There is going to be an addition to the Yarn family! We have just reached our 20 week mark and I am growing and glowing! The future baby Yarn is due middle July. Man, let me tell you as a Registered Dietitian I am struggling mentally with getting through the junk food cravings! I will share my pregnancy tips and struggles with you in next month's video.

Remember a pregnant woman only requires 200-300 extra calories per day. This is a couple of tablespoons of peanut butter, 2 pieces of fruit, or a serving of oatmeal. One of the best pieces of advice given to me so far by a good friend was simply stated, "Pig out now...pay later." Sorry ladies the 60 pound baby does not exist! Having a healthy pregnancy and baby have remained my focus, not to say I don't have chocolate and other junk foods I just don't go crazy all day every day!

Drink a lot of water
Make sure you are taking your prenatal vitamins and DHA
Eat the rainbow (aka- fruits and veggies)
Avoid processed foods with preservatives chemicals.

Sometimes all it takes to make my day is a thought and that can be set off through a quote enjoy these nutritionally sound quotes, I sure did!

Quotations about Healthy Eating
"I saw few die of hunger; of eating, a hundred thousand."
- Benjamin Franklin
"The King who cannot rule his diet, will hardly rule his realm in peace and quiet."
- Passage from the "Rule of Health of Salerno", author unknown
"We never repent of having eaten too little."
- Thomas Jefferson
"To eat is a necessity, but to eat intelligently is an art."
- La Rochefoucauld
"He that takes medicine and neglects diet, wastes the skill of the physician."
- Chinese Proverb
"The wise man should consider that health is the greatest of human blessings. Let food be your medicine."
- Hippocrates

The power of nutrition is profound, you can control your quality of life with the food you put in your body. Remember you are always in control enjoy eating right and your body will thank you in so many ways.

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I had a great opportunity to influence and educate the community to eat healthy at the Healthy Living Expo. I was with Cacyi Johnson, a culinary expert. Cayci taught viewers how to prepare a simple 20 minute 1 dish meal of chicken and broccoli in a healthy lemon pan sauce while I educated them on how a healthy meal should consist of lean protein, dark green vegetables and whole grains. It was nice to see the healthy light bulb go off in viewers minds when they realized healthy and quick meals do not have to be bland; they can be packed with flavor too!




While we were there we got the opportunity to meet 5x Iron man champion Heather Gollnick, she was such an inspiration! Heather is coaching "Biggest Loser" Tara Costa train for her first triathlon this Spring.

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I have recently found a love for cooking; maybe just knowing that I’m controlling what goes into my body has given me a piece of mind health wise. If you don't look forward to cooking - it is time to change your mind set, this is one of the best ways to control your weight and health! If you are bored with what you know how to cook go online or to the book store and pick up a new recipe. Food can be healthy, taste good and fun to prepare for your family.


My new favorite sauce/dinner! Life gave me lemons so I made sauce!

The meal consisted of...
-Protein: Chicken breast - baked or grilled and brushed with the lemon sauce
-Complex Carbohydrate: Homemade mashed red potatoes - just boil the red potatoes until soft and then mash them with a hand mixer
-Fibrous Vegetable: grilled or baked green beans, asparagus or squash and zucchini
-The lemon sauce... 2/3 freshly squeezed lemon juice (about 4-6 lemons), 1/3 Extra virgin olive oil, oregano to taste, freshly minced garlic cloves to taste (I typically use 3-5), and a dash of sea salt. There is no need to heat the sauce just stir it up good and pour over chicken, potatoes and vegetables. This sauce is guaranteed to make any meal better! You can also use it on rice, lean steak or fish.

ENJOY!

Personally this year I want my 2010 to be full of laughter, love, peace, balance, health, prosperity, energy, family, friends, fun, honesty, and new beginnings! Is that too much to ask? It all starts from within and you can be who ever you want to be. If you have your health you have more then a lot of people. In order to maintain a healthy lifestyle balance and discipline are a must! Break those stinky old habits of vending machine junk food, or skipping workouts because you are too busy. When I go a couple of days without my workouts, my husband tells me I HAVE to hit the gym. Exercise is my alone time and stress relief. Once you start you won't want to stop, start off slow and then build up to longer sessions.

To start off the New Year in the Yarn house we decided to set these S.M.A.R.T goals.

Cook 5 dinners per week
Pack lunches every day for work
Eat at least 5 servings of color (fruits and veggies) per day
Drink at least 64 ounces of water per day
Take multi-vitamins and omegas daily
Get a minimum of 4 workouts in per week
Get at least 6 hours of sleep per night
Leave work at work and laugh daily!

Make the most out of every day and every day will make the most out of you!

Did you know that studies have shown the average person gains approximately 7 lbs each holiday season? It is called the "Seasonal Seven," this 7 pounds is typically put on between Thanksgiving and New Years.

"That’s it?" you ask? Only 7 lbs.?! You are probably thinking you will hit the gym and diet hard come New Years and get back down to your normal weight, but it is not that simple.

Here is the problem … it’s not that small weight gain during the holidays that’s bad; it’s the fact that most people don’t lose that weight year after year.

A 7 lb weight gain each year for the next 4 years means you are up 28 lbs. I sit in front of people daily who say, "I'm not sure how I gained so much weight, it just happened."

I'll break it down for you. You may not notice a few pounds. They creep on slowly, but surely. And it’s all relative to your current weight. What started out some pants that were just a bit tighter than last time you tried them on, you deny the weight gain by saying, “They just came out of dryer”. And suddenly those same pants no longer fit and you put them on the top shelf in your closet dreaming they will eventually fit again. This process is so slow, we make up excuses like, my metabolism is slowing with age, you just had a baby (3 years ago), etc.

And the cycle continues.

Stop the madness!

Eat in moderation; you don't have to "OD" on Christmas cookies or pie, I promise they will be around for weeks!

Make sure you continue to eat healthy foods; this will help give you self control with the holiday treats, because you will have filled up on healthy meals and snacks first.


Keep going to the gym and doing cardio. Working out keeps you on track and allows your to observe any weight fluctuations by how you look in workout clothes or how you feel during your exercise.

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