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10 Tips for Healthy Eating Motivation

June 8, 2021 / Chris Brown / 3 Comments

Episode 84

In episode 84 of the Fit Strong Women Over 50 podcast for the Becoming Elli community, Jill and Chris discuss motivation for healthy eating.

We all know that losing weight is hard, but many of us in the Becoming Elli community are committed to keeping the weight off means by maintaining a healthy eating lifestyle.

During this episode we discuss healthy eating motivation:

Set a Goal
Anticipate your weaknesses
Plan your food
Prepare and Prep ahead
Weigh and track progress
Swap out for healthier choices
Find a friend/community
Keep it simple
Make routines
Use a mantra

During other podcasts we’ve talked with nutritionists, dietitians and women who have lost weight and kept it off. Some people enjoy a keto lifestyle, or vegan, vegetarian, paleo, LCHF (Low Carb High Fat), or a Mediterranean diet. Others use intermittent fasting.

We don’t specifically talk about different foods, but more about the motivation to eat in a healthy way. We have found that having discipline will carry your through when your motivation is lacking.

In many episodes of our podcast we talk about motivation for exercise and many of the same tips work for keeping the healthy eating motivation. Remembering your WHY. Working with other people. Having a meal plan and “go to” options.

Thanks for listening! We’d love to hear from YOU! How do you maintain your motivation to eat healthy? Did we miss an important tip that really works for you? Let us know by leaving a comment below or leaving a voice mail at 330-970-6662.

The Joy of a Kettlebell Workouts

May 29, 2021 / Chris Brown / 0 Comments

Kettlebell workouts are fun. Maybe it is the brightly colored kettlebell weights or maybe it’s because it’s easy to see the progression. Either way, I have loved learning more about these type of weights.

Here are some of my favorite kettlebell workouts for building strength.

The kettlebell swing is probably my favorite of the kettlebell exercises. I like this workout because I can feel it strengthen my hamstrings and glutes… that’s one place that definitely needs it from all the couch time and computer time I end up doing during a normal day.

If you’ve never worked with kettlebells before, I highly recommend you work with a personal trainer to make sure your form is correct! It would be easy to strain your back if you weren’t doing it right.

This applies to any kettlebell workout routine. Knowing the correct form will save you from injury! The same goes for kettlebell deadlifts or clean & press.

I think that the trick of a good kettlebell swing is to bend at the hips when you swing your kettlebell. The swings go all the way, back between your legs and then snap hips forward. After you get accustomed to this exercise, some trainers have challenged me to add one arm swings version by switching arms. I remember the first time I did it! I really was not trusting that the centrifugal force would work and I worried that I would throw the weight!

High plank doesn’t seem like a Kettlebell workout. This one is good for the core. I like to pick a light kettle bell and then slide it underneath me without moving any other part of my body but my arm.

At first I struggled with halo’s and kept bumping it on my head. Not fun. But with a little practice I got better at it!

The goblet squat is a great way to increase your challenge from a regular squat.

Although he may have worked up to his goal in this Christmas ad featuring a kettlebell, I would not recommend starting with a real heavy kettlebell on a challenging exercise. Nor do I use kettlebells that are all one black color. A one color set of kettlebells would take away a lot of the motivation for me.

I like to get ideas from NerdFitness and of course, Nia Shank, who was a guest on our podcast. Here’s an oldie but goodie kettlebell circuit.

I’m lucky at my gym that there are colorful kettlebells. I think it’s a nice thing of using colorful kettlebells of varying weights. You can work up from the yellow to the green to the blue to the purple. The colors are a real incentive for me. I can tell at a glance I’m improving or just staying the same.

Healthy Living 2021 with Chris and Jill

May 25, 2021 / Chris Brown / 0 Comments

Episode 83- Healthy Living 2021

In episode 83 of the Fit Strong Women Over 50 podcast Chris and Jill talk about their dogs, fitness and eating as part of Healthy Living 2021.

Topics covered:

Our dogs- Penny and Peanut
Walking to get more steps
Strength training at the gym
Getting back into a routine
Healthy eating
The veggie challenge 2021
Effective sleep routines

Peanut taking a walk near the dog park in Streetsboro

Peanut: My New Dog = More Steps

May 15, 2021 / Chris Brown / 2 Comments

Having a dog in my life definitely adds more steps to my day! I find that I am more motivated to take longer walks as well as getting outside for a short walk during the day.

Welcome to Peanut, a 9-year-old Shibu Inu mix. She’s my granddog. Her full name is Princess Peanut Brittle and she is living with my husband and myself after a couple of minor incidents when my grandson was playing with her dog toys. While she is a lovely sweet dog, she really can’t be trusted with a baby who crawls and grabs dog toys and fur. All of us agreed that we didn’t want any major incidents!

Peanut taking a break in the sun shine

Peanut is good on the leash without too much pulling

Walking at Hudson Springs Park

I love how she looks like a little fox when she is all curled up

Peanut looks like a little fox when she is all curled up

Peanut taking a walk near the dog park in Streetsboro

Morel Mushroom hunting

She definitely loves the walks and I have to admit, I do too. It’s a great time of year to start doing more steps and very good for my mental health. Last October my dog Lady passed away and I’ve missed having a dog presence in the house. It’s not the same if you are a dog person.

Lady also did really well on a leash, especially with the help of a gentle leader. I found that I was not as interested in getting out and walking without a dog in my family.

Peanut’s very good riding in the car as well so she doesn’t mind driving to new trails and parks.

Trails so far since April 24:
1) Lake Trail Park
2) Thomas Heritage Park
3) Hudson Springs Park
4) Barlow Community Center Trail
5) Silver Springs Park

This weekend I am dog-sitting my daughter’s dogs while she takes a trip with her girlfriends to Nashville. I’m wondering if I have four dogs in our household, will I get four times the number of steps? We’ll see!

Do you have a dog that you walk on a leash? Does it help you get more steps each day? Leave a message below! I’d love to hear about it.

Nutrition For Women Over 50 with Kristin Kirkpatrick

May 11, 2021 / Chris Brown / 4 Comments

In episode 82, Jill and Chris talk about nutrition for women over 50 with Kristin Kirkpatrick, President of KAK, Consulting, LLC and a dietitian and consultant of Wellness Nutrition Services at the Cleveland Clinic Wellness Institute in Cleveland, Ohio. She is a best-selling author, an experienced presenter, and an award winning Dietitian.

Kristin has been seen on both local and national shows such as the TODAY show, NBC Nightly News and the Dr. Oz show. She has contributed to several national newspapers and magazines such as The New York Times, Wall Street Journal, TIME, and Runners World. The Huffington Post named Kristin “one of 35 diet and nutrition experts you need to follow on twitter.” In December 2017, Kristin’s show “The New Rules of Food” aired nationally on PBS.

During the nutrition for women over 50 podcast episode we discuss:
* how to eat based on your genes program
* the “rules” we should be following based on your TV program on PBS “Food Rules”
* advice on reading food labels
* thoughts in intermittent fasting
* What is Prolon Fasting?
* Her book, “Skinny Liver: A Proven Program to Prevent and Reverse the New Silent Epidemic—Fatty Liver Disease”

Many of the foods that used to be good for us are no longer healthy due to over-processing, added sugars, hormones, pesticides, and artificial ingredients that are hard to pronounce. As an expert, Kristin Kirkpatrick uses the latest research and nutrition news to help people eat with purpose, and clean up their diet.

Book: Skinny Liver: A Proven Program to Prevent and Reverse the New Silent Epidemic—Fatty Liver Disease
Website: KristinKirkpatrick.com
DVD: New Rules of Food DVD

Getting Outside on More Walking Trails

May 2, 2021 / Chris Brown / 0 Comments

I never realized how many walking trails that there are about 5 to 10 miles from my house. This spring I’ve been taking advantage of them and getting more minutes than I was last year. Several reasons for my increased walking:

A new dog in my household
Now that I’m vaccinated, I’m not as worried about the pandemic
I’m using walking as one of the stress relievers in my life
Even with juggling obligations, it’s easier to fit in than other exercise

Last week I mentioned some of the walking trails that Peanut and I have ventured on and I thought I’d do an update this week. She already knows when we are getting ready to go and gets excited to be walking trails.

This past week we walked in four new places to her: Veterans Parkway, Baseball Fields, the Towpath, and Barlow Farm Park

Two early morning miles at the Barlow Farm Park

Walking trails around the baseball field near my niece’s house.

Morning walk at the Towpath Trail with Peanut

Enjoying the sandy path at the Veterans Park.

I’ve definitely upped my activity the past few weeks and I’m happy about that since it is one of my keywords for 2021. I also managed to get two bike rides squeezed in during the last few weeks.

Although I’m still not as active as I would like, I’m glad that I’m finding more opportunity to fit in the activity. The better weather is really helping too. I’m taking the opportunity to squeeze in more steps and more activity whenever I can.

How about you? Are you finding it easier or harder to be active? Why or why not?

Beyond the Diagnosis with Dr. Kylie Burton

April 27, 2021 / Chris Brown / 1 Comment

Episode 81

In episode 81, Jill and Chris interview Dr. Kylie Burton, DC, CFMP, an expert in functional medicine who has helped thousands of individuals with seemingly impossible health struggles, find answers, healing, and hope, even if they’ve been told their labs are normal.

You’ll want to grab a copy of your lab results when you listen to this podcast episode. Dr. Kylie discusses many interesting facts about why you may be feeling a certain way, even when your lab results come back within the normal range and what she suggests her patients do to improve how they are feeling.

Besides helping patients, she teaches practitioners (of all backgrounds), how they can level up their patient results using her techniques. Once on stage, now it’s a weekly LIVE series on Facebook.

As a guest on dozens of podcasts, she also hosts the podcast Beyond the Diagnosis with Dr. Kylie and has been featured on the Sheila Mac Show on KCAA radio. On TV, she has been a guest on Good Morning Utah and FOX26Houston.

Please note, before changing any medications and supplements, you should check with your own doctor.

During this podcast episode, we discuss:

Her advice on supplements.
CBC with Differential and WBC white blood count
Epstein-barr virus
Fibromyalgia symptoms and invlamation
Vitamin D levels – what is normal, what is optimal, what is too much
Gut health
Blood Sugar
Energy levels
Brain Fog
Hormonal health through menopause
How keeping cells health and strong helps us stay healthy and strong

Links:
Beyond the Diagnosis with Dr. Kylie podcast
Dr. Kylie does virtual visits and you can book an appointment with her via her website: Dr. Kylie Burton

Beyond Burger Review

April 24, 2021 / Chris Brown / 1 Comment

I tried a new to me kind of veggie burger this week called Beyond Burger. Does this count as part of the veggie challenge? I’m not sure, because this sure felt like cheating!

Just to clarify, I am a meat eater but want to have something on hand when vegetarian family members are here for lunch. I’ve tried Boca Burgers and like the original version… and have had MorningStar but haven’t liked the taste of those. My husband picked these up at Costco.

The Beyond Burger is a frozen patty, packaged two to a container. I took mine from the freezer and defrosted it in the microwave. The red juices looked suspicious to me until I double checked the ingredients where I saw beet juice. That explained it.

I think if I did the entire burger thing with a bun, lettuce, tomato, pickle and condiments, it could almost pass as real beef. However in this taste test, I just had it as a patty, so I could focus on the flavor.

On a scale of 1-10, I’d say that I’d give it a 6 as just a patty. Not too bad. The consistency didn’t tempt me to break it up to use it like crumbled ground beef to use in a recipe, which was my first intention.

Also I found that it needed to be cooked low and slow, so it wouldn’t burn.
Maybe I should have added some olive oil to the pan to begin with, because the outside tended to get too cooked without doing the the middle, when I cooked it at my usual burger stove top setting of 7 on my cook stove. End result, the first part was cooked as a 7 and after I flipped it, I reset the temperature to a four and put on the lid to help heat the insides as well.

Next time, I may go wild and actually break it up to use in a recipe as pretend ground beef in chili or my inside out egg rolls with broccoli slaw.

Have you ever tried Beyond Burgers? How did you fix it and did you love it?

Making cabbage rolls with quinoa instead of rice.

First Quarter Healthy Eating

April 17, 2021 / Chris Brown / 0 Comments

It’s been a little over halfway in April and, like Jill, I feel it’s time to evaluate my first quarter results.

First Quarter Healthy Eating
From January to March I definitely have been eating better. How can I tell? My heart rate. The results on the scale. Tracking my food. Adding more veggies. Planning my meals.

Healthy eating is always a goal, so I didn’t make it one of my words or a resolution for 2021. Now I kinda wished I did so I could legit say I nailed it.

I focused on what to have for lunch and dinner. The veggie challenge helped here. Buying lots of vegetables and healthy foods made it easier. Here are photos of a few of my first quarter healthy eating highlights. Among others I enjoyed making and eating eggplant lasagna,cabbage rolls, quinoa veggie salad and roasted vegetables.

I substituted one layer of noodles with roasted eggplant in lasagna.

For first quarter healthy eating I made cabbage rolls with quinoa instead of rice

Making cabbage rolls with quinoa instead of rice.

For first quarter healthy eating, I used the VitaMix to chop veggies the size of quinoa.

Using the VitaMix to chop veggies into the size of quinoa. It’s hard to cut carrots, cucumbers, and cauliflower this small without the help of a machine!

first quarter healthy eating involved using parchment paper and spray olive oil for roasting veggies.

My trick for easy roasting is to use parchment paper and spray the olive oil on to make it easy. I probably roasting three times more veggies because it is easier for clean up.

I know I posted some of my veggie omelets and fritatta. Buying frozen precut vegetables is also a shortcut of mine.

First Quarter Activity
One of my words in 2021 is activity. If I count tracking and cooking as activity, I did pretty well in first quarter. But if I think of activity as exercise… well… I definitely left room for improvement there. I’ve definitely done better with healthy eating in first quarter than I have with the exercise. While I have been getting on my treadmill for some Zoom meetings where I don’t have to talk, I just wasn’t as physically active as I wanted to be.

Now that the weather has improved in NE Ohio, last week I was able to go bike riding twice. This is actually second quarter activity.

Snapshot of early April bike rides.

I’ve also done a couple of beautiful walks outside with friends. I will save this for for next quarter, but it’s been a recent highlight.

Here’s looking forward to improvement during second quarter 2021 on my activity, fit and strong 2021 3 words!

Springtime Hiking

April 15, 2021 / Jill McCauslin / 0 Comments

Don’t you love springtime hiking? It makes life feel glorious, don’t you think?

It’s spring here in Ohio and flowers are beginning to bloom. Trees have blossoms on them but there’s still a look of winter because the trees don’t have leaves on them yet.

I’ve gotten out to local parks and hiked trails that I haven’t been on in quite a while. Some are actually brand new to me. In the photo above, I hiked a new trail (to me, that is) with my son. It is part of the Edgewater Beach park in Cleveland.

Because of the Covid-19 shutdowns last year, I ended up not hiking much any time of the year because the parks were so crowded with people who couldn’t go shopping or dining that I decided to just stay home. Well, I also went to the parks that aren’t so pretty because nobody else was there.

Chris and I have been able to walk together a couple of times. It’s been such a pleasure to see her live and not just on Zoom. I’m very grateful that Zoom has allowed me to see people live but there’s a difference between a virtual visit and being there in person.

I also got to see my friend Lois recently when we went for a hike. It’s been a long time since I’ve spent time in person with her. We hiked to Brandywine Falls in the Cuyahoga Valley National Park. Last year I found huge crowds there so stayed away for most of the year. We got in a lengthy four mile hike that day.

There’s something wonderful about seeing the daffodils blooming and the leaves beginning to bud on the trees. It’s just a great feeling to be outside, enjoying some sunshine and not braving the winter elements. I like not worrying about slipping on the ice.

How are you enjoying the new season? Feel free to let me know!