Empower Personal Training
Posts Tagged ‘weight loss’
Last Chance to Detox before the Holidays!
Thursday, October 27, 2011
It’s chilly today which reminds me that the holiday season is not far away. As much as I love the holidays, I always dread the very real potential for weight gain during a month of what seems like non-stop eating and merriment.
In preparation for the caloric onslaught I like to do our 21 Day Cleanse before the third week in November. This simple three week regimen serves several purposes. One is the obvious weight loss. The average participant who has 10 or more pounds to lose will lose around 10lbs. That’s a great head start on evening the weight management playing field during the temptation filled end of the year. Second, due to the supplements which support us through this simple regimen, we are able to truly nourish our cells bringing a sense of well being, balance and renewal. Third, because the eating plan is very straightforward for three weeks, you get to realize where your “problem” eating areas are (ie. Wow, I would be mindlessly eating in front of the tv or at my desk at work right now. That’s a lot of extra calories. No wonder it’s been so hard to lose weight. I didn’t even know I was doing this!). This sudden awareness is a valuable tool you will carry with you well after the cleanse is over. Finally, the fourth point is that because you have eaten nothing but whole foods in moderate quantities for 21 days, your stomach is smaller which means that you are satisfied while eating less. This way you can go into the holidays mentally and physically prepared to eat less without feeling deprived. It’s such a bonus!
So rather than getting on the scale on January 1st to feel regret or disappointment, take on a simple three week cleansing program before Thanksgiving week approaches. It can set you up for success during the holidays and a give you great jump start for the New Year.
Cheers!
Cara
One Woman, 21 Days and the Quest for Weight Loss
Friday, October 7, 2011Ok so I thought about giving starting with a sales pitch on the detox, but I thought it’s best to be completely honest and share my first hand experience. So here goes –
This summer I was getting anxious about losing “the baby weight” and I felt like I just needed a jump start to get things moving – I was feeling bloated, sluggish, out of shape, and I seemed to have a lot of muscular aches and pains after my daughter was born in February. Our registered dietitian Cara kept reassuring me that this cleanse would reset my nutrient balance and I would feel great as a result. But let’s face it – I really wanted to get the last little bit of pregnancy weight off so I was up for anything. Plus I just witnessed my close friend go through the cleanse and lose an astonishing 11 pounds in 21 days. As a general rule, I do not believe in rapid weight loss as a means to an end because I feel like ultimately we just put the weight (plus more) right back on when we change our diet so needless to say I was a bit cynical that I could make any noticeable change in 21 days.
I decided to try the cleanse because I felt like I just needed to break some habits that I developed during pregnancy and the post partum phase. I honestly did not expect the results I received. To be honest I have a love/hate relationship with the whole experience. The first week is vegan which I thought would be no problem for me because we did a Vegan Challenge Week in early summer, and I did really well with that. But the first few days were HELL and I mean HELL for me. I was angry and felt really deprived and like food was my main focus. I was really ready to give up but several of our trainers namely Michael and Tom and my husband Kelly encouraged me to stick it out until at least the weekend under the guise that “you can do anything for 7 days.” Also Cara was there every step of the way to support me. Plus she did a deep dive to figure out what was so hard for me and allowed me some “cheats” that made my life a lot easier. For example, I realized that the ritual of getting up and having breakfast and drinking my coffee was a very grounding time of the day for me. And without that routine I was feeling really out of whack. Cara didn’t allow me to bring back my coffee, (plus I was just starting to get over the caffeine withdrawal headaches), but she did allow me some green tea. Plus she helped me find a way to adhere to the guidelines of the cleanse, but still have the morning ritual.
Once I made it through the first week it got A LOT easier because the second week you can add fish/chicken. In all honesty it is plenty of food, and I was never hungry during the entire process. I did get a little frustrated because I thought the weight should just melt right off of me. You think I would know by now that I’m not that kind of girl where weight just disappears. But somewhere around 1 ½ weeks I started to feel really good – I mean REALLY good. The bloating, sluggishness, achiness was virtually gone. I felt like my system was running very efficiently and working well. I consider myself a realist (some might say a cynic), but please know that I am not just blowing smoke. I was actually very surprised with how great I felt.
We have had clients lose 10+ pounds on this thing in 3 weeks and then go on to lose more. I didn’t lose that much but the cleanse got the ball rolling for me, and I am down a total of about 8 pounds and still trending down at about 6 weeks post-cleanse. That rate of weight loss is a lot more realistic for me because my body likes to hold onto every single calorie that goes in my mouth. I also feel like I broke some habits and kind of hit the reset button on eating healthy. I had slipped into eating a lot of carb-y, starch-y snacks, but the cleanse helped me get really clear on noshing on fruits and veggies and making desserts/chips, etc really be an occasional treat.
So this was just my experience. Some people loved it from the get go and they hit the ground running.
One more thing – I didn’t like the shakes at first, but now I pretty much have one/day. They are very nutrient dense and they help me make sure I am getting all the micronutrients that are found in “green” foods that I don’t get enough of on a daily basis.
Now for the sales pitch part – It’s the perfect time of year to try the cleanse – school is back in session, you’re back to your routine and there’s just enough time to fit it in before the holidays have us all crazy-town. For only $349 you get all your supplements, one 60 minute and three- 30 minute nutrition counseling sessions and unlimited email support from Cara. For more information on the cleanse visit our website http://www.becomepowerful.com/21DayDetox/. If you are not sure if the cleanse is for you then start with a FREE 20 minute phone consultation with Cara. Call the studio at (919) 401-8024 or visit http://www.becomepowerful.com/services/nutrition-counseling/nutrition-offer/. You don’t have to be an Empower client to take advantage of the 21 Day Detox. In fact you don’t even have to live in Durham. Cara is happy to meet with you via phone and ship your supplements directly to you.
Now on to the 21 Day Detox
Wednesday, June 15, 2011
Congratulations to this determined group for completing the Vegan Challenge Week! I’m hoping that you all learned a little something about alternative diets and your ability to function well on such diets. Since you made it a full seven days without animal products you can probably tell if you would ever be able to or even want to take on such a challenge again.
If you are up for it, you might consider taking on the 21 Day Cleanse offered at Empower. The first ten days of the cleanse consist of a vegan diet so you already know what to expect. This cleanse is all about blasting the body with nutrients in order to correct any biochemical misfirings which often lead to pesky symptoms such as less than optimal sleep, aches and pains and digestive discomfort, to name a few. This is not a deprivation regimen or anything that encourages extreme dietary behaviors. Here you follow a simple diet of vegetables, fruits, whole grains and lean sources of protein and further support the body with a nutritional shake and two supplements which help the liver ìresetî your body’s chemistry.
We introduced the cleanse last fall and participants have had great success. Weight loss is what most folks are looking for and I must admit that this happens rather incidentally. Although everyone does lose weight, the more exciting cleanse results are the increases in stamina, better blood sugar control, better quality of sleep, less cravings and the absence of aches and pains. So take the challenge to the next level and really feel your body awaken to the effects of optimal nutrition. All it takes is 21 days!
Find out more HERE
Kitchen Pantry Makeover – March Special
Thursday, March 24, 2011
Do you ever look into your kitchen pantry, see a bunch of items youíre not inspired by, wonder how long theyíve been there, take a deep breath, turn around and order take-out? Weíve all had that experience. What could help with these kitchen doldrums? Empower to the rescue! This month, Empower nutritionists are offering a promotion designed to spiff up your pantry and inspire you and meet your wellness needs. In March schedule an Empower Pantry Makeover Service with one of our dietitians and each family member who participates in the makeover session will receive a complimentary three-day food diary analysis.
The great thing about the food diary analysis is that the dietitian will get a very clear picture of what your family likes to eat, the quality of what you are eating and will make suggestions on how to improve your familyís diet based on your specific preferences. Keeping a food diary is easy, all you have to do is record what you eat and at what time you eat it each day of the three-day period. The benefit of recording your food intake for three days is that this information gives the dietitian an overview of your eating habits. Do you eat breakfast? Or do you wait until lunch to get your first meal? These questions and others may seem irrelevant but from a nutritional perspective they make a lot of sense and give the dietitian insight into your likes and dislikes.
In the pantry makeover the dietitians will take a look at what items you have on hand, look at the ingredients, determine what is helpful to your wellness goals and what is not and then use your dietary preferences to suggest specific products that are better suited to your needs. Once you get rid of unhealthful products and replace them with better options your pantry will seem a lot more attractive to you and in turn inspire you to prepare more meals at home with nutritional confidence. Take advantage of our March special and Empower your family to make better eating an easy choice.
Durham Ranks 11th in Fattest Cities!
Monday, March 7, 2011
The article titled ìWeíre not fat, weíre Rubenesqueî in this weekís Triangulator was a bit disturbing to me, a registered dietitian with a degree in public health working in Durham. It stated that Durham ranks number 11 in Menís Healthís 100 Fattest Cities in America list. Raleigh ranked 47, Greensboro, 70 and Charlotte 74 while San Francisco came in dead-last.
San Francisco came in last. I used to live in San Francisco. I was thin when I lived in San Francisco. I am not thin now and am sitting in Durham. Iíd like to explore why that is. For starters San Francisco is a walking town ñ a very manageable 7 mile by 7 mile chunk of land bordered by the Pacific Ocean to the west, a hilly Marin County to the north, the San Francisco Bay to the east and more hills to the south. San Francisco is famous for its hills making driving a pain and walking a pleasure. Eventhough I had a car, I rarely drove it. You had to have magical ìparking karmaî if you drove anywhere without an attached garage and fines were always stiff if you decided/were forced to be non-compliant. Plus the public transportation system is excellent. So walking was always the best option.
Let me note as well that San Francisco ranks last on this infamous list yet it is an eating town. Food is a major driving force in that city, from the farmerís markets to the high end, celebrity chef restaurants. There is not a bad meal in this town. Whether you pay $5 (like for Taqueria Cancunís vegetarian burrito with huge chunks of fresh avocado) or $200 (dinner at Jardiniere, for example) you will be equally satisfied. I didnít cook much when I lived in there, it just wasnít worth it. I could get good, fresh food at a reasonable price in any ethnic version at a momentís notice. One would think that this is a recipe for obesity, evidently not.
In the fifteen years since I left the City by the Bay I have gained 40lbs. How did that happen? I certainly donít blame Durham, but leaving a walking town to live in a driving one certainly has had its impact. I went from walking to and from work, a vigorous 45 minute walk each way (burning up about 600 calories total) to driving to and from work (calories burned = ZERO!). So now Iím absorbing those 600 calories into my system every day. That alone turned into 15lbs almost immediately. Then I got married, which apparently makes you fat without eating, another 10lbs, thanks to newlywed bliss. Eventually I started working out so my weight stabilized but then I went to grad school and that just put me over the edge. It was a stressful time and the remaining weight packed on to comfort me through exams and presentations. Somehow being a dietitian and helping others meet their weight loss goals does not translate into weight loss for me, so here I am fat in the 11th fattest city in America.
So what can we do to make Durham a more healthful city? Aside from the numerous socio-economic issues at hand that warrant their own serious commentary, I think awareness is one important key. Many of us are not aware of what or how much we eat nor of how little we move our bodies. In todayís society being healthy is a conscious decision, it is not an automatic state of being like it might have been 100 years ago. We are bombarded with countless messages everyday encouraging us to make unhealthful choices and although we all know what the healthful choices are, we do not make them often enough to derive consistent benefit. This contradiction between what we know and what we do exists because many of us have never experienced health in a conscious way. It is so difficult to imagine what life would be like as a normal-weight, fit person that it requires a leap of faith in oneself to actually go for health (or a move to San Francisco!). This is why places like Empower exist, to help guide us through the leap. We need the help of trainers, nutritionists and other wellness professionals in order to create new habits consciously so that we may stand healthfully on our own. With proper guidance and motivation we can achieve our health goals and in the end contribute to a svelte silhouette for our chubby little town.
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