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ByAnn
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Exercising Through the Winter Season

As the weather gets colder, it’s challenging to feel motivated to go outside for a walk or run when you can just stay cozy inside of your home. Sure, we may rather go outside when it’s warm or stay in bed when it’s dark and cold outside, but it doesn’t have to be that way. There are lots of exercise options that we can do during this time instead of giving excuses every single time. A very good first step is to get up and start moving, but what type of exercises can you do after that? Here’s some options that you can be consistent with AND actually enjoy:

For those who love cold weather (be sure to bundle up and grab the proper gear first):

  • Hiking
  • Walking
  • Jogging or Running
  • Bike riding
  • Snow shoe-ing
  • Skiing
  • Snowboarding
  • Walking the dog
  • Ice skating
  • Raking the leaves
  • Splitting wood

For those who want to stay warm indoors:

  • Exercising at a gym (if you’re comfortable)
  • Fitness apps (I LOVE the Peloton app – you don’t need their bike to use this)
  • Yoga
  • Strength training (weights, resistance bands, etc.)
  • Jump rope
  • Indoor swimming pool
  • YouTube workout videos
  • Barre
  • Dancing
  • Walking up and down stairs
  • Qubii (foot pedaling
  • Home equipment (treadmill, elliptical, stationary bike, total gym, etc.)
  • Build your own workout (lunges, squats, push ups, sit-ups)

It’s recommended to stretch both before and after workouts. If you haven’t exercised much before, it’s okay to start small and work your way up to longer exercise periods. Do only what you can tolerate since you could injure yourself if you don’t. Start with five minutes and then go from there. Don’t compare your abilities to others, but start somewhere: something is better than nothing! If you aren’t sure if a certain exercise is okay for you, be sure to contact your doctor and get clearance before trying it.

BySara
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Halloween Tips

The holidays are just around the corner! Halloween starts the festivities with loads of candy that can send you into a sugar rush, spiral you into a sea of unnecessary calories, and cause inflammation around your waistline.

As we prepare for a more normal holiday season this year, think about how you can be more mindful of what you serve your guests and what you are putting into your own body. Consider some of these tips and tricks to help you start the season nicely:

  • Avoid buying candy that you like: If you don’t have it in the house, there’s less temptation to snack on it as you walk past the candy bowl.
  • Hide the candy until Halloween day: If you’re trying to prepare by catching the good sales, then hide the candy when you get home. Remember: out of sight, out of mind.
  • Buy individual bags of pretzels and/or popcorn instead of candy: I know I always appreciate it when my kids come home from trick or treating with some snack bags instead of just candy.
  • Allow yourself one piece a day for the first 3 days: You never have to live a life of deprivation, so allow one piece of snack size candy for the first 3 days after lunch if you really want some candy and then move on after day 4.
  • Give it away: After Halloween, give away the extra candy. Bring it to the office or donate it to the local food bank. Some dentist offices will even pay you for it!

Check out this chart we found on Elliptical Reviews and think about how long it would take to burn off some of these treats:

Wishing you all a very Happy Halloween!

ByAnn
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October is Breast Cancer Awareness Month!

We all have been affected by cancer, whether it was you, a friend, or a family member. While we know there’s no one magical change that you can make to completely avoid all risk of cancer, it’s a group of changes and adopting a healthy lifestyle that can help you take preventative measures.

One change that you can make is eating your fruits and vegetables! We know, you hear this from us ALL the time. However, we wanted to share in more detail the “behind the scenes” benefits of them that you may not know about.

The term phytonutrients is a name for a wide variety of compounds produced by plants. Each phytonutrient comes from a variety of different plants and has different effects on and benefits for the body. Although scientists have only studied closely a small fraction of phytonutrients, researchers estimate there are up to 4,000 of them!

How do you get phytonutrients? They’re found in plant foods such as fruits, vegetables, beans, and grains. If you try to improve your balance of meals by including different colors of fruits and vegetables, you’ll be able to provide your body with a wide variety of nutritional benefits.

What are the health benefits of phytonutrients? New experimental studies are emerging and suggesting that phytonutrients may have an even greater role to play in human health than the already positive results that have been discovered to date. See below for some foods that you can incorporate into your daily intake to get these phytonutrients. It’s easier than you think!

PhytonutrientProposed BenefitsFood Sources
AnthocyanidinsBlood vessel healthBlackberries
Blueberries
Cranberries
Plums
Raspberries
Red onions
Red potatoes
Red radishes
Strawberries
Beta CaroteneImmune system
Vision
Skin health
Bone health		Apricots
Broccoli
Cantaloupe
Carrots
Collard greens
Kale
Pumpkin
Spinach
Sweet Potatoes
Winter squash
IsoflavonesBone health
Breast cancer
Joint inflammation
Lower cholesterol
Menopause		Soybeans
LuteinCancer
Eye health
Heart health		Artichokes
Broccoli
Brussel sprouts
Collard greens
Kale
Lettuce
Spinach
LycopeneHeart health
Prostate cancer		Pink grapefruit
Red peppers
Tomatoes
Tomato products
Watermelon
ResveratrolCancer
Heart health
Inflammation
Lung health		Grapes
Peanuts
Red wine
Information adapted from https://fruitsandveggies.org
ByAnn
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Blasting Through Weight Loss Plateaus

We all know that weight loss is a journey and not a destination. As you start your journey, keep in mind two things: (1) your weight loss will slow down as you get closer to your weight goal, and (2) you want to achieve a weight that you can actually maintain. There will be ups and downs, so you need to have a plan for when you are on a weight loss plateau. A plateau is a state of little or no change following a period of activity or progress.

Do you think you are on a weight loss plateau right now? Here are some tips to help you get through it:

  • Review what you’re eating: Make sure you haven’t become more lax, slowly increased portions without realizing, or are mindlessly eating. Did you remember to track that handful of potato chips you grabbed while walking through the kitchen? Extra nibbles here and there start adding up, so always ask yourself: “Am I hungry or am I bored?”
  • Track your exercise AND food: This is the best way to see what’s going on. If you think you’re in a plateau, track closely what you’re eating for 1 to 2 weeks and then let your dietitian review it with you to suggest possible changes.
  • Focus on the quality of your calories: It’s not only about calories but the type of foods you eat.
  • Change your workout routine: Your muscles become familiar with a workout that’s done repeately, so try a new fitness routine. Muscle mass is active tissues, so your body will burn more calories at rest if your muscle mass is greater than your fat mass. Gradually increasing the time and intensity of your exercise is beneficial too, but only do as much as you can tolerate!
  • Get adequate sleep: Sleep deprivation lowers leptin (an appetite-suppressing hormone), increases ghrelin (a hormone that stimulates hunger), and cortisol (a “stress hormone” that rises during tension-filled times).
  • Increase your fluid intake: Drink 80 to 100 oz of water per day (10 to 12 cups). The signs of dehydration can feel like hunger and trick your body into feeling hungry.

REMEMBER: Focus on the health benefits of your weight loss and celebrate your victories other than that number on the scale. Some other victories to celebrate include coming off of medication, increased energy levels, better mobility, improved quality of life, and feeling comfortable in your own skin. Any health goal that you have is important and worth working towards. Just because making lifestyle changes are hard doesn’t mean you can’t do it. You’re worth it!

ByAnn
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Coping with Emotional Eating

There’s so much more to eating than just eating when we are physically hungry. We could be feeling emotional (happy OR sad), stressed, bored, or “just because”. Emotional eating is eating as a way to suppress or soothe emotions, which can disrupt your weight-loss efforts. We’ve all been there, BUT the satisfaction is only temporary and doesn’t ultimately solve the underlying issue.

Here are some tips to help curb emotional eating:

  • Keep a food diary: Write down what you eat, how much you eat, when you eat, how you’re feeling when you eat and how hungry you are. Over time, you might see patterns that will reveal the connection between your mood and food.
  • Tame your stress: If stress contributes to your emotional eating, try a stress management technique (e.g. yoga, meditation, deep breathing).
  • Have a hugner reality check: Is your hunger physical or emotional? You’re probably not hungry if you just ate, so give the craving a time to pass.
  • Get support: You’re more likely to give in to emotional eating if you lack a good support network. Lean on family, friends, your dietitian, or a support group.
  • Fight boredom: Instead of snacking when you’re not hungry, distract yourself and substitute a healthier behavior. Try taking a walk, watching a movie, listening to music, reading, or calling a friend.
  • Take away temptation: Don’t keep hard-to-resist comfort foods in your home. If you have to go food shopping and you feel angry or sad, try to postpone your trip until your emotions are more under control.
  • Don’t deprive yourself: You may restrict calories too much when trying to lose weight, which can lead to increase of food cravings, especilally in response to emotions. Eat satisfying amounts of healthier foods, enjoy an occasional treat, and get plenty of variety to help curb cravings.
  • Snack healthy: If you need a snack between a meal, choose a snack that includes protein and fiber (e.g. fresh fruit with nuts, vegetables with guacamole or hummus, popcorn, yougurt with a sprinkle of granola).
  • Learn from setbacks: If you ate emotionally, forgive yourself! It happens: we aren’t meant to be perfect. Avoid letting guilty feelings set in, learn from the experience, and make a plan for how you can prevent it in the future. Focus on the positive changes you’re making in your eating habits and give yourself credit for making changes that will lead to a healthier life.

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