14 Simple Changes for Healthier Living with Chick-fil-A Wellness Experts, Vasu Thorpe and Leslie Sexton
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Laura Dugger: Welcome to The Savvy Sauce, where we have practical chats for intentional living. I'm your host, Laura Dugger, and I'm so glad you're here.
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Today is our final episode for this special Chick-fil-A week and we get to chat with two health and wellness experts, Leslie Sexton and Vasu Thorpe. [00:01:24]
Leslie is married with one son and she works as an exercise specialist and group fitness instructor for the Chick-fil-A Wellness Center.
Vasu is married and she has one daughter and one son on the way. She is a registered dietitian and certified health education specialist. She also works with the Chick-fil-A Wellness Center.
And together, these ladies are going to share helpful ways to incorporate simple changes so we can become the healthiest versions of ourselves. I hope you enjoy.
Hey, ladies, welcome to The Savvy Sauce.
Leslie Sexton: Hi, so glad to be here.
Vasu Thorpe: Hi.
Laura Dugger: Glad to have both of you. And since we have two of you on our interview today, Leslie, let's start with you. Will you tell us a bit about yourself and your current career?
Leslie Sexton: Absolutely. So I'm an exercise specialist at the Chick-fil-A Wellness Center in Atlanta right now. AI started teaching group fitness classes in college and just found a passion for encouraging people to move more. [00:02:23]
Eventually, while here at Chick-fil-A Wellness, I became a certified personal trainer. So now I get to help people just find a healthy approach to living a healthy lifestyle. It's something that I just love doing. I've been here for about 10 years and so I've got to build a lot of great relationships along the way and learn a lot too through teaching and personal training as well.
My biggest reason now is I'm a new mom and I want to pass along these healthy behaviors in the way that my husband and I are living out a healthy lifestyle to our son, Gibson. So that's a little bit about me.
Laura Dugger: That's awesome. Thanks for sharing. Vasu, it's your turn. Can you share some about yourself and explain how you're connected to Chick-fil-A as well?
Vasu Thorpe: Yes. I'm Vasu Thorpe. I'm a wife, mom, and I'm a registered dietitian. I currently work as a dietitian for the Chick-fil-A Wellness Center remotely out of Birmingham, Alabama. So I spend a lot of my time on the phone meeting with operators, staff, and their spouses one-on-one and walking with them through their health journey. [00:03:31]
At a young age, I kind of saw an interest in nutrition when I saw my mom start to change recipes to help lower my dad's cholesterol. I think a seed was planted then that made me interested in nutrition. So I pursued a degree in nutrition at LSU and then have been a dietician since 2009 and have worked with the Chick-fil-A Wellness Center for the last four years.
I have a two-year-old daughter, and we're expecting a baby boy in about nine weeks. And just as Leslie shared, we're excited to just share with you our personal stories, but also a little bit of our expertise with our backgrounds in nutrition and exercise.
Laura Dugger: That's great. Well, I'm sure everybody wants to say congratulations. We're excited for those nine weeks ahead.
Vasu Thorpe: Thanks.
Laura Dugger: Some listeners may not associate Chick-fil-A with healthy living. So what are some reasons that make Chick-fil-A a surprisingly healthy choice?
Vasu Thorpe: So really the U.S. Department of Agriculture, otherwise known as the USDA, recommends that about half of our plate at lunch and dinner is fruits and vegetables, a quarter of it protein, and a quarter of it grains, and then a serving of dairy. [00:04:43]
And so when you think about those components, the fruits, the vegetables, the protein, the grains, and the dairy, you realize, hey, I can find all of these components at Chick-fil-A to create a well-balanced plate. Some examples would be if you got the grilled nuggets as your protein and then the side salad and the fruit cup as your vegetables and your fruit and the yogurt as your dairy. That's really a well-balanced meal.
I think a lot of times when we think Chick-fil-A or we think fast food, we think we can't be healthy there. But really Leslie and I spend a lot of our time talking with operators that spend most of their day at Chick-fil-A, showing them how, hey, you can still be healthy and eat Chick-fil-A, which is a lot of times helpful for people to hear when you're on the go.
Laura Dugger: Well, let's go a little bit broader now. What are some of the best reasons in general to get healthy?
Vasu Thorpe: You know, a big piece of this is knowing your why. I know that is a little bit of a buzzword these days. [00:05:43] But we always ask people why their health is important to them or why they have the goals that they have before we even get into the nitty-gritty of, hey, what are you eating or what does your exercise look like in this season? We find that it's easy to lose motivation unless you have that why in front of you.
Currently for me, I know it's important for me to take care of myself well so I can best serve my family and also have a healthy pregnancy. I know I can't take care of others well if I don't take care of myself well.
And I think as moms and parents, we tend to put everybody else in front of us, but I think it's important to remember that ‘why’. Why is it important that we take care of ourselves?
And long term for me, my why is I don't want anything that I've done to prevent me from enjoying my family. So 20 years from now if my daughter wants to go on a long hike, I don't want to say no because I haven't taken care of myself well. So that would be number one, like, know your why. [00:06:41]
Number two, and I know a lot of you that are listening here are parents, your kids can be a great reason to get healthy and they could be a big piece of your ‘why’. For the reason that I shared before, but also Leslie and I spend a lot of time talking with people and realize that a lot of the habits that we have as adults come from what we did growing up as kids.
For example, if you grew up eating dessert after every meal or after lunch and dinner, then you kind of expect that as an adult. And it's a hard habit to change. So, you know, while these things are fine and there's something good about having dessert after a meal and sharing that with your family, just know that the constant behaviors that you have in your home can really help to change the trajectory of your child's health because what they see is normal when it comes to healthy living.
Leslie, do you have anything to kind of share to that as well?
Leslie Sexton: Yeah, I can just kind of even piggyback on that. Like I said, I'm a new mom. [00:07:43] Gibson, he's about a year and a half. So it really clicked now that I'm a parent to a toddler. He mimics everything I do. I know I've got watching eyes on me.
I even remember growing up and watching my mom go on diet after diet and felt a little bit like I should do that too. So I was on my first diet when I was in the second grade. I love my mom dearly and she didn't know what she was doing. She was doing her best.
And that's all I aim to do and encourage people to do. I mean there are days that I don't take the best care of myself and I know I'm not my best and I get frustrated easily and I just don't feel well but I just kind of draw on those feelings. And then I know if I don't take care of myself I'm not going to be able to give my best to my husband or my son or all the other things that are important to me even outside of my work setting. [00:08:42]
So I just kind of echo what you're saying, Vasu, and encourage people to change the perspective. "Why do I want to get healthy? What do I need to do?" I think people kind of focus on the habits off the bat, but really look and see what their overall why is, because that's going to keep you motivated when things get tough or when you don't feel like exercising.
Laura Dugger: That's really helpful. And then with both of your professional backgrounds, which health questions are you most frequently asked?
Leslie Sexton: So the question I get most often is, how much exercise do I really need? The American College of Sports Medicine recommends adults get at least 150 minutes of moderate-intensity exercise per week. So this can be met through 30 to 60 minutes of maybe brisk walking or a Zumba class or swimming for five days per week.
Or you can cut your time, maybe go for 20 to 30 minutes of more vigorous intensity, only three days per week. [00:09:43] So think of your high-intensity interval training, maybe you're doing some running intervals. You know, everyone has their favorite thing they like to do.
Then I tell people it's good also to get in at least two days of resistance training. And as parents, if you have younger kids, you're probably picking them up and putting them down throughout the day. So you are getting something in, even if you're not in an actual gym. So rest assured in that.
So what does this look like in your life? So it really depends on your overall goals. But whether you're just getting started with exercise or it's already part of your healthy lifestyle journey, I personally have learned that something is better than nothing. You create a habit even if it's a couple minutes a day doing something.
Now, if you have a more sports-specific goal, say you want to run a half marathon, doing something over nothing here and there is probably not going to set you up for success. But if we're talking about overall health and well-being, I want to challenge you to really just kind of tweak your mindset. Instead of focusing on the word exercise, focus on the word movement. [00:10:47] So how much are you moving throughout your day?
If we look back at the recommendations, say we're aiming for 30 minutes, five days a week of moderate-intensity exercise. And that can look like a 10-minute dance party in the morning with your kiddos, having a good time. And maybe after lunch, it's a 15-minute game of soccer in the backyard. You're running around, you're kicking the ball.
And then, you know, maybe in the evening, once the kids have gone down, you do a five-minute ab challenge. So you're holding plank for maybe 45 seconds three to four times. I mean you've accumulated 30 minutes in your entire day and you didn't have to go in and find this chunk of time. That can sometimes be the biggest barrier for some of us.
So again, how much exercise do I really need really depends on your goals. Ideally, you're getting about 30 minutes five days a week, but we've got some other tips coming along for you guys as you figure out what this looks like for you in your day. [00:11:49]
And then Vasu, you might be able to speak a little bit more on this as well around the nutrition side.
Vasu Thorpe: Absolutely. So the number one question I get is hands down about the fad diets that are out there. Recently that's probably been the ketogenic diet or intermittent fasting. And while there's medical reasons why those two diets or fad diets can be beneficial, it's not necessarily recommended for the average American.
So my response typically to people that ask about these fad diets is always, when it comes to nutrition, do what you can do for the rest of your life. We often think we have to start something new with nutrition or diet, but in reality, consistency is key. We want to be able to stay consistent with a few behaviors for the rest of our life. Drinking water, eating plenty of fruits and vegetables, eating consistently throughout the day. [00:12:46]
I think a lot of times we're looking for a quick fix or something trendy. But really, like I said, when it comes to nutrition, consistency is key. There's no magic pill or weight loss plan. And if there was, then I think Leslie and I wouldn't have the jobs that we have.
Laura Dugger: Now, what are some of the most common excuses you hear from people about why they choose to neglect their health in both areas of diet and exercise?
Leslie Sexton: Yeah, so from the exercise side, I get the excuse of "I just don't have enough time" pretty often. As a new parent, I can totally get that, even more so than when I was trying to give advice to moms when I wasn't yet a mom. I think it comes down to being resourceful with our time.
A couple of practical things I think we can think through, kind of going back to where I shared initially, changing your mindset from "I need to find this chunk of 30 minutes to exercise" to more of how can I move more during my day, even if I'm accumulating movement over the day. [00:13:48]
So my go-to, if I only have a couple minutes, I'll maybe do one round of 10 push-ups, 10 squats, 10 mountain climbers. I'll rest for 30 seconds, catch my breath, and then I'll go again. And if I only have five to eight minutes, I can still work up a sweat. So, not having this chunk of dedicated time. I think 30 minutes gets in people's heads, but it can be an accumulation of time.
Something I've enjoyed as a parent, now that Gibson is basically running everywhere, I get him involved in the fun too. We'll go outside, we'll run, we'll play tag, I'll get down and do some push-ups. He's kind of crawling all over me. I'm pretty sure it's comical for passers-by, but I'm making it work for me.
I'm also going back to what Vasu said. I'm modeling healthy behaviors for him. So he sees Mommy get down and do push-ups. I talk about how Mommy's strong when she does push-ups, and he sees that I'm enjoying my time. [00:14:51]
Now, you know, if you have multiple children, this may look a little bit different. Or if you have older children, you can get out and let them come up with some activities that you guys get involved in together. Again, it's just establishing those healthy behaviors.
Then sometimes I just wake up 30 minutes before I know everyone else is because I need a little mommy-focused exercise time or whatever that personal refreshment is for you that you need for your physical and mental health. And just sometimes I got to make it happen before everyone else wakes up.
But at the end of the day, I don't beat myself up. If I plan to work out, it's okay. I know I can't anticipate every moment of every day or every tantrum or sickness or last minute something that pops up because they happen. So I think at the end of the day, if I can say, you know, I did my best and the best that I can, then I can be good with that and I can move on. [00:15:47]
So work with what you've got. Every day might look a little bit different and it may not be as traditional as it was when you were solo and had all this time and when you were younger to do a 30-minute, 60-minute workout. And that's okay too. Meet yourself where you're at and give yourself some grace along the way. But definitely get it and use your time and maximize on it.
I know, Vasu, you may have some tips on the nutrition side as well.
Vasu Thorpe: Yes, I think to Leslie's point, a lot of what I hear is also "I don't have enough time" or "I'm too far gone and nothing's going to help me at this point". I think a lot of this goes back to people thinking that nutrition has to be a big to-do. You know, that it has to be this big plan, this Whole30 diet, this ketogenic diet, you know, I have to rethink everything in my pantry. But really, we just want you to start small and just build consistency and you'll feel your best.
For me, in busy seasons, I know I can't necessarily get all my fruits and vegetables in, but I do try to drink my water, try to stay consistent with that, and I try to eat healthy snacks between meals. [00:16:54] And that is all I can mentally commit to sometimes in those busy seasons, but I know that those two things will help me have consistent energy throughout the day, but also help me eat appropriate portions when it does come to mealtime.
Also, if time is an issue, then get your family involved to help you and kill two birds with one stone. Whether that's they're involved in the meal planning or choosing the recipes or the grocery shopping, it can be really fun for kids to be a part of that process. And they're more willing to try out the foods when they're involved.
So maybe go to the grocery store and have each of your kids pick out one new fruit or vegetable that they want to try that week and pick out a recipe for that and make it together. It may seem daunting at first, but it's a fun way to spend quality time with them, but also to take care of yourself well.
And then my last tip, and this is what I share with a lot of people because it works for me, is set a timer for meal prep. So all of us have about 15 minutes at some point in the week that we're free or that we're checking social media or Instagram or something and we could be doing something. [00:18:01] Maybe have a better use of our time.
So set a timer for 15 minutes and maybe cut up as many fruits and vegetables as you can for that week ahead or go ahead and hard boil some eggs. It's amazing what you can do in just a short amount of time, as 15 minutes, when you just dedicate that time to meal prep. And that will help set you up for success for the week ahead.
Laura Dugger: Those are some awesome practical tips. I want to focus in on one that you mentioned. Maybe we can just cover a few of these common health topics. But you mentioned drinking more water. So, what are some reasons why we should consider doing something as simple as drinking more water?
Vasu Thorpe: So about 50 to 70 percent of your body is made up of water. So, that's number one reason why it's probably the most important thing that we put in. You know, if more than half of your body is made up of it, then it's probably the number one thing that your body needs. [00:19:03]
The USDA really recommends that you listen to your thirst to determine your water intake. But for my clients and for me, what has really worked is to aim for about half of your body weight in ounces of water. So if somebody's about 150 pounds, they're aiming for about 75 ounces of water.
And sometimes it's just helpful to have that number or that goal that you're shooting for. And what that looks like is a lot of times keeping a water bottle in front of you. I know days that I'm home with my very active two-year-old, I forget to stay hydrated unless I have a water bottle with me because I'm so focused on taking care of her. So that helps to serve as a reminder.
Sometimes it's helpful for people to put a little reminder in their phone to hydrate every few hours. But especially in the winter months actually, these upcoming months, I think in the summer it's a little bit more intuitive to stay hydrated but your body needs the same amount of water in the colder months and so I think it's important to make that a number one priority. [00:19:55]
And you'll feel such a difference in your day. I know people have said that their skin glows more when they're hydrated well or that they're able to eat appropriate portions at their meals because they're hydrated well. There's like thousands of reasons why drinking water is important to our health. But I would say that if that's not something that you're doing consistently right now, put that at the top of your priorities.
Laura Dugger: Another topic that we hear a lot about is the importance of getting better sleep. Would you all agree with that?
Leslie Sexton: Yes. I think we can all say when we get a restful night's sleep, we feel our best. And when we don't, we probably feel a little moody the next day. Maybe it's hard to concentrate or focus. I know for me, if I'm going on like five, six hours sleep, I can quickly lose my cool, especially with my family. And that's not what I want to do. I don't want to snap at them. [00:20:52]
The American Academy of Sleep Medicine states that adults ages 18 to 60 should sleep seven or more hours per night on a regular basis for optimal health. If you're waking up feeling well-rested, then you're probably hitting this. So you might be good here. But if you're waking up, you're feeling groggy...
I realize this is easier said than done, especially when you have kiddos. It's going to be important, you know, whatever it is for you... say you typically sleep maybe six hours and you're close to that seven-hour mark, that's recommended. You know, don't just go to bed an hour earlier, because that can really throw things off if you're used to going to bed at a certain time.
Maybe try going to bed 15 minutes earlier and sleeping in 15 minutes more. And then you just increased your overall rest by 30 minutes. And slowly toy with the minutes from there until you're about seven. [00:21:49]
Now, me, I know I need eight. Like, I can just feel it. There are some nights it happens, and then there are some nights it doesn't. Whether it's I'm just woken up, I can't go to sleep, or my son gets up in the middle of the night. I think it really depends on your season of life. But within your control, you should be going to bed and kind of waking up around the same time each day and set that rhythm for your sleep. And then you're going to feel your best when you wake up.
Laura Dugger: Let's cover another topic as well. Will you elaborate on the importance of eating more nutritious foods?
Vasu Thorpe: Yes. We've talked a little bit about fruits and vegetables, but those are definitely key. Getting in plenty of fruits and vegetables is so important because these foods have a lot of fiber, which has tremendous benefits to your body. Fiber helps you lower your cholesterol, helps you stay full, and it stabilizes your blood sugar and so much more. [00:22:44]
These fruits and vegetables are also important because they contain lots of vitamins and minerals to ensure your immune system stays strong. I think fruits and vegetables need to be key. And I think that's something that even a lot of times as parents our child doesn't like green beans, so we stop eating green beans as a family. Or our child doesn't like broccoli, so we stop offering broccoli.
But I've heard that it takes almost 15 exposures to a fruit or a vegetable, or any food actually, for a child to even be willing to put it in their mouth. So that's a lot of different exposures. And oftentimes we stop after the second or third exposure. So number one, I'd say keep exposing yourself and your family to different fruits and vegetables. Whether they eat it or not is not your responsibility. I think the big piece there is just exposing your whole family to different fruits and vegetables.
Number two is protein. I know a lot of you probably have heard how important this is. I feel like it's kind of been the buzzword in the nutrition world over the last several years. [00:23:49] But the reason that protein is so important is because it's vital in helping your body build and repair cells and body tissue. It's a key part in a lot of the processes of your body, so your immune response, the production of hormones, fluid balance, a lot of these things that we're not thinking about on a daily basis, but that need to happen to keep us functioning well.
I think it's important when we talk about protein to realize, hey, while protein is important, we don't need to eat a huge piece of meat at every meal to see the impact of it on our body. I think I shared just earlier have a source of protein making up about a fourth of your plate. That's not a huge portion of meat. And it could even be something as simple as Greek yogurt or even a plant-based protein such as beans or lentils. It doesn't always have to be a big piece of chicken or meat. [00:24:41]
The last kind of nutrient or nutritious foods that I would focus on are foods that have healthy fats in them. There was a time, probably when I was in college where people were so afraid of fat. I think everything was fat-free at that time. You'd see fat-free cheese and fat-free chips and, you know, fat-free everything.
Now more research has come out actually about the importance of some of these unsaturated fats, which are the healthy fats. They really help protect your body against heart disease and they help increase that good cholesterol, that HDL level, which then in turn, you know, helps to become a negative risk factor for heart disease.
I think the important piece here is trying to start to incorporate more of these healthy fats into your day. Some examples of healthy fats are things like salmon and walnuts and almonds, avocados, using olive oil as your main cooking oil. Incorporating these healthy fats into your meals also helps those meals to be more satisfying. [00:25:41]
You may be wondering, what does that look like when I'm on the go? And we talked a little bit about what that looks like with the Chick-fil-A menu. But similar to what I shared before, you can get the lean protein in with any of the grilled products. And you have lots of choices for fruits and vegetables with the different salads and the fruit cup. So you can really accomplish incorporating a lot of these foods in even when you're at Chick-fil-A.
Laura Dugger: That's great. What are some reasons why we all should move more?
Leslie Sexton: Yeah, this is a great question. Exercise has been shown to help in preventing cardiovascular disease and other preventable diseases like Type 2 diabetes. It can help your risk for osteoporosis. And as women, we are more at risk for osteoporosis than men. You know, generally, if it runs in your family, you have a risk of also having it.
You know, we can control how much we move, you know, at the end of the day, you've done everything that you can to prevent any kind of disease. I know that's a big part for me. The list is long, unfortunately, for things that I'm at risk for. [00:26:50] And so I know I can choose the healthier option to eat. I can get my best rest. I can move more and exercise and get my heart pumping and strengthen my muscles to do everything that I can do to be the healthiest version of me that I can be.
I will say when it comes to movement and exercise, just like with nutrition, there are fitness trends. They come and they go. But ultimately, I encourage you to find what you enjoy. You know, if it's step aerobics, then Heck, you know, it's okay if step aerobics is not trendy right now. You go for it. You know, you're more likely to stick with it if you look forward to doing it.
If you don't enjoy boot camp and you're trying to go to this boot camp class and it's just so hard to go, it's probably because you're not looking forward to it. And just like with what Vasu's mentioned about the way you eat, you want to do that for the long haul and you want to sustain that for your lifetime.
You know, the trends or what you enjoy may come and go or what you have time for, but you want to be able to move for the rest of your life and get out and walk or hike with your grandkids down the road. [00:28:01] So I encourage really, number one, find what you like to do because you're more likely to stick with it.
So what are some of these options? Cardio workouts. I mentioned the moderate-intensity cardio goal. In the beginning, you want about 150 minutes per week. This is everything from walking to hiking and swimming and Maybe you enjoy running.
I like cycling classes right now. They're just fun. I like the social element. And so on Saturdays, my husband knows he's going to watch our son so that I can go get a cycling class in. That's another thing too, you know, getting your spouse on board, working together toward common goals and supporting each other. And it adds that level of accountability. So you're both on the same, on the same page there. I found that to be super helpful.
Then I've mentioned strength training workouts. [00:28:57] You can do so much with your own body weight. I mentioned that quick go-to that I like to do with push-ups and squats and mountain climbers. You don't need any equipment. You can even find yourself out on the playground with the kids, right? They're playing on the jungle gym and you're doing some tricep dips over there on the side of the jungle gym. Maybe you're doing a little monkey bar action along the way. Again, it doesn't have to be this traditional gym setting. It definitely can, but it does not have to be.
Really big here at the Chick-fil-A Wellness Center is yoga. So yoga is unique. It's that mind-body approach to fitness where yoga offers this mental and physical connectedness through intentional breathing and you're in various poses throughout. So you'll see the benefits of just slowing down and you'll also enhance your flexibility and strength along the way.
Those are a couple of just the difference between cardio and strength and the mind-body classes. [00:30:00] But at the end of the day you got to find what you enjoy doing so that you're more likely to stick with it.
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Laura Dugger: Are there any areas of health and wellness that I've neglected to ask you about?
Vasu Thorpe: Well, I think we can talk a little bit about the mindset behind nutrition and exercise. As Leslie and I have shared, we are on the phone a lot with operators and Chick-fil-A staff and spouses talking about nutrition and exercise.
But we always remind people that nutrition and exercise are intended for good. [00:31:58] You know, they're intended to make us feel good. They're intended to give us energy for the day. But a lot of times that we feel guilt or stress around nutrition and exercise because maybe we're not doing it to the capacity that we want to, or it just hasn't been a very important piece in a certain season of our life.
I think it's always just important to remember, hey, nutrition and exercise are intended for good. So anytime it's causing me stress or it's causing me guilt is a time to kind of sit back and reflect on what's realistic for that season ahead.
Laura Dugger: I love that. So we've covered a broad range. Do you have any practical tips for how we can make progress in any or all of these areas that we've discussed so far?
Leslie Sexton: Absolutely. So we live in this age of technology, which is great when it comes to resources and ways to track our progress. Many of you might already have a fitness tracker. [00:32:56] Those of us that are driven by numbers and kind of want to know where we stand, there's so many options out there.
Fitbit is a popular one. I know a number of people have the fitness tracker Watch Duo, right? So the Apple watches, the Garmin, the Polar devices. So this is a great way to see how many steps you're taking. And ideally, you're getting about 10,000 steps a day. That's accumulated, right? Like it's not all at one time.
A couple of apps that I really enjoy, the Nike Training Club app. It's a free app. It has workouts from 10 minutes to 45 minutes. So no matter how much time you have you have an option to go to?
Sworkit is another Fitness app. So there's so many great things out there again. I think it comes down to what you enjoy doing ultimately.
So both Sworkit and Nike Training Club involve cardio and strength. So you can get one workout in that focuses on all of that, which is great. [00:33:56]
Some of the YouTube channels that I recommend to participants I work with and that I personally enjoy, Yoga with Adrienne is great. She's got everything on there, all sorts of different lengths of time of yoga if that's something that you're kind of wanting to get into or maybe you just need an option for home.
POPSUGAR Fitness is another one. I love to dance and so they have everything from dance videos to bar videos to your good old boot camp videos. I think anybody can find anything that they're looking for as well.
Then on the more mindfulness approach, we haven't really talked about slowing down and intentionally breathing as much. I've talked about it a little bit with the yoga classes, but there's a lot of great apps out there like Headspace and Calm that can really help if you're just needing a moment. Maybe you have a couple minutes to yourself. Again, these are just apps that you can download to your device. [00:34:56]
Some of them even have kind of getting ready for bed experiences. So if you find it's really hard to unwind at the end of the day after the kids are down and the kitchen is clean or whatever you've had to do, the laundry's folded, you're laying in bed and you just can't turn your brain off, they offer a couple of just nice relaxation approaches that can really help you settle down for the end of the day.
Laura Dugger: Those are great suggestions. We'll definitely link to those in our show notes in case somebody is driving or can't write down all the apps right now.
Leslie Sexton: And Vasu, you may have a couple for nutrition as well.
Vasu Thorpe: Yes. MyFitnessPal and Lose It! are two great apps that you can use just to keep yourself accountable and aware of what you're eating throughout the day. I always tell people with both of those apps or any calorie-counting app. You know, you're not going to be perfect with counting your calories unless you're carrying around a gram scale everywhere you go. [00:35:53]
So really those apps aren't necessarily intended to be perfect calorie counters, but more so just accountability or awareness apps that help you to realize, hey, what did I eat throughout the day? I know with kids, it's hard to even remember what you ate. And so a lot of times, if we're not seeing the progress that we're wanting to see, it can be helpful.
Then a few websites that I think are helpful for moms or parents in general for recipes and lunchbox ideas are Holley Grainger, Real Mom Nutrition, and Skinnytaste. Those are three that I frequent when I meal plan but also as I'm thinking through "Hey, what are some pool snack ideas for the summertime or what are some cool Christmas treats to make with my kids that are still nutritious?"
Laura Dugger: Those are great practical tips. Again, we'll put all those in the show notes. And now Vasu, will you walk us through what a healthy day looks like with food?
Vasu Thorpe: Absolutely. [00:36:53] So ideally we want you within an hour of waking up to have something with high protein in it for breakfast. For me, I love breakfast burritos. So scramble two eggs, add some spinach, salsa, and a sprinkle of cheese, and put it in a whole wheat tortilla. It's a super satisfying breakfast. If you're at Chick-fil-A or you're on the run, grab an egg white grill and a fruit cup.
Now, some of you may be saying, hey, I really don't have time to make eggs in the morning or make a breakfast burrito. And I think that's totally fine. It could be just that you grab a handful of almonds or a hard-boiled egg, just something within that first hour to kickstart your metabolism and then you can maybe eat something a little bit more satisfying later.
Then depending on the time between breakfast and lunch, you know, sometimes you may need a snack like a piece of string cheese or an apple and some peanut butter. And for most of us parents, we have those things around at home.
And then for lunch, I say keep it simple. You know, do a turkey sandwich with carrots and hummus or have some leftovers. If you have some leftover chicken and vegetables and rice, you know, have leftovers for lunch. [00:38:05] Or even make your own little lunchable. You know, put some deli meat, cheese, crackers, some raw vegetables and ranch dip, you know, a little to-go box, and have that on the go.
After lunch, before dinner, you probably want to have another high-protein snack because at that point it's been more than three or four hours since your last meal. So you may start to feel that energy level dip. And typically in the afternoon is when our kids eat snacks. So that's a great time to eat your own snack.
Again, that could be nuts, that could be hummus and vegetables, it could be Greek yogurt, it could be another cheese stick. We're just looking for something that has a little bit of protein and that's going to get you until dinner time so that you're not so hungry when you're cooking dinner and feeling like you have the munchies and want to eat everything in your pantry as you're cooking.
For dinner, I think it goes back to what I shared with you originally. Try to make half your plate fruits and vegetables. Make that really the key point of your dinner meal. [00:39:03] At our house, we love simple meals like, you know, chicken or salmon, potatoes and green beans. But we also love using things like cauliflower rice as a base for making burrito bowls or stuffing zucchini with different toppings as a fun way to get more vegetables in. I can certainly link some of the recipes that we enjoy in our home.
But for me, really for dinner, I try to just make sure dinner includes a protein, a grain or a starch, and a vegetable. I think it's important when we think about just our day in general that we pay more attention to getting in these food groups than trying to create a big entree or create a big to-do.
Just ask yourself, hey, what's my protein at this snack? Or what's my fruit or vegetable at this dinner? Try to just make sure that you're covering the components and don't get overwhelmed with trying to make a pot roast every day.
Another tip as far as nutrition goes is eat what's in season. Usually things that are in season are a little bit cheaper, but they also taste better. [00:40:03] So go to your local farmer's market with your kids and find some fruits and vegetables to try that are in season.
And like I shared before, get your family involved in making a meal plan for the week. Let them choose the vegetable for each day. And so that will make it a more enjoyable process and they'll look forward to dinner time as well.
Laura Dugger: I love all these ideas. Thanks for sharing. If you had to sum it up, what is the most important thing each of us can do today to get started?
Vasu Thorpe: So, so far Leslie and I have shared what our plate should look like, the importance of exercise and water and sleep. But what is the one thing that resonated with you the most, something that is doable yet challenging?
For me right now, I'm working on consistently getting in my water intake and finding 30 minutes a day to intentionally move. That means I have to look at my calendar ahead of time, communicate with my spouse, and figure out when would work best. [00:41:01]
So what is that one behavior that we shared today that you said, hey, I think I can work on that. That seems doable in this season.
Also, when it comes to getting started, just give yourself a lot of grace in this whole process. Some of these habits that you're trying to change, things that you've done your whole life. So it's not going to change overnight. It may not even change over the course of a month. But try to be consistent and just make sure that you're taking steps in the right direction.
Laura Dugger: We're called The Savvy Sauce because savvy is synonymous with practical knowledge or insight. And ideally, we want to know your most beneficial and practical habits that we can replicate. So, ladies, what is your savvy sauce?
Leslie Sexton: So, for me, it comes back to just keeping my why in front of me. If I can keep in front of me why it's important to make healthy decisions around nutrition and exercise, then I'm probably going to make the better decision for me. [00:42:00] So I will put it on my calendar because if it's not on my calendar, it's probably not going to happen.
And specifically for exercise, instead of, you know, quote-unquote, putting in workout, I put it as my why. For me, it's my energy break. Because I know if I don't take time out to sweat a little bit, my energy is going to be a little bit lower than if I hadn't worked out.
And I have a plan set for the week. If I go in blind and I'm like, hey, whenever time permits itself, I'm going to work out, I'm probably not going to do it because I haven't thought through what am I going to do if I only have 10 minutes, right? Or did I ask my husband if he's cool with keeping the kids or get a sitter for when I want to go to a group fitness class down the road.
So I think, you know, putting it on my calendar first and foremost and then having a plan of action. And it's okay to have a plan A and a plan B in case plan A falls through. But at the end of the day, if you're not moving, just start moving, right? And if you're moving, see if you can move a little bit more doing what you already do throughout your day. [00:43:06]
Laura Dugger: I love it.
Vasu Thorpe: For me, when it comes to nutrition, the filter that I use around making decisions around food is that food should either nourish my body or nourish my soul. The things that we've talked about today is really how food nourishes my body, what makes me feel my best, what gives me my best energy. Sometimes I think it's important to have s'mores in the backyard with your kids, or if you go apple picking, that you make an apple pie with them after because it's a memory that nourishes your soul. So I think that's an important filter to use. Does this food nourish my soul or does this food nourish my body?
Where we have to be careful with nutrition is when we sneak candy in when no one is looking or eat a bag of chips by ourselves in the car. That is typically not nourishing to our soul or body. To me, thinking through whether food nourishes my body or soul is just a helpful filter to go through.
Laura Dugger: Wow, that is awesome. I've never thought of it that way. [00:44:06] Thank you so much for sharing your expertise with us. I've learned so much today, and I'm so excited that we all had a chance to chat. So thanks for inspiring each of us to make a move toward a healthier lifestyle, and I wish you both the best.
Leslie Sexton: Oh, thanks, Laura. It's our pleasure.
Vasu Thorpe: Thank you for having us.
Laura Dugger: Hi friends, we wanted to share our love of Chick-fil-A with you, so head on over to our website, thesavvysauce.com, and find our "Giveaways" tab, where you're going to find more information to enter to win a giveaway for a Chick-fil-A gift card. This is for a limited time only, so head over today.
One more thing before you go. Have you heard the term "gospel" before? It simply means good news. And I want to share the best news with you. But it starts with the bad news. Every single one of us were born sinners and God is perfect and holy, so He cannot be in the presence of sin. Therefore, we're separated from Him.
This means there's absolutely no chance we can make it to heaven on our own. [00:45:10] So for you and for me, it means we deserve death and we can never pay back the sacrifice we owe to be saved. We need a savior. But God loved us so much, He made a way for His only Son to willingly die in our place as the perfect substitute.
This gives us hope of life forever in right relationship with Him. That is good news. Jesus lived the perfect life we could never live and died in our place for our sin. This was God's plan to make a way to reconcile with us so that God can look at us and see Jesus.
We can be covered and justified through the work Jesus finished if we choose to receive what He has done for us. Romans 10:9 says that if you confess with your mouth Jesus is Lord and believe in your heart that God raised Him from the dead, you will be saved.
So would you pray with me now? Heavenly, Father, thank You for sending Jesus to take our place. [00:46:14] I pray someone today right now is touched and chooses to turn their life over to You. Will You clearly guide them and help them take their next step in faith to declare You as Lord of their life? We trust You to work and change their lives now for eternity. In Jesus name, we pray, amen.
If you prayed that prayer, you are declaring Him for me, so me for Him, you get the opportunity to live your life for Him.
At this podcast, we are called Savvy for a reason. We want to give you practical tools to implement the knowledge you have learned. So you're ready to get started?
First, tell someone. Say it out loud. Get a Bible. The first day I made this decision my parents took me to Barnes and Noble to get the Quest NIV Bible and I love it. Start by reading the book of John.
Get connected locally, which basically means just tell someone who is part of the church in your community that you made a decision to follow Christ. I'm assuming they will be thrilled to talk with you about further steps such as going to church and getting connected to other believers to encourage you. [00:47:21]
We want to celebrate with you too. So feel free to leave a comment for us if you made a decision for Christ. We also have show notes included where you can read Scripture that describes this process.
Finally, be encouraged. Luke 15:10 says, "In the same way, I tell you, there is rejoicing in the presence of the angels of God over one sinner who repents." The heavens are praising with you for your decision today.
If you've already received this good news, I pray that you have someone else to share it with today. You are loved and I look forward to meeting you here next time.
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