Sleep Your Way Skinny!

A couple years ago my mama and I took a wonderful trip to Ireland. After a few harrowing days of driving on the left hand side of the road mama decided she had had enough and we booked into a hotel on a tiny island off the west coast that had a new hotel, a few classic irish cottages, and not much else. The hotel was solidly built, the island deeply quiet, and the whole place wild and restful in the way only remote nature can be.

It was fabulous. We ate four course meals at night, sipped whole-milk lattes while the storms rolled in in the afternoons, and went for light walks around the island when graced with sunshine. At night, we both slept a good solid 9-hours for the first time in years.

So... I gained like 40lbs, right? No gyms, no celery sticks? Instant weight gain, right?

Nope! I actually lost weight. EFFORTLESSLY. And not even intentionally, either. I was at a fine weight but by the end of the week had leaned up a few pounds... How about that?!

It was then that I realized I really should write a book. I would title it something along the lines of 'Sleep Your Way Skinny' or the 'Dream Diet' or something equally catching and tacky and it would have a tremendous impact on obesity in America. It was brilliant! I loved waking up skinny and I felt great. In the end, I favored the simple method of pestering my own clients about their sleep patterns over the complexities of publishing, but the importance of sleep has not lost it's weight in my mind (pun intended).

Which is why I was delighted when I saw the recent explosion of media on the subject! Glamour Magazine did a whole article on the subject and USAToday did a great summary of the latest research (here). If you are the type who likes to know all the details and the mechanics then check out the article but here are a few of the stats:

• Scientists have found that sleep deprivation increases levels of a hunger hormone [ghrelin] and decreases levels of a hormone that makes you feel full [leptin].
  
• Researchers found that people who sleep 2-4 hours a night are 73% more likely to be obese than those who get 7-9 hours.
  
• Those who get 5 hours of sleep are 50% more likely to be obese.
• Those who sleep 6 hours are 23% more likely to be obese [than normal sleepers].

Have you ever noticed how much more you crave sweets when you're tired? Lord, I do. As the article reports from a study published in the Journal of Internal Medicine, "The sleep-deprived men who had the biggest hormonal changes... felt the most hungry and craved carbohydrate-rich foods, including cakes, candy, ice cream, pasta and bread." When you are tired your brain is constantly signaling the need for energy. How do we get our energy? Calories! And what is our brain's stand-by for quick-fix energy? Sugar! Makes sense doesn't it? The problem is, we are not tired from lack of 'energy' (read: calories) but rather but a basic deprivation of REM time. However, your body can't just shut down (you have THINGS TO DO!), so it compromises by telling you to eat.

Interesting, no? So. Moral of the story: GET SOME SLEEP! It is by far the easiest way of all to help your body healthy, strong, and lean. How much sleep? It depends on your body. A good rule of thumb is to sleep as much as you possibly can for at least three days in a row. This should even out any 'sleep debt' you may have accrued. On the fourth and fifth night note how long you naturally sleep and use this amount as a guide for what is 'normal' or required for your body. Sleep is essential for proper body functioning, and proper body functioning is the foundational to being JOYOUSLY FIT!

...sweet dreams!

photo thanks to mplex.org

A Word On Dessert...

Ok ok. So I know this is a HEALTHY food blog and you are all here to learn about tasty ways to be a health nut, but... lets be honest here, I really like dessert! Yes, and (though I have tried) it doesn't look like I will be cutting sugar entirely out of my diet any time soon. *Gasp!!* Ranier! Desert?! I know I know. At least Im honest. All I can say is this: moderation is key. In my opinion it is important to never let yourself get too extreme with your diet, (lest you end up as one of those tragic dieters that snap one day and end up eating an entire gallon of ice-cream in the closet).

So! All I will say is:

If your going to sin, sin well- Mae West

Oh come on, every so often, your going to have dessert. Chances are dessert's going to be packed with fat and sugar. Excess fat and sugar is generally not in your best interest, which you know, but you're probably going to do it anyway. Am I right?

So. If your going to 'sin' (as it is considered in our puritanical dieting society) and have desert: MAKE IT WORTH IT! If you crave cheesecake, order only the best and your favorite kind. If you want chocolate, eat GOOD chocolate. Don't go eat a whole bar of Hershey's! Blugh. Try an organic truffle or an artesian dark chocolate. In my experience, if you're eating the good stuff (at least when it comes to chocolate) you don't need an ENTIRE bar. ENTIRE BAR eating is often unconscious eating and is generally the result of feeling too deprived for too long and/or not being truly present in your body. You feel me? Lets not let that happen. Which brings me to my three steps to desert success:

Step one: Take care of yourself and have enough fun in life. (eating a gallon of icecream in a dark closet should NOT be the most fun you have had in a year)

Step two: Stay present and aware of your body (CONSCIOUS eating only please!)

Step three: Actually ENJOY your desert!'

If you're going to eat the calories, by god, at least enjoy them while you do it! Otherwise- what's the point? Desert is about pleasure and fun and indulgence. Pleasure is an important part of the joy-filled life. Make sure you are having enough fun and pleasure in your every day life (outside of desert) and I bet you three cupcakes I wont ever have to find you hiding in some closet head-deep in your son's Halloween candy...

Ladies- For more insight on the subject of creating a pleasure and fun filled life read: Mama Gena's School of Womanly Arts by Regina Tomaschauer. A life changing book that is a DELIGHT to read. [link to this book on Amazon: here]

The One. The Only. THE brownie recipe!

Here it is folks. The infamous recipe behind AppleWood Bakeries' delectable double chocolate brownies as scribed by the lovely Mama Appel herself:

Melt in Your Mouth Brownies oven 325-350 F

(if you make them with organic ingredients they taste much better and don’t make you as crazy)

1/3 C butter

1/2 to 3/4 C organic sugar (mix brown & white if you like)

2 T. water

Put in pot over medium heat, boil, stir until sugar melts and mixture is shiny)

Add

1 C chocolate chips

Stir to melt, cool slightly

While cooling, grease and flour 9” pan

Add to pot:

3/4 C flour

1/2 t. salt

1/4 t. baking soda

Stir thoroughly

Quickly whisk 2 beaten eggs into chocolate mixture

then add:

1 tsp. vanilla

1 C. choc chips (try not to melt them too much)

Pour into pan, bake 20-30 minutes, until knife inserted comes out pretty clean. They can be gooey in the middle. You don’t want them cakey.

Eat your Breakfast! part 1.

One of the things I am always struggling to get my clients to do is: EAT BREAKFAST!! 

Eating breakfast helps to jump-start your metabolism and keep it (and you) running better all day. Among a few other tricks (which I will list later) it can also help switch your body from 'sleepy-mode' (read: burning SMALL amounts of calories) to 'AWAKE mode' (lots more calories) earlier in the day to help you burn more calories throughout the day! Yeyyy!! We love that.

Want more energy? Eat your breakfast. Want to loose weight? Eat your breakfast. Want to have better brain function all day? EAT YOUR BREAKFAST!!! OK? ok. Sorry. Im yelling aren't I. It's just that important!

So! Now that we are all on the breakfast bandwagon lets see how I can best help you...

 Most people's biggest issue with my EAT YOUR BREAKFAST doctrine is that they are not 'breakfast people'. Non-breakfast people- I feel you. To be honest, I am not naturally a huge breakfast person either. I don't like most eggs, I'd rather have waffles for dessert, and pancakes... maybe in the afternoon? HOWEVER, guess what? I EAT MY BREAKFAST anyway! Yup. Fascist, I know. I just feel better when I do. The trick is to just start doing it. Even if it's just a little bit- some leftover rice with a bit of butter, a piece of (sprouted) toast. Just something to get you in the hang of it because before long you will start waking up CRAVING breakfast! Whhhaaat?! Impossible! No no my pretties! Trust me on this one. 

Just try it.

Do it for a few weeks and then report back. Better yet- try a few of the metabolism-wake-up-tricks combined with a bit of breakfast (see later) and THEN report back. I bet you feel better... Btecha betcha betcha...

But let me clarify one thing- just because I said breakfast is "healthy" does that mean that all 'breakfasts' are healthy?

NO!

But you already knew that, didn't you? Many popular breakfast foods in America (most in fact) are like a skeezy guy a bar-- a few sweet moments and they head straight for your thighs! Ha! Sorry. Couldn't help myself. ANYway, what I mean is, something like a sugary danish or cereal? 

Yup. Tastes good at the time, lifts you way up, and then crashes you down till you are hungrier than before you ate it (and leaves you craving sugar for the rest of the day). Not good. On the flip side you could have a heavy protein and fat meal of eggs made with cheese and milk, sausage, and a few pieces of toast with butter that would leave you sluggish and probably 

with a lean ration of calories left over to eat the rest of the day... booo :(.. Muffins? Cake in breakfast clothing. Pop-tarts? Cookies that fit in your toaster. Don't be fooled by the adverts that have somehow brainwashed our world into thinking that's "breakfast"...

'So what the *$# am I supposed to eat, Ranier!?' 

Lots of things! Don't worry. After a lifetime of being both a 'non-breakfaster' and a health nut I am here to say that breakfast can be both good and yummy, and simple and healthy for you! YES! And even quick and easy to make (or grab on the go if its reeally one of those mornings). And no, it will not just be a long list of ways to make celery... 

HOORRAAAAYY!!!!

So in the next few postings I will focus all things AM and breakfast: recipes, good quick to-go combos, and quick metabo-boosters that make a difference. Sound good? Yes?

Ok then! 

EAT YOUR BREAKFAST!!

WARM UP THOSE TUMMIES! Metabo-boosters for the AM.

OK. So you say you want to up your metabolism, burn more calories, and have more energy all day, yes?

Well ok then! What we need to do is two fold: first we need to make sure your body is in 'awake mode' rather than what I call 'sleepy mode'. Then, we need to make sure your tummy's on board and is ready for food and happy. This one-two combo makes for a pretty good feeling morning and can really have significant positive impacts on your body and your day.

Step 1: WAKE UP! Do something to get your heart rate up first 

thing out of bed. Do 5 jumping jacks, jump up and down, run a flight of stairs, dance around in your underpants to you alarm clock radio! Whatever it takes. Doesn't have to be a full blown cardio routine, just a few minutes. This will help trigger the switch over in your brain from night/sleep mode into day/awake mode and start up your metabolism.

Step 2: Drink up! Take one glass of warm water and squeeze in a few tablespoons of fresh limon (or lime) juice. 

This is a trick I picked up from both a reputed Chinese doctor (who recommended the lime) and the author of the Fat Flush Cleanse who included warm water with lemon (and cayenne pepper- which you can feel free to add if you are extra committed) as part of her fat flush program. It warms up the tummy, flushes the liver, and generally helps you digest better. WORKS LIKE  A GEM!

TIP: Drinking warm water throughout the day is great for you! Cold water has been found to slow the metabolism so if you are eating out- go ahead, be a snob, ask for water with no ice!

If you really wanna geek out about all the health benefits of drinking lemon water check out this site.

Breakfast Recipes: shakes and smoothies

My brother (Boss-Man to all of us trainers and a trainer himself) is Captain Smoothie. Every morning he whips together a wild blend of ingredients that comprise his morning breakfast. They work for him (and probably will for you too) because they are a quick and easy way to pack a lot of nutrition into one big to-go cup. Especially perfect for those who have a commute (and like to sleep in).

**One note: if you are planning on washing your dishes "later" (aka having someone else clean them) I recommend at least filling the blender with water before leaving it in the sink, so as to save yourself a lot of work and potentially save your marriage. ;)

For this section I will describe a good smoothie 'base' and then list a few other things you might want to add for nutrition or taste. You can't go too wrong with most combos assuming you've got a good base and even that's changable. See later for more specific recipes. 

Smoothie Base

1 banana

1-2C vanilla soymilk

1/2C mixed berries*

1-2 scoops quality protein powder 

Blend. 

If too thick, add more soymilk. 

Enjoy!

 *note: frozen make a great texture but be sure to at least drink warm water before or during so the cold doesn't slow down that metabolism we worked so hard to boost!

Smoothie Add-Ins

This is a list of 'da goods'. All these things have different benefits and tastes and reasons you should try them. Contact me for more information (or google 'em and see what you can learn!).

*'Green Powder': there are many makers of this kindof stuff (generally a blend of spirulina, wheat grass powder, algae etc.) but its important to get the good stuff. Metagenics apparently makes a great one (I get mine next week- Ill let you know what I think!). I used to take Greens+ and liked it a lot (its won a lot of awards!). HEALTH BENEFITS OFF THE CHARTS! look em up. seriously.

*Ground Flax Seeds: grind them yourself if you can. great source of fiber, healthy omegas, and have been found to reduce hot flashes by 50% in menopausal women! yey!

*Natural Peanut Butter: if you are NOT on a  diet and want to make your smoothie 'last' longer.

*Vanilla: a splash of this in a soymilk and banana shake makes for a yummy bananas and cream flavor

*Chocolate Soymilk: for the extra-indulgent. Better for post-workout than breakfast (too much sugar for the start of the day!).

Breakfast Recipes: eggs

The incredible edible egg:

So remember how I said I didn't like eggs? Well, thats largely the truth, the way most people make eggs. I don't know why. The texture? The egg-ness? Not sure. Whatever it is, it poses a real problem for me because I really want to love eggs! They are such a great way to start the day! Lots of protein, not too much fat, and so versatile! Alas. Not in the cards. HOWEVER, I have managed over the years to create a few egg recipes that I really like! 

HOORAY!

Yup. They aren't too eggy and they have lots of good for you things in them. A miracle! I say. Creativity is really your only limit when it comes to eggs. If you already like eggs- congrats! Eat up and enjoy. If you are less egg-thusiastic then dont worry. Try a few of these. If you still don't like them, check my other b-fast recipes and find something you do. 

Life is too short for bad food.

EGGS with Rice

This one is a classic from my days in Maui. Absolutely love it. Perfect for rice left-overs.

2-3 eggs (preferably organic free range)

1/3c cooked rice

small handfull spinach or leftover greens*

 (*optional)

Heat a small glug of olive oil in  a sauté pan and throw in your rice. Stir around with your spatula.

While that cooks up a bit break your eggs into a bowl and wisk (or fork or whatever) until mixed.

If your feeling green-y throw the greens into the pan with the rice now and stip them around until spinach has wilted or greens are warmed up. Also a good time to toss in some dried herbs (i like a touch of rosemary or italian seasoning).

Pour eggs into rice and scramble.

ENJOY!

Note: eggs with rice is particularly good with a spritz of Braggs (check your healthfood store) and a spoonful of sweet mango chutney. Sounds crazy but you can't knock it till you try it.

Tortilla Eggs

This one's a boyfriend favorite! If done right adds a great crispy texture to your scramble and is wonderful with fresh salsa or a bit of goat cheese and green chile.

2-3 eggs

1/2-1 tortilla

Heat a glug of olive oil in your trusty sauté pan and rip or cut your tortilla into 1" squares (approximately!).

Add the tortilla bits and allow to fry in the oil until golden brown. Flip the pieces and once brown on both sides pour in the eggs. Sprinkle in a few herbs if you want and scramble it up.

Done!

Soup Eggs

This one really should be entered by my Mama as she is Queen of the Soup Eggs but I will put it in here anyway as a tribute. Mama- feel free to correct or add on this one! For I am no soup egg queen (I cant do the fried eggs thing). Its an easy one though and GREAT on the fat-factor. Mama invented it when she was on strict Dr. orders to eat no fat at all (liver thing) and she started experimenting replacing oil with vegetable soups! Surprisingly yummy!

1 carton Butternut Squash Soup (Pacific Foods makes a good organic one)

2-3 eggs (or however many eggs you are wanting)

Heat your pan, pour in enough soup to cover the bottom. Allow to bubble and reduce (a little).

Break your eggs into the pan one by one. Cook until whites no longer look 'wet' then flip and continue to cook to your desired level of runny-ness.

Sprinkle on some sesame gomasio seasoning and a spritz of Baggs, if you feel so inclined, and you will officially be eating the exact same breakfast as her gloriousness the Queen of Soup Eggs does EVERY morning!! Yum!