Showing posts with label eat right. Show all posts
Showing posts with label eat right. Show all posts

Monday, September 28, 2015

I Don't Fall for Food or Fitness Myths

Food and fitness myths have grown to an excessive number and causing extreme confusion in the health and fitness arena.  I am a firm believer of debunking all food and fitness myths and their false promises to deliver the perfect body in 10 days or less.  I can really get on a soap box about this subject and sometimes do.  Today seems fitting to fling a little soap around and clean up the "myth mess" created by untrue marketing in the fitness world.

Understand that most of America wants to get fit fast and companies are not dumb in knowing how to market that dream at top dollar.  Store shelves and online sites are crammed with millions of  miracle fitness makers and responding to those are the same amount of consumers.  Add that figure up and you have a several billion dollar industry all focused around you getting fit with a bottle of wonder.  Every time you step up to purchase some blend promising fat to melt off your body, create six-pack abs, build bulging muscles, or drop 7 sizes, please stop and realize those guarantees are myths.  There is nothing in that bottle or bag that is going to provide a fit body.  Supplements and herbal blends are not FDA regulated and promoters can put anything on their bottles to sell the product, and that is exactly what they do.  I do not walk the talk of teaching or selling gimmicks to achieve fitness which is the reason you will never see any endorsements for them on my Blog.  Take a close look at the small writing on most unregulated fitness supplements and you will see "should be combined with a healthy eating and exercise program for results."

Stop right there!  Guess what, if you just starting eating right and exercising you would see results without buying an expensive bottle of "quick fix" hype.   Most all our nutrients can be obtained through eating a wide variety of healthy foods.   Some foods can naturally boost metabolism getting rid of the need for any unhealthy stimulant fat burners.  Getting fit and staying healthy takes a lifestyle that can't be purchased at the store.  You are the secret to your success!  Myths are for fiction story books and fairy tales.

FITNESS MYTH

It would be nice to be able to snap our fingers and make our bodies the way we want them, but that is not life or reality.  It is time to face the truth of what it takes to achieve health and a fit body and get off the "gimmick-go-round" taking you in circles and going no-where.  Getting fit will take a commitment to eating right, consistent exercise, lots of water, and plenty of rest.  Living this lifestyle will provide the results you are looking for and you are the one who can guarantee that by your daily choices.  That sounds like a much better investment of time and money.

Take a look at my latest article on the about.com network and titled, "Eat Clean Food Myths Debunked."  for a few of the latest trends debunked through research.
Eat Clean Food Myths ... READ THE ARTICLE
Stay Healthy Fitness Tip: 
Believing food and fitness myths cause setbacks to reaching your fitness goals.


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Be well and Stay Healthy!
Darla Leal, Fit Over 50

Monday, June 1, 2015

I DON'T TAKE SUPPLEMENTS OR BELIEVE IN MAGIC

What I mean by supplements are those products that promise to create a fit and healthy body by popping or drinking whatever is in the bottle.  I guess that is where I do not believe in magic either.  I am a hard nut to crack when it comes to endorsing or promoting "enhancement" type supplements or drinks.  Those that promise to burn fat faster, create bulging muscles, and guarantee the ability to leap over buildings in a single bound.  In addition, they can come with harmful side effects I personally am not willing to chance. The next time you pick up a bottle of magic, take a close look at the label that will typically read "results obtained when combined with a healthy diet and regular exercise program."  BAM ... what is the point of wasting money?  Once a healthy diet and exercise program are implemented results will follow and that is without taking whatever is in that bottle.  Also, all supplements are not regulated and many not clinically studied, and fall under the category of food and not medicine.  


Of course any supplementation is a personal choice, and I am not a downer on all
things that may assist with improved health and wellness, and in some instances may be necessary for some people.  I do indulge in the occasional protein shake, take multi-vitamins fairly regularly, and my body seems to respond well to glucosamine for reduced pain in my joints.  This is more a maintenance body insurance program for me and I am not looking to enhance the way I look by taking anything that I have listed.  I do not believe drinking a protein shake is going to define my muscles but do benefit from a boost of vitamin C if I feel the symptoms of a cold.  

The primary source of my nutrients come from the healthy food I eat daily and not from dietary supplements. Because I eat a wide variety of food coming from lean proteins, good carbohydrates, and healthy fats  I feel very confident that all of my nutrient daily allowances are being met.  I fuel my workouts with healthy carbs, recover my body with lean proteins, and protect my cellular function with healthy fats.  

I lift weights as part of my exercise program, but do not feel I need an over abundance of protein to make my muscles larger and leaner.  I do not sit around eating loads of chicken breast and drinking several protein shakes per day.  That is just crazy and would do nothing but tax my organs and create a constipation issue.  The demands I place on my body through exercise do require more calories of ALL of the food groups and I just focus on eating healthy several times per day to satisfy those needs.  There is nothing magic about that and in fact maintaining a healthy body is pretty simple and will only require eating right and exercise.  


Read my article  "Are Supplements Really Necessary"
 for even more valuable information on the subject.

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Stay Healthy! Darla 



Tuesday, April 7, 2015

FITNESS NEWS FLASH … WORK REQUIRED AND NEVER OPTIONAL

Life does not promise easy, fair, fun, happiness, or even health.  In fact, life is hard and guess what, work is required and never an option.  It is up to each one of us to create the lifestyle that we live and this is not going to be found in a jar, pill, powder, or shake.  If popping a “fit pill” was the answer to all things magical and provided the body of our dreams inside and out, then I definitely would not need to write this blog.  The facts are in and they have been for decades that the way to obtain a fit physique is through consistent healthy food intake, regular exercise, plenty of rest, water, and balance of life. 



The “want it now” society tries every side-step method to achieve what can only be done through sweat producing work.  There is not a pill or shake that is going to teach a person how to shop and select healthy foods for life and they will surely not sprout legs and exercise so that we consume the activity benefits.  What usually does occur with quick fix programs is possibly some weight loss due to very low calorie diets and bodies that are running on empty experiencing negative side effects like dizziness, blood sugar and pressure issues, and nutrient deficiencies just to name a few.  Frustration and discouragement typically follow as the program just does not feel good and studies have shown that any weight lost is put back on plus more. 



Work goes with life, supplying our needs and wants.  We want things so we work for them, and the same is true of our health.  Health comes at the price of time, energy, and simply eating healthy food.  The work is challenging and that is a great thing because it does change us, makes us stronger and better able to enjoy our body and life overall.   We can no longer think that tricking health through gimmicks and potions is acceptable.  That would be comparable to owning the golden goose and not having to put in our eight to five for a living.  We are no strangers to what work feels like and it can be rewarding and provide an overwhelming feeling of accomplishment.  The results of hard work are being able to achieve and have what we want and desire in life, and is never optional.  If having a healthy fit body is the desire, put in the work and see what happens.   





Darla Leal, Fit at 50
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Saturday, March 28, 2015

EAT LIKE A BABY TO LOSE WEIGHT AND GET HEALTHY

Babies use food for body building fuel and nourishment to develop a healthy growing body.  They have a built in alarm clock every two to  three hours that cries out to be fed, and they also will pull away from food when they are full, eliminating the need to count calories.  As adults, we can learn much from our precious infants.  Also, their nutrients are usually always quality coming straight from Mom’s milk, or formulas containing everything a growing body needs to be healthy.  If we grab onto this philosophy and implement that strategy into our own daily nutrition, we would be on our way to adopting a healthy lifestyle.


Eating is no longer about growing a strong healthy body with quality nutrients and everything about filling our precious system with crap that does nothing but take us further from being healthy people.  We no longer pay attention to our full barometer, intake too large of portions, and fill our stomachs with foods that lack in nutritional value that cause inflammation in our blood streams, the root cause of most disease of the human body.  Food is not only our fuel, but our medicine, and can truly keep our body top notch and healthy, with minimal visits to the doctor if we consistently intake quality healthy “real” foods.  We have come full circle into a fight against healthy food and are so caught up in being mad about what we eat and why we should not eat it when it comes to healthy food.  The reason for this unfortunate issue comes straight from what sits on our grocery shelves and the marketing ploys that we all face each day through sources of media and advertisement.  Studies have shown and there are plenty of documentaries to support that the major food producers are making us fat.  But it does take team work because we can choose to say no to processed, GMO (genetically modified organisms) products, and non-organic pseudo foods that do nothing but provide a momentary good flavor and add fat stores to our bodies.  Consider that anything in a box, bag, or wrapper with ingredients unable to be understood and further stating low fat, low-sugar, and low-calorie are nothing but chemical shit storms in a package. There will be some food items packaged and part of the organic and Non-GMO certified programs and I will applaud those food producers that do understand the importance of supplying that information to consumers.  Off that soap box and getting back to eating like a baby.



Back to the basics, simplicity, and stress free healthy eating just like when we were babies is the key to mastering our daily nutrition.  It is time to stop over-thinking, over-complicating, and to start making the focus about eating healthy.  Forget about the chemical shit storms and reach for the real foods: lean organic proteins, fresh vegetables and fruits, raw nuts and nut butters, organic eggs, plain Greek yogurts, healthy fats in olive oil and avocado are just a sampling of the many healthy foods just waiting for our purchase and consumption.  Change out the sodas for water and start getting excited about the vast amount of selections of healthy food.  Personally, my hunger alarm clock goes off just the same as a baby close to the three hour mark, and I grab something healthy and satisfy that natural feeling.  I do not count calories or even worry about that because what is important is the healthy food that I feed my body and eating just until I feel satisfied, never to the point of overfull.  My body knows how much it needs because I listen to when I should stop eating.  I will say that no one ever got fat eating Kale, so even if I did eat two pounds of greens, I still would not worry about that, but would most likely not enjoy my frequent bathroom visits as a result.   Life was simpler when we were babies and the decisions made for us as we naturally cried out when we felt hungry and satisfied within 20 minutes with a boob or bottle full of nutrients, but as adults we can create a similar life by having healthy foods in our homes and eating when we feel hungry, not because we are bored or trying to squash some emotional feelings through unhealthy processed stuff.  It is a simple perspective but gives us something to think about in regards to our “mental game” surrounding nutrition. 





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Stay Healthy ~ Darla 

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