Are there supplements I should be taking?

I got the question "Are there supplements I should be taking?" after sending a podcast to a friend and client that was sponsored by supplement companies. There is no one-size-fits-all answer to this question. So, I thought I would take the time to answer her and any of you that may have the same question.

Supplements are just that, designed to supplement your current diet. Does anyone absolutely need supplements? Yes. Lets start with a history lesson that you may already know:

Scurvy. Scurvy is a disease that results from a deficiency of Vitamin C. Surely a deficiency of Vitamin C, can't kill you though, right? Wrong! According to Science History Institute, between the time that Columbus sailed the ocean blue and the 1850s, millions died from scurvy. It was so prevalent that governements and ship owners expected 50% of their crew and passengers to die before making landfall. The reason? No access to the fresh fruits and vegetables that provide adequate amounts of Vitamin C. Thankfully, only about 7% of people in the U.S. today have a vitamin C deficiency severe enough to cause the disease. If those sailors had access to a Vitamin C supplement, they wouldn't have died at sea!

Let's move on to one that does have a high prevalence of deficiency in the United States today: Vitamin D. Accoridng to Cleveland Clinic more than 1/3 of the adult population in the United States has Vitamin D defficiency. If we look at Vitamin D insufficiency, that number is even higher. Vitamin D deficiency causes: muscle aches, bone pain, fatigue, disrupted sleep, recurring infections (Vit. D affects the immune system), depressed mood, weight gain or overeating and brain fog, amongst others. Vitamin D plays a crucial role in many aspects of our health, not just our bones, so making sure that you get a sufficient amount is very important!

Another mineral that has a high prevalence of deficiency is Magnesium. According to healthline, somewhere between 2.5 and 15% of Americans are deficient in magnesium, but I have heard much higher rates quoted lately. The probability that you are deficient in magnesium rises if you have type II diabetes or celiac's disease. Low levels of Magnesium cause a wide range of symptoms including trouble falling and staying asleep, fatigue, muscle twitches and cramps, high blood pressure, osteoporosis, nausea and irregular heartbeat.

So, where do you start to know what supplements you may need to be taking? I would start with getting a physical and routine bloodwork done at your doctor's office. If you go to your doctor and they run tests and discover that you are deficient in a certain vitamin or mineral, they will probably tell you to start taking a supplement to bring you back up to normal range.

Here is my most recent personal journey with supplementing: a little less than a year ago, I had a physical done that included routine blood work and I asked to have my vitamin D level checked. I was deficient in Vitamin D. Could that have been why I had been feeling so tired and my immune system hadn't worked so well over the last year? Possibly. So I started a new, higher quality and higher dosage Vitamin D supplement. I had my levels rechecked a couple of months ago and they were within normal range, but still insufficient and definitely not optimal, so I am continuing to supplement and will have my levels checked again in June. I was continuing to feel overly tired when I had my vitamin D levels rechecked and my doctor found that I was deficient in iron also. She recommended a specific iron supplement which I promptly bought and began taking. I will also have those levels checked again in June. Those are two personal examples of needing to take a supplement to support my overall health and wellbeing. If you haven't had a physical in the past few years and/or haven't had your bloodwork done, now is a good time to schedule that appointment. The more you know, the better you can do for your health!

Are there supplements that I take that I don't necessarily need to take? Yes. In February I started taking MAKE Wellness FIT which is a bioactive precision peptide supplement. It also contains vitamin D, Vitamin B6, Vitamin B12, Magnesium and caffeine. Am I deficient in any of those things? Well, we already established Vitamin D, and I don't know about the vitamin Bs, but they are water soluble vitamins (your body easily gets rid of any excess) that help with energy production and are only toxic at VERY high doses, so I feel comfortable taking them. I am not defficient in Magnesium. Mine was within normal range, but it's a relatively small amount in this supplement and my levels were not at the top end of the range. Since magnesium has lots of great benefits from improving gut health to better sleep, I am comfortable taking it with continued monitoring of my blood levels. The peptide part of the supplement is a nutritional supplement (peptides are small parts of proteins) with a specific function. I choose to use this supplement to build and retain muscle mass, decrease my recovery time between workouts and reduce delayed onset muscle soreness. I would consider this to be a performance enhancing supplement. Do I need it? No. Is it affecting my health positively and increasing my quality of life? Yes, I think it is. It seems to be doing exactly what the creators intended and tested it for!

Do I think that everyone should be supplementing with Vitamin D, Magnesium, Vitamin B, Peptides, etc., etc.? No. Every body is different and needs different things. Get your bloodwork done, supplement with specific vitamins and minerals to bring your body to optimal levels and then take a look at peptides for an added boost. There are peptides that support focus, aid energy production, promote healing, regulate hunger and satiety cues and many other incredible things!

If you have any questions, please reach out to me through a direct message or rebekah@trainwithrebekah.com

Disclaimer: I am not a doctor. This is not a prescription! Consult your physician for specific supplement advice.

Great start to my day, even if it didn't include sunshine!

I wish the sun was out today so that I could soak it in while resting in the grass again. Instead, I started my day in another healthy way: walking with a GREAT friend! Physical and emotional health goals met at the same time. Woot!

While we were walking, she asked me if I was using FIT in place of a protein powder/shake/supplement. I thought it would be a good question to answer for everyone, so here's what I said:

I used to drink a whey protein "shake" (just water and protein powder) immediately after every weight training session. I no longer do that. Now, I drink FIT before, during and/or after my workout sessions. Does that mean that protein powders/supplements are not useful at all anymore? No! I still use protein powder to fill in the gaps in my diet if I need to. For example, if it's a rushed day and I am not able to meet my protein goals from whole foods, then I will consider adding in a protein shake or adding protein powder to my oatmeal or yogurt. I also have started making protein cookies with flax, nut butter and some protein powder for a satisfying, nutrient rich snack (they are also high in fiber and my kids even like them!). So, my use of protein powder now is not to recover and refuel from my workouts, but rather just help me reach my daily protein intake goals. Just FYI, a good GOAL is 1gram of protein for every pound of body weight. I say it's a good goal because it's actually more than you need, but if that's what you aim for and you fall short by 20-30 grams, it's probably still enough! If you do that calculation and it seems like an absurd amount of protein to you, then reach out to me! I will help you figure out how much your body really needs so that you are optimizing your protein usage and building lean muscle!

What is FIT doing for me? It is helping me to retain and build muscle: My weight is staying relatively stable, but my body fat percentage is dropping. It is increasing my exercise capacity: I have been able to increase the amount of weight that I lift, workout after workout, week after week and I have even wanted to get in a fifth weight lifting session each week! Decreasing delayed onset muscle soreness: I used to be sore after every workout. Usually 24 to 48 hours after a workout I would be very sore, often even to the touch. I honestly can't remember the last time I felt sore after a workout (it was before I started drinking FIT!). For example this week I was able to do 4 strength workouts in a row Monday through Thursday with no muscle soreness and no decrease in power. I split up muscle groups so that I didn't do the same muscle group on consecutive days, but prior to taking FIT it would be hard for me to do a second leg workout on a Thursday if I had done one on Tuesday because I would still be very sore at that point. Tight, yes, but sore, no. The tightness is a whole different issue that I need to work on by increasing my stretching and mobility exercises. I did a leg workout yesterday and then today I did sprint intervals. I could definitely feel my hamstrings because they are a bit tight, but even after finishing the sprints, I am not sore! Mind. Blown.

Why does any of this matter?! Because Muscle is the key to longevity and health span! More on that to come! Muscle is my favorite!

Yes, this is my arm...my Left one!

Now...let me go stretch. ;)

Fruity Curry Chicken Salad →

Here is the recipe to my favorite chicken salad. I have been making this one for years. I started liking curry in my chicken salad when I first tried it at a restaurant in Downtown Fredericksburg many years ago. Changes that I make to this recipe are: I only use 1/2 cup of mayonnaise. I add a bit of salt. I omit the pecans because my third daughter is allergic! If I have green onions, I use them, but more often than not I don't have them on hand, so I omit them. This is a great high protein dish that everyone seems to like. Give it a try and let me know what you think! (Click the title of this post, it's a link to the recipe!)

How I drink my FIT supplement

Good Morning! I just wanted to share how I drink my FIT supplement since it's a bit different than the directions on the box. I mix mine into a full 24oz of water. The box says to "mix one packet with 8-10 ounces of water daily". I like to add mine to more water because it tastes too sweet and too tart in only 10oz of water and because it helps me to drink more water by diluting it more.

So, I fill my water bottle up to 16oz, pour in the FIT powder from the packet, put the lid on SECURELY and shake it up. Then I fill it up the rest of the way to 24oz and put the lid on SECURELY and shake it up again. Then I enjoy! And here is proof that I actually do drink it!

Adding the FIT powder to my water.

Shake it up! I only recommend shaking it if you have a very tightly sealed bottle.

Proof! It’s delicious! And, it’s helping me drink 64-72oz of water a day. I used to struggle to drink 48 ounces!

Electrolytes and Hydration

Dehydrated? Exercise Heavily? Sweat Heavily? Work or Exercise out in the heat and sun? Sick? Taking a peptide supplement? Then you may need to replenish your electrolytes. MAKE Wellness has a product for that. It’s called, simply, HYDRATED.

HYDRATED contains Magnesium, Chloride, Sodium, Potassium, Solar Sea Sport AC, Glycine and Coconut Water. It is naturally grapefruit flavored from fruit extracts and oils. It has the best taste of any electrolyte drink I have ever tasted. It is marketed by MAKE as a peptide support supplement. It does not contain any peptides, but the makers claim that it helps the peptides in their products to be well absorbed and to function properly in the cells. Alan Jones the Director of Science at MAKE Wellness says that without proper hydration, the peptides won’t make it to their intended sites. Electrolyte balance is important for all cellular processes and an imbalance has awful effects on the body.

What are electrolytes? Electrolytes are substances that have a natural positive or negative electrical charge when dissolved in water. They help your body regulate chemical reactions, maintain the balance between fluids inside and outside your cells, and more. Electrolytes are crucial for body processes like conducting nerve impulses, contracting muscles, hydrating, and regulating pH levels. You need adequate electrolytes from your diet to keep your body healthy. The key electrolytes are Sodium, Magnesium, Potassium, Calcium, Chloride, Phosphate and Bicarbonate.

Let’s learn a bit about each of the electrolytes in HYDRATE from the information found on Cleveland Clinic’s Website:

Magnesium: Helps your cells as they turn nutrients into energy. Your brain and muscles rely heavily on magnesium to do their job. In 2018 is was estimated that 60% of adults do not achieve the average dietary intake (ADI) and 45% of Americans are magnesium deficient, a condition associated with disease states like hypertension, diabetes, and neurological disorders, to name a few.

Chloride: Chloride is, after sodium, the most abundant electrolyte in serum, with a key role in the regulation of body fluids, electrolyte balance, the preservation of electrical neutrality, acid-base status and it is an essential component for the assessment of many pathological conditions.

Sodium: plays a critical role in helping your cells maintain the right balance of fluid. It’s also used to help cells absorb nutrients

Potassium: Your cells use potassium alongside sodium. When a sodium ion enters a cell, a potassium ion leaves, and vice versa. Potassium is also especially critical to your heart function.

And now for the rest of the ingredients:

Solar Sea Sport AC: From The Great Salt Lake in Utah. Contains electrolytes. And according to Alan Jones, MAKE Wellness Director of Science, supports the function and activation of our peptides.

Glycine: an amino acid that facilitates the transport of water and electrolytes across cell membranes. According to WebMD it contributes to cellular growth and health and may also decrease oxidative stress, improve brain and muscle performance, aid in diabetes management and prevention, decrease risk of heart attack, protect liver from alcohol damage and improve sleep quality. Wow! That’s a long list of positives for one amino acid! Alan Jones says that they used glycine in place of glucose in HYDRATED to keep the same (and even better) function but without the sugar and calories.

Coconut Water: contains a high level of antioxidants and electrolytes

Steviol Glycosides Reb M: a zero calorie sweetener given GRAS (generally recognized as safe) designation by the FDA in 2008. A review in the journal Molecules in 2023 found that “active compounds isolated from Stevia rebaudiana possess interesting medicinal activities, including antidiabetic, antihypertensive, anti-inflammatory, antioxidant, anticancer, and antidiarrheal activity.”

That is a lot of science and a lot of positive benefits from the ingredients in HYDRATE! If you are taking any of the peptide containing products by MAKE Wellness, they recommend that you also take hydrate to make sure that those peptides are fully utilized.

HYDRATE is the first product that I tried. It is my favorite tasting product so far and I am excited about its potential for making wellness. I asked my thirteen year old daughter's pediatrician today if it was ok for her to use it occassionally as she is a runner who definitely does not drink enough water. Her doctor thinks it will be just fine, so I let her try half of a pack today and she also loved the flavor!

If you are interested in more information on the products or the company, I came across this mom’s review and the details that she gives are great! I am just getting started introducing you to the MAKE products, but she reviews them all and the company itself. Check it out at motherhoodtruth.com and then use my link to purchase. https://makewellness.com/rebekah.doran@me.com

Keeping Pitching Lessons Exciting!

I decided to keep my pitching client on her toes this weekend by challenging her to a little competition against coach (me!). This was a fun little accuracy and endurance challenge...and she won!

What I’m using to help me drop body fat and why

In the few months leading up to Christmas, I found myself feeling unsatisfied with my body composition. I felt like I had slowly been getting softer and I was tired all the time. I had still been lifting weights 3-4 days per week and running or walking or biking 2-3 days per week and I was eating relatively healthy. I knew I was eating too many sweets though and my body fat percentage wasn’t what I wanted it to be.

As a personal trainer and former figure competitor (think body building if you aren’t familiar with the term), I knew what I needed to do to drop body fat: increase my protein and decrease my sugar intake. I also knew from my competing days that drinking a whey protein shake after my strength workouts always helped me lose body fat and build muscle more quickly than refueling with anything else. The problem is that whey protein doesn’t always sit well with me. So when I heard that FIT promotes muscle growth to a greater extent than whey, plus it contains B Vitamins (hello energy!), I wanted to try it. I’ve honestly only been taking it consistently for about a week (I am a hard sell on products and supplements. I want to research them first and know they are clean, safe and effective). I used it a couple of times sporadically before that. What I have noticed: strength gains (I am easily lifting heavier in almost every major exercise), decreased fatigue (especially right after my workouts and in the afternoons) and my body fat percentage is dropping.

I have not had caffeine in many years because it gives me the jitters and I feel horrible after drinking a regular cup of coffee, but the 100mg of caffeine in FIT has not bothered me. I eased myself into it by drinking ½ in the morning, pre-workout, and ½ in the afternoon. I have now worked up to drinking it all pre and mid-workout without jitters or any ill effects.

I have heard bodybuilders referred to as the original biohackers. I have often felt like that: experimenting on myself to try and optimize my health and body composition. Can I drop body fat without this supplement? Yes, but this gives me a faster nudge in the right direction. I used to do that with a cup of coffee pre-workout and a whey protein shake after, now I just drink FIT instead. I used to feel exhausted after my workouts and felt like I had to drag myself up the stairs, now I still have gas in the tank even after lifting heavier than I have in years!

The craziest thing to me, is that studies on the peptide in FIT are showing that it helps to maintain muscle even if you aren’t able to workout. It can preserve muscle in an immobilized limb! Mind blown!!! It also showed a 1% increase in Bone Mineral Density after only 56 days of use. More muscle = stronger bones. Woot!

Will this supplement work for everyone? Probably not. Every body is different. Will it work for many? Probably! My recommendation: If you exercise regularly, focus on eating protein, fiber, fruits and vegetables and prioritize getting enough sleep, see if this will give you just the extra boost you are looking for. It is for me!

Softball Pitching Lessons and CLINIC!

I am so excited to officially announce that I am giving my first softball pitching clinic on March 30th. Know a girl interested in softball and pitching specifically? Send her my way!

I have been working with young, beginning pitchers for about two years now and am really enjoying giving these girls their start in my all time favorite sport and position.

I started playing tee-ball when I was 5 years old and transitioned to softball at age 8. I immediately began pitching and continued through high school and even a bit in college. I miss playing and have gotten a lot of joy out of coaching over the last couple of years.

If you are interested in the clinic, you can register today!

My oldest on the mound last spring

I am still here!

Hey all! I just wanted to let everyone know that I am still here! I am still personal training and writing nutrition plans. Life has been busy and stressful over these past few years with 4 kids now and living through a pandemic. I do hope to get back to writing on here more. In the mean time, if you need a workout or nutrition plan, reach out! I would love to hear from you!

Life is CrAzY!

Remember how I said that I was going to post once a week? Yeah, that is still my goal, but life is CrAZy right now for me, as well as, I am sure, for all of you.

As you probably know, I have four children. The oldest two started out the year doing virtual school, but that didn't work out too well for them or me. So, we have now switched to homeschooling. We have been homeschooling for about 3 weeks now and it is going well, but it makes my life FULL, to say the least.

I am still making time to workout most days of the week. I usually have one day a week that something comes up and I don't get any kind of workout in, but that's ok. My workouts are my "me time", my stress reliever and my sanity keeper. I try to get up an hour and a half before the kids so that I can get my workout in and get cleaned up before the chaos of the day begins. The days I do that typically go more smoothly than the days that I hit the snooze button on the alarm and have to fit a workout in later in the day.

All that to say...keep making time for yourself. Keep making your health a priority. Whatever is going on, find a "me time", a stress reliever and be active. It's good for the body, the mind, the heart, the soul and especially for me, the attitude.

Sweet Potato Biscuits

Your kids don’t like sweet potatoes? I bet they will like these sweet potato biscuits! My family loves them! I halve the recipe or else we would eat too many at once.

I’ve had this recipes for years. I got it from “The King George Farmer’s Market Fields to Table Cookbook”.

We ate these tonight with chicken salad over a bed of fresh spinach.

I use all maple syrup (and only 1 cup), coconut oil and I form them in my hand and place them on the baking sheet.

I hope you enjoy them as much as I do!

Sweet Potato Biscuits

• 4 Cups Flour (I use Bob’s Red Mill Gluten Free 1 to 1 Baking Flour)
• 2 TBS Baking Powder
• 1 1/2 tsp salt
• 1 Cup Olive, Coconut or vegetable oil
• 2 Cups Mashed, cooked sweet potato
• 1-1 1/2 Cups Sweetener (Part Sugar and part maple syrup or molasses is nice.)

Preheat oven to 425 degrees. Combine flour, baking powder and salt. In a separate bowl, combine oil, sweet potato and sweetener. Mix into dry ingredients. This dough can be rolled out with additional flour and cut with a biscuit cutter (about 1/2 inch thick) or just spooned onto a baking sheet. Bake for about 12 minutes until the bottoms are golden brown.

Short and Sweat...er...I mean Sweet!

It was 1:15pm as I was putting my 2 year old down for her nap and holding and bouncing the baby in hopes that he would also fall asleep. No such luck, but with plans that began in just over an hour that lasted until dinner time, I knew that it was now or not at all today to get my weight workout in. So, I stuck the baby in his bouncy chair and set up the garage for my workout. Workout began at 1:30pm in about 1,000 degree heat and 100% humidity (or at least that's what it felt like). For the first 25 minutes, between sets, I bounced and fanned the baby. I finished the last 10 minutes of my workout inside on an exercise mat on the floor and let my oldest take over bouncing the baby. Was it the best workout ever? Nope. Was it good enough? Yep! Will it at least help me maintain the muscle I already have? Yep! Did I show my kids that my health and physical activity is important to me and important in general? Yep! Will I be super sore tomorrow and have a hard time going up and down the stairs? Time will tell. In case you are wondering, here is what I did:

Barbell Squats 3 sets of 12 superset with Barbell Standing Calf Raises 3 sets of 20

Barbell Deadlifts 3 sets of 15

Barbell Stationary Lunges 3 sets of 12 on each leg

Lying Leg Raises to target the outer thigh 2 sets of 15 triset with Lying Leg Raises to target the inner thigh 3 sets of 20 and Body Weight Glute Bridges 3 sets of 20.

Make time for your health and your sanity!

I'm Back!

Hello friends! I have taken quite a hiatus from my website! I just wanted to drop in tonight to say, I am back! I hope that I can find a few minutes each week to check in with you and maybe bring a few workout ideas and recipes to you.

It is 10pm and I just finished a quick workout. For those who know me well, you know that is quite strange as I am a morning person and until the past few months would have been in bed by 10pm! Having baby number four and going through an epidemic has changed up my schedule a bit. Right now I am getting a workout in whenever and wherever I can. Tonight it was a quick run and core workout in my bedroom. Here is what I did:

1/4 mile run on treadmill 25 crunches, 15 oblique v-ups (each side), 20 4-count flutter-kicks 1/4 mile run on treadmill 25 crunches, 15 oblique v-ups (each side), 20 4-count flutter-kicks 1/4 mile run on treadmill 25 crunches, 15 oblique v-ups (each side), 20 4-count flutter-kicks 1/4 mile run on treadmill 25 crunches, 15 oblique v-ups (each side), 20 4-count flutter-kicks 1/4 mile walk on treadmill to cooldown.

This took me about 25 minutes and I burned about 100 calories.

I need to workout for my mental health. After a long day of cooking, cleaning up after kids, playing with kids, changing diapers, etc...I needed this quick workout for me. Make you a priority! You can't fill anyone else's bucket if yours is empty!

Chickpea Tomato Soup with Rosemary →

Today I bring you a delicious soup that I have made twice in the past three weeks. This soup may come in handy next week when the temps drop back down to freezing and below...hello winter in March! This recipes, like the last, comes from skinnytaste.com If you haven't checked out that website yet, do it! It has some delicious and very healthy recipes.

The first time I made this, I forgot to put the spinach in at the end...it wasn't missed. It was LOVED by my oldest who also licked her bowl clean when I gave it to her for lunch the next day as leftovers.

The second time I made it, it was devoured by every single person in my family. Even the little three year old who is becoming more picky by the day ate it up! And again, my oldest enjoyed it for lunch the following day. I did remember the spinach the second time and the kids balked at it at first, but ended up eating it without a problem.

My oldest even said that this is her favorite soup ever! So, thanks skinnytaste.com!

Korean Beef Rice Bowls →

Hey everybody! It's been a while again, I know. I know. Sorry about that.

Today I want to share a recipe with you that I tried out last night that took me only 30 minutes to make and tasted like something I could have gotten at a restaurant. Delicious! If you follow me on Facebook or Instagram, you have already seen the picture of it.

Every one of my family members enjoyed this recipe. I left the chili flakes out and just put them on the table to be added to everyone's liking. My three and five-year-olds ate the entire serving that I gave them without any chili flakes added. My five year old who is typically the more picky of the two actually thanked me for making this for dinner! Melt a momma's heart!

Also, I couldn't find Gochujang sauce at my grocery store, so I just omitted it. You could probably use Siracha if you really want that spice though.

Give this one a try on a busy weeknight. I doubt you will be dissapointed.

Experiment Update: Some Added Sugar

It has been almost two weeks since I started my "No added sugar" experiment. Let me just tell you that it only lasted for 3 days as absolutely no added sugar. On day 4 I decided that I wanted to put that 6 grams of sugar in my coffee...plus I had a small piece of paleo pumpkin bread at a friend's house which I am sure had some kind of sweetener in it.

I did not, however, let that completely derail me. I decided that no added sugar was a bit harsh, so I modified my plan. Now my goal is focusing less on sugar directly and more on processed food as a whole.

My goal: only one processed food item a day. So far, other than one day last week (date night), I have done it! I found that cutting back on just added sugar still allowed me to eat some breads, crackers, chips and the like as much as I wanted. The great part about focusing on consuming less processed foods in general is that not only am I cutting back on added sugars but also salt and other additives.

So you may be wondering what I mean by "only one processed food item a day". Let me give you some examples of food items I may choose: bread to make a sandwich, pancakes for breakfast, granola to mix in my plain Greek Yogurt, cornbread to go along with my chili at dinner, tortillas with my fajitas, tortilla chips and salsa for a snack, rice cakes as a vessel for my peanut butter. Again, those are just examples of the choices I have to make every day. I can choose just ONE of those. So, to further that example the following is what I ate yesterday:

Breakfast: Scrambled eggs and oats

Snack: Yogurt and granola (here is my one processed food)

Lunch: Leftover Pesto Chicken, roasted sweet potatoes and steamed broccoli

Snack: Peanut Butter and carrot sticks

Dinner: Cajun Shrimp and Rice with snow peas

Snack: Apple slices and Sun Butter

My outcomes so far: My headaches went away after I switched to the processed food focus from the added sugar focus. I am eating far more fruits and vegetables than I used to because I am replacing some of my starch/carb snack foods with them. My energy levels seem to be up as I am much less tired this week than I have been for the past several. I am not having sugar cravings like I was for a while there after coming off of my competition prep diet. My mood even seems to be a bit lifted. And my added sugar intake is still far lower than it was just a few weeks ago. Most days I am staying under 30grams of added sugar but there were a couple of days where I have had as much as 40grams (it really all depends on how many cups of coffee I drink in a day).

So, overall this seems to be working well for me. I think I am going to try to make it a perminent healthy living strategy. I would love to know if anyone else is willing to give it a try and see how it makes you feel!

Experiment in Progress: No Added Sugar

On Saturday night I decided on a whim to stop eating added sugar. So, no teaspoon of sugar in my coffee, no honey in my tea, no bread, no cereal, no Starbucks, no halloween candy, no sweets, no treats, no flavored yogurt, just oil and vinegar on my salads...

My initial goal was to go for a week without any added sugar in my diet. I have now gone for two days. I made it through a halloween party and trick-or-treating without indulging. Honestly, the hardest part so far is not having a spoon of sugar in my coffee. That is what may keep me from making it to a week!

I wanted to try it just to see how hard it would be and also because I felt like I have been eating too much processed food and too much sugar lately. I am also interested to see what I feel like without eating any added sugar.

So far this is what I have eaten:

Breakfast Sunday: scramled egg whites with spinach in cocounut oil plus oats cooked with sliced apple and cinnamon.

Lunch Sunday: Chicken cooked in salsa, rice and roasted green beans

Dinner Sunday: Homemeade Chili, popcorn popped in oil, a few plain potato chips. (Halloween party)

Snack Sunday: Carrots dipped in peanut butter, a handful of almonds

Breakfast Monday: Scrambled eggs in coconut oil, 1/2 of an apple and a clementine

Snack Monday: Plain Greek Yogurt with dry oats and strawberries

Lunch Monday: Salad with Romaine lettuce, ham slices, cheese slices, carrots, and bell pepper all topped with a mixture of mayo, mustard and cider vinegar. (This was delicious! It tasted like a ham sandwich turned into a salad.) And a side of corn tortilla chips.

Snack Monday: Banana, Rice cakes and peanut butter

Dinner Monday: Hommade Chili

Snack Monday: Sun Butter and Apple Slices

I would say that I am definitely eating more fruits than I normally would and maybe a little bit more vegetables as well.

How I feel so far: Pretty good other than a bit of a headache that comes and goes. However, that could be related to parenting 2-year-old and 4-year-old girls more than a lack of added sugar!

I will let you know how long I am able to hold out and of any other changes I see in myself. Does anyone else want to try completley cutting out added sugars? Let me know! I would love to have others try it with me!

Easy Pepper Steak →

I had some flank steak in the freezer left over from my figure contest peak week diet back in August. I decided that I wanted to try to make pepper steak with it and boy am I glad that I did! All four of us really enjoyed this meal! I hope your family does as well. (click the post title to go to the recipe over on gimmesomeoven.com)

Weight Gain from Menopause: Is it Inevitable?

In researching weight gain related to menopause, I was hoping to find some new and exciting information that would change how I instruct my clients and show amazing weight loss results. What I actually found is pretty much just the opposite.

According to the American College of Sports Medicine, If you are perimenopausal and have gained 10-15 pounds, you are a normal American woman. The research indicates that almost all American women gain weight during the perimenopausal years. Here is the interesting part: women of menopausal age gain weight regardless of wether or not they start menopause. Karvonen-Gutierrez and Kim found in their review that aging is what causes weight gain rather than menopause itself.

According to Guthrie, Dennerstein and Dudley in their 5 year prospective study of weight gain and menopause, there has not been a connection made between hormone changes during menopause and weight gain. There has however been a connection made between hormone changes during menopause and body composition and fat distribution changes. Namely, body fat percentages increase and body fat storage shifts from around the hips, butt and thighs to the abdomen. So, if you are feeling softer than usual around the middle or your tummy has a permanent bloated appearance, menopause may be to blame.

Now, just because that is what your body tends to want to do at this stage in life, doesn't mean that you have to sit idly by (please don't!) and let it. You can fight off the weight gain and fat accumulation in the abdomen. Will it be harder to do than when you were 20? Yes. Is it impossible? No! Will you have to accept a modest amount of weight gain? Maybe.

If you decide not to let nature take its toll and get up and get fighting for your waistline, you should start with looking at your nutrition. The doctors from webmd.com inform us that as we age, our muscle mass decreases and our metabolism slows down. So even if nothing else in your lifestyle has changed, and you are gaining weight, you may need to cut back on your calorie intake. Secondarily to that, focus on low glycemic foods as, according to webmd again, our body's use of blood sugar also seems to slow right alongside our metabolism.

Then look at what you are doing in the gym (or on the pavement, carpet, or wherever it is you exercise). Are you and have you been meeting the ACSM's recommended amounts of physical activity? Do you exercise for at least 30 minutes a day five days a week? If not, start slowly adding in a few minutes of exercise until you do meet those recommendations. Still gaining weight? Keep increasing until you are exercising for an hour, five days per week. This doesn't have to be an hour of extreme intensity exercise, this can be walking outside at a brisk pace, swimming laps in the pool, taking a water aerobics class or whatever else you enjoy that elevates your heart rate and keeps it there for the duration of the exercise session.

And let's not forget about strength training. Strength training at least twice a week will help combat those body composition and metabolism changes I mentioned before as well as helping combat bone density loss. Choose at least eight exercies that work the whole body and perform 8 to 12 repetitions of each exercise.

Making healthy eating choices, slowly increasing your physical activity amounts and modestly decreasing your caloric intake can make a huge impact on your perimenopausal health. Don't wait. Start making small changes today! You won't regret it.

Zucchini and Cheddar Frittata →

Recently I posted on instagram a frittata that I had made and LOVED and which my two little girls really enjoyed as well. I wanted to go ahead and share that recipe. The original calls for heavy cream. I used 2% milk instead and it turned out just fine.
This is so light and creamy. It is delicious! Bonus: 1/4 of a zucchini in each serving! I hope you and yours enjoy it as much as I did!

Yum! Cheesy, Eggy Goodness!