The holidays and the end of 2011 are upon us. Enjoy yourself and celebrate this special time of year with family and friends…..AND read these articles to get ideas on how to have fun without wrecking your weight loss and fitness goals.
However you celebrate this season, be healthy and be happy! We look forward to seeing you – in person and virtually through our blog and Facebook page, in 2012!!
Want to improve your overall fitness and appearance? Try strength training. It’s not all about bodybuilding, and we can help you work it into your fitness plan.
Eat more and weigh less. Will this really help you lose weight? It does if you eat foods that fill you up without adding a large amount of calories.
The seasons are changing. Not only is there a chill in the air, but different fruits and vegetables are appearing in area markets. Packed with nutrients, they can be a healthy way to assist with any weight loss plan. Fruits are naturally sweet and can be a good lower calorie option for dessert.
Here’s a list of seasonal produce that can be found in the Memphis area along with some of their health benefits and ideas on how to prepare them. Looking for recipes? Like our Facebook page where we’ll be posting them over the next couple of weeks.
Apples – A good source of antioxidants and fiber; be sure to eat the skin for flavonoids. Also makes a great portable snack. Can be eaten raw or baked.
Pumpkins – Festive and good for you! Good source of Potassium, fiber and B vitamins. Its sweet taste make it ideal for desserts, but it also works well in savory recipes.
Brussels Sprouts – Contain Vitamin K, folate and iron. Taste best combined with tangy or savory sauces.
Pears - A good source of Vitamin C, copper and fiber. Cooking brings out their sweetness, so try them baked or poached.
Kale – Fiber, Vitamin A and Calcium are just some of the health benefits of this leafy green. Can be eaten raw, lightly sauteed or steamed.
Winter Squash – Provides Omega 3 fatty acids and Vitamin A. Some varieties, such as butternut, are higher in sugar than others, so know what you are buying. Tastes best with other fall flavorings like cinnamon and ginger.
Sweet Potatoes – Provide Vitamin A, iron, and anti-inflammatory benefits. However, they are high in sugar, so consider them more of a starch, not vegetable. Roasting will maintain more vitamins than boiling.
Not that kind of engagement, and not the TV show either. Nope, this time we’re talking about hiring and working with a personal trainer. So, what are these rules of engagement?
Search for trainers who are a good match for you in these basic areas:
expertise, experience and credentials in your goals
convenience in schedule and location
personality that suits yours
affordability
How do you find them?
Seek recommendations, do phone screening, visit clubs and observe trainers in action, contact national certifying bodies like ACSM, ACE, NSCA, NASM, NESTA. Once you have narrowed it down to 2 or 3, set up a visit to ask them:
What experience do you have working with people like me, with these goals?
What results have you and your clients like me achieved?
Can I talk with some of your clients?
Will you give me a plan for working out on my own?
Describe your style?
Are you available when I want to workout? What do you charge?
Pick 1 or 2 for a trial workout and make your decision.
These apply to both of client and trainer:
Be clear about your goals and where you are now, so the trainer can map out the best plan. If you don’t see how something helps with your goal, ask.
Be open, so the trainer knows how to communicate with you. If you are not getting what you want, say so.
Be honest. If you’re hurt or uncomfortable with something, say so. If you haven’t been doing your homework, admit it.
Be on time. The trainer cannot usually go past your hour without inconveniencing other clients. Plus you may not get the whole workout in.
Be attentive. Get your sleep, don’t be distracted by TV or chit chat. Focus!
Be good on the eating side. You won’t reach your goals without good nutrition.
Be trusting. If you don’t trust the trainer, get a new one. Your trainer does not profit from you getting hurt or being unsuccessful.
Be excited! It’s your goal, it’s your time, it’s your expert. If you don’t care, no one else will. Work hard.
Frequent readers know that I usually go on a rant about nutritional supplements every year or so. You can read past articles on this subject in the July, August and September newsletter archives. This time I am going to narrow my focus to a particular type of supplement, vitamins. The source for much of this article comes from the August, 2011 issue of the Tufts University Diet & Nutrition Newsletter.
About 40% (and growing) of Americans take a multivitamin daily, which is the single most popular type of supplement. But many Americans take individual vitamins also. Why have they become so popular?
I think there are several reasons:
1. We all learned in grade school about how a lack of vitamins caused scurvy, rickets and beriberi. Those discoveries were played up big in science classes.
2. The government has mandated that certain foods be fortified with particular vitamins as a public health measure.
3. There is a growing belief that our food supply is not a good as it used to be.
4. We all know that people who eat lots of fruits and vegetables – which are vitamin-rich – have less risk for chronic diseases.
5. Our medical system tends to emphasize drugs over other forms of care, which plays into our own preference to take the easiest way out whenever possible.
6. The 1994 Dietary Supplement Health and Education Act had the effect of separating supplements from food, and from regulation, giving marketers the advantage over scientists.
7. Finally, the media are very sloppy about their coverage of research findings, inadequately covering potential harms and benefits, as well as the quality of the findings. Think about this the next time you hear a news story about vitamin research: If you were in the study, would you be able to eat any strictly regimented diet prescribed to you, in the way they want you to eat it, with no additions or subtractions, for the entire length of the study? If you can, why can’t you stick to your weight loss diet?
The science is clear that the most important factor in health outcomes is not any individual vitamin or supplement, but rather it is the whole dietary pattern. Eating a lot of fruits and vegetables provides a lot of vitamins, and a lot of health benefits, but taking those same vitamins as supplements does NOT seem to have the same health benefits. Yes, some people with certain conditions can benefit from taking a supplement of certain vitamins or minerals, and that should be a medical decision, not a whim after reading a magazine article about a Hollywood star.
So, for a summary of the research findings on vitamin supplements and chronic diseases, click on the link to see which are HOPE, HYPE, or HARM.
When considering which supplements to take, here’s the latest research on which provide benefits, which don’t, and which may be dangerous.
Hope
There is encouraging evidence that Vitamin D supplements can increase bone mineral density and decrease fractures, although specific advice is still a guess. Calcium is also required.
Vitamins C and E, along with beta-carotene and zinc, are strongly supported by the research to have a preventive effect among high risk people for age-related macular degeneration.
Hype
B 12 deficiency is common in older adults, including those with Alzheimer’s, but supplementation does not slow or prevent Alzheimer’s.
B vitamins such as folic acid supplements have not been shown to affect heart disease, cancer, or mortality by lowering homocysteine, but the jury is still out because the research that was done was poorly designed.
Vitamin D is thought to be a potential help for heart disease, cancer and diabetes, but definitive trials have not been completed.
Multivitamins have not been shown to have any effect on chronic disease, but have not been shown to cause any harm. The NIH says that the current evidence is insufficient to recommend for or against multivitamin usage. Personally, I used to take one daily but have discontinued that practice.
Harm
Vitamin E was thought to be cardio – protective by keeping LDL cholesterol from oxidating, but repeated large clinical trials using high-dose supplements found no benefit, and later research indicated that doses of Vitamin E above 400 IU actually increased mortality.
Beta-carotene in high doses was initially thought to reduce the risk of lung cancer, but clinical trials found that it actually increased risk for smokers.
If external cues can lead you into bad eating habits, you can use the same cueing process to eat better, and less mindlessly. Stop relying on your all-too-exhaustible supply of will power or your intelligence and education, which has been demonstrated not to work. Think about financial planning. Companies with 401K plans used to make people sign up to contribute to the plans, and participation was low. But when they automatically enrolled people, with an option to opt out if they wanted to, participation went way up. Set your default to healthy rather than unhealthy.
Here’s how:
Use smaller bowls, plates, glasses, etc. Put the big ones away so you can’t get to them easily.
Leave salad and vegetables dishes on the dinner table, where they are easy to reach, but put the entree on the counter, where it is harder to get to.
Buy foods in smaller containers, or if you buy in bulk, repackage them into serving sizes.
Leave fruit out on the counter in bright serving bowls so it is attractive and people can take it easily.
Put carrots, celery, and other vegetables in water in clear containers in the front of refrigerator to attract the eye.
Put the ice cream, cheese, and other high fat foods in the back, out of site and out of mind.
Put leftovers in plastic containers to encourage or discourage their use: clear containers in the front for veggies & salads, opaque containers in the back for entrees.
If you must eat fast food, change your default order from burger & fries to grilled chicken & side salad. You may also have to change your default place to make this work.
Think about your own life and how you can use your intelligence and awareness to change your daily cues from overeating to healthy eating patterns.
You do deserve a break today – a break from self-destructive eating. Good luck!
Please post your own suggestions or examples of how you have used re-cueing to eat better.
All the research was done by Brian Wansink, a professor at Cornell and the author of Mindless Eating – Why We Eat More Than We Think. You can learn even more at his website mindlesseating.org
A health halo effect is when a good thing’s goodness is overestimated. I used to work at a hospital, and I was convinced that nurses believed they were either immune to lifestyle diseases because they were nurses, or that the doctors they saw every day would just fix them if they did get one.
Places Have Halos
A study was done at a mall which had both a Subway and a McDonalds. The Subway eaters ate there because it was perceived as a healthy choice, but they underestimated their meal’s calorie intake by 27%. They didn’t count the extra meat or cheese or mayo they requested, and they thought that even the chips were healthier. McDonalds eaters also underestimated their calories, but only by 19%.
Another study gave people the same Italian sandwich, along with a menu from a fictitious restaurant, either Jim’s Hearty Sandwich Shop or Good Karma Healthy Foods. Good Karma sandwiches were estimated to be 24% lower in calories than those from Jims. And, those with the Good Karma sandwiches were more likely to order chips, sugary drinks and cookies as well.
Labels Have Halos
One study showed that people estimated that food labeled “organic” was 15-20% lower in calories than food with no label.
News Flash: Being organic has no effect on calorie levels.
Another study showed that foods labeled “low fat” have a halo. People were offered trail mix and M&Ms, both labeled either “low fat” or “regular”. Those who chose the “low fat” versions ate 21-46% more calories than those eating the “regular” versions, even if they rated the food as tasting worse. Why? One reason is that they believe low fat foods are 40% lower in calories, when they are actually only about 11% lower. Another is that people think they can reward themselves for being virtuous – which of course wipes out the virtue.
Exercise Halo
Exercise can bring about the same “rewarding” behavior. In one study, different groups were led on the exact same walk at the exact same pace by leaders who described the walks as either “exercise” or “scenic” walks. Those on the “exercise” walks ate more calories than those on the “scenic” walks, with most of the increase coming from dessert. The”exercisers” figured that they’d burned more calories so they could reward themselves.
Beware the halo. Remember that a virtuous decision is its own reward.
All the research was done by Brian Wansink, a professor at Cornell and the author of Mindless Eating – Why We Eat More Than We Think. You can learn even more at his website mindlesseating.org.
Healthy
Habits offers 1 to 1 personal training, partner and group fitness
programs, BioMetrics nutrition and exercise plans, golf fitness and
weight loss programs, post-rehab clinical exercise, and beginner and
intermediate yoga classes in Memphis, Germantown, and Collierville, TN.
