2011-09-08T15:03:56Z urn:uuid:60a76c80-d399-11d9-b93C-0003939e0af6 CoalEngine CoalSpeak urn:uuid:1225c695-cfb8-4ebb-aaaa-80da344efa6a 2011-09-08T15:03:56Z

Love Your Body By: Rachel Lerner, CNC, FNC Category: Rachel Lerner, CNC, FNC Printer Friendly Remember the first time you fell in love with someone? That warm and fuzzy feeling you felt inside. All the wonderful sweet things and gestures you did to show the other person how much you care about them. How good does it feel to be loved and appreciated! So many of us are terrific at loving others unconditionally, but when it comes to loving ourselves and bodies, that is much more difficult to do. Why are we so hard on ourselves? Recent studies show that 75% of women are dissatisfied with their size or shape! The key to our happiness and body acceptance is to slowly start adjusting our habits, or how we treat ourselves. Next time you are feeling dissatisfied with your body ask yourself this, “Would I treat my friends or loved ones this way, or would I accept them the way they are?” In my opinion loving our bodies also has to do with feeling grateful, respecting and appreciating what we do offer. Many people have an image in their minds of what we should or should not look like and most of the time it is based on unrealistic ideas. How happy we are with ourselves is not always related to weight. Some women can be unhappy with their looks and therefore help themselves feel at one with their bodies by exercising, eating a healthy diet and embracing their beauty. Sometimes we might need to add a little meditation into our routine to help us refocus our thoughts on what we have accomplished rather than what we want to accomplish. We have been created in different sizes, shapes and even strengths for a reason. Unfortunately the media has completely distorted the way we measure up against others. Yes it is true that comparing ourselves to others is sort of human nature and can even motivate us to work hard. The problem is when our self-esteem is damaged. Instead of aspiring to emulate others different shapes or sizes I believe we would be better off duplicating their self and body confidence! Be realistic with your body and goals. Find things about yourself to be proud of and focus on them. Rachel Lerner is a holistic health coach and founder of Personal Web Nutrition, a company devoted to empowering individuals and corporations to find the right food and lifestyle choices that best support their lifestyle. She has run several successful weight loss contests and published an e-book weight loss program. She has led seminars for several corporations, including Starwood Hotels and YMCA, written articles for numerous publications and ehow.com. Rachel also hosts her own radio show on blogtalkradio.com called Healthy Bits and Bites. In addition, Rachel was the nutrition expert for Joan Lunden’s Camp Reveille, a unique summer camp for women. You can contact Rachel at Rachel@personalwebnutrition.com. You can follow Rachel on twitter: www.twitter.com/anutritionista or become a FAN on facebook: Personal Web Nutrition. Printer Friendly

urn:uuid:1225c695-cfb8-4ebb-aaaa-80da344efa6a 2011-08-11T00:49:34Z

Are you laughing enough at work? By: Rachel Lerner, CNC, FNC Category: Rachel Lerner, CNC, FNC Printer Friendly Many people experience a lot of stress and unhappy emotions associated with work and the thought of finding happiness or laughter can seem nearly impossible. The truth is, we can find laughter in any situation of our life, including work, we just have to look for it. Here are some tips to help you slip some laughter into your workplace. Wear a playful tie, scarf, piece of jewelry or other item that makes you feel good and fun. If you have a big meeting, maybe a fun undergarment would be more appropriate that day. Take everyday occurrences and put a funny spin on them. A good example is typos. Maybe your coworkers forget to spell check their work. At lunch or any other break time make sure you laugh with your co-workers. Discuss or quote lines from a funny TV show you recently watched. Keep playful and light-hearted mindless toys in your office for you and others to enjoy. Make-up fun names to make you smile about overwhelming, cumbersome or stressful projects. Think of something funny during your morning commute and laugh for at least 5 minutes. Don’t be afraid to amuse yourself with your sense of humor. Put a playful spin on the issues at work which annoy you the most. Laugh and have fun just for the heck of it. Cultivate your innate playfulness. Turn your frown upside down and wear a smile, it makes it easier to laugh. Stress does not always have to be a negative thing. Find ways to celebrate it. Laughing at work helps take away some of the stress and absurdity in our daily lives. All you really need is an open-mind, sense of humor and willingness to let loose. When we allow ourselves to laugh we feel deeply, which in turn enables us to live fully. So go ahead and start laughing at work! Rachel Lerner is a holistic health coach and founder of Personal Web Nutrition, a company devoted to empowering individuals and corporations to find the right food and lifestyle choices that best support their lifestyle. She has run several successful weight loss contests and published an e-book weight loss program. She has led seminars for several corporations, including Starwood Hotels and YMCA, written articles for numerous publications and ehow.com. Rachel also hosts her own radio show on blogtalkradio.com called Healthy Bits and Bites. In addition, Rachel was the nutrition expert for Joan Lunden’s Camp Reveille, a unique summer camp for women. You can contact Rachel at Rachel@personalwebnutrition.com. You can follow Rachel on twitter: www.twitter.com/anutritionista or become a FAN on facebook: Personal Web Nutrition. Printer Friendly

urn:uuid:1225c695-cfb8-4ebb-aaaa-80da344efa6a 2011-05-31T22:38:28Z

Healthy Snacks for the Office By: Rachel Lerner, CNC, FNC Category: Rachel Lerner, CNC, FNC Printer Friendly Have you ever caught yourself yawning at 3pm in your office and grabbing candy or coffee to give you that extra boost of energy? Here is some guidance to help you select healthier snacks to eat at the office. The key to healthy eating is to make sure we eat several meals and snacks throughout the day. This ensures our metabolism is going strong and our blood sugar and energy levels remain stable, preventing us from overeating. We usually eat lunch around noon, which means by about 3 or 4pm we are ready for a SNACK. If you are home, it is fairly easy to grab a healthy snack, but what about at the office? This is actually easier to do than you think. The most important things to keep in mind when selecting a snack is to make sure it contains protein, fiber, healthy fats and whole grains. Below are some healthy ideas for office snacks, which can be stored in your desk drawer or mini-fridge. Desk Drawer at Office Fruit (apple, grapes, orange, banana) Trail Mix (nuts, seeds, raisins or goji berries) Nuts (almonds or cashews) Roasted Edamame (soybeans) Whole Grain Crackers Instant Oatmeal Granola Bars Air-Popped Popcorn Single Serving of Baked or Reduced-Fat Chips Mini-Fridge at Office Plain Yogurt Cottage Cheese Nut Butter (peanut or almond) Hard-Boiled Eggs Mini Light Cheeses Cut-up vegetables (carrots, cucumbers, celery, peppers) Hummus Having these snacks readily available at your office will prevent you from seeking “unhealthy alternatives” to satisfy your hunger. Here’s to healthy snacking! Rachel Lerner is a holistic health coach and founder of Personal Web Nutrition, a company devoted to empowering individuals and corporations to find the right food and lifestyle choices that best support their lifestyle. She has run several successful weight loss contests and published an e-book weight loss program. She has led seminars for several corporations, including Starwood Hotels and YMCA, written articles for numerous publications and ehow.com. Rachel also hosts her own radio show on blogtalkradio.com called Healthy Bits and Bites. In addition, Rachel was the nutrition expert for Joan Lunden’s Camp Reveille, a unique summer camp for women. You can contact Rachel at Rachel@personalwebnutrition.com. You can follow Rachel on twitter: www.twitter.com/anutritionista or become a FAN on facebook: Personal Web Nutrition. Printer Friendly

urn:uuid:1225c695-cfb8-4ebb-aaaa-80da344efa6a 2011-05-18T18:29:32Z

Produce Storage By: Rachel Lerner, CNC, FNC Category: Rachel Lerner, CNC, FNC Printer Friendly I absolutely LOVE grocery shopping! In fact, one of my favorite things to do with clients is broaden their food selection horizons by taking them on a guided grocery tour. Whether it’s Whole Foods, Trader Joe’s, Fairway a local grocery store or farmer’s market, I am in heaven. Perusing the aisles, reading nutrition labels, checking out the latest and greatest new products or simply buying some wonderfully fresh and nutritious produce. In my opinion there is nothing like keeping fresh produce on hand. Selecting the highest quality items is extremely important as is at-home storage. There are some things to keep in mind when you are storing fresh produce which will help enhance flavor and also longevity. The three areas of storage are the refrigerator, counters and pantry. Apples (after several days on the counter-top) artichokes, asparagus, beets, berries, broccoli, cabbage, carrots, cauliflower, celery, cherries, corn, cucumbers, dark leafy greens, figs, grapes (green or red), green onions (scallions), leeks, radishes, snap or sugar peas, squash and string beans. All fresh produce stored in the refrigerator should be kept in perforated plastic bags, preferably in the storage drawers. Garlic, onions and potatoes, should be kept away from light in a pantry or cupboard. What’s left, the counter-top! This can be anywhere in your kitchen that is away from direct sunlight, possibly in a bowl or other container which allows air to circulate, enabling produce to continue to ripen. Apricots, avocado (store in refrigerator after ripening), bananas, citrus fruits (oranges, grapefruits), eggplant, kiwi (store in refrigerator after ripening), mango, nectarine (store in refrigerator after ripening), papaya, peaches (store in refrigerator after ripening), pears (store in refrigerator after ripening), peppers, pineapple (store in refrigerator after ripening), plums (store in refrigerator after ripening), tomatoes and watermelon. A couple of guidelines to keep in mind when at the store selecting fresh produce: See how the piece of produce feels in your hands. Is it soft, form or just right? Compare it to the other choices. Avoid buying produce with any visible soft or bruised spots on it. Many times the freshest produce are kept in the back row or bottom of the pile, so make sure you search around. Rachel Lerner is a holistic health coach and founder of Personal Web Nutrition, a company devoted to empowering individuals and corporations to find the right food and lifestyle choices that best support their lifestyle. She has run several successful weight loss contests and published an e-book weight loss program. She has led seminars for several corporations, including Starwood Hotels and YMCA, written articles for numerous publications and ehow.com. Rachel also hosts her own radio show on blogtalkradio.com called Healthy Bits and Bites. In addition, Rachel was the nutrition expert for Joan Lunden’s Camp Reveille, a unique summer camp for women. You can contact Rachel at Rachel@personalwebnutrition.com. You can follow Rachel on twitter: www.twitter.com/anutritionista or become a FAN on facebook: Personal Web Nutrition. Printer Friendly