1-219-765-8600

carol@inkwellcoaching.com

Crown Point, IN

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March 14, 2024

10 Muscle Building Tips for Women

Most women I talk with would like to build more muscle and lose more fat. While strength or resistance training is a key component to building muscle,

March 7, 2024

A Taste of Spring

In case you’ve been missing out on some of the most delectable oranges, this is your friendly reminder that we are in the midst of SUMO season. This

February 29, 2024

10 Healthy Snacks for Busy People

My family loves snacks. I love snacks. Who doesn’t love a good snack? I believe snacking can be an important part of a healthy lifestyle. When you c

February 21, 2024

Saving Dough and a Surprise Cake from Mr. Non-Compliant

Some say it’s expensive to eat healthy. I believe it’s even more expensive, especially in the long run, to eat unhealthy. Today I present some tip

February 14, 2024

My Best Workout Tip for Top Results

Ever wonder how to get the most out of your run or walk or strength training workouts? It’s the same way you can feel the most productive about your

February 8, 2024

Celebrating the Birth Month Without FOGO

This year’s birth month is a rare one because I get to celebrate for 29 days. Those of you who get 30, or if you’re REALLY lucky, 31 days, may not

February 1, 2024

How to Stick with Exercise

Work is really busy. Or your kid is going through a “phase.” Or it’s chocolate season. Any number of obstacles, distractions, and competing dema

January 24, 2024

Find the Right Foods for You

You know what it’s like to create a pump-up playlist, right? You compile a list of songs that—when they come on—make you say: “Yes, I feel lik

January 18, 2024

Mastering a Dry or Damp January with Style

As the new year begins, many of us look for ways to reset and rejuvenate our bodies and minds. One popular approach is embarking on a ‘Dry Janua

January 11, 2024

Gluten-Free Substitutes for Healthier Baking

The world of gluten-free baking can be rather intimidating. Experimenting with various “other” flours and mixes can sometimes result in frustratin

When You Hate Your Bathroom Scale

Quick quiz today.

True or False: What the bathroom scale tells you is a very good indicator as to whether or not your nutrition plan is working.

You’ll be happy to know that the above statement is FALSE. Your body composition, health status, and whether or not you’re eating habits are improving are NOT totally scale dependent.

The scale may offer a bit of guidance over time as to whether or not you’re making progress. However, it is definitely not the only measure of what’s truly happening with your body.   

Other ways to know if you’re on the right track with your nutritional habits.

  • You aren’t hungry all the time. When you eat nutritionally packed foods with the right balance of fat, protein and carbohydrates for YOUR body, you feel satisfied after meals and for several hours after.
  • You have more energy. Your old ways of eating left your energy levels bouncing around like a roller coaster. Now you feel your energy staying fairly consistent throughout the day.
  • You’re sleeping better and feel more rested in the morning. When your blood sugar remains consistent due to eating fresh whole foods, your hormones are also more stable, and you get better rest.
  • Your mood is improved. Now that you’re eating more regular meals and snacks and letting go of the junk food binges, you feel happier. No more “hangry” moments! You may even attract some new friends.
  • You feel stronger and can manage challenging workouts. As your body gets the fuel it needs to perform, you’re able to increase your endurance and enjoy an easier recovery.
  • Your clothes fit looser or tighter. You can zip those jeans from last year without having to lay on your bed and hold your breath. Or, the shirt that hung on you like a tent is now filled out with toned muscle in just the right places. You even look amazing in that big sweater. (True: Muscle weighs more than fat.)
  • It has become your lifestyle and feels right for you. Unlike diets—which feel hard and restrictive—you’ve discovered how good you feel eating an abundance of delicious, nutritional foods.

Because our brains are wired for immediate satisfaction, it can be tough to stay the course over the long haul without some positive feedback. We’d much rather enjoy the chips NOW than think about the morning weigh-in, let alone extending our longevity.  

Having a variety of ways to “check in” will give you the motivation and gratification you need to keep you on your nutritional path. Even when you’d like to toss the scale out the back door.

Looking for someone to celebrate your success or encourage you through a challenge? I’m your girl! Email me and we’ll schedule a call to do just that.

Your biggest cheerleader,
Carol

“The bathroom scale knows nothing of extenuating circumstances.”—Mason Cooley

Cool Crisp Days and My Craving for Waffles

As we turn the corner into cooler days and nights, my body thinks it needs more carbs.

My mind agrees.

This is typical for me. Every year when the seasons change, I notice a slight increase in my potato, pasta, and bread consumption. (Gluten free and equally as satisfying.)

I feel like a bear storing up for a long winter’s nap. Some mornings I feel as though the hibernation process is already in progress.

And it’s only October.

A week or so ago, I took a self-care morning. It was very refreshing.   

I decided to indulge my intuitive voice—the one that is often overridden by the dutiful voice.

“What is it I need TODAY to promote good health and happiness?”

In response to this question, I stayed in bed longer than usual and skipped my morning workout. I then proceeded to make waffles from scratch for Mr. Non-Compliant and myself.

It was wonderful.

Sometimes it’s good to listen to that voice that tells you to step back, break a self-imposed rule, and take some time to get off the hamster wheel of life.

Sometimes you just have to eat waffles. (Not the frozen variety either.)

Your method of self-care may look much different than mine, however the result is that you experience great joy in the moment.

Stepping back for an hour, a morning, or a day, has the potential to change your attitude and offer you a fresh outlook on current situations. You will probably find that when you get back into your routine, you are more focused and more productive.

My waffle morning was a mini-retreat and I didn’t even have to leave my home.

As for the carb cravings, the situation is not out of control. It is my “normal” for now. This too shall pass.

One really chilly day, I baked some potatoes so that I could use the oven. It was a win-win, since I wasn’t quite ready to turn on the furnace.

Meal prep is in transition mode. I’m pulling out the crock and instant pots, turning on the oven more, and picking the last of my garden tomatoes. So long tomato pie… 🙁

New adventures in eating are possible with fall produce in abundance. It’s time to roast winter squash, Brussels sprouts, and broccoli. Make extra so you have leftovers for snacks or another meal.  

If you’re craving a few more carbs these days, take comfort in knowing you are not alone. This girl is right there with you.

FUN OFFER: What are you craving these days? Send me an email and share your out-of-control cravings and I’ll gift you with a 50-minute coaching call to help you come up with a way to manage them.

Peace, potatoes, and pumpkins,
Carol

“People who love to eat are always the best people.”—Julia Child

Do You Suffer from Food Trauma?

(The following article first appeared in the October 2018 issue of Get Healthy, a publication of The Northwest Indiana Times.) Online version

If you’ve ever had a disturbing experience involving food and gastric upset, then you are no stranger to food trauma. This can show up in a variety of ways and have different causes. Food trauma, in my case, involved Cream of Wheat when I was about 5 years old.

Cream of Wheat was a breakfast staple in our house, especially in winter. My mother would brown butter and pour it over the top so it fell around the sides of the bowl, enveloping the steamy farina. The idea was to swirl a bite of cereal around in the butter before eating, and have a delightful breakfast experience. I was usually fine with it, unless I came across a lump of uncooked cereal that hid beneath the surface. The taste of that made me gag. On this particular day I wasn’t feeling well and told my mother that if she made me eat the cereal I would throw up. She must have thought I was faking it, since she made me eat it anyway. Being an honest child, I kept my word. To this day, I will not eat Cream of Wheat. Interestingly, I still really like butter.  

What was not a favorite food to begin with, got the boot when it pushed me over the edge. I was already sick and that did me in. It’s not really the cereal’s fault, however, the association is one that I don’t care to try and overcome.

My husband feels the same way about chipped beef. As a youngster, he ate so much of it on an occasion of extreme hunger that it came back up. In all our years together, he has never requested chipped beef for dinner. My father felt the same way because he was served way too much of it in the Army.

In my sampling of those I surveyed about food trauma, most of the people that had this experience as a youngster had no desire to try to overcome their adversity to the food. Ever.

Some of the food trauma stories from my group: food poisoning from seafood salad; Red Hawaiian Punch thrown up in front of entire kindergarten class; too much cheesecake at a party with resulting tummy trouble and pain; chicken, after chomping on a tendon or something in a chicken breast that caused violent gagging to the point of sore abdominal muscles; those perfect little ham cubes thrown up all over the desk in fifth grade.

Other foods of trauma, with no particular story: guacamole, tomato sauce, pasta salad, spaghetti, peanut butter, coconut, kale, hard boiled eggs, fruitcake, and green peas. Oh, and tequila was mentioned numerous times, even though it’s not technically a food.  

There are also the stories resulting from pregnancy and the foods that came up, so to speak. Pregnancy presents a different category of “trauma” altogether. A few of the foods that are on the permanent unwanted list include: lamb, ice cream (bummer), and oregano.

There are some instances when after getting sick on a favorite food, the person was able to overcome adversity and return to a happy relationship. One individual had the flu and chocolate was the innocent victim. It took time, and I’m happy to report that they now get along great again.

Extinction is a process that can help those individuals who have had a negative experience with food, remove the stress it causes. By repeatedly trying the food over time, the stress associated with it will eventually diminish or become extinct. In other words, after trying the food and not getting sick, the fear of it causing gastric upset goes away. This is probably how the chocolate relationship was repaired.

It seems as though the really intense, negative reactions with food happened when these people were children. The memories associated with food involve all our senses and are the strongest of associative memories. Basic survival tactics also come into play, which is why when you get food poisoning, your body says “No,” to eating that particular food, ingredient, or visiting that particular restaurant again. This is what is known as conditioned taste aversion.   

On the flip side, these same powerful associations help us remember the good times we had at grandma’s house, enjoying her apple pie. The power of food memories, along with where we were, the people we were with, and the occasion, create nostalgia. This explains why we tend to make the same traditional foods for holidays.

If there is a food you’ve had trauma with, odds are good that you’re fine never eating it again. If there’s a food you once loved that you are struggling with, give the extinction process a try. You may fall in love all over again. As for tequila, it managed to make a successful comeback for all the folks in my survey group. Cheers.

A Little Secret

This may come as quite a shocker.

People in the health and fitness industry sometimes fall off the health and fitness wagon.

Yep, it happens.

Some “fall-offs” I’ve recently learned about:

  • Several fitness instructors found themselves overindulging in wine during the Covid lockdown.
  • Another fitness guru stopped teaching yoga and working out (Covid related) and is having a really tough time getting back in the groove.
  • And yet another trainer/coach ravenously eats whatever is in the fridge when playing video games at night.
  • Oh, and one more. You’ll love this: mindless snacking on chips and sweets.  

Can you relate with any of these? Are you surprised?

We KNOW BETTER! We help others overcome challenges, and yet…

…we all have our struggles.

I’ve admitted to occasional emotional ice cream eating.

None of us are perfect, yet we think others have it all together all the time.

They don’t. Not even the health and fitness professionals.

As you practice living your desired life, remember that one key element to creating good habits and having them stick is doing them most of the time. 100% is an ideal that will ultimately bring you down.

The 100% thinking can do you a real disservice. One missed session at the gym or overindulgence of pizza will make you feel bad. Get over it and move on. Most of the time is a winning option.

So, what are those fitness folks doing to get back on track?

One solution is to change the environmental cues that trigger a certain behavior.

The video game player is rearranging the fridge so the first thing he sees is cut up veggies or fruit. This puts distance between him and more enticing foods that are better for daytime.

The chip and sweet eater knows that having those foods in the house is a BAD idea. Replacing them with healthier options that she can grab when the munchies strike is key to creating a habit that makes her feel good.

The wine people didn’t like how they felt, so that was the impetus to discontinue the nightly habit. Also, getting out of the house was the distraction that changed the environment.

The yoga teacher has scheduled workouts in her calendar, so it looks hopeful.  

Whatever it is you’d like to work on, begin by making a plan that’s EASY so that you set yourself up for success.

Small daily wins add up to a life of a champion.

FUN OFFER: I sometimes do Zoom kitchen coaching sessions. In the past we’ve made tomato pie and baked a cake. What would YOU like to make during a future session? Send me an email with your idea and I’ll gift you with a 50-minute coaching call to help set you up for success around ONE habit you’d like to change.

Cheers to you,
Carol

“Success is the product of daily habits—not once-in-a-lifetime transformations.”—James Clear, “Atomic Habits”