3 reasons to make physical activity a priority during the holidays

Commit to be fit this holiday season.  Photo credit: o5com via Flickr

Congratulations on surviving yet another post-Thanksgiving food coma.  If you are one of those people who finds it hard to get back on track with eating and physical activity after said food coma, then I challenge you to consider moving one thing to the top of your to-do list this holiday season.  That thing is physical activity.  I see physical activity as a gateway health habit.  When people let it slide to the bottom of their list of priorities, other habits tend to slide as well.  However, when people make physical activity a priority, not only do they stay on top of other health behaviors, but they also tend to score some fantastic deals in terms of their health and well-being, too!  Consider these three excellent reasons to commit to regular physical activity during the holidays.

Prevent holiday weight gain.  While holiday weight gain is common for many Americans, it is not necessarily inevitable.  Researchers have found that people who have successfully managed their weight long-term rarely deviate from their regular exercise routine throughout the year, including during the holidays.  Not only does exercise help stoke your body's metabolic furnace to burn more calories, but it also appears to help physically active people curb their food intake.

Manage stress.  Exercise is one of the best prescriptions for stress.  The holidays definitely present the opportunity for more stress from increasingly busy social calendars to additional responsibilities at work and more travel.  While you can't necessarily eliminate every source of stress in your life during the holidays, you certainly can include more ways to better manage it.  When you exercise, the body gets an amazing dose of natural feel-good chemicals, including serotonin and endorphins.  Exercise also allows you the opportunity to take a break from the stress in your life and just let it go. What once mattered before may not be as significant after a good workout.  

Boost energy levels.  With a fuller schedule and more stress, you may find that your energy levels may take a serious beating during the holidays.  While sipping more coffee or Red Bulls may seem like an easy way to to charge up your battery, it's not the ideal way to go to reduce the sluggishness.  I know that exercise may be one of the last things on your mind when it comes to feeling fatigued, but studies have suggested individuals that engage in regular physical activity tend to report higher energy levels and less fatigue than sedentary individuals.  So during those times when you just don't feel like it, do it any way.  Remind yourself of how great you'll feel afterwards.  Most of the time, the only workout you'll ever regret is the one that you don't do.

We're all gifted with 1440 minutes every single day.  Honor your body and honor your health by devoting at least 30 of those minutes to movement.  Believe me, your body WILL thank you for it.  What will you do to ramp up your physical activity during the holidays?     

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3 Strategies for Preventing Holiday Weight Gain

I just returned from my daughter's Halloween celebration at preschool and I am reminded that we are embarking on National Eating Season. This is the parade of food that begins with Halloween and wraps up with Super Bowl Sunday.  Following this season of eating, many Americans find themselves a little bit heavier.   Even with the best of intentions and New Year's resolutions come January, research tells us that the weight gained during this time is often not lost again.

I understand how easy it can be to gain weight during the holidays with the barrage of all the unique food offerings of the season from the pumpkin spice lattes to Grandma's special apple pie to the egg nog.  At the same time, I also know how important maintaining health, well-being, and an optimal quality of life is for so many people.  Nothing tastes as good as healthy feels, right?   This is why I think it's vital to be proactive and make plans right now to prevent holiday weight gain.  So I thought I'd share three solid strategies to help you get started on that today.

Put your goals in writing.
While it's definitely a step in the right direction to make a mental note that you'd like to maintain a healthy weight this holiday season, I believe that writing down your goals will only increase your chances of success.  As you consider your goals for the season, be sure to make them SMART - specfiic, measurable, attainable, realistic, and time-sensitive.  If the goal is to maintain or even lose weight, then be sure to consider the behaviors that are needed to do that.  What will you need to change in regards to food intake, physical activity, or stress management to achieve your weight management goal?  

Monitor your food intake and physical activity.
In my professional experience, I've seen what a powerful tool monitoring food intake and physical activity can be for those who want to achieve or maintain a healthy weight.  My clients understand the value of this, too, and almost always identify this as a strategy that helps them stay on track.  The evidence also suggests that those who regularly monitor their health-related behaviors during the holidays are better able to manage their weight during that time, too.

Practice mindful eating.
It is very easy to eat mindlessly during the holidays.  Food is everywhere!  People can also be more distracted while they eat during the holidays whether it's socializing at a party or watching the game on t.v.  If they eat while doing these other activities, they may not be fully engaged in the eating experience.  Practicing mindful eating during the holidays essentially means that you regularly check in with your mind and body throughout the eating experience.  Are you hungry?  Is the food pleasing to you?  Is food really what you want right now? Mindful eating helps create a more peaceful and pleasurable eating experience. It will also help you stay more in tune with your body so that you can naturally attain or maintain a healthier body weight.

So, in addition to planning which parties to attend and what gifts to give, I challenge you to also consider putting successful weight management on your holiday radar this season.  Choose a life of health. You deserve it!

Photo credit:  Mark Surman via Flickr

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Guest Blog: Weight Loss - Are you planning for success?

Credit:  bgottsab (Flickr)

Today's guest blog post is written by Jennifer Michelle, Dietetic Intern at Bowling Green State University's Dietetic Internship Program.  Thanks for sharing with us, Jennifer!  

When trying to reach any goal, planning is an important step. This is especially true when it comes to weight loss. There are so many variables involved in reaching weight loss goals that a well coordinated effort is your best bet to succeed. When food and exercise related decisions are left to chance, it is easy to make less than desirable choices. Today’s busy lifestyle can make it easy to lose track of your goals.

Why should you have a plan?

Losing weight and keeping it off requires consistent healthy lifestyle choices. Planning ahead can help you prevent hitting exercise and nutrition roadblocks on your path to weight loss success. We often eat for reasons other than hunger, and sometimes hunger drives us to indulge in high-calorie, unhealthy foods. When you plan healthy meals and snacks in advance and have all the ingredients necessary, you won’t find yourself making less than optimal choices. Even when you dine out, having a strategy is the key to success. Deciding where you are going to eat will allow you to check out the menu for healthy options to select in advance in order to avoid giving in to temptation. Another reason you should have a plan is to keep on track with your exercise program. If you are just fitting in exercise wherever you can, it is easy to find yourself too busy or too tired to get in the amount you need.

How can you plan for weight loss success?

Start by setting aside some time for strategizing each week. Coming up with a plan takes a little time and is the first step in organizing your weight loss success. Be sure to include all the meals and snacks you need, including all necessary ingredients. Decide when and where you will be eating your meals and snacks, taking into consideration your schedule and when you tend to feel hungry. Remember to include time to go shopping for the ingredients you need. Exercise is another important part of your weight loss plan. It is very easy to skip an exercise session when you have a long or hectic day. Schedule time for exercise as an appointment you need to keep with yourself.

Do you have a plan for weight loss success? What about having a plan has helped you to reach your weight loss goals?

Strategize Your New Year's Resolution

Photo credit: kansas_city_royalty (Flickr)

If you're at all a football fan, you may know that we're heading into playoff season.  I won't tell you who I'm rooting for, but their name {might} start with the letter C.  As these teams are heading into the playoffs, we know their goal is to end up winning the ultimate showdown, the Super Bowl, right?  But is that goal enough to really get them there?  No way!  Not only do they have to have a goal (i.e., win the Super Bowl), they've also got to have a strategy or two or fifty that will help them accomplish that goal.

If you made resolutions this year, then hopefully you made SMART ones because those will definitely offer you a strong place to start.  Let's imagine that one of your SMART resolutions is to eat three cups of vegetables each day.  Great. Now what?  Just as the football teams will develop strategies for each game and even for each moment in the game, you need to create your own strategies in order to more effectively accomplish your goals.  While I'd like to say that just because you set your intention on eating three cups of vegetables each day that it will happen, this goal will not be realized without some strategizing.  Think of it as your blueprint to success as it will take a lot of the guess work out of your efforts.

So how do you strategize?  Ask questions.  When will you eat those three cups of vegetables? Will it be 2 cups at lunch and 1 cup at dinner? Maybe it'll be 1 cup at lunch, 1/2 cup at two snacks, and 1 cup at dinner.  What do you need to do to make sure you have three cups of vegetables available to you every day?  Will some of these vegetables be eaten during the work day? If so, what do you need to do to ensure that you have them at work?  The more that you dig into the details, the stronger your plan will be and the more successful you will be at achieving your goals.  

At this point, you might be saying to yourself, "That sounds like a lot of work."  Well, I won't lie. It will take work at first.  That's to be expected with any new behavior.  However, it will definitely get easier with practice.  And guess what? You and your health and well-being are worth it.

Do you need more support in getting off to a strong start this year?  Check out these other posts for more inspiration.

• SMART resolutions      
• How to keep your new year's resolution
• What we want most
• Failing to plan

Weight Management: How often should I weigh myself?

 
I am often asked, "How often should I weigh myself?"  Based on the current evidence and my practical experience, here's what I suggest.

• If you are actively working to lose weight, it is best to weigh once a week, same day, same time, same scale, and wearing the same clothes, if possible.  Why?  Our weight fluctuates from day to day and even throughout the day depending on many things, including our hydration status, physical activity, food intake, or elimination.  It can also vary by scale (home vs gym vs doctor's) and the type or amount of clothing you're wearing each time.  I've worked with people who've weighed themselves multiple times daily or weekly, and I've seen how the numbers on the scale can affect an individual's thoughts, feelings, and behaviors -- negatively or positively.  It's kind of like checking on your stocks all day long.  It goes up and down and it could really drive you cRaZy!  I've found that this is not helpful when attempting weight loss as it can trigger possible setbacks.

• If you are practicing weight maintenance, it is best to weigh daily (again same time, same scale, same clothing, if possible).  When I worked at a bank through college, I used to balance my checking account daily.  It was great because I was able to find and fix errors immediately.  It's the same thing with weighing daily. By doing this, you can detect minor changes and implement management strategies more quickly.

Significant weight gain does not occur over night, and one way to keep your weight in check over the long-term is to self-monitor it.  Several studies have found that participants weighing less frequently than once a week experienced greater weight gain than those who weighed at least once a week or more. So if daily weighing seems a bit much, I'd recommend weighing at least once a week for more successful weight gain prevention.

Looking for a trusty scale?  I'd suggest these brands:  

• Health o Meter 
• Tanita
• Escali
  

**I have not been paid to recommend these brands. My suggestions are based on my own personal and professional experience with these brands and/or research into the best brands for my own personal/professional use.**

SMART resolutions

It's that time of year again. I'm seeing those commercials revolving around weight loss, exercise, and fitness. I see those reporters interviewing people about their New Year's resolutions. It's always interesting to listen to these. Here are a few examples of resolutions I heard: "I want to be healthier." "I want to exercise more." "I want to eat better." I think the intentions are great, but the execution is going to be a challenge with such resolutions. This is why I'm going to blog about how to set yourself up for success with SMART resolutions!

S - Specific - Make your goal specific. Instead of simply stating "I want to eat better." Be as specific as possible. What is better? Does that mean eating more fruit? More vegetables? Both? Will you incorporate more fish? Less red meat? What does 'eat better' mean for you? Consider the 6 W's - who, what, where, when, which, why? The more specific you are with the goal, the more likely you will be to accomplish it.

M- Measurable - Make your resolution measurable. What does that mean? Involve numbers here. So you decide that you'd like to "Eat more vegetables." Okay, great. What is more? Is that 2 cups/day? 3 cups/day? When you incorporate numbers, you give yourself a specific goal to shoot for and a way to measure your progress in accomplishing that goal.

A - Attainable - Make your resolution attainable or within reach. At the same time, a powerful goal will also stretch you. This will help enhance your attitude, skills, and abilities around achieving your goal. By setting a goal that is both within reach yet challenging, you will build your confidence in accomplishing the goal and create a cycle of success for yourself.

R - Realistic - Make sure your resolution involves something that you are both willing and able to work toward right now. Maybe you'd like to exercise more, so you decide to run a marathon in 6 weeks. Maybe it's something you'd like to do, but do you really have the time to train for it and train well?

T - Time-sensitive - Put a time frame on when you'd like to achieve that goal. Will it be by the end of next week? Next month? The next 3 months? This will provide a sense of urgency around the goal so that you continue to take the necessary steps toward achieving it.

Finally...write down your goals. I heard somewhere that some of THE most successful people in the world often write down their goals. This truly works. Put your goals in writing, make them SMART, and see what you accomplish!

Happy and Healthy New Year to you!