Image: imagerymajestic / FreeDigitalPhotos.net These words are used so often in the field that either myths about their meaning have arisen or the images associated with their use creates a sense of frustration in those who are trying to live a healthier lifestyle. But when we dig down into their origins and true meanings, we’ll see that the words themselves can provide a renewed sense of meaning to our journey towards eating better and being physically active. Today’s word:

Image: Idea go / FreeDigitalPhotos.net These words are used so often in the field that either myths about their meaning have arisen or the images associated with their use creates a sense of frustration in those who are trying to live a healthier lifestyle. But when we dig down into their origins and true meanings, we’ll see that the words themselves can provide a renewed sense of meaning to our journey towards eating better and being physically active. Today’s word: Moderati

Image: nixxphotography / FreeDigitalPhotos.net Over the next few blog posts, I will be discussing three of the most commonly despised, yet misunderstood words in the health and wellness field.  These words have been used so much in the field that either myths about their meaning have arisen or the images associated with their use creates a sense of dread in those who are trying to live a healthier lifestyle.  But when we dig down into their origins and true meanings, we’ll se

Image: renjith krishnan / FreeDigitalPhotos.net First, a simple question:  If you haven’t already, please go to Facebook (or click on the icon on the right) and like Death of the Diet!  Why am I asking this right now?  Because I’m starting to finally realize the power of support, especially from people who care about you and your efforts. (Note, this was written in 2012 as I worked on writing Death of the Diet) Over the past month or so I’ve been letting it “slip” (or just pl

Are Blueberries an affordable Superfood? Image: Michelle Meiklejohn / FreeDigitalPhotos.net Becca, my fiancee, came across this article and I thought it was fantastic.  It discussed the idea of “superfoods”, and addressed which foods are really “worth” our bang for the buck. Unsurprisingly, most of the exotic foods were either overpriced, lost much of their nutrient value in transit, or both.  Instead of these catchy but overpriced foods, most of the recommended “superfoods”

Image: graur razvan ionut / FreeDigitalPhotos.net I’ve been in Florida on vacation the past few days and I came across an article in a local newspaper describing a “dark chocolate” diet run by a psychotherapist that involves: Drinking shakes, eating high-quality dark chocolate as snacks and a “reasonable” dinner resulting in around 1500 calories a day for men, and 1200 calories for women. A series of behavior modification sessions with the psychotherapist designed to have you

Image: digitalart / FreeDigitalPhotos.net We all make mistakes.  Sometimes we miss a workout.  Sometimes we have that cookie we knew we really did not need or want.  Sometimes we just wanted those French fries.  These things happen, but the more important factor than the mistake itself is our RESPONSE to the mistake.  We can’t think of a single mistake to represent failure.  We must look at it as feedback and as an “improvement opportunity”.  Let me give you a very recent per

Image: Kookkai_nak / FreeDigitalPhotos.net My post on making S.M.A.R.T. resolutions at Food Network’s HealthyEats.com inspired me to take the “resolution” advice two steps further.  I wanted to provide insight not only about how to make effective New Year’s Resolutions, but also how to make sure they STICK.  Your resolutions should be goals that you are striving for every day, every month of the year until you reach them or modify them.  In other words, they should not be a w

Image: Karen Shaw / FreeDigitalPhotos.net I had an interview a couple of weeks ago with an editor at Fitbie (MSN’s health and wellness site) and she asked me to recommend some great “distractions” to prevent cravings, particularly at work where we tend to not have much to do for some reason?!?  Most of the answers and ideas I gave are nothing new…in fact, most people know the answers…it’s just a matter of doing them!  But in case there’s a few you may not have heard of, check

Image: maya picture / FreeDigitalPhotos.net During a time of year when everyone is focused on not gaining weight (enter the egg nog, ham, latkes, kugel, etc.), why not focus on actually losing weight?  Contrary to popular belief, the holidays are not 45 days long, or whatever that period from Thanksgiving to New Years Day is.  It’s about 4 to 5 days: Thanksgiving, Christmas (or Hanukkah or Kwanzaa or enter your religious observation here including Festivus), New Years and one

This is something that has bugged me for ages.  So many diet, fitness and supplement programs (written, infomercial, etc.) are put out into the world and they are gobbled up (Turkey Day pun intended)…to the tune of over $10 billion dollars per year.  I forget the exact number, but some ridiculously high % of the NY Times best sellers are usually diet books.  Yet the vast majority of the claims on these programs and pills are appended with a seemingly harmless little “*”…until

Leaning Into It 🙂 I just took a big leap and am starting my first real monthly newsletter!  For those that joined, expect the November edition next week!  Before hitting the “Send” button I had butterflies in my stomach because I knew I would be reaching out to friends, family, colleagues and clients that I may have not talked to in months or years!  I kept thinking, “What will they think?  Will they reject my newsletter?  Should I do it?”  Then I clicked “Send” and felt 10,

What’s Scarier: Vampires or A Sack Full of Candy? Image: digitalart / FreeDigitalPhotos.net Halloween can be a scary time when it comes to making healthy choices for you and your kids.  No matter what we do, there is an endless parade of sugary snacks available either coming from our homes or that of our neighbor’s.  We know that hiding won’t save us from monsters, just like avoiding the candy will surely mean it catches us in the end.  Instead, face the “candy monster” (no r

I WANT TO KNOW: What are your experiences with small, frequent meals?  If they have helped you, how do you think so?  If not, what situations are you facing that is preventing you from having small, frequent meals or how have small, frequent meals not been beneficial to you?  @JMachowskyRDFit, Facebook.com/JMWellness Since losing 35 pounds in 2005 by eating more and eating more often, the idea of restriction and “having willpower” has always fascinated me. Before getting into

When some people find out that I am a registered dietitian (nutritionist) and personal trainer they ask me to write a quick ‘program’  that they can follow on their own to help them lose weight, improve their performance, etc.  Like suddenly they will automatically know how to correctly perform all of the exercises I list or how to effectively integrate all of the new foods that I “recommend” into their lives.  Most people want the magic bullet, the easy way out.  That’s why

The NY Times article, “Why Even Resolute Dieters Often Fail” is an excellent example of why small, sustainable changes are the key to long-lasting weight loss.  Going on a “diet” implies something to be done for a period of time and then stopped.  Sure we may lose weight during a period of restriction/control, but have we fundamentally changed our relationship with the food that we eat? If we haven’t, then odds are we will regain that lost weight once our diet is over. While

A recent study out of Cornell University (Go Big Red!), looked at the impact of low-calorie meals on overall daily calorie intake.  People were given access to all-you-can-eat buffets for all meals.  However, part of the time they were asked to eat a small, 200 calorie lunch (i.e. Lean Pocket, Granola Bar) instead of their usual “lunch buffet”. One those low-calorie lunch days, they ate 245 less calories in total, despite consuming about the same number of calories at breakfa

Clove a Day Keeps the Doctor Away     Image: FreeDigitalPhotos.net And I’m not talking about artificial sweeteners!  Some of the most flavorful additions to our meals can have zero (or close to zero) calories and zero sodium (put the salt shaker down!).  But many people are intimidated by using spices in their cooking, or even in quick 5 minute dishes; however one piece of garlic or sprig of thyme can make all the difference between Blah and Booyah!  You can add spices to any

Round 1: Sumo vs. Business Saw this advertisement in an airline magazine on my way to a wedding in Omaha last weekend.  Take a look at the flat back alignment of the sumo wrestler vs. the hunched-over businessman.  I bet they didn’t even consider it when doing the photo shoot.  Goes to show you can be stable AND mobile 🙂 Although I didn’t run an FMS on these guys, odds are the businessman is rounding his back due to either: 1) Tight hip flexors that don’t allow his hips to f

Below you will find my five favorite smoothie recipes.  A good rule of thumb is about 3 to 4 big leaves of a thick green (i.e. kale, collards, swiss chard), a small bunch of cilantro or parsley, or a big handful of spinach for each piece of fruit.  Add some water and ice, blend to taste.  If you want to get fancy you can add juice, milk, yogurt, peanut butter or spices (i.e. cinnamon, vanilla).  These are technically designed for high-powered blenders like VitaMix or Blendtec