What A Typical Day Should Look Like
With all my clients I always stress that it is not knowledge that ensures good health, but action. Think about it-how many diet or self-help books have you read but never applied the principles to your daily life? Or worse, how many have you purchased and never opened?
There are myriad theories, guidelines and information sources surrounding the nutrition and wellness industry. Sometimes it seems as though the more you read, the more confused you become. But the basic principles of healthy living are not rocket science. The baby steps taken today may result in giant leaps in your wellness in the future.
We all want a quick fix for better health, weight loss and more energy. Working with a nutritionist provides you with a road map to wellness, but if you are not yet on the road to health, you can begin with this sample of a healthy day to get you moving. You can tweak the hours if you need to, just use this as a guide. Remember the old adage that definitely rings true when it comes to nutrition, “if you fail to plan, you plan to fail.”
6:30 – 7:00 am: Drink two cups of warm lemon water every morning. This simple habit increases the flow of digestive juices, helps to cleanse the body and resets our pH balance, making us less acidic, which helps reduce the risk of disease. If you have sugar or carbohydrate cravings, add 1 tsp. of glutamine powder into the water.
7:00 – 7:30 am: Do 30 minutes of cardiovascular exercise on an empty stomach. This will reduce elevated morning cortisol levels and burn extra body fat.
7:30 – 7:45 am: Enjoy a smoothie each morning during the work week for breakfast. In a blender, combine protein powder, two tbsp of ground flaxseed, plain organic yogurt and spirulina with some berries and water. Drink it on your way to work if you need to. Meet your basic supplement needs effortlessly by taking a good quality multi, probiotics, vitamin D and vitamin C.
During your day: Have a snack that contains protein at mid-morning and mid-afternoon each day. Pack two snacks and a lunch for the office each day. Great snacks include an apple with some almonds, a boiled egg, tomatoes with balsamic dressing and a piece of feta cheese, hummus with veggie sticks, 4% allegro cheese or a piece of string cheese.
Keep a 1.5 L bottle for water on your desk and fill it each morning, keeping in mind that you should finish it by the end of the day. Fill a thermos or a nice tea pot with hot water, put in three or four green tea bags and let it steep. Drink the tea throughout the day in addition to your water. Be sure to steep your green tea to allow the active ingredients to reach full potency.
6:00 – 8:00 pm: Eat your hormonally-balanced dinner before 8 pm to avoid weight gain, earlier is better. Remember that two-thirds of your plate at mealtimes should be occupied by carbohydrates: one-third salad and one-third veggies. The other third should be your protein. Your fats may fall on top of your carbohydrate selections (as an olive oil or salad dressing, for instance) or be consumed within your protein selections. I recommend including a starchy carbohydrate like brown rice, sweet poatao or squash (about ½ a cup or the size of your fist) with your evening meal, rather than your lunch or breakfast. Avoiding too many starches at breakfast will aid appetite and craving control during the day while enjoying them in the evening will to improve your sleep. This simple habit will also help to maintain consistent energy throughout the day, but still some of you may prefer having your starch at lunch.
9:30 – 10:00 pm: Spend some time alone, even if it is just 15 minutes, to breathe deeply, meditate, ponder, review your goals or write in a journal to wind down before bed and collect your thoughts. Designate this time as YOUR time daily.
10:30 – 11:00 pm: Aim to get to bed before 10 or 11 pm in a darkened room for optimal recovery, and to maximize the release of melatonin and growth hormone. Most sleep experts agree that 7-8 hours a night is optimal. However, some people may require more or less sleep than others. If you wake without an alarm and feel refreshed when you get up, you’re likely getting the right amount of sleep for you.
Repeat the very next day and you will be well on your way to optimal (and hormonally balanced) health.