Monday, September 15, 2014
Stacey Gretka ~ TNT Health Educator, BSHN, BA
Stacey is a Health Educator with Total Nutrition Technology and has been putting her expertise and enthusiasm for nutrition to use to help others learn how to reach their health and fitness goals. To say Stacey has a passion for her job is an understatement.
" I love helping to dis-spell the myths that surround foods. Foods were made for us to consume not stress over, so understanding the chemistry and physiology behind how our bodies work is the real key to changing the relationship with food to be more productive and less destructive. I love watching my clients evolve over our time together as they grow in their knowledge and confidence. My favorite part about Health Education is sharing what I've learned so people can apply it in their own lives." ~ Stacey
Stacey's Top 5 Tips -
1. Enjoy what you eat. TRULY enjoy it. Let the food hit every taste bud and chew slowly. You'll be surprised at foods you eat just because you grew up thinking you liked them and what foods you've been missing because of the stigma attached. I like to remind people that dessert is for the taste (because dinner was to actually fill you up) so you're not hungry, so you don't need to eat to feel full anymore. If it's just for the taste, take your time and truly taste it. What ways could you describe this food to someone who's never had it before? What ingredients are in it? Can you picture how the ingredients work together? Really lose yourself in your food.
2. Water water water. It simply doesn't matter how well you eat, what nutrients you get, or what supplements you take. Those chemicals can't get to your cells to do their jobs (and the waste can't get out of your cells either) without water!!
3. Your taste buds get replaced every few months. If you keep training the new ones on foods that are "bad" for you or that are your "trigger" foods, you'll continue to crave those foods. But work in some healthier options, and before you know it your new taste buds will crave the healthier foods, too.
4. It's not as dichotomous as good vs bad. Don't get caught up in the hype of headlines like "10 Best Foods You're Not Eating" or "Top Five Health Foods That Are Sabotaging You." At the end of the day, no food is good or bad for everyone. It's all about balancing them in and each individual person's needs and goals that determine whether a food should or shouldn't be consumed. For example, we all know that nuts contain good fats, but if you're allergic to nuts, they're bad for you, right? We know that leafy green vegetables contain a lot of great vitamins and minerals with few calories, but if you just had a colonoscopy that morning, that's not really the best choice.
5. Any diet will make you lose weight if you stick to it. But the right lifestyle, combined with accountability and evidence-based practices, will ensure you reach YOUR REAL goals, which could be toning or looking more muscular, having more energy, growing a healthy baby, lowering cholesterol, living longer, being more flexible, recovering from injury, dealing with a diagnosis, changing your body image, completing a race, winning first in your age group, and so on. Learning about YOUR body and gaining the tools to help you see permanent change is so much more freeing than buying into the next fad diet. Yep, consuming 1200 calories a day will make you lose weight, but guess what? For most people, you'll lose muscle, not fat, so the scale will go down, but you'll be irritable and have no energy, and still not lose a clothing size. In addition, when your willpower fails, you'll find yourself having gained the weight you did lose back and some, but as fat, so you're even farther from your goal than when you started. To sum it up - Time-tested education and consistent (not always continuous) autonomy far surpass the latest and greatest marketing pitches.
TNT offers a wonderful opportunity for clients to work with their Health Educators remotely via phone and Skype or Facetime. Contact Stacey to learn more about this and the products/services TNT offers. Stacey is ready to help you realize your health and fitness goals. Stacey@tntgetfit.com or call 704-549-9550
About Stacey
Stacey has worked in the health and fitness industry for over 12 years, beginning at her local YMCA. She graduated from Winthrop University with a Bachelor of Science in Human Nutrition: Dietetics, with a strong interest in endocrine and metabolic disorders. She has helped to develop nutrition programs in several fitness facilities, as well as an online support group for those with Diabetes, Neurofibromatosis, Multiple Sclerosis, and other endocrine-related disorders and diseases. Stacey is also a member of the American Association of Diabetes Educators, driven by the Diabetes and PCOS in her family history. Though Stacey is well-versed with metabolism, she has counseled those with a wide variety of goals and can help clients achieve their personal goals within their own lifestyle. She believes strongly in the TNT program because it is not a diet, it is a way of life. As a new mom, Stacey used her own TNT-developed meal plan to return to her pre-pregnancy health status in no time!
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