Take a Tip for your Day

Take a Tip for Your Day

Sometimes making improvements in our lives, our health, our fitness, and our nutrition can seem overwhelming. I always advocate just making one small improvement at a time. To attempt to make a complete overhaul is almost always a recipe for frustration and failure. Below you’ll find several simple actions you can take to improve your health one small step at a time.

Tip for Improving Hydration:

Most people are walking around in a mild state of dehydration; few people drink enough water. Water helps remove toxins and keeps the metabolism running optimally. #1 - first thing after you wake up drink 16 oz of pure water. #2 - replace one non-water beverage with 16 oz of pure water each day. #3 Work up to 10 to 12 8oz glasses of pure water each day.

Tip for Increasing Fiber Intake:

Fiber is essential to a healthy colon, helps you feel fuller longer, helps maintain steady blood glucose levels, & aids in weight loss/weight maintenance. Adults require 25-35gm of fiber/day. 100% Whole grains, beans/legumes, fresh fruits & veggies, & flax are great sources of fiber. Replace refined, processed foods with more wholesome, fiber rich whole foods.

Tip for Eating More Whole Fresh Foods:

Fast food franchises & processed food manufacturers deceptively pump their products full of harmful chemicals that are highly addictive which can lead to insatiable cravings. Fresh, whole foods & meals from-scratch are healthier & can be prepared in less time than it takes to get thru the drive thru lane. This week see how many quick & easy home-made, fresh meals you can consume.

Tip for Increasing Antioxidant Intake:

Antioxidants are the body's disease fighters, natural healing accelerators, and anti-aging agents. Eat a rainbow of colorful fruits & veggies everyday to ensure you are getting whole food sources of antioxidants. Track how many different colors of fruits and veggies you eat today.

Tip for Improving Metabolism thru proper Meal Timing:

Are you eating between 4 & 6 times a day? The body is designed to be fueled approx. every 3hrs. Eating smaller, frequent meals will help prevent overeating & unhealthy cravings, ensures consistent energy throughout the day, assists in maintaining steady blood sugar levels, & help keep the metabolism running at an steady & even slightly elevated pace. Take out a sheet of paper and make a note of what time you eat meals and snacks throughout the day. Assess how many time you eat something and how much time goes between your meals/snacks. Awareness is the first step. You may want to do this exercise for a few days in order to identify a pattern.

Tip for Making Breakfast a Habit:

Breakfast is for Champions. Eating breakfast is key to a healthy metabolism, weight management, & overall optimal function. Skipping breakfast slows the metabolism, leads to overeating & weight gain, decreases brain function, & compromises blood sugar control. A wholesome, healthy breakfast like oatmeal or whole grain cereal is always best, however eating something is better than skipping breakfast altogether. Breakfast can even be leftovers from lunch or dinner – yep that includes cold pizza. If you are a breakfast eater, focus on improving the nutrient content of your breakfast. If you are not a breakfast eater, set a goal to eat or drink something every day this week.

Tip for Increasing Lycopene Intake:

Lycopene is a powerful antioxidant & is shown to play a vital role in the prevention of cancer, esp. prostate cancer. Foods rich in lycopene are tomatoes & tomato based products, pink grapefruit, & watermelon. Make sure you eat at least one lycopene rich food every day. Men should absolutely eat lycopene rich foods every day.

Tip for Caring for Your Skin Naturally:

Nutrition is more than what you put in your body; it is also what you put ON your body. Any substance that goes on your skin is absorbed into the blood stream. Beware of the chemicals & harmful substances in lotions, make-up, skin care products. Consider all-natural options: almond or olive oil as moisturizer, cornmeal as an exfoliater, apple cider vinegar as a skin toner. Step #1 read the labels on your skin care products Step #2 throw out those items that have harmful ingredients Step #3 Replace those items with an all natural replacement.

To Your Best Health,

Melissa Guthrie
Triumph Training Nutrition Coach & Fitness Trainer

Hydration Tips For Outdoor Exercisers

The temperatures are dropping around the country, even here in Arizona. What I commonly witness is that as the temperatures drop and winter sets in, outdoor exercisers become more lackadaisical in consuming and/or keeping water with them during their workouts. Why do they do this?

When it is cooler outside, it is not as desirable to drink cold water. When it is warm outside, we are motivated to drink to cool ourselves off. The truth is you can become dehydrated as easily in cool weather as in hot weather. During exercise, we lose body water through sweat and also through breathing. When it is cooler outside, we do not sense that we are sweating as much and thus, we do not feel the need to drink as much. In addition, cool air tends to be drier than warmer air. So during the winter when we breathe, we are losing more water through our exhalation and we are breathing in drier air. During warmer weather, we are typically breathing in moister air, so some of the water we lose through exhalation we recapture when we inhale. When it is warm and our sweat rate is reved up in attempt to keep our body cool, we typically feel the need to drink more.

Remember even mild dehydration will result in a decline in performance. Mild dehydration is extremely difficult to identify while you’re working out. The key is to always have water with you when you workout, regardless of how hot or cold it is. Listen to your body, if you feel the sensation of thirst – DRINK! Thirst is your body’s real-time feedback mechanisml of hydration needs. The sports nutrition recommendations are to consume approximately 4 oz to 8 oz every fifteen minutes of exercise. For exercise sessions lasting 60 minutes or less, plain water is your best bet. Drink UP!!

To Your Best Health,

Melissa Guthrie
BSc Nutritional Science
BSc Exercise Physiology
ACE Certified Personal Trainer/Group Fitness Instructor
New Leaf Certified Metabolic Technician
Triathlete/Runner