"(B)eat It..."

I grew up in a house full of skinny people. Really. My mom had a figure that the entire community envied, my brother just grew taller; not wider, and my dad ate a diet of food that would make any present- day nutritionist run for cover (yet he was as thin as a rail)! I, however, took after our relatives with slow metabolisms and big hips!

My mom grew up with 10 brothers and sisters, so she was just happy to have any food, and overeating was never an issue for her. Mom and Dad were pretty clueless about nutrition and had never dealt with a weight problem. These days, dads are a little more in touch with their children’s issues. But back then, my dad was dead serious when he looked at me and said, “You know, you really should lose some weight!”

Well, “DUH!!!”, Our pantry was stocked with Wise potato chips, Mallomars, and Hostess chocolate cupcakes. There was only butter and full fat milk in the fridge and my dad regularly took us to a dive called the Toddle House for bacon. eggs, and waffles! Of course I was overweight; but no one else wanted to change the way that they ate!!

Although it seems that things have changed when it comes to nutritional awareness, I still hear the same complaints from clients who watch what they eat, but live with people who don’t!

According to Nancy Restuccia, MS, RD, people who don't have issues with food frequently don't realize the level of temptation experienced by people who do. So it's up to the dieter to make his or her feelings known. While it may seem that your partner or other loved one is deliberately tempting you by bringing home that quart of premium ice cream, experts say their intentions are probably not what they seem.

However, if you want your family on your healthy eating side, you can try to frame it as a positive: Eating healthy is not about eating bland, boring food or about deprivation; healthy eating can be delicious. On the NBC show, “America’s Next Great Restaurant,” one of the contestants had a food concept called “Saint and Sinners” which had a decadent and healthy version of the same dish. You could try that in your house, or you could get everyone on board with eating well.



Focus on all the foods you’re trying to eat more of, and it will become second nature to them as well.
Simple,yet vital changes to ingredient choices is the key. One way to get your significant other and/or family on track is to learn the art of ingredient substitution:

-Use no-fat yogurt in place of mayonnaise in coleslaw or salad dressing, use skim milk instead of whole milk.

-Make lasagna with low-fat cheese instead of whole milk-cheese and with eggplant and zucchini as a substitute for the noodles.

-Instead of high-fat ground chuck, try lean ground turkey.

-Replace whole milk with low-fat or reduced dairy.

-Get rid of the sugary cereals and replace them with naturally sweetened , higher fiber cereals.

-Switch out flour tortillas and white breads, and even pastas, for whole grain varieties.

-Choose natural, reduced-fat cheeses rather than high-sodium processed ones.

-Roast or lightly sauté vegetables for more flavor and fewer calories.

For example, let’s say your family loves burgers and fries. Replace the processed buns with sandwich thins, use ground chicken breast or turkey breast or reduced fat beef. Instead of deep fried potatoes, make baked fries with sweet potatoes or even butternut squash.

Even fried chicken and mashed “potatoes” can get a makeover and still please everyone. By soaking chicken breasts in buttermilk and then using egg whites and seasoned panko crumbs for the crust, the baked version comes out moist on the inside and crunchy on the outside. Cooked cauliflower and parsnips can be mashed with a little olive oil for the same taste and consistency as high-fat, high-carb mashed potatoes.

Some additional ways to get everyone on board are to make fruit and vegetables visible in your home. Seems obvious, but studies have confirmed that households that have fruits and vegetables available for meals and snacks eat more of them. Naturally low in fat and calories, fruits and veggies are full of fiber to help a dieter feel satisfied. If you make the changes gradually over a few weeks' time, your family may not even notice the difference.

Also, watch the portion size when cooking. Kathleen Daelemans, chef and host of the Food Network's TV show Cooking Thin, advises people to only make enough food to feed those sitting at the table. For example, if you have four people for dinner, that means 12 to 16 ounces of meat. And look at healthy recipes with your family. When they see recipes for healthy foods that look yummy, they’ll be more willing to give them a try.



Even Top Chefs have learned this. Manhattan chef Michael Psilakis lost weight by using new ways to enhance flavor. Instead of heavy oils, butters and sauces, he uses herbs, citrus and juices to boost flavors. Houston-area chef Ronnie Killen, lost 215 pounds by reducing his portion size. And Atlanta chef and Top Chef masters winner, Richard Blais, jump-started his 60-pound weight loss by following a vegan diet for 30days. It made him aware of how fatty, sweet and salty his food often is. That led him to create his veggie burger, which gets its meaty flavor from dried porcini mushrooms.

Top Chef Masters featured remakes of high calorie, high-fat dishes that had been a favorites of the current Biggest Loser contestants before they lost weight. The challenge was to make the same dish with significantly fewer calories, fat and carbs, but still keep it flavorful. Some were successful and some were not, but working with your family like the chefs worked with the contestants can help you create dishes that are to everyone’s liking!

Check out these sites for recipe makeovers:
http://www.hungry-girl.com/
http://www.eatingwell.com/healthy_cooking/recipe_makeovers

It’s also important for you to let those in your household know which foods are difficult for you to resist. A solution might be to allow yourself a taste or so everyone in a while, but keep the temptations in a cabinet you don't normally use, or a refrigerator in the basement or family room. If it's harder for you to get to it, you'll be less tempted to overindulge. (If only my mom had hidden those chocolate cupcakes!!!)



If you make eating well a lifestyle, not a short term punishment, you’re more likely to see success in your efforts and get the support you need from your family!

(Next post we’ll talk about how you can go out to a restaurant together and still eat healthfully when others are “indulging”!)

"Everybody Dance Now..."

Dancing has always been the best workout, stress-relieving, and fun activity for me. My husband and I dated during the Disco era and for the first time in my life, I could actually eat what I wanted to and burn off the calories dancing at night! When we go to weddings, parties and celebrations, I’m rarely at my table when the band or DJ are playing upbeat music. My parents loved to dance and my kids do too, so finding a workout class that involved dance made a lot of sense to me!

In the 80s and 90s, aerobic dance classes were the rage and I went whenever I could go; sometimes in church basement halls, sometimes at school gymnasiums. I would search for the classes that fit my schedule. Then I’d drag my kids with me and let them play on the playground while I got in good sweat with other like-minded moms, dancing away the stress of work and family!

With so many new types of fitness classes, equipment and routines, I kind of got away from the dance aspect of fitness, but over the past few years, that feeling of fun is back.

And it’s not just me who feels this way! Dancing serves as a great form of aerobic exercise, providing cardiovascular conditioning which the National Heart, Lung and Blood Institute (NHLBI) says lowers risk of coronary heart disease, decreases blood pressure, and helps with weight management.

Dancing is also a weight-bearing activity, so it can improve bone density (reducing the risk of osteoporosis), as well as improve muscle strength, coordination and balance. Dancing also helps to reduce stress and chronic fatigue, improve energy and mood, and increase self-esteem and confidence. A study done by the New England Journal of Medicine found that dancing can play an important role in successful aging by improving memory and lowering the risk of dementia.

Anyone who has been in a gym in the last few years has heard of Zumba. Beto Perez created this Latin-based dance workout quite by accident, as the story goes. One day as he rushed out of this house to teach his aerobics class he forgot his regular music tapes. As soon as he realized this, he grabbed some Latin music tapes that were in his car and began teaching the class to this music. The class exploded and became the most popular class in Colombia. He named this class "Rumbacize. The hour-long classes alternate easy-to-follow fast dance moves with slower ones for an interval-training workout that tones muscles and burns hundreds of calories. When the music starts pumping salsa, merengue, reggaeton beats, people forget they’re exercising.



Zumba has certified instructors all over the country and you can probably find a class in most gyms or studios. Many gyms also offer their own versions of Zumba and many also have instructors with very strong dance backgrounds who teach a variety of Latin, fusion, and dance based workouts. If you’ve ever tried a class, I’m sure you have your own favorite teachers. I go to a gym where I’m lucky enough to take classes from two amazing instructors; both of whom have a dance background that would rival Beto’s!




Kim Bolourtchi, who teaches Zumba and Salsa dance classes at Lifetime Fitness West County, is a competitive ballroom dancer and currently competing in International Latin. She and her partner have won competitions in Chicago and Nashville, placing first in all five Latin dances. She’s also an attorney and a mom, but when she teaches her classes, she’s all dance. Her classes combine different steps in Latin dance, Hip-Hop and even some disco moves. Each segment is easy to follow and she changes things up with every song. Her classes have a devout following because she makes everyone feel good being there! She has even hosted Salsa night at the gym with all members learning the dances together in a party-like atmosphere. Kim is currently teaching at Lifetime, but check back for other events she may be working on!(Kim just told me that she is going to host a Salsa Date Night at Lifetime on May 13th, 7:30-9:30 pm. $35/couple for members, $40/couple non-members. If you're interesred, email me at hkraus52@gmail.com and I will get you the information)



Joe Elvis Alway-Baker also teaches Latin Fusion dance at Lifetime. His style is different from Kim’s, but just as infectious. He has worked in over 500 shows, either as an actor, dancer, singer, choreographer, director or producer; including Paul in A Chorus Line , Bernardo in West Side Story, FOSSE, Kenekie in Grease, Jose 'Joe' Vegas in Fame,and Angel in RENT. His classes use a combination of all Latin dance styles such as Salsa, Rumba, Tango, Samba, Cha Cha, and Merengue as well as African Rhythm, Bollywood, Hip-Hop, Bomba, Jazz, Jive, Ballroom and Musical Theater choreography. The name of his dance company is FUEGO4Fitness, which means Feel Ultimate Energy & Great Obsession For Fitness. He teaches a more choreographed style where each move repeats and adds on to the previous moves. The result is a dance routine that he has had his students perform in a group. he even has his class perform the routines at a variety of community events. In november of 2010, his whole group of different dance classes performed "Thriller" (And, by the way, Joe was actually in the original "Thriller" video!)

After having cancer in 2003, Joe looked for ways to stay healthy and that’s when he began to add fitness, positive thinking, good nutrition, cardio, aerobics, and fun choreography to his life. Today, he travels to different schools and gyms demonstrating the Fuego4Fitness technique. In his classes, he motivates people to think positively. He helps them with their weight loss effort while teaching them to believe in who they are. After every class, Joe stays for a group or one on one talk, or just to help someone review a step they didn’t quite get because he believes his classes are also about companionship and friendship.


You can check out his classes at Lifetime Fitness or other classes and events on his website:

http://joealwaybaker.webs.com/fuego4fitness.html




I do my best to make it to a few classes each week and always have fun (along with burning LOTS of calories!) Check out Joe and Kim at lifetime Fitness West County. If you’re not a member yet, contact Mary Dye at 636.591.2617 for a pass to see the facility.

Or just check out the schedule at your gym. I’d be surprised if they didn’t have some form of Zumba or Latin dance on the group fitness schedule.
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