Archive for the ‘Health In A Hurry’ Category
Wednesday, December 14th, 2011
I’m a serial- sitter. I sit and read nutrition research for hours. If I’m not sitting and reading, I am sitting and writing or sitting on an airplane.
All that inactivity is a career hazard, so I make sure I exercise five days a week. I thought I was doing just fine until I read some research that knocked me out of my chair.
All that sitting is lethal, so says Dr. James Levine, a researcher at the Mayo Clinic. He says that being sedentary increases your risk of Type 2 diabetes and high cholesterol. Oh yeah. It’s also making you fat.
Here’s what’s happening:
- Inactivity causes a decline in electrical activity in your muscles. This reduces insulin’s effectiveness. When insulin isn’t doing its job, your Type 2 diabetes-risk goes up.
- The enzymes responsible for breaking down fats take a plunge, causing your good cholesterol levels to fall, too.
- Sitting uses only one calorie a minute. Moving around (doing ANYTHING) burns calories at three times that rate.
Here are three steps I’m doing to get moving:
- I drink more water. A full bladder is a gentle reminder it’s time to get up and move.
- I avoid eating lunch at my desk. If that’s inescapable, I get up and walk as soon as I can.
- I make a lot of calls standing up. The person on the other end can’t hear me pacing and stretching.
Tags: airplane, calories, cholesterol, diabetes risk, dr james, electrical activity, enzymes, fats, full bladder, gentle reminder, good cholesterol levels, high cholesterol, inactivity, insulin, james levine, mayo clinic, nutrition research, plunge, three steps, type 2 diabetes
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Thursday, December 8th, 2011
Talk about stress, Black Friday shopping! This year I had to participate in the holiday shopping frenzy. Black Friday saw me out the door and in the stores by 6am, joining a few million others who couldn’t resist the bargains.
I knew I’d need plenty of energy to do my best shopping. That day, a high-protein breakfast and lots of water served me well.
Even if shopping isn’t one of your daily activities, these tips can help lower your stress level every morning:
- Wake up more peacefully. A thundering wake-up alarm causes an adrenaline surge before your head leaves the pillow. Softer sounds are less stressful.
- Cut back on carbs. High-carb choices like white flour muffins and bagels stress your system. A whole wheat English muffin and a tablespoon of peanut butter deprives you of stress, not satisfaction.
- Drink water. Dehydration can make you grumpy. When stressed, liquids like water and tea protect your body, mind and spirit.
A no-guilt cat nap or a little exercise can also help to lower stress.
Here’s a stress-reduction eating plan.
Ideas to combat stress while eating at home or out:
- Breakfast at home: open-faced egg and whole grain toast sandwich. Starbucks: egg white English muffin with turkey bacon.
- Snack: an apple, a few almonds and a cup of green tea.
- Lunch at home: open-faced turkey and veggie sandwich. Chipotle: ½ chicken burrito bowl with less rice and more beans, loaded with veggies and salsa. Save the rest for your snack.
- Snack: lunch leftovers or fruit with peanut butter.
- Dinner: grilled veggies, brown rice and salmon or chicken.
- Snack: tangerines with cinnamon and a drizzle of honey.
Tags: adrenaline surge, best shopping, black friday shopping, body mind and spirit, brown rice, cat nap, chicken burrito, drink water, egg white, English muffin, grain toast, green tea, high protein, stress level, stress reduction, tangerines, toast sandwich, turkey bacon, whole grain, whole wheat
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Thursday, December 1st, 2011
Raise your hand if you would consider trying to lose weight during the holidays. (Richard Simmons, you can put your hand down.) Everyone else, let’s talk reality.
Dieting at this time of year would be torture. But maintaining your weight through the New Year would be quite an achievement. Think of how accomplished you’ll feel by starting 2012 without five pounds of holiday memories on your hips.
Painlessly maintain your weight during the crazy holiday season with these ideas:
Call a friend. Meet a friend for a walk instead of lunch. An easy walk counts as exercise and will keep you away from the excess of lunchtime temptations. One of my college nutrition professors once said: “I exercise because I can’t eat at the same time”.
Bribe yourself. Give yourself a gift that encourages healthy habits. New running shoes or workout clothes can be just the motivation to stick to your exercise routine.
Eat some junk food. Each day, permit yourself to eat less than 200 calories-worth of a real “treat”. Completely banning sugar from your diet is a constant reminder that you’re depriving yourself. It’s okay to feed that sugar-need with a snack here and there. You’ll be less likely to binge.
My workout tip to help you maintain your weight through the New Year.
Shake it up! Your body adapts very quickly to the same old workout. Head for a path with hills once in awhile. Take a different exercise class at your gym. Rent some DVD’s with routines you’ve never tried before.
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Wednesday, November 23rd, 2011
During the holidays, what do you look forward to more: time with family and friends or permission to indulge your appetite with all those goodies? Are thoughts of hitting the buffet as exciting as spending time with friends?
Smart eating during the holidays is a challenge. Going into the season overweight makes emerging from it undamaged almost impossible.
These habits will help reduce the temptation to gorge:
Exercise in the morning. Exercising on the day of a “food event” will boost your endorphins, giving you more control over your appetite all day.
Eat protein in the morning. Eating a high protein breakfast will help prevent sugar cravings later in the day and fill your tummy for a few hours. One or two eggs plus toast are my favorite.
Eat a high-fiber snack before the party. The fiber content will fill you up. Snacking on an apple will do the trick.
Wear pants with a belt. Leave the elastic-waistband pants in the closet. Pants with a belt will help remind you when you’ve had enough.
Keep a cup of tea or coffee in hand. The hot liquid helps to kill your appetite, allowing you to slow down and really enjoy your food.
Drink enough water. I start my day with at least 8 ounces of water and continue drinking water throughout the day. Hydration keeps you feeling full and is one of the best gifts you can give your body. (One look in the toilet bowl will tell you that you’re getting enough water – your urine should look almost clear.)
Happy Thanksgiving!
Tags: appetite, best gifts, cup of tea, endorphins, family and friends, fiber content, food event, happy thanksgiving, high protein, hydration, overweight, smart eating, snack, spending time, sugar cravings, thanksgiving turkey, time with family, toilet bowl, two eggs, yams
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Wednesday, November 16th, 2011
Don’t you wish looking at cookies didn’t cause weight-gain? When I was overweight, I swear, one glance translated into an added pound. Now, despite having a metabolism that’s 10 years older, I can eat the occasional cookie and not gain an ounce.
According to research, the metabolism of a woman in her 40’s is about 20% slower than in her 20’s. How did I overcome that “inevitable” slowdown? I lost weight.
Your ability to burn cookie-calories (or any others) is dependent upon your metabolism. First, forget the idea that you are at the mercy of a slow metabolism. According to author John Berardi, PhD, your genes are only responsible for 5% of your calorie-burning capabilities. Jump starting your metabolism means increasing your body’s need for energy.
The top three ways to keep your body revved:
Exercise: Vary the intensity of your workout activities. Alternate three minutes of running or biking with 30 seconds of all-out effort. Even once you’re sitting still, you’ll burn another 100 to 200 calories.
Eat: Eating frequently (every two to three hours) tells your body it’s not going to starve. Skipping meals and gorging at night “scares” your body into storing calories as fat.
Build muscle: Muscles are big eaters. Each extra pound of muscle can burn up to 50 additional calories.
The best advice of all? Get lots of sleep. Your body will be busy repairing and replacing cells, pumping blood and creating hormones. The number of calories it’s using accounts for 60% to 75% of total calories burned. There’s a workout you can’t say “no” to!
Tags: 10 years, alternate three, author john, build muscle, calories, cause weight gain, cells, genes, hormones, intensity, john berardi, muscles, ounce, skipping meals, slow metabolism, slowdown, starting your metabolism, three minutes, three ways, workout
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Wednesday, November 9th, 2011
You’re busy prepping for Thanksgiving. The dinner menu is planned. The family members have been given their assignments. Here’s one more task for your holiday food-fest preparations: lose four pounds before the eating-season begins. Yes, you can do this in the next two weeks.
Weight loss success, particularly long-term success, means turning your metabolism up a notch. Do this by eating small amounts of low-calorie, low-fat foods throughout the day, not starving yourself.
Severe calorie-cutting increases the production of cortisol, a hormone your body releases when you’re under stress. Cortisol kicks your body into a survival mode that will make it hoard calories.
Tips to prevent calorie-stockpiling:
- Eliminate sugar in the morning. Foods like juice, low fiber cereal, and white bagels or toast set you up to crave sugar all day.
- Eat your calories early – 70% before late afternoon. Your body burns them more efficiently while you’re still in motion.
- Eat a small amount of fiber before a meal. A teaspoon of flaxseed helps take the edge off hunger.
- Snack on fruit or chopped veggies before dinner. They’re low-cal and filling.
- Cut back on bread. Bread encourages your body to hold extra water weight.
Don’t forget to get enough good sleep. Tiredness can make you crave carbs and fat, increasing your risk of obesity, heart disease and diabetes.
Tags: bagels, cereal, chopped veggies, dinner menu, flaxseed, good sleep, heart disease, heart disease and diabetes, holiday food, holidaze, late afternoon, low calorie low fat foods, low fat foods, risk of obesity, sugar in the morning, survival mode, term success, tiredness, water weight, weight loss success
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