The daily recommendation of added sugar(meaning the natural sugar in things like fruit do not count) is 37grams for men/25grams for women. You should aim for less than 2300 mg of salt a day. As a Scottsdale personal trainer, I ask people to give me a “report” of their sugar and salt intake on an average day. The typical answer is easily over triple the recommendation. How much do YOU take in of sugar and salt?

Lets start with salt. So many people tell me “Laurie, I never use the salt shaker.” But did you know that over half the amount of salt we take in is from processed foods, especially frozen ones and fast foods. Salt is a preservative so you can imagine all the many foods it hides in. Now, lets be clear, salt is good for the body in the right amounts, but too much can put you at serious risk.

Why you ask?

Your kidneys produce excess water to fight off the extra salt, which in turn increases the blood volume in your body, and all this added pressure over time can put you at serious risk for heart disease or stroke. Not to mention, bloat you like a blow fish!

Next, let your Scottsdale personal trainer, shed some light on sugar. Good sugars and bad sugars(aka the devil) exist. Fruit is an example of good, natural sugar. It’s the “added” sugar that is tricky! When did we become accustomed to dessert every day? What used to be an occasional treat, is now a staple, normal part of our daily lives. This has to stop unless of course you want to grow a belly.

The obvious bad sugars would be sodas,candy bars, and added sugar juices. But sugar can make its way into anything and everything, even foods labeled as healthy. Check out how much sugar your cereal or bread has, or canned goods(or should I say canned craps), or your spaghetti sauce?!?! This should concern you, not only because excess sugar makes you fat, but because it’ll set up for type two diabetes and an onslaught of other health problems.

Listen up, I know this is tough love from your Scottsdale personal trainer, but stop complaining about your weight until you have really cleaned up your diet. I know I say it a lot, but we must be more mindful of what we put into our bodies. GARBAGE IN=GARBAGE OUT!

And, believe this, eating right doesn’t have to be impossible to do, or boring and tasteless. Trust me, as a Scottsdale personal trainer, I know that our society doesn’t make it easy, but it definitely is doable. Just start checking labels more and make smarter choices. Go for Kashi cereal instead of frosted flakes, try Greek yogurt, check out Ezekiel bread, try natural unsalted peanut butter, cut out the sodas and daily desserts, try light popcorn when you have the munchies, ditch the salty/sugary chips for unsalted pretzels. Making small changes like this will help your weight loss goals AND fuel/satisfy your body WAY MORE!

Start taking better care of yourself RIGHT NOW!