Meredith Butulis

Tag: nutrition

  • Top 10 Spring Nutrition Upgrades

    Top 10 Spring Nutrition Upgrades

    Spring has sprung! There are 2 major nutrition questions I receive every spring:

    1. What diet is best to tone up or lose weight?
    2. My calves are cramping up. What exercises fix this?

    Great news, these are both answered with nutrition, and that nutrition involves drinking water and more green veggies.

    Why?

    Green veggies contain fiber and vitamin K (along with others). They pack a lot of hunger-satiation without a lot of calories. With people generally being more active in spring, they also sweat more, hence losing valuable electrolytes. Green veggies and water can help the body replenish to decrease muscle cramping.

    Great news! Spring brings the rise of green veggies being in season to match your spring training.  Here are the top in-season spring veggies to seek out & few recipe ideas:

    • Broccoli: Broccoli is wonderful raw with a bit of hummus. Looking for more creativity? Try these top 9 easy recipes from AllRecipes.
    • Pea pods: Pea pods are also a wonderful grab n’ go snack. Looking for a healthy stir fry? Try this pea pod and carrot stir fry from Eating Well.
    • Asparagus: Roasted or grilled are my favorites. Oven-roasting at 400 for 10 minutes provides a quick and easy side dish.
    • Brussels sprouts: While I enjoy them oven-roasted by themselves, many people seek more flavor. Try this shallot and balsamic glaze recipe from Skinny Taste.
    • Kohlrabi: Wondering what to do with this one? Oven-roasting or steaming are my go-to no-fuss favorites. It’s like cauliflower, though, you can turn it into many things! Learn more about this mysterious veggie and how to prep it at The Kitchn.
    • The potpourri of green leafy things: Kale, spinach, chard, and more. I’ll admit, I’m not a fan of salads, so the leafy greens go into my protein shakes. You’ll never know they are hiding there! Amp up your mix n’ match nutrient-packed shake repertoire with this amazing infographic from Precision Nutrition.
    • Lettuces: Romaine and butter lettuce are my top choices. They do lend themselves to the base of any salad, but they are also a great bread substitute to make healthy wraps! If you seek inspiration beyond the basic, try this Food Network recipe.

    Which greens will you try next, and what are your favorite ways to enjoy them? Feel free to share thoughts and even your own favorite recipes! Let’s Go Green for spring!

     

  • 3 Essential Habits to Get Fit This Spring

    3 Essential Habits to Get Fit This Spring

    Seeking a more toned spring physique?

    Why is it that winter just brings on this fluffy feeling? Then we feel the need to jump into fitness when the swimsuit season arrives.

    Good news: you aren’t alone in asking this question. I hear this question from teammates, family members, patients, friends . . . at least every day. I even ask the question myself!

    More good news: if spending an hour in the gym every day isn’t your thing, there are a few daily essential habits that can really accelerate your Spring into Fitness physique changes! Even if you enjoy the gym, these foundations can help you too!

     

    Walking – Start by aiming for 10,000 steps/day. On average, each step burns .044 kcal. Many times we walk less in the winter because it’s cold outside. For example, in the winter, I often walk 6,000 steps/day. In the spring, I often walk 10,000 steps/day. That is a 5,280 kcal difference/month. The baseline walking difference accounts for 1.5 lbs/month. Even better, walking is often aerobic; it burns fat. We can see that aiming for more steps/day can accelerate how well your muscle tone can be seen.

     

    Sleep – Aim for at least 8 hours/night. I often hear weight loss clients mention “hormonal imbalances,” which may or may not be a major component of individual physique goals. However, sleep is the time for the body to restore and hormones to reset. If you have trouble getting to sleep, set a wind-down routine, such as brain dumping in a journal for 5 minutes, and performing a quick 5-minute yoga sequence.

    You can find many sequences by scrolling the video archives on my Facebook and Instagram pages. There are also several do-anywhere step-by-step workouts in my Mobility | Stability Equation E-books on Amazon.

     

    Hydration – Hydration not only promotes processing the body’s fuel well, but also promotes pliability of the muscles and fascia. If you’re interested in strength training, running, or sports, adding water can be an injury prevention bonus. Generally, start with at least half your body weight in ounces, and then adjust to individual needs and activities. Example: If you weigh 200 lbs, aim for 100 oz of water as your daily starting point. That is the equivalent of 6-7 re-fills of a standard 16 oz water bottle.

     

    Let’s get back to our foundations of fitness with steps, sleep, and hydration this spring! Have thoughts and questions? Please share a comment and I’ll respond.

  • 3 Tips and a Host of Resources for a Healthy Heart Lifestyle

    3 Tips and a Host of Resources for a Healthy Heart Lifestyle

    It’s Heart Health Month!

    How many people do you know affected by stroke, heart attack, or other heart/blood vessel conditions? What about the precursor of high cholesterol or high blood pressure?

    I know many.

    • My friend in her 20s had a heart attack while teaching fitness classes. She was very active, often teaching 3-5 high intensity classes per day. She had no warning signs.
    • My colleague in her 40s experienced a life changing cardiovascular event while taking a dance class. She had danced her whole life, at least an hour a day. She had no warning signs.
    • My uncle died from a stroke. He was in his 60s. He had no warning signs other than high blood pressure and high cholesterol. Overall, he felt fine in life, but was generally quite sedentary.
    • The list continues. There are many, many more.

    So many people have the option to choose quality of life for the next decades to come!

    Heart/cardiovascular disease continues to rank as the number one cause of death, but it is often preventable with lifestyle modification.

    With over 25% of people being affected, it’s time to take back your health today!

    Here are 3 daily lifestyle habits to promote your heart health:

    1. Sleep – Most adults need 7-9 hours of sleep/night. This is when your body recovers. Have you ever pulled an all-nighter and discovered that your heart rate was elevated the next day? Perhaps workouts felt really difficult as well. Your heart is trying to tell you that recovery is key for health. Make sleep a top priority instead of last priority. Take this sleep quality quiz, and discover more pearls on how sleep affects your health in this Experience L!fe article.
    2. Nutrition – Diets higher in fiber promote heart health. Vegetables, fruits, legumes, and whole grains contain fiber. Also replace your saturated fats with more unsaturated fats. Examples of unsaturated fats include tree nuts, olive oil, and avocado. Canada takes the lead in their new 2019 food guide with practical every day strategies on what to eat.
    3. Get moving – Many blogs call sitting the “new smoking,” meaning that being sedentary subtracts from your health. Add to your health by setting a goal like 10K steps/day. Need to adjust for more or less? Looking for ideas beyond walking? Here is a great interactive resource to Move Your Way.

    Now that we’ve explored the foundations of lifestyle, and many practical choose-your-own-adventure resources, what questions do you have on your healthy heart lifestyle? Leave a post or use the contact form, as I’m here to help and live a healthy lifestyle along side you every step of the way!

    Seeking more detailed practical tips? Join the monthly e-mail newsletter via the sign-up on the home page.