April 2015 – Beth Burns Fitness

10 Tips to Better Easier Eating

April 28, 2015/in Food, Mindset /by Beth Burns

Often times, in this age of information overload, it’s very easy to get swept away. This blog says paleo, that trainer says carb cycling, Dr. Oz says buy this pill. The biggest problem often becomes that we make it out to be much harder than it actually needs to be!

Not to say that living a healthy lifestyle doesn’t require some hard work and discipline, because it most certainly does. But so often, all that information becomes so jumbled and confusing that we start to believe that it’s really complicated and hard. We start to believe that the simple things, like eating slower or getting a little more sleep, are too easy to really make a difference. This is simply not true!

So I decided to put together 10 easy ways to eat better:

1. Use smaller plate and bowls

It’s been shown that we naturally eat less when using smaller plates and bowls, even if people have practice with portion control! For more on this, check out this interesting TED talk called mindless ways to eat more mindfully, which is what inspired this blog in the first place. 🙂

2. Use your “built in portion control”

If you don’t already have smaller plates, that can be quite an investment. However, you do have your hands! When filling up your plate, use your hand as an easy way to start building your awareness of portion sizes. (And this works for everybody because it is in proportion to your hand!)

1 Portion:
Protein – Palm of your hand
Carbohydrates – Fist
Fat – thumb

3. Put healthy foods in front and in view.

I don’t think there’s anything wrong with keeping some treats in the house, but I’m sure we’re all aware of the dangers of the cookie jar. 😀 If sweets are sitting out or the first thing you see when you look in your pantry, it makes sense that you will naturally reach for them more often. Arrange your pantry and fridge so that your healthier food is in the front and easier to get to. If you have food sitting out, make it a pretty fruit bowl instead of a cookie jar. 😉

Isn’t it pretty???

4. Slow down

Sometimes we get so amped up about food that we scarf it down in 30 seconds and then wonder why we want more.

In the video I linked to in #1, the speaker talks about how they asked Europeans and Americans how they know when to stop eating. Europeans said when they are not hungry anymore. Americans said when the food is gone. :-/ This is a problem.

It takes time for your body to actually “process” the food coming in and send the signal that it has enough for now. Slow down and try to make each meal last at least 15-20 minutes. Set your fork down in between bites. Chew a little extra. Savor the moment. 😉 This might sound too easy, but it can be a powerful practice! All we’re really doing is tapping back into our natural hunger and appetite regulation system, but when you think about it, what an easy way to lose weight while also enhancing your eating experience!

5. Prepare veggies ahead of time

I could eat fruit all day long, but veggies are one of the hardest things for me to consistently get enough of in my diet. The hardest part about veggies and salads is the just the prep, if ya ask me! Either buy them pre-cut or set aside 30 minutes to cut up your favorite veggies or throw together a big salad that you can eat off of for the next few days.

6. Always keep some frozen meat and produce on hand

It can be hard to figure out the right amount of fresh produce so that you use everything up before it goes bad, so I always like to have a stash of frozen varieties as a back up. Frozen fruits are great for shakes, frozen veggies are an easy side dish, and frozen meat can be thrown in the crockpot for an easy dinner! Which leads me to my next point….

7. Use your crockpot!!

Crockpots make it super easy to throw together a healthy dinner (plus leftovers!) for those who lack cooking experience or time….or energy…or money! Ha! 🙂 They are also a great willpower hack for those who struggle with preparing healthy dinners, whether it’s because you’re just too tired at the end of the day or by the time dinner rolls around you crave something a little less ideal. The crockpot takes care of that.

8. Keep a running grocery list on your phone

I love doing this because this allows me to keep up with my list and put things in order as I add them. This saves me extra trips to the store and time at the store because I already have my list organized according to how I go through the store.

9. Protein powder

Protein is another component that is sorely lacking from the typical American diet. While it’s good to aim to get the majority of what you eat from whole food sources, protein powder is a safe and very convenient way to get more protein into your diet. If you’re not a meat-lover, it also offers the added bonus of a lot more variety – everything from shakes, pancakes, breads, and desserts. There is protein version of just about everything nowadays! For those interested, Protein Pow is a great resource.

10. Find a community of support

The ideal situation would be to get the people you live with on board! It’s amazing how often it works out that when one is feeling weak, the other is feeling strong and is able to encourage their partner. It’s just so much easier and more enjoyable when everybody is going through it together and working toward the same goal.

My husband's support is such a big deal for me

I’m not sure I would eat as healthy without the support of my guy 😀

Bonus. Get at least 7 hours of sleep a night

I’m always amazed when people roll their eyes at me when I mention getting enough sleep. I mean, what kind of culture do we live in where people get upset at being told to rest and sleep more?! Ha ha! Honestly, I think it’s more because we don’t believe that it could be that easy. But let’s just say, your body needs sleep and getting enough of it can make all the difference in getting and staying lean.

**Sometimes you can do all the harder things right, but if you’re not doing these simpler things, you won’t see results. They may seem inconsequential, but the small things when done consistently really do start to add up. You are not the sum of your intentions, but your actions. What you do most consistently is what will show.

The Benefits to Being Short-sighted

April 21, 2015/in Fitness, Mindset /by Beth Burns

One of the biggest issues many people face in the fat loss process is being too short-sighted. We want results and we want them yesterday OR we want to get in shape for a vacation that’s in 3 months. Most crash diets will give you that quick fix. Even though they suck while you’re doing them and statistics show that most people gain even more weight back after the diet is over, the dang “quick fix” will just not die. This wreaks havoc on your body and mindset which is why I am always pushing to focus on the long game.

However, I’ve realized that I’ve been a bit remiss in only focusing there. There are a number of benefits to being more short-sighted too. In fact, they work even better together! I’ve actually been using both in a number of areas in my life to help me continue to move forward.

Here are two powerful ways to help yourself in whatever area you are struggling by being a little more short-sighted:

1) Segmenting

Segmenting is mentally breaking down a task into smaller pieces until it feels manageable to you. It’s asking, what CAN I do? This technique is used by the Navy SEALs to get through hell week and by doctors to help people with depression get out of bed and by runners to finish a race.

I often use this for blogging. I’m not a natural writer. I very much love to be up and moving around. So I have many days were writing is the last thing I want to do and I have to segment it. OK, you don’t want to do this, but can you just sit down and write for 20 minutes? Yeah, I can do that. Once I’m in my groove, I love it! The hardest part is just starting.

For fat loss, one of the hardest struggles can actually be stressing out by looking too far down the road! Anyone who’s tried to lose weight knows what I’m talking about. Those days where it feels impossibly hard and you think, I just can’t do it anymore! You get too far ahead of yourself and start freaking out about never eating this or that ever again.

So when you have those moments, stop. No more thinking about a month or a year from now or even tomorrow! Take a few deep breaths (breathing actually helps the mind focus. 😉 ), then ask yourself: What can I do next?

Can you make it an open-faced sandwich instead of 2 pieces of bread?
Can you drink one more cup of water?
Can you get to bed 15 minutes earlier than you normally would?
Starting to feel hunger… can you go 10 minutes before eating?
Dinner is over… can you get through tonight without eating anything else?
Can you workout for 10 minutes?
Can you do one more…rep, exercise, set?

OK, then that’s your goal. One meal, one day, one habit at a time.

2) Focus on the process

In any sport, the score is important, but if that’s all the players focus on they will most likely let their emotions govern their play and lose. The players must focus on doing the little things well like dribbling, passing, running plays, shooting, and defending. They must focus on the process in order to achieve the outcome.

It’s the same in health. Yes, the scale & tape measure can usually tell you how you’re doing but it’s the actual habit changes that are going to get you there. When you’re unhappy with the results, go back to the process.

If you’re struggling, have you truly been honest with yourself about how consistent you are?
Are you really aware of what, how much, and how often you’re eating now? Can you start a food journal?
If you aren’t losing fat, have you been consistent with the habits you’ve been working on?
If you have, is it time to add a new habit?
If you haven’t, how can you segment it to make it more doable for you?

**Being both long and short-sighted are important and beneficial and together they can help you stay sane and enjoying life. When you’re sick of the day in and day out, focus on the long game: how great it will be and how much better you will feel in 6 months if you keep up with this! When you feel overwhelmed and like you’ll never be able to get there, focus on what you can do today.**

The journey to a healthy lifestyle is indeed a marathon. However, in order to reach the finish line, you just gotta keep putting one foot in front of the other.

10 Tips to Working Out on Your Own

April 16, 2015/in Fitness /by Beth Burns

I’ve heard this so many times, it’s not even funny. People want to get fit so that they can go to the gym or come to my classes. The gym. A place wholly designated and designed for one very specific purpose: to help people get (and stay) fit.

Unfortunately, I think it’s a little bit the nature of the beast. The gym can be pretty intimidating. But even more so, I think we’ve made fitness out to be way more complicated than it is. This often leads people to look elsewhere to start getting in shape. I believe this is one of the reasons running is so popular. No equipment or experience needed… or so we tend to believe.

If you think you need to be in shape to use kettlebells, then you should be in even better shape to run. Running is actually quite far from a beginner exercise, as it is basically a super super high rep high-impact single-leg exercise.

The high rate of injury aside, I just really hate that so many people feel that running is the only way to get into shape because not everybody enjoys it. And therefore, they do nothing.

SO, I thought I’d put together a list of the 10 most helpful tips I could think of for working out on your own. These will also help you feel like you can walk into any gym with confidence and know exactly what you’re doing!

1) Make your own goals

When making your goals, I encourage you to do 3 things:

Make at least 1 goal that has nothing to do with appearance.
Write down your bigger purpose, your bigger reason for getting healthy and fit.
- Is it so you can be healthy for your family? So you can be a good role model for your kids? So you can have more life experiences? What’s your bigger WHY?
Always ask yourself, why? Why do you want 6-pack abs? Why do you want to be at this specific weight? Make sure your goals are your own and not because someone (or something) is telling you it should be this way.

2) There are multiple ways.

Just because someone looks fit and claims that they have the secret doesn’t mean they know the only way to get fit. There are multiple ways to get there, so if you’re not enjoying one program or piece of equipment, try another!

3) Keep it simple

You don’t need to be able to use all the weird contraptions and fancy equipment and there’s rarely a need to stand on anything but the ground. Not that it’s bad to get creative or change things up, buuuut, let’s just say, there have also been A LOT of really stupid things done in the name of “keeping things interesting”. Keep it simple.

4) Listen to your body.

Safety first my friends. If something is painful, stop doing it. Instead of just skipping it altogether though, look for ways to modify the exercise!

5) Master the basics

Take the time & spend the money if needs be to learn the proper form for the basics. These are your foundation – the building blocks for a safe and enjoyable fitness routine! Once you’ve mastered these, it will make the whole process a lot more fun as it tends to increase injury prevention and allow for good steady progress!

6) Prioritize the big muscle groups.

So what are the basics? you ask. I’m about to break it down for you right here. Just like most diets, most exercise programs have a very similar thread running through them. There are 5 main movements/areas you want to address in your fitness routine:

Upper body Push – push ups, bench press, shoulder press
Upper body Pull – rows, pull ups
Lower body Push – squats, lunges
Hip Hinges (Lower body pull) – deadlifts, swings
Core – planks, farmer walks

Things like crunches, the inner thigh machine, or bicep curls, are accessory work. If you want to burn fat, focus on working the big muscle groups. Then, if you have time, you can throw in a couple of these if it makes you feel better.

7) Use the mirrors!

I’m not talking about taking a selfie or admiring yourself. (You’re welcome to do that too, but just don’t do it for too long cuuuz then it’s just weird. ;)) No, the mirrors are there for making sure your form is correct! Sometimes it’s hard to feel. You might think you’re doing it right, but a mirror can tell you for sure. If an exercise calls for keeping your back straight, check out if your back is actually straight! Use the mirrors for their actual purpose! 😉

7) LADIES: You are stronger than you think!

Your body is capable of carrying and delivering a human! I’m not saying you have to be using a spotter and screaming through every rep. (please don’t 😉 ) In fact, when you’re first learning, you’ll want to start all movements very light until you feel comfortable with the form. But once your form is good, don’t pigeon hole yourself into 8 pounds or less. I mean, c’mon, your purses and your babies weigh more than that!! 🙂

9) Have a plan.

You don’t need a 3 month program all mapped out or anything super complex. It is, however, beneficial to make a plan for the day. Making it up as you go along is fun from time to time, but it’s not usually the most efficient or productive.

A great place to start is 2-4 sets of 8 repetitions of each exercise. There are a number of different ways to put it all together: circuits, super sets, ladders….play around with it.

10) Remember: movement is life! Have fun with it!

**If you’re interested in getting some specific examples of workouts, I’m sending some out in my newsletter tomorrow. Sign up below**

For the Love of Food

April 1, 2015/in Food /by Beth Burns

One thing I hear all too often is, “I want to eat better but I just love food too much” or the other version, “I really love food so I feel like I’m just doomed to be overweight”. I get it. I used to say that one of my main reasons for working out so much was because I loved food.

However, over the last few years, this idea really started to gnaw on me. Why does it have to be an either-or situation?? Either you love food or you eat healthy? About a month ago, I came across a quote that really nailed it on the head for me:

You’d think we love it, but we don’t. The exact opposite is true. Imagine the difference between a healthy person who savors a slice of cake after a good meal, and a morbidly obese over-eater who scarfs down three Cinabons while sitting in the food court at the mall. You might have the impression that the latter “loves food” more, but this is not the case. To them, food is a compulsion. A drug. A prison. They don’t love it. They just consume it. It is the healthy person, the one who exercises and eats vegetables with most meals, who can really find joy in a good dessert. They can love it because they are not a slave to it.

~Matt Walsh

This quote really spoke to me because I think a lot of us could really benefit from changing the way we think about food. You can still love food….after all, it is what sustains your body and life. God could have done it very differently, but He gave each food a different taste and texture and then he gave us the tastebuds to enjoy those different tastes. The breaking of bread and the mutual enjoyment of food is a big part of community and connection. It should be loved.

BUT, with food being such an integral part of life, how much more enjoyable would life be if we didn’t feel so controlled by it??

So I started thinking about the instances where we think we’re loving and enjoying food when we’re really only serving to worsen our relationship with it. Three things came to mind and it’s no surprise that they all have to do with our mentality towards food. Check them out….

1) Emotional Eating

One of the first things that came to mind is “eating our feelings”. This always seems like a good idea in the moment, but afterwards only leaves us feeling worse than before. So for starters, it’s helpful if we have a way to decipher if what we’re feeling is physical or emotional hunger.

Physical hunger builds gradually; emotional hunger strikes suddenly
Physical hunger is felt below the neck (i.e. growling stomach); emotional hunger is felt above the neck (craving a specific taste in your mouth)
Physical hunger feels mildly uncomfortable and will usually subside for a little while with a glass of water; emotional hunger feels urgent and uncontrollable
Physical hunger goes away when full; emotional hunger persists despite fullness
After eating, physical hunger leads to feelings of satisfaction; emotional hunger leads to feelings of guilt and shame

If it is emotional hunger, then experiment with new ways to cope that can actually help you. Are you stressed out? Take 30 minutes to get outside and walk or take a nap! Are you depressed? Call a friend or spend some time in meditation/prayer. Is it late at night and you just like to relax and indulge a little? Treat yourself to a good book, a bubble bath, maybe some time with your spouse 😉 or an extra hour of sleep!

These are just some suggestions of course. Perhaps the best thing to do is take a few minutes to sit down and make your own list that you can refer to in those times. (Maybe even copy this list of physical vs. emotional hunger to the top of the page.) Just like in relationships, when you look to them to fulfill something it has no capacity to fill, you only end up feeling more empty. Whatever you’re dealing with, food doesn’t have the answer.

2) Too Much Restriction

The reason you can’t control your eating when you are around sweets and treats is because you have put them up on a pedestal, and then deprived yourself to the point that THEY control YOU. ~ Jill Coleman

When you think about it, the ice cream in your freezer, the dessert or bread at a restaurant, holiday candy, these things will always be readily available! (Seriously, when could you not hop in your car and be enjoying any of these within the hour??) When we restrict ourselves and spend a crap-ton of energy just trying to avoid certain foods, we end up mentally putting these foods up on a pedestal. It’s no wonder then that when our next “cheat meal” comes around it looks like a feeding scene from shark week. 😀

The other possibility is the abundance mindset: I can have this whenever. Do I really have to have some right now or will I feel better (or be happier with my progress) if I skip it this time?

I’m not saying that there’s no place for restriction or discipline, but be careful how much you restrict. Food will always be there and the pleasure of eating is fleeting. Take care to not let your mind put it up on a pedestal and give it power it doesn’t have.

3) Mindset

One huge shift for me was experiencing how much better I felt when I fed my body well. That’s when I really started to look at healthy eating as rewarding.

If you think of healthy eating as a horrible and painful process that you don’t really want to do or if you elevate the unhealthy stuff as more enjoyable and better tasting, then the process is going to be hard and painful.

Guess what. There really is such a thing as really tasty healthy food! Healthy habits are totally worth it when you begin to experience the difference it makes in both your physical and emotional health. Shifting your mindset and reminding yourself daily that healthy eating is rewarding and worth the effort, even if you’re not quite convinced yet, can really help your process.

I still get super excited about eating good food 🙂

I’ve been both examples in Matt’s quote (minus the morbidly-obese part). It feels awful to feel so controlled by food. It’s also true that dessert really does taste better when you don’t have it all the time. 😉 If I’m being honest, I don’t completely have this mastered yet. I still have times where I emotionally eat or just over eat, but I’ve come a looong way. These are some of the practices that I know can help because I’ve used them myself!

You just have to be willing to put in the work, get back up (again and again and again 😉 ), and keep forging ahead.

What about you??? What helps nurture your relationship with food? Share your experiences over here on my facebook page!