Real Life, Real Advice – Strategies for every day living

February 06, 2009

I know you’ve been making changes, trying to reach your goals of the Challenge.  Now’s the time to start thinking about strategies for every day living.  And there are a variety of ways to help kick start your health into high gear.  I’ve got  10 simple strategies that can help you  get on or remain on track to feeling better, having more energy, and ultimately getting into the best shape of your life!   Surely, you’ll find a couple you like!

1.    Have the Little Engine that Could Mentality. 
I know….it’s corny…but ya know what…it works!  Change requires a shift in your mindset; focusing on the positive “I think I can” attitude, like in the children’s book, The Little Engine that Could with everything you do, from daily exercise, to eating right!  If you believe you’ll be successful, you most likely will be.  Have confidence in yourself.

2.    Make your goals commitments. 
Goal setting works—period.  But goals are merely the first step in the process.  To make the goals reality, you have to make commitments.  Rather than setting a goal to wake up every day at 6 AM to exercise before work, make a commitment to do so.  Set a date, a deadline, where you will commit to making that goal a reality.  Once that date is reached you can revisit if you want to keep going or if you’d rather “let yourself off the hook”, but you won’t do it before then. 

3.    Eat more fruits and vegetables. 
While this may seem a bit basic, Americans eat an average of only 2 servings each day.  The minimum recommendation is 5, meaning we’re not even halfway to the minimum recommendation.  Make sure you have a rainbow of colors with every single meal – the more colorful the fruits and vegetables, the better.

4.    Move more, move often. 
Move as much as possible, as often as possible.  Always take the stairs at work, the mall, the airport, etc.  Park as far away from your destination as possible and of course carve out a minimum of 30 minutes each day for physical activity.  Every step adds up to create a new you and allow you to reclaim your health. 

5.    Eat breakfast. 
Americans eat breakfast just a few days each week.  And you know by now, it is the most important meal of the day for a good reason. 

6.    Focus on carbohydrate quality. 
How much you eat is important, but arguably even more important is what you’re eating.  Carbohydrates are fantastic for you—when you choose high fiber, whole grains, fruits, and vegetables.  When you eat too much sugar, on the other hand, your health will suffer.

7.    Increase your intake of healthy fats. 
Certain dietary fats are necessary to survive.  Others not only allow us to survive, but can truly optimize our health.  And those fats are omega-3 fats.  Those who eat more omega-3 fats and less unhealthy saturated and trans fats have lower rates of heart disease, arthritis, cancer, and many other disease.  Eat more fish—the American Heart Association recommends at least 12 oz of fish per week.

8.    Start strength training. 
Strength training improves balance, confidence, strength, bone density, balance, self esteem, and much, much more. 

9.    Surround Yourself with Positive Influences. 
Our friends, family, and co-workers can make or break success.  For example, rather than talking to your spouse while sitting on the couch, go for a walk with the entire family after dinner.  Take the family to the park.  Hang out with others who have similar goals and will encourage yours.

10.  Drink more water. 
Americans get an average of 450 calories each day from beverages alone (double that if you regularly stop at a coffee shop and get a fancy “large latte.”  That is nearly one pound per week just from beverages.  Switch to water.  With 17 tsp of sugar in a 20 oz soda, it’s way too much!  Eat your calories, don’t drink them.

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Related Links:

Join the National Body Challenge FREE today! 

Have some tips of your own? Share them in our National Body Challenge Community!

Getting Over That Plateau

January 26, 2009

You’ve been on the treadmill for what feels like days on end.  You are watching what you eat and drink.  However, despite earlier success watching that scale move in the direction you wanted it to, you’ve hit the infamous plateau!  What do you do? 

These 5 tips will help you break through any plateau and continue on your path to success.  By educating yourself and making sure you have all the proper behavioral “tools”, you can make more positive changes and continue to improve your health day after day!   Believe me, it’s worth the effort.

1.    Plan Ahead:  Without a plan, you won’t know where you’re trying to go.  You may have all the information in the world, are making the right food choices, increasing your exercise intensity, etc, but if you don’t plan your great intentions will go right out the window.  Pack your meals ahead – take some time on Sunday, for example, and prepare some extra food for throughout the week.  Pack this the night before work each day, so you’re never stuck without any options, forcing you to turn to the vending machine or fast food. 

2.    Learn to Grocery Shop:  This one is right in line with planning ahead.  Your weight loss efforts really start before you make any meals in your house.  They start at the grocery store and if you don’t know what do look for, you’ll struggle when faced with the 50,000 products that fill grocery store shelves.  Here is a simple step – stick to the perimeter of the store for 90% of your shopping.  Outside of produce, grains, seafood, meat, poultry, and dairy, there’s nothing else you need at the grocery store in terms of food. And make a list before you go, and stick to it.  It goes without say that you should not go grocery shopping when you are hungry – that’s a recipe for disaster!

3.    Realize there is no magic bullet.  Many folks become discouraged when beginning an exercise or weight loss program because they expect a magic bullet, or overnight success.  But starting a simple exercise program or reading a “diet” book won’t cure a 30 year ice cream or soda addiction.  Small steps each day mean big changes in the long run; nothing will happen overnight and it’s important to continually encourage yourself.  Unhealthy habits weren’t created overnight and they won’t be changed overnight.  You need to work towards improving your habits day after day.   

4.    Work with a friend(s) or spouse.  Social support has been shown to improve the ability to lose and maintain weight loss.  Use this to your advantage.  Get a group of friends, family members, or co-workers together to get on a plan and work towards a goal.  It’s much more likely that you make time for exercise if you know you are meeting other people; it is just another way to be held accountable.  At the very least, get a friend to train with; this will help both of you when trying to push and break through to the next level. 

5.    Eat Breakfast!  You’ve clearly heard that breakfast is the most important meal of the day, right?  Well, if not…it’s true!  Not only has research shown that those who eat breakfast regularly consume higher levels of many nutrients, but it has also shown time and time again that those who eat breakfast daily have lower body fat levels and body weights!  And, get this, you’ll be more physically and mentally alert all day!  Please don’t skip this important meal. 

There are always going to be many barriers to changing eating and exercise behaviors and breaking through plateaus.  Step out of your comfort zone and have a change of mindset.  It’s very easy to stop at a fast food restaurant or order a pizza for dinner, instead of taking 10 or 20 minutes to prepare a healthy meal.  The time to make a change is now!

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Related Links:

Join the National Body Challenge FREE today! 

Use our National Body Challenge Community to stay motivated!

Behaviors & Goals – If you bite it you must write it!

January 19, 2009

Have you ever try to ride a bicycle with one flat tire?  You don’t get very far.  Anyone can go “on a diet” for a few weeks to lose weight.  But learning how to change behaviors for good will enhance success. 

Losing weight is not rocket science.  It’s really quite simple:   In order to lose weight, calories in have to be less than calories out.  But what can revolutionize a lifelong struggle with weight management is learning how to take in less calories or expend more calories.  Here’s one tip that can help everyone achieve their weight loss and weight maintenance goals – if you bite it, you must write it!

This is called self-monitoring and it is arguably one of the most effective component of successfully losing and maintaining weight loss.  There are many reasons why it is so effective—here are just a few. 

#1: It teaches portion control

Many don’t understand what an appropriate serving looks like.

In today’s age of ‘Burritos the size of your head,” calories can add up very quickly.    Research has shown that portion sizes have increased over the last several decades to 2-3 times the recommended serving size.    You need to remove “supersize” and “large” from your vocabulary.

When writing it down, though, you will have to measure the serving to get a close count as to how much you’re putting in your body.  Once you actually learn portion control, you’ll quickly get a grasp on just how easy it is to overeat.   

#2. It increases your awareness

All too often, we eat for the activity rather than for physiological hunger.  We eat while we work, while driving, or while doing household tasks.  Too often we combine eating with relaxation such as watching TV, reading, or attending sporting events.  However, research has shown that coupling events with eating increases calorie intake. 

Once distracted, we become unaware of the amount we have consumed and do not feel fuller by eating more. Rather than serving any physiological need for food, eating becomes merely an activity.  Keeping a daily log of your intake, though, increases your awareness and decreases the likelihood of overconsuming calories or eating for other reasons aside from physiological hunger!

#3. It decreases overall calorie intake.

Research suggests that simply recording the foods and beverages consumed naturally decreases the amount of calories we eat.  This benefit is a natural off shoot of the first 2 benefits – when we are more aware of portion sizes, we eat less calories, and when we are more aware of what we are putting in our body, and we naturally eat less.  In fact, data from the National Weight Control Registry, a registry of men and women who have lost at least 30 lbs and maintained that for at least one year, has tracked behaviors of these individuals.  One of the behaviors that is attributed to their success is daily journaling and monitoring of their intake! 

This doesn’t require a complete overhaul of your lifestyle; it’s a simple behavior that can help you reach your goals!  If you bite it, you must write it!

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Related Links:

Join the National Body Challenge FREE today! 

Keep a journal online through the National Body Challenge Community!

Move More! – Everyday Steps Towards Better Fitness

January 12, 2009

We have become a nation that sits on our butts!  That’s right!  More than half of adults engage in no physical activity at all! That’s disappointing, since more and more data show that regular exercise has been linked to decreased risk for obesity, diabetes, heart disease, and cancer.  Being physically active can even reduce premature death. 

What is physical activity?

Regular physical activity is defined as participating in moderate intensity activity (gardening, walking briskly as if you are late for the bus) for at least 30 minutes a day on 5 or more days a week  or vigorous activity (such as running, heavy yard work etc.) for at least 20 minutes a day 3 or more days per week. 

This may seem like a lot, especially if you have a lot going on in your life. However, remember that every bit counts.  You don’t have to go to the gym to reap the benefits of physical activity. Don’t overlook the small ways you can be more active every day.  Take more stairs at home or work, park farther away from the office and from the store and get up from your desk frequently throughout the day.  Small changes maintained over the course of the year can add up to be significant improvements in health!

Try a pedometer too.  Pedometers are also known as step counters; they measure the amount of physical activity you do throughout the day.  It is recommended to take a minimum of 10,000 steps per day; this is equivalent to exercising at least 30 minutes per day.  These are a fantastic tool when trying to increase physical activity or for those who are looking to maintain the recommended level of activity each day.   And the feedback is instantaneous – if you haven’t walked 10,000 steps before bedtime, you better get moving!

Healthy Eating – Breaking Through the Myths

January 05, 2009

There are an endless amount of myths surrounding nutrition and general healthy eating.

• Are carbohydrates OK to eat?
• Do I need to eliminate fat?
• Can I drink diet soda?
• How many calories do I really need each day?
• Will fruit make me fat?

It can really make your head spin. Afterall, one day you read coffee is good for you, and the next day, you read it can cause health problems.So what you do you? First, as always, if it sounds too good to be true, it probably is. Second, if the information you hear suggests eliminating any food or an entire food group for healthy eating, it probably is a myth.

Healthy eating means eating a variety of foods from all food groups. The key is to focus on foods that are minimally processed and closest to their natural state. Although some foods and food groups get demonized, keep in mind that most play an important role in health.

Let’s take a look at the basics with the three macronutrients that provide calories:

1. Carbohydrates
2. Protein
3. Fat

Break up with Your Bad Habits

December 29, 2008

We all have unique habits.  Some are fantastic, like being regularly active, while others can truly hurt your health, like smoking.  Habits can start at a young age and the longer we keep doing something, the more likely it is to become a permanent habit.  For instance, those who start smoking at a young age and continue for many years, have a difficult time breaking that habit.  We of course need to keep our positive habits, but work on breaking up with our bad ones.

How to Break up with Your Bad Habits – It Starts with a Plan

You have several options for changing your habits.  One is to stop cold turkey but this is unrealistic for some folks. A simple trigger may tempt you to go back to your old ways. Maybe your trigger is candy – you have a bad habit of eating candy every single day.  The easiest way to make positive strides is to get rid of it.  Keep it out of the house.  Keep food in a coworker’s desk or another location that’s out of site.  In fact, research suggests when food is out of site, like in a desk or file cabinet door, you will eat significantly less than if it isout in clear view. 

Now, sometimes you may find avoiding the trigger is impossible.  All of us would probably prefer to avoid a stressful day, but that is not always within our control.  In these situations, the goal is to acknowledge the urge, and the consequences of giving in. Try this the next time the urge to go back to your old ways comes back:

SUBSTITUTE another activity
•    Stressful day?  Rather than grab the first thing from the vending machine, take a 5 minute break to unwind.   Close your eyes, take several deep breaths, and refocus. Eating is not something that will take the stressor away and will likely add additional stress.  Be careful of using food in an attempt to forget about tension.  Instead, use the opportunity to identify practical solutions to dealing with the stress. 
•    Instead of eating while watching TV, do some calisthenics or stretching exercises.  If you have exercise equipment, use it.

I’ve Lost All Sense of Direction

December 22, 2008

Did you get a GPS system for your car for Christmas? They’re pretty popular and I bet a bunch of you have received them. I’ve had a GPS in my car for the last few years, and I must admit I have lost all sense of direction. When I’m walking in the city or in a car without GPS, I have enormous difficulty figuring how to get around. Don’t ask me which way is North?! And I have irked more than a few passengers when I relied upon the robotic voice in my car rather than theirs in driving them to a destination. Afterall, if the car doesn’t tell me to turn nowadays, I don’t – doesn’t matter if the passenger has traveled a different route successfully numerous times!

I wonder if losing sense of direction is simply the next element of our lives becoming fully automated. Do you remember people’s phone numbers? Or do you simply store them in your phone? If you lost your phone, would you be able to call certain key numbers from memory? And when was the last time you actually did math in your head???

World AIDS Day—There’s Still Work to Be Done

December 01, 2008

December 1 is World AIDS Day. This year’s annual event has special significance given that it is the 20^th World AIDS Day as well as the 25th anniversary of the discovery of the virus that causes AIDS. We have made tremendous progress over the last two decades in fighting HIV/AIDS – the disease has gone from a death sentence to essentially a chronic disease. Think about it – you don’t often hear anymore about people dying of AIDS. Rather, people with AIDS are dying of diseases like heart disease, stroke, and cancer. In a weird way, that represents progress.

Despite these successes, AIDS remains a disease that has significant impact on society. Over 1 million people are living with HIV, and there are over 56,000 new cases a year. By the time you finish reading this posting, someone will be infected with HIV.

Why Take the National Body Challenge?

November 24, 2008

Why? Why should you enter another online weight-loss challenge? I bet that’s what you’re asking yourself and it’s a reasonable question. To answer whether you should participate in the National Body Challenge, I have some questions for you. Do you want to get help in breaking bad habits? Do you want the tools necessary to adopt healthy living? If either of those answers is yes, then our National Body Challenge is for you!

I do want to clarify an important point: National Body Challenge is not about losing weight; rather, it’s about learning to live healthy. Many of you will participate this year in order to lose weight, but others will enter to maintain a healthy weight, and still others will want to tone up. Personally, I’m entering because I need to learn more about the right things to eat. That’s right – I need to learn more about nutrition and exercise. Even though I’m a doctor, we really don’t learn about nutrition or physical activity in medical school. So I’m eager, just like you, to hear from experts about simple ways to break bad habits and learn good ones.

Did you know that exercise has been shown to help prevent heart disease, stroke, heart disease, and even cancer?

Feeling Depressed After A Heart Attack

November 06, 2008

If you have had a heart attack, you may be experiencing depression. Did you realize that your mood can also be affecting your heart health? Depression causes a lot of problems for people with heart disease: more days in bed, more visits to the doctor, more ER visits, less enjoyment of life, more medical complications, and a higher risk of death. Untreated depression can actually double the risk of another cardiac event after a heart attack! How can you tell if you might be depressed? Here are some of the symptoms to look for:

• Do you feel sad, down, or blue most of the time?
• Have you stopped enjoying activates that you used to enjoy?
• Is your energy very low or are you having problems moving at a normal pace?
• Do you have problems concentrating?
• Has your appetite or sleep patterns changed?
• Do you feel worthless or excessively guilty?
• Have you been having thoughts about hurting or killing yourself?

If you have been experiencing these symptoms regularly, you may have depression, and depression is bad for your heart.