Author Archive

With so many choices at the grocery store shopping can become overwhelming and confusing!

Join us for our February Grocery Store Tour

February 25^th 12-1pm

Cost $30

Contact us at admin@rbitzer.com or call (301)474-2499 to sign up!

Losing or gaining weight takes determination and support, but what happens when you reach your goal weight? It is very easy to get back to where you started. Here is this week’s Quick Nutrition Video: How to Maintain Weight.

How to Maintain Weight

What are your tips for weight maintenance? What is your biggest struggle when trying to maintain weight?

By: Amy Bortnick

By: Kathy Kendall, MS, RD, LD

As nutrition professionals, we believe in combining the right food choices and exercise to create an overall healthy lifestyle. For a unique approach to activity and personal fitness take a look at our interview with Christy Edwards of Aurora Fitness.

What lead you to your career as a personal trainer?

I started running in my first year of college.  I’d always cared about nutrition.  But it wasn’t until I discovered the incredible power of strength training that I knew I wanted to share the joys of being strong and healthy with others.  My friends were tired of my constant talk of fitness and exercise, and told me to take my message on the road!  I was certified in 1994 by the American Council on Exercise, and have been training people of all fitness levels ever since.

Where did the name “Aurora Fitness” come from?

For years, I’d heard people say things like “I blew it last night by having pizza and beer for dinner, so I might as well have a stack of pancakes and double bacon for breakfast.”  But I believe every day, every meal, every minute is a new opportunity to make healthy choices.  I named my business for Aurora, Roman Goddess of the Dawn.  Aurora renews herself and flies through the sky every morning!  I love the image.

What type of clients can your help?

I work with people of all fitness levels and ages.  Currently my clients range in age from 26 to 74.  I provide a safe and effective workout for beginners, a challenging change of pace for experienced exercisers, and occasionally a kick in the pants for those who need it!  Safety and proper form are paramount for all.

What type of workouts do you provide?

This depends entirely on the individual.  Some people are just getting started with exercise and healthy living and don’t know how to begin with cardio, strength, flexibility, and stress management.  Others need to work on balance and improved mobility for daily life.  Some have been working out for years and are simply not getting the results they want, and have no idea why. I have a fully equipped private studio, and can design personalized programs to suit individual needs and goals.

What are your tips for leading a healthy lifestyle?

Of course I have many!  But the number one trick is planning.  Plan your meals and snacks, schedule your workouts, and plan for your rest and down time.  When we live life by the seat of our pants, going 90 miles an hour, everything falls apart.  When we plan ahead, and know what and when we’re going to eat, and when we’re going to exercise, everything in life improves.  Health, work, relationships, stress levels, everything.

What is your personal fitness story?

As a college freshman, many of my new friends had been runners in high school, and they basically dragged me along on a run one day.  I was hooked immediately.  Eight years later, after my fist son was born, I started working out with a strength training video (yes, a VHS tape) in my basement. I very quickly experienced an amazing change in muscular strength and endurance.  My running improved and I lost my pregnancy weight in no time.  Perhaps more surprising was the change in my confidence.  I felt powerful and like I could face any challenge.  And boy, did that come in handy with a newborn in the house!

My love of fitness and healthy living has grown from there.

Christy is offering a special deal for RBA clients, 3 sessions for $165 (normal rate is $195)

Contact Christy for more information!

Christy Edwards

Aurora Fitness

christy@aurorafitness.net

www.aurorafitness.net

www.facebook.com/aurorafitness

Too busy to cook dinner every night? Trying to not spend a ton of money at the grocery store? Here’s how you can take 1 main ingredient and turn it into 5 new dinners.

1) Chicken

• Grilled chicken parmesan with mozzarella and tomato sauce
• Chicken stir fry with brown rice, broccoli, and sauce of choice
• Chicken paninis with spinach, roasted tomato, and pesto
• Breaded and baked chicken strips with buffalo sauce served over salad
• Chicken kabobs with zucchini, mushrooms, and peppers, marinade and BBQ on a stick

2) Ground Turkey

• Turkey Chili
• Turkey Burgers with carrot fries
• English muffin pizzas with spinach, cheese, and ground turkey
• Turkey meatballs with whole wheat pasta with basil and olive oil
• Italian turkey meatloaf

3) Eggs

• Sweet potato with spinach and egg scramble
• Savory omelete with goat cheese, spinach and onions
• Egg salad sandwiches made with light mayo and terragon
• Add hard boiled eggs to a Greek or Caesar Salad
• Quiche feta, salmon, and dill

4) Black Beans

• Healthy baked nachos with black beans, avocado, and salsa
• Mix with rice, veggies, and tofu for a vegetarian stir fry
• Make homemade black bean burgers
• Process to make a bean dip for veggies and pita chips
• Black bean soup

5) Salmon

• Make fish tacos with whole wheat tortillas, cabbage, and yogurt sauce
• Top with salsa and serve with roasted vegetables
• Make salmon cakes
• Teriyaki salmon with pineapple and snap peas
• Salmon chowder with vegetables

By Elizabeth Haaser

Recovery from an eating disorder is possible. Just ask Gwen Schubert Grabb. Gwen overcame her eating disorder with the help of therapist Carolyn Costin, and together, they co-wrote the book “8 Keys to Recovery from an Eating Disorder.” What I really got from this book was that an important part of recovery is paying it forward. Carolyn helped Gwen, who in turn helped numerous men and women (like actress Portia Rossi, who praised this book, calling it “straightforward” and “well-written”). If you or a loved one is currently struggling with an eating disorder, let Carolyn and Gwen help you next.

The book is divided into chapters by the 8 keys to recovery, which include concepts like Feel Your Feelings, Challenge Your Thoughts, and Finding Meaning and Purpose. Within each chapter are several sub-headings, so the ideas are clearly broken up, and the book is incredible easy to read. I especially enjoyed the Writing Assignment sections. I am definitely someone who benefits from writing down my thoughts in order to better grasp what I’m feeling. There are also plenty of personal reflections from Gwen about her own journey with her eating disorder, which makes the book really special and inspiring. I have always thought that the best self-help books were the ones that were written by people who know firsthand what their readers are going through. Other patients she and Gwen have helped also contribute to the book with their own words- the amount of support for these 8 keys is overwhelming.

At RBA, we want you to believe in your recovery, and hope that this book may help you to reach this goal. We also have RDs in the office who specialize in treating eating disorders who would love to guide you along the way. Please call our office to make an appointment to see someone and begin this healing process. For inspirational blogs and further information about Eating Disorders, visit www.empoweredeatingblog.com

By: Amy Bortnick

I just took a trip down to Raleigh and stayed with one of my old college friends!  When I was in school with him a couple years back he was the number one fan of some of the South’s least healthy comfort foods such as sweet tea, fried chicken and Cook Out (a southern fast food chain). Recently however, he has taken a vested interest in his health and now aims to gain weight without having to bring back Cook out, fried chicken, and sweet tea to his daily diet. Often times weight gain is assumed to only occur through empty calories and junk food detrimental to your health…but that doesn’t have to be the case.  Since my friend was nice to let me stay with him I figured I’d help him out!

I did some research and found a lot of the same sports nutrition concepts I learned as a runner:

1.     Glycogen from carbohydrates is the main source of fuel for the muscles If you live an active lifestyle you must consume an adequate amount of carbs. To gain weight you must saturate your muscle with glycogen (3-5 grams per pound of body weight)

2.     Protein is needed to restore muscle fibers and the amino acids from proteins are needed for muscle growth and repair. HOWEVER, the body does not store excess protein as BULGING muscles! You need about .7-.9 g per lbs body weight and the rest will be lost in urine.

3.     Timing is key! If you are trying to gain weight healthfully it is important to fuel properly before and after workouts. Consume small meals throughout the day instead of large ones. It is ideal to eat at least every four hours consuming a combination of carbohydrates and protein! This will ensure that your muscles have a decent supply of fuel consistently throughout the day and are not being broken down for fueling during fasting periods.

Ok… the nutrition concepts don’t change you get it! But how does that apply to gaining muscle weight and bulking up without adding fat? The most important and only way to gain muscle is an effective weight lifting or resistance training routine! Your muscle fibers get bigger when you overload them with strength training period.

Where does eating come in? If you want to gain weight you need to eat more calories!! The trick to gaining muscle and not fat is ensuring that when you increase calories you maintain BALANCE in your diet. The best way to add muscle mass is to stick to a healthy diet containing 55-65% of calories from carbohydrates, 10-15% of calories from protein and less than 30% of calories from fats.

Here are some tips and tricks for adding calories in healthy way to build muscle and avoid unwanted fat:

1.     Choose more calorie dense foods to increase calorie content without increasing volume in your stomach making you uncomfortable.–For example, choose more calorie dense fruits and vegetables. Bananas, pineapples and mangos have more calories than water loaded fruits like oranges and grapefruits. Peas, carrots and corn have more calories than dark green vegetables.

2.     Limit your intake of bad fats because they are harmful to your heart health and may hinder your workout.–Focus on healthy fats such as peanuts, walnuts, almonds, avocados, olive oil, and oily fishes such as tuna and salmonIn order to gain 1 pound per week theoretically it takes 500 added calories per day! This is a good place to start! It maybe helpful to keep a daily log for a couple days to see how you normally eat and figure out where you can add in that extra 500 or so calories in a balanced way!!

Good Luck and be patient! The best-trained athletes gain weight slowly!

Resource: Nancy Clark’s Nutrition Guide Book

Note from Rebecca Bitzer: I could not put this book down, I was completely absorbed in Jena’s struggle. Jena has made a significant impact on me. I am very glad that I read this book.  She writes very vividly, “The mental slowness both malnutrition and dehydration induce is truly debilitating.  Your responses are slowed, you search for words and names and to no avail, you slip in and out of the present, losing ground and losing time.” It is well-written, honest, and dark, yet at the same time, it would be helpful to anyone who needs hope for recovery.

“If you are me, or one of the millions like me, your day looks a bit different. The food is not eaten casually or carelessly or even comfortably. Rather it is weighed, measured, agonized over, feared, loved, hated, resented, desired. But this is life as you know it, if you have an eating disorder.”

Hollow is the tale of Jena Morrow who has faced the ongoing challenge of an eating disorder. This book is moving on so many levels and helps one understand how this disease can affect every day life. If you suffer from this unfortunate condition it will help to relate to Jena’s thoughts and struggles, but more importantly if you know someone with an Eating Disorder this book will finally help you understand what is going through their mind. This is an honest story filled with hope and healing and it recognizes that eating disorders are ongoing and hard to manage.

Jena craftily fills each page with her thoughts and progression of her anorexia beginning as a young child up to her adult years. The battle she has with her disorder is voiced so clearly so that others can relate. She talks about how friends, family, and the outside world can have such an impact on this disorder. It helps bring forward every day events that are so much more troublesome with an eating disorder, things we may not realize have such an impact.

What is most motivating and sincere is the treatment Jena receives during her eating disorder. She honestly voices what helps and what doesn’t and how she learned through art, religion, therapy, and support systems to work towards battling this disease. The book had me in tears, made me laugh, and most importantly left me with hope that people can fight this battle, and that there are people who can help. Thank you Jena for sharing your story with us, you will help so many people.

This memoir is a must read if you or a loved one has an Eating Disorder. I cannot put into words what Jena Morrow does to make an eating disorder transparent for those of us who didn’t clearly understand.

We have recently restructured our Eating Disorder Treatment Plans for our clients. We have done comprehensive and extensive research to provide you with the best care possible. Check out this list to determine if you may be struggling with disordered eating. Today can be the start of a healthy relationship with food. Our Eating Disorders Page also lists other resources and how we can help.

For more information give us a call to see how we can help you.