NARINA ORGANIZES HER KITCHEN

All our nutrition tips for the month of December are related to getting organized. Since Narina is a newlywed, she's been busy the past few weeks getting her new home organized. In this week's blog, Narina shares her process for organizing her kitchen:

When my environment is disorganized, my head is disorganized and I don't function efficiently. When I was single & living with my parents, I always had to have my room organized in order to get work done.

Now that I'm married and am responsible for an entire house, I know I have to set up a system in order to stay organized. Having my own kitchen is something new in my life, so I used the following steps to set up my kitchen.

1. I set up stations for each of the five basic kitchen activities. The five basic kitchen activities are:
a. cleaning (sink, dishwasher, trashcan, soap, rags, sponges, etc.)
b. cooking (stove, pots, pans, toaster, etc.)
c. food prep (counter top, mixing bowls, blender, measuring cups, etc.)
d. food storage (refrigerator, Tupperware, canned foods, etc.)
e. serving (dishes, linens, candles, flatware, glasses, etc.)

2. Now I have to pay attention to my movement from one center to the next. My goal is to be able to reach the major appliances in only a few steps. I am still changing and rearranging the stations until I find the right place for each.

I know this is going to be an ongoing process until I'm very comfortable with all the stations and I can get my work done smoothly. If you have any of your own tips for how you keep your kitchen organized, please post a comment.

ELAINE'S STRESS EATING

This week, Elaine wants to tell you a story of her own stress eating, hoping that her story may help some of you change a stressful situation in your own life in order to improve your eating habits.

Here's Elaine's story:

I never thought of myself as a "stress eater" because I rarely felt "stressed out." However, I've noticed recently that my eating habits have improved since changing my stressful schedule.

Although I didn't feel mentally stressed, my body was physically stressed from the demands of teaching five boot camp classes per day and averaging 5-6 hours of sleep per night. Here I was striving to be a good role model for healthy living, but I was chronically sleep deprived.

The lack of sleep not only made me tired, but made it more difficult to think clearly and prevented my body from healing as thoroughly as it should have from all the little aches & pains that often come with being physically active.

Although I'd never been much of a coffee drinker, I found myself getting more & more addicted to caffeine to keep myself going. I was also turning to sugar & chocolate in the afternoons when I felt a dip in energy. Though I didn't think of this as "stress eating" I recognize now that the physical stress was creating these cravings.

At the time, I thought that I had no choice. This was my schedule, so what could I do? Well, as many of you know, after four years of teaching morning and evening BootCamp classes, Narina and I decided to cancel the evening classes.

It was really sad to give up the evening classes, because we knew we would lose some very special BootCamp members plus the income from those classes. However, we also knew that for our own health & quality of life, we had to give them up.

In the past few months since we have stopped teaching evening classes, I've made a conscious effort to be in bed by 9 pm. Averaging 7 hours a night of sleep now has made a huge difference in my energy level and my eating habits.

I easily gave up coffee and I also haven't touched chocolate since Halloween! It is now so much easier for me to stick with my healthy eating habits. It doesn't feel forced & I don't feel I'm depriving myself at all. It just feels natural & satisfying to eat my healthy meals & snacks full of vegetables, fruit, whole grains & protein.

Do you have a stressful situation that is affecting your eating habits? Perhaps with work or family life? No matter how "stuck" you may feel, there is probably something you can do to get yourself out of the situation, or at least to reduce the stress it is causing.

Remember that you do have a choice in whatever you do. Sometimes it's a tough choice and we have to give up something special in order to get where we want to be. But the most important choice we can make is to take care of our health and our bodies.

Please share your stories with us. Tell us about any issues you have now with stress eating, or any lessons you've learned about how to deal with stress.

NARINA'S FIRST THANKSGIVING!

Please help Narina out by reading her blog entry below and then posting your suggestions, tips or secret recipes.

From Narina:
I am hosting my very first Thanksgiving dinner in my new home, and I want it to be different, healthy and, of course, perfect! I will have mostly traditional Thanksgiving dishes, but with some Armenian touches.

My mother-in-law is making the turkey and my mom is making the Armenian food, but everything else is up to me. So far, I am planning to make:

1. Mushroom Gravy
2. Healthy Grilled Vegetables (Roubina's recipe!)
3. Lentil Salad

I'm asking for YOUR help with the rest! I need easy, healthy recipes for salads, small side dishes and a very healthy, delicious dessert.

Also, any tips on serving the dishes or tricks to help the day go smoothly would be greatly appreciated.

And by the way, it may sound like a lot of food, but I am expecting 35 family members!

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.

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.