REVIA Magazine Issue #11

SK
Balanced Babe
By: Sarah Baker
BALANCEDBABE.COM
Q: I WANT TO ENJOY THIS LAST
MONTH OF SUMMER AND EAT AS SEA-
SONALLY AS POSSIBLE BEFORE FALL
COMES. HOW CAN I DO THIS? - ANNA B.
HI ANNA! Summer is one of my favorite
times to eat local, crisp produce. You can
find this at Farmers’ Markets. They will
never lose their popularity as a way to find
fresh, local, and oftentimes organic seasonal
fruits and veggies. Another great way to
take advantage of seasonal produce is to
enjoy a farm-to-table dinner by attending a
Farm Dinner while you socialize and enjoy
music. And finally, consider joining a CSA
(community supported agriculture). CSAs
allow you to enjoy the farmer’s harvest
by personally investing money in the
harvest. They are not without risk, so do
your research first. To find out about local
farmers’ markets, CSAs and farm dinners,
do a quick internet search and you’ll get a
list of what’s available.
Q: I’M TRYING TO BE AS BIKINI READY
AS POSSIBLE AND WANT TO WORK ON
KEEPING IT THAT WAY YEAR ROUND. ANY
SUGGESTIONS HOW TO DO THIS WITH-
OUT DRIVING MYSELF CRAZY? - MARY H.
HELLO MARY! Preach to that, sister. Don’t
we all want to be bikini ready? Here are a
few things to think about. First, be aware of
the healthy balance of calorie control plus
simply choosing the right foods. We know
if we are burning more calories than we are
consuming, we are losing weight. But we
also have to focus on the TYPES of calories
we are eating. Choosing “diet” foods low
in calories, but high in other chemical
additives, can really create havoc with your
health. Focus on the outer limit of your
grocery store where there are whole foods
like fruits and vegetables, nuts, legumes,
and lean proteins. Secondly, by eliminating
foods and beverages loaded with sugar,
you’ll start to see a difference. For example,
alcohol is a beverage that can really prevent
us from losing those extra five pounds.
So, limit any alcohol consumption to the
weekends or once a week. Another trick is
to find a photo of yourself when you were
at a slim and healthy weight and stick it on
your fridge. This can be your reminder of
what you CAN look like!
Q: I’M FEELING INCREDIBLY BURNT
OUT LATELY BETWEEN WORK, FAMILY,
AND MY SOCIAL LIFE. I SEEM TO ALWAYS
BE TIRED. WHAT CAN I DO TO RECHARGE?
- TIFFANY M.
DEAR TIFFANY: Burnout happens to us all.
If you’re feeling the old burnout, maybe you
should try to “date” yourself. Yes - this may
make you raise your eyebrow, but women
need time for themselves to connect, center
and press that restart button. Sometimes
we seek validation in being with others,
but it can actually be empowering to do
activities alone. Try these self-dates next
weekend: Go to a coffee shop and bring
your book or laptop. People-watch and get
some work done while you relish your “me”
time. Visit the local art gallery or museum
to enjoy artistic and historic relevance of
others’ creativity, or sit at the beach (while
you still can!) and take in the sunshine, the
calming water ions, as you enjoy the sounds
of seagulls and waves, breathing in the fresh
air. Or, read the book you’ve been putting
off!
Q: EVERY TIME I TRY TO LOSE WEIGHT, I
TRY A NEW DIET. WHY IS THIS LEADING ME
BACK TO WHERE I STARTED? - NICOLE C.
HELLO NICOLE: This is one of my absolute
favorite questions. One of the most
important things when it comes to weight
loss is focusing on your relationship with
food and your emotional eating habits.
Why do you binge eat? Is it stress? Lack
of sleep? Or, is it feelings of guilt because
of no willpower? Maybe you need to take
“diet” out of the equation and concentrate
on taking care of YOU. It makes a big
difference when we look for the root
cause of our stress. When we lack sleep,
for example, we start to eat more for
energy reserve. When stressed, we could
be reaching for the tub of ice cream. Start
balancing other arenas of your life and
you will see that cravings and “diets” may
start to fade away, and you will simply be
practicing more mindful habits of eating
whole foods. If we improve on these,
we can concentrate on seeing ourselves
as healthy and fit, and then slowly start
incorporating these changes into the foods
we eat.
Q: MY KIDS ARE SO HOOKED ON VIDEO
GAMES AND WATCHING TV THAT THEY
NEVER WANT TO PLAY OUTSIDE. HOW
CAN I KEEP THEM ACTIVE AND FIT? -
JUDY L.
OH JUDY! This is one topic I can go on
about for days! In warmer weather, set
aside time for weekend family activities like
biking, hiking, or visiting a farm. The more
active you are with the kids, the better. Get
out the sprinkler and slip ‘n slide! Set one
hour after school to play outside; play hide
and seek, or do anything active and playful.
Think of how you grew up playing as a
child. You weren’t looking at a screen all
day, so WHAT were you doing? In colder
weather, take the kids to the local roller
rink or indoor ice rink. At home, you can
have hoola hoop or jump rope contests,
or try “foot” volleyball. You get the idea.
Not only will your kids be more active and
healthy, but their creativity will flourish the
more they play and use their imaginations.
Yes, some video games and cell phone
games can challenge a child mentally, but
to keep a well rounded healthy lifestyle, mix
it up! v
HAVE A HEALTH RELATED QUESTION?
EMAIL: SARAH@BALANCEDBABE.COM
30
revia reviamagazine.com #11, 2015