Your Best Walking Workout

Walking just may be the best-kept health secret today! It releases stress, reduces anxiety, helps clear your mind, increases blood flow, improves your energy, helps with weight loss, enhances your mood, and – along with healthy nutrition — can reduce or eliminate a host of symptoms, such as high blood pressure, elevated cholesterol, diabetes, stomach distress, and more! And springtime is the ideal time to put on your sneakers and go take a walk!

The President’s Council on Physical Fitness and Sports recommends 30 minutes of walking a day, at least five days a week (the equivalent of 10,000 steps daily) for the best health benefits. Here are more top tips to get the most health value from your daily walk:

Make it your morning routine. Studies show that it feels easier to keep our commitment to exercise when we schedule it in the morning or early part of the day – before we are exhausted by the day or get bogged down with other commitments.

Eat a balanced dinner of lean, healthy protein and “good” fats to ensure your body has fuel for the morning. Make sure you’re eating two to three hours before bedtime, and skip the alcohol (which can interrupt your sleep cycle or make you feel sluggish in the morning).

Prep the night before. It helps to have your walking shoes, bottled water, and Vega-protein drink (or a banana) ready to go by your front door! (Yes, you can make a protein smoothie the night before!)

Include short, power walkouts as well as longer, more moderate-paced walks each week. Health experts have long recommended challenging yourself to keep a brisk pace, but that you should still be able to “talk and walk.” However, the latest research cited in Prevention Magazine, from studies at the University of Virginia, found that women who walked shorter, fast-paced walks three times a week PLUS two longer, moderate-paced walks “lost five times more belly fat than those who strolled at a moderate pace five days a week — even though both groups burned the same number of calories (400) per walk.”

Take a moment! If you’re walking outside, take time to take in the beauty of the outdoors, the flowers blooming, the blue skies, the birds chirping. Walking is not just good for your body, it’s good for your mind! If you have a favorite playlist – great! That can also be meditative and relaxing. Just remember to pay attention to your surroundings and look ahead for any uneven payment, cracks in the sidewalk, or holes in the ground to avoid injury.

Warm up and cool down. Within the first few minutes of your walk, stop and complete a few easy stretches to protect your hamstrings and ankles. During the last 5 to 10 minutes of your walk, slow your pace and complete additional stretches, ensuring your muscles and heart have a chance to recover.

Replenish with water. Believe it or not, most of us are dehydrated before we even head out the door in the morning. Holistic health experts such as Dr. Andrew Weil recommend that you drink half your weight in ounces of water every day. On those days when you increase your exercise, you’ll want to add more. One easy tip: Start by drinking eight ounces of water when you wake up. An hour or two before your walk, drink another eight ounces. During your walk, replenish with water every 15 minutes. This will not only keep you hydrated, but will also help you maintain your energy during and after your workout.

One of my favorite tips is to walk with a friend! It helps me keep my commitment to walking, while giving us time to catch up and motivate each other. Who can you partner with to step up your walking workout?


Sugar: “The Sweet Lie”

I’m not sure how chocolate and candy hearts became the symbol for Valentine’s Day, but I do know that the latest research continues to show us that sugar can be significantly detrimental to our health. Here are just a few of the most noted harmful effects of sugar:

Sugar causes inflammation. This is particularly harmful to those suffering from joint pain, arthritis and migraines.

Sugar suppresses the immune system. If you are suffering from a cold, the flu, bronchitis, or cancer, avoid sugar to give your body’s immune system the best opportunity at healing.

Sugar feeds every cell in our body – including cancer cells. Several recent studies indicate that sugar may increase the growth of cancer cells; other research shows that it is the weight gain from sugar that increases our risk of cancer; especially harmful is increased fat around our heart and organs. Either way, reducing sugar may reduce our risk of cancer.

Sugar is a main culprit in the growing epidemic of obesity and adult-onset diabetes in the U.S. According to health scientists at MD Anderson, the average American eats 260 cups of sugar a year! This isn’t just from sweets, it’s also from hidden sources, such as tomato sauce, salad dressing, “healthy” cereals, and more.

Finally, sugar is addictive. When we eat sugar (and chocolate) our body releases the brain chemicals dopamine, serotonin and endorphins. These are the same chemicals that addicts crave. So while you think having one or two pieces of heart-shaped chocolates won’t be too bad, your brain is thinking “I want more!” That’s why so many of us find it hard to resist sweet temptations.

Healthy ways to celebrate Valentine’s Day

What does a candy-free February look like?
Try some of these non-food nourishing gift ideas:

The American Heart Association suggests a gift from the heart, such as a poem or love letter. Choose a favorite poem or write what you feel. Write or type it on beautiful paper (check out some options on Etsy.) In between relationships? Write yourself a loving, “non-negotiable” list – all the things you will never put up with in a relationship ever again. Or write a friend or loved one who has been an inspiration or support in your life.


Savor the moments in pictures. Do you have a ton of pictures on your phone but rarely print them out? Valentine’s Day is the perfect time to remember your loved ones with the thoughtful gift of photos. I love the app Groovebook – for $2.99 a month you can upload up to 100 pictures and Groovebook automatically sends you a photo album each month! Or go for a year of love with a photo calendar – apps like Shutterfly make it easy!


Spend a night with no electronics or digital distractions! Make a fire, bundle up and go for a walk, or have a few friends over and serve the heart-healthy treats below with sparkling water and raspberries.

Instead of reaching for something sweet, chocolaty or gooey this Valentine’s Day, try some of these ideas for indulging the ones you love. (And that includes YOU!)


Why Most New Year’s Resolutions Fail and How You Can Make Sure Yours Succeed!

Did you know that 95% of New Year’s resolutions are forgotten or denied by the last day of January? Studies find that by February, many people are further behind than when they made the resolution! Here are some of the reasons why, and what you can do to avoid the pitfalls.

Challenge: New Year’s is a false start-time influenced by a group mindset. People have a greater chance of succeeding when they have laid the groundwork for success and considered the best time to begin working on their goals. January 1st is an arbitrary date, and we get caught up in feeling as if everyone is doing it.

Solution: Collaborate with a friend or coach to pick a start date that’s right for you to begin working toward your goals. For example, if your goal is to lose a certain amount of weight, you may first want to keep a food diary for a couple of weeks, then clean out the “temptations” from your pantry and refrigerator. This helps you set up for success from the start. The best way to accomplish a long-term goal is to work toward it all year long.

Challenge: We set vague and/or unattainable goals. Resolutions are typically black and white – dealing in absolutes: I will quit smoking. I will exercise every day. I will not spend money. Goals like these set you up for failure before you even begin!

Solution: Set realistic and specific goals. Don’t try to fix everything all at once. Focus on what is most important to you right now, for THIS year. For example, “I will lose weight” is not a specific goal; however, “I will lose 10 pounds” is both specific and measurable. To make it realistic, give yourself a reasonable timeframe to attain your goal and set smaller, weekly goals. Then, celebrate when you’ve reached that first weekly goal, such as losing your first pound or two!

Challenge: It is difficult to stay motivated day after day, week after week. If we decide to give up or give in, who’s really going to call us on it? In order to make true change, we need to “retrain our brain,” create new habits and ensure accountability.

Solution: The #1 tip from health experts is: get support. Have an accountability partner, work with a health coach one-on-one, or exercise with a “workout buddy.” Accountability increases your opportunity for success by more than 50 percent! For example, with a health coach, you can explore your individual challenges and what’s holding you back, without feeling judged. With a workout buddy, you’ll show up on time, week after week, and have someone with whom to share your successes and hardships!

Try these other proven tips:

  • Picture your preferred future. Close your eyes. Picture how you will look, act, talk, walk, smile, when you’ve achieved your goal.
  • Feel the feeling of success. Consider how you will you feel once you’ve achieved your goal: Happy? Confident? “Lighter?” Go ahead and let yourself imagine it! Be specific – are you walking down the aisle in your wedding gown (or bridesmaid dress)? Are you dancing in skinny jeans and boots? Are you on the beach in a bathing suit – without a cover up? Visualizing yourself as already having achieved your goals will help you stay on track toward what’s truly important to you.
  • Understand what de-rails you. Have you ever heard of “emotional eating?” That’s when we use food to comfort us when we’re depressed, scared or stressed out, for example. Let’s say you get upset at work; you may head to the vending machine thinking something sweet or salty will make you feel better. (It won’t.) Or if you’re bored, you might find yourself mindlessly eating chips in front of the T.V. Identifying your own unique, emotional eating triggers is the first step toward creating new healthy habits!

Start with these tips to help you ring in the New Year – healthier, happier, and with more intention and compassion for yourself!


My Thanksgiving Meal Plan

Just In Time: My Two-Step Thanksgiving Game Plan

Step 1: Be Aware of Holiday Eating Triggers

In order to prepare for what’s ahead, it’s helpful to consider what might trigger you to overeat during the Thanksgiving holiday. According to health researchers, several factors can contribute to holiday weight gain:

Stress. We love our family, but sometimes close quarters (or just an extended meal) with our relatives can make us a little stressed. Add to that the pressure of kids on vacation and a change in schedules, and you’ve got what’s known as “food drivers” – eating to feel better. In addition, this kind of anxiety may cause your body to increase the production of cortisol (the stress hormone). An increase in cortisol can cause weight gain regardless of the amount of food you eat.

Travel and Sleep Deprivation. Whether vacationing or visiting relatives, traveling disrupts our everyday schedule and can be exhausting. We tend to dine out more and exercise less. In addition, we may not sleep as well in a “foreign” bed or we get less sleep as we try to pack more into each day. Research shows that our appetites increase 25% when we’re tired! Plus, we crave sugar, caffeine and carbs to give us quick energy.

More of everything. If everyone around us is indulging … and if everywhere we turn we see a platter of treats … our resistance wears down. “The proximity and visibility of a food can consistently increase an adult’s consumption,” says Brian Wansink, professor of marketing and human behavior at Cornell University and author of Mindless Eating. “Even for people with the greatest resolve, every time they look at a candy dish they say, ‘Do I want that Hershey’s Kiss, or don’t I?’ Gradually our resolve is worn down.”

Binge Now, Resolve Later. Millions of people make New Year’s resolutions to eat better and lose weight. However, according to a study cited by Dr. Suzanne Koven of Massachusetts General Hospital, people often take an “all or nothing” attitude between Thanksgiving and January 1st – binge eating now before they begin their resolution.

Step 2: Be Prepared With Proven Tips

So how do you prepare to face the odds against you this time of year? Plan ahead and follow my Healthy Thanksgiving Game Plan:

Set a clear intention for the Thanksgiving weekend. What is your GOAL for surviving the holiday? Write it down, including the “why.” For example: I would like to MAINTAIN my current weight because I don’t want my clothes to feel tight. I would like to AVOID OVEREATING because I don’t want to have an upset stomach when my family is visiting over the holiday.

Don’t have it in the house. You CAN control what’s in your fridge and pantry! Don’t stock up on candy, cakes and sugary drinks and you won’t be tempted to eat them. If your family wants a holiday treat, suggest a dessert place they can patronize and ask them not to bring home “leftovers.” You can also create a healthy dessert alternative (see Thanksgiving Recipe Makeovers below). Let your friends and family know about your health goals and ask for their support.

Eat before you eat. Don’t attend the Thanksgiving meal on an empty stomach. (Many people think that skipping meals on the big day will help them save calories, but studies show the opposite is true.) Instead, start your day with a healthy, high-fiber breakfast such as oatmeal and blueberries. Then, have a midday protein shake that includes a handful of spinach, half a green apple, a frozen banana, unsweetened almond milk, and chia seeds. This has plenty of fiber to keep you satiated so you don’t overeat at the table.

Eat small portions of just your favorites. Use a tablespoon – not a serving spoon – to place a small portion of your favorite foods on your plate. Skip any foods that you don’t absolutely love. This way you’ll be able to taste all of your favorites without overeating any of them. Eat slowly and try to be mindful as you eat; if you chat all the way through your meal you’ll feel less satisfied and will be tempted to eat more or snack later.

Don’t linger. Once you’ve finished your meal, offer to help clean dishes; take the kids (or the family dog) for a walk; or start a game of catch outside. You can also grab one of your favorite relatives and sit in another room to catch up, or pull out some old family movies or DVDs and gather everyone together to watch.

Don’t come empty-handed. When you are invited to a holiday meal, offer to bring a dish – and then make it a healthy one. Bring hummus with carrots and cucumbers; salsa with Mary’s Gone Crackers (my favorite healthy brand!); a tray of mixed natural nuts and roasted chickpeas; a bowl of roasted red and green peppers with a variety of olives. Now you will have something healthy to eat! (You can use this tip when you are the host, too!)

Drink up! Fill a glass with sparkling water and lime and sip on it throughout the meal. It’s a great alternative to sugar-laden alcoholic drinks or wine. Sipping water throughout the day will also help you refrain from mindless eating and drinking!

Be generous. Don’t be tempted by leftover pies, potatoes, sauces, and stuffing. A few days before Thanksgiving, stock up on disposable storage containers so you can send your guests home with all the leftovers. If it’s not there, you can’t eat it!

Get back on track fast. Even if you do eat more than usual at your Thanksgiving meal, don’t throw in the towel for the rest of the weekend! Wake up at your regular time the next day and have a glass of warm water with lemon within an hour of waking. Lemon acts as a natural detoxifier to help you eliminate sugar and other toxins. Eat a banana and head to the gym; or go for a walk or bike ride. Have a high-fiber lunch such as vegetarian chili or soup. And continue to drink plenty of water throughout the day (aim for half your weight in ounces of water each day.) The faster you get back on track, the less chance you’ll have of gaining weight or feeling uncomfortable symptoms.

Be good to yourself. While it may feel good in the moment to indulge in that pumpkin pie or stuffing, Thanksgiving meal foods often make us feel bad. They typically contain loads of sugar, salt, processed ingredients, and saturated fat. If you notice you feel bloated, congested, headache-y or itchy, chances are you’re having food-related symptoms. For example, wine contains histamines, which can cause congestion and/or sinus headaches. Carbs and sugary foods wreak havoc on our blood sugar levels, and we feel tired, moody or depressed after the “sugar high.” Be good to yourself by choosing foods that help you feel energized, in control, confident, and symptom-free!


NCU Values Scholarship Recipient Arlene Perry

I’m so honored and pleased that I was chosen to receive a full scholarship towards my PhD in Health Psychology at North Central University. The things I learn will give me even more tools to help my clients. Here’s the story:

Pursuing her PhD in Psychology, with a focus in Health Psychology, is a natural next step for NCU Values Scholarship winner Arlene Perry, a Certified Health Coach (CHC) and a member of the American Association of Drugless Practitioners (AADP). The owner of Healthy Life Denver, and a member of Integrative Medicine of Cherry Creek, Arlene’s goal is to better equip her clients to battle the effects of obesity, Type 2 diabetes, high blood pressure and high cholesterol that are often the result of a poor diet compounded by a sedentary and stress-ridden lifestyle. – Read more HERE.

 


Diet Drinks Are NOT Your Dieting Friend

A lot of people think that diet soda is a healthy choice, but unfortunately, that’s just not true. Studies show that diet soda does not help with weight loss; instead, the intense sweetness of artificial sweeteners actually triggers the body’s craving for sugar and fools the brain into thinking you are about to eat something sweet. This can actually promote weight gain!

According to Dr. Mark Hyman, drinking diet soda with artificial sweeteners causes your body to produce insulin (the fat storage hormone), which increases your belly fat. He cites a study, saying, “The rats that consumed artificial sweeteners ate more, their metabolism slowed, and they put on 14 percent more body fat in just two weeks (even while eating fewer calories).”*

And that’s not all. Long-term studies have shown that diet sodas can cause migraines, stomach distress and dizziness; contribute to obesity and type 2 diabetes; and weaken bones and deplete calcium, among other side effects. Also alarming, artificial sweeteners make diet soda addictive.

And if all that doesn’t persuade you to give up diet soda, check out this testimonial from my clients – previous diet soda addicts:

“I used to have a Diet Coke every morning on my way to work. And almost every day I would have some sort of stomach distress – I thought I had Irritable Bowel Syndrome. But one summer, after I had a glass of Diet Coke and immediately got sick, my health coach pointed out the correlation to me. I quit that day – three years ago this summer – and my stomach symptoms improved probably 90 percent that same week! I can’t even believe I used to drink it!” — Lucy R.

Although I considered myself fit (triathlete) and healthy (vegetarian), I was suffering with a number of ailments: I had been doctor-diagnosed with IBS (irritable bowel syndrome), and on more than one occasion landed in an ER with debilitating stomach pains. I also had allergies, migraines and had difficulty falling and staying asleep. During our initial session, my health coach was able to quickly focus in on the sources of my issues. One of the sources was the amount of Diet Coke I drank – which was basically three or four a day! Arlene helped me wean off of diet drinks, replacing them with lots of water and a morning cup of green tea, and after about three weeks I was FREE! We made several other changes but I know giving up Diet Coke has helped me eliminate a lot of symptoms. I am thrilled to report that my stomach pains, migraines and allergies are all gone, and without medication! And I now fall asleep on time and sleep solidly through the night. – Mike D.

* Source: www.drhyman.com and www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov: A role for sweet taste: calorie predictive relations in energy regulation by rats.

* Source: Dr. Furhman, citing Carbonated soft drink consumption and bone mineral density in adolescence: the Northern Ireland Young Hearts project; and Colas … are associated with low bone mineral density in older women: The Framingham Osteoporosis Study; and Diet Soft Drinks Deplete Urinary Calcium, MedPage Today.


Stay Healthy This Summer Inside and Out

 

Sun Protection

Are you confused about sun protection and the often conflicting reports? We’re told to use sunscreen to protect against sun damage and prevent skin cancer, but we’re also told that the chemicals in sunscreen could be harmful. What should we do? Well, we are right to be concerned about sun damage. According to the American Cancer Society, more than 2 million Americans are diagnosed with skin cancer every year, and the occurrences are actually increasing. However, many sunscreens could be causing harm; according to a study by the U.S. Centers for Disease Control (CDC), 97 percent of Americans are contaminated with a widely-used chemical in sunscreens — oxybenzone – which can cause allergic reactions, hormone disruption and cell damage.
In addition, not all sunscreens provide the protection they claim. To find a sunscreen that offers protection AND uses safe ingredients, check outEnvironmental Working Group (EWG). EWG rates sunscreens based on this combined criteria, and provides a list of the top 100 that made the cut. Overall, EWG likes today’s zinc- and titanium-based mineral sunscreens because they offer excellent UV protection but do not penetrate the skin. According to EWG, “half of the U.S. sunscreens that meet the United State’s FDA rules would not make it to store shelves in Europe,” which has stricter standards.

What else can you do to protect yourself from skin damage and the threat of melanoma?

• Eat raw vegetables; they are packed with skin-protecting antioxidants/phytonutrients.

• Reduce or eliminate your consumption of processed foods and sugars, which can suppress your immune system and increase inflammation.

• Wear clothing that provides protection against UVA and UVB rays; check out products from Coolibar and Solumbra, or dozens of others available online. When in the water (or biking, hiking and running outdoors), wear a swim shirt – today’s versions are good-looking and breathable, and you don’t have to worry about chemicals or the sunscreen washing off. (Do make sure you use sunscreen on the parts of your face and body that are not protected by clothing.)

• Wear a wide-brimmed hat to protect your face, and wear sunglasses whenever you are outside, including when you are driving. Eyewear protects the sensitive skin around your eyes and can reduce the risk of developing cataracts. Make sure your sunglasses provide both VA/UVB protection.

• Avoid sun exposure during the hottest part of the day, 12N to 4PM.

• Avoid burning! Sunburns significantly increase your chances of developing melanoma, according to skincancer.org

• Do not use tanning booths – these are NOT safer than the sun! People who use tanning beds are two to five times more likely to develop squamous cell carcinoma, according to skincancerprevention.org

• Remember to examine your body for signs of skin damage, and get a yearly skin check from a board-certified dermatologist.