3 Reasons Why Change Is Good

1). Changes makes you flexible. Being stubborn and resistant to new things will make a normally stressing situation even more so. Change helps you be fluid and go with the flow.

2). Change makes you smarter. If things never changed, you’d never learn anything new. And every time you learn a new skill — even if it’s just how to adapt — you are that much smarter than you were yesterday.

3). Change reminds us that anything is possible. It’s easy to think that anything that’s stuck will always be that way (i.e., the career that won’t lift off the ground or the marriage that’s coasting on neutral). But when you see things change, whether it’s in your life or some one else’s, it’s encouragement to know that nothing stays the same forever.

What Are Trans Fats?

Trans fats are manufactured in a process called hydrogenation, in which liquid vegetable oils are transformed into solid fats. They are used in foods like crackers, cookies, and pastries to improve their flavor and texture and to extend their shelf life. Like saturated fats, trans fats can raise LDL ("bad") cholesterol, but trans fats have also been shown to lower levels of HDL ("good") cholesterol. Studies have also shown that trans fats can increase the risk for obesity, diabetes, Alzheimer’s, and cancer. Not surprisingly, trans fats should be considered the worst fats of all and avoided.

Which is Better: Butter or Margarine?

The answer is: trans-fat-free margarine (often labeled as vegetable-oil spread these days). The reason lies in the different types of fats that are contained in butter and margarine. Butter, made from animal fats, is high in artery-clogging saturated fats. Margarine, on the other hand, is made with vegetable oil, so it contains mainly polyunsaturated fat. But don't be deceived! While margarine contains less saturated fat than butter, the hard varieties (like stick margarine) are high in trans fats.

Exercise Classes

Signing up for an exercise class is a great way to add variety to your weekly cardio routine. And let's face it — misery loves company, right? Having companions with you to sweat through all that cardio can be a great motivator.

Just be sure that if it's a cardiovascular class, it involves a minimum of 45 minutes of activity and keeps your heart rate up. 

For maximum calorie burn, I recommend working out at 85 percent of your maximum heart rate, or MHR. (To calculate your MHR, subtract your age from 220. Multiply that number by .85 to get your target heart rate.)

Go to your local gym or fitness center and see whether you can get in on one of these bad boys: 

Spinning: Climb on the bike and pedal to motivational music and instruction. Spinning doesn't require a whole lot of coordination, and you can go at your own pace; in any case, it's a real calorie burner.

Step: Start stepping up and down to the beat of your step aerobics instructor. The stepping motion offers a boost to cardio by adding another level of intensity.

 

Boot camp: This high-intensity workout will kick your butt — in a good way. It's a combination of cardio and strength training, and it works the whole body.

Kickboxing: A personal favorite of mine, kickboxing aerobics classes incorporate punching and kicking motions and are great for toning muscles and releasing pent-up stress.

Don't Hold Your Breath

Don't hold your breath. It's extremely important to keep your breathing constant when performing any exercise - Strength or Cardiovascular.

When performing strength training exercises, exhale on the positive movement, and inhale on the negative movement.

Cardiovascular exercise; you should have a constant rhythm to your breathing, allowing a regular flow of oxygen to your lungs, thus to your muscles.

3 Healthy Lunch-On-the-Go Suggestions

When you’re trying to stick to a healthy eating plan, brown-bagging it to work can sometimes be a challenge. But with a little forethought, you can purchase and/or prepare diet-friendly foods that will travel well, taste great, and keep you on track at lunchtime. Try these tasty suggestions for on-the-go lunches:

1. Enjoy a healthy sandwich. Look for nutritious breads.100% whole-wheat or whole-grain sliced bread, whole-wheat pitas, and whole-grain tortillas are terrific options. Be sure to choose lean, reduced-sodium deli meats like turkey breast, chicken breast, roast beef, and ham. Make sure you select varieties without added sugars (for instance, avoid honey-baked ham) and serve deli meats with condiments like Dijon mustard or sugar-free salsa.
   
2. Prepare a salad. Make a hearty Cobb or chef salad for one or more using dark, leafy greens, tomatoes, cucumbers, avocado, reduced-fat cheese, turkey bacon, and/or lean deli meats. Divvy it up into separate containers for any family member on the go. Put the dressing in a separate small container to add just before eating.
3. Consider soup. Lentil, split pea, and black bean soups are nutrient-dense, fiber-rich, satisfying choices, as are cold soups made from cauliflower or broccoli. Gazpacho made with chopped fresh tomatoes and cucumber is also an excellent choice for a hot-weather lunch. The great thing about soup is that you can prepare a big pot on a Sunday and it will last you a few days into the week. Hot soups can be packed in a microwavable container; cold soups in a thermos.

7 Tips for Controlling Your Appetite

If you suffer from constant food cravings, there are some steps you can take to remedy the situation.

Don't skip meals. You should be eating three square meals a day, plus one snack, and spacing your meals throughout the day so that you don't go longer than four hours without eating. This will keep your blood sugar levels and hunger hormones stable.

Drink tons of water. When you feel as if you're starving, pour yourself a huge glass of water or grab a bottle of seltzer — it will help quell the urge to snack.

Sleep! Two hormones, leptin and ghrelin, regulate our appetite, and both are directly affected by how much sleep we get. These hormones work in a kind of "checks and balances" system to control feelings of hunger and fullness. Getting eight hours of shut-eye each night helps the hormones work properly, which in turn will help curb your appetite.

Examine your hunger. The next time you feel hungry between meals, consider the last time you ate. If it was less than three to four hours earlier, your stomach isn't growling, and you're not weak or tired, you're probably emotionally unsatisfied in some way rather than genuinely physically hungry.

Think about what, besides eating, soothes you. Steer yourself toward positive feelings of self-worth and you'll choose activities and behaviors that inherently contradict self-loathing and self-destructiveness.

Don't panic. You can and will lose weight. Even if you're eating a little more than the meal plan calorie allowance, you can still lose — it just might take a little longer. Exercise is also crucial. Working out harder and more often will help burn the extra calories you might take in if you have a bad day.

Do not beat yourself up! Sometimes we slip up, and that's okay — healthy living is not an all-or-nothing proposition. I'm here for you, and I know you can do this. Believe in yourself and try to incorporate my suggestions into your life, and let's see how you do