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Not Losing the Weight You Want? – Consider These Six Things

March 27, 2012 By

Losing weight can be invigorating… and frustrating, maddening, overwhelming, etc. Wouldn’t it be nice if you could choose a diet plan that would allow you to lose 2 pounds a week (or 5 pounds, or insert your number here ____) every week until you reached your goal?

But if you have ever been on a diet, you know that’s not how it works. Some weeks your effort reflects the number of pounds lost. Some weeks you work your butt of and lose nothing. Some weeks (all be it rare) you slack a little and lose a pound or two.

Calories IN vs. calories OUT is definitely important, but there are other things that creep into the equation.

Here are 6 things to keep an eye on to make sure your effort reflects your outcome.

Eating too few carbohydrates
It’s true that we need to be careful when it comes to carbohydrate intake to maximize fat loss, but we still want to make sure we are getting enough carbs. Did you know that fat molecules will not enter the fat burning cycle unless they have a little glucose (carb) molecule to take them there. It’s easy to get excited when you reduce your carbs and instantly lose weight, but often this is more of a factor of storing less water than fat loss.

Eating the wrong type of carbohydrates
You might be eating the right amount of carbohydrates, but the type of carbs you eat has a big effect on weight loss. There is a buzz around high glycemic index (GI) foods and low GI foods, and the reason is that the type of carbs you eat will directly affect your weight loss. To keep it simple, low GI foods are good, high GI foods are bad.

Good carbohydrates are complex carbohydrates that take the body longer to break down. These carbohydrates typically are high in fiber, which takes the body longer to break down and helps stabilize blood sugar levels. The best sources of good carbohydrates include fresh vegetables, fresh fruit, whole grains and beans. All of these foods provide the body with energy, vitamins, fiber, minerals and phytonutrients. In addition to fresh fruit and veggies, good carbohydrates include whole grain cereals, whole wheat breads and pastas, and brown rice.

Bad carbohydrates are foods that are easily digestible and provide the body with limited nutrients and vitamins. Because these foods are so quickly digested, your body will experience a quick spike in energy followed by a crash. Examples of bad carbs include soft drinks, cakes, cookies, chips, white bread, white rice, alcohol.

Eating too little fiber
When we are eating for weight loss and we restrict our carb intake, it also changes our intake of fiber. Fiber might be the single most important secret to weight loss, and it is an essential factor for maintaining health. It helps you feel fuller and therefore eat less. It also binds with acids in the body and helps carry out excess fat, and it speeds the transit time of the food we eat, keeping the intestines in good order.

Getting too little sleep
When we are constantly sleep deprived the body secretes a hormone called ghrelin. Higher ghrelin levels have been shown to reduce energy, stimulate hunger and food intake, and promote retention of fat. Do you ever notice that some days you feel hungry all day, even though you are eating your regular diet. Think back to your sleep patterns, and you may realize that you haven’t gotten as much sleep lately.

Eating too little fat
Low fat diets have been really popular, but too little fat may actually make it harder for us to lose weight. Essential fats (aka good fats) help burn fat by helping to transport oxygen, vitamins, nutrients, and hormones to the body’s tissues.

Good fats include foods like non-hydrogenated oils (olive, canola, sunflower, peanut, sesame), avocados, olives, raw nuts (almonds, peanuts, walnuts, macadamia nuts, hazelnuts, pecans, cashews), fatty fish (salmon, tuna, mackerel, herring, trout, sardines), and tofu.

Bad fats include things like high-fat cuts of meat (beef, lamb, pork or chicken with the skin) whole-fat dairy products (milk and cream), butter, ice cream, commercially-baked pastries, cookies, doughnuts, muffins, cakes, pizza dough, packaged snack foods (crackers, microwave popcorn, chips), margarine or vegetable shortening, any fried foods (French fries, fried chicken, chicken nuggets, breaded fish), and candy bars.

Drinking too little water
Dehydration happens more than you think. If you want to have steady fat loss and high energy, it’s necessary to keep your body and liver hydrated every day. Our liver converts the fat soluble toxic chemicals (that we consume, breathe in, and absorb through our skin), into water soluble chemicals that are flushed out by the kidneys through urine. With limited water supply, the kidneys cannot completely flush out metabolic and foreign waste and weight loss can be more difficult.

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Staying Sane Through the Holiday Rush

December 9, 2011 By

The holidays always seem to fly by. We’re so busy planning parties, decorating our homes, attending school concerts and church programs, preparing meals and goodies, going to family gathering after family gathering, purchasing last minute gifts (the list goes on and on…). Sometimes we, especially moms, forget to take time for ourselves. And without that time to relax, reflect, and just breathe, we may miss the significance of special moments that make wonderful holiday memories.

So, even as you selflessly work to make the holidays spectacular for everyone else, remember that the holidays are for you to enjoy too. Here are a few tips to follow to make sure that, even during the busiest times of the year, you are keeping your life in balance and taking care of yourself:

  1. Define your priorities. Decide what is most important for you and your family, and don’t let others tell you differently. Once you know what’s important in your life, it’s easier to know when to say yes and when to say no. There’s only so much time in the day…remember that saying “yes” to one activity is saying “no” to another.
  2. Know when you’re at your best. Morning people should schedule important tasks in the morning, while those who take a while to wake up and get going should use afternoons for their most demanding projects. When your energy is low, do things that don’t demand as much brainpower…fold laundry, scrub the bathroom, wrap gifts, address Christmas cards.
  3. Take a break. When you feel overworked and overloaded, refresh yourself with a 10 or 15-minute walk, devotion, or relaxing moment of complete silence.
  4. Assign household tasks to other family members. Kids can do laundry, dust, vacuum, set the table, take care of pets, and pick up after themselves, so enlist their help!
  5. Schedule time for yourself. Don’t feel guilty about taking time to do the things you love. This might seem a bit selfish, but the truth is, when you don’t take care of yourself, you burn out and everyone suffers. Give yourself permission to take a bubble bath, get a pedicure, go out to supper with friends, or see a movie in the middle of the afternoon.
  6. Make your health and happiness a priority. Even when life gets busy, commit to doing the daily things that make you feel your best. They might include activities like praying, reading a devotion, exercising, doing yoga, having a non-interrupted 15-minute conversation with your spouse, or snuggling with your kids at bedtime. Whatever those things are in your life, do them daily, without exception.

Get more tips on balancing all of your work and family responsibilities by reading “Work – Life Balance…Can you REALLY have it?” and “Are You Worn Out and Stressed?” If you already realize that you’ve got too much on your plate, check out “When Your Overcommitted” for some helpful advice.

Come To Order wishes you and your family a peaceful and enjoyable holiday season full of blessings. Merry Christmas and Happy New Year!

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Strategies to Neutralize Arguments with your Kids

November 29, 2011 By

Mom and son

Kids seem to be extremely adept at luring their parents into no-win arguments. They are determined and persistent when it comes to things they want (or don’t want) to have or buy or do. The more they carry on and push to get their way, the more we as adults feel like we have to dig in our heels and take a stand. We are the parents after all!

Well, as you’re surely aware, arguing leads to more arguing which leads to more arguing, and before you know it, you’re in a full blown yelling match, complete with ultimatums, tears, tantrums, and hurt feelings.

There’s a better solution, an approach that can help defuse the frustration and anger, and maybe, just maybe, leave your kids speechless!

Ok, maybe that’s too much to ask for, but with a few simple strategies, you can turn a potential argument into a civilized conversation that will result in calm, not chaos.

  1. First and foremost, stop! Before you lose control of your emotions, stop yourself from talking. If you aren’t talking then you can’t be yelling, threatening or losing control!
  2. Now, breathe & tell yourself and your child “no problem”. Take a deep breath! Then neutralize the anger you might be feeling by saying “no problem” out loud. It is the trigger to yourself that there is no need to allow this to escalate. It is also the trigger to your child that they have pushed too far and that there will be consequences for their poor decision.
  3. Give yourself permission to decide on a consequence later. So many parenting philosophies today suggest that a consequence or punishment must come immediately after the infraction – as if our children are not smart enough to link the two if time passes. Charles Fay of the Love & Logic Institute suggests that this is simply not true.
  4. Go dumb until you can think clearly of the appropriate consequence. I recommend this Love and Logic phrase, “I care about you too much to argue with you.” Even if your child continues to push buttons (“you don’t love me”, “my friends don’t have to do that”, “that is unfair”) you simply restate what you are willing to do…”I love you too much to argue with you”. When you kid sees that their strategy isn’t work they will eventually give up.

This strategy helps you keep (or regain) your composure and accept that you cannot control what others do. You can only control your own actions. Your child may continue to argue, cry, yell, and throw a fit, but by walking away to keep your cool, you’ve modeled a healthy way to handle conflict.

©2011, Kathy Jenkins, Come To Order

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Encourage Fitness – Do As I Say and As I DO

October 28, 2011 By

It’s never too late to start a healthy habit, especially with kids.

Parents influence kids every day with words and actions, and when mom and dad regularly encourage kids to be active, they help kids to appreciate fitness and have fun along the way.

Teaching practical life skills is one of the many roles that parents have. Things like how to brush teeth, how to tell time, how to tie shoes, and research now suggests that another one to add to the list is how to be healthy and active.

It’s never too late to start a healthy habit, especially with kids. Kids like to move, and though it is highly unlikely that a child goes from couch potato to Olympian, there are several ways parents can influence their children to exercise.

While verbal encouragement or logistical support, such as driving kids to soccer practice, is important, parents’ attitudes about health and fitness and their own patterns of physical activity are equally as important, since kids often follow by example.

Being active together has shown to have a significant impact on how kids view exercise, but it often goes down as a child’s age goes up. Younger children are more likely to want to spend time being active with their parents than teenagers, so there may be a window of opportunity to use it before losing it when it comes to co-activity.

And even though the sphere of influence on kids can be far and wide from friends to teachers to Sponge Bob, few are as direct and important as parents .

Children are well known for their contrary nature. Tell them to do something, and quite often they will do the opposite. So trying to force children to exercise may not be the best strategy.

Every parent has his or her way of approaching life lessons, but the idea with fitness is to get children to appreciate being active, and have a little fun along the way. “Because I said so” may work for putting the dishes away, but encouragement, celebrating small victories, and doing things together can be effective ways to motivate kids to get fit and stay active. And no child wants their brain to turn to mush because of too much television.

Whether is it sports, riding bikes, a martial arts class, or walking the dog every night, it is important to consistently present each opportunity in a positive light. It may take a bit of time and patience, but when children find the fun in being active, fitness can become a part of everyday life.

When kids are active at a young age, the habit can last throughout their lifetime, and influencing kids to be active at an early age is no different than teaching them the golden rule or respecting their elders. So it’s time to put fitness right up there with teaching children how to ride a bike and that there’s no hiding a piece of broccoli in a glass of milk.

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Take the Peace Challenge

July 15, 2011 By

“Peace is not merely a distant goal that we seek but a means by which we arrive at that goal.” – Martin Luther King Jr.

Sometimes I think my daily struggle to attain five minutes of peace is futile. The kids, the phone, the never ending laundry…Repeated interruptions, unexpected delays and devastating news tug away at my heart leaving me feeling unsettled. The chaotic pace of life adds to the frustration making it impossible to complete my quest for peace.

But I’ve realized that peace is not the destination, it’s the mode of travel. And I’ve discovered that there are small but powerful actions I can take every day to contribute to a more peaceful heart, a calmer environment and a happier home.  Some of them seem effortless but the results are dramatic. If you’re struggling with clutter, chaos and angst, take the Peace Challenge by implementing one or more of my personal tips.

Theresa’s Top 10 Ways to Create a Peaceful Journey

  1. Turn off your cell phone, email and internet browser during specific times of the day – especially when you are working or having a conversation or meal with someone. If you can’t turn them off, set the alerts to silent (not vibrate!).
  2. Silence all background noise – including the television, radio or anything that you are not actively listening to at the moment.  You may not realize that the negative messages coming from the news reports while you are making breakfast are robbing you of a peace-filled morning.
  3. Go to bed by 9 pm once a week. This is a tough one for me because I am often just tucking my kids in bed at this hour and I feel like I finally have time to myself. But getting to bed early is a treat, so I try to do it once a week.
  4. Make your bed every day. I know it sounds crazy, but this small act of creating order is just what I need to start my day feeling somewhat “in control.”
  5. Throw away junk mail before you walk in the door – take it directly from the mailbox to the trash can (unless you need to shred it).
  6. Refuse to engage in or listen to gossip of any kind. The same thing holds true for complaints – make a commitment to yourself to be complaint-free for one week and ask a friend to hold you accountable.
  7. Spend at least one hour a day outside — walking, running, sitting, bird-watching, gardening or doing something that allows you to appreciate the beauty of nature. Breathe fresh air!
  8. Forgive someone – maybe yourself.
  9. Smile. It’s contagious.
  10. Put a journal or notebook by your bed, in your car, in your purse or anywhere you might get a ‘brilliant idea’ and need to capture it before you forget!

Not everyone has the same definition of peace. The music I perceive to be distracting noise may create a state of peace for my nephew. So the trick is to recognize the activities and environmental factors that cause discomfort in your heart and avoid them.

What would you do to create your own personal Peace Challenge? Share your tips with me!

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Motivation Tips To Keep You Moving

May 31, 2011 By

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What motivates you?

What makes you want to succeed? It is different for everyone, but once you find what pushes you to be your best, you need to use it every day, so it will get you through those difficult days when you want to skip a workout or cheat when you shouldn’t.

Here are the things that motivate me.  Some days it is all of them, and some days it may be just one.

1. Visualization

There are many tricks for visualizing your success. When I was training for my body building competition, I would visualize myself on stage going through all my poses. Then I would visualize myself taking the first place trophy!

Some need to actually see it in a photo, so they cut out a picture of someone they admire or want to look like. You can even take your head off of one photo and paste it to the body of someone whose physique you want. Just make sure that if you are a Tyra Banks, you don’t visualize looking like a Kelly Ripa.

2. Competition

Many people have that competitive spirit.  I definitely do. This can work to your benefit no matter what kind of exercise program you follow.

Beating someone or achieving victory is a great feeling even if you don’t think of yourself as super competitive. On the flip side, losing and seeing others “win” drives people too.

Another way to compete is to compete against yourself. Whatever you did last week, you can try to beat this week.  This can come in the form of a faster mile, adding 5 pounds to your bench press, doing an extra push up, staying on the treadmill for an additional 10 minutes, etc.

3. Role Models

Most athletes, whether basketball players, tennis players, or bodybuilders have a person that they look up to and want to emulate.

So if there is anyone out there that has done what you want to do, they can inspire you and motivate you to achieve your goals. It doesn’t have to be someone famous, either. Maybe your mom or neighbor has achieved something that you want to achieve.

4. Positive vs. Negative

Both types of re-enforcement can motivate, and it is just a matter of what works for you. A big generalization, but men often do okay with negative re-enforcement, where as women are more drawn to positive re-enforcement.

When we were living in South Korea, we took a Tae Kwon Do class with two other women teachers.  Koreans take their Tae Kwon Do very seriously, and our “teacher” was very serious.  He didn’t speak any English, and we barely spoke Korean, but we could tell by his tone and his facial expressions of disappointment that we were not doing things right.  Almost every class had one of us girls crying by the time we left.  My husband never even flinched.  He didn’t even understand what we were talking about when we tried to describe how the “teacher” made us feel.

If you are one of those people that needs to be comfortable and positive to achieve your best, then make sure you are surrounded by coaches and people who offer that type of encouragement.

On the flip side if you respond better to proving the haters wrong, or showing your coach you are not a weak piece of poo (or whatever), then you know the type of coach or training partner to look for. You are not wrong for either tactic pushing you.

Whether it is any of these strategies or something else completely, as long as it is something that motivates you and makes you more confident in your abilities, then use it to your advantage to reach all of your goals.

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Got Friends?

May 25, 2011 By

mom-friends

Do you have friends? Of course you do. So do I. Do you see your friends? Do you grab lunches, take walks, chat on the phone? If your answer to these questions is yes, then Bravo!

However, if you’re like me, you may feel as if you don’t have time to cultivate and nurture friendships.

The people that we meet when we are immersed in school or our first jobs, are the ones that become true friends because we have the luxury of time. Time to hang out, time to share ups and downs and time to share experiences.

And then, things change. We move or we have families and we get busy. We lose our ability to create friendships in this way, because we are missing an important ingredient: Time.

You may say, so what? I have my husband, my kids and my job. I have colleagues and acquaintances. I talk to other mothers at my “Mommy and Me” class. Who has time for anything else?

I struggle with that kind of thinking too. I tell myself I should be working or doing the grocery shopping. I should be spending that time with my kids! It feels frivolous and down deep, I don’t want to be “a lady who lunches.” My life has purpose after all! Or does it? If I am trying to live life as an expression of my values, then where are my friends?

Recently, I have begun to appreciate how important friendship is. I see that my parents have a group of friends that they have cultivated over years of spending time with each other; laughing, sharing experiences, commiserating, having fun and supporting. In other words, sharing their lives.

This has inspired me to take a look at this important part of my life that I have not been missing completely, but has not been as rich as I would like it to be. I have begun to take time to cultivate new friendships, and to renew old friendships.

I have a group of women who I meet for breakfast every Thursday morning. It’s just one hour and we are not all able to make it each week. We came together because we all have boys the same age, but this is no longer just about the kids. There is a consistency that has grown over the four years that we have been doing this, and I am reaping real benefits now; a group of women who are true friends. I am forever grateful to the woman who invited me to join this very special group of moms.

I realize now, that I am building equity in a friendship account that will yield dividends forever.

COACH ME QUICK TIPS:

1. Contact old friends. Who was your best-friend in college? Renew the friendship by email and then plan a time to see each other.

2. Ask someone to lunch or take a walk. Maybe there is a mom at school or a co-worker, that you think is great or interesting? Start a friendship with someone new.

3. If you are married or have a family, find other couples to socialize with. Ask them to dinner or invite their family over for a BBQ with your family.

4. Cultivate some kind of a group that meets regularly. Figure out an activity like walking, seeing movies or meeting for a meal and invite some people that you think would get along or have something in common. Make it a weekly or monthly event.

It will take time. Is it worth finding the time to do it now, for a benefit down the road?

It was for me. Maybe it will be for you too.

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Work – Life Balance…Can you REALLY have it?

May 9, 2011 By

work-life-balance

A long time ago, in a generation far, far away (OK, not so far) there used to be very clear boundaries between work and home. Remember Leave it to Beaver, I Love Lucy or Happy Days (now I have you guessing how old I am =). Dad came home when the sun was still out and never thought about work until he left the next morning.

The reality today is that in most families, both parents work and the job is far more demanding, as are the schedules we keep! Wikipedia states “Work–life balance is a broad concept including proper prioritizing between “work” (career and ambition) on one hand and “life” (health, pleasure, leisure, family and spiritual development) on the other.” Using that definition as a framework, creating, yet alone maintaining, a work-life balance seems so elusive. Truth is, it is attainable, but it takes identifying boundaries and then applying them in your life.

Where to start…begin by evaluating the rank of importance of yourself, relationships and work in your life. In America, we tend to “live to work” while most European countries “work to live”. These are very different attitudes and thus produce very different results in terms of work-life balance. If you find that your relationships are more important, but that work has taken over all of your time then try these things to try and get back in balance:

  • Track your time & create a “Need/Want” Square: For one week track how you spend your time, both work and personal activities. Categorize all of your activities in terms of “needing/not needing to do them” and “wanting/not wanting to do them” and then input them into a “Need/Want” Square. Now stop doing the things that appear in the “Don’t Need”/”Don’t Want” square!
Need/Want Need/Don’t Want
Don’t Need/Want Don’t Need/Don’t Want
  • Just Say “No”: Volunteering is an admirable thing, but when you volunteer to the detriment of yourself and your family, then it is time to stop. I used to be a volunteer addict, saying to myself “Oh that won’t take too long”. Then one night when I was furiously working past midnight to fulfill my commitments I realized how crazy it was. There will be a time in my life when I can volunteer more, just not right now – and that is OK!
  • Talk to your employer about options: Do you know for sure if your company offers flex hours, compressed workweeks, job sharing, or telecommuting? They may be options that are just not publicized. Take a moment to ask your boss or HR department. You may just find that they can work with you.
  • Leave work at work: When you walk out of the door of your office, do not to bring work home! Create boundaries, make those who work for and with you aware of them and then be firm in enforcing them. If you don’t, no one else will! Don’t answer e-mails, texts or phone calls that are work related when you have committed to be with your friends or family. The world use to revolve just nicely before the iPhone & Blackberry. I guarantee you that it will continue to do so if you choose to turn it off for a few hours to spend time with those you care about!
  • Get organized at home: Be organized at home so you don’t spend all of your free time grocery shopping, running errands, cleaning or doing laundry. It is true, that you capture more time if you are organized! If you need help here, give me a call. I have lots of great ideas and would be glad to help!
  • Create a support system: Do what you can and don’t be afraid to ask for help from co-workers, friends and family.Take care of yourself: How can you be good for anyone else if you aren’t even good to yourself. Eat healthy, exercise and get the right amount of sleep. Make sure you take time to do the things you enjoy so you can feel fulfilled personally.
  • Ask for outside help when you know you need it: Whether it means hiring a cleaning person, a professional organizer or a therapist, don’t try to do it all alone, especially if you know you need help.

Creating a work-life balance is a lot like organizing in that it is not just a one-time event, but a continually process. You have to be flexible to change as your personal and professional life changes. Take time to revisit your boundaries and priorities and make adjustments when you find that the scale has begun to tip too much to one side.

It is through this process that you will ultimately be able to achieve the best balance of work and life for you!

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Maturing Into a Man or Woman

April 26, 2011 By

growing up

How long does puberty in a boy last? A friend of mine who shall remain anonymous, but I’ll refer to as Max, was talking with me about the question of when we “grow up.” He related his own story which I’ll paraphrase, in which he talked about the moment when he “became a man” to quote him. It was…in his thirties!

The story Max told was that prior to this incident, which he defined as his turning point towards manhood, he had always struggled with standing up for himself. Why he felt this was the essential ingredient in defining himself as a man is his personal decision, but it’s interesting nonetheless.

In our discussion on this subject, we reflected that many cultures, religions, and ethnic groups have historically had rituals that marked a boy becoming a man.  Not many such passages or rituals were available for the girls, though I will assert that in contemporary Western Society there are certainly some parallels.

Older indigenous cultures, such as many American Indian tribes, had manhood rituals that involved survival “outside,” alone, for some period of time.  Judaism has for centuries had the Bar Mitzvah as its boy-to-man ritual and added the Bat Mitzvah for girls in the last century.  Secular America sometimes defines adulthood, for both sexes, as either becoming 18 years of age or more often, becoming 21 years old, which is the legal drinking age.

I’m not sure that 21 and drinking should define anything resembling adulthood, when 18 is the age a boy or girl can enlist in the military. I personally think that joining and surviving military training qualifies as much more of an “adult passage” than binge drinking does in college.

My friend’s self-proclaimed rite-of-passage occurred on a camping trip with a few other male friends. At one point, one of these friends demanded some action of him that he felt was an inappropriate request.  Max left the area to think about it. Returning a short while later, he said he told this “friend” that he was out-of-line and refused to do whatever it was that was asked of him (note: it related to preparing the campsite or some other relatively innocuous activity). For Max, then in his early 30’s, it became his defining moment.

What was yours? Did you have such a moment or participate in such a ritual? Do you think the age at which boys and girls mature to men and women is the same as it’s historically been? Or do you think they’re maturing sooner…or later?  For that matter, do you believe each sex matures at different ages or after certain experiences?

There’s no doubt that kids are exposed to much more in the form of media, information, movies, and such than in previous generations, but that doesn’t seem to be affecting their maturity–just their innocence.  In other, maybe more important ways, it’s my belief that many kids today are sheltered from exactly those experiences that hasten their journey towards adulthood.

The generation of my parents most definitely struggled more than I did while my boys are most definitely struggling much less than I did.  “Struggle” may be the wrong choice of words.  Entitlement, spoiled, pampered, protected, coddled, are just a few of the better choices for what I believe the current generation of young boys and girls are getting from many parents.

The sixties generation of parents has certainly raised children in a different fashion than previous generations. There’s no doubt the world these children are growing up in is much more complicated and, at present, more difficult in the areas we of the sixties generation didn’t face nearly as much.

For instance, my sons would not be able to attend the colleges I attended with the grades and test scores I had.  My grades and scores, in fact, wouldn’t get me into even substantially less-rated colleges or universities.  Further, the ease with which I was able to find part-time jobs as a young teenager was much easier than it is today when even the standard paper-route is no longer available to a boy and his bicycle.

Given all these changes, why then is this generation of young men and women seemingly maturing later? They face harsh competition for college admissions and even more competition for all jobs.  Shouldn’t that make them tougher and maybe even more persistent and determined?  Evidently not, given the large number of young adult men and women who are returning to the safety of home after graduating college and either not finding a job or not making enough money to afford a lifestyle equivalent to what we were able to do at their age.

I suppose I’ve answered my original question by these reflections, since my generation was able to get much needed life experience from the many jobs more easily available to us in our teens.  Most of us were able to make a good enough living to not have to return home at all, except to visit, after high school or college graduation.

I guess I’d have to say the “life” was the manhood lesson for me.  And, while society and various cultures may have or have not rituals to mark the passage to adulthood, it really is only “life” that will take you there.

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The Great Carbohydrate Debate!

April 23, 2011 By

carbohydrates

To eat carbs or not to eat carbs?  Many Americans still seem confused about whether they should eat carbohydrates or not.  Years ago, some popular diet plans suggested that carbohydrates make us fat.  The reality is our bodies need carbohydrates for energy.

So why all the controversy over carbohydrates?  It may stem from the type of carbohydrates that most Americans choose.  When you think of the typical American diet (and the foods your kids beg for) which comes to mind?

Frosted flakes for steel cut oats?

Apple juice or a fresh apple?

White rice or brown rice?

A candy bar or some trail mix with dried fruit?

The American diet is filled with refined sugars and simple carbohydrates that absorb into the bloodstream quickly, resulting in sugar “highs” and “lows” throughout the day.  These types of foods are typically high in calories and low in nutrition and are associated with unhealthy weight.

Complex carbohydrates, on the other hand, are associated with a great number of health benefits.  They are high in fiber which helps with digestion and slowing absorption into the bloodstream.  Fiber also helps us to feel fuller faster, and stay satisfied longer, which can help maintain a healthy weight.

In other words, you no longer need to fear carbohydrates, but you do need to choose the right ones. Avoid baked goods made with white flour, processed cereals, fruit juices, table sugar, soft drinks, and candy.  Instead choose from a variety of healthier carbs including whole grains, whole grain breads and cereals, fresh fruits and vegetables, legumes, and low fat Greek yogurt.

Enjoy!!

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