[4-10-14 ETA: Now, even the whole wheat piece is suspect! Gluten is apparently the enemy.]
Everyday, I receive 6-8 emails related to health and wellness. I "like" easily that many pages on diet tips, health, exercise, meditation, and motivation. I've read dozens of books and magazines on these subjects. I watch programs on health and fitness; I go to classes; I take it all in.
Behold some of the advice I've heard and read over the years: cut carbs, cut fat, alternate cutting carbs and fat, cut sugar, cut salt, cut preservatives, eat more protein, eat less meat, count calories, don't count calories, weigh yourself daily, never weigh yourself, eat lean meats, don't eat red meat, eat only seafood, eat eggs, go vegan, eat nuts, don't eat nuts, lift weights, do aerobics, dance, run, don't run, swim, meditate sitting, meditate lying down, do tai chi, do yoga, do P90X, take this vitamin, add these supplements, eat these super foods, drink this health shake, drink this much water, drink diet soda, don't drink artificially sweetened soda, don't drink soda at all, do drink coffee, don't eat sweets, eat dark chocolate, eat low-cal sweets, eat anything that comes from nature, think thin, think healthy, avoid the sun, get at least 20 minutes of sun, wear sun block, use this moisturizer, use this cleanser, brush before meals, brush after meals, floss, chew gum, don't chew gum, do Weight Watchers, do Atkins, do Jenny Craig, do Belly Fat Cure, do South Beach, do Sensa, do Medifast, do Beach Body, do Nutrisystem, get a Lap Band procedure, take these pills, don't take those pills . . . HELP!! I'm drowning in health and fitness advice!!!!
I'm sure that if you stick to any one person's program for a few weeks, you'll see results in weight loss. The real question is, what works in the long term for both fitness and health? For anyone who resolved this year to be healthier, here are the ten things I've seen consistently across almost every health and fitness plan, including the two I have been most challenged by over the years:
1. Eat lots of vegetables and fruit. No fitness plan worth its salt (which can be bad for you have too much, by the way!) excludes vegetables and fruit. Not just any fruit vegetables, though. They should be nutrient-rich, if you really want every bite to count. A good rule of thumb is to eat all the colors you can find: yellow (like squash), orange (like orange bell peppers and oranges), red (tomatoes and apples), purple (like eggplant and some berries), grey (like mushrooms), and of course lots of greens (like spinach, broccoli, and kale). Vegetables fill you up, nourish you, and fight many different kinds of diseases. Those high in antioxidants are crucial for good health.
2. Move your body! Get some kind of exercise as often as you can, preferably at least five days a week. To really stick with it, make it something fun. I love to dance, so for me, belly dancing and Zumba not only are helping me lose weight (I've lost 11 pounds since September!), but they fill my spirit and give me joy. Exercise gets those endorphins going and gives you energy. Bonus: When you're done, you feel fantastic!
3. Meditate. I probably sound like a broken record talking about this again, but it's truly key. If you can quiet your mind for a few minutes a day and just focus on your breath, you give your body permission to focus on what's important: getting healthy, finding serenity, healing, loving others, etc. Meditation makes your mind stronger and better able to do all the things you know you need to do.
4. Sleep. Again, your body needs to time to recharge. Sleep allows your body to heal and build energy. When you sleep less, you have less energy and your metabolism slows. Your body will crave food to build the energy back up. Beauty Sleepland says that the two hormones that are key in this process are ghrelin and leptin. “Ghrelin is the ‘go’ hormone that tells you when to eat, and when you are sleep-deprived, you have more ghrelin,” Breus says. “Leptin is the hormone that tells you to stop eating, and when you are sleep deprived, you have less leptin.” More ghrelin plus less leptin equals weight gain. That, and your awake more hours and thus may eat more just by virtue of being awake and grumpy or sad (due to lack of sleep!). Shoot for 7.5 hours a night.
5. Control your portions. For Americans, this one can be tough. Nothing you eat in one sitting should be a foot long! Every meal (which you need at least three of) should have no more than a fist-sized portion of carbs and meat. Feel free to double up on the fruit and veggies, though.
6. Eat whole wheat. Dr. Oz did this lovely demonstration on what happens to white carbs in our digestive system. I'll just say EWWWWW. Whole wheat and fiber, however, keep the body functioning as it should to clean out your system. Try substituting as many carbs as you can stand with whole wheat - breads, pasta, cereals. And eat brown rice, rather than white. But don't be fooled by "multigrain." If it doesn't say whole wheat, it isn't.
6. Eat whole wheat. Dr. Oz did this lovely demonstration on what happens to white carbs in our digestive system. I'll just say EWWWWW. Whole wheat and fiber, however, keep the body functioning as it should to clean out your system. Try substituting as many carbs as you can stand with whole wheat - breads, pasta, cereals. And eat brown rice, rather than white. But don't be fooled by "multigrain." If it doesn't say whole wheat, it isn't.
7. Get lots of protein. Especially right after you exercise. Legumes and nuts (or are nuts legumes?) come highly recommended. Do watch how many nuts you eat, though, because they are highly caloric. Eggs are on most lists, though some recommend whites only. Lean meats are ok, so long as they're organic, free range, and locally grown. Otherwise, you may be getting a lot of unhealthy hormones and toxins. Protein will contribute to your metabolic rate (calorie burning!), help sustain and improve muscle fitness, improve immunity, improve antioxidant function, build HDL Cholesterol, and enhance insulin and leptin function.
8. Drink lots of water and no soda. Water helps control hunger, clean out the toxins, even make your skin look better. Great benefits. Soda, on the other hand, has no benefits and makes you retain water! Plus, diet sodas are now being shown to make people fatter! The artificial sweetener actually makes you crave and eat sweets MORE. Who knew?! For this reason, and just because I didn't want to keep pouring unknown chemicals down my throat two and three times a day every day, I quit soda about a year ago. It was hard, but I feel great about it! - Interestingly, the caffeine is not one of the problems. Turns out caffeine actually helps you lose weight, but get it from coffee and tea instead.
And now for the two that kick me in the ass . . .
9. Eliminate junk food. Dr. Oz will tell you that baked sweet potato fries are a great substitute for steak fries, or that a square or two of dark chocolate should take care of that chocolate craving (with bonus antioxidants!). But as much as I'm able and willing to stuff myself full of nutrients all day long, at the end of the long day, I still REALLY want that chocolate chip cookie, followed by two more chocolate chip cookies. Habit. Emotional eating. Whatever the reason, I have not yet quite overcome this one. I'm better, but not cured.
9. Eliminate junk food. Dr. Oz will tell you that baked sweet potato fries are a great substitute for steak fries, or that a square or two of dark chocolate should take care of that chocolate craving (with bonus antioxidants!). But as much as I'm able and willing to stuff myself full of nutrients all day long, at the end of the long day, I still REALLY want that chocolate chip cookie, followed by two more chocolate chip cookies. Habit. Emotional eating. Whatever the reason, I have not yet quite overcome this one. I'm better, but not cured.
10. Eat mindfully, not emotionally. If I could commit to this one, I know I could get down to college weight. I just know it! The idea here is that you fully experience every bite you eat, to the exclusion of all else. No eating and watching TV. No stuffing a handful of chips in your mouth. No wolfing down a candy bar because you're bored. Eat when you start to feel hungry. Chew each bite slowly and thoroughly, experiencing the taste and texture. When you start to feel full, stop. So simple, yet so darn difficult for me!
I imagine if you're like me, none of this is news. But I feel better putting it down all in one place as a reminder. Thanks for reading, and Happy New Year once again!
No comments:
Post a Comment