WALKING IN A WINTER WONDERLAND

Brrrrrrrr....the seasons are changing, but does that mean our eating habits should?

The answer to that may be yes, to some degree.  There are extra things we should do during the upcoming colder months to keep our bodies warm, from the inside out.   First, we should be making sure our fluid intake is maintained.  Our bodies tend to lose fluid in the colder weather and while outside, so keeping the body hydrated with plenty of water and other fluids, will help keep the body hydrated during this colder time of year.   

Maintain and snack on healthy carbohydrates!  We all know healthy carbohydrates give our bodies fuel, and especially so when are outside, or participating in winter sports.  Even when we shovel snow, we need more carbohydrates, and not sugar.  Eating more whole grain breads including high fibre foods will keep you full longer, whole grain English muffin or crackers,  cereal....and you know what I  am going to say next, my fav, oatmeal...easy to make and great “on the go” food and good carbs! Grab some nuts or a precooked sweet potato before going outside or doing winter activities, and this will help fuel the body in the colder temperatures!

When the temperatures start to drop, we still need to keep warm on the inside.  Fresh veggies may not be in season now, or may be expensive, but that is no reason not to eat veggies at all, when there is an abundance of great frozen veggies available to add to your meals...put them in home cooked meals including soups, casseroles, and even chilli.  Cook veggies and toss with olive oil, basil, garlic, or your fav spice, and allow veggies to be the new winter “comfort food”.   Eating well in the colder months will help balance body temp in colder weather when you are outside!

As we all know, winter is a time for many outdoor sports activities, including skiing and cross country skiing, walking, hockey, skating,  school sports teams...so why not fuel up on bananas, a handful of nuts, or granola, whole grain breads or even  a small handful of pretzels, which will help the metabolism and keep your body warm while participating in winter sports.  Don’t forget to drink lots of liquids including water or broth based soups to stay hydrated, which is great for the body at any time!  You will stay much more satisfied with good carbs and plenty of liquids this cold time of the year. 

Next time you go out, don’t just put on a warm jacket, hat, gloves, extra socks and boots to keep you warm, but eat some healthy foods with good carbs to keep you warm inside, satisfied and full while outside or participating in winter activities!  While walking in our winter wonderland this season, we keep the outside of our bodies warm, so why not the inside too!  Happy Winter

“Nothing is either good or bad, but thinking makes it so” – Shakespeare

Just recently, I was driving in my car listening to the radio, when I heard the broadcaster quote Shakespeare “nothing is either good or bad, but thinking makes it so.”  This thought resonated with me for the entire day, and it still keeps popping into my head.  It really got me thinking…

This idea is critical to everyday life and highly applicable to school.  Think about this idea for a moment.  You walk into school at 8:30 and head to class and find out immediately you are starting a new unit on quadratic equations.  At this moment, you have two options.  Option 1, you think “I suck at quadratics, this is so dumb” or Option 2, you think “quadratics are not my strength, but I’ll try my best.”

You see, in everyday life we are faced with decisions.  We can see the glass as “half full” or we can see it as “half empty”.   If we approach every situation with a positive mindset and see the positives outweighing the negatives, you can win at life every time.  If, however, you see the negative, and think people are out to make your life miserable, you are in for a long, hard, negative life.

You can apply this concept to virtually every aspect of life “nothing is either good or bad, but thinking makes it so.”

Finally a Food Program for You!

Friends, family and students often ask me for diet plans.  In the past I have given these out, but see little point in developing such plans.  Let me explain why…

What I like to eat and what you like to eat are very different.  For example, one of my favorite foods is oatmeal.  I could eat oatmeal at almost every meal.  Most days I eat it at least twice.  Others for example hate oatmeal and cringe on the thought of eating this food.  Case in point, if I develop a nutrition plan and say to eat oatmeal every morning for breakfast, this would be torture to anyone who doesn’t like oatmeal.  Even if you agreed to eat this food for weight loss purposes, this is not realistic because you can not eat something you do not like for a long period of time.  Take for example the all to famous soup diet.  If you eat soup at every meal you will loose weight…well dah? If you eat very little of anything you are will loose weight.  Realistically, however we cannot live on soup and eat this at every meal.  Sure we could eat soup for 2-3 weeks, but for the rest of our life. I don’t think so!

From the time of birth we all ate different foods.  Since this time our brains and taste buds are wired to like and dislike different foods. For example some of us crave salty foods (chips, wings, pizza) while others crave sweets (chocolate, ice cream, etc). This relationship with food is very different for each person.  Case in point, we all like different things; are brains are wired this way!

Another problem I encounter when providing diet plans is affordability.  Most students do not buy their own groceries, as they cannot afford a grocery bill.  Most students mooch off their parents; I know this because I was once a student and still mooch on occasions.  Therefore, if I provided any student with a diet plan, chances are they would not like these foods, but also they would have no control over buying these foods. 

So what can I do? I can make recommendations that are easy to follow and are more conducive to your current taste buds.  You can be as creative as you want and eat whatever foods you like; just keep in mind the following.

These Recommendations come from Tosca Reno – The Eat Clean Principles – If you follow these simple habits, you will not only look better but feel better as well. These are some basic principles I LIVE by :-)

1. Eat five to six small meals spread out by two to three hours every day.

2. Combine lean protein and complex carbs at every meal.

3.Drink two to three liters of water each day.

4. Carry a cooler packed with clean-eating foods to get you through the day.

5. Avoid pre-packaged, over-processed refined foods.

6. Avoid white sugar and flour, saturated and trans fats, colas, juices and alcohol.

7. Consume healthy fats (EFA), fresh fruits and veggies!

8. Stick to proper portion sizes.

Finally - Exercise at least 3-5 times per week!

A PIECE OF THE PUZZLE

I’m sure everyone remembers doing puzzles growing up.  How often did you come to the end, but to find one piece missing?   Consider our school teams like a giant puzzle.  There are the players, the teammates, the coaches who volunteer their time, and the fans that come out to cheer on our teams.  All these pieces play a unique and important role in the success of these programs.  Just as a puzzle needs all the pieces to be complete, our teams need all these supports to make them successful.

Part of being on a team is goal setting.  The success of these goals will be determined by the contributions of each individual on the team.  This is why we do things as a “team” rather than individually.  When we work together as a team, we can all use our unique strengths to achieve the overall goal.  We can all contribute equally whether this is by scoring the goals or defending the passes.

  

Everyone wants to be the leader, starter, or top goal scorer.  Unfortunately, this is not possible.  Some of us have to lead the group, while others have to follow.  Some of us score the goals while others stop the goals.  No one part is more important than the other.  Although often times we like to think so, we praise those who score the goals but often overlook all the others who help set up the goal.  Each team member plays an important role; it’s time we start recognizing this and start treating our teammates like important pieces of the puzzle.  Without these pieces, our teams would not succeed.    

Being part of the team is not only about being the best you can, but it is about helping your teammates be the best they can, and helping each other look good at all times.   Every person on a team has something unique to offer.  Being part of a team is coming to practice, committing to yourself and your teammates, and respecting each teammate’s role in the puzzle.  It’s about leadership and working hard in developing your skills to compete.  It’s about working hard and bringing your own individual skill level up through practice.  It’s about commitment, and taking responsibility as a team for wins and losses.   There is an old cliché that everyone knows, “there is no “I” in TEAM!”  When you commit to a team, it is about being respectful to the people who volunteer their time to the sport, to support each other as a team, and to support the parents and fans who come out to watch and support our school.

What piece of the puzzle do you play?