Quarantine and Food

One thing I will remember about 2020 is that for the first time in my life, I had to quarantine. Whether you have to do it as part of a community order, travel or because you are sick, most of us will experience the Big Q (as one of my client's calls it) at least once.

I recently returned home to Hawaii after attending my stepdaughter's wedding and had to quarantine for 10 days (because as a resident, I chose not to get a test) -> which is a lot better than the 14 days I did in August or the 21 days my friends are doing in Hong Kong!! No matter how long it is, it's a disruption to our normal routine.

Sticking with healthy habits during quarantine might be the LAST thing you want to do if you're angry about the situation, but it can also be a great time to FOCUS on those habits. Here are a few tips for how to stay on track during your Big Q:

1. Stick to your normal eating schedule - this is going to keep you satiated and prevent binge eating.

2. Stock up on healthy foods - Here is a list of foods that are helpful if you are confined to a hotel for your quarantine:

Canned tuna/salmon

Nuts

Protein powder (my favorite is Nuzest)

Lean protein jerky

Deli meat and leafy greens

Canned beans

Fruit

Instant rice/quinoa

Cold pressed juices

Rice cakes/crispbread

3. Plan delivery for your main meals if you can't cook for yourself 

4. Stay hydrated - drink at least half your body weight in ounces, but aim for more if you are also exercising during your quarantine.

5. Exercise - get in some form of movement every day. Do a daily workout, get up and walk around every hour to get as many steps as you can, stretch, do some yoga.

The important thing to remember is that even if YOU are in quarantine, your health is NOT in quarantine. You can stick to healthy eating and exercise. It might not be as fun or as easy, but you can do it!

Tell me: have you had to quarantine? How did it go?

Macronutrients Matter

A lot of people want to lose weight and think that the answer lies in cutting calories. If it were only that easy!

Counting calories has been the go-to for years and years when it comes to weight loss. The calories in, calories out method has been preached by personal trainers in gyms, weight loss programs and doctors.

The calories in and calories out method works…for a little while. But when you hit a plateau, the only option is to cut more calories. I don’t know about you, but that doesn’t sound fun at all.

When people cut calories, they forget one very important thing: macronutrients matter. It is important to fuel your body properly with the right amount of the right foods -> macronutrients.

Protein is key to changing your body composition. Protein helps build lean, calorie-burning muscle which helps to burn more fat and aids your body in replacing worn out cells and muscle repair. 

Carbs are the primary fuel source for our organs and muscles. Complex carbs are incredibly important to fueling your workouts, increasing energy levels, and triggering the release of insulin. Consuming carbs at the right time will teach your body to reach into your fat stores for energy during and after a workout. 

Fat is a crucial part of our diet, and under-eating daily fat grams can have negative effects on the body. Including healthy fats in your diet can support your metabolism, immunity, hormone production, and improve body composition.

In the FASTer Way program, we count our macros, not our calories. When you focus on eating the right amount of the right foods, your body becomes a fat burner, has energy and can build muscle.

You can learn more about the FASTer Way here.

My Favorite Way to Eat Crispbread from Trader Joe's

Recently, my friend Renee set me up with some of her favorite products from Trader Joe's. We don't have one in Hawaii, shocking right? We think so. But honestly, we've never lived near a Trader Joe's and only popped into one for the gluten free Pumpkin Pancake Mix a couple of times. 

Anyway, Renee came to Oahu for the FASTer Way virtual conference and brought me some Crispbread.

My favorite way to eat crispbread from Trader Joe's is a combo of avocado, coconut yogurt and salmon. This meal is perfect on low carb days because it has tons of protein, fiber and healthy fats.

I like to mash my avocado and use it as a spread. Avocado is a great source of fiber and healthy fats. If you are not a fan of avocado, I highly recommend mashing it up and blending it into your food. Works for me!

I like to add vanilla coconut yogurt which boosts my heathy fats and drops a little sweetness to this combo. Then I top my crispbread with a generous portion of salmon - a great source of protein and healthy fats.

Another delicious option is to spread a bit of Kite Hill cream cheese with chives (or any dairy free cream cheese) and top it with salmon. Tuna would work, too. Soooo delicious!

If you are a FASTer Way client or just follow a low carb diet, Crispbread is amazing on low carb days. It has lots of protein, healthy fats and fiber. These are all of the things we want on low carb days!

Are you a crispbread fan? How do you like to eat yours?

Focus On These 4 Things to Achieve Your Goals

 We have less than 3 weeks left in this crazy year of 2020! Time is just flying by.

Time is one of those things we would love to control, but it has its own path, right? I have clients who get caught up in how quickly they are losing weight, losing inches, changing their body composition. How quickly those things happen varies from person to person and is simply something we cannot control.

Instead of focusing on time, I tell my clients to focus on what they CAN control.

Consistency.

1. How consistently they are making healthy choices with their nutrition. Choosing whole foods and avoiding highly processed foods.
2. How consistently they are getting in their exercise. Moving each and every day whether it is a structured workout or not.
3. How consistently they are sleeping enough - aiming for 8 hours each night - and sleeping well. This is important for the body to be ready to burn fat and build muscle.
4. How consistently they are kind to themselves - it is important to have a positive mindset and show ourselves grace if we have an off day. 

These are the things that we CAN control. These are the things we CAN be consistent doing that will have an impact on how quickly we make progress.

Consistency is the key ---> to progress, to seeing change, TO SUCCESS!

Want to learn more about joining the FASTer Way with me? Click here!

Thanksgiving at the Hale Koa

Neither mrC or I have any desire to make a big Thanksgiving dinner for just the two of us. Instead we treat ourselves to the traditional turkey meal at a restaurant every year we are away from family. 

This year, the pandemic made it a little more challenging because of state guidelines for restaurants. Never one to be deterred, mrC found a way for us to enjoy a delicious dinner and staycation too!

After finishing our FASTer Way 5K walk and breaking our fast with a smoothie, we packed an overnight bag and headed into town, aka Honolulu. We were staying at the Hale Koa for the night and having dinner at Koko at Kalia, one of the hotel restaurants.

The Hale Koa is the military hotel in town. We've overnighted here for early morning flights before we officially moved to Hawaii. This is also where we came to see a luau when the girls and Sean were visiting.

They let us check in early, so we had plenty of time to put on our fancy clothes and share some wine on the lanai before we headed to our dinner reservation.

I was so happy when the hostess led us to our table and it was one with a view ---> it's hard to see in the photo, but we had view of the garden, the beach and the water. Being on the west side, we were in direct line of the sun. Fortunately it was partly cloudy because the sun warms things up quickly. In the shade and with the breeze, I would have needed the jacket hanging off the back of my chair.

Unlike like the big buffet we had at Hickam AFB last year, our dinner was a set menu. Onion soup followed by the main course and then dessert (we passed). It was SO. MUCH. food. The soup was delicious. I loved the asparagus (normally don't because it's too soggy), and the turkey and potatoes were very good. mrC had multiple helpings of the cranberry sauce and neither one of us cared for the stuffing.

After dinner we walked to the store to get some snacks -> sounds funny, I know. Our dinner was at 4PM because we wanted to be sitting on the beach for sunset. I knew I would want something crunchy later.

We sat right on the sand to watch the sunset, a few surfers and one crazy guy swimming with the sharks. mrC always reminds me that sunset is the time of day that the sharks get hungry, too. Ha! 

We spotted a heart on the high rise hotel next to us. Can you see it?

Walking back to the hotel, we got to see all the festive lights ready for the next holiday.

In the morning, I sipped my coffee and watched the sky light up from our lanai while mrC was still sleeping. 

After he woke up, we took our coffees and went to sit on the beach for a bit before heading off to our leg day at the gym.

We have learned to make the best of holidays away from family. I hope you had a wonderful holiday, too!