Eye on the Prize

This has been kind of my "off" week, as I've gotten to really just worry about getting my workouts and classes in and not have to focus too much on work since I only had a couple training shifts and then an easy first night on the floor. Next week starts the fun.

On Monday, I'll get oriented at the gym with their new client process. I'm under the impression that I already have a few clients lined up for me based on this particular location's demand for female trainers, so I am beyond excited. They say, "If you talk the talk, then walk the walk." Well, I have the walking part down, it's the talking that I get to work on now.

Everyone faces a lot of challenges when it comes to getting and staying fit, but on the flip side of that is the challenge of telling people the exact thing they need to hear to get motivated. For the most part, trainers have something to work with, as new clients have already taken the step to sign up for personal training. From there, however, there are a lot of mental road blocks that both the trainer and client must overcome, the first of which being just HOW much the client will need to work. A new routine can be a bit of a shock to the system, so you have to convince someone that the initial discomfort will not only be worth it, but it will eventually subside and become a feeling they will actually look forward to and even seek out on their own.

I think (and fear) the same will be for me, as I embark on my own new routine. I will definitely be seeking out advice and consult from other trainers out there balancing work, family life, and their own fitness regimens. My first worry, of course, will be the hours. I will potentially have clients any time between 6:00AM and 11:00AM. Three nights a week, I'll train in the mornings then work in the restaurant at night. I've done this kind of crazy schedule when I was working and in school, but not with a child.

My second worry would be how to keep up with my own training and running goals. I figure the best way would be to squeeze in a workout after my last client of the morning while I still have child care, but I know there will be days that I will have just a 4-hour window in the middle of the day to clean, do laundry, prepare meals and - oh, I dunno - eat or nap or something.

One thing that I know for right now is that I can't really plan anything until I see how the first couple of weeks go. But for starters, I'll be implementing the same strategies I would ask of my clients:

• Don't make excuses before you even get started. For me, this means that I can't go into my new routine on an assumption that I won't ever work out or sleep. I have to trust that I'll be able to go with the flow until I adapt to my new scheduling demands. Same for working out: What feels hard - even impossible - at first, soon becomes second nature.
• Enjoy your free time. I used to have a hard time just sitting and relaxing, especially if there was a full hamper or dirty dishes within view. Not anymore. My hubby teased me earlier this week because I was somewhat sleep-deprived (self-inflicted, no sympathy for me) and so I literally did nothing around the house. I had my spin class, but I did nothing else for the rest of the day. And. It. Was. Awesome. So I say if you've at least done what you need to do for yourself by the end of the day, it's OK to let a chore or to go! After all, chores, I think, just raise blood pressure. Exercise lowers it :)
• Treat your body like a car. I know I struggle with simple things like remembering to eat. It happens too easily: I'm hustling to work out, shower, make lunch and/or dinner, give my girl her lunch, get her down for a nap, shower... before I know it, the babysitter is here and I need to be out the door or I'm late to work. That just won't fly once I'm working full-time. So I will arm myself with an arsenal of nutritious, go-to foods that I will use to fill my tank. Like a car, you can only go so far on "E" before your machine just quits on the side of the road.
• Keep your eye on the prize. Goal-setting is crucial to a client's success. The goal must not only be attainable, but something that embraces both the physical and mental changes a client is trying to achieve. The same is true for me when it comes to work. In a world full of A-type go-getters who stop at nothing 'til the job is done (or the boss stops yelling) I'm very fortunate to have been able to make my own schedule between the gym and the restaurant. But to be sure that I don't get burned out, I will need to remain focused on why I'm doing this in the first place. There are, of course, financial reasons, but more importantly, I am just so eager to be an example of health and fitness. I not only want to help others get fit, but to become examples and motivators to their own friends and colleagues. Remembering this will help to push me forward, no matter what.

 
Share with us- what are your tips/tricks for balancing everything in your own routine? What's the best fitness advice you've received?

Road Trip, '12 - Day One

Thursday, June 14th
Atlanta, Georgia to Lynchburg, Virginia: 446 miles, drive time of 7 hours and 29 minutes.

Potty Breaks: 2; "Gummies" Consumed: 5;  Tears: 0; Exercise: Double on Wednesday, so, rest.

For a child who's never been in a car for more than two and a half hours, I'd be lying if I said I wasn't a little nervous about how the Little Miss would take to an entire day - let alone nearly 3 days - on the road. A toddler AND a running mom who are constantly itching to move trapped in a car together for hours running into the double digits? Maybe not the most brilliant of ideas I've ever had in my life.

But, so far, so good!




Growing up, I loved road trips. Taking the fuel burned out the equation, I loved to just pick a direction and drive aimlessly as far as I wanted for the day. These days, I certainly need a plan and I almost always run on a deadline. So I was looking forward to this trip if for no other reason, than to at least put on the chick rock and feel like I could drive toward the sun without anything pulling me back to the real world. Granted, we have also listened to "Real in Rio" about 27 times so far, but the drive itself has almost been liberating. And my little girl, she's been loving every minute of it.

The drive started *almost* on time, save for a few last-minute details like stocking the cooler, (although I forgot the PB&J, doh!) going to the bank, and getting the first, all-important Starbucks jolt. We cruised up through South Carolina, stopping at about three hours for potty break #1 and a "car picnic" AKA "teaching a toddler to eat a cup of yogurt in the back seat." Lunch was rounded out with some fruit and milk, then we plodded on through North Carolina, where we picked up US29 North for a good combination of highway and country driving. For picnic #2, we found a gas station with trees and actual picnic tables, where we ate carrots, cucumbers and hummus and took pictures of the clouds. The weather was perfect; I could even blow my fans without running the A/C, the air was so pleasant.

Our total estimated drive time did wind up being extended by about 20 minutes as I overshot our first destination, but we still managed to arrive for dinner, which my friend had been so kind as to prepare for us: pork chops and broccoli for all, cous cous for the grown-ups and mac n cheese for the kids. Aside from packing our mostly-healthy cooler, I knew getting decent meals at each stop for this week's trip would be tricky. Fortunately, I have great friends who help me not have to worry about such things. And if it weren't for a certain online group of amazing ladies and the friendships we have developed, I would not have had someone I felt comfortable enough asking to stay over with, let alone someone gracious enough to open her home to us. So here's a Shout Out to my Mamas!

There's nothing else too exciting to post about Day One except that it went surprisingly smoothly, and I am excited to see how well we both hold up for the rest of the journey. Exercise is not too great of a concern at this point, as I feel like I am working hard enough just packing and unpacking the car and the toddler! And honestly, since we have not stopped - and will not - for fast food, I don't feel as bloated and gross as I remember feeling on previous trips. My goal is to get a run in on Saturday, however, at the latest.

Branching Out: Reading, Writing, and Hitting the Road

As some who is in the fitness industry, you'd think I'd have heard of The First Twenty Minutes by Gretchen Reynolds, but I first learned of it yesterday when a coworker mentioned it while expressing his curiosity of what I'd think of it. Seeing as it is supposed to be a book that offers specific recommendations backed by scientific studies in exercise physiology, naturally, I am intrigued.

link

What the reviews say (positive and negative):

Who would have thought that Pickle Juice and Chocolate milk could be key training aids? In the First Twenty Minutes Reynolds covers a lot of dry and scientific material in an engaging and entertaining way.

The First Twenty Minutes dives in to many of my favorite topics, from interval training, to endurance work and to nutrition for lay and athletics alike.

... it appeared that the author either tends to cherry pick research results to prove her point (or worse to sensationalize her writings) or that her conclusions involve a leap of logic the quoted research does not necessarily support.

It would be interesting to read someone's take on how they think recent research in the field of exercise science should change and shape perhaps some more outdated approaches to fitness (like that whole "slow burn" thing I talked about a couple weeks ago). I've been reviewing and studying a lot of my old materials in preparation for the American Council on Exercise Personal Trainer Certification, but the writing is less than entertaining. And I have yet to really learn how to take a lot of the knowledge I'm gaining and turn into something future clients can grasp. Sure, most of us have a basic grasp on human anatomy, but you tend to lose them when you start talking about origins, insertions, the saggital plane, or the Krebs Cycle. I may even get the audio book for our road trip, provided I can get the Little Miss engaged in her own entertainment (in other words, I need to get a portable DVD player and put "Rio" on repeat).

Some basic truths I currently maintain about fitness and nutrition that I hope the author will touch upon include:

• We should not prescribe to any sort of quick fix, miracle-promising, or all-or-nothing approach to diet or exercise.
• You will not get the dramatic changes you are seeking if you can't first embrace being sweaty and sore.
• One will be more successful if focused on gaining strength and increasing endurance rather than just losing weight.
• McD's, Burger King, and Taco Bell do NOT play a roll in ANY healthy lifestyle, no exceptions. Even 400m Olympic Gold Medalist Jeremy Wariner, despite his successful race just hours after a Big Mac, admitted he needed cut back on the junk to see continued improvement.
• If you're going to indulge, let it be natural food created by real hands with real ingredients. I'll take fried chicken over mechanically separated, ammonia-drenched chicken bi-product any day.
• We often over-estimate how many calories we burn and under-estimate how many we consume.

In one line, what do you think is the most important health advice to follow?

Onto a completely different topic, I've talked about this mother-daughter road trip next week...

Crazy? Yes, but I'm really looking forward to this, especially since flying is less-than-economical, from a financial standpoint right now. The time we'd save would be difficult to enjoy with the cost of an extra plane seat (she's too old and big now to be a lap passenger), checked baggage, and a rented vehicle. Honestly, I'm really looking forward to this trip and I know to plan on many stops along the way. The tricky part, I think, will be getting any kind of workout in besides situps and pushups, but I will cram in some runs this weekend and early next week!

Any road trip survival strategies to share? We have an Innotab for which I will buy her a couple more games and we'll also look at *cheap* portable DVD players - one that I won't get upset if it gets sticky from fruit squeezes or winds up smelling like Goldfish.

Lastly, as I'm pretty sure there are laws against Blogging while driving, I'm looking for topics for next weeks' posts that I can get started on ahead of time. Find me at www.facebook.com/ConcreteNCoffee or on Twitter @ConcreteNCoffee to send me your ideas for post topics.

In an effort to grow my audience, I will be looking for post contributors. Mostly, I want to learn what has worked for YOU in your life journeys to live happier and healthier, so be especially sure to follow me on Twitter as that is where I will be posting questions and looking for answers that I can quote in a future post. I have a lot to share about my own gains in fitness and running, but I am just one person. It would be great for me to learn different approaches that have worked best for others!

3 Things: Eating On a (Weird) Schedule

It's going to be a super-quick post today, as I'm busy pretending to be all productive and stuff.

I'm a little nuts (of course) and so is my schedule. For several years now, I often don't eat dinner until 10PM or later at least half of the week. On those days, I have to be especially careful how I eat from the time I wake up until when I leave for work, especially if I need to work out in that timeframe, too. So today, I figure my "Three Things" could be what I've had to eat so far today.

This morning started off with a great spin class. Of course, to make it great I had to make sure I had energy and to do that, I had to get some quick, easy-to-digest calories. I don't like to eat a huge meal, so I instead break my breakfast into two parts:

1) Breakfast I.

What: Six oz. Silk Almond Milk and half of a peanut butter pretzel Clif Mojo bar.
Why: Easy-to-digest yet filling carbs via oats and pretzels in the bar, protein and antioxidants in the almond milk.
When: Half and hour to 45 minutes before my workout (8:30), then the other half of my Mojo bar immediately following the gym (11:00) to refuel after an hour of spin and 30 minutes of upper body and core resistance.

2) Breakfast II.

What: Handful each of raspberries, blueberries, and sliced strawberries with about six oz. Greek yogurt. I just tried this Greek Gods yogurt and it's delicious but the strawberry honey flavor does contain full-fat yogurt, so watch out for that. I'd suggest opting for fat-free plain and adding your own honey.

For good measure, I added some manganese with some toasted pine nuts (which, as I've already shared, I love on everything!)

Why: Protein from the yogurt, vitamins and nutrients from the fruit.
When: Post-gym, pre-dog walk (11:30).


3) Lunch

What: Grilled turkey, egg and cheese on Arnold Health-full 10 Grain Bread. For a little zip, I used some chipotle Gouda. Hot spice is a great way to add variety to your plate without a ton of extra calories.
Why: Protein (again!) + complex carbs to tide me over until whenever I might eat again, which is I-don't-know-when.
When: As late as I can get away with eating it and still have time to brush my teeth before work (3:00PM)

The name of the game for me is to reach satiation without feeling like I need to curl up and take a nap. My meals and snacks almost always consist of protein and complex carbs for the sustained energy they provide. And of course, I'm drinking water throughout the day because if I DO get hungry later (very likely), I don't want to be dehydrated on top of it.

What's on your plate when you have a full plate?

Tuesday Night Spin: Sweat & Salt

As I sent him off to work, I told my husband since I have to focus on putting together tonight's playlist and brushing up on my exercise physiology, he's in charge of dinner. He's not exactly the apron-wearing, beurre blanc-making type, and honestly we've both learned a lot from trial and error in the kitchen. But that's not to say I wouldn't enjoy seeing him sampling sauce while comparing it to to the flavor profile of the bottle of wine he picked out.

[source]

Actually, there's a lot I needed to learn when it comes to cooking. The ghosts of dried out chicken and overdone steaks still haunt me every time I fire up a burner. Many a main dish has gone cold on my counter because I forgot to start the rice. And seasoning! It took me forever to learn how to make food taste good!

One thing I discovered, much to many a health professionals' chagrin, is that everything needs salt. The pasta water needs salt. Chicken needs salt. Veggies need salt. Even desserts need a dash of salt. Fleur de sel caramel? Yes, please!

But if you're concerned about sodium and hypertension, here are a few tips, based on information in Exercise Physiology: 6th Addition (Powers, Scott K. and Howley, Edward T.):

•  Reduction of sodium in the diet can help lower blood pressure in individuals sensitive to excess sodium. This can be as easy as not eating fast food and cutting out processed meats. This does not mean you can't season while you cook. In fact, I'd say the best way to reduce sodium is to cook at home, where you can control what goes in to what you eat.
• Reduction of sodium is not THE one solution to eliminating hypertension. Above reducing sodium in the list of recommendations for lowering blood pressure is to lose weight, limit alcohol intake, and exercise moderately 30 minutes a day, 5 days a week.
• Any exercise is good, but cardiovascular exercise that focuses on increasing VO2 max (simply put, trains your body and heart to learn to work harder for longer), such as interval work or maintaining a "comfortably hard" effort for a few workouts a week, is especially effective in lowering blood pressure.

The flip side of sodium intake is when you don't get enough. As a profuse sweater - seriously, you can see the salt streaking my face after a run - I know I have to make sure that I get my electrolytes. We know they are vital for extended duration of exercise, but why? And how much? Again, I turn to my text books (see, I'm already studying like a good girl).

• Most Americans take in enough salt at mealtimes, but those new to moderate to intense exercise will sweat more salt than an acclimated individual. So it is important when embarking on a new exercise regimen, not to eliminate all sodium from the diet at the same time.
•  Exercise lasting less than an hour requires .5L to 1L of water consumption during exercise. Carbohydrates and electrolytes are not required for efforts lasting less than an hour. If you plan on running in the heat or sweating a lot (like coming to my class), however, and are concerned about electrolytes but maybe don't want the extra calories, an electrolyte-enhanced water is a perfect option. Smart Water and Victory H2O are great, and Trader Joe's even makes one, too!
• Exercise lasting one to three hours (for us mere mortals, say a half marathon) requires .5L to 1L of fluids per hour containing 6%-8% carbohydrates (by volume) and 10-20 mEq (don't worry about that unit) of Na+ (sodium) and Cl- (chlorine). What this means for those of us who don't like numbers and math is that a basic sports beverage is more than sufficient. For a half, I usually like to alternate taking water and sports beverage every other aid station starting after 5 or 6 miles. On a less supported course, you might consider wearing a belt with one bottle of water and the other with Gatorade or Powerade.
• Exercise lasting longer than three hours is a bit beyond my territory. Save for the occasional marathon, I don't typically run for this long. Additional nourishment containing carbs and electrolytes might be necessary beyond fluid consumption. I might take a gel every hour in addition to alternating between water and a sports drink. Ultramarathon territory is a completely different game. There's where you'll read about runners drinking pickle juice and eating salted pretzels.

As with everything else, it's about moderation. I salt my food, I cook with butter, and I enjoy chocolate. That is because I run and spin like a crazy mother. I can tell you what I don't do: I don't eat McDonald's or Burger King. I don't always clean my plate. I don't eat fried candy bars or butter (*barf*). In a nation of excess, it's easy for us to want to believe something as simple as not salting our food will be the answer to our waistline woes. I'm here to tell you that it's not. Show restraint and caution before putting food in our mouths? Yes! Live a dull, bland, tasteless life? Absolutely not!

Alright, now let's get sweaty.

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Hot Spin #2 (click here for Hot Spin #1 and other hydration tips)

1) "Mr G" (original mix) Deadmau5 - Warm up, flat road, alternate lead legs and spend a little time in all 3 positions. Add a gear half-way through song.

2) "Sweat" Snoop Dogg vs. David Guetta - Add another gear. Seated steady pace with bursts in position three (no added resistance, just pick up the pace)

3) "All Along the Watchtower" Jimi Hendrix - Hill #1: Sit and climb for the burst, add a gear and take it up to 3 for the chorus. This time, leave it on when you sit.

4) "The Boys of Summer" The Ataris - Runs on a flat road (or light resistance) on the chorus.

5) "Hot in Herre" Nelly - Jumps! Add a gear and jump on an 8-count, 4-count, 2-count, then repeat for 2nd half of the song with an added gear.

6) "Firestarter" Prodigy - Hold steady drill: Starting with light resistance, try to match your cadence to the beat (we're looking for 70-80bpm, not double-time, which would be too fast at 140). Starting at 40s in, add a gear and hold your pace. Add another gear every minute and don't slow down!

7) "Santa Monica" Everclear - Hill #2: Seated, heavy climb. Don't dip below 60rpm, but crank that resistance until it feels challenging to do so. If your legs aren't aching by half-way through, add a gear.

8) "Cupid Shuffle" Cupid - Back to a flat road for a second to recover, then add a gear or two (for the safety of your knees). We're going dance a little and go through all 3 riding positions. Starting at 15s in, we'll start in position 1 for 20s, then 2 for 20s, then 3. Then we'll cycle through each stance for 15s. each. Then 10s, then 5... etc. Work your way down til shifting every 4 beats

9) "We Will Rock You" Queen - Hill #3: start at medium resistance and add a gear and take it out to 3 every time they sing "we will rock you!"

10) "We Are the Champions" Queen - From where you left off, sit (if you can pedal smoothly - if not, take off a gear or two 'til you can) and grind it out to get to the top.

11) "Lonely Boy" The Black Keys - Take a couple gears off and start in position 2 at a nice jogging pace. We'll pick it up a little in position 3, taking 1 gear off at a time as we recover.

12) "Sandstorm" Darude - Freestyle runs - these 2 sets of runs are your last 2 chances to get that cadence up, push yourself to your limit, and give it all you got!

13) "Mad Season" Matchbox 20 - cool down

14) "Traffic in the Sky" Jack Johnson - stretch

Happy Sweating!

Recipe of The Week (with pictures!)

I don't have time for 3 Things Thursday but I will share my "recipe" (by which I mean "bunch of ingredients thrown together with a small prayer to the heavens that it tastes OK") for some yummy sauteed chicken with pasta and veggies.

First, let's talk produce. If you've been following health news and trends, you'll know that eating a variety of colors of fruits and vegetables can help you add variety while losing weight and getting tons of vital nutrients. There are many artciles you can do a Google search for to find more information about which foods in particular pack the healthiest punch but generally speaking, the brighter the color, the better it is for you.

So my dish starts with some nice, vibrant bell peppers, yellow squash, and red onion:

"Vitamin C, lutein and lycopene, Oh My!"

Note to busy parents: I'll often slice and dice everything during nap time so that it's easier to throw my meal together in the evening instead of trying to tackle it all at once.

Next, I coat my sliced vegetables in some lovely, spicy, aromatic arugula pesto and sprinkle with a dash of salt. Depending on my mood, I might use either raw or roasted garlic in my pesto (raw = spicy, roasted = sweet) and trade sharp asiago for peppery aged parm, or even a blend of cheeses. I always add toasted pine nuts, though. And you can do the same thing with traditional, basil pesto or just buy a jar of your favorite if you don't have a food processor. I love the arugula because it has so much flavor and is cheap (a bag is just $1.99 at Trader Joe's).

Everything goes in the oven at 350 degrees for about 45 minutes, or until veggies are tender and onion is mostly translucent.

Line your baking sheet with foil for easy clean-up.

While the veggies roast, it's time to talk chicken.

If you're like me, the thought of chicken as a staple protein in anyone's diet has me thinking of dried, boring chunks of chicken breast on a plain salad. But trust me, your chicken does not need to be tired and tasteless! It just needs a little love.

For starters, if you can handle a little bit of labor and trust your skills with a knife, buy whole breasts (ribs, bone and skin). It will be cheaper, and although I'm probably imagining this, I think the chicken retains more moisture the less it's handled and process beforehand. Also - and again, this is just a mental thing - I think the less the chicken is handled between the time your poultry meets its Maker and the time it hits your plate, the better it is for you. You can, of course, buy a whole chicken and save even more money, reserving whatever cuts you don't use for your next meal.

For tips on poultry dissection, watch this, or or this, or this.

Note to busy parents: do this ahead of time, too! Maybe while you let Curious George babysit for half an hour (Don't lie and tell me you don't do that from time to time.)

I like using the whole, bone-in breast because once I filet it I get two breasts for my hubby and me and two tenders for the Little Miss.

"Don't look at me, I'm naked!"

If you cut your chicken ahead of time, great. Pat it dry with a paper towel then leave on a plate, uncovered in the fridge until ready. Of course, keep it separate from other food items to avoid cross contamination, but I suggest to leave it uncovered because this will actually yield a much juicier chicken. Trust me.

When ready, pat chicken down one more time to remove excess moisture from the surface and season with lemon pepper salt. That's it. Heat your non-stick skillet on medium with a few tablespoons of olive oil. Once hot, place the chicken in (breasts first, tenders more toward the end). You may wish to use a splatter screen. Cook for 5-7 minutes each side, covering with a lid and turning off the heat for the last couple minutes of cooking time to really seal in all the juices.

If you're going Paleo, you can skip pasta all together and simply serve your chicken over your pesto-roasted veggies and call it a day. Otherwise, you can bring water up to a boil and prepare your favorite pasta according to package directions while everything else cooks. For a yummy twist that will compound the breath you'll have after eating all that pesto, I suggest you try Trader Joe's garlic basil linguine.

Plate and serve. If you have left over pine nuts and cheese, garnish as you please. For me, that means generously!

Bon (Healthy) Apetite!

Tuesday Night Spin - What to Eat for How You Burn

This week I will recycle a playlist or do a mix-up of previously used songs, saving my time and resources to put together a new "Rock of the Ages" class next week. I will definitely need to include last week's Queen as well as some Zepplin, especially because it comes up on my Black Keys Pandora station all the time. Actually, I may just use Pandora to make my whole list, since it has that crazy psychic ability to read my mind and know exactly what song I need to hear and when.

We'll get back to the music next week. For today, I'm going to stray from my usual post and talk a little more about food.

I give a lot of food-related advice to people, but without a degree in nutrition it is best for me to share what works for me. I can not prescribe a menu plan, but I can definitely give some good meal suggestions that have worked for me to feel nourished, enjoy something delicious, and - most importantly - not be full of crap and junk.

Now, keep in mind, I burn a LOT of calories. I am very anti-diet, save for the food choices I feel like everyone ought to make, such as eating more fresh produce and fewer boxed and bagged items. But I do need to eat a lot of food, trying to make sure *most* of it is nutritious, albeit somewhat calorie-dense. So if you are reading this blog and trying to lose weight by cutting calories, here are a few substitutions for some of the food and beverage items I might talk about:

reduced fat or skim milk, or unsweetened alternative "milk": Alternative milks have high nutrient content but if they are flavored they will contain a good amount of sugar as well. If you are cutting calories, use traditional non-fat milk in your cereal and coffee, saving the sweet stuff to enjoy a glass of after a hard, hour+ long workout. Personally, I use vanilla almond milk all the time, but that is because of my own personal caloric requirements (read below).

more carbs vs. fewer carbs: I eat a lot of carbs, and there are a lot of different opinions out there as far as what someone's carb, fat and protein ratios ought to be. If you are training for a major endurance event, up to 70% of your calories can come from carbs. Mid-range athletes, like myself, might enjoy 60%, and people looking to balance out their diets and lose weight would benefit from 50%. I see a lot of carb-reduction or elimination diets out there that I think can be narrowed down to one basic principle: eat less processed junk. So many of our carbohydrates come from junk food and sweets that just about anyone would benefit from simply switching from processed foods to whole grains and eating more fruits and vegetables.

meat vs. meat: No substitution here, unless you're vegetarian in which case, I'm sorry. (kidding) I do have a few suggestions for choosing and eating meat, however. When possible, choose meat from eco-conscious suppliers whose animals are free range, given natural feed, not treated with hormones or antibiotics, or any combination of at least two of those qualities. Save money and calories by only eating meat for one meal of the day (there is no reason to eat meat at every meal, there are plenty of other great sources of protein). Learn your cuts of meat so you know what is leaner, but don't discount all parts of the animal. Dark chicken meat, for example, has more B vitamins than it's paler counterpart.

breakfast vs. no breakfast: If you haven't heard by now - which is to say, if you've been living under a rock - you need to eat breakfast! But for the record, you shouldn't skip any meal. Whether you make yourself smaller portions and include snacks throughout your day or attempt to stick to three square meals, you should not make yourself go more than 4-5 hours without eating to avoid stalling out your metabolism. Not hungry or too crunched for time? Start small, with a piece of fruit, and work your way up. For myself, my breakfast must include a little protein, carbs (of course), a little fruit, and coffee.

Trader Joe's Vanilla Almond Granola cereal with TJ's Vanilla Almond milk and diced Anjou pear. This week's coffee is Pete's French Roast. And my bowl was much fuller than that to start, I just didn't want to seem like a piggy.

Having a kid, it's easier to think this way, but my approach to breakfast is this: What should I eat to hold me over, should I not get to eat again until 2:00PM? And I can tell you that if you have been eating to lose weight but are now maybe embarking on a new fitness routine that will greatly increase you activity, you need to consider adding foods BACK in. Try not to focus so much on quantity as you do on quality and pick foods that pack a punch. For my next food installment, I'll go into some of my favorite "multitasking" foods. Don't worry, they're good multitaskers, not weird ones, like ketchup made with squash, sweet potato and tomato. (Honestly, if it's not too late, just avoid the whole ketchup fiasco by not keeping it in the house.)

What did you eat for breakfast today?

What's your one, must-have health food?