The Body Image Hypocrisy

I watch the same morning news show on a fairly regular basis. This morning, the stories and their juxtapositions illustrated the biggest challenge we are facing when it comes to fitness: the body image hypocrisy.

A story about how a celebrity stays in shape (read: keeps her perfect body) after 40, the narrative running in the background as we watch her pose for a photo shoot in bikini bottoms and stilettos. The next story, the “magic mirror” in IKEA, asking women to rate how they feel when they look in the mirror. The vast majority of women choosing less-than-favorable options, and then being reduced to tears when the mirror says, “No, you’re good enough.” The next segment: steals and deals on anti-aging products for your skin. AND HAIR. Because now we have to worry about our hair looking old?

I see this happen with my clients. A woman felt great about her own progress, until she saw a 20-something former gymnast bend herself in half, every guy in the facility captivated. Her face fell, and she looked at her feet and said, “I’ll never look like that.” Others look disparagingly at their mid-sections and say, “it’ll never be flat…”

Underwear companies and cereal commercials try to empower us to be proud of whatever shape we are. Seems like a really nice thing, and I bought in until I realized they are still profiting from this perpetual feeling that no matter how hard we work, we will never be “perfect.” We won’t have flat bellies and toned whatever. But we’ll eat that cereal because it also suggests that if we do, we’ll lose weight.

The message is not to embrace your shape or your body. It’s to settle for it. The line is so thin and grey, but ultimately, we’re not getting at the root of the problem. We’re telling the 95% percent of the population who will never look like society’s ideals to settle. We’re the C students of body image. “Well, if this is the best you can do, then, we’re proud of you…  sorta.” 

But we don’t mean it. We don’t really mean it when we say, “You’re a size awesome.” Because the focus is still on the size. “You’re not a size 4? Oh, well, that’s ok… you’re a size… uhm… AWESOME!” It’s a false message of praise. Because those women are still being forced to focus on their size. It’s a constant reminder of what they aren’t.

I don’t have a solution. I don’t know how you change an entire society’s perspective, unless they want to change. Because we can say we’re all about embracing our individual shape, size, age, but we’re still buying anti-aging serums, we’re still buying gimmicky videos and pills and weight loss systems because they are tapping into this insecurity and “solving” it. We’re not shifting our focus to healthy living and healthy aging. We’re latching on to every false promise of weight loss. Gluten free, because you’ll lose weight.  Paleo diet, because you’ll lose weight. This serum so you’ll look younger. Don’t age! Don’t be fat! But if you are… well, it’s… fine…I guess.

The Power of the Mind/Body Connection: Clari's Story

Clari is one of my “rock star” clients. She has been training with me for several months, and she puts her all into every single session, as well as her independent workouts. She has made incredible strides both physically, and, as you are about to learn, mentally and emotionally. I am honored to share her story and words of wisdom with you here:

“The biggest obstacle to any kind of transformation is the voice that tells you it’s impossible.” ~Geneen Roth, Women Food and God

I am a spirit on the journey to my guided mission on earth! I did not know that until recently; well it was not fully in my conscious, anyway. What I did know was I was in a battle field where my self- sabotaging mind was telling me that this was the body I was meant to have. Worn down and on a road to Diabetes. This was it! So I would lose weight and gain it back on a binge of self-hating thoughts that would turn into Cheesecake Factory apple pie at 9:30pm. “What is wrong with me?” I thought. “How could I do this to myself?” So began the cycle (again) of getting back on the band wagon of doing the best I could with the food available around me. How did I change this? How can we all change this?

America is sick to its core with the poison pumped into our brains through constant media coverage. But what they don’t tell you on those quick fix commercials is how to change and level up your mind to be ready for the evolution we want our bodies to step into. They don’t tell you about the hard work, the self-love development, the spiritual journey, or the blood, sweat, and tears one must “suffer” to gain the rewards we seek. Our minds, hearts and bodies must be in total alignment with the goal we want to reach. It’s not easy, and whomever tells you differently is lying.

There is a choice: The road you choose to total body wellness or the default life of sticking anything you want in your mouth and paying the price. That price was getting too high for me. So I chose to change everything. Starting with the voice in my head that said, “Relax, we’ll go to the gym later,” or “Just ask for fries. What does it matter?” or “Your doctor doesn’t know how you would suffer sacrificing so much.” Change the voice that you let guide you and you will change your life. The body and the mind are intimately connected; anything you are doing is a result of a thought and with practice you can override the system that tells you (like it told me) “you will be fat forever.”

Some steps you can take to level up your inner voice are:

Meditate: I find since I have started to create a quiet space for my thoughts, through meditation, I can notice when my thoughts are working against the body I am seeking to create.

Hunger Awareness: Sometimes we eat from the place of our emotions. When I am seeking love or approval, naturally I want ice cream, I am conscience of that.  Asking yourself, “What am I really ‘hungry’ for?” brings awareness and connection to your consciousness about what experiences we are longing for in that moment. This makes us acknowledge and be aware of our emotional needs and can help stop you from the setback of emotional eating.

Finally and most importantly have a powerful goal in mind of your body transformation. The first time I met Nicole, I told her this and I keep it on my mind every day: “I want to sculpt the body of a goddess.” Create and describe an empowering image of the body you seek to create. Write it down for more power and keep it in your mind on your journey.

So far I have lost upwards of 20 pounds since I have started and what I know now is that without my head in the game, I would never have progressed this far. So get your head in the game or you’ll be right back where you started!

Claristela Cuduco is a Certified Dream Builder Coach and author of the popular, Best DreamLife blog, helping her clients design and manifest the life of their soul's purpose. As a sought out life coach and profession speaker, Claristela offers inspiring workshops as well as transformational in-depth coaching programs to help clients achieve new heights of success, fulfillment and spiritual aliveness. Stop by and find out how Claristela can empower you to achieve your dreams.

Five Benefits of Meal Planning

Changing our food habits can be challenging. There are so many things that go into proper nutrition, and an awful lot out there to choose from. But spending a few minutes each week designing a game plan can save you in more ways than one.

1. It’ll save you money: Going into the grocery store with no plan at all is a recipe for disaster, but even with a shopping list, you may be spending more money than you need to. By planning all of your meals for the week, you’ll only buy the items required to prepare those meals. Match up your plan with sales and coupons, and you’ve got a double bonus on savings.
2. Avoid impulse buys: Wandering up and down the aisles trying to remember what you need sets you up to buy impulse items—especially if you shop hungry! These items tend to be snacks or comfort foods that cause trouble when they’re in the house. If it’s not on the list, don’t buy it.
3. Variety is key: Buying the same things over and over means eating the same things over and over. Boredom can lead to cheating. With meal planning, you can ensure you’ve got plenty of different veggies, protein sources, and flavors to keep it interesting and healthy.
4. What’s for dinner? Coming home to an empty fridge or a fridge full of leftovers can tempt us to eat out or order in, a sure-fire way to waste money and eat poorly. Knowing what’s on the menu for the week makes it less challenging to stay on track. Additionally, you should plan your meals around your schedule. Make a simpler dish later in the week or on an evening when you might get home later. If you’re tired, you’ll be more willing to fix something simple.
5. You know exactly what you’re eating: Eating out or picking up pre-made meals makes it incredibly challenging to know the true content of your food. But when you’re the creator you know exactly what is—and what isn’t—in your dishes. Avoid the excessive sodium, additives, and calories in pre-made food or restaurant dishes. 

As a bonus, track your spending and calories to see your savings and progress. Happy shopping!

Benefits of the BOSU

You’ve probably seen this odd-looking piece of equipment in your gym. The BOSU (which stands for Both Sides Up), is a tool that helps you build up your balance and core strength. You can amp up the most basic movements with a BOSU to get even more out of your workout.

Split squat with round side up

NOTE: If you have any issues with hip, knee, or ankle stability, the BOSU is not a good choice for you, unless otherwise specified by a fitness professional or doctor.

Tall plank with flat side up

There are two ways to use the BOSU. The rounded side up, or the flat side up. Starting with the rounded side up is recommended, as the flat bottom provides a more stable base, and the rounded side provides a challenging surface. Simply standing on the BOSU to gain your balance can be an exercise in itself!

Once you’ve established you can stand on the BOSU and keep your balance, try exercises such as squats, bicep curls, overhead tricep presses, or split squats. That unstable surface will force your core to work harder, and you’ll find your once simple exercises to be challenging again!

Glute bridge with flat side up

The BOSU can also be used for floor-based exercises, such as planks, crunches, pushups, and chest presses. Again, the instability demands more of your muscles, so you’ll feel the burn much faster, and you’ll be working on your balance and core at the same time.

Sharing Success: Anjeannine's Story

Learning about other people’s success can be a great inspiration to your own health and fitness journey. Anjeannine has lost more than 100 lbs. since 2011. Her success story is inspirational, and a fantastic example of why I love what I do so much. Read more about Anjeannine’s story here:

I was losing weight on my own, but had plateaued at 235. I reached out to my old high school buddy,

May 2011

 Nicole DeFelice. She had become a personal trainer, so I knew she could help. She gave me some helpful hints on what I was doing wrong. The she set up a weightlifting plan, food diary, and measurement diary.  I followed the plan strictly. She read the measurements and the food diary and tweaked certain bad habits that I had, particularly my Luna bar addiction.

June 2014

Eventually, my clothes began to fit looser. I don’t know when exactly I lost 40 pounds because I stopped weighing myself, but, I did go from a size 18 to a size 14. One of Nicole’s tips is to not obsess over the scale, which has helped me enormously. I would weigh myself almost every other day. I was obsessed with the scale. Now, I know when I am losing inches by how my clothes fit. 

Nicole’s outlook on fitness is based on her belief that you should be preoccupied with making life changes, to live a healthier lifestyle. Her plans are easy to read and follow. She is very hands on, and easily accessible when you are having a binge moment. I don’t think I would’ve gotten past my plateau if it wasn’t for Nicole’s help. If you can’t afford an expensive trainer at the gym, Nicole’s no-nonsense approach to getting fit is the way to go.

For more information on how we can create your successful fitness plan together, click here. 

Snack Attack: 5 Tips for Choosing Wisely

One of the biggest challenges we face when changing our food behavior is controlling snack habits. The phrase “healthy snack” poses a multitude of challenges and can be incredibly misleading. Following these tips will help you get your nibble fix without destroying your calorie count and nutrition efforts.

1. Portion control: With the exception of crudités (that’s fancypants for cut up, raw veggies), “healthy snack” doesn’t mean you can eat as much as you want. This applies to fruit, nuts, trail mix, and other options. Be mindful of the serving size. Most foods come equipped with a serving size on the label. For fresh fruits, it’s easy to look up a serving size. With fruits such as apples, oranges, plums, or peaches, one piece is typically one serving. Other items, such as berries, should be measured or counted out.  One of my favorite resources for nutritional data is http://nutritiondata.self.com/. Not only does it give you calorie and nutritional data on foods, but it allows you to compare amounts to make a decision on how much you’d like to eat. Grazing on a great big bowl of nuts, grapes, or berries is a sure-fire way to tack on too many calories.
2. Read the label: Fresh fruits and vegetables, and plain, raw nuts are pretty straightforward when it comes to what they are made of. But packaged snacks can be misleading. It’s important to not only examine nutritional information, but ingredients. A good rule of thumb: if you can’t pronounce it, don’t eat it. Even items that claim to be “all natural” can have odd ingredients, chemicals, and other additives that you don’t want. Sticking with basic, original-form foods is your best bet.
3. Check your watch: Is it the 3 o’clock slump? The post-dinner munchies? Boredom nibbling? The time of day can help you choose the type of snack you want—or choose to not snack at all. The mid-afternoon snack should be something that will boost your energy (without a crash later). A handful of trail mix is a great way to boost your energy and your brain, and will be a great source of fuel for your after-work gym session. Evening and boredom snacking can be tricky, so this is the best time to reach for those fresh veggies or for nothing at all. Eating too close to bedtime can interrupt your sleep. Boredom snacking can lead to binging and packing on too many unwanted pounds. Drinking tea or water can help you determine if you’re really hungry, or just looking for something to do. If it’s been too many hours since you’ve eaten, you’re likely hungry for real.
4. Meal-planning: Snacking should be a part of your overall food plan every day. Just as you should be planning breakfast, lunch, and dinner, you should be including your snacks and using your other food choices for the day to weigh your options. If you’re a little light on the greens for the day, use snack times as a way to get more veggies in. Skimping on the protein? Choose your almonds or cheese. Snacks need to be part of your balanced eating habits.
5. Stay hydrated: Thirst is very often confused with hunger, so be sure to stay hydrated. This healthy habit can prevent you from over-snacking. Making sure you get at least 64 oz. of water a day is a must! You can also snack on foods with a high water content, such as cucumbers, tomatoes, or green peppers. They’re refreshing and low in calories.

Snack happy, snack healthy! 

Workout on the Go: Deck of Cards

If there’s one thing that nearly everyone brings on a family vacation or a weekend getaway, it’s a deck of cards. Now you can add a fun, simple workout to the games you play, and you don’t need to skip out on your fitness routines.

The game is simple: Choose an exercise for each suit. The number on the card determines the number of reps. Jacks, queens, kings, and aces are worth 11, 12, 13, and 14, respectively.  Jokers are wild, so you can do whatever you like with them. The goal: finish the deck!

Here’s a sample workout that uses no equipment: 

HEARTS:  body weight squats

DIAMONDS:  pushups

SPADES:  crunches

CLUBS: jumping jacks

JOKERS: 30-60 second planks

Accountability: The Jawbone® UP24

Accountability is a key component to successful life change. Some people choose a personal trainer or a life coach; others choose support groups, blogging, or other peer-supported environments. And some choose to simply hold themselves accountable, which can be the most difficult choice of all. Fortunately, there are many tools out there to help keep you accountable.

I have been using the Jawbone® UP24 for about three weeks now, and overall, I think it’s very effective. The UP24 app syncs right to my phone (which is Android, but it works with iPhone also), and I have everything in one place. That’s my favorite aspect of this device: one-stop shopping.

The device tracks three things: steps/activity, sleep, and food. It has its own tools for these categories, but syncs with many other popular apps, so if you’re already using one, it’ll simply sync up and you won’t have to do much. Setting it up is incredibly easy, as is charging and updating the software. It comes with a special USB device to connect to your computer, but communicates with your phone via Bluetooth.

The steps/activity tracker is very useful, and fun if you’re a competitive type. You set a step goal, and it’ll track all your steps, tell you the percentage you’ve completed, and even encourage you to up your goal if you consistently meet it. You can also set a stopwatch during exercise, and simply tell it the type of workout you did and the intensity level, and it’ll calculate your calories burned. It also tells you your resting burn, active burn, and then total burn for the day. You can also set timers to make the device vibrate, reminding you to get up and move around.

The sleep tracker is a real eye-opener (pun very much intended). Sleep is an integral part of living healthy, and so many of us sacrifice too much of it. When you can see the impact your sleep is having on your goals, it can be motivating to get into bed a bit earlier. It tracks the total percentage of your sleep goal, your deep and light sleep, how many times you wake up, and how long you’re awake.

The built-in food tracker is my least favorite. I do like that it gives you a “food score,” which is a score (out of 10) on the healthfulness of your food choices, but the actual food logging tool is not only hard to navigate, but it’s incredibly inaccurate on nutrition data. The good news is that it syncs with MyFitnessPal, which is a far better, far more comprehensive food tracker. UP24 also recently added a weight goal aspect to the food tracker, so you can set caloric intake. While it’s a bit disappointing to have to use an outside app for the most important component of healthy living, it’s not so inconvenient as to be a deterrent.

UP24 also gives you fun little tips, motivational messages, and even cautionary words every day based on your progress. Today it told me to be mindful of my 4.8/10 food score (in my defense, I’m on vacation), and to keep tracking to make improvements. It encouraged me to surround myself with healthy friends to increase my chances of staying healthy, and it challenged me to take 12,009 steps today to beat my 7-day average.

With the exception of a few minor annoyances, this was a worthy purchase. If Jawbone can clean up the food tracker database and make it more accurate, it’d be near-perfect. You can even sync it with your social media accounts to share your information with your friends and family. It’s versatile, inconspicuous (just looks like a cool bracelet), and user-friendly.

Happy tracking! 

Why "Tricks" and "Diets" Set You Up to Fail

Summer is looming, and the annual pressure is on to get bathing suit ready. Like clockwork, with the spring thaw comes the wave of constant "diet" and "tricks" articles to "help you lose weight fast!" But these articles don't offer up much more than quick fixes, followed by quick failures.

The word "trick" itself implies deception. Magicians do "tricks" to fool your senses. The definition of the word includes underhanded, cheat, and roguish. This is the very reason why we find ourselves, year after year, spring after spring, in a maddening hustle to do it all again. We're tricking ourselves into a short-term solution. Ultimately, we're going to revert to the beginning. Again.


The ultimate goal, the truest, most critical challenge is to change our mindset and habits long-term. We've discussed this in various posts here, but it is the absolute most important part of your success. Drinking a large glass of water before every meal to "feel fuller" and "eat less" is not a sustainable habit. Eating clean and often enough will truly satisfy your body. You will not need to trick your body into feeling fuller if you feed it healthy, clean foods often and in a balanced way.

Summer "diets", beach body "diets"... these are not long-term habits. The word "diet" conjures up feelings of restriction, sacrifice, hunger pangs, and choking down foods we hate. But in reality, the word diet simply means the foods on which we subsist. Diet isn't a trick. It's what we eat every day, no matter what that's made of. Good or bad, your food habits are your diet.

Ultimately, the goal is to be healthy and fit year-round. If you take care of your body, feed it well, and exercise it regularly, you'll be able to put that bathing suit on in February or July. Everyone fluctuates a few pounds, and sometimes it's challenging to eat seasonal foods off-season, but if you make realistic, long-term, healthy changes now, you will have less work to do going forward.

"Tricks" and "diets" set you up for annual failure. Healthy mindsets and habits set you up for a lifetime of success.

Social Media and Your Fitness Goals

Friends and clients often ask me about various tricks, supplements, and weight-loss systems to help kickstart their weight loss or to break through plateaus. My answer is always the same: eat clean and exercise regularly. But what I often leave out (mostly because it’s a difficult, delicate pill to swallow), is that you have to be honest with yourself about your own habits: The truth shall set your goals free.

Social media is a great way to keep in touch, but it’s also an excellent catalog of your own habits. Scroll through your Facebook or Instagram account. How often are you posting pics of you and your friends having drinks? How many awesome desserts and fabulous meals have you concocted? How often are you checking in at restaurants and eateries?

Your efforts don’t begin in the gym. They don’t begin in your kitchen. They begin in your heart and mind, at the point where you are ready to admit that your habits are not the best, forgive yourself for it, and resolve to make the change. If you are not willing to do those three things, no smoothie maker, pill, powder, exercise DVD, or app is going to work. Especially not long-term.

We love to throw around phrases such as “lifestyle change” and “healthy living.” But we rarely talk or think about the volume of effort that goes into truly making those changes. It can be overwhelming, especially when we are struggling with want vs. need. You have to truly want to make changes—of any kind. “I need to stop eating poorly.” “I need to go to the gym more.” Until need becomes want this will not work.  But when you do make the decision, it’ll feel better than any sundae or appletini you’ve ever had.

Use your social media outlets to support your efforts. Post healthy meal photos. Share fitness milestones, even if you think it’s small or lame. If you walked a mile for the first time today, share it! New sneakers? Post them! Working out with friends? Instagram and tag it. Be proud of yourself. You’ll be amazed at the volume of feedback. The people who love you want you to succeed and be healthy. Share it. 

Workouts Do Not Equal Free Eating Pass

It's Friday evening. You just got home from spin class, your fourth one this week. You're starving, and all you can think about is ordering a pizza. You were good all week, right?  What's one night of pizza and junk food? How much could it hurt?

A lot.

Our perceptions of caloric intake/expenditure are often skewed. We tend to downplay the caloric value of food and overestimate how much we've actually burned. This misconception can lead to weight gain or a weight loss stalemate, which results in frustration and diminishes your efforts.

The best defense against this vicious cycle is knowledge. Most food tracking apps and programs will give you the nutritional value of foods, which you should also compare to the food label. It's important that you are utilizing accurate tools to calculate these numbers.

It's also important to remember that all calories are not equal! Attached to those calories are a host of other
nutrients and ingredients that impact your workout and your overall health. The 100 calories in an apple are going to be far better for you than 100 calories worth of cake.

Calculating calorie expenditure can be a bit more tricky. We don't all burn calories at the same rate. But averages are available and are a good way to get a handle on true expenditures. How often have you thought, "I must've burned 1,000 calories in that class/workout!"? The truth is, it's incredibly hard to burn 1,000 calories in 45-60 minutes, unless you are an athlete doing a super-high intensity workout. For example, you'd have to keep a racing pace (20 mph or greater) for one hour in a spin class to break the 1,000-calorie threshold. Chances are, you're somewhere between 500-800 calories burned, even if you are a seasoned spinner. A one-hour Zumba class can burn up to 400 calories, but you're probably somewhere in the 250-300 range.

One slice of pizza, on average, is worth 250-350 calories. 

Will one meal, once a week hurt? Probably not. As a matter of fact, it's probably a good thing to employ the 80/20 rule. It's okay once in a while to indulge. But having a "bad meal" or a "cheat snack" daily because you worked out is a slippery slope, and will kick off a very dangerous fitness glut. Arm yourself with knowledge, make smart choices, and take pride in your efforts to fuel your body with nutrition.

5 Critical Steps to Staying Resolute in the New Year

Day one of your New Year's Resolution is here. You've got determination. Focus. Dedication. Excitement. Enthusiasm. It's going to happen, you're going to be amazing, and nothing is going to stop you.

But do you have a plan? What's going to stop you from slipping back into your old habits by the first week in February, only to panic at the beginning of May because summer is 3 weeks away?

The biggest key to your health and fitness success is planning. A short-term and long-term plan. Goals are awesome, but they will never be realized if you don't plan for them. It's time to go at 2014 like no other year before it. If you want this to be the last battle, you've got to plan for the war.

1. Have a schedule: You must make exercise part of your regular routine. If you don't blow off grocery shopping, paying your bills, or going to work, you can't blow off exercise, either. It needs to be a habit, and it needs to be consistent. If there are days of the week that you know are just too insane, then don't plan to work out that day. But choose the days/times that you know will work, and commit to them. Good intentions don't burn calories.
2. Be realistic and specific: Do not plan to work out twice a day every day if the last time you saw a treadmill or a dumbbell was 5 years ago. Be realistic about the frequency and time of day you plan to exercise. If you're not a morning person, resolving to go to the gym at 5am isn't going to work. Start with 3-4 days/week, 30 to 60 minutes, and work your way up. Know exactly what you're going to do and when. Ask most fitness professionals and/or fitness enthusiasts if they have specific activities set for specific days, and the vast majority will say yes.  If you really love the Wednesday night group fitness class, that that's your plan for Wednesday. Also be sure to have a Plan B. If you hit traffic and can't make the class, that doesn't mean you go home. It means you do something else instead. The same goes for equipment use. If you like to use the elliptical, but they're all taken, then get on a bike or a treadmill. Skipping because you're late or someone else is using your item of choice is nothing but an excuse. 
3. Map your meals: If you're on the go, have a family, work insane hours, etc., eating well can be a challenge. You'll need to map out your meals for the week, even if it means sitting down once a week, listing it out, making food in advance, etc. Not knowing what you're going to eat or even having anything suitable on hand is a surefire way to wind up with take out. 
4. Choose variety: This goes for exercise and healthy eating. You need to keep it fun and different to stay engaged, but also to see the changes in your body. Most plateaus are a result of routine--your body gets used to what you're doing and stops responding. It has to be challenged in order to change. Variety can be hard to figure out when you're new to all this, so just keep trying new things. If you've never taken a spin class before, don't assume you won't get through it. Try. Often we surprise ourselves! The worst that can happen when you try something new is that you don't like it. At least you still got a workout in! 
5. Track your progress: This is not just getting on the scale once a week. Track your steps taken, calories burned, minutes exercised. There's tons of apps and devices out there for you to use.  You need to see your accomplishments outside of pounds shed. You need to see yourself getting stronger, working out longer, working harder. All of this will keep that enthusiasm alive and well. It can even inspire you to set specific fitness goals, such as running a 5k, or doing an obstacle course challenge. You need to see how far you've come in order to keep going. 

May 2014 be your strongest and healthiest year yet!