A recent issue of Health Magazine included an advertisement for a women’s product called “Size 0.” I found it online at GNC along with the statement “It's time to redefine yourself...Hot, Radiant, Alluring, Elegant & Beautiful! It's time for SIZE 0!” Does that mean a woman can only be hot, radiant, alluring, elegant, and beautiful if she is a size 0?

It’s time for a reality check. A very small percentage of the female population in the United States has the small body frame to make a size 0 possible, or even healthy. I have nothing against the few women that fit into the size 0 category – but is it realistic to hold up a size 0 for the typical female to aspire to?

Are you familiar with Dove’s Campaign for Real Beauty? I visited the website for the first time and viewed their eye-opening film on the evolution of how our beauty ideal became so distorted. I’ve seen slides before that reveal this very same thing, but the way Dove put it together has quite an impact. It is just a minute or so long – I promise you will find it worth your time.

I often meet people who want help in attaining an unrealistic ideal, picking at every perceived flaw on their bodies. This goes hand in hand with the new client who wants to lose 30 pounds in 12 weeks, and considers anything less a failure. A big part of my job as a coach is helping people to not only celebrate their successes, but to actually acknowledge them! For some reason it is easier to highlight failures (the “should haves”), which completely overshadow what’s going right.

Of course one needs to identify what’s not working – otherwise results will remain elusive. It is the use of that information that determines success: one can use it to feel bad and succumb to the “I’ve Blown It” mantra, or use it to develop a new strategy and turn his or her actions into results. Logic goes a long way in turning “failure” into learning and keeping our expectations in the real world.

Reality check: women are hot, radiant, alluring, elegant, and beautiful. Period!

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I finally arrived in the 21 st century! I am a new regular contributor to Health Hack Podcasts. (I did not know what a podcast was until a few months ago. Think of it as a short internet radio show.) On Wednesday this week you will find posted several top five book recommendations on the subject of health and wellness. You can also hear two parts to my Ditch the Diet series from last month. Part three coming soon!

On the subject of diets, last month I attended a training class in L.A. with the authors of Intuitive Eating, Evelyn Tribole and Elyse Resch. Having read their book several years ago and implementing the principles with my own clients, it was a treat to meet them. One statement they made during the class is that “Intuitive Eating is not about knowledge.” How true!

While a person can gather all sorts of information on healthy eating and dieting, the information itself is rarely enough to produce the desired result. The same truth holds for exercise. Implementation is what lies in the gap between information and results.

In health,
Heather Moreno

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“At 39, I understood exercise was beneficial, but with running a technology company and spending time with my wife and children, my time was limited. I often ignored exercise in favor of working more. When I occasionally got around to it, I was uncomfortable and inexperienced with what exercises I should do.

I met Heather last year at a church retreat, bought her book, and soon after hired her as my coach.  The discipline of the weekly coaching call was essential.  It provided me the accountability, goal setting and strategizing I needed.  Heather helped me identify my priorities and how I spend my time. I now have specific goals, a myriad of exercises to choose from that I enjoy, and I am finally comfortable going to the gym, knowing what to do to achieve my desired results. 

Whereas before I thought that I didn’t have time, I now find that exercise gives me more time because of my elevated energy levels. It’s as though I’ve found free time in my schedule. I am more productive and focused at work, I feel stronger, my muscles are larger and more defined, and I’ve lost weight. Before working with Heather I was unable to jog for very long. Now, I have more stamina to jog with my wife and we enjoy exercising together.

What a difference – a totally different world.
Thank you!”

Jamie C. – Orange County, CA
Technology Entrepreneur

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I’m not big on cooking (but I am big on eating!), so I love summer recipes like this that are tasty and easy to prepare. The veggies provide cancer-fighting phytochemicals with every bite, and the beans are high in fiber, calcium, phosphorus and iron, and are a good replacement for meat in many recipes.  Feel free to mix it up.  Turn it into a wrap by adding some diced ripe avocado and grilled chicken or shrimp and serve wrapped in a tortilla.

Southwestern Black Bean Salad

1 1/4 cups water
1/3 cup pearl barley
1/2 tsp. salt
1 can (15 oz.) black beans, rinsed and drained
1 small yellow or orange bell pepper, seeded and chopped
1 small tomato, seeded and chopped
1 small zucchini, chopped
1 cup diced jicama (optional)
3 oz. pepper or plain Monterey Jack cheese, cut in small cubes
1 medium scallion (green and white part), chopped
Juice of 1 lime
1 tsp. canola oil
1 tsp. dried oregano
1 tsp cumin seeds
Pinch of cayenne (optional)
Freshly ground black pepper and salt, to taste

In a medium saucepan, bring the water to a boil.  Add the barley and ½ teaspoon salt.  Reduce heat, cover and simmer until the barley is tender, about 20 minutes.  Drain it well and allow it to cool to room temperature.

In a large bowl, combine the cooled barley, beans, bell pepper, tomato, zucchini, jicama (if desired), cheese, scallion, and lime juice, mixing with a fork.  In a small pan heat the canola oil.  Add the oregano, cumin seeds and cayenne (if using), and sauté for 1 minute.  Pour the herb mixture over top of salad, tossing to distribute it evenly.  Season it with salt and pepper, according to taste. Serves 6.

Serving: one cup.  Per serving: 145 calories; 6 g. total fat (3 g. saturated fat); 22 g. carbohydrate; 8 g. protein; 6 g. dietary fiber; 524 mg. sodium.

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