Making Lifestyle Changes That Last

In lieu of my blog today, I am sharing a link to an article from the American Psychological Association Help Center. This is a succinct and qualified affirmation of the theme of methods to successfully implement a healthy lifestyle. It supports the foundation of my blog which is to make a plan, start small, change one behavior at a time.

www.apa.org/helpcenter/lifestyle-changes.aspx

Enjoy this article and don't hesitate to reach out if I can help you in any way.

gettingfitwithbj@gmail.com
barbarajlaird.zumba.com

Simple Little Taste Treats Keep it Fun

Are you tired of carrots and celery sticks as your snack? Are you looking for different and fun treats to support your healthy eating?  Here are a random mix of some of my favorite treats. Some can stand on their own as a light meal or snack - or be a side dish. Some make a great hostess dish.

Apple and Greek yogurt salad.  Cut up one small apple. Mix one tablespoon of Greek yogurt with one teaspoon of cinnamon and stir in the apple.  You can stop here or get creative by adding copped walnuts or pecans; raisins or dried cranberries; or grapes. Serve on top of your favorite greens (I like this on Boston Bib lettuce).

Tomato-Basil Skewers
Ingredients:  16 small fresh mozzarella balls; 16 fresh basil leaves; 16 cherry tomatoes; Extra-virgin olive oil to drizzle; Coarse salt, to taste; freshly ground pepper, to taste.

Directions. Thread mozzarella, basil and tomatoes on small skewers. Drizzle with oil and sprinkle with salt and pepper.

In addition to being fresh and tasty, each skewer brings a nutritional bonus by offering 3g or protein. A great way to party without guilt. Make a couple batches and take as a hostess gift to a party.

Here's a quick snack I've shared before:  Toast a 100% whole wheat English muffin. Drizzle with honey and top with cinnamon.   Tasty, sweet, and a great way to add some filling fiber.

Apple slices with Brie Cheese Spread. Oh la la! This duo will crush your craving for something sweet and also deliver fiber and antioxidants.






 Cherries and Chocolate Pudding.  The next time your sweet tooth tugs you toward something rich, dunk some cherries in chocolate pudding. It doesn't offer the nutritional benefits of some of our other healthy snacks, but at about 100 calories per cup, it's a waistline-friendly alternative to other sugary treats. Not to mention the cherries add fiber and vitamin C to the mix.




If you are entertaining, try to make a small spread of the Apple slices with Brie Cheese and the Cherries and Chocolate Pudding. Together they make an elegant and indulgent dessert choice.

Lastly, here's one of my favorite sandwiches:  Lightly toast 2 slices of 100% whole wheat bread. Get 2 triangles of Laughing Cow Swiss Light cheese and spread one on each slice of toast.  Add a couple slices of fresh tomato.  This makes a sandwich with a yummy combination of taste and texture.  

I hope these random ideas add some fun to your mix and also prompt some creative ideas of your own.

I'm here to help.

barbarajlaird.zumba.com
gettingfitwithbj@gmail.com

Fitness: How do I make time? How do I keep interested?

According to the Mayo Clinic, starting a fitness program may be one of the best things you can do for your health. After all, physical activity can reduce your risk of chronic disease, help you lose and manage weight, even boost your self-esteem. And the benefits are available for you regardless of age, sex, or physical ability.

The Department of Health and Human Services recommends that healthy adults include aerobic exercise and strength training in their fitness plans.   How much?   At least 150 minutes of moderate aerobic activity or 75 minutes of vigorous aerobic activity a week and strength training exercises at least twice a week. At this point, many say they just don't have time. I would suggest that you just haven't had a good, objective assessment of your work/home life and that there are plenty of opportunities to find time and activities that suit your tastes and lifestyle.   Although gym memberships are certainly a dependable way to find access to year-round fitness activities, there are lots of other things that can promote fitness within your healthy lifestyle.

When you are designing your personal fitness program, consider your fitness goals. Think about your likes and dislikes and write down your personal barriers to fitness. That provides a framework to develop practical strategies for a program that you can keep on track.

Be realistic:  When it comes to making healthy changes in your life, the road to success is paved with small changes made one step at a time. But the payoffs are huge. Forming healthy habits now will help you look and feel better and keep you running strong for years to come. Remember, small steps add up to long-lasting results.

Day in and Day out:  When it comes to a smooth-running body, it's what you do over time that counts. Every healthy body gets overfed or becomes idle now and then. Don't worry. Just balance out these times by eating less of being more physically active for a while. No need to view just one meal or one day as a failure.

Get moving:

Work off a big lunch by taking a bike ride or walk with your family or friends after work. Yes, you might need to give up one television show for this, but the time is there.

Instead of socializing with friends by watching videos or dining, plan to go walking, biking, or dancing.

Walk around the sidelines or stroll around the field instead of lounging in the stands while the kids play soccer or softball. Are you in a facility with bleachers? Walk up and down the bleachers.

I've said it before, I'll say it again - host a meeting without food. Brainstorm in small walking groups. Add a fitness activity to your seminar or training event.

Run up and down the stairs with each load of laundry. Lose the remote and get up and change the channel. Get up and walk to your coworker's office instead of calling.

Join a class at a local fitness facility or park. Find something fun for you. If it's not fun, it's not sustainable. Add some variety to keep things interesting and challenging.

There's no time like the present. If you would like assistance with your assessment, plan, or implementation, don't hesitate to contact me.

barbarajlaird.zumba.com
gettingfitwithbj@gmail.com

Simple Changes

Did you start the year full of resolutions and making bunches of changes vowing this would be the year you ate better, lost weight, and exercised regularly? Do you find yourself half-way through the year and back to your usual habits of skipping breakfast, grabbing chocolate or high-powered drinks to get you through the afternoon slump, and neglecting your fruit and vegetable intake?  Don't feel guilty about it. It isn't that you lack willpower - it may be that you tried to change too much at once.

Through my blog, I attempt to share easy ways to take small steps and make simple, sustainable changes to your eating, drinking and exercising habits. Once you've turned one or two into a habit you can add one or two more and make huge strides towards your health goals with little conscious effort.

Easy Changes to Your Eating Habits

Eat a small apple or pear BEFORE your lunch every day. It will take the edge off your appetite and get your digestion process kicked off with some fluid and fiber while it contributes to hitting your five-a-day goal.

Go vegetarian one night a week. Most nutritionists agree that we eat more meat than we need to. Have an animal-free dinner once a week - it's a great opportunity to try out some new recipes that are packed with vegetables and flavors. You'll also save yourself a little money. I started my own journey by aiming to not eat animal 3 days per week.  For me that means no meat, no fowl, and no fish. That started me on a search for recipes that has become so much fun that I am now mostly a vegetarian. I do consume some dairy (primarily cheese and  yogurt), eggs, and I have occasional seafood.  

Switch to whole grains. There are a number of opportunities to switch to whole wheat or whole grains. Switch the bread on your sandwich, check the content on your cereal, change out your pasta and rice. Look for 100% whole wheat or whole grain. You have to read the ingredients carefully on this one. Try to find as many of those products that are 100% - not just a blend.  You can't go by the name or labeling of the product, they can be deceiving. 

Switch to skim milk (1% or less). Do you drink whole milk or put it on cereal? It might seem odd for the first few days, but stick with it for a week; your taste buds will quickly adjust. You will be getting just as much calcium and protein as before.

Keep a bottle of water on your desk.  It is easy to mistake slight thirst for hunger, leading to unnecessary snacking. 

Avoid milky drinks from coffee outlets. Do you have a giant latte every morning? You could be clocking up over 300 calories and chances are, it doesn't fill you up at all. And think of all the money you can save - for many regular drinkers it could pay for the gym membership and fund a cool pair of sneakers.

Easy changes to Your Exercise Habits

Go for a twenty minute walk every lunchtime. If you are struggling to fit exercise into your day, get away from your desk for a twenty-minute walk each lunch time. It's a good way to force yourself to take a break from work, and refreshes your mind and your body,. 

Take a fitness class once a week. Wherever you live or work, chances are that you can find a convenient exercise class somewhere nearby. Find one class you can do, once a week - and stick with it.

Make Sunday afternoons active. As Monday looms ever closer, you may find that your mood and energy levels plummet. A great way to counter this is to do something active on Sunday afternoons. Mix this up from week to week. Have some family play time in the park. Go skating with a friend or partner. Take a long walk.

Exercise during commercial breaks. Whenever you are watching television, get up off the sofa during commercials and do some exercise. Fit in a few stretches; some jogging in place; or lift some dumbbells (you can keep some dumbbells under the sofa so they are conveniently ready to grab). You might only fit in a few minutes at a time, but over the course of an evening's TV viewing that could easily add up to half an hour and it stops you from grabbing yet another snack.  

You don't have to do all of these at one time. Pick one that seems easy for you and turn it into a habit. Then pick another, and so on, and so on.    Two months down the road you will have a lot of good, productive, sustainable habits without dramatic sacrifice.

barbarajlaird.zumba.com

gettingfitwithbj@gmail.com

Top 10 Herbs and Spices You Need More Of

From black pepper to cinnamon and other common seasonings, here's how spicing up your food can give your health new zest, too. These top seasonings not only make your meal taste amazing, they can also fight cancer and heart disease, and keep other troubles at bay.

Black Pepper - The pepper mill may not just be a weapon against bland food. It could stop cancer cells from growing and dividing.

Chives - Not just a delicious garnish, these pungent green shoots may help neutralize the effect of carcinogens and help muzzle tumor growth in a host of different cancers.

Cinnamon - One of the most easy to use spices, may help you fend off the diabetes epidemic by keeping your blood sugar under control. Cinnamon may help cells take in sugar and use insulin better. Sorry, it doesn't work if it is on top of a gooey cinnamon bun.

Ginger - Known for quelling motion sickness, ginger can also soothe a sour stomach, calm achy knees, reduce cholesterol, nix artery clogging blood clots, reduce post-workout soreness, inhibit cancer cells, and quash damaging inflammation. Just keep it fresh.

Oregano - When GIs brought oregano home from Italy after World War II, they probably didn't know they were carrying an herb that contains 42 times more antioxidants than apples - or that would later be found in studies to beat inflammation.

Parsley - Promote parsley from a garnish to a starring role and you'll not only get fresher breath; guys may also get prostate protection.

Rosemary - Love the taste of grilled burgers? Add rosemary extract to your burgers before grilling for extra flavor and to prevent the production of cancer-causing substances called heterocyclicamines (HCAs) by up to 90%. Need more reasons to stick a sprig of this herb in lemonade or a cup of  hot tea? Lab studies suggest it may prevent breast cancer and leukemia cells from multiplying.

Saffron - This beautiful reddish-yellow herb may be a potent mind medicine that can help transform you from grumpy or down-in-the-dumps to happy and even svelte. Certain compounds in this herb may help decrease anxiety and even depression. In one study, reducing emotional eating and snacking in overweight women.

Thyme - That minty, lemony flavor in your mouthwash? It could be thyme, which has long been used as an antiseptic. Now this herb has been found to have potent anti-inflammatory properties, too. That makes you heart happy, since high levels of inflammation in your body can open the door to heart disease.

Tumeric - Contains the compound curcumin, which studies suggest has nearly total-body benefits. This inflammation fighter may curb damage to your arteries, keep your memory sharp, and even squelch next-day soreness after a workout. It may also help turn off pancreatic and colon cancer cells. An easy way to get this potent compound: yellow mustard. A teaspoon contains the perfect daily dose. 

Remember that these herbs and spices have typically demonstrated their value in studies in their whole, natural form - not in some pill or capsule form. They are readily available and generally affordable to add to your pantry and incorporate into your meal planning.

barbarajlaird.zumba.com

gettingfitwithbj@gmail.com

It's Often in the Little Things We Do

Are you in a stalemate with the scale? You've been walking the straight and narrow -counting calories - working out - and yet you are not dropping pounds. What's up with that? The answer may be hiding in the random things you do over the course of an average day - those little habits that seemingly have no connection to weight loss, but may be sabotaging your best get-fit efforts. Ask yourself these questions and if you answer yes to any or all of them, you may have found an opportunity for a small modification that can help to get you back on track.

Do you always eat "healthy"?  According to a report from Yale University, a funny thing happens when you focus on making careful diet decisions. If you just "think" of your meal as a light choice, it can cause your brain to make more of the hormone ghrelin and more ghrelin makes you feel less full and signals your metabolism to slow down. To keep your ghrelin balanced, focus on the more indulgent parts of your meal - like the nuts and cheese on your salad, rather than the lettuce. It also helps to pick foods that are both healthy and seem like a treat, like a warm bowl of soup with crusty whole-grain bread. Here's a good spot to share one of my favorite snacks when you want something sweet.   Lightly toast a 100% whole grain english muffin; drizzle with honey; sprinkle cinnamon on top.  This treat gives you the taste sensations of some of those decadent cinnamon bun treats, but without all the fats, sugars, and dense calories.

Do you pay with plastic?  Carrying cash may feel a little last century, but people who use a credit card when grocery shopping buy significantly more unhealthy, calorie dense food than people who pay cash according to a study in the Journal of Consumer Research. 

Do you think about exercise a lot?  There's a downside to that says a new French study. Simply thinking about exercise can cause you to eat 50 percent more. Why? People assume that the upcoming workout gives them license to snack. Avoid excessive munching with a pre-gym snack of no more than 150 calories. Try two slices of turkey with whole grain crackers.

Are you laser-focused at work?  Researchers at the University of Missouri-Columbia found that if you sit for just a few hours your body stops making a fat-inhibiting enzyme called lipase. Stand and stretch every hour and you'll boost your metabolism by about 13 percent. Or, fidget all day (tap your feet or bounce in your chair) and increase your calorie burn by 54 percent.

Do you sleep too little?  "Not enough shut-eye puts your body into a carb and fat-craving survival mode," says Micael Breus, PhD, author of The Sleep Doctor's Diet Plan. A study in The American Journal of Clinical Nutrition found that women who slept fewer than four hours ate 300 more calories and 21 more grams of fat the next day. Try this to gauge your sleep needs:  For a week, go to bed seven and a half hours before you need to get up. If you awaken before the alarm, you can get by with less sleep. But if you hit snooze, you may need eight, even nine, hours a night to wake up refreshed, recharged, and ready to burn some fat.

For me, one of the consistent messages we can learn from this is that we need to make simple, sustainable changes to eating healthfully and staying active as a habitual way of life.  Too much thinking about it can sabotage our efforts.

Email me or visit my website:
gettingfitwithbj@gmail.com
barbarajlaird.zumba.com

Start Now Stay Young: Some Simple Anti Aging Fitness Tips

Helping your body stay young or feel younger should be a proactive process instead of being reactive as we age. It is important to keep a healthy body as we age and we all know that staying active and eating right play the biggest roles. Here are some commonsense health tips that I hope will remind you to keep investing in your long term healthy future. This is stuff we all know but tend to put in the file cabinet called, "I'm Too Busy But I'll Get to It."   Let's all work together to get to it now so that we can keep enjoying all the things we want to do for a long, long time.

1.  The body was designed to be in motion. So get out of the house or office and get your body moving.  Park the car. Do you have friends or a place of interest within one mile of your home?   Walk there.  How about a three mile range?  Ride a bike.

2.  Host a meeting in a park rather than at a restaurant. Be a trendsetter on this one.  Contrary to popular habit, it is not necessary to have food to get productively through an agenda.

3. Breakfast is the most vital meal. It is what refuels your body after metabolic changes during sleep. It is best to include carbohydrates, fats, and proteins for an ideal nutritional mix. Remember we talked about productive carbs and healthy fats in earlier posts.

4. Limit intake of processed foods like canned goods, refrigerated, packaged, and dried foods. Consider eating whole foods. Start by adding slices of fresh fruits and vegetables to each and every meal.

5.  Be conscious of what you are drinking. Sodas, coffee, energy drinks, and alcohol drinks contain a lot of calories and/or chemicals. When you feel thirsty, the cheapest and most helpful for your body is to grab a glass of water or diluted freshly squeezed juice instead.

6.  Reduce your sugar gradually in your beverages, cereals, dressings - wherever you add it.

7.  Monitor your food and beverage intake by keeping a diary for a few weeks. This will allow you to know what and how you eat and can help you think about your goals and triggers that sabotage your plan.

See, you already knew all this stuff.  Just start implementing some of these simple changes into your existing routine. Think about adding one good habit a week.

barbarajlaird.zumba.com