Skip to main content

Posts

Showing posts from April 21, 2013

We're going international!! 12 more days!

I've had the pleasure of getting to know Karel for the past 6.5 years. As my best friend in life, I couldn't ask for a better person to spend forever with. This pic was taken of Karel in Italy at the age of 20. Just a few years before taking a risk that would change his life.   Although many people know Karel as a talented cyclist with a strong European accent who is a perfectionist that never gives up, I know Karel as a dreamer. Someone who wanted so much more out of his life and was willing to take chances to achieve a great life.  When you mention the word immigrant, there are many thoughts that pop into your head (good and bad).  Regardless of where you live, I think we all aspire for a quality filled life and perhaps appreciate the freedom we have in our life. Perhaps for many, the American Dream is what draws people to this United States but I believe that there are many amazing places in this world to live and countries filled with dreamers, doers and

Happy vegetarian anniversary to me!

A 2009 article by Harvard Health Publications  did a really nice job of summarizing the benefits of becoming a vegetarian.   "People become vegetarians for many reasons, including health, religious convictions, concerns about animal welfare or the use of antibiotics and hormones in livestock, or a desire to eat in a way that avoids excessive use of environmental resources. Traditionally, research into vegetarianism focused mainly on potential nutritional deficiencies, but in recent years, the pendulum has swung the other way, and studies are confirming the health benefits of meat-free eating. Nowadays, plant-based eating is recognized as not only nutritionally sufficient but also as a way to reduce the risk for many chronic illnesses." Articles like this pop up all the time and likely you have read them and have learned about the many benefits of eating a more plant strong diet. If you are a regular reader of my blog or  facebook  page, you have seen plenty of

Clearning up confusing with healthy eating and sport nutrition

There's a lot of confusion when it comes to healthy eating and sport nutrition. I know this from my own experience in learning about the topics in graduate school while earning my Master of Science in Exercise Physiology as well as in my dietetic program as I earned my Registered Dietitian credential. But now as I work with athletes from around the world, I clearly see how confused and overwhelmed people are when it comes to eating for fuel and for health. Don't be! I could spend many blogs on this topic and as a writer, life-long student and lover of putting words in my head on paper, I am not sure if I can contain myself in one blog post, sharing everything I know about healthy eating and sport nutrition. But, I learned when I became a RD that it is not my job to tell everyone everything I know in the first counseling session or when asked about nutrition in a group setting. Instead, learn to treat everyone as individuals and understand that everyone has different needs and g

Are you mentally strong enough to succeed?

Did you know that we have over 50,000 thoughts a day? According to some research , the majority of our thoughts are negative. As a writer and a speaker, I feel my brain is on over-drive from the moment I get up until I go to bed. I am always thinking and some of my best thoughts come when I am working out as I feel the rush of adrenaline and blood flow helps my thought processes. I'm sure you don't think about all the thoughts that go through your head as many are silly, non important and meaningless. But others likely contribute to how you live your day and the choices you make throughout the day. For example, how many times have you been driving to work or on a road trip and in the other direction there is a crash or extreme traffic pile-up. You think to yourself "I am so glad that's not me!" As athletes and fitness enthusiasts, I am sure there are many times when you think to yourself "Why am I doing this?" but certainly it hasn't slowed you

Food is Fuel - keep your tank full.

    Don't start, continue or finish your workout on E just because you feel you don't "need" any fuel. Training requires an expenditure of energy above resting levels as oppose to sitting around by your TV or computer and feeling the "need" to eat. This required mechanical energy is provided through the conversion of metabolic fuels into ATP, the base currency of chemical energy. The sources of chemical energy that fuels exercising skeletal muscles are available through endogenous sources (intramuscular glycogen and triglycerides) or exogenous sources (plasma glucose and free fatty acids). Rather than worrying about extra calories put into your body while you are expending energy, consider how important it is that these exogenous and endogenous fuel sources are replenished through dietary intake. Next time you think about needing "energy" around mid afternoon because you are tired from sitting all day, consider important relationship between