Café Physique

If you struggle to maintain a healthy lifestyle or just don’t know where to start, Café Physique is a spot you can visit daily to get info on food & fitness from someone who lives by the More or Less Philosophy – Just do a little more of the good things & a bit less of the not-so-good things, and you’ll be on your way to achieving your healthy living goals. So, make yourself at home in this virtual café where you really can "have your cake and eat it too"...more or less.

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Location: Atlanta, Georgia, United States

I'm a 32 year old fitness professional with a passion for healthy living, a certified pilates instructor & personal trainer, and a member of IDEA Health & Fitness Association. I am also the owner of Cafe Physique, an Atlanta-based fitness and nutrition company specializing in studio and in-home personal training, Pilates, yoga and personalized nutrition counseling (www.CafePhysique.com). If this is your 1st time "dining" at Café Physique, please dig right in! Leave comments, ask questions and enjoy this Healthy Living experience.

Monday, February 09, 2009

13 Healthy Eating Tips

Appetizer
Developing healthy eating habits isn't as confusing or as restrictive as many people imagine. The first principle of a healthy eating plan is simply to eat a wide variety of foods. This is important because different foods make different nutritional contributions.

You should also try to maintain a balance between calorie intake and calorie expenditure—that is, don't eat more food than your body can utilize. Otherwise, you will gain weight. The more active you are, therefore, the more you can eat and still maintain this balance.

Main Course
The following basic guidelines are what you need to know to construct a healthy eating plan.

1. Eat plenty of high-fiber foods—that is, fruits, vegetables, beans, and whole grains. These are the "good" carbohydrates—nutritious, filling, and relatively low in calories.

2. Make sure to include green, orange, and yellow fruits and vegetables—such as broccoli, carrots, cantaloupe, and citrus fruits. The antioxidants and other nutrients in these foods may help protect against developing certain types of cancer and other diseases. Eat five or more servings a day.

3. Limit your intake of sugary foods, refined-grain products such as white bread, and salty snack foods. Sugar, our No.1 additive, is added to a vast array of foods. Just one daily 12-ounce can of soda (160 calories) can add up to 16 pounds over the course of a year.

4. Cut down on animal fat. It’s rich in saturated fat, which boosts blood cholesterol levels and has other adverse health effects. Choose lean meats, skinless poultry, and nonfat or low-fat or nonfat dairy products.

5. Cut way down on trans fats, supplied by hydrogenated vegetable oils used in most processed foods in the supermarket and in many fast foods.

6. Eat more fish and nuts, which contain healthy unsaturated fats. Substitute olive or canola oil for butter or stick margarine.

7. Keep portions moderate, especially of high-calorie foods. In recent years serving sizes have ballooned, particularly in restaurants. Choose a starter instead of an entrée, split a dish with a friend, and don’t order supersized anything.

8. Keep your cholesterol intake below 300 milligrams per day. Cholesterol is found only in animal products, such as meats, poultry, dairy products, and egg yolks.

9. Eat a variety of foods. Don't try to fill your nutrient requirements by eating the same foods day in, day out. It is possible that not every essential nutrient has been identified, and so eating a wide assortment of foods helps to ensure that you will get all the necessary nutrients.

10. Maintain an adequate calcium intake. Calcium is essential for strong bones and teeth. Get your calcium from low-fat sources, such as skim milk and low-fat yogurt.

11. Try to get your vitamins and minerals from foods, not from supplements. Supplements cannot substitute for a healthy diet, which supplies nutrients and other compounds besides vitamins and minerals. Foods also provide the "synergy" that many nutrients require to be efficiently used in the body.

12. Maintain a desirable weight. Balance energy (calorie) intake with energy output. Exercise and other physical activity are essential.

13. If you drink alcohol, do so in moderation. That is one drink a day for women, two a day for men. A drink is defined as 12 ounces of beer, 4 ounces of wine, or 1.5 ounces of 80-proof spirits. Alcoholic beverages can add many calories to your diet without supplying nutrients.

Dessert
Following these basic steps doesn't mean that you have to give up your favorite foods. As long as your overall diet is balanced and rich in nutrients and fiber, there is nothing wrong with an occasional cheeseburger. Just be sure to limit how frequently you eat such foods, and try to eat small portions of them. A healthy diet doesn't have to mean eating foods that are bland or unappealing.

* From MediZine Wellnessletter: 2009

About Cafe Physique:
The mission of Café Physique is to help clients reach and exceed their personal fitness and nutrition goals. If you’re in need of an a nutritionist in Atlanta or an Atlanta personal trainer – Café Physique is the perfect solution. We offer Atlanta yoga instruction, Atlanta prenatal workouts, and Atlanta personal training. We also have private sessions of pilates that Atlanta residents are raving about. We invite you to let a member of our Atlanta registered dietitian staff or personal training team develop and implement a realistic and healthy lifestyle plan to meet your personal goals.

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Tuesday, February 03, 2009

Health Benefits of Drinking Tea

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Drink more tea. When the whole Starbucks craze started, I always felt left out when my girlfriends wanted to meet for coffee because while I love the aroma of fresh brewed coffee, the taste makes me gag and cringe. But then a friend turned me onto hot tea, and things have never been the same since.

Main Course
I love hot tea for many reasons. For one, it has turned out to be my herbal Xanax. It calms me when I'm feeling anxious, and comforts me when I'm having a rough day. I'm known for being freezing cold at all times, so I enjoy holding a hot mug while reading a book or people watching. These are all of my emotional reasons for drinking tea, but here are 10 health reasons to make the switch!

1. Tea contains antioxidants that protect your body from the ravages of aging and the effects of pollution.

2. Tea has less caffeine than coffee. An eight-ounce cup of coffee contains around 135 mg caffeine; tea contains only 30 to 40 mg per cup. If drinking coffee gives you the jitters, causes indigestion or headaches or interferes with sleep -- switch to tea.

3. Tea may reduce your risk of heart attack and stroke. Drinking tea may help keep your arteries smooth and clog-free, the same way a drain keeps your bathroom pipes clear.

4. Tea protects your bones. It's not just the milk added to tea that builds strong bones. One study that compared tea drinkers with non-drinkers, found that people who drank tea for 10 or more years had the strongest bones, even after adjusting for age, body weight, exercise, smoking and other risk factors.

5. Tea gives you a sweet smile. Tea itself actually contains fluoride and tannins that may keep plaque at bay. So add unsweetened tea drinking to your daily dental routine of brushing and flossing for healthier teeth and gums.

6. Tea bolsters your immune defenses. Drinking tea may help your body's immune system fight off infections.

7. Tea protects against cancer. Thank the polyphenols, the antioxidants found in tea, once again for their cancer-fighting effects.

8. Tea helps keep you hydrated. The only time the caffeine becomes a problem as far as fluid is concerned is when you drink more than five or six cups of a caffeinated beverage at one time.

9. Tea is calorie-free. Tea doesn't have any calories, unless you add sweetener or milk. If you're looking for a satisfying, calorie-free beverage, tea is a top choice.

10. Tea increases your metabolism. Green tea has been shown to actually increase metabolic rate so that you can burn 70 to 80 additional calories by drinking just five cups of green tea per day. Over a year's time you could lose eight pounds just by drinking green tea. Of course, taking a 15-minute walk every day will also burn calories.

Dessert
Clients frequently wonder which tea is better - green, black, or white? To be honest with you, there really isn't enough difference to get overly excited about. All teas generally contain the same amount of flavonoids. Green and black tea come from the same plants, but green tea is dried for a shorter time and doesn't go through a fermenting process used for black tea.


About Cafe Physique:
The mission of Café Physique is to help clients reach and exceed their personal fitness and nutrition goals. If you’re in need of an a nutritionist in Atlanta or an Atlanta personal trainer – Café Physique is the perfect solution. We offer Atlanta yoga instruction, Atlanta prenatal workouts, and Atlanta personal training. We also have private sessions of pilates that Atlanta residents are raving about. We invite you to let a member of our Atlanta registered dietitian staff or personal training team develop and implement a realistic and healthy lifestyle plan to meet your personal goals.

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Wednesday, January 14, 2009

Diets Don't Work

Appetizer
Diets Don't Work. Stop wasting your time following someone else's plan for you. Make your own plan based on realistic changes because if you can't follow your chosen diet for the rest of your life, you're wasting precious time.

Main Course
Most people who go on diets gain back any of the weight that they've lost. This is because it is very difficult to maintain a strict eating regiment and because dieting often disrupts our bodies' natural metabolism.

We often start diets with the thought that we will suffer through some type of unnatural eating plan for a set period of time and then we will go back to our old habits after losing the weight and finishing the diet. In these cases, we haven't really addressed our underlying reasons for why we eat and how we view food and self-care.

In terms of metabolism, when we follow strict diets that don't meet all of our body's needs, our body makes metabolic adjustments that make it increasingly difficult for us to lose weight. Our body becomes very efficient, and we then have to eat less and less and less in order to continue to lose weight. The fact that the same diet becomes less effective over time, makes it nearly impossible to stick with.

So, if diets don't work, what is the answer? The key lies in making lifestyle changes (not temporary quick fixes) that honor your body. This is not an easy process, but it is fulfilling and life-altering.

Dessert
Whenever I say that diets don't work, I worry that people will interpret that to mean that they should just eat whatever they want and hope for the best. That is not the case at all. I have simply found that scripted diet plans rarely ever result in permanent weight loss. I've witnessed the disappointment and embarrassment that typically accompany failed weight loss attempts, and I've also seen the wonderful life changes that result in self-care and making peace with food.


About Cafe Physique:
The mission of Café Physique is to help clients reach and exceed their personal fitness and nutrition goals. If you’re in need of an a nutritionist in Atlanta or an Atlanta personal trainer – Café Physique is the perfect solution. We offer Atlanta yoga instruction, Atlanta prenatal workouts, and Atlanta personal training. We also have private sessions of pilates that Atlanta residents are raving about. We invite you to let a member of our Atlanta registered dietitian staff or personal training team develop and implement a realistic and healthy lifestyle plan to meet your personal goals.

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Friday, March 21, 2008

Smart Swaps

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Small substitutions can make a big difference.

Main Course
Sometimes a good diet isn’t all about completely revamping every little thing you eat. Often subtle substitutions to the foods you usually eat can make a huge difference in the number of calories you consume, the kind of nutrients you eat and your general health. Here are a few ways you can “health-ify” common meals. Use them as inspiration for altering your favorite dishes to better suit your healthy lifestyle.

Instead of: Spaghetti and Meatballs
Have: Whole Wheat Spaghetti and meatless meatballs

Switching to whole-wheat spaghetti eliminates much of the food starch that causes your insulin levels to rise and encourages your body to store fat. Plus it includes a lot of extra protein and fiber. Having vegetarian “meatless” meatballs instead of regular meatballs trims some saturated fat from the meal.

Instead of: Buttered toast, two eggs, and bacon
Have: Whole wheat toast with jelly, three egg whites, and a slice of lean ham

Even a traditional American breakfast can be made healthy. Jelly has about 1/3 of the calories of butter, plus none of the saturated fat. Scooping out the egg yolk takes out a lot of the cholesterol and saturated fat that have given eggs a bad rap. And ham has more protein than bacon but less grease.

Instead of: Two scoops of ice cream topped with chocolate syrup and sprinkles
Have: Two scoops of sorbet topped with low fat whipped cream and raspberries

No one said dieting means you have to give up your sweet tooth. Just keep an eye on the sugar and calorie content and you can have the occasional indulgence without feeling it in your waistline.



Dessert

I think this really illustrates that a good diet doesn’t start at home; it starts in the grocery store. Once you decide to only bring mostly healthy food into your home, slowly but surely, your white bread will be replaced by wheat bread; your whole milk will be replaced by skim milk; and your potato chips will be replaced by unbuttered popcorn. After that, eating healthy will simply be a matter of reaching for whatever happens to be in your fridge or cupboard.

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Friday, June 08, 2007

Introducing Cafe Physique Personal Training & Nutrition Consulting

The time has finally come to expand this blog into a full-blown business, so please allow me to formally introduce Cafe Physique Personal Training & Nutrition...Where Food, Fitness, and Fun Are a Way of Life!!!!


Please visit www.cafephysique.com for a look at all of the exciting services that we have to offer!

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Tuesday, June 13, 2006

Lunch Is Served


Appetizer
Skip lunch LESS often. It’s rare that I actually skip a meal b/c I tend to get cranky and restless after about 4-5 hours without food, but when there is a meal to be skipped, it’s usually lunch. This is a bad idea. Lunch is the mid-day meal that re-energizes your body after breakfast and bridges the time until dinner. Plus, according to studies at George Washington University, skipping meals can actually lead to overeating later in the day.

Main Course
As many people are trying to accomplish more with less free time, lunch is often the first thing to go. One study found that 14% of American workers do not take a lunch break at all during the day, and those that do only stop working for an average of 36 minutes. Another study indicates that what used to be the lunch “hour” has been reduced to an average of just 19 minutes in many cases.

So, just what are people doing when they should be eating? Some are running errands, working out (great, but not at the expense of eating properly), shopping, or just gabbing on the phone, but most people are simply WORKING. And when these worker bees do eat lunch, according to the American Dietetic Association, most of them are eating in front of the computer at their desks.

Remember this…when you starve your body (that’s what skipping lunch is), you essentially deprive yourself of necessary fuel, causing your metabolism to slow down. This makes it even more difficult to lose weight because your body holds on to whatever it gets because it doesn’t know when it might get fed again.

Dessert
Today, I’m setting a new goal. I’m going to reclaim my lunch HOUR…the whole 60 minutes. The typical 8-hour workday is 8am to 5pm, but this is actually 9 hours. Why? Because 1 hour of the workday is allotted for me to eat! So, why is it that Corporate America has developed a culture that makes you feel guilty if you actually spend more than 2 minutes eating? Never mind the fact that I rarely leave right at 5:00.

My biggest problem is that I usually bring my lunch to work so that I have more control over what I’m eating (and to save $$$). Because of that, it just makes sense for me to eat in my office. However, while I’m enjoying my food, I would love to peruse a magazine or just sit quietly and think (What a novel idea!). Unfortunately, whenever I’m in my office – even if the door is closed – my co-workers see that as a sign of my availability. They will enter my office, without knocking, and begin asking questions and discussing work while I’m forced to swallow a half-chewed bite with the fork still in my hand.


I don’t blame them though. I blame myself for going along with the insanity for this long. And that is why I’m reclaiming my lunch hour. Starting today, I’m going to leave my office every day for lunch. There is a lovely park right next to my building, and I will take my lunch out there or maybe even start eating out a bit more @ the great Mediterranean spot down the street.

Yesterday was officially my last day of shoveling food down my throat in an effort to be a more efficient corporate auto-drone.

Care to join me?

About Cafe Physique:
The mission of Café Physique is to help clients reach and exceed their personal fitness and nutrition goals. If you’re in need of an a nutritionist in Atlanta or an Atlanta personal trainer – Café Physique is the perfect solution. We offer Atlanta yoga instruction, Atlanta prenatal workouts, and Atlanta personal training. We also have private sessions of pilates that Atlanta residents are raving about. We invite you to let a member of our Atlanta registered dietitian staff or personal training team develop and implement a realistic and healthy lifestyle plan to meet your personal goals.

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