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6 Tips to Stay Healthy Every Day

May 20, 2013 in Calories, Food, Info, Intervals and Circuit Training, Organic, Recipes, Running, vegetarian burger, Weight, workouts with 0 Comments

This week I was asked to guest post on a friends website. These ladies created Coast to Coast Challenge, an organization that focuses on helping women feel beautiful and feel confident. The ladies at Coast to Coast Central have recently initiated fitness challenges through their organization, and I feel honored that they asked me to write about how being healthy can go from temporary to permanent.
Today I want to share the blog I wrote for these ladies. I hope you enjoy.

6 TIPS TO STAY HEALTHY EVERY DAY

My name is Nicole Covarelli. I am a wife, elementary school teacher, and self-taught health enthusiast. Let me give you a little background on how I got started down the healthy lifestyle road because I have not always been fit and healthy.

From spring of 2010 to fall of 2011, I went from close to 200 pounds down to 150 pounds (yes, it took 18 months to lose all the weight I wanted), and at 5’ 9”, I am proud to still weigh 150 pounds.

How did I do it? I became an avid exerciser and began counting calories, which turned into a passion for reading about health and consuming foods that my body needs and loves. I have fallen in love with being healthy every day and hope you will too.

Today I want to share 6 tips that I live by every single day. These tips will help you live a healthy lifestyle and stay fit while still allowing you to eat foods you love and enjoy your life.

How do you make healthy living permanent?

Think forever- the word “diet” is not in your vocabulary.
The moment you tell yourself that you are on a “diet,” you have just told yourself this is not permanent. Thinking short term leads to more extreme eating habits that are not sustainable. Don’t eat healthy foods that make you gag. Who wants to gag when they eat? Find healthy foods you love and eat those often.

Find your “niche” in healthy living.
While some people only eat organic, others are vegetarian or vegan. We all have our “thing” when it comes to staying healthy. My thing is being an avid calorie counter because it helps me keep my food intake in perspective.
Find what works for you and stick to it. It’s okay if your “niche” is different than your friend’s.

Make time to exercise- it won’t just happen.
If you don’t make time in your day to exercise, it won’t happen. It just won’t. Pick the days each week you will exercise and stick to it! People often ask when the best time of day is to exercise. Guess what… it’s the time YOU DO IT. And you should do it 4-5 times a week.
Exercise hard. I mean really hard. Your body will reflect the amount of effort you invest in it.

Find a few healthy recipes you love and cook them often.
When you become confident cooking healthy recipes, you will cook them again and again. Don’t stress about a huge variety of healthy meals. Find a few you love and cook them. In my house, my husband and I regularly eat homemade pizza, black bean burgers, pan seared fish, and sweet potato chips. (All of these recipes are on my blog). Find recipes you love and cook them!

Measure the crap out of your food.
If you have never used measuring cups when serving yourself food, you are doing your body a major disservice. You have to learn to recognize portions, and the easiest way to do this is to actually measure. When the serving size is ½ cup, get out your ½ cup measurement.
You will find a serving size of ice cream or cereal is much smaller than you were pretending it was. Measure and measure and measure some more!

Splurge at one meal each week.
When I say splurge, I mean it. ONCE a week at ONE meal, eat the food you want. Make the food worth it so that you feel satisfied after your splurge meal. If you love pizza, eat pizza. If you love ice cream, eat that too. When you only blow it one meal during the entire week, your body gets rid of what it doesn’t need rather than storing it.
Pick the meal you will splurge on during the week, and it gives you something to look forward to all week, a glorious prize for all of your hard work!

In closing, a few tips and encouragement:

Health should be in moderation but consistent.
Don’t be too extreme. It’s not sustainable.
Don’t look to other individuals to tell you how you should look. We are all different.
Don’t let fear of failure keep you from trying. Not trying is failure.
You are beautiful. Start with believing that and the rest will fall into place.

7 Reasons to Exercise Outside Rather than Inside

May 6, 2013 in Calories, Intervals and Circuit Training, Running, Weight, workout in heat, workouts with 0 Comments

As spring is filling the air and the weather is absolutely fantastic, I am exercising outside as much as possible. Exercising outside not only feels wonderful this time of year, but it has some wonderful health benefits that exercising indoors cannot always fulfill.

Women’s Health Magazine can take credit for these great tips. You can find the link to the article HERE and a link to their full website in my recommend websites on my blog.

7 REASONS TO EXERCISE OUTSIDE

1. You’ll go for longer.

When you change up the scenery, you usually spend more time exercising. Run a new route, find a great hiking park that requires you to hike a few miles in and then a few miles back out. Try something new so you end up exercising longer.

2. You blast more calories.

Changing up your routine outdoors helps you blast calories because you surprises your muscles by doing new exercises. Plus exercising outside usually means a varied terrain, so you’re climbing hills rather than running flat on a treadmill.

3. You’ll save money.

Gyms are expensive. I do not own a gym membership and still find plenty of ways to get in the exercise I need through outdoor running and circuit training. Exercising outside is free! Who doesn’t love free?

4. You will feel happier.

Studies show that people who spend time outside more often tend to have a happier demeanor. The fresh air coupled with doing something good for your body can’t help but make you feel great! Exercising gives you energy and helps clear your head, which causes a more positive outlook.

5. You will fight germs.

Know why people get sick more in the winter? It’s because the germs get cooped up in the locked buildings with the windows shut. Being outside gives you fresh air! Gyms also contain germs, bacteria, and according to Women’s Health, MRSA (a strand of staph). If exercising at the gym, always use gym manners and disinfect your machines.

6. You will think clearly.

Pick your favorite playlist, audio book, or sermon. (I love to catch up sermons on my runs because it’s easy to pay attention.) Exercising outside in any capacity can help you clear your head and lessen stress.

7. You will workout whenever you want.

I love this reason because as Women’s Health puts it, “The outdoors is always ready to go. No class schedules, no waiting in line for machines. You can fit fitness in whenever you have a chance.”
Exercising outdoors leaves little room for excuses- it’s always right there!

I encourage you- get outside and exercise!

Activities:
Ride bikes
Job a new route
Walk a new neighborhood
Play sports with your kids or a group of friends
Hike a nature park near your home
Do yoga on the porch

What are your favorite outdoor activities?
How will you get active this spring and summer?

When Can I Splurge?

April 15, 2013 in Calories, Food, Weight with 0 Comments

As much as I love eating healthy, I truly love to splurge.

Not that I need to define it, but splurging is when you have a meal and you eat whatever you want, not taking into account how healthy it is.

How Should I Splurge?

1. Splurge ONCE in the entire week.
Do NOT, I repeat, Do NOT, splurge for an entire day and especially not an entire weekend. Pick one day of the week and one meal during that day that you will splurge. It makes it easier to eat healthy all week when you have something really awesome to eat as your reward.
My splurge night is Friday night. Jordan and I go out to dinner and usually out for ice cream after that. It’s always worth the wait.

2. Splurge by eating food you love.
Pick foods that you absolutely love but almost always so no to. If you love pizza, eat pizza. If you love a greasy hamburger, eat a greasy hamburger. Be sure your splurge is worth it. If you eat something unhealthy that you don’t really love, it’s likely you will splurge again to make yourself satisfied.

3. Splurge knowing the next day is back to normal.
Too many people think that blowing it for one meal gives them the right to blow it for an entire weekend. One splurge day will not be likely to make you gain weight, but two or three days will easily pack on 5 pounds. Get back to your healthy eating the next meal after your splurge!

4. Splurge and then compensate with a workout.
I either work out hard the same day as an unhealthy meal or I get right back to it the next day with an intense workout.

However you splurge, make it 100% worth it. Eat the foods you love and really enjoy the meal while you eat it. It’s okay to eat unhealthy once a week. I actually recommend it. It makes self-control so much easier when there’s a reward at the end of the week.

Fat Burning Starts with Food

April 1, 2013 in breakfast, fiber, Food, Protein, Weight with 0 Comments

You’re not losing weight and you’re frustrated.

Let me ask you this: do you eat breakfast?

Seriously… do you? The saying “breakfast is the most important meal of the day” still rings true today. Breakfast is the most effective way to kickstart your metabolism so your body can begin burning calories and fat.

WHEN Should I Eat Breakfast?

I have read two reputable health sources that have differing opinions.
1. One says you should eat breakfast within ONE HOUR of waking up to kick your metabolism into gear. If you’re not hungry yet, that’s okay. You don’t need to eat a huge breakfast, but you need something!

2. Another source says eat breakfast 12 hours after you had your last meal. Meaning, if you ate a late dinner at 9 o clock last night, eat breakfast at 9 am this morning. Taking 12 hours between your last meal and breakfast the next day helps your body get to the fasting phase of digestion where your body more efficiently burns off the food you eat.

WHAT should I eat for breakfast?

2 eggs
Turkey bacon
A piece of fruit
Steel cut oatmeal (Better Oats brand is my favorite.)
Greek yogurt with fruit

Combine 2 to 3 of the above items so that your breakfast contains fiber, protein, and carbs to keep away hunger for several hours.

What SHOULDN’T I eat for breakfast?

Check the nutrition information on your favorite foods. If it doesn’t contain fiber and protein, it’s no good!

DON’T EAT:
Poptarts
Granola
Nutrigrain bars
Bagels
Muffins
Donuts

The list goes on… Even granola and Nutrigrain bars sound healthy, but they are simply carbs and sugar, no real help to your body.

If you do not currently eat breakfast, give it a go!
It may be the one thing your body needs to keep burning fat and keeping you looking amazing.

You Should Be Eating Cake

March 13, 2013 in Calories, Desserts, Food, Info, Tools, Weight with 1 Comment

You should be eating cake. I’m serious.

Today is my birthday. I think birthdays should be celebrated and celebrated big. For me this means eating cake. (White cake with buttercream frosting is my favorite).

I love desserts. I love QUALITY desserts. I recommend eating dessert and doing it often.

Here are my 3 pointers:

1. Eat a small portion.

2. Make it worth it.

3. Don’t repeat the process in the same sitting.

Too often we are given the option of eating really crappy foods, and we eat them anyway. I have learned that some sweets are never worth it. Personally, I don’t care for brownies so I never waste my calories on them. BUT good cake and good cupcakes get me every time. I love good cake.

How do you decide if the dessert is worth it?

1. Who made it?
Is it a cheap Walmart cookie? Probably not worth it. Did a baker you know and love make it? Indulge.

2. Do you even like it?
If you’re a cheesecake person, why are you eating the peanut butter cookies? If you like cake like I do, why are you snacking on the brownies from a box?

3. Do you really need two servings?
If I know what’s about to be served at a party, I commit to only eat ONE serving. Most of the time I am successful, but then sometimes the cake is just too good. Once again, it’s always cake. I can’t help it.

All this to say, these rules apply almost every day of the year. Except birthdays. Today I plan on eating any amount of cake or birthday dessert I want. However, it will be good dessert and I will know who made it, which means it will be worth however much I put into my mouth.

Slow Cooker Three Bean Chili

March 7, 2013 in Calories, fiber, Food, Recipes, Weight with 0 Comments

You know how much we all love our slow cookers… here’s a wonderful recipe!
One of the best things about this recipe… it only cost $8 to make!

This recipe was sent to me from My Recipes and the original recipe can be found HERE. I also used the picture from My Recipes’ website.
TIP-
When looking for easy meal ideas, signing up for daily emails from sites like My Recipes, All Recipes, and Food Network is a great idea! I find many meals in my email inbox.

THREE BEAN CHILI

Serves 8, 1 cup servings
Calories: 1 cup is 200 calories and 9 grams of fiber

Ingredients

1 3/4 cups organic vegetable broth (we used chicken broth for a richer flavor)
1 cup chopped onion
1/4 cup chopped seeded jalapeño pepper (2 peppers)
2 teaspoons chili powder
2 teaspoons ground cumin
2 teaspoons Worcestershire sauce
1/2 teaspoon salt
2 garlic cloves, minced
2 (15-ounce) cans no-salt-added black beans, rinsed and drained
2 (14.5-ounce) cans diced tomatoes, undrained
1 (15-ounce) can no-salt-added pinto beans, rinsed and drained
1 (15-ounce) can no-salt-added kidney beans, rinsed and drained
1/2 cup reduced-fat sour cream
2 ounces shredded Monterey Jack cheese with jalapeño peppers (about 1/2 cup)
1/4 cup chopped fresh cilantro

We added more chili powder, cumin, and worcestershire that the recipe called for. I recommend making this tweak to the recipe by tasting and adding after the initial ingredients are combined.

Directions

1. Combine all ingredients except sour cream, cheese, and cilantro in a slow cooker.

2. Cook on LOW for 8-9 hours.

3. Serve and garnish as desired.

Can you say EASY!?
This recipe cooked on a Sunday afternoon and has since fed Jordan and I all week in our lunches and for some quick dinners as this week is very busy. I doubled the recipe so we had plenty leftover. However, it barely fit in my slow cooker after doubling, so you may consider adding an extra half of these ingredients rather than doubling completely.

Low calorie, high fiber, and hands off… my kind of cooking!

How I Feel Post Half Marathon

February 25, 2013 in Running, Weight, workouts with 1 Comment

Yesterday was a big day for me- huge really.

I ran my first half marathon at the Cowtown marathon and half marathon. And I highly doubt it will be my last!

How did it go?
It was really good… once it was over.
But seriously, it was great for the first 5 miles and then my legs really hurt. At Mile 9, there was a huge hill that definitely made the end feel harder. But all in all, it was great enough that I would definitely do another half marathon.

And I got a nice medal and a sweet t-shirt that says half-marathoner finisher. I’m debating wearing them both everywhere.

Did I meet my goals?

My goals going into this were 2 main things:
1. Finish
2. Do number 1 without stopping to walk during the race.

AND I DID BOTH! So I feel pretty darn accomplished.

The Hal Higdon 12 week, Intermediate Training Program I did was designed to improve speed. I was hoping to break under 2 hours for my finish time, but I was extremely happy with what you’ll see below. 2 hours and 5 minutes feels great!

How do I feel?
A little stiff and sore. I won’t be running today, but I will run again soon. Every sore muscle was so worth it.

You may be wondering why I wrote this blog- I hope this encourages you. I hope it causes you to find a dream you wrote down somewhere or put away in the back of your mind and embrace it!

What goals have you put on the back burner?

There is such power in accomplishing what feels impossible at times! You are much stronger than you think.

How Big Was Your Super Bowl Mistake?

February 4, 2013 in Calories, party food, Weight, workouts with 0 Comments

Football season may be over, but your healthy lifestyle most certainly is not!
In fact, how many of you feel like a poster child for what NOT to eat after all the crap you consumed yesterday during the Super Bowl?

Wings, nachos, pizza, Doritos, soda. The list goes on. And the picture above says it all.

My goal today is not to beat you up but to encourage you. However, I will take a moment to ask you- how do you feel today after a greasy processed fatty feast? You’re either feeling like you have a food hangover, you’re feeling normal because you always eat those foods, or you feel great because you didn’t give in to the food that surrounded you.

HOW DO YOU GET BACK IN THE GAME?

1. Don’t eat today because of how you ate yesterday.
I used to make a blow it day a blow it week because I was so ashamed of myself. There is no shame for the person who gets back on track immediately after an eating upheaval.

2. Get your butt to the gym.
There is no excuse to continue sitting around this week after getting off track. Not working out only hurts you and makes you feel gross and lazy.

3. Eat healthy foods!
It’s a new day! Start it with oatmeal and fruit. Have a salad or veggies and hummus for lunch. Dinner? Protein and sweet potatoes!

4. In the future, make a game plan BEFORE you go into a party.
Next time you’re at a party remember this- it’s never worth it. Feeling gross and gaining 3-5 pounds in one day is awful.
Failing to plan, is planning to fail.

There is no reason to keep beating yourself up today for a choice you made yesterday.
Move on, move your butt, and get back in the game.

Are You Eating Enough Fiber?

January 28, 2013 in fiber, Weight with 0 Comments

This post may get a little… personal.

Are you eating enough fiber? You may not even know what fiber is or why you should keep track of how much you are consuming.

Fiber is the substance in food that keeps your digestive tract moving, which keeps your major bathroom trips regular as well. Regular trips to the bathroom not only make you feel better, but it’s your body’s way of ridding itself of excess nutrients, fats, and other substances it doesn’t need. Fiber helps keep your entire body healthy because of the way it regulates your gastrointestinal tract.

Back to the question– are you eating enough fiber?
To be honest, I had never even considered keeping track of the amount of fiber I consume until a couple of years ago.
Doctors recommend a minimum of 25 grams of fiber daily.

You think to yourself- 25? No problem.
Think again. If you are not conscious of the amount of fiber you eat, it will not be easy to consume 25 grams.

EASY WAYS TO CONSUME FIBER

1. FRUIT
This should be a no brainer, but fruit is full of fiber. One apple contains about 3 grams of fiber, as does single banana. Blackberries and raspberries are fiber rockstars with about 7 grams of fiber in only 1 cup!

2. VEGGIES AND LEGUMES
Vegetables are like fruit- natural, fresh, and fiber full. And veggies contain even less calories than fruit and don’t have sugar if you are trying to watch carbs. It should come as no surprise that beans contain fiber- why do you think I’m such a black bean advocate? Only 1/2 cup of beans contains 7 grams of fiber.

3. WHOLE GRAIN BREADS AND STARCHES
Before we go any further, I want to emphasize the importance of buying whole grain and wheat breads and pastas. Throw white flour out the window in the foods you buy.
When you go shopping, look at nutrition labels. Some “honey wheat” breads contain less than 1 gram of fiber per slice. My personal favorite bread is Nature’s Own Double Fiber. ONE SLICE contains 5 grams of fiber and only 50 calories. That’s 10 grams of fiber just from a sandwich!
When it comes to pasta, buy wheat pastas. Wheat pasta is proven to make you feel fuller in half the time of white pasta. That means more fiber and less calories in your spaghetti!

This week-
Try to pay attention to the amount of fiber you consume- try for 25 grams a day. For some of you, you may be pleasantly surprised at how much fiber you are consuming. Some of you may be in for a wake up call.

When it comes to fiber it’s simple: the healthier the foods you buy, the more fiber they contain.
Processed foods are the quickest way to hinder digestion and cause you to feel bloated and constipated.

Have you found any foods that are fiber-full that are easy to eat and cook with?
What is the biggest challenge for you when it comes to consuming high-fiber foods?

4 Excuses People Make For Not Working Out

January 21, 2013 in Running, Weight, workout in the winter, workouts with 0 Comments

It’s too cold outside.
I could never run that far.
I wouldn’t be good at that exercise.
I’m just at a season where I can’t have self control when I eat.

Can anyone determine what these statements have in common?

If you said they’re all excuses people use as reasons to sit on the couch eating Doritos instead of exercising you are correct!
Stop giving lame excuses for why you are unable to workout through the winter, or any time of year for that matter. Here’s why excuses are… well, excuses.

“It’s too cold outside to exercise.”
Really? Because it seems to me we have plenty of sweat pants and sweat shirts to keep us warm since we all lounge around the house in them anyway. Leave your sweats on and go for a walk!

“I could never run that far.”
Just because you can’t run 3 miles or more doesn’t mean not running at all is helping you. Jog for 10 seconds, then walk, and build up your stamina. Guess how much skinnier you get from watching other people run? You don’t.

“I wouldn’t be good at THAT form of exercise.”
Maybe your coworkers do circuit training or yoga and you feel like you’d never be able to do it so you just don’t try any exercise. Guess what? You can do it and you only get better with practice. Still feeling intimidated? Then stick to what you know. I bet you are good at walking…

“I’m just in a season where I can’t control what I eat…”
Im not even sure how to rebuttle this other than saying- you have to want to be healthy. A person is only as healthy as they push themselves to be. If you are still blaming your inability to stop eating sweets on the Christmas season, your time is up. Christmas ended a month ago…. It’s time to leave the cookies alone.

Whether you have said one or all of these things, or maybe you hear them from the people around you, I’m encouraging you to just stop. Stop excusing yourself for another day. Stop blaming the holiday season for the fact that you’re still eating unhealthy and not exercising. Stop.

What excuses do you make?
What are some you gear others make?
How can we all help each other achieve healthier lifestyles?

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