Month: January 2014

Paleo, vegan, juicing, cleansing programs, omnivorous, macrobiotic, raw, Ayurvedic. There are so many meal plans, as well as so many fad diets out there. Crazy things like the grapefruit diet, heavily restricted calories, prepackaged foods, the cabbage diet, so many I can’t list them all here.
With all of the information out there, how is anyone, especially the “average Joe (or Josephine)” supposed to figure out what is best for them to maintain a healthy lifestyle? What I tell people when I meet with them as a trainer or wellness coach and nutritionist is that I don’t personally advocate for “diets” I believe in eating for nutrition. Give your body the fuel and care that it needs, cut out the toxins (processed food, white flour, white sugar, chemicals), get a handle on portion sizes, make sure you are getting the protein, complex carbohydrates, good fats, water, amino acids and vitamins that you need. Be active. I’m an advocate for eating clean. That means cutting the garbage out of your food. Replacing white flour with things like coconut flour, ground oats (gluten-free if you are sensitive to gluten), or almond flour. Replace white sugar with better choices like not eating sweets, or getting your sugar from fruit. You can also use (in moderation) better choices for sweeteners like agave nectar, raw local honey and REAL maple syrup. Also, eliminating foods that causes allergies and inflammation in your body can be a very good choice.
Some of my favorite resources for recipes are things that I make up at home (follow on Facebook for regular recipes and meal ideas https://www.facebook.com/liz.jones.1441810 ), as well as sites like EatCleanDiet.com and Body for Life websites and books. There is also a “Clean Eating” website that has some good tips and meal ideas. I do think that some other meal plans have some virtue, I think trying recipes from some of them is a great way to add new, potentially healthy, meals to your family’s routine (for example trying a meal from a Paleo cookbook or add juicing smoothies to your day to get extra nutritional bang in your body), or trying to eat vegan a few days a week (or if you do go fully vegan, making sure that you have educated yourself enough that you are not missing essential nutrients) can all be beneficial if you do it right, do it carefully, and make sure you are getting an adequate variety of foods.
If you are dealing with a medical issue, I highly recommend, and often refer people, to meet with a registered dietician, who can get down into the more “nitty gritty” of an individual’s nutritional needs. I’m always happy to hear from people. Let me know how I can help you reach your goals in 2014.

Liz Jones is a wellness professional in Rockwall, Mesquite, Wylie and surrounding areas. She is a writer, certified yoga instructor, personal trainer and wellness coach. She holds a Master’s Degree in Organizational Leadership and Strategic Management, with a graduate certificate in Ethics and Leadership. Her undergraduate studies included communication, business, writing, art, fitness, and dance. Liz Jones can be reached at: [email protected].

Anyone who has a family at home and is trying to live a healthy life probably knows that the people around you in your home probably influence your life and your choices more than any other factor in your life. Many individuals who struggle with weight management (over 66% of our population) are likely to have children that struggle with weight issues at some point. Or if your spouse eats unhealthy food or doesn’t exercise, it may be hard for you to maintain healthy habits.
The best way you can encourage your partner or children to be healthy is to work as a family toward your fitness. Finding ways to be physically active together, like going for family walks, playing volleyball or soccer in the yard or joining group sports together. Another thing you can do is schedule a group session with a personal trainer to learn some exercises that you can do together. You could also participate in things like indoor wall climbing, 5K walks/runs, WII sports, or take a Zumba class together.
Some of the things that we do together is go to the gym to train together whenever we can and we box together in our yard (he holds the pads and I practice my hits and we do bag work together). With our thirteen year old we both help with the soccer team that she plays on, we all play volleyball in the yard and have even made up games with racquets hitting tennis balls or other objects around the yard. We are planning to do a 5K together in May as a family.
Not only is staying physically active good for your whole family’s health, it is good for maintaining healthy relationships within your family.
If you are looking for ways to implement fitness into your family, please feel free to send me an e-mail and I’d be happy to make some suggestions.

Liz Jones is the Wellness Coordinator for the City of Mesquite and a wellness professional in Rockwall, Mesquite, Wylie and surrounding areas. She is a writer, certified yoga instructor, personal trainer and wellness coach. She holds a Master’s Degree in Organizational Leadership and Strategic Management, with a graduate certificate in Ethics and Leadership. Her undergraduate studies included communication, business, writing, art, fitness, and dance. Liz Jones can be reached at: [email protected].