AHA Moments I Experienced at the Balanced Living Workshop

I was compensated for my participation in Coca-Cola’s Balanced Living Workshop, but my thoughts and views are my own.

On December 11 & 12, I participated in a Balanced Living Workshop in downtown Chicago. This was a BlogHer event hosted by Coca-Cola, designed specifically for Chicago-area moms who are looking to find a balanced approach to both personal and family wellness. Here are eight of my biggest AHA Moments from the workshop.

1. I Love Working Out With Celebrity Trainer Harley Pasternak. During our group workout session, he shared this life changing quote: “There’s no bad food. There are bad diets.” This 8-word quote crushed so many of my limiting beliefs about food. For so long I’ve been thinking food is bad…but in reality it was my diet that needed a facelift.

2. I’m a HUGE Harley Pasternak Fan! Working out with him was definitely the highlight of the Balanced Living Workshop. I felt an immediate admiration for him when he started talking about how he wants to give people tools and knowledge that will help them live their best lives. I can totally relate to that life mission.

3. I Need to Meal Plan With My Family. A big “aha” moment had to do with meal planning. I realized that to give my boys ownership of their food choices, they need to be involved in the weekly meal planning process. I had heard of My Plate (the nutrition guidelines published by the United States Department of Agriculture) but I never spent time applying these guidelines to my family. Inspired by what I heard at the workshop, I spent a lot of time with my children this week on ChooseMyPlate.gov. Together we reviewed the food lists for Fruit, Vegetables, Grains, Protein, Dairy, Oil and then made similar, individualized, meal plans for each of my boys. This was a huge change in our lives. I now have a detailed menu for the entire week and know exactly what everyone is eating. This has removed the dreaded questions “What’s there to eat” and “What’s for dinner” from my life!

4. I Need to Track My Food. I know this is true…I just hate doing it. My biggest takeaway from meeting one-on-one with a dietitian was the reminder to write down everything I eat. Specifically, she suggested that every morning I write down everything I am going eat during the day. She said this will help me stay focused on the calories I’m taking in and it will remove the endless “what should I eat” question what lurks in my mind between 2pm-6pm.

5. It’s Not Just About Removing Foods, It’s Also About ADDING Foods. Being reminded about this was a huge “aha” moment for me. I’ve been so focused on what I need to remove from my diet (less sugar, fewer carbs, less sodium, etc) that I’ve stopped focusing on what I need to add to my diet (more vegetables, more healthy fats, etc). This is also true for my kids. I’ve been so focused on removing GMOs, food dye, HFCS, and other unnatural things from my boys’ diets, that I have neglected what I need to add to their diets. When I was meal planning this week with my 9-year-old, I was embarrassed to face the reality that he only gets 3 carrots a day instead of the recommended 2 cups of vegetables a day. I also was reminded that he is not getting enough calcium in his diet. To add more calcium into his diet, I am now disguising one cup of milk as hot chocolate. He loves it and is now getting the recommended amount of daily calcium.

6. The Coca-Cola Foundation is Helping Chicago Kids Get Fit. The Chicago Parks District is receiving a $3 million Coca-Cola Foundation grant to create the “Park Families Wellness Initiative” that will bring affordable nutrition and active lifestyle programs for communities in Chicago that are most in need of wellness services. The grant will also be used to hire U.S. veterans to teach military-style fitness classes. The “Troops for Fitness” program, in conjunction with the Part District’s “Fun with Food” nutrition education curriculum, will be available in more than 60 Chicago-based community facilities. These efforts will reach 125,000 residents annually by 2016, making the park district the leading provider of affordable health programs in the city.

7. I Can Try One New Recipe A Week. Even though I don’t like to cook, I know I can do this. Since one of my takeaways is now “making” my boys eat 2 cups of vegetables a day, I need to get creative in the kitchen. I’m going to start slow by cooking one new vegetable a week. Oy Vey…wish me luck!

8. I Love Hanging Out with Inspiring Mindful Intelligent Social Media Friends! In addition to thinking about balanced living, health & wellness, meal planning, and exercise routines, the BEST part of this 2-day wellness workshop was hanging out and laughing with new and old friends. I wish I had an opportunity to do this more often.

Thank you BlogHer and Coca-Cola for two jam-packed days of Me Time!