Would walking be enough?

What if the only thing exercise that I can do GUARANTEED everyday is walking. Would it be enough? When I start setting new goals of exercise and fitness challenges my next move is usually to acquire a schedule of classes at the local gym I so kindly donate my money too every month. Then I scroll through my collection of workout DVD's ranging from hardcore P90x to stress relieving yoga. Next step is to write it all out in a nice organized format. Then...dom dom doooom! Life. Gotta pick up Sam early, work got busy, ran out of socks so time to do laundry, haven't seen the girls in a while- time to see them ....and on and on. There are so many days that I close my eyes and think "i wish there were more hours in the day"
Why is it that when life gets busy the first thing that goes on the back burner is our exercise and nutrition???? Its the foundation of everything we do. It battles stress better than anything out there, it releases endorphins so we just feel good, it makes our bodies shake and move so we take up less space, and it preserves our life for the future-- this should be the most important part of the day!
SO- I had to ask myself--realistically, what would I be willing to commit to everyday.
Walking.
If I can do nothing else, I can walk. For 10 minutes or 60 minutes - I can find the time to put my body in motion. Happens to be the exact motion that we were designed to do!
So here we go! It will be fun to see how many miles I can accumulate in one year by at the bare minimum walking everyday.
Who's with me!?
"If I could walk 5,000 miles...." Sing along!!

Ron: Kids and sugar

Children do not have a super human ability to metabolize sugar!! I'll say it again... Children do not have a superhuman ability to metabolize sugar. There is a common perception out there that because kids have a spontaneous and seemingly unending supply of energy that they are somehow in need of a steady sugar fix! THIS IS NOT TRUE!! Kids have the exact same nutritional needs as adults. I think that their nutrition should be given even MORE attention, as they are very impressionable, not just mentally, but their palate, their digestive system, digestive flora, and food preference overall.

I have heard before that kids have a natural preference for sweet and succulent (fatty) tastes because these food sources are typically nutrient dense, in other words, kids are hardwired to prefer these food tastes because it will deliver the caloric content they need. However, the problem with this is that in nature (think 10,000 yrs ago) this was very beneficial to young humans. Nowadays, unfortunately, food supply is high and food quality is low (for most Western cultures).

That being said, just because kids prefer sweets doesn't mean that they require them. Next time kids ask for something sweet, give them pineapple, strawberries, apple slices, pears, or have them try some new fruit! And not just once, or twice, but have them try it (and see you eating it!!!) until they eat it too. And if you open the refrigerator and don't see any fruits, ask yourself if it is because you ate all the fruit within the last few days, or if it is because those bottom fruit/veggie drawers are now full of water bottles.

Its not just about weight loss

Day in and day out I am constantly feeding my brain with as much information on Health and Wellness as I possibly can...live, eat and breath fitness. But it will take more that just reading about it. Making the ULTIMATE TRANSITION is not just about weight loss. Its about realizing who you want to be- stand by... a little one needs her cereal

Ron: No Carb diet? Seriously?

Have you ever heard of a NO FAT diet? What would be your first thought if your doctor or wellness expert said "I want you on a NO FAT diet" or "we're going to scale waaaay back on your protein intake." You would probably object, I imagine. So the question begs, why do we insist on cutting back on carbs?

We've all heard of Trans Fats, right? And we all avoid them like the plague. So some are GOOD fats (had your Omega III today?) that we actually supplement. Some are BAD fats and we do our best to ensure we stay away.

So the logic follows that there are some carbs that are GOOD and some that are BAD. There is a spectrum of carbohydrates that span from something horrible like High-Fructose Corn Syrup all the way to Insoluble Fiber (i.e. the Glycemic Index)

The methodology behind the "Low Carb/No Carb" craze is that if you cut out all carbs, there is no possibility of taking in the bad ones. And substituting for Low Carb food usually just means that they have added Fat (protein adds too much to the cost) OR they've added artificial sweeteners, and that, my friends, is a whole other blog subject.

So, the moral of the story (and more to come!) is that you should choose your carbohydrates more towards the end of the spectrum that contains fiber/complex carbohydrates instead of cutting back or cutting off your body from carbohydrates.

Cheers for now!
Ron