We are in the last few days of January! How did you do on keeping your New Year’s Resolutions? Or even better, sticking to working towards your 2012 goals? It’s a great time to check in, make sure you are on track and re-focus as need.

If one of your goals was to lose weight and eat healthy, here are a few tips to help you stay on track for the next 30 days (or 29, since Feb only has 29 days!):

1. Keep your heart healthy this month – it’s National Heart Health Month. Simple things you can do include – 30-60 minutes of exercise a day, quit smoking and eat a healthy, balanced diet.
2. What does a healthy, balanced diet looks like? Think of a dinner plate – half of it should be vegetables (salad, stir fry, raw veggies for example), 1/4 protein (size of the palm of your hand) and 1/4 whole grains (barley, quinoa, brown rice).
3. Drink water. Lots of water. Juice has no place in a healthy diet, especially for kids. There is no fibre in juice and it’s high glycemic so it tends to spike blood sugar levels.
4. Enjoy your 1-2 cups of java a day though! Coffee has many anti-oxidants and even Dr. Oz recommends it. Just remember to balance out your coffee intake with a good quality calcium supplement!  I choose USANA Health Sciences pharmaceutical grade products for myself and my family.
5. Give lots of hugs and kisses! This helps you stay in a happier mood, and it’s easy to stay on track with your healthy lifestyle when you’re happy. In fact, it’s recommended that you give at least 12 hugs a day. The bonus is that you’ll receive 12 hugs in return.

What do you do on a daily basis to stay on track for your health? Is there anything in particular that you do to keep your heart healthy?

In my last newsletter, I talked about preparing a few things on a Sunday to help you stay on track during the week. Here are few suggestions to help you keep a healthy diet all week long:

• Slice raw veggies, such as colourful peppers, broccoli, mushrooms (or buy them pre-sliced), celery and carrots (or buy baby carrots) and store in clear plastic or glass containers. They will be handy for a snack (dip in hummus!) or a stir fry
• Bake or poach 3-4 chicken breasts (above what you need for dinner), let them cool and store in a container in the fridge
• Combine 1 cup of quinoa with 1 cup of vegetable or chicken broth and one cup of water. Bring to a boil and cook for 15 min. Let cool and either store as is, or make it into a salad with feta cheese, cilantro and grape tomatoes. Add a bit of balsamic vinaigrette when serving.
• Hard-boil 4-6 eggs, great to add to salads, wraps or just as a great snack with some raw veggies.
• Wash, cut and prep fruit such as cantaloupe, pineapple, strawberries and grapes. Mix in small containers for ready-made fruit salad to be added to yogurt.
• Prepare a bean salad for a great side dish with lunch or dinner. My favorite is adapted from the Low GI Diet Cookbook – I’ll share it at the end.

Now when you look at your fridge on a Monday morning, there will be lots of options for healthy lunches and dinners to start your week.  Usually by Wednesday evening I am doing some of the set-up again to get through the week, as we have often already eaten all that was prepared.

Here is my adaptation of the Mixed Bean Salsa from the Low GI Diet Cookbook.

• 1 can mixed beans, rinsed and drained
• 3 kalamata olives, pitted and chopped
• 4 sun-dried tomatoes (not in oil), chopped
• 1/2 cup of green onions, chopped
• 1 tablespoon of olive oil
• 2 teaspoons of balsamic vinegar
• a few dashes of hot pepper flakes (optional)

Combine all ingredients in a small bowl and lightly toss. Refrigerate unused portions. Makes approx. 6 side servings.

Happy Healthy Eating this week!

This week has been amazing! I’ve been doing the 5 day RESET plan, as the kick off to the 30 Days to Optimal Health program this month and I’m feeling great.  I’ve already lost a few pounds but more noticeably, my waistline is thinner!! I have to say that even though I have been coaching people on this program for years and seen great results with so many clients but it’s different when you’re the client and the instructor.  This is the first time in my life I have ever struggled with my weight, when I lost over 25 lb in 2006, it wasn’t because I had weight struggles – it was simply a fantastic side effect of my new healthy lifestyle (yeah!).

A good friend of mine who has 3 kids warned me how difficult it would be to eliminate the carb cravings after I had my daughter. I also never thought I would put on 45 lb during my pregnancy – it was a bit of a relief in the weight department that she came early. I developed some bad habits and a few chocolate addictions during and after the pregnancy. And having a fall baby means most of your exercise in the winter has to be done inside, and mall walking wasn’t doing it for me. I naively thought that it wouldn’t be too difficult to lose the weight after.  And for some women, it’s not a struggle at all.  I believe that for the majority though, it is.

I was inspired to put together the 30 Days to Optimal Health program by my good friend Leanne, founder of Healthy Girl. And being a participant in this first session will not only help me to lose the last 15 lb but it also allows me to be inspired by the other program participants.  I’ve been inspired by a husband and wife team who are doing the program together, committed to changing their lifestyle for the rest of their lives and giving themselves and their son a better chance at optimal health. I’m inspired by my husband, whose daddy tummy has gone down already and is looking fitter every day.  I’m inspired by my sister-in-law who has dropped 7 lb already. I’m inspired by those who are making changes and feeling great!

One of the things many of us have noticed while doing the plan is that we eat way more than we need to, in order to feel full. After the hunger pangs of the first day, by the second day, I was amazing at how the shakes, bars and fruits and veggies were filling me up.  And drinking lots and lots of water plus lots of fibre – well you do the math. I love becoming more in tune with my body again and feeling great about it!

I’ll be posting a photo this weekend, so stay tuned for the results.  And by popular demand, I will be starting another session on June 9th, with the program starting Monday June 13th.  There are 9 spots left, here are the details.

Many of you probably understand the challenge of losing the weight gained during pregnancy (some of you guys fall into this category too!).  I’ve been sharing my journey to achieving my pre-baby body weight (and then we’ll work on pre-baby body!) with you and so far, I’ve lost 30 lb – the last 15 lb using the Slow Carb Plan. And I do really enjoy the Slow Carb approach, especially the Binge Day on Saturday. Yet I feel as though I have hit a plateau with the plan, and there are many possible reasons for that. The exercise prescribed in the plan is minimal,  but unfortunately not appropriate for me especially with my recurring toe injury. So, my exercise has been limited to walking at a good pace (still not very fast due to the toe). Also, I’ve never followed the plan 100% to the letter, which could also be part of it.  I am very happy to have come this far though, and I’m grateful that Tim Ferris designed the plan. And I still highly recommend the book, The 4-Hour Body, because it’s not just about the diet plan.

So where do I go from here? Well, back to what I know best – The Healthy Lifestyle Triad:

• Low Glycemic eating
• Optimum Supplementation
• Moderate, regular exercise

This is how I went from  a size 10, Medium to a size 6, small several years ago. You can read my story here. Check out the before and after photos:

Now, this time I don’t plan on training for an Ironman just yet. In fact, when I did lose most of the weight I was only doing moderate exercise, the Ironman training came later and that’s what helped to tone my body.

Here’s the plan:

Starting Monday May 30th, I will do the 5-Day RESET program, which will allow me to lose approx. 5 lb, kick the carb cravings (by by chocolate cravings!) and reset my system. From Saturday June 4th on, I will be focusing on the Maintenance phase of the RESET program, which will include a low glycemic Nutrimeal shake for breakfast, healthy low glycemic lunch and dinner and 2 healthy snacks. Until I achieve my goal weight, I will still be limiting the amount of whole grains (i.e. brown rice, whole wheat pasta, whole grain breads).

For those who would like to join me, I will be doing a 30 Days to Optimal Health program, starting with a coaching call on Wednesday May 25th. All of the coaching during the program will be included with any product purchase. This program is how I lost 30 lb in the fall and winter of 2006.  And kept it off until I became pregnant in Jan 2010.  Email me if you’d like to find out more: info@julieboyer.com.

Also, for those in the Toronto Area, Dr. Ray Strand, who is an expert in Nutritional Medicine and has written several books including Healthy For Life (a guide to Low Glycemic eating) will be speaking on Thursday May 26th, along with Denis Waitley, who was featured in the movie The Secret and has worked with Olympic athletes and Apollo astronauts on mental training and visualization.  This event will be both informative and inspiring. Tickets are $15 and can be purchased by clicking here.

So – who’s in? It’s always more fun to do this with a team.

Thursday

In yesterday’s post I talked about some fun (but not part of the plan necessarily) snack ideas. The longer you do the plan, the easier is it to go for four hours without eating. One thing I noticed this past weekend when my sister was in town is that she snacks often – which is exactly what I used to do.  I didn’t even realize it! That is probably why it was tougher for me to lose the baby weight at first.  Now let it be said that my sister weighs almost 40 lb less than I do, so she can snack (healthily of course!).  And being that she is a bride-to-be, it’s all the more stressful I’m sure.

Here’s what I ate on Thursday (see Sunday’s post for all the prep):

Breakfast (8 am) – scrambled eggs (1 whole egg, 2-3 egg whites) with spices, black bean mix (see Sunday prep) and organic salsa.

Morning vitamins: 2 Multi-mineral, 2 Mega Anti-oxidant, 2 Omega-3, 2 Joint Formula, 2 Vitamin D (1000 mg each) and 1 Proflavanol C100 (grapeseed oil and vitamin C).

Lunch (noon) – Arugula & spinach, quinoa salad (see Sunday prep), grape tomatoes, goat cheese (not feta), ½ avocado, Renee’s Balsamic Vinaigrette. Mini Diet Coke and 1 tsp natural peanut butter.

Afternoon (4:00 pm) – 1 hard-boiled egg, Fontaine Santé Bean Salad (contains all natural ingredients and no preservatives), almonds and leftover veggies & beans from dinner.

Dinner (8 pm) – Grilled salmon or chicken breast (several cooked on Monday, so reheated) for protein.  Stir fry veggies (Green Giant frozen) and lentils, with thai peanut sauce.

Evening vitamins: 2 Multi-mineral, 2 Mega Anti-oxidant, 2 Joint Formula, and 1 Proflavanol C100 (grapeseed oil and vitamin C), 2 Active Calcium Plus.

We’re almost at Cheat Day!! My favorite day of the week. If you signed up to receive the blog via email, I will be emailing you the grocery list tomorrow.

Wednesday

In yesterday’s post I shared more about the type of exercise I’ve been doing during this slow carb regime.  One of the challenges of the plan can be when a craving occurs or when you need a snack.  Since there is no portion control and you eat every 4 hours, generally you shouldn’t feel hungry between the meals.  If you do, I suggest increasing the portion size. A couple of “cheat” tricks I have are: my first choice would be half of a Peanut Butter Bar – a certified low glycemic product that is super yummy.  Really great when I wake up in the middle of the night for a feeding and am hungry as well. Another suggestion would be a handful of almonds (roasted, no salt) or a tsp of natural peanut butter, straight from the bottle.  Finally, if I’m hungry after a swim and it’s still a few hours til lunch, I’ll make a Chocolate Nutrimeal shake, with 1 tbsp of natural peanut butter, and if I have some, a few pieces of frozen banana (combine with water and ice in a blender – yummy!!).

Here’s what I ate on Wednesday (see Sunday’s post for all the prep):

Breakfast (8 am) – scrambled eggs (1 whole egg, 2-3 egg whites) with spices, black bean mix (see Sunday prep) and organic salsa.

Morning vitamins: 2 Multi-mineral, 2 Mega Anti-oxidant, 2 Omega-3, 2 Joint Formula, 2 Vitamin D (1000 mg each) and 1 Proflavanol C100 (grapeseed oil and vitamin C) – see below in Nutritionals for more info.

Snack after swim (10:30 am) – Chocolate Nutrimeal shake, prepared as above.

Lunch (1 pm) – Arugula & spinach, quinoa salad (see Sunday prep), grape tomatoes, goat cheese (not feta), ½ avocado, Renee’s Balsamic Vinaigrette. Mini Diet Coke.

Afternoon (4:30 pm) – 1 hard-boiled egg, Fontaine Santé Bean Salad (contains all natural ingredients and no preservatives), mini carrots, 2 slices of old cheddar.

Dinner (8 pm) – President’s Choice Curry Tuna or chicken breast (several cooked on Monday, so reheated) for protein.  Stir fry veggies – fresh mushrooms, peppers and red onion, with red kidney beans. 1 glass of red wine.

Evening vitamins: 2 Multi-mineral, 2 Mega Anti-oxidant, 2 Joint Formula, and 1 Proflavanol C100 (grapeseed oil and vitamin C), 2 Active Calcium Plus – see below in Nutritionals for more info.

Are you ready to start on Slow Carb next week? Let me know in the comments!

NUTRITIONALS – All vitamins are not created equal.  I choose to use USANA Nutritional Supplements for my supplementation needs. I have been using these products for over 5 years and I’m hooked!  Here’s what I take daily:

• The Essentials^tm – Mega Antioxidant™ and MultiMineral Plus
• BiOmega^tm – High quality, ultra-pure fish oil supplement
• Proflavanol® C¹⁰⁰ - Grape-seed bioflavonoids and vitamin C
• Procosa ®II – Optimal joint health
• Active Calcium Chewable – Bone health
• Vitamin D

USANA products can be purchased through my website at retail price or contact me directly for more information on wholesale purchases (info@julieboyer.com).

This Saturday marked the first four weeks of our Slow Carb eating, based on recommendations by Tim Ferris in The 4-Hour Body.My husband Dan and I are each others partner in this experience, so every Saturday morning, just after we get up (well, after I get up for the 2nd time since Céline does wake me up at 5 am!), we weigh ourselves and take measurements from 7 different sites on our body.  It’s not very scientific, since we don’t always know which is the middle of the bicep or quad but we do our best.  After 4 weeks, here’s how things look:

Dan – Total weight loss: 10 lb, Total inches lost: 3 (most significantly around his waist)

Julie – Total weight loss: 6 lb, Total inches lost: 9 (most significantly around my hips – baby belly area)

Taking into account that I hadn’t lost any weight since early November, that Dan only exercises once a week on average (usually 2-3 times a week for me), that we aren’t counting calories or controlling portion sizes and that we get one day a week to binge to our tummies content – we are pretty excited about the results!!

In fact, we’ve decided to continue this current way of eating for a few more months.  Another valuable side effect of this plan, is that we are actually saving money on groceries and it’s easier to plan for the week.  Meals take very little time to prepare and the clean up is minimal. We don’t have to make too many choices on a daily basis, which really makes things easier. Here’s what a typical day of meals looks like:

Breakfast (around 8 am) – Protein shake for Dan (at least 30 g protein) since he is on the road, Scrambled eggs (1 egg and approx. 2 egg whites) with black bean, corn and onion mix (prepared for the week on Sunday) and salsa.

Lunch (around noon) – Dan eats lettuce wraps filled with sliced turkey (or roast beef), avocado and kidney beans topped with a bit of mayo and mustard.  I eat a large salad with quinoa, lentils, tomatoes, avocado, arugula and a bit of goat cheese with balsamic dressing.  The quinoa and lentil salad is prepared on Sunday for the week as well.

Late Afternoon Meal (around 4 pm) – Hard boiled egg, bean salad (from Costco, Fontaine Santé), carrots or other raw veggies (or veggies from the previous evening’s dinner).  This is perfect for me to eat at this time before I go tutoring.

Dinner (around 8 pm) – Stir fry veggies with grapeseed oil and spices (we buy bags of frozen Green Giant mixes, no prep time and the veggies are even better than fresh) with beans or lentils, chicken for Dan, salmon or tuna for Julie.  I each grilled salmon 3 times a week, and no more than 1 1/2 cans of tuna per week.  There is a President’s Choice Curry Tuna that mixes well with the stir fry veggies and beans.  1-2 glassed of red wine (we buy the 4 L box which lasts us about 10 days).

I found that within 2 weeks, I no longer missed my breads, chocolate, orange juice in the morning among other things. Plus I get to totally splurge on chocolate on Saturday – sometimes I feel a little sick afterward. I enjoyed sushi this past Saturday and pizza for dinner.  And beer!

I suggest that you do buy the book if you are planning to do this, there are a number of important instructions that should be followed for the plan to work.  We are taking a few liberties, which may be why we’re not losing quite a fast as other people have on the plan.  Or it could be that we don’t have as much to lose in the first place (hopefully). A few other great side effects, Dan’s snoring is more under control (in conjunction with his nightly melatonin) which makes for a better night’s sleep for me.  And I’m starting to feel better about my body and feel like I’m on my way to fitting into the dress I ordered for my sister’s wedding in July.  Nothing like having a target dress!

Do you have a plan that has worked for you? What are your current strategies for either losing weight or staying at your target weight? Please comment below – you are welcome to link to your blog as well if you’ve got a relevant post.

This is the final post in a 3 part series, following an eye opening book, Our Daily Meds by Melody Petersen. One of the biggest challenges I have noticed is that for many people who are in pain, or suffering from symptoms related to degenerative diseases, is that treatment choice is often based on insurance coverage, rather than what is actually working for them and their symptoms.

Approx. 2/3 of Canadians have extended health care coverage, including prescription drugs. This makes it easier for someone who is suffering from arthritis pain to take Celebrex (covered by insurance) than to take a glucosamine type product that is not covered.  Even though there are many negative side effects to the drug and none with the supplement. Having been in this market for almost 5 years, this has been the reason for many people’s choice to stick with a drug – EVEN THOUGH they are fully aware of the negative side effects and possible long term health consequences on other body systems. Even more surprising, I have had clients who have had significant results with supplements, but chose to go back to the prescription meds because they were covered by insurance – even though the treatment with supplements was more effective.

In the U.S., $728 per capita is spent each year on drugs, while in Canada it is $509.^[84] At the same time, consumption is higher in Canada, with about 12 prescriptions being filled per person each year in Canada and 10.6 in the United States.^{[86] source}

In my opinion, the fact that our prescription costs are covered by insurance for 2/3 of the population creates a complacency about what products we are choosing to take and why.  Since the money is not directly coming out of our pockets, we may not be asking enough questions about whether a prescription is necessary or if there is an alternate solution (i.e. supplement) that may be even better for us. Often when people find out that we personally spend $120 – $400 a month on different supplements – there is a sense of shock and awe!  Yet if we “spent” that much on prescriptions (which is very possible) to treat symptoms of degenerative diseases, not many people would blink an eye.  One of the reasons we choose to take supplements now is to possibly avoid the prescriptions later on in life.

This will remain a challenge, especially in Canada, until one of two things happens:

1. More people are educated about the benefits of supplementation and the risks/hazards of prescription medications.

2. Insurance companies start to cover the cost of supplements OR more people have to pay out of their own pocket for prescription medications.

What is your opinion on this issue? Are you comfortable taking prescription medications? Or would you have find a solution using supplementation and lifestyle change? Is there a place in your life for both? Check in below in the comments.

What’s the first thing that comes to mind when you read that statement? What is YOUR #1 priority? How about family, children, spouse, work, God – did any of those pop into your mind? Often when we are asked to create a list of priorities in our lives, other people and other things are often ranked in the top 3 or 5. Let me ask you this – where do YOU fit on that list?

Chances are you’ve heard this before – the most important priority in YOUR life is YOU! Yet how many of us actually put ourselves first – before our children or our spouse, before our relationship with our spiritual beliefs? Last week I met with my ladies meet-up group and we had a few very personal conversations and many women shared how their lives are so full that it is hard to get control of their priorities. One of my friends mentioned a simple metaphor that clearly explains why YOU have to your #1 priority:

Think of yourself as a luxury car, that’s right, imagine your body, mind and spirit as the dream car you’ve always wanted.  Now, if you have taken the time to invest in such a beautiful vehicle, wouldn’t you continue to invest time and money into maintaining it? Would you use only premium fuel? Would you keep it spotless, both inside and out? Would you take it in for regular maintenance? How about storing it under a blanket in the winter so that it stays in good condition when the roads aren’t safe?

Ironically, I’m sure there are some of us who take better care of our vehicles or some of our things than we do our bodies and our minds. Think about it – are you spending the time and money to properly maintain yourself? It’s one of the ironies in life – the things that we are given for free are often the things we take for granted. Ask yourself this – do you take your car in for regular oil changes and maintenance? Wouldn’t it be great if our bodies came with a manual of suggested care, just like our cars do?

Here’s what my manual would say:

• Feed only premium fuel – whole grains, fruits & veggies, healthy protein and fibre
• Daily meditation and reflection
• Regular physical exercise, 4-6 times per week
• Every 3 months, time for a day at the spa to refuel and rejuvenate
• During the winter months, take extra care and stay warm. Enjoy hot chocolate and evenings by the fireplace with spouse (and family)
• Semi-Annual maintenance – family trip or weekend away
• Yearly maintenance – a weekend away from the family, with the girls

This is just a start .. I’m sure we could all create our own manual for our regularly scheduled maintenance! Now the key is getting our spouse or partner to buy into it as well.  By the way, although my list may be more skewed toward women – men also need to take the time to take care of their luxury automobile. Or else one day you might wake up and wonder where on earth did that spare tire come from?

The question of the day is, what do you do to maintain your luxury vehicle? Do you do something daily, weekly, annually? Share with us in the comments – we may steal some of your ideas! And as a good friend of mine always says – take the time to do something for YOU today!

This was supposed to be the update from week #4 of our lifestyle changes.  There has been a bit of a wrinkle in my plans. First, Dan is doing really well, he is now down 10 lb in just over 4 weeks of simple changes! For me, things aren’t going quite as planned.  As I mentioned in my post about Ironman, I have been dealing with a stubborn metatarsal injury of my big toe on the right foot for over two years.  On Monday of last week, I visited yet another health practitioner, this time a Sports Medicine MD at the Levy-Elliot Sports Medicine Clinic here in Burlington. I told him my story and he made an excellent suggestion.  Why not try an AirCast for 6 weeks?  Even though there isn’t necessarily evidence of a stress fracture on the x-rays, there are abnormalities showing.  We could do a bone scan, but the treatment would be the same.

I hesitated at first.  It seemed like the next logical step in the treatment plan, but I thought of all of the things I have coming up in the next six weeks and how the cast would affect them. The week, I am going to San Francisco for an amazing training called Go Diamond (more about this later this week) and I am arriving a day early to enjoy the city.  Second, I have many different speaking engagements and a seminar that I will be doing on March 4th.  Plus the fact that I teach 4 days a week as well (and we have a 2 week March Break starting March 15th). Then I realized that the sooner I began the treatment, the sooner we would see if it will work.

Now, when people ask me what happened (with that “oh no” expression) on their face, I tell them that this is a GOOD thing! First, my toe joint doesn’t hurt.  AT ALL for the first time in almost 2 years.  Yes, I just lived with it.  Been there, done that with my knees for 10 years – see Why Ironman post. I am so happy that I am not in pain, that the inconvenience of wearing the cast doesn’t bother me. Happily, I can take it off for driving, showering, sitting for long periods of time and sleeping (as long as I am not weight bearing).

A wrinkle in my workout plan, that’s for sure.  Right now, I have been biking at the gym and still working on push-ups and other ab exercises like WMM.  I am also allowed to swim, but haven’t been to the pool yet.  No volleyball or walking, although I can walk, it’s difficult to get up to a fast enough speed to work up a sweat.  I will continue to work on my goals for a healthier lifestyle, but right now, focus #1 is getting the toe BETTER.

My question of the day for you is have you ever broken a bone or had to wear a cast? Include your ideas and suggestion for getting around with a cast and any other physical activities that may work too!

Happy Monday everyone!