How many times have you said to yourself …“I have to start exercising more!”

We all know we should do it. The benefits of regular exercise are endless – it help us to lose weight and maintain weight, improves our sleep, improves our mood, decreases our stress levels, and not to mention the countless health benefits from heart disease to cancer prevention.

I know what it’s like to be on the ‘workout roller coaster’. You get off to a really great start, lose momentum after a few weeks and start all over again a few months later.  Or you have a great routine for years, something happens to get you off track and now you’re struggling to regain your groove.  I’ve definitely been there and I’ve found a way to get off the roller coaster and make exercise a permanent part of my life.

The secret is to make exercise a habit.  Studies show that people who successfully change their lifestyle over time, do so by making their new behaviors into habits. Our psychology works in a way where most of our daily choices are made on autopilot.  New things take energy and concentration and a significant amount of effort – effort is not sustainable over the long term as it requires constant willpower.  Habits are effortless because they become a part of what we do, we don’t even think about them – whether it’s brushing your teeth in the morning or driving home on the same route every day.

So how do you make exercise a habit?  First you need to know that it takes approximately 21 days to be ingrained in our psyche, some people say 4 weeks depending on who you talk to, so for those first 3-4 weeks be patient with yourself and know that you’re not going to “feel like doing it” all the time.

The strategies I wanted to share with you will help you get through those initial weeks when you don’t always feel like sticking to your workout plan and even for times when life gets in the way.

First, commit to only 50%

Crazy right?  Since when is doing only 50% a good thing?  Well vowing to hit the gym 5 days a week is the quickest way to giving up.  Success becomes all or nothing and the minute you miss a workout, you feel guilty and see yourself as failing at your goal.

Instead, take your ideal scenario and then commit to only doing 50% for the first 3 to 4 weeks. If your goal is to do 2 yoga classes a week, start with 1 class. If you would like to go to the gym 4 days a week, start with 2 days for the first few weeks.

The reason this works is that it is far easier to successfully achieve the smaller number. Success builds momentum and so you’re more likely to be motivated to continue.  Before you know it, your body is feeling stronger and more energized and the idea of adding an extra day or class feels exciting rather than daunting.

Trust me, this works.  Our over-achieving minds are tempted to aim higher and be all or nothing.  Start slow.  Build momentum.  Create a lifelong habit.

Second, learn to negotiate with yourself

We all know that feeling – you drag yourself to the gym but once you’re done, you’re glad you went.  The hard part is getting there.  In these early stages of a new routine, the strategy of negotiation works really well.

For instance, if you normally do 30 minutes of cardio, tell yourself you will just do 15 minutes and then have a nice stretch.  Remind yourself you will feel better, focus on the stretching and the reward and allow yourself a less intense workout, as long as you go.  Or, if you normally do strength training and cardio, tell yourself you will only do one or the other.

The idea here is to break down the overwhelming feeling of a tough workout into a more manageable endeavor.  Give yourself permission to leave early or only do half of your normal routine – chances are halfway through your workout you will feel amazing and keep going.  And on the days where you end up heading home, doing half of what you normally do is still much better than nothing.  Most importantly, you’re in the process of creating a new habit.

Third, create accountability for yourself

Typically this means having someone else that will hold you accountable, whether it’s a friend, sibling or spouse.  This can definitely work well, as long as you know that your partner is just as committed as you are and that you will remain focused on your goals even if they lose sight of theirs.

Another great way to hold yourself accountable is to sign up for a paid class series.  Money is a great motivator, and if you spend it up front, it’s highly likely you will go.  At the beginning you may go only because you don’t want to lose the money you spent.  Whatever gets you there in those first few weeks while you are creating a new habit is the key.  Soon you will feel great and want to continue.

That’s actually how I first started yoga almost 10 years ago.  I paid up front for a 10-session group program.  It started in January and I remember the first class was on a dark, snowy Wednesday evening.  If I hadn’t paid for it, I know I would have found an excuse not to go.  Needless to say, after a few classes I was hooked.

There is a great quote that says “do the thing, and then you’ll have the energy to do the thing.”  This couldn’t be more true.  When it comes to exercise we tend to wait for that day to come when we will suddenly feel like doing it.  But in my experience the more you do it, the more you feel like it.  And the more you can make it into a habit, the easier it will be to stick with it!

If you’ve been struggling to get into a groove with your workouts, I hope you will try some of these strategies… and let me know how it works for you!  If you’ve got your own tips to share, please post them below. 

Live Fit.  Live Happy.

Victoria xo

One of the first things I did when I moved to New York is sign up for Freshology meal delivery service.

While I pretty much stopped putting myself on strict diet plans after I turned 30 (I had tortured myself enough in my twenties), I had to admit… I was enticed by the celebrity endorsements and the sleek, modern branding.  Stars such as J-Lo, Sofia Vergara, Mario Lopez, Sarah Michelle Gellar and many others have all been associated with this all natural, gourmet meal delivery service.  While I was living in Canada, I didn’t have the option because it’s not available outside the U.S.  So when I moved, I just HAD to try it.

I decided to opt for the Silver Plan – which consists of frozen vs. fresh meals.  The Gold plan (which includes fresh meals) was approx. $49 per day which is a bit pricey and if it wasn’t something I wanted to invest in, I figured most people would feel the same.  So I decided to try the one that was more realistic and therefore hopefully sharing my experience would be more relevant and helpful.  Plus, with frozen items I knew I could store them longer in case I didn’t eat all of the meals in a given week.

So how was it?  Was it an easy way to drop pounds without a lot of effort and planning?  The answer is… it depends.

It’s almost impossible to evaluate a weight loss program with a simple Yes or No, because weight loss success is very different for each individual.  What works for one person may not work for another – it has a lot to do with lifestyle, personality, and personal preferences.

For me personally, I didn’t love it.  And here’s why – it had less to do with the program, which I actually believe could work, but the fact that it wasn’t the right program for me:

1)    While the quality was much better than many frozen meals I’ve bought from the grocery store, it’s still a frozen meal.  Depending on the specific entrée, some were really good, others not so much… especially breakfast items where you are warming up pancakes with frozen fruit.  It’s never going to taste as good as if you made it yourself.  (This is where the Gold plan might be worth the extra $$ because I would imagine the fresh food would taste better).

2)    You have to use a microwave, which I try to avoid.  I have occasionally warmed up food when in a hurry, but definitely didn’t feel right eating 3 meals a day from the microwave, and the oven just takes more time, planning and defrosting.

3)    This is where preference comes in – I typically like to eat a very simple breakfast, like oatmeal or a slice of multigrain bread with almond butter, or a smoothie.  So when I open a breakfast that has a waffle and turkey sausage, I’m not exactly thrilled.  I felt like I was forcing myself to eat things I didn’t feel like eating…which is the exact opposite of what I usually do and what I teach my clients through my nutrition and weight loss coaching.

4)    Speaking of eating things you don’t feel like eating… while I’m not a strict vegan anymore, I still don’t eat a lot of meat. On this plan I found myself with meat in my breakfast dishes at least 3 or 4 times in one week, plus beef stir-fry dishes, and some sort of chicken or fish dish most days. This means that if you’re avoiding dairy, red meat or anything else, you won’t be able to eat all of the meals they send you (while they do have excellent variety in their menu, you can’t customize the meals).  There were some vegetarian dishes, however I prefer grains and beans rather than pasta and fake meatballs as a vegetarian option.

5)    Finally, I just found it didn’t fit into my life. There were days I went out for dinner or grabbed a bite for lunch while running errands, so it wasn’t practical to eat all of the meals for that week, which meant a lot of leftover meals and wasted money.  Here again it’s good to have the frozen option because at least you can store them. They also allow you to put your plan on hold for several weeks so I’m assuming you could stop early and finish off your plan with the meals that you missed and accumulated in your freezer. The trick though is that if you are eating your own meals, you need to make sure you are following the same portion control or you won’t see the desired weight loss results.

In spite of my personal experience with it, I actually do think there are some benefits to choosing a meal delivery service as a way to lose weight:

1)    It is a great way to stay within a target calorie intake, which is helpful if you have an important event for which you want to lose weight. Often we can over-estimate the calorie count of specific foods or meals and end up not seeing the results we want, which if you have a hard deadline, can be very frustrating. With this program, if you stick to the food that you’re given, you will lose weight.

2)    If you’re busy and/or hate to cook, it’s a great way to have healthy, balanced meals and avoid the grab-and-go fast food options.

3)    It’s easy and convenient and you don’t need to spend a lot of time in preparing for or understanding the “rules” of the program.  You don’t need to stock up on anything, learn calorie counts or point systems. It’s pretty much all there for you. It’s a great short-term plan. Now having said that, if you don’t implement long term eating habits, then the results will be short term as well.

4)    It’s much healthier than extreme diets that are very calorie restrictive (i.e. below 1200 calories per day), or involve a lot of shakes and pills that are full of artificial or unhealthy ingredients.

I’m not advocating any diet plan as the ideal way to lose weight.  Ultimately lifestyle changes are the healthiest and most effective way to manage and maintain (and maintenance is key). You really can do it yourself.  But life is life, and sometimes we are too busy, or need a kick-start, or want to look good for a specific event and feel like we need the discipline… or like me, sometimes you just don’t feel like cooking!

Either way, a meal delivery service could be the answer for you. You must be sure however, to choose a high quality service with natural food and well-balanced meals.  As a healthier option I would definitely recommend Freshology if you live in the U.S. and for my Canadian friends, I would suggest the NIM Diet based in Toronto. It’s the healthiest option I’ve found out there.

If you have any questions about my experience with Freshology or perhaps with similar plans you’ve tried, feel free to leave a comment below or contact me via email.

As for me… I’m glad I tried it because at least I know that I’m not missing anything.  And when I don’t feel like cooking, I will stick to my favorite options – Wholefoods deli and prepared foods, or Amy’s frozen entrees, which are all vegetarian and taste amazing! 

Live Fit.  Live Happy.

Victoria xoxo

I love yoga.  Anyone who knows me, knows that I am obsessed with it.  It is my absolute favorite workout.  If I had to choose only one form of exercise, it would be yoga.  It’s that good.  Here’s why I think it’s the greatest thing ever:

1. It is an amazing wholebody workout.

Not every type of yoga is physically challenging – restorative and hatha styles are much more gentle and while they still have toning benefits, I wouldn’t go so far as to say they would substitute cardio and weights in terms of exertion.

However, Ashtanga, Vinyasa, Power Yoga, Flow Yoga and the hot varieties like Bikram and Moksha, can definitely get you into great shape.  You are using your own body weight to hold standing poses, arm balances and planks, and so you tone and strengthen all of your major muscle groups.  In addition, the flow and/or hot aspects of these classes provide a great cardio workout.    Oh, and don’t worry if you can’t actually do an arm balance – the work is in the prep, so just by getting into the right position you work to strengthen your muscle and core to eventually go all the way up.

Ashtanga and Vinyasa are my personal favs.  I find that the flow components have more poses that really strengthen and tone the upper body, including all those areas most women want to target – arms, shoulders and upper back – and in general I find it to be the most intense and vigorous, which makes it easier to substitute for my regular gym workouts. I also found that Bikram and Moksha focus more on balancing and holding poses and less on moving from one to the other linking with flow – for me personally it was too slow and too hot.

Some people swear by the hot versions, but if you’ve tried the hot and it’s not working for you, try something else.  That’s what I did.  After trying to get myself to enjoy Moksha classes, I finally tried Vinyasa.  I was hooked.  It had the power and challenge of my traditional Ashtanga background, but with more creativity, flow and variety than a regular Ashtanga class.  And the best part – Vinyasa can also be done in a hot room that is much more bearable!  The rooms are a few degrees cooler than Bikram/Moksha due to the vigoruous nature of the poses.  Now that’s a workout!!

2. It is very effective in weight loss and weight control.

Yoga is often recommended for weight loss.  I believe that this is not only because of the physical benefits, but the way yoga teaches you to tune-into your body.  When you become more aware of how you feel, you will really notice when you consume things that are not quality choices.  You will be less likely to want to eat junk food that makes you feel lethargic, or overeat and feel bloated and full.

Over time, yoga can help you to become aware of your emotions rather than trying to avoid or numb them.  This is a big reason for emotional eating and so over time, you may notice a gradual decline in emotional binges and food choices.

Furthermore, I personally found that after very intense exercise – like spinning or weight training, I was ravenous on those days.  I’ve since read numerous articles on the topic about how people get frustrated when they exercise a lot and don’t see results.  Often what happens is that we over-consume due to increased hunger and the idea that we need to “fuel up” due to heavy workouts.   The truth is, unless you’re training 2-3 hours a day, you don’t need a lot of extra calories, nor is it a free pass to over-indulge.

I found that when I started doing more yoga and pulled back on the gym workouts, my appetite naturally changed.  I ate less without really thinking about it.  My body became more in tune with hunger sensations and knowing when to stop.

3.  It has tremendous health benefits.

So weight loss and toning aside, let’s get down to the issue of health because at the end of the day, that’s the most important thing.

The list of health benefits from yoga is quite extensive:
-       reduces stresses
-       improves mood
-       decreases anxiety and depression
-       improves sleep patterns
-       improves mental clarity and focus
-       improves energy levels
-       reduces heart rate
-       lowers blood pressure
-       has been shown to be beneficial in improving fertility

What’s great to notice about this is that many of these health benefits have been traditionally linked to cardiovascular exercise.   I’m not suggesting to stop cardio entirely if you currently have an exercise routine, but consider adding yoga to the rotation… without the guilt of feeling like you’ve “missed your workout”.  Yoga is your workout.  And if you have any doubts… take a hot power yoga class.   You’ll see what I’m talking about.

4.  The benefits go far beyond the physical.

Yoga can literally change your life.   That’s a big statement to make, but it’s true. Thanks to today’s variety of yoga teachers and studios, yoga is no longer accessible only to the stereotypical image of a yogi. Even if you’re uncomfortable with meditation, chanting and spiritual references, you can find a class that suits your style.

That’s the beauty of yoga though.  You start doing it for one reason and then you see all of these other changes you never expected.   Each person’s journey is unique and so I don’t want to set expectations here.  Some of these changes could be mental – more clear, focused, relaxed mind, or emotional – more open, patient, self-aware and conscious of your emotions and reactions.

Let go of expectations.  Just get on the mat every day, every other day, or a few times a week.  Show up. Be present.  Move your body.  Do it for yourself.  You will begin to create changes that will improve everything about the way you look and feel, inside and out.  It’s the best gift you can give yourself.

In my next post, I will give you some tips on how to build and sustain your practice.  Often the most challenging part is figuring out how to schedule your life to make it to those favourite classes.  I’ll share with you what has worked for me.

Namaste,

Victoria xo

PS – I’d love to hear your experiences with yoga?  Do you have any questions about the different styles?  Share your thoughts below.

Do calories matter? How much should I be eating? Are there too many carbs in that? Can I really eat fat? How do I make sense of a nutrition label?

These are common questions I get from my clients, and also with friends, family and sometimes complete strangers.  There is so much miss-information out there about nutrition and weight loss.  There are a lot of people out there who are really trying to make better choices for themselves and their health and yet are often confused by the information presented through government guidelines or marketing campaigns.

Nutrition numbers and labels are probably the biggest source of confusion. Today I read two articles that made me frustrated.  One was about a potential lawsuit against Taco Bell because they are potentially not using enough ingredients to use the word “beef” in their advertising. Apparently all they need is 35%. What’s in the other 65% – fillers. What does that mean? Chemicals. Chemicals that are body doesn’t know how to utilize, that put stress on our liver and disrupt our hormonal systems and biochemistry.

The other article, from the New York Times, was about the latest changes to nutrition labels. The food industry is going to start using “nutrition keys” (like the one featured above) on the front of the box, in order to allow consumers to quickly recognize “healthier choices”. Sounds great right?

Here’s the problem. Our body is not just a bank account. It is a chemistry lab. That means knowing the numbers isn’t enough. When it comes to health and weight loss, quality is more important than quantity.

Therefore, this “front of the box” strategy is missing something very important – the ingredients. By putting them on the front of the box, we’re taking attention away from the back or sides, the area that lists the ingredients, which are actually just as important, if not more, than the nutrition panel.

For example, a 100-calorie cookie filled with trans fats, white sugar and preservatives is not the same as a 100-calorie organic yogurt. The same goes for a 130-calorie slice of bread, where one has 20+ ingredients and the other has perhaps just 8 natural ingredients. Your body does not break down, absorb or utilize these foods in the same way.

Over time it matters. If you feed your body with chemicals and nutrient-deficient food it will affect your biochemistry, your metabolism, and ultimately your health.

I don’t know about you, but most people I talk to want to live a long time, want to be healthy and disease-free. So if you’re going to go to the trouble of reading the nutrition panel, don’t forget to turn the box over and look at the ingredients too. Do your body a favor – choose natural food over fat-free, low-cal, carb-free, sugar-free. Don’t let the numbers fool you!

To your health and happiness,

Victoria

Given that most of us are focused on weight loss during this time of year, I’m going to devote the next couple of posts to this topic.

It continues to amaze me how much misinformation there is on this topic. It’s something I am very passionate about because I spent most of my teens and early twenties on diets or periods of calorie restriction. So when I meet with women that are frustrated, disillusioned and confused by their countless attempts to lose weight, it makes me more determined to get the right information out there.

As you’ve heard me say in a previous post, we really need to eliminate the weight loss mentality from our vocabulary. And I’m happy to say, the shift is happening. There is definitely more awareness about the benefits of eating healthy, and the ineffectiveness of fad diets and quick-fix gimmicks.  Having said that, there is still some confusion and conflicting information.

One topic that always sparks debate is the need for calorie counting. I’m sure you’ve heard people say things like “as long as you’re eating healthy food, calories don’t matter” or on the opposite end know of successful programs that are based points and pre-set meals etc that do limit your total daily intake. I’ve also met many people who say to me “I’m eating healthy and still gaining weight, why is that?” In fact, I’ve experienced this last one myself!

So do calories matter? Yes and no.

Not what you wanted to hear right? Unfortunately the answer isn’t that simple.  From a weight loss perspective, the science behind losing weight is quite straightforward. In order for your body to lose 1lb of fat, it takes a 3500-calorie deficit. So if you do the math, this means you need to reduce about 500 calories a day to lose 1lb in a week. On a side note ladies – this is the reason for the 2lbs a week average! This means that any diet, cleanse or program promising more than that is going to be mostly water weight. (Don’t get me wrong, I think cleansing is very important in managing overall health, but it should never be done solely as a means of quick weight loss – watch out for any cleanse that promises quick and significant weight loss as one of it’s key selling features)

Even with the math above, weight loss is more complex than simple “calories-in and calories-out”. Our bodies are not simply “caloric bank accounts”. They are more like a science lab of chemical activities that rely on specific nutrients in order to function properly. More and more research is indicating the complex function of hormones within the body that affect our hunger, satiety and ultimately our metabolism.

Therefore the quality of calories consumed is extremely important. This is why a strict calorie counting approach does not work in the long term. It may have worked in your twenties, but over-time if you are not consuming sufficient nutrients, or feeding your body poor quality, processed, nutrient-deficient foods, your metabolism will eventually begin to slow down.

So what’s the best approach? A healthy diet comprised of whole foods combined with portion control. If you eat mainly whole foods, you will automatically be consuming food that is nutrient dense and also lower in calories. This means you are eating more food, more often and not as hungry as you would be on a typical diet. The high quality food is also fueling your body’s physiological function, which means a revved-up metabolism!

Portion control is important because it keeps the amount of food you consume in check. Due to yo-yo dieting, skipping meals, over-sized restaurant portions and so forth, most of us have no idea what a typical serving or portion size should look like or what it feels like to eat a meal until we’re 85% full. Following portion control will help you eat within a healthy caloric range until your natural hunger and satiety responses return and your body gets used to eating at regular intervals in moderate amounts.

From my experience, the easiest foods to over-consume are carbohydrates (whole grains) and fats (nuts and seeds, oils). So here are a few guidelines to get you started, but first a quick note – these numbers are general parameters, the total number of servings will vary based on your goals, size and activity level.

1 serving of grains (rice, quinoa, oats, etc) is ? cup. For reference 1 cup is about the size of a baseball. You can have anywhere from 2-4 servings of grains per day. So for the average female, that means 1 cup of oats in the morning plus ? cup of quinoa at lunch would be your 3 servings of grains for the day. The rest of your carbohydrates should come from fruits and vegetables.

1 serving of fats is approx 10-12 nuts (1/2 a handful) or 1 tbsp of oil or ? of an avocado. Aim for 2-3 servings of quality fats per day. One of the biggest weight loss mistakes I see is people snacking on trail mix all day. While it is a healthier option than chocolate bars and chips, both nuts and dried fruit are extremely nutrient dense so those calories can really add up! Be sure to divide your servings and take a small container to work.

In both my personal and professional experience, I have found this to be the easiest and most effective approach to healthy, effective and most importantly… permanent weight loss. I hope you find these tips helpful!

To your health and happiness,

Victoria

The dieting season is fast approaching. Here are some statistics for you to think about:

• More than 70% of woman are currently on a diet
• Over 95% of dieters regain the weight within 1-3 years

As a nutritionist, many of the clients that come to see me have weight loss as one of their primary goals. Yes, as much as health and disease prevention should be our motivation, the reality is that most of us women just want to fit into our favorite jeans! While I do believe that a lasting approach to weight loss is actually grounded in healthy eating principles rather than “dieting” restrictions, I know that often the external results are a more immediate incentive than the health of our insides. I’m no different, as a woman I do care about my external appearance and so I relate to my clients who come to see me with an issue that many of them have been struggling with for years.

Of course we all want to be healthy, but how we feel about our bodies is reflected in our self-esteem, self-confidence and the energy we project out into the world. Therefore I think it’s important that we strive to get our bodies to a size (and this is different for everyone) where we are comfortable in our skin and no longer obsess about weight loss.

This often involves dealing with the external weight but also our internal belief systems and mindset. Many of us have been on a dieting roller coaster for so many years that we’ve lost a healthy perspective, which makes it even more difficult to approach weight loss in a healthy and permanent way.

I’ve been there too. I’ve tried every diet. Lost weight and gained weight. I can relate to the women I see every day and this is what fuels my passion for what I do. I want women to once and for all get off the dieting rollercoaster!  Of all the myths and mistakes I see around weight loss, I believe the number one mistake women make is going for the fast and drastic solution. I continue to be surprised by the number of women that still believe avoiding carbohydrates or extreme calorie restriction is the solution (I won’t name names, but many of you know which diets I’m talking about). The reality is that 95% of these women gain all of the weight back, and often more.

I think for many people, their rationale is that they need something quick so they can see results and feel better. And then once they lose the weight, they will just maintain it in a health way.  Here’s the problem with this strategy: you can’t maintain an unrealistic weight loss.

If you have drastically reduced your calories, limited carbs or fruit, etc you have also reset your body’s physiology and metabolism. As a result, when you go back to “normal and healthy” eating your body can actually gain weight. Not only do you gain the weight back, every time you go on this kind of diet you actually lower your metabolism. This makes it harder and harder to lose weight with each subsequent attempt! This is NOT the effect you want. As women we are already battling a declining metabolism as we age, the last thing you want to do is amplify this process.

The solution: a healthy holistic approach to weight loss. This includes eating the right whole foods at the right times, avoiding processed food and chemicals and taking the right supplements to round out your diet and maximize your nutritional status. You should be able to maintain your eating habits for life, if that’s not the case, you are probably not on the right program. A holistic approach also addresses potential digestive issues, and hormonal or systemic imbalances which make weight loss easier. Once your body is functioning optimally, your metabolism naturally kicks in.

It is truly the best strategy for a permanent healthy weight. And the bonus: lasting health and disease prevention.

To your health and happiness,

Victoria