DO YOU HAVE A "JUDGEMENT GENE"? I DO.

It is true that being honest with yourself about any less than fantastic qualities is difficult.  One of the things about myself that I struggle with is my "judgement gene".  I am a kind person who is accepting of anyone and everyone.  I could care less whether you are a purple, gay, homeless, ten-times divorced person.  I like real people who have a kind heart and act with integrity - period.  In fact, I truly appreciate peoples differences and the diversity that exists when people are true to their authentic soul.

In spite of all of this, I have a voice in my head that judges people silently all the time.  Some examples of what my "judgement gene" might say on any given day:

Really?  A whole tub of cheese puffs and 3 boxes of sugar cereal.  I certainly hope you do not think you are taking care of your kids if you are feeding them that shit.

She has cellulite on her thighs.  I hope I don't look like that from behind.  Note to self, check thighs in sunlight before going out in public.

Those pants are not flattering on you.  

Of course you are going to stop at every sample station in Costco - can you at least move your f-ing cart over while you wait for the cheese puffs to finish cooking. 

Why don't you do yourself a favor and not turn into the McDonald's parking lot. 

Really mean, right?  I know and it makes me sad.  


There is also another voice that argues with my "judgement gene" which is much kinder and I believe a more authentic representation of my heart.  I know it must sound like my heads a little noisy.  I want my "judgement gene" to shut the heck up. I want to know where it came from.  I want to know why it thinks it has the right to judge anyone.   If I had never read People magazine and seen them blow up some poor celebrities ass to 8x11 in order to show that they had normal dimples on their thighs, then would I still deal with my "judgement gene" pointing it out on other people?  If I hadn't been told by every magazine I ever read that skinny is the only way to be beautiful would I see through different eyes?  I don't know.  It does frustrate me.  As a trainer, as a woman and as a mom I feel it is important that we find the stop/reset button ASAP.  It is not easy though.

I am working on retraining my voice.  I don't read magazines anymore.  In fact, I am seeing what happens if I just stay away from as much media as possible.  I do think it is helping and it is making the reprogramming of my inner voice a little easier.  I also make a point to say the nice things out loud to people.  It takes away the "judgement genes" power when I give the kinder side an actual voice.  It also is an amazing feeling to see someones reaction when I give them a genuine compliment. 

Me and my "judgement gene" still go at least ten rounds a day, but my authentic voice always gets the last word. 

~Lisa

EASY MAKE AHEAD RECIPE THAT IS GOOD FOR YOU

The basic recipe is below.  We add in the optional ingredients depending on our mood. 
 
Base Recipe:
I put olive oil in the bottom and rubbed it all over the pan
Layer in:
1 can of beans (your choice) drained and rinsed
1 C of quinoa and/or brown rice
4 eggs whisked together
1 can of beans (your choice) drained and rinsed
1 C of quinoa and/or brown rice
4 eggs whisked together

Bake at 325 for about 30-40 minutes (we like it well done so try less time if you prefer)

Optional:
Top with cheese
Add chicken apple sausage (or another type of meat if you prefer)
Add peppers, mushrooms, onions
Salt, pepper, crushed red pepper, or any other seasoning you love

We top with sriracha and ketchup

WHY I EAT ORGANIC AND ALWAYS WILL

We all have those pivotal moments in our lives when something happens and we know that nothing will ever be the same again.  One of mine occurred when my son was three.  He had suffered severe eczema since he was tiny and I had taken him to a multitude of specialists seeking help.  His case was extreme.  He regularly suffered staph infections and couldn’t sleep at night due to the discomfort.  It was horrible and the most horrible part is I felt helpless to comfort his pain.  The doctors wanted me to rub steroid cream all over him and give him antibiotics to deal with the repeated infections.  In my heart, I knew that this was not good for this tiny little person.  For years, I bathed him in cool water with oatmeal, rubbed him with Vaseline and Aquaphor lotion and kept his skin covered so that any additional contact irritant would not make it worse.  

I was in college at the time and spent a lot of time at the library.  One day, when I sat down to study there was a book open on the table in front of me and I started reading it.  A very small portion of one of the big long paragraphs made the point that, "the condition was found to be related to patient’s diet".    That sentence changed my entire mindset.  I knew that I had to try to drastically change what he was eating and see if that would help.  

I threw out everything in our tiny little apartment.  I found out that the local co-op was close by and the best place for organic food.  I bought him organic everything.  I took all processed food out of his diet.  If it wasn’t a whole food source, then I did not buy it.  I researched recipes that I could make that he would eat and I talked to him about why I wanted to try this new plan.  He was a trooper and together we found foods that he liked.  In less than 10 days his skin was 100% improved.  The cracked, rough, bumpy rash that covered his body was gone.  I was absolutely amazed.  From that point on, my fridge has never gone back to what it was before.  I didn’t need any more convincing than the miracle that I had just watched happen to my son.  

Over the past 15 years I have learned a lot about what they put in the food we buy.  I researched where our food comes from and I learned what genetically modified means.  I cannot believe that people are not protesting out front of their local grocery stores and demanding that they stop poisoning us.  I try not to look and sound like a total freak, but it is something I am incredibly passionate about and whenever I can I try to gently help people to understand that most of what afflicts them can be prevented and treated through nutrition modification (or a total fucking overhaul of one’s crappy diet).  

This was the beginning of a lifelong journey for me.  Ultimately, it became my passion and what my heart is drawn to.  I will always be thankful that someone left that book open on the library table. 

FUEL NOT FOOD

I hate the word “diet”.  As soon as my mind hears it all I want is a big tray of brownies.  It’s a mind fuck and I try to stay away from using it.  I look at what I eat as fuel and I know that the fuel I put in will directly result in what my body gives me back.

That said, I love to change my nutritional intake and see what happens.  I watch my skin, note how my stomach feels, pay close attention to my energy level through my workout and log how I feel throughout the day.   I am sure that this is why I was excited when Jake asked if I wanted to experiment with our nutritional intake for a couple of months.  

We decided to try three basic approaches and see how each one impacted us.  Each plan was carefully thought out and we both made sure that we were getting enough calories each day to prevent muscle loss.  This was not a “diet” it was a plan for nutrition.  

High Carb, High Protein, Low Fat

This was a big change for me.  I had a hard time even consuming the large amount of sweet potatoes, oatmeal and whole grain bread that this plan consisted of.  To be honest, it was too much food.  I did notice some fat loss on my stomach and legs – which was great, but overall this diet made me feel heavy.   I also did not like that it did not have any fruit.  I love my fruit and know that I could not do any type of nutrition plan long term that did not include fruit.  I do know that the women with super lean bodies have cut out sugar, but it’s not worth it to me to give up fruits and veggies.  Jake also noticed fat loss all over his body.  He is not a big fruit guy and this diet seemed to agree with him better.  The 100lbs that separates us probably had something to do with him being able to utilize the increase in carbs more efficiently.  

Moderate Carbs, High Protein, Moderate Fat

This was easier for me.  The decrease in carbs made me feel better – even though I did not notice any big changes in my body.  This closely followed what I eat naturally and it felt more natural to my body.  I still missed fruit, but I did include apples and that helped a lot.  Jake also felt like this was more natural for him.  The carb level was plenty to complete our workouts and maintain our energy level throughout the day.  The fat we consumed was through nuts, eggs and avocados.  

Basically Vegetarian (we are almost done with our 2^nd week of this plan)

This was a big change for us.  We bought a Vitamixer to make sure that we could get in the amount of veggies that we needed to meet our nutritional needs.  I filled the fridge at the farmers market and we drank vegetable juice cut with apples, lemons and ginger.   Both of us felt incredible after only 24 hours.  It was almost a feeling of being high – lower anxiety, calmer, more energy.  We are impressed that spinach, beets, carrots and kale can do that.  We also eat a lot of eggs, quinoa, brown rice, tofu, nuts and beans.  Our workouts feel strong, our bodies feel pumped and our energy levels are high.  We both are starting to realize that there is something to Popeye.  

Conclusion

I am still and always will be a firm believer in a well-rounded, whole food nutrition plan.  You need to listen to your body and experiment to find what works best for you.  You also need to be open to the idea that your ideal nutrition plan may change over time.  Perhaps most important, you need to cut yourself some slack.  If you want to treat yourself, then do it.  When you indulge, do it with real food, thoughtfully prepared and shared with people you enjoy.  We enjoy wine, dinners out and homemade brownies.  When we eat out, we find quality restaurants that care about quality ingredients and work to bring out the flavor of the food rather than cover it up.  We don’t make special request or order it without oil or butter.  We enjoy the experience, we take the time to savor the food and we toast the fact that we work our butts off and deserve to enjoy it.  

Our philosophy is that nutrition is the base for everything else in your life.  It dictates everything from your daily energy to your sleep patterns.  It is worth taking the time and investing the energy to find the best nutrition plan for you.  Please note that nowhere in here do I advise going on a diet.  You should never “diet”.  Set a goal to find your optimum nutrition and then experiment with good food until you find that happy place with your body.  You will never regret finding your happy place with your nutrition plan.  We promise!