Kate Shaker- Nutrition and Lifestyle Coach

17/12/2020

Grieving 2020 - A workshop

The best way to enter the holiday season is with a clear mind and an open heart.

Join me on Saturday, December 19th from 11am-2pm Eastern for a workshop to grieve 2020.

Let's come together to lay to rest the year that just didn't quit. Together, we'll journal, set goals and intentions, and lock it all in place with a guided meditation.

You'll have the space to let go of the emotions that have been bogging you down. You'll be in a shared space with others who are also grieving their losses from this year. You'll be witnessed in your pain and validated for your experiences.

Whether it's the pandemic, home-schooling your kids, your political stressors, the impact of the Black Lives Matter movement, or any other losses in 2020, Your grief is worthy of your time and attention.

If you have been stuffing your feelings or avoiding them altogether, then this workshop is for you. This is your time to be guided through a process so you can grieve well and enter 2021 with a fresh perspective.

Are you ready to let go of all that no longer serves you? I can't wait to see you on Saturday!

Link to register: https://mind-body-grief.square.site/. Early-bird pricing ends tonight at midnight Eastern.

22/04/2020

What habits are you creating in your new routine?

Habits whether good or bad are created through repetition over a period of time. The amount of time that we have been home and will continue to be home is is enough time for us to develop habits that will stick once this pandemic is over.

Take a minute today to think about things that may have become and or are quickly becoming a habit.

Maybe it’s a daily walk or game nights with the family. Maybe it’s unplanned trips to the pantry or cocktails every night.

Decide which habits are serving and which are not. If you find yourself saying things like, ‘I’ll stop X when I go back to work’, or ‘Once the kids are back in school I’ll start.....’. Know that once it becomes a habit, it will be harder to change than you think. Focus on developing your good habits during these next few weeks so you can come out of this the best version of yourself.

15/04/2020

Can you eat carbs and maintain or even lose weight?

YES!

Most people do well eating a moderate amount of carbs or about 40% of their caloric intake. A moderate diet would also include 30% protein and 30% fat.

Swipe and I show you an example of how much and what you could eat on an example day of eating if you ate 1600 calories per day.

This was just a quick example and I would suggest adding lots of filling fibrous veggies (low carb/high volume) to your diet and then filling in with thing like rice and breads.

Before I get to the benefits of carbs, let’s address why you lose weight when you restrict them. Glycogen in carbs causes you to retain some water, so when your glycogen stores go down you lose that water weight. Additional weight loss can usually be attributed to eating fewer processed foods and therefore likely eating fewer calories putting you in a deficit.

So if you can lose by restricting, why would you eat them?

Carbs have so many benefits (which I’ll list) and for some people a low carb diet is harder to sustain. Low carb is less volume of food and higher fat foods that you are likely eating instead, are very easy to overeat (see my post on nuts).

Benefits of Carbs:
- High fiber aids in digestion.
- Provide immediate energy.
- Improve sleep.
- Increased brain function*.
- They are satisfying and honestly fun to eat!

*Glucose is the main source of energy for the brain.

Guys, to be honest I didn’t believe this either until I gave it a try! I used to restrict, restrict, restrict, until I would be like ‘I deserve some carbs!’ and I would eat a whole bunch and feel terrible afterward. I even thought for a while I was gluten intolerant because of it. I also used to be less satisfied with my meals and therefore had more cravings, which led to more snacking.

Now I eat a moderate amount of carbs and feel amazing. I have more energy for my workouts, I am leaner, I sleep better, and my mood has improved.

Obviously everyone is different. 1600 calories is just for an example and 40% is a starting point. Some people like a little more, some a little less, and ultimately it’s totally caloric intake that affects your weight the most.
@ Stoneham, Massachusetts

13/04/2020

So today is a Monday. It’s also the day after a weekend that is known for big meals with family and sweets and candy 🍬.

So I thought now might be a good time to talk about when to start working on your health/nutrition/fitness goals.

“Diet starts on Monday” is a popular time. Or “well once I get through ‘X’ I can start to focus on it”.

The reality is that there is no perfect time except for Right Now! Any time you think of it, just start. Anything you do, even the seemingly smallest action is going to move you in the right direction. Small actions over time add up to big results.

WHEN to start ✅.

HOW to start:

Start small. Drink a glass of water 💧, take a multivitamin, eat a vegetable 🍅, move your body 🏃‍♀️.

THE MORE ELABORATE YOUR PLAN IS, THE LONGER YOU WILL PUT OFF STARTING AND THE LESS LIKELY YOU WILL BE TO FOLLOW IT.

The is no such thing as the perfect time or the perfect plan. Just start and ask for help along the way if you need it.

So right now. Have some water, eat a healthy breakfast, schedule your movement for the day.

09/04/2020

06/04/2020

Home workouts not your thing? On your way to the Covid ‘15’?

Even if your workouts are on point it’s always good to increase your NEAT (non-exercise activity thermogenesis), a fancy way of saying the calories burned from doing activities of daily life. Every time you mow the lawn, make trips up and down the stairs with laundry, or play with your kids, you are burning calories.

Even if you are working from home all day you can do this!
-Set a timer and get out of your chair for 5-10 minutes every hour and move around.
-If you are on a conference call pace around your work space or do some air squats.
-Take a part of your lunch break and go for a walk.

Taken individually, these activities don’t burn a ton of calories, but 10 calories here, 20 calories there and you could be at a significant number at the end of the day.

As a reminder daily exercise including strength training a few days a week combined with a well balanced diet of protein, veggies, and healthy fat should always be followed.

02/04/2020

Chia Pudding Recipe:
1/4 cup chia seeds.
1.5 cups milk of choice or water.
1 scoop protein powder.

Next time I will add cacao powder for a richer chocolate taste.

Any protein powder should work, but I used casein because it is the slowest digesting protein and I plan to eat my pudding at night. Also, I think casein has the best texture of all the protein types. It makes for thick and creamy puddings and smoothies.

Top with fruits, nuts, peanut butter or eat as is for a healthy treat!

01/04/2020

They say there is no time like the present, and presently we have a lot of time.

How are you going to make the most of it?

31/03/2020

Body Weight: It’s a funny thing.

I feel like people tend to fall into 2 categories. You either A) weigh yourself frequently or B) avoid it at all costs. What’s the right amount? 🤷🏻‍♀️ That is up to you. But I would say that if you have a goal of loss, maintenance, or gain, you should consider weighing yourself at least 3 times per week on non-consecutive days.

As you can see from the second picture, weight loss is not linear. Even if you are consistently losing each week, you might not be ‘down’ every day. By taking a weekly average you can see the trend and determine if you are on track.

Why wouldn’t I be down every day if I were losing?
When I said weight is a funny thing, I didn’t mean haha 😂. Definitely not haha. I meant that weight can be affected by a number of things other than actual fat loss or gain:
- Water retention ⬆️.
- Dehydration ⬇️.
- Need to 💩 ⬆️.
- Heavy workout ⬆️.
- Big meal the night before ⬆️.

Remember to lose 1 lb of Fat, you must be in a deficit of 3,500 calories either through diet, exercise, general body movement, or combo of these. The opposite is true of Fat gain. You must consume 3,500 calories more than your body needs to gain fat a pound of fat.

Lastly, the scale doesn’t always tell the whole story. Your energy levels, how your clothes fit, your self confidence, and sleep are all indicators of how you are doing. As you can see in the 3rd picture, this woman changed her body composition without losing a pound. If she used only the scale as a measurement, she would have considered herself a failure. But it’s the opposite, I think she has had a huge win and looks amazing!

During these uncertain times when you are stressed, out of your routine, not able to workout like you normally would, maintenance would be a big win! Be kind to yourself.

Any questions? DM me, I’d love to chat!

@ Stoneham, Massachusetts

30/03/2020

In case you missed it in my stories.......

Nuts are a great snack especially to grab on the go! Just be mindful of how much you are eating.

I measured these using a food scale. *note that a serving of peanut butter is a very full tablespoon despite the fact that it says 2 tablespoons as the serving size 😟. Disappointing when you looooovvee peanut butter like I do!

Add some lean protein and some healthy carbs like fruit to make a satisfying snack.

@ Stoneham, Massachusetts

28/03/2020

No weights? No problem!

How are your home workouts going?

Body weight exercises like push ups, squats, tricep dips are are all effective ways to maintain muscle while you are away from the gym. But if you are looking to kick it up a notch, let’s add some weight!

Grab literally anything from around the house (preferably shatter proof) and give it a try. The products here range from 1-4ish pounds and then the detergent is pretty heavy (it’s full).

Used to using heavier weights? Here are some tips to make the same exercises more difficult:
- Increase the number of reps .
- Slow the movement down.
- Do more sets of the movement until the muscle is fatigued.

This is a great time to try some moves or workouts that you haven’t done before. Try Zumba, pushups, or yoga, things you may have been too embarrassed to try in front of others. No one is watching 👀!!! Gain confidence and then get in the gym when this is over!

Let me know what you are using for ‘weights’ 👇🏼!

27/03/2020

Raise your hand 🙋‍♀️ if you feel like meal/snack prep has become your part-time job now that everyone is home?
Add that to the home schooling, the cleaning, and having everyone in the same place All Day Long. It is overwhelming!

I saw this great idea in one of my nutrition groups that I wanted to share. Instead of preparing snacks on demand, set out each person’s snacks for the day. That way kids, husbands, wives know their options and you can keep the quantity in check. Let them know that this is it for the day so they can decide if and when they really want a snack.

You could get much more creative with this than I did. Depending on their age, the kids might like to decorate their own snack boxes or decide what snacks they might like to include.

For options that might be refrigerated, you could put a post it or note in the box that lets them know they could have a yogurt or cheese stick or whatever it is.

Let me know if you find this helpful!