Your 5 Best Muscle Building Foods

I've done pretty well incorporating everything on this list except salmon. Can you believe I live in the Pacific Northwest and I DON'T like salmon? :( The good news is I can substitute tuna. :)

1. Chicken breast: This is about as lean as you can get. Skinless they have 7 grams of protein and nearly zero grams of fat per ounce.
2. Oatmeal: A slow digesting carb that won’t spike insulin levels. Keeps your arteries and intestines spic and span.
3. Salmon: Promotes muscle growth and is full of omega-3 fatty acids. Has 1.8 grams of omega-3’s per every 3 grams of total fat.
4. Cottage cheese: Eat it at bedtime. Its signature curds are primarily casein, the slow digesting protein that will carry your muscles safely through seven or more hours of enforced fasting, aka, your night’s rest.
5. Quinoa: This ancient South American grain is almost a meal in itself. It is a complete protein in that it contains all nine essential amino acids, and it is a slow digesting protein, full of fiber.

Featured Article: Is it Trash or Treasure? Your Physical Treasure Guidelines

Your treasures provide the most complete picture of who you are right now. They represent the authentic you, the one you may have lost touch with over time. When you are able to separate the "stuff" from the treasures, you are confident that you're moving forward in life knowing you have the best things right along with you.

While some people regard everything as a treasure, and some have little regard for things - identifying treasures from clutter serves an important purpose for your life.

If you feel weighed down by clutter (physical or emotional), taking the time to separate the treasures puts you in the driver's seat to navigate a more complete, healthy transition to a lighter, more connected life - rather than just a temporary fix.

How do you know if it's a treasure?

Your treasures show the authentic you. They don't generate any mixed feelings. They are reminders of life lessons, meaningful memories of people, places, and things or valuable knowledge or insight you've gained.

Your treasures strengthen and empower you. They are a testimonial to what makes you feel good about you. They give you a sense of accomplishment, identity, character or achievement. Sometimes going through clutter can be a moving experience for my clients. Often an attitude of frustration and discouragement turns into an "aha" moment of rediscovering connection and passion just from taking time to visit your clutter with a selective and objective mindset.

Your treasures connect you. In my experience working with the chronically disorganized and hoarding behavior, I have been amazingly blessed to see clients' reconnect with their former passions once they have dug themselves out from beneath their clutter. It can be something as simple as being able to once again have friends and family visit you without guilt or shame. Or re-connecting to a former pastime you once were passionate about that somehow got lost in all the stuff.

As you analyze and select your personal treasures, it may be helpful to ask yourself:

What real (physical or emotional) value does this provide me?

If I disposed of it, what would I REALLY miss about it?

Would I re-create it again if I didn't have it?

Does it resonate to the authentic me? Does it represent me and and inspire me in my life right now?

If you apply these and your own treasure guidelines selectively, you'll be able to differentiate what's truly valuable to you and let go of the things that are no longer serving you and the vision you have for living life lighter.

8 Ways to Keep Motivated to Stay Fit This Winter

1. Keep lifting. Surprise your muscles by mixing up your resistance training program. Now might be a good time to shift from free weights to machine weight training. Gym membership specials abound during January and February, the time when most people resolve to get back on the fitness horse again.

2. Try something totally new. Have you ever tried boot camp training? Or belly dancing? Or a hip hop fitness class? Now’s the time – grab a friend and enroll in a class this week.

3. Change your routine. Spice up your favorite activity. If you run outdoors, bring it inside for some high intensity interval training on the treadmill. Or if you’re a die- hard elliptical trainer, try walking outdoors.

4. Get a buddy. If you’re working out solo, try making a gym date with a friend or your partner instead of going to the movies or out to eat. Afterwards, relax with a couple of protein packed smoothies.

5. Set a new goal. Give yourself a new reason to work out. Pull out your calendar and circle the next big event you’ll be attending (wedding, vacation, party). Or sign up for a fitness event like a 10k run or cycling. Let that be your motivator to work out.

6. Get a gadget. Resistance training bands, the popular Nike fitness watch, downloadable workouts for your Ipod or MP3 player – there’s nothing like a new toy to raise your motivation level!

7. Eat the cookie. Buy the shoes! Don’t forget to reward your hard work. Reaching a fitness goal earns you an excuse to treat yourself! Get a massage, a new fitness outfit, or have a fun cheat meal with your friends. Whatever you choose, just enjoy it and don’t get the guilts.

8. Take a break. Typically, your body needs a 7 day rest every 6 weeks to help grow and heal muscles. That’s not possible for most of us, but pain or continual low energy could be a sign your body needs some R & R. Take at least 1 day off a week, and maybe a couple – just don’t be gone too long!

We're designed to move!

I’m here this week in frosty Chicago where the temperature hasn’t risen above 9 degrees for the past 5 days. Not one to break my workout routine, it was just too cold for me to run outdoors, although I did see several hardy joggers running along Lake Shore Drive. Brrrr! I opted for the relatively warm hotel gym and later relaxed with a yoga video in my room.

One crystal afternoon, my friend and I visited the Field Museum of Natural History in downtown Chicago. While walking through the Indigenous Peoples of North America exhibit I was struck by a placard which explained how our bodies today are evolved from the hunter-gatherer lifestyle. They spent a part of every day moving about either hunting for protein or gathering wild plants for food.

Because we evolved as movers we also require physical activity. We operate best on a diet of healthy protein and vegetables and low in unhealthy fats and sugar. So many of today’s chronic diseases (like diabetes, obesity and heart disease) are in part because we’ve abandoned the mobile ways of our ancestors in favor of more sedentary lifestyles along with more unhealthy eating.

The cold wintry weather, along with the museum’s gentle reminder that we need to MOVE was the motivation for this week’s e-news article – staying motivated when winter’s shorter, colder days sap your energy. Don’t let bad weather be an excuse for not working out! And if you can’t afford (or can’t make it) to the gym, you can design a very affordable home gym with just a few pieces of inexpensive equipment. Don’t know where to start? I’ll show you how – simply.

Our ancestors practiced intuitive fitness. They simply got up and moved, doing what came naturally to their bodies. Today, intuitive fitness is all about doing what you like to do and keeping it interesting, simple, and fun. Because the workout that works best is the one you DO.