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Weight Loss Tips You Will Enjoy!

Most of us are aware of the basics when it comes to keeping our weight in check:  drink water, exercise, eat less calories than you burn, enjoy whole foods and avoid junk food laden with added fats and sugar.  However, below are some fun and interesting tips that you can add to your arsenal to fight off unwanted weight gain.

imagesSnack Before Dinner.  Eat ½ ounce of healthy fat such as nuts or avocados eight minutes before dinner.  You will feel fuller longer and eat less.  One study showed a 4-pound weight loss per year with this simple trick.

Eat Mint.  Mint has been shown to be a natural appetite suppressant and can even improve digestion.  It can be eaten or inhaled.  It could be a cup of mint tea, mint flavored toothpaste (don’t eat it), mint infused room scent or a simple mint leaf in your water.  One study found that people who inhaled a peppermint scent every two hours ate 2,700 fewer calories per week—that’s nearly a one-pound loss!

Personally, I swear by a cup of mint tea at night.  I started drinking it a couple years ago whenever I got hungry at night and it did the trick.  Now it is my go to whenever I want to munch (Tazo Refresh is my favorite.)

Add Don’t Subtract.  If you are getting depressed thinking of all those foods you are not supposed to eat, then instead concentrate on what you should add to your diet.  For example, find a way to add 1 or 2 different healthy foods to your diet each day.  Plan your meals around it, and your focus will go from depriving to thriving.  Some examples: add kale to your scrambled eggs, add spinach to a juice or make a dessert with three different kinds of berries.

Eat Vitamin C.  It inhibits the production of cortisol, a hormone that essentially tells your body to store fat.  One simple way is to eat grapefruit or orange slices with breakfast. Or use it as your afternoon snack.

Shoot Your Food.  We have all heard about writing down everything you eat, well instead of pen and paper, record what you eat with a photo.  Sound complicated?  Not with today’s ever present cell phones.  Simply snap a picture before you pick up that fork.   When you look back and see that healthy salad covered in blue cheese dressing and croutons, it may give you a pause the next time you hit the salad bar.

Eat Breakfast.  A recent study in the journal Obesity found that women who ate a 700-calorie breakfast and 200-calorie dinner shed more than twice as much weight over 12 weeks as those whose meal sizes were reversed. 

Drink Wine. A 2010 study from Brigham and Women’s Hospital in Boston, which followed more than 19,000 women for an average of 13 years, found that those who had one to two alcoholic drinks daily put on fewer pounds than non-drinkers and heavy drinkers. Weight gain was lowest among wine drinkers. While the researchers can’t definitively explain this, they say that the subjects who sipped a glass or two ate fewer calories—and that women burn more calories after drinking than men do.

Stand up!  Standing burns 1.5 times more calories than sitting. Stand when you’re at the doctor’s office or when you watch TV.  My favorite tip is to set my computer on the bar height counter in my kitchen – this way it is perfect height to stand and work.

Sleep in a Cold Room. A somewhat chilly bedroom could improve both your sleep and your metabolism. An article in Obesity Reviews noted that the average indoor temperature has ticked upward during the past few decades. What’s more, most of us keep the thermostat steady throughout the house, preventing the body from experiencing dips in temperature to stoke its own calorie-burning furnace. Sleeping in a chillier room is a great way to force your body to heat itself up for hours and you will burn calories all night long while keeping yourself warm.

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Give Me An “M”!

How to Stay Motivated 

Day to day it becomes difficult to keep motivated toward your health and fitness goals. You are not alone. So, below is a list of suggestions that might just trigger that “ah-ha” factor. Remember, it’s an 80/20 rule. Keep on track 80% of the time and indulge a bit 20% of the time. Everything in moderation. It’s about a healthy lifestyle, not a diet.

  1. A friend of mine, and co-soccer coach, recently put his current weight and % body fat on the screen saver of his iPhotoddne. He realized it’s the thing he looks at most often every day. It’s his motivation to improve. FACT: People look at their phones, on average, 110 times a day.
  2. Schedule a regular workout routine…and don’t let anything get in the way. Often when you say “maybe I will do it later” without a committed time to exercise, it is very easy to get wrapped up in your day and run out of time. Schedule it on your calendar and make it happen.
  3. Set yourself a goal with a deadline. Whether it’s a wedding, an event or a reunion, set a goal on what you want to achieve by that date. It can be lose 10 pounds, go down a dress size or gain more definition in your arms. “The difference between a dream and a goal is a deadline.”
  4. Chart your progress. This can be lifting heavier weights week to week, longer mileage on the treadmill, extra workout or weight lost. Literally keep track of your accomplishments. Look at it as a daily reminder of how you are kicking ass.
  5. If weight loss is your goal…lift the weight you lost. Or want to lose. It’s a literal way to show yourself how much extra weight you were or are carrying.WW
  6. Put a motivational quote or picture on your mirror or desktop. Something that really resonates and keeps you on track. Note mine to the right ->
  7. Get a fitness device. Whether it’s the FuelBand, FitBit or a pedometer, set yourself a goal to hit and hit it every day. Then try to beat it. It’s like having a trainer in your pocket (or on your wrist). For more information on devices, check out our blog entry under “devices”.
  8. Only check the scale once a week (I think Fridays are a choice day). This keeps you in check throughout the week and gives you something to look forward to in seeing your progress.
  9. Think about how hard you pushed yourself in your workout – do you really want to give up all that hard work for a bag of chips? Don’t let the chips win.
  10. Track your monthly costs for your gym membership, trainers and classes you attend. Let the number be a reminder of how much you have put into your health. Seeing that investment is a really good motivator to not let that money go to waste.
  11. Make yourself accountable. Announce publically what your intentions are: I am going to run a 5K, I am going to fit into my skinny jeans by April, I am going to cut sugar out of my diet. If you participate in Lent – this is a great time to commit to something (starts March 5th). For me, it’s giving up the chips and night snacking. Damn. Now it’s out there.
  12. Think about how awesome it feels after a workout. Stress is relieved, you think more clearly, you feel accomplished, you feel strong and anything becomes possible.
  13. Momentum. It’s a scientific fact – something in motion tends to stay in motion. Momentum builds quickly and can lead to great results. Suddenly, you’re not only working for the goal, but also to keep your streak alive.
  14. The “wow” effect. Think how powerful you will feel when you run into someone you haven’t seen in a while and they gawk at how good you look. Or, hell, even a stranger.
  15. MUSIC. There is no doubt there is a song that will get you going. Or a playlist. Put it on…and let it psyche you up. Music changes everything.

Keep this list for reference and feel free to add more. We love to hear your thoughts.

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6 Essential Nutrients

There are 6 essential nutrients our bodies depend on for proper functioning:

Water, Carbohydrates, Protein, Fats, Vitamins and Minerals.

Water

Water is the largest single component of the body. Up to 60% of our bodies are made up of water. Muscle holds the highest concentration of water while fat tissue holds someHealthy food pyramide on the white background of the lowest amounts.

The amount of water a person has in their body varies based on their proportion of muscles to fat tissue. So, a person who exercises more will have a higher percentage of water.

Water has a variety of functions that are essential to life:

  • Regulates your body temperature
  • Transports nutrients in our bodies
  • Flushes out waste
  • Helps our immune system and brain
  • Helps your joints work

As little as a 5-10 % loss can cause dehydration. When you are thirsty, it’s a sign your body is already dehydrated.

Carbohydrates

Carbohydrates provide the energy we need for physical activity and organ function.

  • Our bodies break down carbohydrates in order to make glucose (the end result of carbohydrate digestion) for energy
  • Carbohydrates are necessary for the normal metabolism of fat

2 Types of Carbohydrates

  • Complex Carbohydrates / “Good Carbs” = starches like cereal, bread, beans, potatoes, and starchy vegetables.  Good carbs are fiber-rich carbohydrates, like those found in many complex carbohydrates. Good carbs are absorbed into our systems more slowly, which helps us avoid escalations in blood sugar and provide a lasting form of energy.
  • Simple Carbohydrates / “Bad Carbs” = milk, fruits and some vegetables are natural, simple carbs and are still healthy because they are rich in other nutrients such as vitamins, minerals and fiber. Bad carbs are foods that are refined or processed, such as white rice or white bread, and foods with added sugar such as desserts, candy, soda and sugary cereals. They should be avoided as they offer little to no nutritional value, while adding way too many calories to our diet; making them “empty” calories. Empty calories contribute to excessive weight gain and other associated health risks.

There is no “Recommended Daily Allowance” for sugar like there is for carbohydrates, because we get our glucose needs from good carbohydrates.

Protein

After water, proteins are the most abundant substances in most cells.  It is what our body’s tissues are made up of…our muscles, organs, immune system and, our hair, nails and skin. Protein builds strong muscles and repairs your body.

What foods have protein?

  • Protein is made up of amino acids…there are 20 amino acids, of which 9 are essential, which means the body can’t produce them on its own so you have to get them from food.
  • Protein is found in milk, eggs, peanut butter, chicken, fish, meat, yogurt, cheese, legumes, nuts, seeds and grains

Fats

Fats are necessary for our body to survive – they transport fat-soluble vitamins and form cell membranes. Fat is also the coating under our skin and in our organs to insulate and protect our bodies. Fats are the major stored form of energy in the body.  Some fats are really good for us and some are not so good:

  • Good Fats (Polyunsaturated and Monounsaturated – the healthiest): olive oil, nuts, milk, olives, avocado
  • Bad Fats (Saturated): butter, beef, pork, fried foods, mayo
  • Trans fatty acids (the most unhealthy): manufactured during food processing (ie. hydrogenated fats) 

Here’s an interesting fact…For energy, our body uses carbohydrates first, then fats and then protein as a last resort.

Vitamins

Vitamins are non-caloric, organic compounds that help our bodies grow, maintain and repair. There are two types of vitamins:

  • Fat-soluble: Vitamins A, D, E and K – can be stored in the liver. Therefore, an overdose on these vitamins can lead to toxic levels in the body.
  • Water-soluble: not able to be stored – they are excreted by the kidneys.

Minerals

Minerals are inorganic compounds that assist processes and are part of the structures of the body (iron in blood and calcium in teeth and bones).

The body best absorbs vitamins and minerals when provided through natural sources than pill form.  Eating food triggers satiety, which prevents consuming toxic levels of nutrients, something pills can’t do.

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