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.

Get er done - it's your present!

Have you ever noticed how a lot of what you deal with on a daily basis is actually old stuff? You find yourself continually distracted by the old or unfinished projects and tasks. And they can really zap the life out of you. For instance:
• The rising stack of magazines you ordered, but never have time to read?
• The healthy eating plan you started but by now the healthy food is rotting in the fridge, the cans of black beans are way past their expiration date and you’re back to living on cookies and cereal?
• The bathroom remodel that still needs the lighting fixtures installed?
• The too big/too small/those might come back in style clothes stuffed in your closet that you have to fight through every morning?
• Tax returns from the 90’s that still need to be filed?

And how about the birthday/wedding/baby gift you still haven’t bought and sent? The lunch and networking date you were going to make? The doctor’s appointment?
You get the point. All these things literally tie you to the past. And when you’re tied to the past, it’s the past - not what you want now – that is controlling your actions today.

For example, do you scurry past the guest bedroom packed with boxes you never unpacked from your move 6 years ago? Do you get depressed when you look at your action list from a week ago and realize that the same things just keep resurfacing – little irritants that distract and drain you?

Not only do you have to deal with your day to day events, but you’re strapped with a back pack full of yesterday’s leftovers. And every day that you allow more and more to accumulate, it gets heavier and heavier.
Today’s “shape your life moment” is this – take one small step to commit to finishing what you start.

And, as always, it’s just 3 simple steps:

1. Make a new commitment that any new thing you start will be completely finished – one way or another. You will either do it yourself, delegate it to someone else, or dump it off the list.

2. Start to clean up FULLY -- anything that happened in the past that still nags at you. Be patient, but persistent. Take time to carefully consider things in your own life. It’s easy to identify them – they usually make you feel negative in some way when you think about them (mad, sad, angry, guilty, embarrassed).

3. Get help if you need it! Don’t be proud and don’t just let it keep dragging you down! Ask for what you need from others, or hire a coach. Define exactly what it is you need and get their support in a concrete way. Just say no if responsibilities and commitments are stealing your time and your joy.

When you are living in the present and looking forward with expectation to the future, you don’t miss out on opportunities. When you’re distracted or brooding over the past, you tend to be blind to what’s happening in your life and miss out on future potentials. Who do you want to be?

You have plenty of good reasons why you're not exercising enough. But for every obstacle to physical activity, there are multiple solutions to help you get in a workout.
Try these strategies to overcome barriers to exercise:
Lack of time
Identify available time slots. Keep track of your daily activities for one week, and identify at least three 30-minutes time slots you could use for physical activity.
Add physical activity to your daily routine. For example, walk or ride your bike to work or shopping, walk the dog, and exercise while you watch TV.
Carve out fitness appointments. For example, walk, jog, or swim during your lunch hour, or take fitness breaks instead of coffee breaks.
Select activities requiring minimal prep time, such as walking, jogging or climbing stairs.
Lack of social support
Explain your interest in physical activity to friends and family. Ask them to support your efforts.
Invite friends and family members to exercise with you. Plan social activities involving exercise.
Develop new friendships with physically active people. Join a group, such as the YMCA or a hiking club.
Lack of energy
Schedule physical activity for times in the day or week when you feel energetic.
Convince yourself that if you give it a chance, physical activity will increase your energy level; then, try it. Commit one month to the endeavor and then assess if you feel more energetic. Unless you are overly rigorous in your workouts, you'll have far more energy than you did before.
Lack of motivation
Plan ahead. Make exercise a regular part of your daily or weekly schedule and write it on your calendar.
Make a regular date with a friend for an active get-together, and write it on both your calendars.
Join an exercise group or class that meets regularly.
Fear of injury
Always spend a few minutes doing light activity before and after your exercise session. Warming up and cooling down help prevent injury.
Learn how to exercise appropriately considering your age, fitness level, skill level, and health status. You can have one session with a trainer, get a prescription for physical therapy, take a book out of the library or start with an exercise video.
Choose activities involving minimum risk such as walking.
Lack of skill
Select activities requiring no new skills, such as walking, climbing stairs or jogging.
Exercise with friends who are at the same skill level as you are.
Find a friend who is willing to teach you some new skills.
Take a class to develop new skills.
Lack of resources
Select activities that require minimal facilities or equipment, such as walking, jogging, jumping rope, or calisthenics.
Identify inexpensive, convenient resources available in your community such as programs at colleges, community centers, the parks and recreation department, at work or at a YMCA or YWCA.
Poor weather conditions
Develop a set of regular activities that are always available regardless of weather (indoor cycling, aerobic dance, indoor swimming, calisthenics, stair climbing, rope skipping, mall walking, dancing, gymnasium games, etc.)
Rather than relying on them as the basis of your routine, consider any outdoor activities that depend on weather conditions (cross-country skiing, outdoor swimming, outdoor tennis, etc.) as "bonuses"—extra activities possible when weather and circumstances permit.
Travel
Put a jump rope in your suitcase and use it.
Walk the halls and climb the stairs in hotels.
Stay in places with swimming pools or exercise facilities.
Join the YMCA or YWCA and ask about reciprocal membership arrangements.
Visit the local shopping mall and walk for half an hour or more.
Family obligations
Trade babysitting time with a friend, neighbor or family member who also has small children.
Exercise with the kids — go for a walk together, play tag or other running games, get an aerobic dance or exercise tape for kids (there are several on the market) or just run around after them at the playground. You can spend time together and all get your exercise, plus the kids will be calmer after expending some energy.
Hire a babysitter and look at the cost as a worthwhile investment in your physical and mental health.
Jump rope, do calisthenics, ride a stationary bike, or use other home exercise equipment while the kids are playing or sleeping. (Take safety precautions to ensure they don't get injured if they have access to home exercise equipment.)

Purpose or Pointless?

January is my organizing month, and I’m right now in the process of evaluating my goals, projects, and stuff with a professional eye. I'm asking myself the questions I pose to my clients like:
• Is this project or task really important as it relates to my “gold plated” goals?
• If yes, what steps are needed to get it done?
• When would be the best time to do it—what time of day, what day of the week—to get the greatest benefit or cause the fewest hassles?
• Should I be doing this, or can I delegate it to someone else, like my virtual assistant or housecleaner?
• Is there a way I can streamline this task so it's easier to do in less time?

The crux is this – I want to be able to distinguish what has a purpose and what is pointless, because life and our goals are constantly changing. We need to take the time periodically to re-evaluate. What once had a purpose may now be pointless.

I've designated one hour on Sunday afternoon every week to sit down and look over the week’s priorities. I re-arrange in order of importance, add new ones, and delegate or delete anything I absolutely don’t have to do myself. Some weeks I'll need the whole hour, others I won't. But my goal is for projects to get finished by deadlines and to accomplish the key tasks that are going to advance or enhance my professional and personal life.

And most important, I want time for me – for writing, spending time with my family, exercise, and just being able to spontaneously embrace opportunities I’d like to explore.

With the new year just beginning, now is a great time to examine your space, time, and stuff with a critical “organizing” eye. Does it have a purpose or is it pointless?