changes. You still need to be aware of your food quality and incorporate some strength training in your life to avoid muscle loss.

If you need some help with your nutrition or workouts, reach out to me at happyhelen@gmail.com today!

What’s The Difference Between Processed, Minimally Processed, and Ultra-Processed Foods?

When it comes to foods, you’ve probably heard the terms processed, minimally processed, and ultra-processed tossed around — and there’s a clear hierarchy. Minimally processed foods are better for you than processed foods, which are better for you than ultra-processed foods. What’s unclear is what differentiates the three from one another. For example, where is the line drawn between processed and ultra-processed foods?

If you’re a little confused, don’t worry! I get it — and I’ve got you covered.

Minimally Processed Foods

Of the three types of foods we’re discussing today, minimally processed foods are the closest to unprocessed foods and don’t contain any added fats, salt, or sugar. Minimally processed foods are only slightly altered from the natural plant or animal to simplify transportation, storage, and preservation and ensure the food remains safe to eat.

Take fresh lettuce, for example. Before being sold at the store, it may be pre-washed, cut into smaller pieces, and packaged. Similarly, milk is pasteurized and refrigerated before being sold, while we often buy meat that has already been trimmed of fat and vacuum-packaged. Other examples of minimal processing include grinding, fermenting, drying, roasting, boiling, and freezing.

We see minimal processing for many fruits, vegetables, meats, nuts, and whole grains — and most of it’s completely healthy. After all, cutting broccoli into florets, drying fruits, or freezing meat or seafood counts as minimal processing!

Processed Foods

Processed foods differ from minimally processed foods in that they have added salt, sugar, fat, or starch ingredients. Typically, processed foods contain two to three components (or more) and are ready to be eaten without additional preparation.

These foods undergo additional processing like canning, bottling, and non-alcoholic fermentation to ensure they are easier to prepare and have a better storage life or flavor. (Think freshly made bread, canned fish, salted nuts, certain cheeses, beans in brine, and some smoked meats.)

Ultra-Processed Foods

Ultra-processed foods are exactly what they sound like. They’re foods that have been highly processed. Instead of merely including additional salt, sweeteners, or fat, ultra-processed foods contain artificial colors and flavors as well as preservatives that increase palatability, preserve texture, and lengthen shelf life. NOVA, a well-known diet classification system, says that ultra-processed foods are “snacks, drinks, ready meals, and many other products created mostly or entirely from substances extracted from foods or derived from food constituents with little if any intact food.”

Like processed foods, ultra-processed foods are typically ready to eat without much additional preparation. However, unlike minimally processed foods and processed foods, ultra-processed foods require several processing steps and ingredients, such as bulking agents, color stabilizers, hydrolyzed protein isolates, emulsifiers, maltodextrin, fructose, modified oils, and humectants.

Chicken nuggets, hot dogs, veggie burgers, energy bars and drinks, sweetened breakfast cereals, ice creams, white bread, soft drinks, frozen meals … the list goes on.

Why Processed Foods Are So Appealing

Chances are you eat a lot of ultra-processed foods each day — and you’re not alone. In fact, ultra-processed foods make up roughly 60% of the average adult’s diet, and it makes sense.

We love these foods because they taste good. They’re relatively cheap and are ready to be eaten with little-to-no additional prep, meaning you can save time and even gain essential nutrients. Yes, even ultra-processed foods provide vital nutrients like protein, iron, and various vitamins. For example, fruits and vegetables frozen immediately after harvest will retain most of their vitamin C. Some foods can even be fortified with specific nutrients, such as iron, B vitamins, folic acid, iodine, and vitamin D, to prevent everything from rickets to goiter.

Additionally, processing via pasteurization, cooking, or drying can sometimes slow or destroy the growth of harmful bacteria, while emulsifiers can make our foods more appealing to eat. Notably, emulsifiers prevent peanut butter from separating into solid and liquid parts.

Why Processed Foods Should Be Eaten In Moderation

Processed foods aren’t inherently bad, and you shouldn’t avoid them altogether. However, you’ll want to be careful when it comes to ultra-processed foods. When possible, you’ll want to opt for foods in their least-processed form because ultra-processed foods:

• Can harm your health: Eating too much ultra-processed food can lead to high blood pressure, breast and colorectal cancer, and even impaired cognition when you’re older.

• Don’t contain as many nutrients: Processing of any kind can remove or destroy nutrients. Peeling off the outer layers of fruits, vegetables, or whole grains removes fiber and phytochemicals, while heating or drying foods can destroy additional vitamins and minerals.

• Can increase your risk of weight gain: What’s more, eating too many processed foods can lead to weight gain. This is especially true for ultra-processed foods, as they contain a high ratio of calories to nutrients yet aren’t usually particularly filling. The result? You’ll probably eat or drink a lot before you begin to feel full, all while consuming lots of calories. In a study published by Cell Metabolism, the group on an ultra-processed diet consumed roughly 500 more calories per day than those on the unprocessed diet when allowed to eat as little or as much food as they wanted. The ultra-processed group also gained two pounds on average over fourteen days, while the unprocessed group lost weight.

If you’re trying to lose weight or get in shape, you need to pay attention to what you’re eating. Limit your intake of ultra-processed foods and listen to your body. However, nutrition can only get you so far. You’ll also want to exercise!

It’s a lot to keep track of, but I’m here if you need some help! Reach out to me today at happyhelen@gmail.com to get started!

Eating for Optimal Hormone Health

Our body has countless hormones traveling through us at any given moment. These chemical messengers deliver messages to our organs, telling them what they need to do to keep our bodies functioning in tip-top shape. Hormones play a major role in everything from our mood to our metabolism, but they can become imbalanced! 

However, you’re not at the mercy of your hormones — and you don’t necessarily need to resort to hormone supplements just yet. Instead, it’s time to take a closer look at your eating habits. But before we dive into what to eat, let’s first review some common hormonal problems.

Types of Hormones

Some hormones you need to know about include:

• Cortisol: Produced by your adrenal glands, this glucocorticoid hormone is released during times of stress. Cortisol helps your body regulate blood sugar, fight infections, and access fast energy in stressful situations.

• Dehydroepiandrosterone: Dehydroepiandrosterone (a.k.a. DHEA) is a precursor to estrogen and testosterone. It’s produced by the liver and adrenal glands, and its levels peak during early adulthood before declining with age.

• Estrogen: We’ve probably all heard of estrogen, but if you need a quick refresher, it’s a category of sex hormone that promotes breast tissue development, protects bone health, impacts skin health, controls the menstrual cycle, and helps develop female secondary sex characteristics. It comes in three primary forms: estrone, estradiol, and estriol.

• Ghrelin: Your stomach is primarily responsible for producing and releasing ghrelin, or the hunger hormone, though the small intestine, pancreas, and brain also release some ghrelin. This hormone’s main role is to regulate your appetite. So, when your stomach is empty, it will secrete ghrelin, which then travels through your bloodstream and affects the hypothalamus to let your brain know you’re hungry. When you’re full, your ghrelin levels will decrease. 

• Leptin: Leptin plays the opposite role of ghrelin. Instead of signaling when you’re hungry, leptin tells your brain when to stop eating. Known as the fullness hormone, leptin is released by adipose tissue and helps your body maintain its normal weight.

• Insulin: Without insulin, our bodies wouldn’t be able to turn food into energy. This vital hormone transforms glucose into energy before distributing it throughout the body. A lack of insulin can cause glucose to build up in the bloodstream instead of going to the cells, leading to diabetes.

• Melatonin: There’s a reason many people who have difficulty falling asleep or are suffering from jetlag turn to melatonin. It’s known as the “sleep hormone” because it can help with circadian rhythms and sleep. Our brains naturally produce melatonin in response to darkness, signaling it’s time to sleep. However, melatonin production declines as we get older.

• Progesterone: Progesterone plays a major role in pregnancy. In the first ten weeks of pregnancy, the ovarium corpus luteum secretes progesterone, and the placenta secretes the hormone later in the pregnancy. Progesterone is also involved in menstruation, as it thickens the uterine lining to prepare for a fertilized egg to implant. If no eggs are fertilized during the cycle, progesterone levels will decrease and the uterus will shed the lining.

• Testosterone: Testosterone is a steroid hormone that encourages male secondary sex characteristics to develop. However, it isn’t just found in men! Testosterone supports muscle, bone development, and sex drive for everyone.

• Thyroid Hormone: The thyroid hormone is primarily responsible for controlling your body’s metabolism but can also affect your weight and body temperature. Your hormone releases two main hormones: thyroxine (T4) and triiodothyronine (T3). While T4 doesn’t impact your cells, T3 does — and organs like your liver or kidneys can transform T4 into T3, allowing it to affect your cells and metabolism.

Three Common Hormonal Imbalances For Women

Women, in particular, often struggle with hormone imbalances, which can majorly affect their lives. Common hormone issues women experience include:

1. High Cortisol

High cortisol levels can be caused by everything from stress to adrenal gland tumors to pituitary gland problems to medications.

Symptoms include weight gain, muscle weakness, high blood pressure, headaches, acne, cravings for salty and sugary foods, mood swings, low libido, memory difficulties, and more.

To lower your cortisol levels, try to prioritize your sleep, exercise regularly, reduce your caffeine intake, and even try fish oil supplements. Do anything you can to relax, whether that’s doing breathing exercises or going for a walk. However, as with most things, your diet can make a massive difference!

Try to avoid foods with high amounts of added sugar, as this can raise your cortisol levels. Instead, turn to a whole-foods diet as much as possible. Try eating dark chocolate, whole grains, legumes, lentils, whole fruits and vegetables, fatty fish, bananas, garlic, nuts, and seeds to keep your cortisol levels in check. It may also be worth drinking green tea, as it contains L-theanine, which is linked to lower stress levels. Also, don’t forget to stay hydrated! You should already drink water throughout the day, but it’s crucial if you have high cortisol levels.

2. High Estrogen

Estrogen dominance, or having too much estrogen, is a fairly common problem amongst women — and it can have significant consequences on you and your body. 

Symptoms include migraines, fatigue, weight gain, and gallbladder issues, but it can also cause you to experience heavier periods, mood swings, uterine fibroids, PMS, irritability, breast tenderness, and feelings of bloatedness.

Luckily, if you have high estrogen levels, you’re not alone — and you’re not stuck with it forever. Simple lifestyle changes can help lower estrogen levels. Exercise more. Meditate. Sleep better. Cut back on alcohol — and don’t forget about your nutrition!

Avoid processed foods, sugar, and refined carbohydrates, which can increase estrogen levels and symptoms. Instead, try to eat foods that promote lower estrogen levels and improved estrogen breakdown, such as:

• Cruciferous vegetables: If you have high estrogen levels, vegetables in the cruciferous family are your go-tos! While your mind may immediately jump to broccoli and cauliflower when you hear the word “cruciferous,” don’t worry if broccoli and cauliflower aren’t your speed. Bok choy, kale, brussel sprouts, arugula, and cabbage are also cruciferous vegetables.

• More fiber: Fiber bonds to excess hormones, so if you don’t have enough fiber, your body won’t be able to remove estrogen from your body. Instead, your body will reabsorb the excess estrogen, leading to estrogen dominance. Need some tips on increasing your fiber intake? Try eating psyllium, chia seeds, or fresh ground flax seeds!

• Organic fruits, vegetables, meat, and dairy: Going organic is good for your body for so many reasons. Organic fruits and vegetables have fewer pesticides, more beneficial nutrients, and are better for the environment than their conventional counterparts. Likewise, organic meat and dairy offer more nutrients and less toxins while also benefiting the environment.

• Probiotic-rich foods: Your gut microbiome needs to be in tip-top shape to efficiently clear estrogen in your bowel movements. The good news is that eating probiotic-rich foods like sauerkraut, kombucha, kefir, kimchi, and natural yogurt can help!

3. Low Thyroid 

Located in the front of your neck, your thyroid is small but mighty. It’s responsible for creating T4 and T3 hormones to control your metabolism. However, your thyroid may not produce enough thyroid hormone. 

Symptoms include headaches, brain fog, fatigue, weight gain, depression, and anxiety, but that’s not all.  Low thyroid hormone can also cause forgetfulness, constipation, swelling, dry skin, thinning hair, and irregular, painful, or lengthy periods.

If your thyroid hormone levels are too low, you’ll want to increase your intake of thyroid-supportive nutrients. Eat selenium (Brazil nuts, liver, meat, seafood, spinach), vitamin D (eggs, oily fish, sunshine, supplements), zinc (meat, buckwheat, oysters, flax seeds, pumpkin seeds), and iodine (prunes, iodized salt, seaweed, oysters, corn).

Whether you have low thyroid hormone, high cortisol levels, or too much estrogen, nutrition can be one of the best medicines. Knowing what to eat for optimal hormone health isn’t easy, but don’t worry! I’ve got your back! Reach out to me today at happyhelen@gmail.com to start tackling your hormone problems.

How to Get 100g of Protein a Day

One of the hardest things I tackle with my clients is getting high enough protein each day! Most people tell me, “Oh, I get enough protein, I have a Greek yogurt at breakfast.” If you are getting 40g of protein a day, you are barely getting enough for keeping you alive, not for optimal health and daily life. If you do ANY physical activity at all, forget it! No wonder it’s so hard to lose fat if you are eating mostly carbs that only makes you hungry in a few hours. As a woman, this will catch up with you over time. Women actually need MORE protein as they get older so let’s load them up!

Whether you are trying to build muscle or lose fat, getting a minimal of 1g of protein per pound of body weight will be one of the key solution to your goals. In order to build muscle, you need a high amount of protein - as you probably know. But if you want to lose fat, you need protein to keep you FULLER LONGER and increase that metabolism. Protein takes more energy to digest, so it can also increase your metabolic rate. Not to mention if you build muscle, you speed up your metabolism as well.

Here are 5 different ways to mix and match proteins options for everyone! Remember you can use these proteins to add to salads, even smoothies, and paired with yummy seasonings or veggies!

1.

Meal 1: 1 protein shake - 20g 

Meal 2: 4 eggs - 24g 

Meal 3: 1 can of tuna - 30g 

Meal 4: 4 oz salmon, 1 cup brown rice - 28g 

Total = 102g

2.

Meal 1: 5 oz Greek yogurt, 2 eggs - 28g 

Meal 2: 3 oz ground turkey - 20g 

Meal 3: 8 oz ribeye steak - 57g 

 Total = 105g

3.

Meal 1: 4 oz smoked salmon - 24g 

Meal 2: 5.4 oz chicken thighs - 40g 

Meal 3: 1 cup brown rice, 6 oz cooked shrimp - 43g 

Total = 107g

4.

Meal 1: 1 thick-cut bacon, 3 eggs - 23g 

Meal 2: 15 chicken nuggets - 45g (or spread this over 2 meals)

Meal 3: 8 oz Chilean sea bass - 42g 

Total = 110g

5.

Meal 1: 4 eggs, 3 egg whites - 40g 

Meal 2: 2 chicken sausage links - 26g 

Meal 3: 4 oz chickpea pasta, 2 oz of 90% ground beef - 41g 

Total = 107g

I’ve helped so many clients with their fat loss journey through nutrition coaching. If you need help with your nutrition, email me at happyhelen@gmail.com!

Why Cardio Isn’t Working For Your Fat Loss

Cardio is excellent for boosting your mood, building stamina, keeping your arteries clear, and strengthening your heart. But you know what it isn’t ideal for? Fat loss.

Unfortunately, the idea that cardio is the best way to lose fat has been flying around for decades — and people have been blindly subscribing to this idea. However, the truth is that cardio is not the way to go if fat loss is your goal long term. Here’s why:

Why Cardio Won’t Cut It When It Comes To Fat Loss

1. It Won’t Burn As Many Calories As You Think

Cardio doesn’t burn as many calories as people think it does. Most trackers are wrong because your metabolism changes on a daily basis - so how can any single wrist tracker know how your body changes each day? Most people start cardio workouts believing they’ll quickly burn calories and shed body fat — and yes, you can burn SOME calories through cardio. Heck, you may even lose 20 pounds 3 in months by running 5 miles a day and eating 1200 calories. However, long term - ask yourself, is this sustainable? What happens when my body adapts to this cardio? Then what?

Not only that, it takes an extremely high workload to burn a significant amount of calories through cardio alone.  For instance, an hour off high intensity cardio may burn off one cookie-  if you are lucky.  You would need to be on the treadmill for 6 hours everyday at this rate! It is a common mistake to hit the treadmill or do some laps at the pool and think we’ve  burned more calories than reality, which generally means you’re more likely to eat more calories than actually burned.  

To make matters worse, it turns out that activity trackers generally overestimate calorie burn. Some fitness trackers overestimate calorie burn by up to 93%, so if you try and eat back what you think you’ve burned, you won’t be able to enter a calorie deficit and lose fat. Instead, you may actually gain weight. 

2. It Can Increase Your Appetite

On top of that, cardio can raise your appetite disproportionally to how many calories you actually burn. Let’s say you spend thirty minutes swimming laps at the pool. You’ll probably feel extra hungry when you get out, which can lead to consuming excess calories later on in the day. 

3. You Adapt to Cardio - Quickly 

The main reason why cardio for fat loss doesn’t work long term is because you adapt to cardio QUICKLY! Meaning overtime, you’ll need to keep increasing the cardio workout to burn MORE calories.  Can you do 6 hours of cardio a day? And even if you can somehow do this, your body will still adapt to it eventually.  

Cardio also won’t build muscle-  it actually pairs down muscle. So on the other hand, if you incorporate strength training into your routine and increase your caloric intake, you’ll be able to build muscle to increase that metabolism. More muscles mean a higher metabolic rate. You’ll burn more calories by merely existing, as muscle tissue requires more calories to function than fatty tissue. So, you can say hello to increased calorie expenditure throughout the day, whether you’re watching television or taking a nap. In the long term, keeping fat off will be much easier if you build muscle vs. pair down muscle with cardio. 

4. It May Cause You To Overlook Your Diet

It’s easy to get caught up in the idea that cardio is the be-all and end-all when it comes to fat loss, which means it’s all too easy to sweep your diet off to the side. By over-relying on cardio and doing no resistance training, most people gain the weight back within a couple years.

Lose Fat Effectively With Me!

Cardio has its place and its health benefits, but it won’t work if your goal is fat loss long term. Instead, you’ll need to focus on your food intake and turn to resistance training. We need to get that metabolism roaring! By focusing on resistance training and your food choices, you’ll be attacking the problem from both ends. Over time, you’ll lose fat, your metabolism will speed up, and you’ll see results you can actually maintain.

Ready to lose fat? Contact me today at happyhelen@gmail.com!

How Eating Fewer Calories Is Hurting Your Fat Loss Journey

It may seem counterintuitive, but the truth is that consuming fewer calories can actually slow your fat loss journey.

When people want to lose fat, they automatically jump to reducing their caloric intake. And it makes perfect sense! Fewer calories in = more fat loss, right?

In theory, yes. But the truth is that eating fewer calories can negatively impact your fat loss journey, not to mention your overall health!

All About Calories

Before we dive into how consuming fewer calories can hurt your fat loss journey, let’s first go over how calories and metabolism work.

Put simply, a calorie is just a unit of energy. It’s equivalent to the amount of heat energy required to raise the temperature of a gram of water by 1°C (1.8°F or 4.1868 joules) and serves as a measurement of the energy content of food and drinks.

For many people trying to lose fat, calories are automatically the enemy, but the truth is that our bodies need calories for everything we do, from breathing to circulating blood and digesting foods to fighting off infections. However, if you eat and drink more calories than you expend, your body will store the excess as body fat, causing you to gain weight.

So, how many calories do you need? It depends on your age, size, physical activity level, environmental temperature, dieting behaviors, and hormonal status! As a general guideline, the average man should consume around 2,500 calories daily, while the average woman should consume roughly 2,000 calories daily to maintain a healthy body weight.

To estimate your specific calorie needs, you’ll need to determine your basal metabolic rate (BMR), calculate how many calories you’ll need to maintain your current weight, and think about how many calories you’ll need to consume to lose weight (this number should be somewhere between your BMR and daily caloric requirement).

The Impact Of Eating Fewer Calories On Fat Loss

When people want to lose weight, they often turn to diets and drastically cut back on their caloric intake. However, this approach can be counterproductive. In fact, research examining The Biggest Loser shows that metabolism will significantly slow after a dramatic weight loss — and regaining that weight won’t return your metabolism to its previous levels.

A low-calorie diet can decrease the number of calories your body burns by up to 23%, so keeping the weight off will be EVEN MORE DIFFICULT! People will need to stick with extremely low-calorie diets, which is unsustainable in the long run.

Why does this happen? Our bodies are just too good at adapting! If you deprive your body of calories and don’t consume enough calories to meet your basal metabolic needs, your body will think you’re going to starve and automatically start conserving calories. Its survival instincts will kick in and slow your metabolism to save energy, meaning you’ll burn fewer calories per day and begin converting extra calories into fat. Which is the opposite of what you want….

Your body’s metabolism works hard to create a new balance when you consistently don’t consume enough calories, which can lead to weight loss plateaus. No matter how little you eat, you won’t be able to lose any weight. It’s frustrating and discouraging — and it happens to nearly everyone.

When 65 dieting women were analyzed, their bodies burned 50 fewer calories per day on average — and those who were overweight or obese used hundreds of fewer calories a day. Every 10-calorie drop in BMR meant one more day to achieve their weight loss goal, meaning the greater the change in BMR, the longer it took to reach weight loss goals. So, if your metabolic rate drops and your fat loss journey slows to a crawl or comes to a complete halt after a calorie reduction, don’t worry! It’s completely normal.

Luckily, you can overcome metabolic adaptation and continue your fat loss journey in a few ways. For example, reverse dieting (slowly increasing your caloric intake while lifting weights) can raise your metabolism and restart your fat loss. Similarly, frequent exercise and other lifestyle changes can keep your fat loss journey going smoothly.

Lose Fat The Right Way

Losing fat and keeping it off is tricky, especially given how our metabolism reacts to restricted-calorie diets. And that’s not the only way severely restricting your caloric intake can affect your body! Following calorie-restricted diets can also cause you to feel fatigued, reduce your fertility, weaken your bones, and prevent you from getting enough protein, vitamin A, calcium, biotin, thiamine, and other nutrients.

Need help losing fat in an effective, healthy, and sustainable way? I’ve got you covered! Reach out to me today at happyhelen@gmail.com to get started!