Hi Friends!
It’s still January, and you know what that means…
IG and TikTok feeds are probably flooded with “New year, New ME” posts and countless mirror selfies of “gainz goals” (guilty 🙋🏻♀️). In this issue, we continue with January’s wellness theme by focusing on the healthy art of adding.
While most diets and fitness trends focus on losing weight, cutting calories, and giving up going to fiestas, why not look at the healthy balance instead? Because let’s be real, we’re not about to pass up nåna’s cooking. 🍲
How the health do you get started? We partnered with Jasmin Wenzel, a dear friend, certified fitness coach, and all-around bad-ass-just-got-her-doctorate-we-jealous to discuss some healthy lifestyle tips.
Learn what she loads on her fiesta plate and how our friends at Health City are challenging community members to shift their new year focus away from weight loss into healthy muscle gain.
Cheers!
WW Team
Jasmin’s many certifications/degrees: B.S. Exercise science and health promotion, M.S. Exercise Science and Health Promotion, Ed.D Doctor of Education in Curriculum & Instruction, Certified Personal Trainer w/ National Strength & Conditioning Association (NSCA), Certified Strength & Conditioning Specialist w/ NSCA, Certified Health and fitness Teacher (6-12), Pika’s Best fitness trainer 2020, National women’s beach volleyball Team 2013-2016. **Try saying this all in one breath 😆
We love her honesty and don’t mind if we adopt some of her lifestyle tips.
Q: How do you mindfully eat at a buffet or fiesta?
A: At fiestas, I won’t fill my plate up too much. Don’t get me wrong --I love fiesta’s just as much as the next person, but --it is an ingrained habit of mine to consciously filter what I eat (or at least be mindful). I TRY to fill my plate up as such:
So as you can see, I still eat what I love, but I am conscientious of what I eat. My fiesta could look like:
Quick tip: Fill your plate up with protein and veggies first so it’s harder to add any of the not-so-good stuff.
Q: How can someone set and retain their fitness goals for the rest of the year?
A: It comes down to knowing your “why” and promising to commit. Good easy tips to start with:
Find an accountability partner to help each other through being lazy and giving excuses. Having an accountability partner can motivate you and keep you on track.
Remember your “why.” What is the overarching reason you wanted to start in the first place? I think reminding yourself of this can really anchor anyone to commit to their goal.
For instance: Parents have a great “why” for staying fit, and it’s usually their children. If that’s the only thing keeping you going, then it’s enough to help you accomplish even the toughest days because it’s so meaningful to you.Take baby steps. Don’t go all in on something you know you can realistically achieve.
If you have a full-time job, three kids, and a side business, then you would know that committing to a workout plan of six days a week, two hours a day, is highly unattainable.
Given the same circumstance, you can start with just 10 or 20 minutes of exercise weekly, then increase to 20 minutes a day, three days a week. Make sure your goals are realistic for your lifestyle and fit in well so you have less room to make excuses later.
Q: What is the best mindset to adopt for a healthier lifestyle?
A: Have your workouts and meals fit into your life rather than forcing it. You will find this way more manageable and realistic to sustain in the long run. Try this:
Fit in a 20 min workout before the kids wake up in the morning if you know you’re too tired to go at night.
Cook your healthy meals on Sundays if you know that Saturdays are family days.
Q: How can one be motivated to kick bad health habits and gain good health habits?
A: Pick one to three very heart-struck reasons to stay healthy. These three good reasons could be:
To stay healthy for your kids to see them grow.
Avoid a massive heart attack that might have occurred previously.
Stay healthy and live a happy life with your spouse.
These reasons can vary with each individual, but identify and keep in mind the deepest reasons why you want to be better. I have found that reasons tied to other things or people outside ourselves are often strong enough to motivate us to keep going.
Q: For busybodies who don’t have time to meal prep – what is the best way to eat out yet still be healthy?
A: Restaurants serve us more than what’s recommended. We are often served two to three more servings which is a daily recommendation.
Therefore, I suggest eating half of the serving (if it's big) and taking the other half home to save you calories.
Q: What does your week-to-weekend look like?
A: M-F, I wake up at 5:45 am for work. On MWF, I train clients from 4 pm to 7 pm. On T & Th after work, I work out for an hour and a half (weight training to cardio to stretching).
On Saturdays, I hit the gym in the morning, go grocery shopping, and try to do something fun, like hang with friends, go to the movies at night (if I don’t end up being lazy and watching Netflix) or a concert, or do something new in Guam.
On Sundays, I do laundry in the morning, meal prep for the coming week, and clean my house (not special). I try to end the day with some church and family time. At night, I try to prep for my week ahead.
Health City’s Annual InBody Challenge
Our friends at Health City are having a fun competition with a $5,000 prize pot! Join their annual 2023 InBody Challenge.
💪🏻 Why We Love It: Unlike other weight loss challenges, this 12-week body composition challenge uses data to measure how much muscle was gained and overall body fat was lost during the challenge.
Winners are chosen based on the results of the InBody570, a machine that summarizes one's body composition from lean body mass, fat mass, and intracellular and extracellular water.
✍🏻 Registration: Open now until February 6, 2023. Early bird is $60 until Jan. 22, $55/person for groups of 2+ more.
🏆 Prizes: Over $5,000 worth of prizes, including Apple Watches, a $1,000 cash prize, a $500 in-store shopping spree, and more!
📖 Weekend Reads
Here are more tips to fit a healthy lifestyle into your life:
Adding more veggies and protein to your favorite rainy-day comfort food and swapping our Ichiban for soba noodles. (10-minute veggie ramen, anyone?)
Instead of binging once a week on “cheat days,” make mindful eating a long-term habit. Mindful eating is all about enjoying the experience and noticing the physical and emotional sensations that come from it.
Not only does it help you slow down and be in the present moment, but research shows that those who mindfully eat feel fuller faster. So, yes – you go and enjoy that cheesy pizza guilt-free. 🍕Off to Middle-earth, we go! Check out this awesome virtual Lord of the Rings fitness adventure where you can run, walk, or cycle all the way to Mount Doom!
👋 See Ya Next Week!
We hope you “gained” something healthy from this newsletter.
Don’t forget to share with a friend and check out our IG for protein powder-packed recipes 🥞