Wise Words from my Personal Trainer

 Last year for Juice January, I asked my personal trainer, Gabriel to offer some insight for the blog. He did such a wonderful job, I am reposting it again below. He knows his stuff, and I think you'll enjoy what he has to say!Hi everyone!  When my friend and client, Annette, asked me to write something for her blog, something about healthy eating, I thought: YAY! I get to be famous! And on top of that, I get the great opportunity to list a few things I’ve learned in my 20 years of experience in the health and fitness world, working with people who have tried it ALL, including myself.I’m sure that you have (like I have) heard or tried one of these: juicing, Paleo, Atkins, vegan, raw, Mediterranean, intermittent fasting, South Beach, the list of diets seems to be only ever increasing, and you may always be asking: but which one…? And the answer to that is a big ol': Depends.  They all have something in common: they all pay important attention to the overall caloric intake (which works!), and all of them are equally effective and ineffective. I know! Even more confusing, right?  Our nutrition, a close to a perfect one, is or should be highly personalized simply because different approaches work for different people. It really depends on the individual, our needs, our lifestyle, and our commitment to our overall goal to stick to a plan that would help us.   Here are some things I like to have in mind when working on a nutrition plan to keep a healthy relationship with food:- Keep it fresh. I avoid highly processed foods, or keep them to a minimum because they are not friendly, just drama!- Keep it clean. Some sauces, toppings and batters are messy friends; keep them away!- White rice, potatoes and yams are friends. They say they are all wild, but I’ve learned to like them as friends.- Quantity and quality.  They are really good to me; they moderate all my wild food-buddies.- Education is key. The more you know about your sweethearts, the better you are with them.- Watch the alcohol. She’s sneaky.- Learn to read. Reading and understanding labels helps us choose good food-friendships.- My health is important. I want to keep it! So I hang out with foods that add value to my life.- My lifestyle is also important. I’m very active, so I eat good things that I know give me good vibes and energy, and when I am not that active, I eat things that keep me on the chill mode.As we move forward into the new year, with all our new eating resolutions in place, let’s all agree that the most fabulous secret to a great diet is being happy and enjoying all that we eat. It will help us stay committed to those resolutions, and good results will follow. Our diet should not be boring, time specific, a tiring effort, nor should it be a pain. I see a diet as a friendship; it should be nurturing, long lasting, fun and enjoyable, most importantly, a healthy one.I guarantee you that if you are physically active, and actively caring for what you eat, you will be happy with the way you look.  My word!-Gabriel A. Ceballos -Strength and Conditioning Personal Trainer, ACSM Certifiedphoto by: Alexandra Sofis