Usually I recommend diet and exercise from medical studies.  Today, I provide some of the rules of the gym written by humorist, Jason Gay, from the Wall Street Journal.  See if you can find the truth in each of these.

1.      A gym is not designed to make you feel instantly better about yourself.  If a gym wanted to make you feel instantly better about yourself, it would be a bar.

2.     Don’t fall for gimmicks.  The only tried-and-true method to lose 10 pounds in 48 hours is food poisoning.

3.     There’s also the Strange Guy Who is Always at the Gym.  Just when you think he isn’t here today…there he is, lurking by the barbells.

4.     Nope, that’s not a “recovery energy bar with antioxidant dark chocolate.”  That’s a chocolate bar.

5.     If you’re motivated to buy an expensive home exercise machine, consider a “wooden coat rack.”  It costs $40, uses no electricity and does the exact same thing.

6.     If a gym class is going to be effective, it’s hard.  If you’re relaxed and enjoying yourself, you’re at brunch.

7.     AND LAST… There is no secret.  Exercise and lay off the fries.  The End.

Your New Year’s resolution is to get in shape and lose weight.  You are a BEGINNER.  How do you get started?  Changes in human nature come slowly!  Do not expect much from yourself initially.  Habits develop gradually over time.  Brian Grasso, a trainer and life coach in Montreal, has some important instructions.  

EAT ONE HEALTHY MEAL PER DAY.   

Modest changes aren’t as overwhelming.  Use common sense eating lean meats, fish, whole grains, fruits and vegetables.  Eat whatever you want the rest of the day.  After two weeks, add a second healthy meal each day.  Gradually make eating healthy the main focus of your diet.

TRAIN TWO DAYS PER WEEK.  

To develop the habit, try going at the same time each week.  It is a process of making appointments with yourself and keeping them.  Even if you don’t feel like working out, go, and at least change your clothes.  Eventually it will become a priority and a part of your routine.  After a month, increase the number of times you exercise every week.

Women who breakfast on cereal were 30% less likely to be overweight than those who skipped breakfast.  This is according to a Michigan State University study.  Whole grain cereal adds the benefits of fiber.  Tufts University found an association between whole grain consumption and the reduced tendency toward unhealthy belly fat.

 Breakfast with whole grains is also good for your heart.  Harvard found a 28% lower risk of heart failure in those with at least a daily serving of fiber.  Eggs, oatmeal, yogurt, and a variety of other breakfast foods can aid your health too. 

(Did You Know?  Skincare Special- Spend $200 on products and get a free micropeel!) 

Which cereals are advantageous?   

General Mills Whole Grain Total 100 cal, 2 g prot, 23 g fiber

General Mills Fiber One 90 cal, 3 g prot, 21 g fiber

Post Grape Nuts 312 cal, 10.9 g prot, 7.8 g fiber

Kashi GoLean 111cal, 10.2 g prot, 7.6 g fiber

Kashi GoLean Crunch 148 cal, 7.3 g prot, 6.4 gm fiber

Kellog’s Raisin Bran  139 cal, 3.8 g prot, 4.9 g fiber.  

The least fiber?  

Kellog’s Rice Krispies, Corn Flakes, and Frosted Flakes.

According to the book series, “Eat This, Not That!” there are large differences in nutritional values between the foods we eat at holiday parties.

            Egg Nog.  350 calories, 19 g fat, 22 g sugars

            Better is hot chocolate. 120 cal, 4 g fat, 15 g sugars

            Crab Cakes. 400 cal, 19 g fat

            Better is shrimp cocktail. 165 cal, 1 g fat

            Gin and Tonic.  210 cal, 22 g sugars

            Better is champagne.  100 cal, 5 g sugars

Worst Entrée

            Prime Rib. 750 cal, 45 g fat

            Better is beef tenderloin. 165 cal, 7 g fat

            Pecan Pie a la mode.  810 cal, 65 g fat, 55 g sugars

            Better is chocolate fondue.  340 cal, 10 g fat, 28 g sugars

            Sam Adams Holiday Porter.  211 cal, 13 g carbs, 6% alcohol

            Better is Sam Adams Light. 124 cal, 9 g carbs, 4.2% alcohol  

Happy and Blessed Holidays to you and your families.

We have all received gifts that we wish we hadn’t.  I have had my share of ties that now reside in the deepest recesses of my closet.  Bad gifts from your spouse are the ones that are the most irritating and cause the greatest emotional response.  So how do we avoid receiving such gifts?  An article in the Wall Street Journal has some suggestions.  

There are some rules to share with your spouse to minimize the possibility of having to ask forgiveness.  

            When in doubt, go down a size.

            Never give a gift that suggests your spouse is not perfect.  No unsolicited exercise equipment or self-help books.

            Appliances and cookware are only okay if asked for.

            Don’t even think about a gift that you will get more enjoyment out of than your spouse.

            Remember:  It’s not just the thought that counts-especially if you didn’t have that thought until the checkout line.

            When all else fails, at least try to create memories.

Share this with your spouse in hopes of avoiding hurt feelings.  After all, there are still 6 shopping days left!  

Happy and Blessed Holidays to you and your families.

There are three ways we burn calories:  our resting metabolic rate, physical activity, and the processing of food.  According to Johns Hopkins’ Health After 50, our resting metabolic rate accounts for 65-75% of caloric intake.  In general, men burn more calories than women, heavier people more than light, and younger more than older.  

Physical activity burns 15-30% of daily calories.  This is a combination of exercise and just daily activities such as cooking, walking and even fidgeting.  The last 5-10% of calories burned is the processing of food referred to as the thermal effect of food.  

(Did You Know?  Our resting metabolic rate decreases about 10% per decade after the age of 30!)  

How can we affect our metabolism?  Add muscle.  Each pound of muscle burns about 6 calories per day, fat two.  Exercise.  Thirty minutes of moderate exercise five days a week burns 1,000 calories or 15 pounds per year.  Eat More Often.  Eating smaller more frequent meals aids metabolism.  Eat Breakfast.  It starts up metabolism after dormancy overnight.  Consume Enough Protein.  Weight loss will come from fat not muscle.  Drink Water.  Helps speed metabolism after consumption.  Get Sleep.  Sleep deprivation slows metabolism.  Don’t Crash Diet.  This again slows your metabolism.  Lastly, turning down the heat, caffeine, and eating chili peppers slightly increase your metabolism.

Tufts University has reported that the American Heart Association has revised its food program regarding fats.  The changes reflect the evidence that monounsaturated and polyunsaturated fats are part of a heart-healthy diet.  The emphasis is replacing saturated fat and trans-fat foods with foods that are high in healthy fats such as nuts and fish.  

The easiest way to remember which fats are healthy, in general, is to pick cooking oils that are liquid at room temperature.  Saturated fats such as butter are found in animal foods and plants such as coconut and palm oils.  Monounsaturated and polyunsaturated fats are primarily found in liquid vegetable oils such as soybean, corn, safflower, canola, olive and sunflower.  The especially heart healthy omega-3 fats, such as those found in fish, are also polyunsaturated.  The chemical manipulation of mono- and polyunsaturated fats to create a solid form led to partially hydrogenated vegetable oils or the unhealthy trans-fats.  

(Did You Know?  Those who switched from saturated to polyunsaturated fats cut their risk of heart disease by 19%!)  

Spreads can be more confusing than cooking oils.  Check the different types of fat and their amounts.  Look for spreads with the lowest amounts of saturated and trans-fats.  The higher amount of any fat means more calories.  The American Heart Association recommends for the average 55 year old woman 1,600 calories each day, consuming less than 12.4 grams of saturated fat, 1.8 grams of trans-fats, and total fat between 44 and 62 grams.

Thanksgiving is the beginning of the annual fight to avoid gaining weight during the holiday season.  We feel guilty about the weight we put on but feel worse if we don’t partake in holiday meals, parties, and desserts that others make for us.  However, by emphasizing the healthier side to meals we can limit unnecessary calories or fat.  

Turkey and tenderloin are main courses that limit calories and fat compared to ham and other forms of beef.  For example, 3 oz. of turkey has 110 calories and .5 g. of fat.  Prime rib has 310 calories and ham 4.5 g. of fat.  Don’t forget to remove the skin on turkey and chicken.  

Emphasizing fruits and vegetables rather than potatoes and breads makes a meal healthier.  Fresh vegetables and fruits especially before the main meal help to fill you and avoid higher caloric appetizers.  Roasting vegetables reduces fatty sauces or butter.  Substitute a vegetable soup for a less complex carbohydrate.  Make your stuffing with whole-wheat bread. Cranberries, sweet potatoes, and green beans are nutritional but watch how they are prepared.

Dessert and alcohol, deathtraps for calories!  Seriously, no one is expected to avoid these and moderation is the key.  Alternate a glass of wine with a glass of water.  Red wine has about 120 calories per glass.  All desserts are not created equal.  Minimize those with lots of calories.  Pecan pie is high in calories, take the crust edge off pumpkin pie, and use Cool Whip over ice cream when adding to a dessert.   

Part of the enjoyment of the holidays is indulging in good food with friends and family.  There is no reason to skip these pleasures.  However, small changes add up and can make a big improvement in the way you would have looked in January without sacrificing. 

Sometimes I run across an article outside of physical health that is worth sharing.  I know many of you have children in school and test taking is an essential component to formal education.  This synopsis from the Wall Street Journal discusses preparation as well as test taking skills.  

Test yourself repeatedly and review the hardest material right before going to bed.  Rather than rereading a chapter and further memorizing details, test yourself on concepts.  For example, instead of memorizing its parts, go through how the various areas of the digestive tract work.  The toughest material is best remembered if learned right before sleep.  Also, do not wake up early and disrupt your normal sleeping patterns.  

(Did You Know?  Although 60% of all college students do it, studying all night is associated with lower grades.)  

Testing yourself repeatedly not only helps memory but also with timing especially if you are studying for tests like the SAT or ACT.  Turn off ALL distractions when studying including music, phones, and TV.  Eat a well balanced diet the week of testing and like prior to exercising, high carb slow digesting foods such as oatmeal work best the day of testing.  

There are several tips to ease tension the day of testing.  Drive to the center and become familiar with the site.  Write down any fears to separate them from knowledge.  Mentally focus on your strengths and successes.  Again, recall broad concepts.  Envision answering questions calmly with confidence.  

Good luck is a saying.  Luck has nothing to do with test taking, preparation does.

1. Give yourself time.  Figure out what exercise and when you can do it.  Learn the exercises.
2. Plan ahead.  Scheduling, clothing, equipment.
3. Commit to workouts.  Make it nonnegotiable.
4. Exercise in the morning.  Fewer excuses to skip.  Gives energy for the rest of the day.
5. Think before you skip.  Why am I skipping and is it worth it?

(Did You Know?  Surgery dates are booking up fast in December.  If you are contemplating surgery before the end of the year contact us soon.)  

1. Recognize your excuses and work around them.
2. Listen to your body.  Pain, fatigue, and stress may mean you need to take a break and heal.
3. Find balance in your workouts.  Stretching, balance, strength, and cardiovascular all need attention.
4. Embrace variety.  Change your workout every 4-6 weeks for maximal results and your own interest.

Allow for failure. Forgive yourself, learn from it, and get back on track.