Unicorn Protein Shake

Starbucks took over my social media feed the last couple of weeks with their Unicorn Frappuccino. 

I'll be the first to advise you that it's perfectly ok to eat (or drink) everything in moderation. If you really want that high-sugar limited-edition drink then I don't see a problem with it as an one-time treat. Yes, I know it has 79 grams of sugar. It's a lot. You probably shouldn't drink 79 grams sugar in one sitting every day, but every once in awhile a unicorn comes along and you may want to enjoy the treat with friends. 

The recommendation for health is to keep your added sugars to 25 grams a day or less. If you follow this guideline most of the time, then breaking the rule occasionally won't break your overall health. 

I don't see a problem as long as you go into it with your eyes wide open. You know what you are consuming is less-than-healthy. You know it's just an occasional treat. You enjoy it. You pay attention to how it makes you feel. You stop when you feel full. (You don't have to drink every last drop just because you bought it.) You move on to your next healthy meal. Consider it your indulgence for the week and move on with your life. 

Except it's too late. The unicorn has already come and gone. (Don't worry, given the success of the unicorn, I'm sure there is another magical mystical character drink waiting in the shadows.)

I personally wasn't drawn to the sugary drink. When you don't consume a lot of added sugar, then things like fruits and berries taste very sweet and delicious. I set out to make my own healthy version of the unicorn drink. 

When you are trying to live a healthy lifestyle, you don't have to give up all that tastes good. Sometimes you can make healthy swaps and find that same joy in a healthy version. I combined fruit, berries and protein powder for a delicious, filling...and pretty treat.

This post contains affiliate links, which means if you click on a link in this post and make a purchase, I make a small percentage of the sale with no additional cost to you. No one is getting rich here, it just helps with the running (pun intended) of this blog. 

Unicorn Protein Shake

Frozen raspberries
Frozen blueberries
Frozen pineapples
Small banana
1 scoop of vanilla protein powder

I made my shake in layers.
To start I mixed the frozen raspberries, 1/3 of the protein powder scoop and water in my Nutribullet.
I poured into a separate glass and placed in the freezer to set.

I rinsed the cup and made my second layer.
Frozen pineapples, small banana, 1/3 protein powder scoop and water to mix.

I rinsed the cup and made my third layer.
Frozen blueberries, 1/3 protein powder scoop and water to mix.

I let it all sit in the freezer for about 20 minutes, then I combined the layers and gently stirred them up with a straw.

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Are You Confused About Calories? Join the Club

Calories in, calories out. Right? 

Well, sort of.

It's more than a math problem. Despite the popular adage, fueling our bodies is not exactly like filling a gas tank. It's a little more complicated than that. 

When you take in more calories/energy than you expend you gain weight and when you take in fewer calories/energy than you expend, you lose weight. This is the law of thermodynamics. We just don't always know exactly how much we are taking in and how much we are burning.

Are calories important? Yes. If you have never tracked your calories before, it can be helpful to track for a few days to get an estimate of what you are taking in. It's a good starting point. Do most people need to track every morsel they consume for the rest of their lives? I say no. 

Why not? 

First of all, it is all a guessing game. Well, a guess-timate game. 

HOW MANY CALORIES DO I NEED?

How many calories should you eat to lose weight? Again, it depends. There are formulas and online calculators that can help you get in the ballpark. This is a great weight loss calorie calculator from Precision Nutrition. It considers all the important factors like current weight, age, height, sex, activity level. It is still an estimate. 

And if you tell the calculator you want to lose 40 pounds in 2 months it will probably give you some unrealistic number of calories to consume, because it is an internet calculator and not a real coach. An online calculator doesn't know what a realistic, sustainable weight loss goal looks like, it just calculates the numbers. Numbers in, numbers out. 

Let's assume you have a realistic, sustainable weight loss goal to lose two pounds a week over the next 15 weeks. You want to lose 30-40 pounds over the next four to five months. You plug in your numbers and get a calorie goal for each day. Great, you're on the right track. 

DO I NEED TO WEIGH AND MEASURE FOOD?

You open up a MyFitnessPal account and start entering in the foods you eat. There is another issue. Are you weighing everything? Are you measuring out the serving sizes? Was that banana a small banana or a medium banana? How many ounces of chicken was in that salad? Was it cooked in oil or butter? How much? Did you enter that coffee creamer? What were the ingredients in that 1/2 cupcake you ate at your co-worker's party?

Now, you can get close if you weigh and measure, which I think is a fine solution for a short-term. Is it sustainable to weigh and measure everything you eat for the rest of your life? Probably not. You might just drive yourself crazy first. 

Once you weigh and measure for a few days you might start to get an idea what a 1/2 cup looks like, what 4 oz of chicken is and what a tablespoon of peanut butter look like (Wait? It's not a heaping oversized spoon? Darn it.). This is great. You are starting to educate yourself on what proper portions look like and it can be a long term tool that will serve you for years to come.

AM I CALCULATING AN EXACT CALORIE COUNT?

Unfortunately, still no. The calories listed on packages can legally be up to 20% inaccurate. So even if the package says 100 calories, it may be 120. Why is that? Well it is hard for food producers and restaurants to know the exact calorie count in foods. There are so many factors that can affect it: soil and growing conditions, ripeness at time of harvest, animals' diets and storage length. Different batches of of both natural and processed foods can vary in their exact contents. One test can't accurately predict all future lots. Calories for natural foods listed in databases are averages. 

So, in short, it's complicated. But wait...there's more.

DO I ABSORB ALL THE CALORIES I EAT?

We don't necessarily absorb all the calories we consume. Preparation and cooking time can change the nutrient content and individuals absorb calories uniquely and not necessarily the same each time. 

And the metabolism is adaptive. Your body adapts and your calorie needs change. 

We haven't even talked about calories out. Again, a giant guessing game. That calories burned number on your treadmill or your FitBit? Even when heart-rate is factored in it is a big fat guess that may be over-estimated. 

So calories in, calories out as a long term sustainable game plan may be an exercise in futility. 

DO I NEED TO TRACK CALORIES?

Am I telling you all of this to frustrate you? Should you throw your MyFitnessPal against the wall? We often want to try to control something that is simply out of our control. You can drive yourself crazy and still not get the results you want. The good news is that we don't have enter every calorie consumed into an app for the rest of our lives. 

Calorie counting, weighing and measuring at the beginning of your journey or when you want to get back on track can be a tool to give you an estimate of where you are starting. That can be beneficial.

Some people like tracking because it gives them accountability. They know that if they eat something they have to enter it in a food journal or app, so it helps them stop and consider what they are eating. Great. A food log can be a good thing when used properly, as a journal to review your daily food choices and how they make you feel.

Other people get obsessive about tracking and it takes over their lives (raises hand). Not great. Find the middle ground that works for you. 

If counting calories is not the solution, what is? How can I be mindful of what I eat? How can I make sure I am in a calorie deficit when trying to lose weight? Or get enough calories when I am trying to put on muscle?

PORTION SIZES

I like Precision Nutrition's method for determining portion sizes

FOR MEN

• 2 palms of protein dense foods with each meal
• 2 fists of vegetables with each meal
• 2 cupped hands of carb dense foods with most meals
• 2 entire thumbs of fat dense foods with most meals

FOR WOMEN

• 1 palm of protein dense foods with each meal
• 1 fist of vegetables with each meal;
• 1 cupped hand of carb dense foods with most meals
• 1 entire thumb of fat dense foods with most meals

It's a great starting point, but It's just that, a starting point. If you start to incorporate the hand method of portion sizes, you may need to adjust. If you find that you are very hungry 30 minutes after eating or if you are extremely active, you may need a little more. If you feel stuffed and haven't been as active, maybe a little less. Your needs will always be individual. Pay attention to results and adjust as needed. It's a common sense system that works and doesn't feel like punishment.

When you eat a casserole, obviously, the hand method doesn't work. You can easily eat a thumb-size portion of avocado or almonds (fats), but how do you eat two thumbs of eggs? Does bacon count as a protein or a fat? All good questions. Just remember that it is not meant to be another strict rule to follow, but a general guideline to give you an idea of where to start. You adjust in a way that makes sense to you, then monitor results. If you are lost, consider hiring a nutrition coach to help you on your path. 

GETTING STARTED

Eat slowly and pay attention to your your body's hunger and fullness cues. I wrote a post on mindful eating that may be helpful. (Spoiler alert: for one, put away your cell phone at the dinner table.) Keep a food journal if it helps you better evaluate what you are eating and how certain foods make you feel. 

We sometimes over complicate things. As a starting point, let's work to eat mostly whole, minimally processed foods from nature, while maintaining proper portions. Over time, once this becomes part of your daily habits, along with regular exercise and movement, your weight will most likely reflect your healthy lifestyle. 

I don't mean to oversimplify things either. Our bodies are complicated and each of us is different. We all have individual needs, preferences and lifestyles. Aim to find that sweet spot of sanity and sustainability. What habits can you sustain for the rest of your life? You can start by keeping paying attention to food quality, portion sizes and hunger cues and adjust as needed.

If you love counting calories and it works for you and your lifestyle, then great. I would not advise you to stop doing anything that benefits you as an individual.

It's just that if you are pulling out your hair counting calories, and you're not seeing the results you desire, just know it doesn't have to be that way. You can live a healthy, balanced life and never count a calorie again. 

Need help with your nutrition strategy? Tired of dieting? Want help developing healthy habits while staying sane and balanced? My nutrition and lifestyle coaching program begins in June, get on the list for a big pre-sale discount. 

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Coach Lea

Outdoor Boot Camp

Welcome to the latest edition of workout Wednesday! This week I thought I'd give you a taste of our outdoor boot camp workouts in case you you don't live in Fort Worth and are unable to join us. 

In Texas there is a very short period of time that I like to call "free weather." We don't need our heaters and we don't yet need our air conditioners. It is the perfect weather to get outside to workout in the fresh air. 

This is a full body strength and cardio workout that can be done in about 20 minutes. 

CIRCUIT ONE

Set a timer for 5 minutes

8 plank rows (each side)
8 plank jacks
8 squats
repeat until time expires

Perform 8 walking lunges (each leg) to the next station.
30 second to one minute rest before beginning the next circuit

CIRCUIT TWO

Set a timer for 5 minutes

8 sumo squats
8 high knees
8 curtsy squats (each side)
repeat until time expires

Perform 8 walking lunges (each leg) to the next station
30 second to one minute rest before beginning the next circuit

CIRCUIT THREE

Set a timer for 5 minutes

8 pushups
8 mountain climbers
8 supermans
repeat until time expires

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Coach Lea

52 Healthy Habits: 10K Steps a Day

Welcome to the latest edition of 52 Healthy Habits, where each week we tackle a new healthy habit. No matter where we are in our fitness journey, small incremental improvements in our lifestyle inch us forward closer to our goals. 

The idea behind 10K steps a day is to simply move more. We don't always have to get in a run or a sweat session at the gym. While intense exercise contributes to a healthy body, heart and mind, just focusing on intentional movement goes a long way towards our weight loss or weight maintenance goals. 

Total Daily Energy Expenditure (TDEE) is our metabolic rate. This includes our resting metabolic rate (minimum energy we need to maintain vital functions of the body) + physical activity + thermic effect of feeding (energy used digesting and processing the food we eat). 

The only thing we can control is physical activity. You can increase your metabolic rate by increasing your activity. This doesn't mean you have to spend four hours in the gym every day (in fact, that may backfire). You can increase your physical activity by moving more intentionally throughout the day. It doesn't replace your weekly sweat sessions, it is in addition to them. This extra energy expenditure gives you a big advantage when working towards weight loss (and maintenance) goals. All the little stuff adds up to big results. 

This post may contain affiliate links. That means if you click on a link within this post and make a purchase, I make a small percentage of the sale at no additional cost to you. No one is getting rich here, it just helps with the running (pun intended) of this blog. Thank you for your support.

Why 10 steps?

The American Heart Association recommends 10K steps a day for heart health, but it shouldn't be 10K or nothing. If you have a tracker (I have a FitBit) then measure your daily steps for three days, take the average of the three days, then add 3000 steps to that as your beginning goal. 

For example, if you walk 3000 steps on Monday, 4500 on Tuesday and 5000 on Wednesday, your daily average steps are 4166. Your starting step goal would be 7166. Once you are consistently hitting that goal, you can up it again by 3000 steps. 

If you don't have a fancy tracker, don't let that stop you. You can get an inexpensive pedometer or just add intentional movement into your day (without tracking). It can make a big difference, even if you don't know exactly how many steps you took. 

Strategies to Increase Daily Steps

1. Park farthest away from the entrance at work, school, grocery store and the gym. it drives me crazy to see people fighting for close parking spots at the health food stores or at the gym. 

2. Return your shopping cart all the way back to the store rather than leaving it in the parking lot port. 

3. Take the stairs whenever possible.

4. Use the restroom at work or school on another floor.

5. Always walk the the long way around.

6. Visit your co-workers at their desk instead of calling or emailing.

7. Pace when on the phone.

8. Walk during breaks at work or school.

9. Set reminders on your phone or computer to take short hourly walk breaks.

10. Take a walk after dinner (or in the morning, or at lunch).

11. Walk your dog (or borrow one).

12. Commit to only look at social media when walking (man, you'd be walking ALL THE TIME). I learned this one from Carla Birnberg. 

13. Walk in circles around your house or walk in place like a crazy person until you hit your goal. (Not that I do that...as far as you know.)

I work to walk 10K steps a day every day. It's one of my bare minimum goals for the day. Even if I don't get anything else accomplished, I usually get in my steps. The only exception is when I am sick or injured. Like anything else, you don't want to take it to the extreme. Our goal should always be healthy body and mind. 

While I love my FitBit Check out my post on the potential downfalls of activity trackers. 

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The Problem with Cheat Meals and What to Do Instead

I know I've been writing a lot about nutrition lately. It's because I recently finished my Precision Nutrition Sports and Exercise certification. I am discovering that I have this passion to help people with their nutrition. 

THE PROBLEM WITH CHEAT MEALS AND WHAT YOU SHOULD DO INSTEAD

I don't have a problem with adding calorie surplus days, or even indulgence days, I just don't like to call them cheat days. 

Cheat implies it isn't part of the plan. You cheat on your diet. Diets are flawed. You can't cheat on your lifestyle. You may say it's just semantics whether we call it a cheat day or an indulgence day but getting into the right mindset is paramount to success. Psychology is a big part of what is holding people back from reaching their goals. 

When you make a commitment to long term permanent lifestyle changes then there is no more cheating. I prefer indulgence meals or calorie surplus days. 

The reason that calorie surplus days are recommended is if you spend a lot of time in a calorie deficit (consuming less calories than your body needs for maintenance in order to lose weight) your body may down-regulate your metabolism in order to compensate. Your body is smart. When it realizes that that you are consistently taking in less food, it assumes that there is less food available and it adjusts so it doesn't need as much food to live. 

Adding an occasional higher calorie day that meets or exceeds your daily calorie requirements sends the signal to your body that you are not starving and it's ok to keep that metabolism revving. There's no rule that that these higher calorie days have to be junk food days, it's totally possible to get a calorie surplus on healthy food...but what's the fun in that? Hah. 

Indulgence meals are great for the mental aspect too. If you are usually very calculated about what you eat then it can be a mental and emotional break. I am all about balance, if you decide that you will never eat an unhealthy food again, you are setting yourself up to fail. There is always room for indulgences in your otherwise healthy lifestyle. 

5 TIPS FOR HAVING an indulgent meal while maintaining a healthy balance. 

1. No Guilt. 

Savor it. Enjoy it. No guilt.

2. Plan ahead.

When trying your best to live a healthy lifestyle there will always be occasions when sticking to a healthy meal is not reasonable or sustainable. Do you want to tell your Italian Grandma that you can't have her garlic bread, spaghetti and homemade cannoli? Do you want to bring tupperware of chicken and broccoli to your best friend's wedding reception? I didn't think so.

Food is just as much about connection and joy as it is about nutrition. There will always be holidays, special occasions, celebrations and parties. If we miss out on the social and cultural connections over food, then we are missing out on a big part of health and happiness. Plan your indulgence meals around those celebrations and special occasions so you can have the best of both worlds.  

3. Portion control. 

An indulgence meal should not be a license to binge. Think about proper portions and eat slowly until you are 80% full. You will find that you are satisfied on less food, while still enjoying your indulgence. 

I try to make choices on a continuum. Even if I am at a burger restaurant, I think to myself, how can I make this a little bit healthier? Maybe I'll enjoy that burger with a whole wheat bun instead of white. Maybe I'll skip the fries and order a salad on the side or maybe I'll order the fries, but get a veggie burger or salad. I find that I enjoy it just as much and a little indulgence is all I need. 

If you have red flag foods that you know cause you to overindulge, then choose those foods sparingly or not at all. If you can't open a family size bag of chips without polishing it off, then the right choice for you may be to not open that bag. It's up to you. If you struggle with binging, I recommend working with a Registered Dietitian. 

4. The 80/20 Rule.

I'm not good at math, but I try to make healthy choices 80% of the time and indulgent choices 20%. It's not a hard and fast calculation, but generally speaking it is 1-2 indulgence meals a week with maybe a treat thrown in..

Some people eat a strict healthy diet all week and then let loose on the weekends. I'd just ask you to consider if you are having an indulgence meal, an indulgence day or a whole indulgence weekend, every single weekend. If you decide to have indulgence weekends, that's 2.5 days, 35% of your week. I don't think there should be strict rules about when you and can not have indulgences, but if it is all weekend every weekend from Friday night through Sunday night of junk food, then you might consider how that could affect your goals. 

5. Move on.  

Don't allow an indulgence meal to be a trigger for more poor choices.  Do it, love every second of it, and move on to your next healthy meal. This also means that you shouldn't attempt to exercise twice as long or hard the next day to compensate. 

I always say what you do daily matters more than what you do occasionally. It goes both ways, if you eat healthy foods all week, one indulgent meal will not have a big impact on your results and if you eat junk food all the time, then one salad is not going to make a difference either. 

When you find the balance of healthy foods and indulgent foods that you enjoy you really can have the best of both worlds. Eat foods that make you feel good, that taste good and you enjoy. 

DO YOU EAT CLEAN OR DIRTY?

Do you eat clean? It's impossible to say. It means different things to different people. What I do know is that things go south when we moralize our food choices. You're not bad or dirty if you eat a less-than-healthy food and you're not a perfect angel because you made a healthy choice. In fact, orthorexia is a disorder associated with having an obsession with healthy eating. 

We should aim to eat healthy foods from nature most of the time, but we are not bad people for choosing to eat things occasionally simply because they taste good. 

I believe that there are no inherently good or bad foods. Some foods are good for your health, some foods are good for your soul (like Grandma's cannoli), and that's ok in moderation. 

I've personally struggled with balance and yo-yo weight in my 30s. It wasn't until I let go of labels, rules, diets and guilt that I learned the art of balance. Once I went off diets and adopted health as a long term goal, the weight loss (and more importantly, maintenance) was a natural side effect. 

What's your favorite indulgence meal? Mine is sushi and pizza (not together, silly)

What's your favorite healthy meal? I love spaghetti squash and eggs (Again, not together. Although that may be #strangebutgood)

Need help with your nutrition strategy? Tired of dieting? Want help developing healthy habits while staying sane and balanced? Join my nutrition and lifestyle coaching program today.

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