'Tis the Season

The holidays are here again!  Are you overwhelmed with shopping, crowds, and parties?  The holidays are often more stressful because of the pressure we put on ourselves.  Everyone has stress in their lives, but the stressors of traffic and long lines are more prevalent this time of year!  While holiday stressors may negatively impact our enjoyment of the season, by recognizing them and making conscious decisions to react positively we can minimize the downside.  Below are some simple tips to keep you feeling joyful this holiday season:

·         Since traffic is often heavier this time of year leave a little earlier than normal  and also allow extra time to stand in line at Starbuck’s, the supermarket, etc.

·         Just say “no.”  You don’t have to attend every party and event.  Instead, choose to attend functions most important to you and spend time with the people you enjoy.

·         Set aside time for yourself.  Use this time to recharge and appreciate the holidays.

·         When you feel overwhelmed stop and take several deep breaths – it may be a cliché, but it works. 

·         Continue your exercise program – you’ll feel better and be healthier.

Enjoy the holidays!  Think of the season as a time of enjoyment and sharing rather than a time of stress and excessive obligations. 

 

Holiday Survival Tips

Do you find Halloween through New Year’s a difficult time to maintain a healthy diet?  Tempting desserts and caloric beverages seem to be more abundant this time of year.  You don’t have to abstain from enjoying a treat or two, but making mindful choices will ensure you don’t pack on holiday pounds.  Use a few of the simple strategies below to help you survive the holidays without weight gain:

·        Keep up with your workouts!  This is the perfect time to hire a personal trainer who will keep you on track and make the most of your workouts. 

·        Instead of dreading a trip to the mall, celebrate, you’ll be moving and burning calories!

·        Park further away when going to the grocery store or mall!  You’ll save time by not circling the parking lot several times to find a spot close to the store.

·        Plan ahead.  If you know your aunt is making your favorite dessert, skip the mashed potatoes and gravy and enjoy every bite of dessert! 

·        Manage portion sizes.  The first bite is usually the best - take small servings and don’t go back for seconds.

·        Avoid or limit alcohol.  Alcohol contains empty calories and often increases your appetite.

·        Eat a healthy snack before arriving to a party so you can avoid the usually high calorie hors d’oeuvres table.

·        Remember you’ve chosen healthier lifestyle habits to positively influence how you feel for the rest of your life!    

You may not be able to control everything during the holidays, but you can choose to exercise and eat healthy!  Use the tips above to help you make mindful choices throughout the season.  If you end up indulging more than you intended, don’t panic, get back on track with your healthy habits and you’ll be glad you did once New Year’s arrives!

 Choices today determine tomorrow...choose a healthy lifestyle!

Enhance Your Strength Training Routine

Are you bored with your strength training routine?  Have you been doing the same routine for 3 months, a year, 5 years, or 20 years?  If you’ve answered “yes,” it may be time to reassess your program; or, if you’re not strength training it’s time to start!  After the age of 30 individuals lose approximately 5 pounds of muscle per decade (Westcott, 2014).  A proper strength training routine will increase lean muscle mass and build bone!  A pound of trained muscle burns 7.3 calories per day while a pound of fat only burns 2 calories per day (Westcott, 2014).  Help your body be better at burning calories by strength training!

The human body adapts quickly – it’s important to make changes in your strength training workout to keep achieving results.  The changes can be as simple as performing the same exercises in reverse order or you can completely overhaul your routine!  Below are some tips to help you improve your workout:

·       It’s important to make sure you are overloading your muscles to enhance muscle hypertrophy (increase in muscle).  This means you must consistently work the muscle harder than what it is accustomed.  The recommendation for muscle hypertrophy is to perform between 8-15 repetitions to momentary muscle failure (MMF).  Once you can perform an exercise for 15, 16, 17 repetitions, it’s time to increase the weight.

·        If you’re new to training begin by manipulating the intensity (load/weight), frequency, and volume (number of repetitions and sets). 

·       Change and vary the amount of time you rest between sets.  Some workouts decide you’ll rest 30 seconds and then on another day rest 45 or 60 seconds – when you change your rest time you change the entire workout.  Rest of 30-60 is best for hypertrophy training. 

·       Alternate between an upper body exercise and then a lower body exercise.

·       Supersets – perform an exercise working a specific muscle group (agonist) and then perform an exercise working the opposing muscle (antagonist).  Rest only long enough to get from one exercise to the next.  An example would be a chest press and then a back row or a bicep curl and then a triceps extension.

·       Compound sets – perform an exercise working a specific muscle group and then do another exercise working the same muscle group (e.g., chest press and then a pec fly). 

·       Breakdown training – each exercise should be performed to momentary muscle failure – then add more or less weight and keep going until MMF is reached again.

The above tips will alleviate boredom and help you achieve your goals!  Remember to execute the exercises in good form while reaching momentary muscle failure.  Have fun! 

References

Westcott, W. (2014). Resistance training: programming and progressions. In C.X. Bryant, S Merrill, & D.J.

     Green (Eds). American council on exercise. (326-390). San Diego: American Council on Exercise.

What Your Waist Size Reveals

Do you know your waist size?  It’s time to check it out!  Your waist size is an easy way to reveal your health status.  Males with a waist size of more than 40 inches or females with a waist size of more than 35 inches strongly indicates abdominal obesity and “increases your risk of dying from cancer, heart disease, and respiratory disease” (American Cancer Society, 2014).

Reduce your waistline and you’ll reduce your health risks!  Below are some nutritional and exercise tips to help you start making improvements.  Try one change a week or several at a time.  Just make sure they are changes you can sustain and you will start to see improvements within a few weeks!

ü  Eat meals on a salad plate versus a dinner plate; and don’t go back for seconds.J   This small change will dramatically reduce your portion sizes!

ü  Reduce all processed foods including protein bars, soy products, and snack foods.  To help you resist temptation stay away from the snack isle in the grocery store.  Remember to read the ingredient list – if the item has more than five or six ingredients and/or you can’t pronounce the words, then don’t eat it!

ü  Reduce simple carbohydrates.  Most are processed foods so you’ll be accomplishing two goals at once!  Stay away from white bread, cookies, crackers, granola bars, breakfast bars, cereals with more than 6 grams of sugar per serving, chips, pretzels, etc.  Try to go one day without packaged snacks and you’ll eliminate processed foods and simple carbohydrates as well as wasted calories!

ü  Reduce or eliminate alcohol.  Drink water! 

ü  Reduce or eliminate juices – eat whole vegetable and fruits instead – they contain more nutrients and fiber which will keep you satiated longer.

ü  Eliminate fried foods (e.g., fried chicken, fried fish, French fries, onion rings, donuts, taco shells, etc.).  Fried foods are high in unhealthy saturated fat.

ü  Eat leaner proteins (e.g., skinless chicken and fish) – you’ll reduce saturated fat and calories.  Also, be sure to use low-fat cooking methods - grill, bake, or broil.

ü  Consume nonfat or low-fat dairy products.  Limit cheese – it is tends to be high in fat.  A serving size is approximately the tip of your thumb.

ü  Nuts contain healthy fat, but a serving size is only about 1/3 of a cup. 

ü  Walk more often – park further away from your destination, take the stairs instead of the elevator, and/or get up and walk at least once an hour when sitting at your desk.

ü  Perform cardiovascular exercise daily for 30 minutes.  Exercise can be broken up into three, 10 minute increments if necessary.  A few of its many benefits include helping to strengthen the heart, improve blood flow throughout the body, and enhance wellbeing by releasing endorphins.

ü  Perform strength training 2-3 days per week.  Strength training improves bone and muscle mass as well as many other health benefits.

ü  Prepare dinner instead of buying premade dinners.  Standing burns approximately twice as many calories as sitting!

Some of the strategies listed above are easier than others.  As you master one change, you can then begin to adopt another!  They will begin to build upon each other.  The changes you make will become part of your life and over time you will be living a healthier life! 

 CHOICES TODAY DETERMINE TOMORROW – CHOOSE A HEALTHY LIFESTYLE!

 

References

 

American Cancer Society. (2014). Study: larger waist size increases health risks. Retrieved from:

     http://www.cancer.org/cancer/news/larger-waist-size-increases-health-risks

Healthy Tips for Eating Out

“Today, American families cook and eat together less at home while spending over 60¢ out of every food dollar (or more) on meals eaten away from home” (Sorenson, 2013).  Restaurant portion sizes are considerably larger than twenty years ago and beverage sizes have also increased proportionately.  As a result, eating out today can be problematic if you’re trying to eat healthy. But it is not impossible!  It’s important to know you can eat out and still work toward your health and wellness goals. It may not always be easy, but the tips below will help you make healthier food choices whether you’re dining in a five-star restaurant or a fast food chain.

·        Look for key words as to how foods are prepared: grilled, broiled, or steamed are healthier options than fried, sautéed, or cream based sauces. 

·        Most chain restaurants provide nutritional information – check it out and make an informed choice.  Many restaurant meals contain your entire caloric allotment for the day!

·        Ask for it your way!  Most restaurants and even fast food chains will accommodate your requests including:  skipping the mayo or special sauce on sandwiches and burgers, asking for food to be prepared without butter and/or cheese, and requesting steamed vegetables instead of mashed potatoes or rice with the main course.   

·        Drink water – skip caloric beverages.  A 20 oz. Coke contains 240 calories and 65 grams of sugar – that’s 16 teaspoons of sugar! 

·        Skip the bread or chip basket.  Instead, start with a mixed green salad. Ask for salad dressing on the side.

·        Order an appetizer as the main course.

·       Share a meal.  Many restaurants will charge a nominal fee for splitting a plate – a small price to pay for maintaining your waistline!

Maintaining a healthy lifestyle doesn’t mean you need to forego the enjoyment of dining out.  Regardless of the type of restaurant you can almost always find healthy choices.  Take the time to consider your options and don’t hesitate to make special requests. 

 

References

Sorensen, N.J. (2013). Obesity in america. Retrieved from:

     http://www.foodandnutrition.com/nutrition/obesity.htm

Diet Marketing Trends vs. Fact-Based Nutrition

Have you noticed the latest marketing trend occurring in grocery stores?  Manufacturers are promoting the protein content in their products to encourage shoppers to purchase.  Cereals, breads, and even candy bars are touting an extra boost of protein.  Protein is falsely being hyped as the king of macronutrients but, carbohydrates and fat also play important roles in how our bodies function. 

It’s important to eat a variety of foods from all the macronutrients and also consider the quality of our foods.  Each macronutrient category contains foods with high and low quality nutrients.  For better nutrition try swapping low quality foods for high quality foods.  I think you will find the higher quality nutrients are lower in calories and saturated fat and you will also feel satiated longer.

Try changing one food item each week and over time you’ll have a complete diet makeover! Here are some sample swaps for each of the macronutrients (protein, carbohydrate, and fat): 

·         A 6 ounce broiled porterhouse steak has 38 grams protein and 44 grams fat (16 saturated) while 6 ounces of wild salmon has 34 grams protein and 18 grams fat (4 saturated).

·       A packet of instant cinnamon and apple oatmeal contains 160 calories, 200 mg. of sodium, 4 grams of fiber, 4 grams of protein, and 12 grams of sugar.  A similar sized serving of old-fashioned oats contains 150 calories, NO sodium, 4 grams of fiber, 5 grams of protein and NO sugar and only takes 5 minutes on the stove top or 2 ½ - 3 minutes in the microwave.

·       A cup of whole milk contains 146 calories, 8 grams of fat (5 grams saturated), 24 mg. cholesterol, 98 mg. sodium, and 13 grams of sugar while a cup of non-fat milk contains 86 calories, no fat, 5 grams of cholesterol, 127 mg. of sodium, and 12 grams of sugar.

Try to make daily conscious decisions about the foods you prepare and eat.  A nutritional handbook or a phone app (e.g., My Fitness Pal and Fooducate) can be helpful as you attempt to make better choices.  Trendy fad diets are a poor substitute for fact based nutritional awareness.  By making small dietary changes you and your family will look better (inside and out), feel better, and perform better!

Maximize Every Repetition

Whether you’re a male wanting to bulk up or a female wanting to tone up, the training methods to reach your goals are quite similar.  Progressive resistance training increases the size and strength of muscles in both men and women, although men generally have a greater ability due to the hormone testosterone, higher percentage of lean body mass, and larger body size (Westcott, 2014).  Paying attention to your movement speed during each repetition is a training variable you should use to improve your desired results.

There are two phases of a contraction – the concentric action and the eccentric action.  A concentric contraction is the shortening of the muscle – this usually feels like the work phase (e.g., the up phase of a bicep curl).  The eccentric action occurs when the muscle lengthens; it feel like the easier phase of the exercise (e.g., the lowering phase of a bicep curl).  Every time you perform resistance training exercises you should make the most of every repetition by focusing on both phases of a contraction.      

Each repetition should be performed smoothly, taking about 6 seconds to complete – approximately 1-3 seconds for the concentric action and 2-4 seconds to complete the eccentric action (Wescott, 2014).  If you’ve been concentrating on the concentric contraction you may feel more soreness after slowing down the eccentric action.  Eccentric training is known to cause the greatest amount of post workout soreness.  Interestingly, the eccentric training has also been shown to be more effective than concentric training for strength development and muscle hypertrophy (Farthing & Chilibeck, 2003). 

Maximize your strength training routine by working your muscles in both phases of the contraction.  You may need to slow down each repetition and focus more on the eccentric phase but you will soon notice improved results.  As with all resistance training, concentration and proper technique are paramount.     

References

Farthing, J., & Chilibeck, P. (2003). The effects of eccentric and concentric training at

     different velocities on muscle hypertrophy. European Journal Of Applied Physiology,

     89(6), 578-586.

Westcott, W. (2014). Resistance training: programming and progressing. In C.X. Bryant,

     S. Merrill, & D. Green (Ed.), American council on exercise personal trainer manual.

     (5^th edition). (pp. 326-390). San Diego: American Council on Exercise.