Archives for June 2015

Something amazing happened yesterday, something that anyone of my family or friends would have LOVED to happen to them! This was a really big deal!

I stepped on the scale and saw the lowest number in the last 10 years! (Haha yes I checked for errors, and double checked 🙂 The most amazing thing about this whole event was that I was totally surprised. I hadn’t been slaving away in the gym, and I had kept up my running patterns but didn’t made any crazy changes. And as far as eating goes, I didn’t feel restricted at all, I had been making my meals (and they weren’t all salads).

So what was the catalyst for this amazing event? Nothing immediately came to mind, so I sat down to take inventory on what had been going on in my life over the past couple months. What had changed since years ago when I was obsessed with losing weight? How was I able to do this without counting calories, restricting myself from certain foods, and going crazy in the process? How did I weigh less than when I had been running every day, training for a marathon? Well the answer is… a combination of things really.

FIRST– I did a lot of work to reduce the unnecessary stressors in my life. This helped me to calm down, a lot. I have historically been an anxious person who thinks about the things that can go wrong, more than what can go right. This change in mindset took some work and happened over a period of time. I reflected on what agitated me and learned (with some help) that I tend to put way more pressure on myself than necessary. By easing up I was able to reduce my anxiety and be more present, more in the moment. I haven’t mastered this yet, it’s a process, but I’m in a much better place now than a few years ago.

SECOND– I switched my focus from deprivation to enjoyment. This strategy was also a bit difficult to fully incorporate, but as I continue it gets easier and easier. When you stop focusing on what you don’t have or can’t have, you stop wasting thought energy and stop testing your own willpower. This idea is best explained by Charles Duhigg, author of The Power of Habit, “Willpower isn’t just a skill. It’s a muscle, like the muscles in your arms or legs, and it gets tired as it works harder, so there’s less power left over for other things.” So when I focus on what I have + what I enjoy, I give my “willpower muscle” a rest and am a more relaxed person.

THIRD– Over 90% of the foods I eat are prepared in my own kitchen. This was actually one of the easiest things to change about my life, making this a habit. Now the shopping, rinsing, chopping and storing of my groceries are all part of my weekly routine. For me, planning my meals for the week is like making a selection from a restaurant menu- it’s exciting! I feel accomplished when my fridge & freezer are stocked with options, and a lot less anxious about feeling the need to “eat healthy.” Check out my latest favorite recipe for Texas Tuna Burgers (below)- they are delicious and SO easy to make! With only 7 ingredients, the first time I made them I already had all the ingredients on hand! Bring on the summer BBQs!

So what does all of this mean for you? Well my life is not a phenomenon, and I believe that switching YOUR mindset and focus will help YOU gravitate towards your ideal weight, naturally and with a LOT less effort than dieting. Making your own food, using whole food ingredients will speed up the process. All the energy we expend fighting cravings and punishing ourselves for veering off the dieting course could be put towards something you actually enjoy. And with summer in full swing, we can all think of a million other things that we’d rather do!

Texas Tuna Burgers   (yields 5 burgers)

Ingredients:

(2) 5 oz. cans tuna in water, drained

3 eggs, beaten

1 carrot, scraped and finely grated/julienned

¼ cup panko breadcrumbs

1 green onion, finely sliced

¼ tsp. Texas chili powder

2 Tbsp. EVOO

Directions:

• In a mixing bowl, combine the tuna, eggs, carrot, breadcrumbs, onion, and chili powder.
• Shape mixture into 5 patties.
• In a large skillet, heat EVOO over medium heat.
• Sauté tuna patties for 4-5 minutes on each side. Use a spatula to turn patty so it doesn’t break apart.
• Serve atop a hamburger bun or sprouted bread (better when toasted) with your favorite fixings (lettuce, onion, tomato, Dijon mustard, hummus, etc.)

Are you satisfied with your weight? If not, you’re not alone! Approximately 91% of women are unhappy with their bodies and resort to dieting (and we all know how that ends, or rather continues round and round). Your life doesn’t have to be this way.  You can create habits so health comes naturally.

If you could use a little help in effortlessly getting to YOUR ideal weight, email us at info@wholefoodlove.com. We’d love to hear from YOU!  You can also schedule a complimentary call here. Start making positive changes and stop exhausting your willpower muscle!

 

Live your WHOLE life,

Shannon + Meg

 

 

Habits get so much attention these days and it seems like everyone is talking about breaking the bad habits and creating new ones.

I’ve tried to stay true to the philosophy of building sustainable and healthy lifestyle practices and habits, but after listening to a recent podcast all about habits, I decided to dig a little bit deeper and wanted to share some of my biggest take-aways.

 

WHAT IS A HABIT?

Although several definitions exist, there are a few that are especially relevant to my interest and I love Dictionary.com’s first definition

“an acquired behavior pattern regularly followed until it has become almost involuntary”

Ex – The habit of looking both ways before crossing the street.

 You see, habits are not instincts – we’re not born with them. They are behaviors that are developed and we have the power to develop them to the point where we can do them without even thinking about it – good and bad.

HOW DO HABITS START TO CHANGE?

Awareness is the first step in developing a habit. You must be aware that you are doing (or not doing) something in order to begin the process of change.

Once you become of aware of your actions or disposition, etc. you can start to modify.

Modification of a behavior is a CHOICE. Once again, your awareness leads to CHOICE.

(For the purposes of this blog, we will exclude habits that include physical and/or chemical dependency.   This brings on a whole new layer that’s beyond the scope of this writing.)

HOW DO I CREATE A NEW HABIT (OR STOP A POOR HABIT)?

Whether you are starting a new healthy habit or looking to stop an unhealthy one, the process is the same.   For a simplified example, take a look below:

“I will stop eating junk food.”

vs.

“I will make healthy food choices. “

Both examples are essentially saying the same thing. The difference is whether you prefer to think of it as stopping an old habit or starting a new one. So let’s dive in to see how to start the process.

1.) Decide on which behavior you would like to modify.

What is something that you wish you could change? Is it your eating habits? Your exercise plan? Do you enjoy reading, but never find the time to do it?   Think about 1 area that you would like to change.

Don’t let yourself fall into the trap of “I don’t have time” or “That’s beyond my control.” Pick your area and make a decision that you can and will change this.

2.) Look at where you’re starting and where you’d eventually like to be.

You have to be able to visualize your future and see how changing this habit will change your life. Let’s start with “I will make healthy food choices.” (We’ll continue to tweak this, but this is our starting point.)

What do healthy food choices look like for you? Will you be able to eliminate certain medications? Will you be able to move without pain? Lose excess weight? Have more energy?   Be more engaged with your family? Visualize and note HOW modifying this habit will make your life better.

3.) Determine how you personally respond to internal and external demands.

Do you perform better with internal or external demands or do you perform the same for both? Here’s an example of someone who performs well with internal demands.

“I enjoy reading. I am very busy but I make time to read 1 book every month.”

Here’s an example of someone who performs best with external demands.

“I am a police officer and my job requires that I can run 1 mile in 8 minutes. I have a fitness assessment coming up in 3 months so I am training to be a faster runner and beat the 8 minute requirement.”

The third option is someone who values internal and external demands the same and either example would work for them.

In general, women tend to perform better for external demands, which means that our internal desires move lower and lower on the list of priorities. This is OK, we can still make a habit change but we may need some additional assistance!

4.) Develop a plan.

I could write an entire series of blogs on this one, but we’ll keep it short and sweet to start here. The quick way of saying this is that you need a plan with measureable items in order to determine if you’re on track. Without a plan you’re simply reacting. Developing new habits and changing old ones can be challenging – be proactive, not reactive.

Once you determine whether you perform better with internal or external demands as discussed in #3 we can really start to progress with a plan.

If you respond better to internal demands, begin to create measureable milestones in your plan. For example:

“I will make healthy food choices by planning out 5 nutritious meals per week and preparing them at home.”

Based on the above example, we can measure how we are progressing on developing our new habit. We know we are falling short if we are preparing less than 5 nutritious meals at home and we can further modify this behavior as needed. In general, those that are internally motivated tend to perform as planned as the internal motivation is the exact same thing as a deadline at work. “It has to get done…”

If you respond better to external demands, you have lots of options, but an accountability factor is a necessary addition as well as the way to measure your progress.

Here are a few quick examples from above.

“I enjoy reading, but I feel like I have no time to read. I will join a book club that meets regularly. This will require that I make time to read.”

“I want to make healthy food choices, but I often feel confused. I will meet with a health coach 2 times per month to help me plan meals that fit my lifestyle.”

“I want to start running but I get bored so easily. My friend and I will sign up with for a race now that will take place in 2 months. We will train together for this race by running 2 times per week together.”

The beauty of developing a habit is that its now set – you don’t have to think about it – you just do it. This frees up a lot of brain power and a lot of energy. Treat yourself to this freedom!  You deserve it!

Stay tuned for upcoming blogs that dive even deeper into my research about habits. What is a habit that you’re looking to change? Are you somebody who performs better with internal or external motivation? We’d love to hear from you!

Send us an email at info@wholefoodlove.com with the habit that you’ve decided to create or change.

Looking for some accountability and help with external motivation? Schedule a complimentary call with us at info@wholefoodlove.com. We have all sorts of techniques to help you succeed!

Live your WHOLE life,

Meg + Shannon

We’ve heard the saying “You don’t know what you’ve got until it’s gone.” I never had a strong tie to this quote, I’ve never really dwelled on what I had in the past, it seemed like I would always adapt to what was next, maybe forgetting how good the past had been, maybe I was just too excited about the future? Either way I like the Joni Mitchell song, but that’s about it.

What I’ve noticed in my own life is that “You don’t know how good you can feel until you experience it.” It may not be as catchy as Joni’s song, but it is packed with a lot of truth- like you don’t know what you don’t know! Did you know how limber you could feel before you went to your first hot yoga class? Did you know how fluid you could feel before you first great chiropractic adjustment? Maybe you never knew how energetic you could feel before you started eating cleaner!

As many of you know, I started my post-college career as an accountant grinding out long hours. As with a lot of my clients, I got used to this lifestyle of waking up tired, snoozing my alarm until the last possible second before getting up and giving in to the idea that I have to head to work, coming home unfulfilled and zoning out in front of the TV for a couple hours before going to bed and starting it all over again the next day. Was this it?!

Part of human survival is to adapt and get used to our surroundings and conditions, and that’s exactly what I did. I took this sluggish lifestyle as a normal part of adult life. You save all your fun and satisfaction for Friday & Saturday nights and spend Sunday trying to recover and get a week’s worth of errands done before your workweek begins again on Monday!   A lot has changed and I’m wiser now!

NOW I know that we actually don’t have to feel sluggish during the workday (and the answer isn’t in a 5 hour energy bottle). I switched my food choices, simple as that. Instead of frozen Lean Cuisine’s I brought my own meals, instead of an Einstein bagel for breakfast I made a protein smoothie, and instead of Panera for dinner I had my own fridge stocked and ready to go so making dinner was a cinch. My head was clear, my work products was better, and I was more fun around my friends…win, win, win!

So what was holding me back? Why was I so hesitant to break out of this monotonous routine? The benefits of these small changes were so much more than the work that went into making them. I had a new routine; I still joined my tax group for 3:00 coffee trips, but didn’t get anything because I didn’t need it! I had more energy after work so I got to do things I enjoyed, I was no longer too tired for a 7:30pm jog, and because of this I no longer felt like I was living for the weekends. I felt more in-control, which resulted in more confidence and a happier me!

So the next time you catch yourself thinking “this must be it” or “this is as good as it gets” push yourself! Don’t settle; don’t accept that Monday mornings have to be groggy or that you should be tired after a commute and long workday. With the right fuel, you can change your life! Social Psychologist Amy Cuddy puts it best: “Our bodies change our minds and our minds change our behavior and our behavior changes our outcomes.” Tiny tweaks can lead to big changes, so embrace the power that you have in upgrading your life!

What did you learn the hard way? What change has had the biggest impact on your health? Let us know in the comments below!

If you are looking for inspiration on what might need changing in your life, check out the Done with Diets summit! You can still register for the ENCORE replay period and get access to EVERY expert interview (and did we mention the free gifts?!)- signup at www.donewithdietssummit.com !

Live your WHOLE life,

Shannon + Meg

I was recently asked to take part in an interview and share my thoughts on LOVE + FOOD. There’s so many aspects to LOVE + FOOD – the gathering of family and friends, the art of food preparation, the healing properties of what we put into our bodies, savoring the taste and noticing the different flavor notes – more about this interview to come, but first I want to introduce Phoebe Lapine and her connection to my interview about LOVE + FOOD.

Just a few months ago, I stumbled across Phoebe’s blog FeedMePhoebe.com. It was a goldmine! Her humor, wit, personality and recipes forced me to return (not to mention the pictures!). As we were preparing for the Done With Diets Summit,  I knew that Phoebe would be an incredible addition to the event and I’m so grateful for our fun interview. To see Phoebe’s interview, click here to register for the event. (It’s FREE!)

Phoebe is a New York based food writer, gluten-free chef, culinary instructor, recipe developer, and wellness personality – so to make it short…she does it all.   Phoebe is also ALL about keeping things simple and easy in the kitchen and meeting you where you’re at. So much of her writing is about making balanced lifestyle choices beyond what’s on your plate.

Here’s the connection to LOVE + FOOD – during our interview, the young, gorgeous, and talented Phoebe spoke all about how she learned to cook in a small kitchen and was able to create miracles for friends and family with the skills and ingredients she had. So much of her experience with food revolved around her interactions with people.

Our relationships are what make us happy. Our relationships are what make us LOVE.   Our relationships are what fill us up and so many relationships are created and strengthened over a meal. This is one of the aspects of LOVE + FOOD I wanted to share on my interview.

I asked Phoebe to share a recipe with me that makes her think of LOVE + FOOD and literally within minutes, I received a response that had the PERFECT recipe to share with family and friends.

Phoebe told me that this recipe reminds her of her mother, so I decided to make it with mine!

Moroccan Chicken Tagine with Carrots, Chickpeas and Kale

Get the Full Recipe and Phoebe’s Blog Here

I must say that this dish is incredibly easy to make. It has a great kick and as a special bonus, it serves about eight, which means its great for a group or a fantastic option if you want to have leftovers.

I’m currently visiting Chicago and while we are heading out of tagine and stew weather, I did happen to make it on a day in May that was still unseasonably cold. It was a great warming dish.

I always give myself a little extra time when making a new recipe, but this one is well worth it. Who will you share your LOVE + FOOD with?

Live your WHOLE life,

Meg + Shannon

P.S. There’s still time to Register for the Done With Diets Summit. The summit ends June 7^th, but we have a special bonus for you that we’re thrilled to share!  We announce the bonus June 8th.  Grab your spot here —> www.donewithdietssummit.com   It’s FREE!

P.P.S. Don’t forget to stay tuned for more about my LOVE + FOOD interview!

Moroccan Chicken Tagine with Carrots, Chickpeas and Kale

Ingredients

• 3 pounds boneless, skinless chicken thighs
• Olive oil
• 2 small yellow onions, diced
• 1 pound carrots, peeled and halved lengthwise
• 4 cloves garlic, minced
• 1 tablespoon ground cumin
• 2 teaspoons ground turmeric
• 2 teaspoons ground ginger
• 1⁄2 teaspoon ground cinnamon
• 1/4 teaspoon cayenne
• 1 tablespoon salt
• One 15-ounce can diced tomatoes, with their juices
• 6 cups chicken stock
• One 15-ounce can chickpeas, rinsed and drained
• 1 bunch kale, stems removed, roughly chopped
• Juice of 1⁄2 lemon
• Parsley or cilantro leaves, for garnish

Instructions

1. Season the chicken thighs with salt and pepper. In a large pot or Dutch oven, heat a thin layer of olive oil. Sear the chicken in batches over high heat, making sure not to crowd the pot, until golden-brown, about 4 minutes per side. Remove to a mixing bowl.

1. Add the onions and sauté until translucent, making sure to scrape up any remaining drippings from the chicken, about 7 minutes.

3. Stir in the carrots, garlic, cumin, turmeric, ginger, cinnamon, cayenne, and salt. Cook until the spices are fully incorporated and aromatic, about 2 minutes. Add the tomatoes and cook until thick, 5 minutes. Arrange the chicken on top of the vegetable mixture and cover with the stock.
4. Bring to a simmer, turn the heat back down to low and cook, uncovered, for at least 2 hours, the longer the better.
5. During the last 15 minutes of cooking, add the chickpeas, kale and lemon juice.
6. Spoon the tagine into individual bowls and garnish with cilantro or parsley.