Tips to Stay Energized and Happy During the Holidays

That time of the year has come when we're surrounded by baked goods, chocolates, candied nuts, seasonal lattes, and alcohol. The holidays can be a stressful time which usually results in us overeating and feeling bad afterwards. Whatever it may be that has you overindulging in these treats, remember that you always have control of what goes into your body. Wouldn't it be nice if the holidays passed and you still felt great?

I'd like to share with you some tips to help you stay disciplined and not be hard on yourself after the holiday season:

• Start your day off right. Focus on a protein-based breakfast to reduce sugar cravings throughout the day. 
• Be aware of portion sizes and snacks. Start off with small portions and pace yourself while eating. If you are still hungry 20 minutes after you are done, then go for more. When reaching for a snack, be mindful of what it is and if it will sustain you. It's okay to have a snack a few hours prior to a meal, but avoid grazing right before a meal to eliminate overindulging. 
• Enjoy your family and friends. At the table, take a moment to be grateful for the people around you that love and care for you. Enjoy conversation and be in the moment. 
• Check in with yourself. Tune in with your body and listen to what it feels/needs. 
• Before reaching for a snack or a second portion, ask yourself: Am I really hungry? Am I just eating due to emotional stress or anxiety? Am I thirsty? 
• Keep moving. Exercise will help your mood and keep your mind active. If you don't have time for a full workout, take a 10-20 minute walk after meals. 
• Stay hydrated. Dehydration can cause a sensation of hunger and lead to overeating. Drinking water will keep you energized and satisfied throughout the day. Avoid sweetened and/or caffeinated beverages. 
• Be conscious of your breathe. Breathing is the best way to relax if in a stressful situation and helps you release anxiety and stay centered. Do it alone in a quiet room or step outside to get some fresh air. 

Happy Holidays! x

8 Tips to Keep Motivated to Workout

Moving our body can increase our energy level and release stress. Exercising in the morning is best because it sets a positive tone for the rest of the day. Besides the benefits of preventing diseases such as cancer and diabetes, it boosts the brain and improves our attention skills. It also improves mood and can act as a natural anti-depressant. 

Finding motivation to workout can be a challenge. Sometimes it's the type of workout you are doing that can maybe get boring or simply not challenging yourself enough. Switching up workouts is important for best results. Here are a few tips to follow in order to keep yourself motivated and keep active:

1. Keep a workout log. Simply writing down what you did and how you felt after your workout can keep you engaged and wanting to feel the same again. Once you begin to see a regular pattern, it can also make you feel accomplished.
2. Find a workout buddy. Working out with someone else that wants to be active provides mutual motivation. 
3. Set goals: register for a competitive event, write down where you want to be in weeks or months.
4. Join a fitness class or program: boot camp, spinning class, dance class
5. Make sure you feel good in your workout clothes. If you feel self-conscious or uncomfortable in your workout clothes you will never want to workout. Find clothes that you like and are comfortable in. 
6. Remind yourself how good you feel after a workout. A workout, especially in the morning, usually sets the tone for the rest of the day and clears the mind. 
7. Use motivational quotes. Find motivational quotes online and write them on post-its and have them in places where you will read them when you wake up.
8. Say YES! Simply wake up every morning and ask yourself if you should workout, answer YES every single time. You will never regret it. 

Tips for Weight Management

There are many factors that contribute to a person being overweight. It can be frustrating to manage weight when we don't know what the issue is. "Calories in and calories out" does play a role in weight management, but there is more to look at. It's mostly the quality of the calories that matters.

Most popular weight management diets just restrict calorie intake and don't consider the quality of the food going into our bodies. If a diet is low in calories and still full of refined sugar and carbohydrates, a person might lose some weight at first, but the sugar cravings, mood imbalances, and old eating habits will still be there. A weight management plan should be a lifestyle change and not temporary restrictions or eliminations that are not realistic to stick with.

Factors that contribute to a person being overweight:

• Behavioral
• Eating when not hungry
• Skipping meals
• Lack of exercise
• Emotional
• Overeating due to stress, anxiety, depression, or frustration
• Metabolic
• Low thyroid
• Slow metabolism
• Medical drugs
• Low muscle mass
• Lack of exercise
• Age
• Gender
• Toxicity
• Metals
• Food colorings, preservative, and flavorings
• Plastics and pesticides
• Bacteria or parasitic overgrowth
• Nutritional
• Eating too many foods that lack nutrients such as processed foods, high sugar foods, and refined carbohydrates
• Consuming more energy (calories) than expanded 
• Having an imbalance of essential nutrients (usually it's an excess amount of carbohydrates and not enough protein and healthy fats)

Factors that contribute to a person being underweight:

• Not consuming enough energy (calories)
• Not getting enough nutrients
• Digestive issues
• Anorexia/Bulimia
• Excessive exercise
• Allergies
• Stress
• Crohn's and Celiac Disease (gut issues)
• Mal-absorption of nutrients
• High thyroid
• Medication side effects

Tips to manage weight:

• Detox/Cleanse: A detox is not the same as fasting and should not be a calorie restriction diet
• Feed your liver: The liver is an organ with many important functions such as making enzymes, making proteins, making bile (helps digest fats), detoxifying chemicals, detoxifying drugs and alcohol, filters about 95% of microbes and toxins from the bloodstream, and regulates blood sugar
• Increase protein: eggs, meats, yogurt, nuts, seeds, legumes
• Increase bitter foods: arugula, dandelion greens, chard, raw cacao powder
• Increase greens: leafy greens, sea vegetables
• Increase sour foods: sauerkraut, vinegars, lemon juice
• Increase herbs and spices: parsley, cilantro, licorice root, cinnamon
• Regulate blood sugar: Weight gain around the waist is usually a blood sugar issue
• Decrease gluten-containing grains and sugar intake (refined carbohydrates)
• Eat gluten-free grains: amaranth, millet, quinoa, brown rice
• Avoid tropical fruits (banana, pineapple, mango) because they are very high in sugar, stick to berries
• Increase non=starchy vegetables: greens, greens, and more greens
• Increase healthy fats: coconut oil, nuts, seeds, nut butters, olive oil
• Increase protein: protein at every meal is important, especially at breakfast (Ideally within an hour of waking up)
• Increase fiber: legumes (good source of fiber and protein). flax seeds, chia seeds, vegetables
• Increase metabolism
• Cinnamon
• Cardamom
• Green Tea
• Ginger
• Garlic
• Apple Cider Vinegar
• Sea Vegetables
• Cumin and Curry Powder
• Hot Peppers (Cayenne)
• Exercise daily
• Exercising in the morning is best because training hard at night messes up cortisol balance and can cause you to hang on to weight
• Get enough sleep!
• Aim for 7-8 hours of sleep each night
• Lack of sleep leads to cravings and overeating
• Stay hydrated
• Water
• Herbal teas

Sources

Bauman College Workbook, Spring 2012

Quick workouts for the busy lifestyle

We all know choosing the right foods is a huge part of living a healthy lifestyle, but it's not the only important factor. Proper nutrition along with physical activity are key components to living a long, happy, and healthy life. Physical activity is not only good for weight management, but it also lowers the risk of obesity, diabetes, heart disease, cancer, and depression.

The recommendation for an adult is at least 30 minutes of moderate physical activity per day for maintaining current weight, and 60 minutes per day for weight loss (along with a healthy diet).

A workout can consist of a cardiovascular exercises, strength training exercises, flexibility exercises, or a mixture of all three. Cardiovascular exercises include brisk walking, running, bicycling, dancing, swimming, jumping, and many others. Strength training exercises are those that use weight or resistance to make muscles work harder and get stronger such as full-body circuits, ab workouts, weight lifting, etc. Flexibility exercises are those that include stretching or range-of-motion like yoga, pilates, or tai chi. Ideally, all these workouts should be combined in order to get the most health benefits. It's important to mix it up because our body can get used to the same type of workout if done consistently, and after some time, won't provide the same results. Also, a variety of these type of exercises and/or workouts will most likely keep you motivated and won't get boring. It's a good way to keep your body challenged and your mind engaged.

Being active doesn't require a gym membership or lots of fitness equipment. The point is to get your heart rate up and keep it up for 30-60 minutes at a time. So get some exercise clothes on, grab a water bottle, and you're good to go!

I've created a list of exercises that don't require a lot of equipment and can be combined to create a quick workout or circuit to get your heart beat going for 30 minutes or more at home, at the park, at the gym, or even at work during a break. Pick about 4 of these exercises, do 15-20 repetitions of each, then repeat. You can do about 3 cycles of this and then choose another 3-4 exercises and do the same until you reach at least 30 minutes (and hopefully break a sweat):

- Jump rope
- Sprints
- Lunges
- Squats
- Jump squats and/or lunges
- Run/jog in place
- Run in place bringing knees up
- Jumping jacks
- Mountain climbers
- Plank
- Ab crunches
- Side reaches for obliques
- Tricep dips
- Push ups
- Run up and down stairs

I know it's sometimes hard to set aside 30-60 minutes of your day to workout, but being active doesn't need to be something to stress about rather than part of your every day life (because it will make you feel great!). If you absolutely cannot make time to workout during the day, there are small changes that can be made to your every day routine that can add up to at least 30 minutes of physical activity. Some tips are:

- Walk or bike to work/school/gym or at least anywhere within 2 miles
- Park further away from building entrance
- Take the stairs instead of the elevator
- Go on a walk during your lunch break (after eating, of course)
- Dance when you're stuck in traffic (my favorite!)

For weight loss, the foods you eat are just as important as physical activity. The amount of calories that you burn needs to be higher than the amount of calories you consume. Finding a balance between the right foods and physical activity is important for optimal health. Natural, whole foods are usually lower in calories and provide the nutrients your body needs to have energy and function properly. Avoid consuming high-fat and high-sugar drinks and foods that don't provide any nutrients such as soft drinks, fast-food, candies, and chips or other snack foods.

Get moving!