Nutrition Counseling with Kayleigh Pleas Part 3

Posted on March 3, 2010 by kymarie13

On Monday I had my last session with Kayleigh. For those of you who haven’t read my past posts I went to see a Holistic Health Wellness and Nutrition Counselor for 4 sessions. What is a Holistic Health Counselor, you ask, and how are they different from a normal Nutritionist?

“Holistic, or wholistic, medicine is a type of medical practice in which the practitioner attempts to treat the whole individual. Practitioners place great emphasis on the patient’s environment, emotions, values, and nutrition, as well as on his/her physical symptoms.” When you meet with a Holistic Counselor they are not only concerned about what you are putting into your body but everything in your life that affects your body. So your relationships, career, spirituality, ect all play a part in your health.

Kayleigh got her nutrition certification through the Institute of Integrated Nutrition. “Since 1992, Integrative Nutrition has been at the forefront of holistic nutrition education, offering comprehensive training in health counseling. Their curriculum teaches a wide variety of skills in business, counseling, nutrition and lifestyle choices. You will study all the major dietary theories from Ayurveda to The Zone and learn how to integrate traditional nutrition philosophies with modern health concepts and guide clients to find what diet works for them.” Along with Kayleigh I know many fellow bloggers that are also taking classes there and love it.

When I sat down with Kayleigh she asked how my goals were coming along. When I met with her two weeks ago we decided my goals would be:

  1. To drink MORE water! (at least 8 glasses a day)
  2. To cook more meals at home and bring my lunch
  3. Slow down and realize why I am eating (am I really hungry?)

As for my progress it is going but it could be better. I am now very conscience of how much water I am drinking a day and I realized that my body must be dehydrated most of the time. I have set a new goal for myself to drink at least 3 (4 would be better) bottles of water a day. To reach this goal I will be using my stainless steel water bottle from Lululemon so I know my progress. I think there are about 24 oz in a Lululemon water bottle. As for cooking I took Sunday night to cook several meals that can be stored and saved for the week, it actually worked out very well and I will continue to find new recipes. I will be posting them soon, don’t worry. Now as for being conscience about if I am eating when I am not hungry my answer went something like this “On Thursday I was so bored and I ate almost everything in sight, you name it I ate it.” Well that answer, set the tone for the rest of the night.

She first started off by showing me the food pyramid that the Institute of Integrative Nutrition uses. The integrative pyramid does not only incorporate food, it incorporates water and the “primary food” of your life. Secondary food is your grains, fruits, vegetables, ect. Kayleigh defines primary foods as “Primary Foods don’t come on a plate. Elements such as meaningful spiritual practice, an inspiring career, regular or enjoyable physical activity and honest and open relationships that feed your soul and your hunger for living all constitute primary food. The more primary food we receive the less our dependency on secondary foods. The opposite is also true. The more we fill ourselves with secondary foods, the less we are able to receive primary foods of life.”

So after learning this I realized there was a lot I needed to work out in the Primary Food area of my life. I have a lot of stress in certain areas that if I could reduce I think would make my whole life better. Kayleigh gave me two tools to help me with this. The circle of life (no this is not the same as the Lion King, I asked) and Morning Pages. The Circle of Life is a diagram where you mark where on the circle in different areas of your life where you stand  and when you are finished you connect all the dots to see what your circle of life looks like. I will attach mine soon but to give you a mental image it is the farthest thing from a circle it almost looks like a funky star. This gives you something physical that you can see where what areas you need to improve in to make your life full.

She also suggested I try a writing exercise called morning pages which were started by an artist named Julia Cameron. What you do is when you first wake up or when you have some free time during the day, you write as fast as you can for 3 full pages. You write anything and everything, if you don’t have something to write you write “I do not have anything to write” until you find something to write about. You will be amazed (or so I was told, I will let you know after I try it) the things you will find out about yourself. I can’t wait to get started.

Since it was my last session with Kayleigh she left me with some new goals and told me to check in with her after a month. My new goals are:

  1. Do Morning Pages every day
  2. Fill out the Circle of Life and see where I need the most improvement in my primary food (Check)
  3. Drink more water ( at least 3 water bottles)
  4. Continue on my cooking journey and eat more vegetables and fruits

I will keep you updated on my progress!

Filed under: Nutrition/Restaurants | Tagged: , , , , | 3 Comments »

Observations at Exhale

Posted on February 20, 2010 by kymarie13

I have been a member of Exhale for about 8 months and there are certain things you notice. If you are a member of Exhale you will probably find this funny, if you are not, look for it when you do take a class, and if you belong to another Exhale Studio, other than New York, I would love to know the things you see.

  1. Exhale is a walking advertisement for Lululemon, every girl in my class this morning, except for me, had an article of Lululmeon on. They should form a partnership. I almost feel like it’s a required uniform.
  2. If you see Exhale socks that are an off-white/gray you know that they have been a member for a long time because they discontinued those! I have been trying to get them since I joined :(
  3. If you see a girl without Exhale socks, it’s a good chance they are new
  4. If you see a girl with blue Physique 57 socks, they have made a good move, now they just need new socks ;)
  5. There is always a teacher that you strive to look like (Tammy/Kayleigh/Paige/Bergen, You inspire me,  you too Fred don’t worry)
  6. Bergen’s class will always be full and if you were stranded on an island you would want her with you (Bergen you kick my butt every time)
  7. If you can hold the plank for the first 30 seconds without coming down, you have taken more than one class
  8. If you go to Exhale Soho there is a good chance you will see most of your class at the corner Starbucks after
  9. If you take a 8am class, your class will be dead silent, an 11am class, your class will be loud until they have to hold the plank for a minute
  10. Paige has different music styles, sometimes you will get Club Fusion, other times will be rock! I love it every time
  11. You always wonder how often they clean their mats
  12. Matt Brown will always be missed from the Soho Desk but Tom is great!

If you have any observations I would love to hear them! I love Exhale, all these things make me proud to be part of the family, now only if I could afford some Lululemon clothes ;) .

Filed under: Gyms | Tagged: , , , , , , , | 5 Comments »

Nutrition Counseling with Kayleigh Pleas Part 2

Posted on February 9, 2010 by kymarie13

Part of the Nutrition program with Kayleigh is grocery shopping! You have no idea how excited I was since I had no idea where to start and how to shop on a budget especially at Whole Foods. Every time I shop there I feel like I have been robbed! Kayleigh breaks up shopping into 5 different sections: Bulk/Grains Section, Canned/Jarred Goods, Freezer Section, Dairy/ Eggs, and Produce. The order that you decide to shop in does not matter. She does it this way so you can get all the essential ingredients you will need to make a variety of meals for the week. Each meal should include the following:

  • load up on veggies
  • add a scoop of whole grains or a slice of sprouted-grain bread
  • add a portion of protein about the size of your palm (beans, legumes, shrimp/fish, or lean organic meat)
  • season with healthy fats (avocado, olive oil, and/or organic dairy)

In Whole Foods they have a bulk grains section, I never knew this! It is cheaper to get your grains here and easier to try different types of grains. You can get things like: Quinoa, whole wheat couscous, brown rice (short grain), dried fruit, and nuts. She suggests making a Pantry Essential List of everything you need to buy in each section. This way when you walk into the store you know what to buy and you don’t veer off track. I will attach my Pantry Essential List at the bottom of this post to give you inspiration to make your own. Another tip she gave me is to stay around the outside of the store, when you move into the center aisles, that is where things get really expensive. Also the salad bar is a great place to get ideas of new salads and dishes to make. At Whole Foods they list all the ingredients they use to make anything in the salad bar. So if you are in need of a new salad, head over there and write down the ingredients of a salad that looks good to you.

Ways to save $$$:

  • The Freezer section: buy your fruits and vegetables there. Freezers do not take away nutrients and this way your produce will last longer. If you want berries in your yogurt in the morning take some out the night before and put it in the fridge it will be thawed by the time you wake up
  • Bulk Grains Section: Easy way to try a variety of grains and a much cheaper way to buy your grains
  • Stay on the outside of the store, many things you can make yourself and won’t take much time
  • Stick to Whole Foods Brand when you can, it is normally the cheapest

Ways to Save time:

  • Buy a rotisserie chicken: I hate cooking chicken, if you buy a rotisserie chicken you can take one night shred it up put in a container and have it in your fridge for the week
  • Take one night a week (Sundays work best for me) and prepare different foods for the week like: hard-boiled eggs, brown rice, pasta salads ect. Look for my post on Sunday Prep Night coming soon, it will include pictures and easy breakfast/ lunch ideas courtesy of Kayleigh
  • Buy pre-chopped vegetables, a little more expensive but will save you some time

If you don’t like Whole Foods or it’s still too expensive these guidelines can apply to any Grocery Store. They may not have a Bulk Grains section but they will still have grains. Other great grocery stores are Trader Joes (everything there is super cheap and they carry many of the same things that Whole Foods carry).

Kristine’s Pantry Essentials List

Related Posts:

Filed under: Nutrition/Restaurants | Tagged: , , , , , | 3 Comments »

Nutrition Counseling with Kayleigh Pleas Part 1

Posted on February 1, 2010 by kymarie13

I felt like I had hit a plateau with my fitness/health level so I talked to Fred Devito, co-founder of Core Fusion, at Exhale about what it could be. Now I knew that my eating habits were not the best but they aren’t too bad either. Awhile ago I had given up white bread and switched to whole wheat or multi-grain bread. The only white bread that came into my diet was if I was at a restaurant. I stopped drinking soda but once in a while I will have one and I always try to make pretty descent choices when I order out. My biggest downfalls were that First, I do not eat enough fruits and vegetables in fact I hardly eat any at all. I found with living in the city and at the pace my life moves, if I buy fruits and vegetables, I don’t eat it fast enough and it goes bad. This is probably my biggest problem. My second problem was until about November I thought buying low-fat and non fat items were better for you, turns out I was very wrong! My third  problem was I do not drink enough water. So after speaking to Fred we decided that I should get a Nutritionist to help me with my eating habits and help me make good choices.

One of my favorite instructors at Exhale, Kayleigh Pleas, is a nutritionist and she was offering a special for the new year so I thought I would give it a try. I will be seeing Kayleigh for four sessions, which is very short, but on my budget, it is what I can do. Last week was my first meeting and this Thursday is my second meeting. Kayleigh had me fill out a Health history form for our first meeting and we went through where my biggest downfalls were. We talked about what kind of food I need to be eating and she made suggestions that I should incorporate into my diet and practice for the next time we meet. My suggestions were: drink at least 8oz. of water before and after meals, slow down and think about what your eating (I tend to eat way to fast), keep a detailed food journal (not calorie counting) and replace half of my sandwich at lunch with vegetables and fruit. I also needed to replace my bread with a different kind of bread. I had two weeks to incorporate these changes. One week has passed and I did not do very well… So this week I really need to work on it, otherwise there is no point for me to go to a nutritionist. I told Kayleigh about my struggles and she told me not to get frustrated that normally she suggests that people see her for 6 months because it takes a while for people to make these kind of changes in their diet and lifestyle. So I will keep you updated on my progress with Kayleigh and give you tips from her along the way. If you are interested in seeing a Nutritionist I highly recommend Kayleigh. She is great and very helpful. For more information on Kayleigh you can visit her website.

Image from Kayleigh Health.

Filed under: Nutrition/Restaurants | Tagged: , , , , , , | 3 Comments »

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    Hello! My name is Kristine and I live and work in New York City. Since I have been here I have realized how hard it is to maintain a healthy balance while living in the City. Work starts to consume your life and you can get lost in everything around you.

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