ABOUT

4 Reasons Why You Should Keep a Food Journal:

To keep track of what you’re eating and drinking (those little extras add up!)
To be accountable! Research shows those who food journal lose more weight than their non-jouraling counterparts.
To track your behaviors and see where your strengths and weaknesses lie.
To track eating for reasons other than nutrition — stress, emotions, mood, holidays, travels and more!

OUR PHILOSOPHY

At Lara Metz Nutrition our Registered Dietitian Nutritionists (RDN) take a “whole person” approach to health and wellness. Through one-on-one counseling, we focus on you as an individual in order to provide customized programs to fit your lifestyle. We work to understand your nutrition and wellness goals, while taking into consideration your lifestyle factors such as: sleep, stress, hydration, and exercise. Our goal is to educate and empower you. Overall, we truly understand the importance of food for nutrition, health, and pleasure. We are food lovers, nutrition gurus, and real people.

LIFESTYLE FACTORS

Stress

Stress is an enemy to wellness. It negatively impacts our bodies in a number of ways, including affecting the health of your skin, teeth, and emotional well- being. Stress increases the level of the hormone cortisol in our bodies, which in turn makes our bodies crave carbohydrates, specifically high sugar carbohydrates, which stores weight around the mid-section. Even if you don’t eat more due to stress you can still gain the weight. Managing your stress and cortisol levels is imperative to you looking and feeling your best.

Stress Management Focus

Unwind and reset during the day
Identify your stress relieving outlets (friend, exercise, meditation, music, etc.)

Sleep

The research is clear; more sleep equates to better food choices. When you aren’t catching enough ZZZ’s, your defenses are down. This contributes to poor food choices and larger portions. Your cortisol levels (stress hormones) are more likely to rise, triggering the negative impacts of stress.

Sleep Management Focus

Set the number for your body’s baseline sleep hour
Create a bedtime ritual to help improve overall sleep (examples below)
Hot water with lemon
Rinse your face
Read for 10 minutes

Hydration

Our bodies are 50-75% water and staying hydrated is crucial for overall health. Common symptoms of dehydration include exhaustion, weight gain, constipation, increased levels of toxins, and dry skin. It’s very easy for the body to mistake hunger for thirst. So, how much water should you be drinking?

Hydration Management

8 X 8 Rule = 8 Glasses of Water / 8 Fluid Ounces in a Cup
Commit to a reusable water bottle or glass and refill at least 4 times before lunch
Try room temperature water with lemon and drink through a straw
Sparkling water and herbal tea can be used towards your water goals

Exercise

Regular physical exercise is crucial for a myriad of health reasons. It helps to maintain a healthy weight, decrease stress levels and stress hormones, improve mood, improve bowel function, and aids in combatting chronic diseases. Exercise CAN be fun; you just have to find what works for you.

Exercise Management

Set realistic expectations for how often you can exercise each week
Schedule your workouts like a doctor appointment in your calendar
Aim for a balance of cardiovascular exercise and strength training
Meet a friend for an exercise class instead of a meal
Change up your workout each week to burn the maximum amount of calories

ABOUT US