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Finding Your Passion for Exercise

My alarm clock goes off at 5am; I get out of bed, turn on the coffee maker, eat breakfast and begin working. Once my computer starts up I look at my schedule and think about when I can work out today, while at the same time attempting to justify not working out. I tell myself there is too much to do, not enough time and I can get a workout in tomorrow (the infamous, "I will get it in tomorrow"). This mind struggle has been a part of my life for as long as I can remember. The truth is, how exciting is walking on a treadmill or lifting weights in the gym?

I have always been an athlete and playing sports or outdoor activities is what has inspired me through the years. Unfortunately as my life got busier, I turned to what many of us do….take the joy out of exercise. We begin to go through the motions with our exercise because we know it is what we should do….not really what we want to do. This mindset slowly and steadily begins to drain all of the exercise passion right out of us.

You see, many times over the past 15 years (since I played my final collegiate soccer game), I lost my passion for exercise. I would become bored with my exercise, feeling like I was living the movie Groundhog Day (where the same day repeats over and over again). I dreaded everything about working out. I felt I was working towards a destination (a fit and healthy body). The only thing was, I was despising the process.

About a little over a year ago I found myself in one of these ruts and missing far too many workouts. I justified it as not having enough time, life is just too busy. Even though I knew what I should be doing and the benefits, (less stress, more energy, and a leaner body) I was struggling to get out of the rut.

Then one day an inconvenience turned into a blessing. One of our cars needed to go to the shop for the day, so I decided to walk to the office (seemed more fun than a treadmill). We live about 2 miles away, so I put on my walking shoes and hit the pavement. It was just turning Autumn, the air was crisp, the leaves were red and orange and the sky was bright blue, it felt like a perfect day. It was the best 25 minutes of exercise I'd had in over a year… What dawned on me shortly after my walk is that I had lost my passion for exercise. I let life’s circumstances dictate my health pattern, rather than creating fun ways to make my exercise work into my world.

I had forgotten what I truly get from daily exercise, a quality of life worth living. That evening, on my walk home, I decided I needed to get back to what I loved about exercise and begin enjoying the journey again. It was a simple process; I looked in the past and spotlighted the times when I had passion for exercise. Within 5 minutes, it became clear. Every time I've been passionate about exercise, it was due to playing a sport: soccer, tennis or cycling. I knew I needed to get back to what I love and at the same time, make sure it could work into my schedule. I had about an hour a day to exercise… immediately putting soccer and tennis on the sideline. Both sports take longer than that with traveling, coordinating with other people and then finally playing the sport. Cycling seemed to be the sport for me (I cycled for 6 years in the past), so a few weeks later I geared up and began cycling again.

Cycling now provides solutions to all of my exercise challenges. It can be completed in an hour. It focuses on both high intensity and fat burning cardio, and most importantly, it woke up my passion for exercise. Cycling gives me every component I want from exercise, the overall sense of freedom, the feeling of the wind blowing on my face, the speed of going downhill, the calmness of the beautiful scenery and the alone time I get while doing it. Just me, my bike and the road.

For the past year, I've looked forward to exercising every day. The days I have to miss a ride, it feels like a piece of my day was lost… a much different story than a year ago. I now look forward to my weight training sessions because they make me stronger on my bike. My nutrition is more dialed in than ever because the leaner and tighter I am the faster I ride. I can honestly say that I am now in the best overall shape of my life and I have once again found my passion for exercise. I'm making sure this time it never leaves...

I wanted to share my experience with you to show you it is possible. We all hit ruts and I know many people feel like they live in Groundhog Day too. I invite you to take a step back, and think about when you were passionate about exercise. One of two things will happen:

1. You will remember when you were passionate about exercise. If this is the case, I suggest finding a way to get a piece of the type of exercise you were passionate about back into your routine…trust me; it will make a Huge difference.

2. You will realize you were never passionate about exercise. If this is the case, it's time to experiment. Dive into multiple types of activities and see which one fits best…..just keep at it until you find the something that sparks passion.

Through my own personal health journey and being part of thousands of clients health journeys, the one difference maker in each of our successes is passion. Ask yourself, how passionate are you about your exercise? Do you look forward to each workout? What could make your workouts more fun? Can you see yourself doing this type of work out the rest of your life? As your life evolves so should your exercise... now go find your passion for exercise and live that moment!

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Culinary Corner

by head chef Valerie Cogswell

Spice Up Your Next Meal With Vegetable Salsa!

Finding ways to spice up every day proteins can be a challenge. That's why we created this delicious Vegetable Salsa. Vegetable Salsa is incredibly easy to make and is the perfect topping on any dish. Sweet tomatoes, corn, black beans and cool cucumbers are combined and tossed with rich olive oil, fresh cilantro, garlic, a dash of soy sauce and tangy lime. Use this refreshing salsa on grilled seafood like tilapia, salmon or shrimp, grilled or roasted chicken or pork tenderloin, brown rice, your favorite vegetables or salad and even as a topping in your next sandwich wrap. It's also delicious as a healthy dip served with baked whole grain pita chips at your next get together. Best of all, this salsa is loaded with vitamins and nutrients from the raw vegetables, making it a perfectly healthy garnish. For the complete recipe for Vegetable Salsa, login to your account and visit the Recipe Tab today. Enjoy!

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The Complete 411 on Fiber written by Mark Macdonald, Creator and CEO of Venice Nutrition

It seems one of the hottest topics in the health industry is fiber. Almost every health article I read talks about fiber and how it's a crucial component to losing weight. Now I will agree that fiber is an important ingredient in an individual’s diet, it is just not the ultimate solution that many health experts are making it out to be. Fiber is just a piece of the overall equation. My purpose in writing this article is to provide you with the complete 411 on Fiber. This knowledge will allow you to separate the hype from the truth and provide you with realistic ways to maximize your fiber consumption. Next, I will answer the 5 most asked questions about fiber:

1. What is Fiber?

There are three main types of carbohydrates: fruits, vegetables and grains. Fiber is the non-digestible portion of these carbohydrates, meaning that fiber cannot be used for energy by the body.

2. What are the Benefits of Fiber?

Before I share the main benefits of fiber, I think it's important to share that there are two types of fiber and to define them: soluble and non-soluble. Each serves its own purpose in the body. Soluble fiber is as it sounds, soluble in water, meaning when it's mixed with water it forms a gel like substance and swells. Non-soluble fiber is also as it sounds, it neither dissolves, nor is absorbed by water. Non-soluble fiber passes through the digestive system close to its original form.

Each type of fiber yields different benefits. Soluble fiber helps more with the initial digestion of food by binding with your fatty acids (helping to remove fat from the body), prolonging the emptying time of the stomach so glucose (sugar) is released slower into your bloodstream (this maximizes blood sugar stabilization by preventing blood sugar spikes) and lowering overall cholesterol and your LDL levels (bad cholesterol).

Non-soluble fiber aids more in proper elimination. It creates bulk in the intestine (which promotes consistent bowl movements and reduces constipation), removes toxins from the colon in less time (very important to prevent colon cancer), loosens stools and maintains an optimal PH level in your colon to prevent microbes from producing cancerous substances.

As you can see Fiber provides some powerful benefits throughout the entire digestive process.

3. How much Fiber should you have per day?

As I've shared in the past, we're all individuals. This means that the amount fiber you should have varies based on multiple factors. A few factors include: health history, current lifestyle, protein intake and existing digestive challenges. I suggest starting with these fiber recommendations and then adjust the amount if necessary. For example, if you suffer from constipation (never fun!), I suggest increasing your fiber intake by 1-3 grams per day on a weekly basis until you are regular.

The baseline fiber recommendation for Adults is 25-35 grams of fiber per day, or approximately 10-13 grams per 1000 calories.

4. How can you Incorporate Fiber into your day?

The goal of adding fiber into your diet must also include the goal of obtaining both soluble and non-soluble fiber. Soluble fiber is found in Oats, Oat Bran, Dried Beans, Nuts, Barley, Flax Seeds, some fruits like Apples and Oranges, some vegetables like Carrots and Psyllium Husk. Non-soluble fiber is found in vegetables like green beans and dark leafy greens, fruit skins and root vegetable skins, whole wheat products as well as corn bran.

Many foods contain both soluble and non-soluble fiber. To add fiber to your diet I suggest implementing these simple guidelines:

• Eat 5 servings of Fruit or Vegetables per day
• Eat 6 servings of Grain products per day
• If the above recommendations are challenging, I recommend supplementing your diet with Psyllium Husk in either powder or capsule form. Psyllium Husk is comprised of both soluble and non-soluble fiber, and each tsp has 5 grams of fiber. Supplementing with Psyllim Husk is an extremely convenient way to ensure you are getting enough fiber in your diet. You can get Psyllium Husk powder in any grocery or health food store.

5. How will adding Fiber to your diet help you reach your Health Goals?

I have spoken to thousands clients about fiber, and many ask me the same question: “I understand how it is important for my health, but how will fiber get me to reach my health goals faster?” There's a great saying that sums up the answer to this question best, “You are not what you eat, you are what you metabolize.” In all honesty, you can eat the healthiest diet, and have the best exercise plan... If your body is not correctly metabolizing your food, then your health goals will not be achieved. Fiber plays an essential role in the digestion process by controlling the rate in which the stomach processes food - something that keeps blood sugar levels stable. It also helps maintain healthy bowel movements and quickly eliminates toxins.

As I shared earlier, fiber is only a piece of the equation. History has shown us that it's not a miracle path to achieving permanent health results. Making your health a priority requires a combination and balance of many things: sleep, nutrition, exercise, vitamins, minerals, water, stress management and of course fiber. I invite you to focus on adding fiber to your diet and making sure that the fiber variable in your health equation is dialed in… Now you have the complete 411 on fiber!

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You Asked | We Answered

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Q:What are quick meal options?

A:One of the core components which helps you stay consistent with your program is having an MRFK (Mobile Ready Food Kit). An MRFK consists of fast and easy food options that keep your blood sugar stable. Please remember that the key is to have protein, fat and carbohydrates in each meal. Here are some quick meal options that can be part of your MRFK: String Cheese & Apple, Protein Bars, Beef or Turkey Jerky with Nuts and Fruit, Ready to Drink Protein Shakes, Greek Yogurt, Cottage Cheese, or Lean Low Sodium Deli meats with Nuts & Fruit, Edamame, Hard Boiled Eggs w/fruit. Keeping a complete MRFK and having quick food options available will help your body become a fat burning machine!

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