Shoulda Couda Wouda But Do You Wanna?

Today’s Post was submitted by Chere Bork, a registered dietitian. Chere believes life is easy and we make it hard. She empowers people as a National Speaker, Media Spokesperson and Wellcoach® faculty member with the 5 key ingredients for savory living – purpose, energy, balance, happiness and health.

 

A year later, can you even remember your New Year’s resolutions? Are you thinking of making the same ones this year? Are you “shoulding” on yourself again with your New Year’s resolutions? Shoulds are those things you think you have to do, but don’t really want to do.

Big should -I should exercise. Bigger should – I should lose weight. I should make more money.

My favorite should – I should be happier. Shoulds can feel heavier than the pounds on your scale and can zap your energy. On the other hand wants give you energy and can be your life’s sweet spot. If you spend most of your day busy and taking care of others, do you really think you will have the energy or time to lose weight? Or if you spend all of your energy on your current job and you think you SHOULD work on finding a new job with more life balance in the evening when you completely exhausted, do you really think it will happen? If you are unhappy with your job and think you SHOULD do something else, you will not make progress until you want to in your heart.

Shoulds versus Wants

Shoulds

• Based on things you think you ought to want
• Based on shame, duty or guilt and are dead goals
• Externally prompted (your ego, spouse, boss, parent, society)

Wants

• Based on things you think are important to you and fulfilling
• Based on who you are and are full of life
• Internally prompted (your values)

How to start? Use the four areas of life like my client Cathy to create your wants for 2012.

1. Family: I want balance. I want time with each family member.
2. Self –Care: I want to get my body under control. I want to eat more fruits and veggies, get my endurance back and get off my blood pressure medication.
3. Career: By summer I want to open my own office two days a week.
4. Spirituality: I want my “head” a church. I want to concentrate on God when I am in church and not be “busy” worrying about what I am not doing.

This year choose your resolutions because you WANT TO, not because you SHOULD. Remember these are your resolutions… your relationship with you and who you are and what you WANT to be are at the heart of a joyful, balanced and purposeful life.

The life that just makes you WANT to jump out of bed in the morning. So get out that paper and start to create your wants that reflects your values, your deepest joys and the real you. If not this year…when? When will be the time for you to fall in love with your life?

Better get busy you only have one life to live. Imagine if it was one you loved.

Chere Bork

 

Eat Out Healthy at Starbucks

Starbucks offers both food and drink that can fit into a healthy diet. Check out my recent video where I discuss four tips to make any coffee drink skinnier, best breakfasts, and even recommendations at the bakery case! Did you know that there’s twice as much protein in the fruit smoothies than in the greek yogurt parfait? And, which Bistro Boxes are lowest in fat?

Eat Out Healthy at Burger King

I’m on a roll! Here’s my second video about eating healthy in restaurants. This week features Burger King (next week is Starbucks coffee AND their food). In the video I’ve covered best breakfasts (What about the Croissan’Wich? Did you know Burger King now has oatmeal).

For lunch there’s the BK Veggie…and I talk about the Whopper, too. One thing to watch out for with pretty much all the sandwiches at Burger King, is the mayo! It can add anywhere from 80-200+ per sandwich.

Burger King (next week is Starbucks coffee AND their food).

For more healthy dining tips, pick up a copy of my book, Eat Out Healthy! You can get an autographed copy off my website….or any other bookstore website.

 

AND, for January only, if you post a review of my book (EAT OUT HEALTHY) on any bookstore website (good, bad, or indifferent), I’ll send you a chapter in my upcoming book, REBOOT. It covers scientific research and practical advise on how to eat to keep your energy up all day long. I frequently speak on this topic – and have been eating this way (it’s a “strategy”, not a “diet” for 30 years). Just review the book on any website, send me a link, and I’ll send you the PDF chapter.

 

Have a great week! Jo

No…Not Topless…Tapas

Years ago, on a family trip to Spain, we discovered Tapas Bars. where you could get small plates (saucer-size) of great tasting food. We frequented Tapas Bars often because it was easy way to try out new foods. And, trust me, this happened often (by accident) since our grasp of the Spanish language was so poor.

Etched in my brain is one time when we were sitting at the “bar” and ordering Tapas one plate at a time. And, then it arrived – a plate of silver-dollar-sized black octopus in a thick black liquid (called ink). We looked at each other with grimaces. No one wanted to be the first to try. Then, my husband quickly put one of the tiny octopus legs in his mouth and started shaking and squealing and flinging the octopus as if the octopus was fighting to get into his mouth. My daughter joined into the ruckus. We were laughing so hard when the cell phone rang. It was my husband’s administrative assistant back in the states.

She asked what we were up to and my husband answered that we were all having fun eating octopus at this Tapas Bar. Well, she quickly got off the phone. We found out later that she thought he had taken us all to a “Topless” Bar. LOL!

Hope you had plenty of laughs yourself this past week!

Let’s Get Real, ok?

Need a little giggle and motivation to get moving? I’ve got you covered! First, check out this video about people stuck on an escalator.

 

Second, read these fun 27 rules for conquering the gym (from the Wall Street Journal). They include:

• Don’t fall for gimmicks. The only tried-and-true method to lose 10 pounds in 48 hours is food      poisoning.

Please, for 2012, come up with some practical ideas to move more…that you can keep up long-term.  Routinely take the stairs. Get a stand-up desk. Find a movement-related hobby that’s so much fun it doesn’t feel like exercise.

Eat Out Healthy at McDonald’s

Have you heard? My latest book, Eat Out Healthy, is now available. I’m developing some short three-minute videos to share the best choices in all the different restaurants. Check out this one about McDonald’s.

Club Soda with Lime – refreshing!

Fall arrived in Orlando this weekend with nights down to 60 degrees. Brrrr (LOL).

But, the days still got warm enough to enough an afternoon bubbly! When was the last time you enjoyed a glass of club soda over ice with a twist? Very refreshing and no calories!

Macaroni Grill

The Macaroni Grill introduced some lighter Mediterranean menu items a few months back, but just got a chance to try them out last night. I ordered the “Grilled Chicken Spiedini.” With roasted vegetables on the side, the dish contains just 490 calories (only 300 calories when prepared with shrimp instead). I was pleased with the dish. A good deal for
$10.

John ordered the Pan-Seared Branzino (European Sea Bass). The accompaniments were described as, “vine-ripened tomatoes, arugula, cannellini beans (white).” Frankly, all I saw was two good size pieces of overcooked fish with a bed of heavily saturated arugula in between. Granted, the plate was nicely decorated with dollops of both sweet and spicy sauces. But, John and I counted 3 single beans and I didn’t see
any tomatoes. To be fair, the manager didn’t charge us for this dish and said that we should have gotten more beans and the fish appeared dry. Have any of you had any better luck with this $19 dish?

Oh, and when eating out at Romano’s Macaroni Grill, be sure to factor in that 480 calorie Peasant bread (and that 120 calories/tablespoon olive oil) that’s served before the meal arrives.

For more information, pick up a copy of my “Eat Out Healthy” book coming December 2011.

Pole Dancing – from Ooh la la to just OH!

The first time someone told me about the new sport of pole dancing, I thought of nearly naked ladies in sleazy bars. But, the sport is now way more than that. There’s even a US Pole Dance Federation and talk of a “test” in the London 2012 Olympics in the goal of making it a true Olympics sport.

And…it’s not just for women anymore. The Wall Street Journal just reported on the annual World Pole Dance finals in Budapest with 7 men competing in the event for the very first time. Check out this video of the men’s event.

There’s a place in the Orlando area that offers pole dancing and chair dancing (do you remember the 1983 Flash Dance movie with Alex Owens?…I loved that movie). No, I haven’t yet tried it (you’ll be the first to know…I wonder how many 50+ ladies have tried??) but I do respect the strength that is needed for the sport. Are any of you pole dancing? Love to hear from you. Send me an email to contact@drjo.com.

Eggplant Pasta – simple!

When people find out I’m a dietitian, they often ask me for recipes. The fact that I write about eating healthy in restaurants should probably give you a heads up, that I’m not much of a cook in the kitchen.

But, I do cook none-the-less…I just try to make it as fast as possible so I can get onto other things I find more interesting. This weekend I made a very quick meal – in about 10 minutes.

To be fair, I had done some prep work on previous nights:

• Eggplant – The night before, I peeled it, sliced it, and then salted it (removes some of the bitter components). After 30 minutes or so, I rinsed it, then simply baked it in the oven (350 degrees) till it was soft.
• Lean ground beef – I always buy 7% ground round and brown the whole thing. After cooling and draining, I bag up small portions for spaghetti – then keep the little baggies in a bigger baggie in the freezer.

So, last night there were just a few steps:

• Slice yellow squash and onions. Brown in a bit of canola oil (olive oil has a much lower smoke point so it’s best not to use it for longer cooking times). Sprinkle with dried oregano.
• Open a jar of Classico Spicy Tomato and Basil (my favorite) spaghetti sauce. Add the coarsely chopped eggplant and a small baggie of ground beef (I used less than a cup). Add more sauce if you don’t want the sauce as thick. Simmer (oh, and add some more Italian seasoning from your spice cabinet).
• Set a pot of water onto boil for your pasta. My favorite pasta is angel hair pasta.
• Sprinkle a decoration of freshly ground Romano cheese on top of the finished product.

Viola! Dinner in under 15 minutes.