Happy Friday my friends!! How has the challenge been so far? This week was a breeze for me, especially compared to the week before. Starting on Monday we will be entering into the third week of the challenge and will again be eliminating something BIG from out diets. You ready??
This week we are saying goodbye to our beloved sugar. Wait..what?! Yes you read correctly, no sugar. This is NOT mean we are saying goodbye to carbohydrates and doing a keto diet. I’m talking about added sugar. Here is what we will be avoiding this week:
- No sugary beverages
- No coffee creamers with added sugar
- No desserts
- No ice cream
- No frozen yogurt
- No cookies
- No sugary pastries
- No chocolate (yes it deserves it’s own category)
- No candy
- No added sugar
You get the picture. If you have a major sweet tooth, try replacing your usual dessert with some naturally sweet fruit like mango and strawberries.
No Sugar: But Why?
So why is no sweets this weeks challenge? Unfortunately, for all us ladies who love a good dessert, added sugar is the single worst ingredient in the modern diet. It can have harmful effects on metabolism and contribute to all sorts of diseases. Scientist believe that it is added sugar who is responsible for many, if not most of today’s health issues: the obesity epidemic; the dramatic increase in diabetes; memory troubles, cancer, heart disease, fertility problems and more.
Added sugars (like sucrose and high fructose corn syrup) contain a whole bunch of calories with NO essential nutrients. So think of this way- it would take you running a mile to burn off the one candy bar you ate. And the worst part is the way our body breaks down excess sugar is it eventually turns it into fat.
Sugar is bad for your whole body but it’s particularly bad for your skin. Sugar raises insulin levels and puts unnatural demands on your body to deal with the food you just ate. As mentioned in last weeks post, this spike in insulin leads to inflammation which then leads to enzymes that break down collagen and elastin, resulting in sagging skin and wrinkles. Simple carbohydrates are the worst offenders- think : candy, fried food, ice cream, fruit juice, pasta, ketchup, cream cheese, jam, pizza, sugar (white and brown), packaged snacks and sodas.
What We Should Eat This Week
One of the purposes of the eat pretty challenge is not to just make our lives difficult by giving up certain foods, but rather to encourage developing new healthy habits and promote clean eating. Since we are getting rid of all sweets this week, lets replace them with some nutritious options. What are some good carbohydrates we can consume this week? Lets focus on replacing those simple carbohydrates with complex ones like oatmeal, brown rice and vegetables. Low-glycemic options, like beans, nuts, and whole grains, as well as fibrous foods, which delay sugar absorption, also help control blood sugar levels. By adding healthy fats (like olive oil and avocados), lean protein (like salmon), fiber (like oatmeal or peas) and antioxidants (like berries), you will get healthy glowing skin!
Still not sold on the whole too-much-sugar-is-bad-for-you theory? Well I strongly recommend you watching the documentary Fed Up. I watched it when I was in graduate school and thought it was very powerful. The film focuses on childhood obesity and how America has become addicted to sugar. Scientist have found that our brains react the same to added sugar as it does to cocaine {pictured above}. Crazy right? Although a very sad film, I found it fascinating how much America relies on added sugar.
Beauty/Wellness Challenge
This weeks wellness/beauty challenge might be the hardest one for a lot of people. This week we will be active for a minimum of 30 minutes EVERY DAY! However you want to get your 30 minutes is completely up to you! Whether you are going on a 30 minute walk around the neighborhood, going to the gym or just dancing for 30 minutes is up to you.
According to the American Heart Association, adults should be fitting at least 150 minutes (2.5 hours) of heart-pumping physical activity per week. Sadly only about one in five adults and teens get enough exercise to maintain good health. Being more active can help all people think, feel and sleep better and perform daily tasks more easily.
These recommendations are based on the Physical Activity Guidelines for Americans, 2nd edition, published by the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, Office of Disease Prevention and Health Promotion. They recommend how much physical activity we need to be healthy. The guidelines are based on current scientific evidence supporting the connections between physical activity, overall health and well-being, disease prevention and quality of life.
Recommendations for Adults
The following recommendations for adults and children were pulled directly from the American Heart Associations website. I hope this will help convince you the importance of why physical activity is so important!
- Get at least 150 minutes per week of moderate-intensity aerobic activity or 75 minutes per week of vigorous aerobic activity, or a combination of both, preferably spread throughout the week.
- Add moderate- to high-intensity muscle-strengthening activity (such as resistance or weights) on at least 2 days per week.
Recommendations for Kids
- Children 3-5 years old should be physically active and have plenty of opportunities to move throughout the day.
- Kids 6-17 years old should get at least 60 minutes per day of moderate- to vigorous-intensity physical activity, mostly aerobic.
What is intensity?
Physical activity is anything that moves your body and burns calories. This includes things like walking, climbing stairs and stretching.
Aerobic (or “cardio”) activity gets your heart rate up and benefits your heart by improving cardiorespiratory fitness. I always tell my patients that you are doing cardio if it requires quick breathes of air! When done at moderate intensity, your heart will beat faster and you’ll breathe harder than normal, but you’ll still be able to talk. Think of it as a medium or moderate amount of effort.
Examples of moderate-intensity aerobic activities:
- brisk walking (at least 2.5 miles per hour)
- dancing (ballroom or social)
- tennis (doubles)
- biking slower than 10 miles per hour
Vigorous intensity activities will push your body a little further. They will require a higher amount of effort. You’ll probably get warm and begin to sweat. You won’t be able to talk much without getting out of breath.
Examples of vigorous-intensity aerobic activities:
- hiking uphill or with a heavy backpack
- running
- swimming laps
- aerobic dancing
- heavy yardwork like continuous digging or hoeing
- tennis (singles)
- cycling 10 miles per hour or faster
- jumping rope
For maximum benefits, include both moderate- and vigorous-intensity activity in your routine along with strengthening and stretching exercises.
The takeaway: Move more, with more intensity, and sit less.
Science has linked being inactive and sitting too much with higher risk of heart disease, type 2 diabetes, colon and lung cancers, and early death. Yikes!
In case you need one final push, here are a few very important benefits of being more active:
- Lower risk of heart disease, stroke, type 2 diabetes, high blood pressure, dementia and Alzheimer’s, several types of cancer, and some complications of pregnancy
- Better sleep, including improvements in insomnia and obstructive sleep apnea
- Improved cognition, including memory, attention and processing speed
- Less weight gain, obesity and related chronic health conditions
- Better bone health and balance, with less risk of injury from falls
- Fewer symptoms of depression and anxiety
- Better quality of life and sense of overall well-being
I hope this week is an easy one for you friend! Please keep me posted on your progress by tagging me in your social media photos and using hashtag #eatpretty19
Xo,
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