Gearing Up for the Holiday!

Here is our best advice for enjoying the holidays without sabotaging your waistline and your health.

1. Stay away from the appetite-stimulating “Great White Hazards”. This notorious group of easily digested carb foods including white flour products, white rice, white potatoes, and sugars/sweets make you hungrier.  Holidays are already a dietary pitfall for most and these foods add insult to injury.  Choose whole grains, beans, sweet potatoes, and winter squashes as much healthier alternatives to the starchy white stuff.    Try bean salad instead of potato salad; brown rice over white rice; 100% whole grain crackers or breads over white bread; sweet potatoes or winter squash over white potatoes. And just say NO to the rolls and biscuits!
   
2. Fill your tummy up first with foods that have lots of bulk but minimal calories, i.e. the “big, yet skinny” fruits and veggies.  Physical bulk (stuff) in the GI tract provides great appetite suppression.  At holiday gatherings, go straight to the fruit and veggie platter first and really indulge; use high fat/oil-based dips sparingly.  If available, make bean dips (hummus) your first choice. Eat a big tossed salad or a couple of servings of a veggie side dish before the rest of the meal. Fill at least half of your plate with fruits, veggies, and bean dishes before serving the rest of your meal. 
   
3. Don’t let yourself get too hungry! It takes fewer calories to prevent marked hunger than it does to deal with it once it occurs!
   
   Do not skip a meal earlier in the day to “save up” for the holiday feast. Eat a robust breakfast with an abundance of fiber and a nice dose of protein for better appetite control over the remainder of the day.   Have a snack an hour before you arrive at a holiday gathering.  My top snack choice would be a small handful of nuts along with a piece of fruit (apple) or fresh raw veggies (handful of carrots) dipped in hummus.
   
4. Make exercise a priority! It’s a fantastic safeguard against weight gain and helps compensate for holiday indulgences.  It’s also the perfect tonic for the stress and anxiety we all experience during the holiday season (many people binge when stressed). Taking a long walk right after a large holiday meal can aid in digestion and is fantastic for alleviating the bloat and fatigue that naturally ensues after eating too much.
   
5. Be prudent in satisfying your sweet tooth. Fresh fruit salad, a fruit-based dessert, or a piece of high quality dark chocolate would be my top dessert pick. If you prefer other goodies, be very mindful of your portions.
   
6. Get your beauty rest! Provocative new science reveals that sleep deprivation enhances appetite and increases cravings for high risk foods like sweets, chips, breads and pasta.   Additionally, sleep deprivation zaps energy and enthusiasm for exercise. Strive for at least 7 hours of quality sleep the night prior to your holiday gatherings.
   
7. Eat mindfully – give every meal, every snack and every bite your undivided attention. Eat slowly and be conscious of how delicious your food tastes - savor the whole experience. Don’t linger over the buffet table or hover over the hors d’oeuvres nibbling as you engage in conversation. Get up from the table immediately after finishing your meal to reinforce that eating has come to an end. And pre-plate everything (meals, hors d’oeuvres, dessert etc).  We tend to eat less if we can view it all before we start.

 Enjoy the holidays and your health!

Planning a Healthy Holiday Season

Plan your self-care routine.

·         Plan some “me-time” in your daily calendar. Maintaining your foundation of healthy habits is especially important over the next few weeks. Don’t look at these basic self-care habits as optional.

·         Eat well and don’t skip the “good for you” stuff. Limit your caffeine, sugar, fat and alcohol, while indulging in lean protein, fruits, veggies and whole grains. Don’t forego the “good stuff” to indulge in the “all-the-extra-stuff.” Consider planning your menus and make things ahead to store in the freezer.

·         Be active. Whether you do it all at once or in small increments, make physical activity part of your daily calendar. Doing less is better than doing nothing at all.

·         Get enough sleep. Adequate sleep will help you maintain your weight, your emotional wellness and your health. If you have a difficult time getting to sleep, limit your caffeine intake after lunch and give yourself some down-time to relax before bedtime.

Plan your time.

·         Create a master calendar of events and activities that you want to do this holiday season.

·         Organize your time by ranking items as high, moderate and low priority. Focus first on the high priority items. Review your low priority items and remove them from your list, if possible. Reschedule commitments and appointments that can wait until after the holidays.

·         Work to maintain your personal and time boundaries. Learn when to say “no”, if necessary. Don’t overextend your holiday commitments.

·         Share household responsibilities with your family. Trying to be everything to everyone causes burnout.

Plan your finances.

·         Create a financial budget for gifts, travel and activities…then stick to it.

·         Communicate your plan to your family and friends.

·         Start a holiday savings account for next year.

·         Examine your current expenses to see what is absolutely necessary.

·         Look for creative gift ideas that your friends and family will appreciate and value that don’t cost you anything, like an exchange-a-favor gift. For example, trade off babysitting duties with other families. Volunteer to do household chores for elderly family members, single friends or overworked couples. Offer your skills (like cooking, cleaning, construction work, trade labor, etc.) to a friend or family member.

Plan for simplicity. 

·         Shop for gifts online or by mail.

·         Plan for holiday parties at a local restaurant, or organize a potluck dinner instead of doing all the food preparation.

·         Take advantage of pre-cut produce and ready-prepared foods whenever possible.

·         Remember that saying “no” is an option.

·         Free yourself from technology for at least one hour each day (i.e. computers, pagers, cell phones, wireless handheld devices, pda’s, etc.)

Plan for health in the year ahead.

·         Give a gift that supports good health in the year ahead (or give suggestions if friends and family are asking for ideas for you). Here are great ideas for giving wellness for the holidays:

Dumbbell or weight set

Exercise or walking music CD

Fitness ball with training DVD

Fitness center membership

Fruit-of-the-month club membership

Gift card from produce markets

Gift card from sporting goods stores

Healthy cookbook

Indoor or outdoor bicycle

In-home walking DVD set

Pedometer or wireless activity monitor

Heart rate monitor

Personal trainer gift certificate

Resistance bands set

Treadmill

Other home exercise equipment

Subscription to health magazines

Subscription to healthy cooking magazines

Marinated Crudités

8 to 10 cups assorted fresh vegetables

1 large bottle low-fat Red Wine Vinaigrette or Balsamic Vinaigrette Salad Dressing

Wash and cut vegetables into bite size pieces or leave whole, if appropriate. Place vegetables in a non-metallic covered container or zip-lock bag, and pour dressing over vegetables. Marinate in the refrigerator for several hours or up to 24 hours before serving. Drain vegetables thoroughly and place on a serving platter or vegetable tray. Makes one large vegetable tray.

Nutrition Facts Per 1/2-cup Serving: 45 calories, 2g total fat, 2g dietary fiber, 1g protein, 8g carbohydrate, 35mg sodium

~~Enjoy this wonderful time of the year!!!

Health Benefits of Fruit Infused Waters

Health Benefits of Fruit Infused Waters

Do you turn to soda, diet soda, sugary “juice” cocktails, vitamin enhanced waters, chemical-laden drops or other drinks with artificial colors, flavors and sweeteners to quench your thirst?  Better options exist and the health benefits of fruit infused waters are numerous and delicious!

 

Waters infused with fruits help with detoxification, energy and hydration.  All you do is place as much fruit into water as you would like and let it sit for 30 minutes; then enjoy!

Consider the following combinations of fruit for various health goals:

·         Green tea+Mint+Lime: Fat burning, digestion, headaches, congestion and freshens breath.

·         Strawberry+Kiwi: Cardiovascular health, immune system protection, blood sugar regulation, and digestion

·         Cucumber+Lime+Lemon: Water weight management, bloating, appetite control, hydration, and digestion

·         Lemon+Lime+Orange: Digestion, vitamin C, immune defense, heartburn, (when consumed at room temperature)

And just for fun:

·         Lemon+Raspberry+Mint

·         Blackberry+Cherry+Lime

·          Watermelon

·          Pineapple

·          Pick your own!

Lemons are full of benefits! 
 

1.    Lemons contain high dose of antioxidants, Vitamin C and Citric acid – this trio not only boots your immune system but also increases collagen production for plump, youthful skin.  Vitamin C can also help clear up blemishes, and even help with scarring when applied topically!

2.    A little lemon water before meals reduces hunger, helps with digestion and also contributes to detoxification by aiding liver function.

3.    The scent of lemons has been said to increase alertness and boost your energy!

It’s so easy to enjoy a healthy and flavorful beverage without the added sugars and chemicals found in other drinks. 

Simple Productivity Tricks

It is really easy to get distracted. No matter how hard you focus on trying to complete a task, your mind will wander.

While there is no harm in daydreaming from time to time, sometimes when things must get done you just need to sit down and concentrate on what you are doing without the musings of your imagination getting in the way. While forcing your brain to focus is never simple, there are some easy techniques to help purge the distractions and increase your productivity.

Try these tips to expel procrastination

Just get started: If you are staring down a report or a long to-do list and dreading having to get through it all, one of the best methods is simple – just get started!  Once you start it is much easier to get on a roll and keep the productivity going. As tempting as it is to watch just one more episode of your favorite show before getting to your errands, once you get going you’ll get excited to complete the next chore and be able to get through them quickly. Then hopefully, there will be some time for that show later.

Change the environment: The lighting and temperature of your workspace could be hindering your productivity. Optimal room temperature to be productive is 77 degrees Fahrenheit, according to a study from Cornell. Allowing more natural light into your office will make you more productive as well. Waking up early can help productivity, mainly because you get to work while there is more natural light available. But make sure the light doesn’t cause any glare on your computer screen, as straining your eyes to read the screen will hurt your efficiency.

Avoid long to-do lists: If you overload your to-do list, it may seem overwhelming to get everything done. Making a shorter list will seem more manageable and feel less daunting to complete. To-do lists can be a great motivator – as long as they are the right size.

Dispel distractions: If you have an important report to work on or a big test to study for, shut off your email and block yourself from logging on to social media sites. Disconnecting, even for just an hour, will increase your productivity significantly.

Set realistic goals: Don’t expect yourself to complete five hours of work in two hours – it just isn’t possible. Instead, be realistic about your workload and the amount of time it will take to complete it. If you must ask for a more realistic deadline to finish, do so. But be sure to have a deadline to motivate you to finish. It will increase your productivity and lower your stress level. There are many things that can get in the way of a productive day. But by taking the proper steps you can get rid of the distractions and finish everything you need to get done. And nothing feels better than the end of a productive day.