Saturday, November 7, 2009

SURVIVING HOLIDAY PARTIES

We love to hear different people's strategies for keeping calorie consumption low at parties and gatherings. What works for one person, may not work for someone else, but by sharing strategies we can all learn from each other. Even picking up one new tip that works for you can make a big difference.

For example, a strategy that works well for Narina is to save 200 calories per day during the week so that she has some wiggle room on the weekend to indulge in something yummy being served at a party.


For Elaine, that strategy backfires because she needs to feel satisfied with her food intake everyday. Otherwise, she'll go overboard the next day. What works well for Elaine is eating good, healthy satisfying food throughout the day, and even having a good carb + protein snack before going out. That way, she'll feel satisfied & will be much less likely to give in to temptation when surrounded by all kinds of delicious-looking food.


Here's another fun strategy Elaine discovered on Halloween: She dressed up like a witch and wore very red lipstick. (Most of you know Elaine is not used to wearing much makeup!) There was a bunch of great food at the party, but she didn't want to ruin that lipstick so she didn't eat any of it! Later, she read that exact tip in Fitness Magazine: "Wear a bold color lipstick to discourage you from eating at a party."


Tell us what you do to stay on track with your eating habits when you go out to parties or events.

Sunday, November 1, 2009

BOOST YOUR IMMUNE SYSTEM!

Don't give in to being sick just because it's cold out & your friends, family & co-workers are all getting sick. Your immune system is designed to fight germs and keep you healthy throughout the winter.

But, it's your job to keep your immune system strong with exercise, a healthy lifestyle, and good nutrition. In the AAY! newsletter this week, we listed the first two ingredients to incorporate into your diet: cruciferous vegetables & orange vegetables. Here's the rest of the list:

3. MUSHROOMS
Mushrooms boost the production of white blood cells; this benefits the cells by increasing cellular metabolism, removing toxins, and preventing damage from free radicals.

4. WHOLE GRAINS
Whole wheat, oats, quinoa, amaranth, and brown rice improve your immunity, reduce inflammation, and protect you from the risk of heart disease, obesity, and diabetes. ALWAYS opt for whole grains over refined or enriched grains.

5. WINTER FRUIT
Most fruit is packed with nutrients & fiber. Incorporate some citrus fruit daily for vitamin C, but aim for a wide variety of fruit to increase your vitamin & mineral intake. Winter fruits include: oranges, pomegranates, persimmons, pears, bananas, cranberries, grapefruit, rhubarb, kiwi and kumquats.

6. HERBS & SPICES
Onions, garlic, leeks, and chives are rich sources of Vitamin C, potassium, chromium and selenium. Additionally, they contain volatile oils that are antimicrobial and help stimulate immunity. Other potent herbs and spices that support your immune system include ginger, cilantro, rosemary, sage, turmeric, and oregano.

Your diet is the key to your health: A poor diet of sugary, rich, hard-to-digest foods will detract from your immunity while a healthy diet full of fresh, antioxidant-rich foods will enhance your health and immune system.

NOW IT'S YOUR TURN. Please click "comment" to share your tips about staying healthy through the winter, or to post a recipe that incorporates immune-boosting foods.

Friday, October 16, 2009

SLEEP MORE TO LOSE WEIGHT!


Quite a few research articles have shown recently that lack of sleep can actually make you gain weight, or at least prevent you from losing the weight you want to lose.

How could this be? Although many factors may be involved, one of the main reasons is that sleep affects the hormones ghrelin (which stimulates appetite) and leptin (which sends a signal to the brain when you are full).

When you don't get enough sleep, it drives leptin levels down, which means you don't feel as satisfied after you eat. Lack of sleep also causes ghrelin levels to rise, which means your appetite is stimulated, so you want more food.

The two combined can lead to overeating & weight gain.

However, we know that for many people, getting more sleep is easier said than done. Here are some of our tips, please read them over & then click on "comments" to post your own tips, ideas or simply to share your experience.

1. Make sleep a priority. It seems simple, but changing your attitude really is the first step. We need to think of sleep as just as important to our health & well being as good nutrition & regular exercis

2. Go to bed and get up at about the same time every day, even on the weekends. Sticking to a schedule helps reinforce your body's sleep-wake cycle and can help you fall asleep more easily at night.

3. Don't eat or drink large amounts before bedtime. Eat a light dinner at least two hours before sleeping.

4. Exercise regularly. Regular physical activity, especially aerobic exercise, can help you fall asleep faster and make your sleep more restful. However, for some people, exercising right before bed may make getting to sleep more difficult.

5. Start a relaxing bedtime routine. Do the same things each night to tell your body it's time to wind down. This may include taking a warm bath or shower, reading a book, or listening to soothing music. Relaxing activities done with lowered lights can help ease the transition between wakefulness and sleepiness.

Now it's your turn. Please share your tips, thoughts or experiences about sleep.

Sunday, October 4, 2009

LOSE WEIGHT WITHOUT DIETING!

Studies show that after losing weight, the majority of dieters gain the weight back, and sometimes even more than when they started! This is because when the human body suddenly takes in fewer calories and less fat, it goes into panic mode, telling the brain that it needs more food. As fat storage drops, so does the level of a hormone in the blood called leptin. When leptin dips below a certain level, it triggers an increase in appetite. If you're on a restrictive diet, your body feels threatened and will work against you.

So how can you lose weight if you're not supposed to "go on a diet"?

1. Eat the correct number of calories. When you joined All About You! Wellness BootCamp, we calculated your safe calorie intake for weight loss. Stay in the range to lose weight safely , effectively and permanently. Don't fool yourself into thinking that if you starve yourself by eating 500 fewer calories than we recommend that you'll lose the weight faster. It will backfire! On the other hand, you can't go over your calorie limit on a consistent basis either, or you'll end up gaining weight.

2. Listen to your body's internal cues. If you slow down and really listen to your body, you can learn to eat the right amount of food. Don't eat just because it's there or just because other people are eating. Eat slowly enough that your brain will recognize when you are satisfied. Stop when you know you've had enough.

3. Get full on fewer calories. Eat tons of vegetables and fruit, which will fill you up with very few calories, but make sure they're part of an overall healthy diet, including whole grains and lean protein.

4. Exercise 5-6 times a week. Studies show that people who lose weight and keep it off exercsie at least 5 days a week. When they start to slack off by even one day a week, they stop making progress, or even start to gain weight back. Exercise is not a temporary weight loss tool. It is a lifestyle that you must maintain throughout your life for optimum health & well being. Strength training is especially important since it helps you preserve your muscle as you lose weight. Muscle is biologically active tissue that burns lots of calories and keeps your metabolism strong.

NOW IT'S YOUR TURN: Tell us about your weight loss successes or struggles so that others can learn from your experience.

Friday, September 25, 2009

FIBER SHOW & TELL


Throughout the month of September, we have been discussing fiber in BootCamp classes and writing about it in our weekly newsletter.

This week we're doing a "show & tell" in class. You can bring any food (or just the packaging) to class to show the other members. This helps us all get more ideas for healthy foods to try.

We'd like this blog entry to also be a "show & tell". Post your comments here about any high fiber products that are natural, healthy and tasty.

Thursday, September 10, 2009

ELAINE'S FOOD JOURNAL: DAY 6

Early morning snack (before 5:30 am workout)
Half sandwich:
1 slice Ezekiel raisin bread - 2
1/2 T. almond butter (raw, crunchy, unsalted) - 0.75
1.2 T. Trader Joe's Organic Superfruit Spread - 0

2nd morning snack
(at 7:00 am, after workout)
Other half of sandwich - 2.75
Total grams of fiber in morning snacks - 5.5

Breakfast
1/4 c. puffed Kashi cereal - 0.25
1/2 c. Heritage cereal - 3
1/4 c. mini Shredded Wheat cereal - 1.25
1/8 c. raw slivered almonds - 1.5
1 T. ground flaxseed - 2
1/8 c. raisins - 0.7
1 c. rice milk - 0
Total grams of fiber in Breakfast - 8.7



Lunch
1 can TJ's low-sodium minestrone soup - 5
(10.7 oz. - smaller than most regular 14 oz cans)
10 baby tomatoes - 2
1/4 avocado - 3.4
1/8 c. slivered almonds - 1.5
Total grams of fiber in Lunch: 11.9


Snack
2 T. eggplant hummus - 2
10 baby tomatoes - 2
6 snap peas - .5
10 baby carrots - 2
Total Snack - 6.5

I wasn't hungry enough for dinner, so I had fruit in the evening instead of a full meal.
Snack
1 cup mixed fresh fruit - 4
1/2 cup non fat Greek yogurt - 0
1/8 cup slivered almonds - 1.5
Total Snack - 5.5 grams


TOTAL FIBER FOR DAY: 38.1

Wednesday, September 9, 2009

ELAINE'S FOOD JOURNAL: DAY 5

Breakfast
1/4 c. puffed Kashi cereal - 0.25
1/2 c. Heritage cereal - 3
1/4 c. mini Shredded Wheat cereal - 1.25
1/8 c. raw slivered almonds - 1.5
1 T. ground flaxseed - 2
1/8 c. raisins - 0.7
1 c. rice milk - 0
Total grams of fiber in Breakfast - 8.7


Snack

Ezekiel raisin bread - 4
1 T. almond butter (raw, crunch, unsalted) - 1.5
1 T. Trader Joe's organic Superfruit spread - 0
Total grams of fiber in Snack - 5.5

Lunch
Salad
1.5 c. lettuce (red & dark green heirloom leaves) - 1
5 baby tomatoes - 1
7 black olives - 0.5
1/8 c. heart of palm - 0.5
1/4 avocado - 3.4
1/8 c. walnuts - 1

olive oil - 0
vinegar - 0
Total grams of fiber in Lunch: 7.4


Snack
plum - 0.9
apple - 4.4
Light string cheese (one stick) - 0
Total grams of fiber in snack - 5.3

Dinner
2/3 c. brown rice - 1.5
1 c. broccoli - 3
12 spears of asparagus - 2
1/4 c. zucchini - 0.3
4 oz. salmon - 0
1/8 c. slivered almonds - 1.5
10 baby tomatoes - 2
1 c. chicken breast - 0
Total grams of fiber in Lunch Dinner - 10

TOTAL GRAMS OF FIBER FOR THE DAY 36.9