The New Year will be here soon; a time when many make resolutions and/or set goals to live a healthier lifestyle by dieting and/or begin a exercise regime. Unfortunately, all too often those goals don’t even make it to the end of the month let alone the end of the year. The reason is because dieting can be a difficult thing, especially when you're trying to make drastic changes to your normal routine. If you'd like to lose some weight and keep it off, the real secret is to do it with small changes that you incorporate into your lifestyle one at a time. You will find the greatest success if you choose lifestyle changes that you can live with in the long term. For instance, if you love carbohydrates, it's not likely that you'll stay on a low-carb diet for long. In this situation, modifying your carbohydrate intake to an amount you find reasonable may work just fine for you. These tips will help you eat nutritiously without feeling like you're dieting: 1. Cut portion sizes. Cutting your portion size, instead of altering what you eat, is always an option. It's easy to forget what a healthy portion actually is, which may lead many people to eat more than they intended. Try eating a bit less and use smaller plates to make it seem like your plate is still full. You'll still feel satisfied while eating less! An easy way to accomplish cutting portion without measuring is to fix your plate as you normally would. Once your plate is filled with every goodie of your choice, put half back. 2. Eat slowly. You don't want to eat your meals at a snail's pace, but it does take some time for your body to send signals to your brain that your stomach is full. If you're eating slowly, you'll get that message in time before you overeat. One way to slow down is chew your food thoroughly. Chew your food until it has liquefied before swallowing. You’ll be amazed at how much less you eat without feeling hungry. 3. Eat more often. Experiment with dividing your meals into smaller sizes and eating more often. Eating smaller meals more often can keep you feeling full and energized and you may end up eating less. 4. Drink plenty of water. You already know that water is vital to life. Water will also help you feel full. Drinking a glass of water prior to eating a meal helps you feel full sooner. 5. Be mindful when eating at restaurants. Sometimes you'll find that you have healthy eating habits at home, but it might all go out the window when you're eating out. Restaurants are notorious for adding in extra salt, butter, and utterly ridiculous portion sizes. Either choose something that you know is healthy based on the nutritional facts, or split up your meal and take half of it home for tomorrow's lunch. 6. The calories you drink add up. When you're calculating the calories you've eaten for the day, it's easy to ignore all the calories in your drinks. If you've had mostly water, then it won't be an issue. However, if you've stopped at Starbucks, or had fruit juice or a soft drink, you might find that you've had a whole meal's worth of calories in just one drink. 7. Maintain moderate exercise. Exercise is important to your overall health and well-being. If it's hard to add time for an exercise routine to your schedule, remember that every bit of activity helps. Walking around the block, parking further out in the parking lot and taking the stairs instead of the elevator can give you some great exercise without taking up too much extra time. Being healthy doesn't need to take a huge effort on your part. You can get there by being aware of your body's unique needs. Listen to your body and treat yourself right, and your weight goals are sure to follow.
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The holidays are among us – a time of year that’s known for its busy nature that can lead to quite the load of stress. After all, you likely have several invitations to gatherings collecting on your counter, a long list of people you need to send holiday cards to, and the daunting task of braving the shopping mall crowds to find the gifts for your loved ones. All of this, on top of your normal every day life. It can be overwhelming to say the least.
I wanted to share with you some of my personal favorite ways to navigate this busy, stressful time of year and make this season a lot more enjoyable, less stressful and a time you will remember with fond memories. These secret weapons of mine include… Put forth great effort to be present. It can be difficult, I know. It’s almost a reflex to pick up our phones and scroll through Facebook or our email when we have a free moment – do you do the same? One way I like to dodge this is to leave my electronics in another room. Don’t even allow yourself the temptation to pick up your phone and disengage from communicating with your gathered love ones. When I’m feeling particularly scatter-brained, what really helps ground me is focusing on my senses. What do I smell? What do I hear? What do I feel? Stopping and thinking through what’s going on around you at that very moment really brings you into the present moment unlike anything else. It’s a wonderful tool to use to dial in and be present – and it is a great tool to use year-round, not just during the holidays! Give up those expectations. A lot of the stress we put on ourselves this season lies in the notion that we expect things to be perfect. That’d be lovely, of course – but putting your entire extended family in one house is bound to have something go awry. Therefore, dropping the expectations of perfection will allow you to be prepared for when something may spring up. There is joy to be found in each situation, so even when things don’t go exactly as planned – spend your energy finding gratitude in your circumstances and enjoying as much of your time as you possibly can. Tis the season! Find time to move. It’s incredibly important to keep movement in your schedule, no matter how busy you may feel. Even if it’s just a brisk walk after lunch or dinner – make it a habit to bundle up in your favorite scarf and winter coat to go for a walk alone to clear your mind, or with someone you enjoy being around. Be sure that you are getting your time outside in nature, breathing in fresh air, while burning off some calories and keeping your heart rate up. What are your favorite ways to get some movement in during the cold months? My favorite way is walking. Even with all the busyiness happening I find ways to get extra steps in, such a parking farther away than usual; taking the stairs instead of the elevator, and walking up or down the escalor insteading of just standing there until the end. When I'm on the phone I stand and walk back and forth instead of sitting as well as other exercise moves such as squats and lunges. The holidays are a time of joy and cheer and a reminder of all that we have to be grateful for. So if and when you find yourself being overwhelmed with stress, take a minute or 10 or 30 and go for a walk, smile and say Thank You. |
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