With all the "March Madness" basketball I have been watching this month late-night eating has become an un-healthy habit for me this month. Unfortunately, these late-night hours are the worst time to be consuming excess calories because we typically are sedentary and not doing much activity. Therefore, one is likely to gain weight and certainly not lose much weight if he/she is consuming excess calories late at night.
However, there are ways in which to break the habit of late night eating:
1. PERSONAL RESOLVE AND WILLPOWER: This might be the most important step to breaking late night-eating habits. Make it a goal to stop eating late at night and write that goal down on paper. Put this written goal on your refrigerator and visualize how you want to feel and live.
2. DISTRACTION: Chances are that you may not even be hungry when the urge strikes to eat late at night. It can be out of boredom, habit, stress and/or fatigue, but whatever the reason it can be helpful to distract yourself from food. Try taking a hot-bath, taking a walk while talking with friend or family on your mobile phone, having some hot-tea, reading a book, watching a movie, or playing boggle, scrabble, or any game you like. Find what works for YOU best, and JUST DO IT. I think you will find that urge to eat will dissipate.
3. INCREASE FIBER IN YOUR DIET: Fiber makes you feel fuller, therefore eating a high-fiber diet can make you feel full longer. Try addind some high fiber foods (legumes) with your last meal of the day.
4. HAVE A FAMILY STYLE DINNER: This does not mean punching your brother or arguing with your parents, but rather sitting-down at the dinner table and slowly eating your meal. Try not eating in front of the TV or eating while reading.
5. DON'T STOCK THE FRIDGE WITH JUNK FOOD YOU SHOULD NOT BE EATING: If ice cream or cookies are in your house, chances are they are going to be eaten. So, simply DON'T BRING UN-HEALTHY FOODS IN TO YOUR SPACE.
6. EAT BREAKFAST. Studies have shown that those who eat a good breakfast are less likely to over-eat late at night.
Hope this helps.
Tuesday, March 30, 2010
Thursday, March 25, 2010
Proper Warm-Up and Cool Down.
Spring is in the air and it is now a great time to get outside and get some physical activity.
However, before moving too quickly it is important to properly warm-up and cool-down your body to increase blood flow to the muscles and quickly remove by-products, such as lactate, from the muscles which can lead to muscle stiffness.
Here are some quick tips so you can recover quicker and have a more enjoyable exercise experience:
1. The warm-up should GRADUALLY increase your heart rate and mimic the activity you will be doing. Therefore, if you are going to hike a mountain, try to start on flat-terrain for 5-10 minutes before climbing in elevation. If playing tennis, start with some light walking or jogging, then get into some volleying that will eventually mimic the level of play.
2. The cool-down is designed to prevent sudden "pooling" of blood in the veins while continuing a proper circulation of blood through the skeletal muscles and heart and brain. This can reduce delayed on-set muscle soreness as well as dizziness or fainting after exercise. The "cool down" should be similar to the warm-up but move in the other direction and slow the heart-rate back to resting. It is important to note that STRETCHING IS NOT A PROPER COOL-DOWN, one must move to keep the blood circulating, thus reducing pooling and by-product accumulation.
However, before moving too quickly it is important to properly warm-up and cool-down your body to increase blood flow to the muscles and quickly remove by-products, such as lactate, from the muscles which can lead to muscle stiffness.
Here are some quick tips so you can recover quicker and have a more enjoyable exercise experience:
1. The warm-up should GRADUALLY increase your heart rate and mimic the activity you will be doing. Therefore, if you are going to hike a mountain, try to start on flat-terrain for 5-10 minutes before climbing in elevation. If playing tennis, start with some light walking or jogging, then get into some volleying that will eventually mimic the level of play.
2. The cool-down is designed to prevent sudden "pooling" of blood in the veins while continuing a proper circulation of blood through the skeletal muscles and heart and brain. This can reduce delayed on-set muscle soreness as well as dizziness or fainting after exercise. The "cool down" should be similar to the warm-up but move in the other direction and slow the heart-rate back to resting. It is important to note that STRETCHING IS NOT A PROPER COOL-DOWN, one must move to keep the blood circulating, thus reducing pooling and by-product accumulation.
Monday, March 22, 2010
Making SENSE!
I'm reading a very interesting book at the moment called the Cortisol Connection by Shawn Talbott which bluntly lets you know that if you have too much stress and anxiety in your life, you will eventually experience serious health problems. Talbott does however offer solutions to combating stress with the SENSE program:
S: Stress Management: Talbott explains that it is best to avoid all stressful situations in the first place. Although this is unrealistic, Talbott is accurate in saying that we can avoid some of these stressful situations with proper planning. For example, if one knows they are likely to be in rush-hour traffic we can plan to bring a book on tape. However, stress is unavoidable so the only thing to do is to better manage the stress. Managing stress is highly individualized and what works for someone may not work for another. Yoga and meditation are great ways to manage stress but boards games, X-word puzzles, etc can also be ways to manage stress. The key is to determine what works best for YOU.
E: Exercise: The physiological effects of exercise, increased endorphins and lowered stress hormones are natural "stress fighters". However, in those with very high stressed lifestyles fitting in exercise can seem impossible, therefore start small with manageable bouts of exercise. Again, exercise is a highly individualized process and one needs to determine what activity best suits them.
N: Nutrition: Stressful events can trigger un-healthy eating and Talbott describes that a few small changes in diet can have dramatic effects. Eating a Breakfast that combines a blend of carbohydrates and protein and a little fat is a great way to start your day. Furthermore, Talbott explains that each meal (Breakfast, Lunch, and Dinner) should be made up of one fist sized helping of carbohydrates (pasta, bread, cereal), one fist sized helping of protein (fish, poultry, tofu, legumes) and one or two fist sized portions of fruits and vegetables.
S: Supplementation: Talbott lists many supplements throughout the book which may help in fighting stress. Again, taking supplements is highly individualized. Talbot does say that a good multi-vitamin is essential.
E: Evaluation: We must continue to re-evaluate the ways in which we manage stress and determine what approach works best.
Hope this helps.
S: Stress Management: Talbott explains that it is best to avoid all stressful situations in the first place. Although this is unrealistic, Talbott is accurate in saying that we can avoid some of these stressful situations with proper planning. For example, if one knows they are likely to be in rush-hour traffic we can plan to bring a book on tape. However, stress is unavoidable so the only thing to do is to better manage the stress. Managing stress is highly individualized and what works for someone may not work for another. Yoga and meditation are great ways to manage stress but boards games, X-word puzzles, etc can also be ways to manage stress. The key is to determine what works best for YOU.
E: Exercise: The physiological effects of exercise, increased endorphins and lowered stress hormones are natural "stress fighters". However, in those with very high stressed lifestyles fitting in exercise can seem impossible, therefore start small with manageable bouts of exercise. Again, exercise is a highly individualized process and one needs to determine what activity best suits them.
N: Nutrition: Stressful events can trigger un-healthy eating and Talbott describes that a few small changes in diet can have dramatic effects. Eating a Breakfast that combines a blend of carbohydrates and protein and a little fat is a great way to start your day. Furthermore, Talbott explains that each meal (Breakfast, Lunch, and Dinner) should be made up of one fist sized helping of carbohydrates (pasta, bread, cereal), one fist sized helping of protein (fish, poultry, tofu, legumes) and one or two fist sized portions of fruits and vegetables.
S: Supplementation: Talbott lists many supplements throughout the book which may help in fighting stress. Again, taking supplements is highly individualized. Talbot does say that a good multi-vitamin is essential.
E: Evaluation: We must continue to re-evaluate the ways in which we manage stress and determine what approach works best.
Hope this helps.
Monday, March 1, 2010
Fiber for Fullness
Not only is fiber a great complex carbohydrate for disease prevention but it is also a substance that will allow you to feel full longer thus reducing your need to eat more. It should be noted that there are two types of fiber, insoluble which mainly speeds up the passage of material through the digestive tract, so it may be a good idea to ingest insoluble fiber when a lavaory is nearby. Soluble fiber which includes oatmeal and legumes seems to be the type of fiber that makes you feel fuller longer. Some great sources of both soluble and insoluble fiber that should be incorporated into the diet daily include:
1. Oatmeal (Soluble) - No bathroom needed right away
2. Oatbran- (Soulble)- No bathroom needed right away
3 wheatbran (insoluble)-Be close to a bathroom as things can move quickly
3. Whole-Grain Pasta (souluble)
4. Fruits and vegetables (insoluble and soluble)- Bathroom close is not a bad idea
5. Legumes (Soluble)
6. Nuts and seeds
I believe it is recommended that adults get around 35 grams of fiber daily, so oatmeal in the morning is a great way to start your day and keep you full for a while. It is cheaper to buy whole oats or quick oats in the bulk section of your grocery store VS. buying them in the container, and the instant oatmeal is typically filled with lots of sugar so I would suggest if using those packets to add it in with some regular dried whole oats. Adding raisins, blueberries, strawberries, bananas, and walnuts can make the oatmeal that much more fulling. As the old saying goes, Eat breakfast like a King and Dinner like a peasent.
1. Oatmeal (Soluble) - No bathroom needed right away
2. Oatbran- (Soulble)- No bathroom needed right away
3 wheatbran (insoluble)-Be close to a bathroom as things can move quickly
3. Whole-Grain Pasta (souluble)
4. Fruits and vegetables (insoluble and soluble)- Bathroom close is not a bad idea
5. Legumes (Soluble)
6. Nuts and seeds
I believe it is recommended that adults get around 35 grams of fiber daily, so oatmeal in the morning is a great way to start your day and keep you full for a while. It is cheaper to buy whole oats or quick oats in the bulk section of your grocery store VS. buying them in the container, and the instant oatmeal is typically filled with lots of sugar so I would suggest if using those packets to add it in with some regular dried whole oats. Adding raisins, blueberries, strawberries, bananas, and walnuts can make the oatmeal that much more fulling. As the old saying goes, Eat breakfast like a King and Dinner like a peasent.
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