White Devil Carbs

Now what I know for sure is that white carbohydrates are the devil hence the title "White Devil Carbs". Have you ever had the feeling of wanting to fall asleep after eating a big meal filled with pasta, breads or deserts? Have you ever felt extra bloated or big after eating a delicious cupcake, muffin or pie? Have you ever had to unbutton or unzip your pants after eating a white carb filled meal. Well I have and I am sure every other American has as well. It is the American lifestyle to eat fast fatty foods. We wake up in the morning and eat muffins, donuts and pancakes. We have sub sandwhiches, cookies and burgers with white buns for lunch and for dinner we have pizza, fast food and white pasta's (lasagna, spaghetti or penne pasta). All of those foods I just mentioned are filled with the "White Devil Carbs" which are simple carbohydrates.

       There are two types of carbohydrates simple and complex the simple carbs with the exception of fruits are not the best thing for you they tend to break down easily, are lower in fiber and filled with simple sugars. This is the stuff that gives you that burst of energy that gets your blood sugar levels all out of control and then you crash.  I am not saying to cut white carbs out of your diet completely but if you are looking to loose weight then eliminating your intake of those "White Devil Carbs" would be a step in the right direction.

       If you are the type of person that just needs carbs in your life then complex carbs are what you want to stick with. They are high in fiber which helps you digest things better and keeps you regular, if you know what I mean ;-). They give you that good energy and allows you to feel full and satisfied after every meal. Complex carbs are whole grain so you can have whole grain pasta, bread and brown rice as well as vegetables and fruits.

      Between both complex and simple carbs they both tend to make me feel sluggish and also bloated and definitely full. I try to minimize the amount of carbs that I do eat. Sticking with mainly brown rice and sweet potatoes and I may have a piece of wheat bread every now and then. I challenge you to pay attention to how you feel after you eat these types of foods. Once you realized what simple carbs do to your body you may want to switch it up and stick with the complex carbs. I've taken this challenge and that is why simple carbs are now in my eyes "White Devil Carbs."

                 

 Yours Truly,

 STL HealthNut 

What, what what’s my Motivation?

How often do you find yourself unmotivated to workout, disconnected from the thoughts of wanting to workout and eat right? How often would you rather pick up that piece of fried chicken or cupcake or eat a plate full of creamy pasta or even stop off at Chick-fil-A every time you see one (my weakness)?

Like most people we all start off with the best intention, we purchase our gym memberships we begin to workout and eat right but then a few months later we have fallen of that fitness craze and suddenly we are not at the gym as much, eating out becomes more consistent, late night treats at the white castle (maybe this is just me) happens more then needed. We have completely loss track of why we began this fitness journey.

Now, I have had this conversation with myself (yes I do talk to myself thank you) and also some friends. The real question is what is motivating you to even want to stop eating wrong and begin to eat healthy, what motivates you to want to exercise? Really think about this question. I found out a long time ago that the only thing or reason that can motivate you has to be you. Your motivation can not be to look good for your boy friend, girlfriend, husband or wife because as soon as you break up or they piss you off you are going to say forget them and begin to eat and drink what ever you want. You can’t be motivated by a special occasion like a vacation, wedding or class reunion. It sounds good but as soon as those events are over you will go right back into your same bad eating habits and almost non-existent exercise routine. So I challenge you to really figure out why you even want to loose weight and eat healthier.

My reasons are because I love the way I feel when I am at a certain weight. I am more confident, I have more energy and I can wear the clothes and swim suits that I want. I really enjoy exercising and lifting weights, it’s the way that I de-stress. If I go to the gym it helps me to turn my focus and thoughts back on me, it’s my time to meditate and my time to think. I want to be able to walk out the door knowing I look my best and feel my best.

Now once you have figured out what motivates you, think about what type of exercise routine you would like to get into. The gym is not for everyone, you can take classes at the gym or even purchase fitness DVD’s. Workout outdoors, running jogging, biking. Get involved with team sports. The bottom line is you have to like your workout in order to even want to show up and complete it. Even if that means going to all the different classes at the gym or borrowing friends fitness videos to see what you like, do it. Figure out what really works best for you and go for it!

Yours Truly,

St. Louis Health Nut
Dione Neal

New To The Game

You may or may not know this about me but for the last few years I have really been getting into the concept of what it means to have good health and how to get into tip top shape. Back in high school and college I considered myself to be an athlete a major Track and Field star. But once the sprinting, running and jumping ended so did the awesome body I had. At my prime I was a size 4 5ft 8in and 148 pounds of pure awesomeness. Things changed, life evolved around seeing how much money I can make, work and paying the bills, how boring is that. I wasn’t happy and begin to just let myself go not worrying about what I was eating, drinking and you can forget exercise, that was out of the picture. Years went by and I begin to wonder what was missing in my life what would make me the happiest. What came to mind was competition, I missed being an athlete, I missed the fun in running and working out and being a team player! So I begin to research and learn more about fitness, I began to exercise and lift weights and begin to love the gym. So since I  have found my passion it is time to start feeding it and growing into a fitness guru not just a nut. I am going to use this blog to motivate myself while also motivating others. What I know for sure is that being in great shape is not just about going to the gym doing 30min to 1 hour of  cardio and hitting some weights, the majority of it has to do with what I put into my body.  For myself I noticed that  I use to work out all the time and just maintained the same weight and was getting really frustrated until I learned that 80% of loosing weight and getting into good shape has to do with the food you eat and a  small percentage is working out. Let’s grind it out together! Share this journey with me and hopefully you will get something out of it and also teach me something’s as well.

Yours Truely,

STL Health Nut