Many of us are trying to make healthier choices these days when it comes to exercise and eating. And many of us are also struggling to make it happen successfully. I recently had a chance to spend the afternoon via phone with Kathy Kaehler, Today Show fitness correspondent for over thirteen years and personal trainer to such celebrities as Jennifer Aniston, Julia Roberts, Meg Ryan and Michelle Pfieffer. Her most heavily weighed piece of advice was on a surprising topic. Read on for details.
One might have expected the entire advice list to be about exercise. What does a personal trainer focus on, if not specific fitness moves? In point of fact, we did cover that topic. Additionally however, Kathy was incredibly passionate about food choices and how to work in healthy ones more easily. Basically, what sense does it make to work your tush off in the gym and head home to ice cream sandwiches? Food choices are critical to getting the most out of your workout and training regimen. Here are the highlights.
Use your body as a natural weight when working out.
This is perfect for those not wanting to dish out for a set of free weights. Working out against a wall, or by leaning on a chair can do just as well on a budget. Think squats, leaning push ups, etc.
Mini workouts of approximately one minute.
For those with trouble finding larger blocks of time who can't necessarily get to the gym from work, these are great. They are also a fantastic way to flush some oxygen into your system to stay focused as well as fit. Pick a simple move or two to work on a particular muscle group, and repeat. Teachers can use these mini workouts with their students for class transitions, unexpected time gaps or to kick off a group fitness activity.
Remember the importance of food choices in your overall fitness plan.
Getting the whole family on board is key here. Kaehler is passionate about including the kiddos in all phases of food preparation and cooking. Surprisingly, many children today don't participate in meal prep at all, or in some cases even know where it comes from. Involving them will not only give them some ownership, it will get them excited about the family's overall menu choices.
Storage containers for dips and sauces, as opposed to jars or bottles with pour spouts.
Kaehler says these help keep her honest. If she has to spoon out a particular dip or sauce, she is more likely to pay attention to portion size. Inside tidbit: Kathy's also been making the transition to glass instead of plastic, and you have no idea how hip I felt when she shared that the glass containers with plastic snap on lids I've been using along with my canning jars as a budget hack are the same ones she has in her refrigerator. (Score one for the budget crowd! If these are good enough for woman who trains the red carpet crowd, I feel absolutely no pressure to upgrade.)
Common challenge? Convenience.
With today's busy careers and lifestyles taking so much time, and kids' schedules getting crazier than ever, it's no big mystery why people cave for prepared and take out foods. According to Kathy, the answer lies in making fruits and vegetables as convenient as potato chips, and freshly prepared meals faster than takeout and sexier than casseroles. How does she make this happen? Through a process she calls Sunday Setups. Basically, it's sort of a twist on OAMC and weekly lunch box prep that handles everything you'll need for the week – from snacks to suppers, and lunches to morning meals.
Basically it's easier than you think, and can be implemented with a variety of food pairings to suit your particular family favorites. Here are her main procedures and tips for making this work in her own home, and what she encourages her clients to do.
Set up a fruit and veggie snack buffet.
She and her family set this up on Sunday along with their other menu items for the week. Getting this done allows for simple lunch packing through the week, and healthy after school snacks that leave junk food eating dust. One healthy dip is selected for the week. You can mix and match according to what's popular at your house. From there, you just incorporate produce choices that work for your budget and family preferences. Kathy's current list includes blueberries, seedless grapes and cherry tomatoes. Your list might be carrot sticks, wild strawberries and apple wedges. Before her kids make it in the door, she grabs these items out of the fridge (remember, they're all pre-washed and prepped from Sunday) and has them available on the counter. These are also elements you can select from when getting school lunches ready to go.
Incorporate seasonal shifts.
Kaehler's lucky enough to have a farmers' market close to her home, but even if you don't you can work this in by observing the sale trends on produce at your local grocery store. Not only is this a more planet friendly way to go, but will keep the budget on track while mixing up the fruit and veggie selections to provide that variety all families need to keep going full steam on the healthy eating front.
Stock up on staples.
Obviously, the healthy pantry staples will vary slightly from household to household. Kathy shared her base ingredients and current fresh items, which are basic enough to work in with any budget: brown rice, a variety of healthy pastas, kidney beans, black beans, 4-8 boiled chicken breasts for use throughout the week, one dozen hard boiled eggs, a container of chopped onion, one container of chopped mixed peppers, a container of cherry tomatoes and three bunches of kale sautéed down to mix in with rice or tuck in with sandwiches. From this base set of items, she incorporates such meals as salad, stir fry, rice and beans, tacos and more throughout the week.
Do you have a frugal food pairing list that you use in your home? What tricks do you use to keep nutrition on track for the whole family?
Related Readings: Six Exercise Tips for Travelers, Frugal Fitness: Twenty-Five and a Half Ways to Make It Happen and Six Ways to Create a Great Home Gym.
Honestly, the experiment we did at Financial Samurai is just 100% about the diet.
You can do Zero exercise, and lose tons of weight. Focus on the diet. We write about it here at "Losing Your Way To More Money"
Please don't waste your money on personal trainers and expensive gym memberships if you don't have the disposable income.
As someone who has been told all her life that she was "so skinny" and "shouldn't diet," I *deeply* appreciate it when people write about eating healthier and getting more activity instead of just focusing on "losing weight." Even now that I am 29 and have put on a lot of weight since high school (so that I now have a whopping 20.5 BMI instead of the 16.6 I had when I reached my adult height), I still think it is more important for me to do things that will give me more energy during the day, counteract stress, and boost my immune system than it is to kowtow to the belief structure that would make Marilyn Monroe a plus-sized model.
People aren't getting the real facts about getting health. So many people are trying but few are actually doing. Everyone wants the results now... quick and easy... without having to put much effort into it. How many people actually know about BMR (not BMI) or even how many calories add up to a pound lost or gained? We also have all of these elimination people out there... you can't you can't you can't is what comes out of their mouths. The fact is you can have a treat everyday, if you work it into your plan and the rest of your food is balanced and healthy. Oh, and yeah, your going to have to track what you eat. Be it calories, exchanges, or points... you must know how much your taking in vs. what's going out (this is where BMR comes in). Anyway, the point is to do instead of try and to get the facts and make a plan. It's not rocket science.
The problem with weight loss (as @}--|--- said) is that people are looking for the magical solution, no matter the cost. There is no magical solution! The one and only way to lose weight is to consume less than you expend.
This article speaks to this truth. In order to train yourself to eat less calories, you need to adjust your diet to fit your needs (not Jennifer Aniston's needs, not Eva Longoria-Parker's needs...). You need to buy foods that you can afford and that you like. Find what's right for you.
I appreciate the tips on how to prepare for the week. When you don't have a lot of time to spare, it's not as easy being healthy, but it can be done!
In addition to all different sizes of canning jars (both regular and wide mouth), I bought a set of those Pyrex glass containers with the plastic snap off lids. They had a package deal at either Sam's or Costco (most likely both) with like 16-18 pieces. In addition to the casserole ones that are great for baking and freezing stuff, the set comes with various other ones with snap off lids that are great for peanut sauce, veggie sticks, chopped onion, etc. The only one that doesn't always seal extremely tight is the largest rectangular one. I think it's because the sides are longer. But it seals well enough to get the job done and if you need to freeze something in it for a long time you could always supplement with foil. Generally though, it's as good as all the other ones in the batch set. We're completely happy with our purchase and I'm considering getting another batch, except that I don't need another round of casserole dishes, just the small to medium sized storage dishes.
Check out my various projects and services at Itinerant Tightwad. I also have a monthly education newsletter.
Ellen, I agree with the point you make about having to make it work for you and for the focus to include food intake choices. That's why I really appreciated what Kathy had to say. Yes, it's great to get the exercise tips too. But it was nice to have some real world advice that could be implemented affordably.
Check out my various projects and services at Itinerant Tightwad. I also have a monthly education newsletter.
