Day 15: Procrastination challenge

Today’s challenge involves something so ingrained in our basic human nature that I already know everyone who will read this does it.

Yes I am talking about procrastination. We all do it whether we’re even aware of it or not. I even procrastinated on writing a blog about procrastination. And because I know a lot of us will put off taking a picture of our meals for at leat another day (although I have to say I  think this is a truly great idea El, and I will email you…maybe after tomorrow??). 

SO anyways back to today’s challenge.

Since we all do it, how can we help ourselves procrastinate a little bit less? The truth is that it is often harder to mentally activate ourselves to start a task than to actually do said task. Therefore, the key must lie in the activation of the task we are putting off, even if it means finding ways to trick ourselves into doing it!  Basically, we need to lower the activation energy that it takes to do the task we’ve been putting off.

An easy example that a lot of people can relate to is trying to run in the morning. If one of your goals is to this at least twice a week and you’re determined to do it, but having a hard time getting up in the morning and getting yourself ready to run, an easy way to lower the activation energy of this task would be to have your running gear ready and right next to your bed. This way you are eliminating a whole lot of excuses that your brain will likely try to tell your body when it is still half asleep.

The truth is that a lot of the "science" between overcoming procrastination is to trick your mind into doing something before it even realizes it’s doing it.

Today I challenge you to take on a task you’ve been putting off. Consider what has been getting in the way of you starting this task. Then consider how you can lower the activation energy it will take to get your butt moving! We all know that once you’ve started something and get some momentum, it starts to get a lot easier.

What goal or task have you been putting off that you will choose to activate today?

Day 14- 15- Keeping yourself in Check

Mid week challenge!

Sometimes we think we are eating  healthy, but in reality, all the bad choices here and there can add up. It's easy to focus on the healthy dinner we made, and simply forget about the dessert we had after it, the breakfast we skipped, or all the snacks we ate as we were preparing dinner (guilty as charged!).

I challenge you for 1 day (tomorrow or another day at your convenience) - to document- photo evidence- everything you eat. Just take a quick snapshot. This will help keep you in check when you see at the end of the day what you have eaten. Keep in mind that you should be consuming enough for the amount of exercise you are doing.

For an extra bit of fun, email your meals/snack photos to a friend (with a quick description of what it is) at the end of the day, or the following day, it could be someone doing the challenge or whomever you like. This will help keep you accountable, and it could also give that person meal and snack ideas.

I will be doing this tomorrow, and it will definitely be a reality check.

Think you eat healthy? prove it!

Day 13- Think Positive

Day 12- Checking in and re-assessing

One of the keys to successful goal setting is one's ability to assess and re-evaluate their progress when needed.

Take a few minutes today to look at the goals you set for yourself at the beginning of this challenge. Be completely honest with yourself. Have you been reaching your goals on a daily basis? Are there one or many of your goals that you have not been reaching regularly? If so, this is a time to ask yourself why that is. Is the goal too difficult, unrealistic? Is this goal not a priority for you at this time? Has something or someone else been getting in the way of this goal? Remember that this challenge is meant to help you create lasting habits, that will become a natural part of your daily life. Therefore, any goal you are having a hard time reaching after 12 days is likely in need of a re-assessment and possibly a re-adjustment. 

For example, I had set a goal of being in bed every night of the week by 10:30pm. In the past two weeks that may have happened twice, at most. When re-assesing this goal, a part of me had a tendency to start making excuses as to why the past couple weeks have been crazier than usual (back to work, jet lag, re-adjusting after winter break...) and to convince myself that I will find a way to somehow make my goal happen. Instead, what I decided to do was be honest with myself. Were the past two weeks really crazier than usual? Not really. Is 10:30pm realistic? Not really. As much as I really do want to get to bed earlier and continue to read more and more about the vast benefits of doing so, setting a perhaps unrealistic time for myself is only making me feel disapointed every night when I don't reach it. I have decided to change my goal to being in bed by 11 most nights of the week, and in order to do so I will drop whatever task I am doing by 10:45pm, unless it is truly honestly essential that I complete it for the next day.

Look over your goals today. How are you doing? Have you consistently been reaching your goals? What are some small changes you can make to your goals in order to ensure that you are? Remember, this is real life, and you are trying to create habits that will realistically fit into your lifestyle, without you feeling like you are killing yourself to reach them. We are only really accountable to ourselves (only on reality TV to people have money or the following stimuli to help them reach their goals:)

So basically it's up to you, and the point of this challenge is to make you feel better about yourself! How are you doing with your goals so far?

Day 11 - What's in the food you're eating?

Okay, so just about everyone knows that eating fast food is not a good way to maintain health. I’ve always known that fast food is not good for me, but it just tastes so good sometimes! And when you’re in a time crunch, that drive through is just so convenient!

Anyway, yesterday at work we got curious as to what exactly is in these fast foods. We chose well known McDonald’s and Googled their ingredient list (which is well hidden if you go directly to the McDonald’s website to find this information). What we came across was surprising. Although I knew it wouldn’t be good, it was a lot worse than I had expected. Below is just ONE item on their list… I’ve bolded all the ingredients you probably don’t want to have in your diet and then I’ve broken them down and explained why each of these is not good for your health!

Remember: ingredients are always listed in descending order of predominance by weight!

Big Mac Sauce:

Soybean Oil, Pickle Relish (Diced Pickles, High Fructose Corn Syrup, Sugar, Vinegar, Corn Syrup, Salt, Calcium Chloride, Xanthan Gum, Potassium Sorbate [Preservative], Spice Extractives, Polysorbate 80), Distilled Vinegar, Water, Egg Yolks, High Fructose Corn Syrup, Onion Powder, Mustard Seed, Salt, Spices, Propylene Glycol Alginate, Sodium Benzoate (Preservative), Mustard Bran, Sugar, Garlic Powder, Vegetable Protein (Hydrolyzed Corn, Soy and Wheat), Caramel Color, Extractives of Paprika, Soy Lecithin, Turmeric (Color), Calcium Disodium EDTA (Protect Flavor).

Soybean Oil – vegetable oil extracted from the seeds of the soybean. Soy has been in the news a lot recently. First it was thought to have health benefits, but further research has shown soy to be a trigger for food intolerance. Soy also contains “phytoestrogens” which have been shown to promote breast cancer cell growth in animals. Phytoestrogens may also play a role in influencing testosterone levels in men. Soy is also high in “purines,” the culprit behind a form of arthritis known as gout. Soybean oil is also made up of 85% “good” fats and 15% “bad.” (Why would you eat bad fats at all if you didn’t need to?) Not only that, more than half of all soybean crops in the US are genetically modified.

High Fructose Corn Syrup – this is sugar and more sugar (glucose and fructose). Sugar causes obesity and disease. HFCS is NOT processed by the body the same way more natural forms of sugar are. (There is a commercial here in the US that tries to tell people otherwise… makes me so angry!) Without going into too much biochemistry, there is no chemical bond between the glucose and fructose in HFCS and thus it is absorbed much more rapidly into your blood stream. Fructose goes straight to the liver and triggers “lipogensis” (production of triglycerides and cholesterol). Glucose triggers a huge spike in insulin (the hormone that tells your body to store fat). HFCS contains toxins such as mercury that are not regulated/monitored by the FDA. Basically, HFCS is an anti-nutrient. (Read more here: http://drhyman.com/blog/conditions/5-reasons-high-fructose-corn-syrup-will-kill-you/)

Corn Syrup – is a food syrup made from the starch of maize and contains maltose. Okay, so this is just more sugar… That makes THREE different kinds of sugar McDonalds has used just to make some pickle relish!

Potassium Sorbate – prevents mold growth/food spoilage. It is a known skin, eye, and respiratory irritant. Any food additive can cause an allergic or intolerance reaction due to these substances triggering an exaggerated immune response by the body. Potassium sorbate and other additives may be a trigger to migraines. Consuming too much potassium (from any source) can lead to hyperkalemia (too much potassium in the blood) which can lead to heart arrhythmias.

Polysorbate 80 – is an emulsifier. It is known to cause intolerance reactions in some people, especially those diagnosed with Crohn’s disease.

Propylene glycol alginate – is an emulsifier, stabilizer, and thickener. It is derived from alginic acid esterified and combined with propylene glycol. Propylene glycol is used in antifreeze and airport runway de-icers!

Sodium benzoate – food preservative, produced by mixing sodium hydroxide with benzoic acid. Nobody really knows if this compound is harmful or not, and studies have shown there may be a link between sodium benzoate and damage to mitochondrial DNA as well as ADHD (hyperactivity). Also, if you combine sodium benzoate, potassium benzoate (another preservative) and ascorbic acid (vitamin C) you get benzene, a known carcinogen.

Vegetable Protein (Hydrolyzed Corn, Soy, and Wheat) – used as a flavor enhancer. Whenever you see the words “hydrolyzed” or “autolyzed,” think MSG. MSG is a known trigger of headaches and increases appetite. As well, if you are MSG-intolerant you can develop increased heart rate, nausea, chest pain, and feelings of pressure in your face. This vegetable protein also contains soy, which as we already went over. As well, in 2010 (and I think 2011 too), hydrolyzed vegetable protein was recalled due to contamination with bacteria that caused a number of deaths.

Caramel color – basically burnt sugar. As always, the research is inconclusive, but suggests this compound is immunosuppressive and carcinogenic.

Soy lecithin – another emulsifier. Extracted from soybeans using hexane. Hey, that’s the third time soy has been listed in this ingredient list!

Calcium Disodium EDTA – prevents spoilage from the air. First off, EDTA is used to dissolve limescale, which kind of makes me wonder what it’s doing in my food… A paper published in the May/June 2006 issue of Environmental Engineering Science found EDTA to be a persistant organic pollutant. Calcium disodium EDTA is used in chelation therapy to remove heavy metals from the body and has a number of side effects including vitamin malabsorption, low blood sugar/blood pressure/blood calcium, seizures, and kidney failure. (http://www.livestrong.com/article/220542-dangers-of-calcium-disodium-edta/)

If you think this is bad, look at the rest of the ingredients in McDonald’s products: http://nutrition.mcdonalds.com/getnutrition/ingredientslist.pdf

There is even high fructose corn syrup in their buns!

Moral of the story – read your labels/ingredient list!  

Day 10 - "New-trution"

Maximized Living has published a nutrition book in which there are two basic meal plans. These are NOT diets, rather they are simply nutrition guides for how your body was meant to eat! There is the “core” plan and the “advanced” plan.

The advanced plan is a bit more restrictive and "hardcore", but if followed religiously for 2-3 months it WILL reverse diabetes, lower cholesterol and blood pressure, aid people in getting off of their medications, make you lose weight quickly, increase energy levels, and the list goes on…. After 2-3 months, you can switch to the “core” plan, which allows you to eat a few things you couldn’t on the advanced plan.

So while the advanced plan may not be for everyone, it has a number of benefits. I’m going to give you guys enough information that you can get started on your own if you’re interested and choose to do so. Please read this even if you do not plan to change your diet, as I know everyone will learn something! 

There are 5 keys to the advanced plan and they are as follows:

<1.     Eliminate sugars

<2.     Eliminate grains

<3.     Remove bad fats and add good fats

<4.     Restrict your intake of fruit

<5.    Avoid toxins

Now, let’s delve into each one in further detail…

1. Eliminate sugar.

            We’ve known for a long time that sugar is harmful; and I am sure you are all aware of this. However, just because you don’t eat chocolate bars and candy, does not mean you are not eating a lot of sugar. Almost everything that comes in a box in your grocery store contains sugar. So do basically all condiments, salad dressings, yogurt, juices, etc. Read your labels!

            Sugar = white sugar, brown sugar, molasses, syrups (maple, rice, corn, cane), dextrose, fructose, glucose, sucrose, maltodextrin, honey, agave nectar

           
            BUT, don’t replace all that sugar with “sugar-free” products that contain artificial sweeteners (Remember key #5). These are manufactured chemicals that have been shown over and over again to cause harmful side effects. THE ONLY healthy sugar alternatives are natural sweeteners stevia and xylitol (or similar sugar alcohols like erythritol and maltilol; basically anything ending in –ol). Just watch your consumption of sugar alcohols because excess may cause a laxative effect. (Erythritol has been shown to cause less of a laxative effect than the others). 

           

Also, grains turn into sugar within seconds of you putting them into your mouth, which leads us to key #2…

*Side note, for those who want to read more….
- about grains turning into sugar: http://www.livestrong.com/article/446767-does-whole-grain-bread-turn-into-sugar/
- about how the food industry tried to cover up that sugar is harmful: http://www.motherjones.com/environment/2012/10/sugar-industry-lies-campaign

2. Eliminate grains

           

If the package does not say “sprouted, [100%] whole grain, or stone-ground” then it is refined. See the Livestrong article above if you are unsure what a refined grain is. And don’t be fooled by “whole wheat”, which is not the same as “whole grain”. (http://www.fitday.com/fitness-articles/nutrition/healthy-eating/the-difference-between-whole-grain-and-whole-wheat.html#b)

            So, although whole grains are better for you than refined grains, these still convert to glucose in your body and cause inflammation (Again, see the Livestrong article above). Therefore, on the advanced plan they are to be completely restricted in order to allow your body to heal. This is going to be the most difficult step for most people, and needs to be done cold turkey if you’re serious about following this plan. After the first 10-14 days you will notice your cravings disappearing. So hang in there! (And on the bright side, there are healthy alternatives, such as almond flour…)

3. Remove bad fats and add good fats

           

Remember that whole “non-fat” craze that started in the 60’s and 70’s and is still somewhat present in today’s society? Well, during that time, butter and meat consumption dropped 50% and margarine consumption rose 400%. Along with this, heart disease incidence increased dramatically. (Just f.y.i., margarine is one or two molecules away from plastic).

            The truth is there are bad fats and there are good fats. By now, everyone knows trans fat is a bad fat. But don’t be fooled by clever marketing techniques that claim to have “No trans fat.” No should really say “low” because as long as your product has under a certain amount of trans fat, you can put “no trans fat” on its label. Again, read your labels! And by read your labels, I don’t mean look at the calorie content; actually read the ingredients that are in the product you are buying. A great example is Skippy peanut butter, which claims to have no trans fat. Turn the label around and one of the ingredients is “hydrogenated vegetable oil,” which, you guessed it, is a trans fat.

            Here is the run down:
BAD FATS = hydrogenated and partially hydrogenated oils and trans fats (margarine, synthetic butters, shortening), rancid oils (corn oil, vegetable oil, canola oil, cottonseed oil, soybean oil, safflower oil, sunflower oil)
GOOD FATS = extra virgin olive oil, avocado and avocado oil, coconut and coconut oil, RAW nuts and seeds, REAL butter, raw cheese and yogurt, grass-fed meets, free range eggs, whole milk, fatty fish (wild caught)

Side note: Be careful when cooking with olive oil and butter; they are meant for low-medium heat ONLY (sautéing). Once they turn brown or smoke they have gone rancid. Coconut oil can be cooked at any temperature so this is what you should be using for frying, baking, etc. If you do ONE thing after reading this, it should be to go out and buy yourself some coconut oil (while at the same time THROWING OUT that canola oil or vegetable oil you currently have).  J

*Tip for losing weight: Eat 2 tbsp (one in the morning and one in the evening) per day of coconut oil (yep, straight from the jar) to help lose weight!
*Increasing your intake of good fats can help prevent depresseion, osteoporosis, memory loss, cognitive decline, macular degeneration, multiple sclerosis, infertility, endometriosis, and other chronic conditions!
*Good fats are necessary for your body to absorb vitamins and nutrients!

4. Restrict your intake of fruit

            Fruit contains a lot of sugar, and although a more natural form, it is still sugar! For the advanced plan, only berries (of any kind) and granny smith apples are allowed due to their lower glycemic index.

5. Avoid toxins

            This is a whole other topic in itself. Toxins can come from the food you eat (what was talked about above as well as pesticides and fertilizers on non-organic produce, grains and antibiotics fed to animals and dairy products you consume, etc), and also from personal care products (lotions, shampoos, makeup, etc), as well as air fresheners, cleaning products, mercury fillings, etc…. If you’ve lost a lot of weight and are now at a standstill, then you are most likely toxic. Toxins are stored in your fat cells and your body is very smart. If you’re toxic, your body will hold onto your fat so as not to release all those toxins into your bloodstream.

            As well, leptin is the hormone that tells your brain to burn fat for energy. Toxicity causes your cells to release too much leptin, thus causing burnout. Burnout means your body becomes unresponsive to exercise and proper diet which otherwise would cause fat burning.

            Milk thistle and probiotics are helpful in cleansing your cells of toxins. Also, you have probably heard that antioxidants are great at protecting your cells from damage. This is true too and you can use your search engine to look up good sources of antioxidants.  

Okay, I know that was a lot of information to absorb. If you have any questions, want to know more, or want to buy your own copy of the book (which contains the plans, more information as to why these changes are beneficial, grocery lists, recipes, and more) just let me know! You can also email me at drrcsorg@gmail.com

Day 9- Whole foods challenge!

More and more diets and programs seem to be promoting « eating clean », but that may mean something different for everyone. There is certainly a lot of conflicting information out there, but one thing that nearly all expert agree on is that processed foods are not doing anyone much good.

However, like anything else, the concept of eating clean can be taken to varying extremes. For instance, a popular recent diet know as “The Whole 30”, forbids all processed foods, including any dairy, legumes, grains or sugars for 30 days.

http://whole9life.com/2012/01/whole-30-v2012/

Although the Whole 30 will undoubtedly provide great results, many followers will likely have a hard time maintaining such a rigid diet. That’s not to say that we all can’t start eating cleaner today. After yesterday’s grocery shopping challenge, it seemed fitting to have a whole foods challenge. Think about what you’re eating today. How natural is it? Has it been altered, genetically modified or processed? If so, is there a more natural option you can reach for instead?  It may not be realistic for everyone to avoid processed foods altogether, but focus instead on eating as many whole, natural foods as you can.

What is one thing you can change or alter in your diet to eat cleaner today?

Now for the dirtayyy……

There are plenty of tough daily workouts that you can find online here:

http://www.bodyrock.tv/

Or here:

http://www.crossfit.com/

But I came across a workout recently that sounds like it would be really challenging called Death by (Insert single exercise here, i.e. burpees, squat jump, thruster, etc.). Basically, the idea is to do the exercise once in the first minute, twice in the second minute, three times in the third minute, and so forth, until you can no longer make the number of exercises in one minute. It doesn’t sound all that hard but if the exercise you chose is hard enough it gets tough quick. And to make it even more challenging, try holding a plank or doing situps in between doing the exercise!