Wednesday, January 3, 2018
Overindulged During the Holidays? 6 Health Influencers Reveal How They Get Back on Track
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The holiday season has come and gone, and you probably feel like you’ve overeaten, over-drank, and under-exercised for weeks. You're not the only one. But before you start beating yourself up for veering away from your usual healthy food and fitness habits, give yourself permission to move on and start anew.
Regret isn’t going to make those extra few pounds you may have gained magically disappear. Eating well and sweating often, on the other hand, will—as these six health influencers can attest. Here's what they do to get back on track and how you can start the first week of January on a strong, healthy note.
RELATED: 20 Nutrition and Fitness Experts Reveal Their New Year’s Resolutions
Eat clean, train mean
“There are a couple of things I like to do in order to kickstart my training after the holidays. As far as diet goes, I try to start eating as clean as I can. That means no sugar, lots of lean protein, and vegetables. I’m also a fan of hitting cardio first thing in the morning. A little bit of boxing is a great way to start the day, not to mention it jump starts my metabolism and warms up my body for a bigger workout later on.” —Joe Ferraro, founding trainer at Rumble Boxing
Stock your fridge with healthy eats
“Post-holiday season, I make sure my fridge and freezer are stocked with all my favorite healthy foods, like coconut yogurt, sprouted hummus, almond milk, kombucha, pasture-raised eggs, gluten-free sourdough, and a whole host of fruits and veggies. Being able to make last-minute easy dinners like my arugula caesar salad, a simple macro bowl, or breakfast tacos makes it way less tempting to pick something up on my way home.” —Lily Kunin, founder of Clean Food Dirty City
RELATED: How to Do a Post-Holiday Party Detox
Start your day with a sweat session
“In the new year, I start every weekday with a workout—even if it means getting up extra early! A few reasons I like to exercise first thing in the morning: It boosts your metabolism, prevents you from skipping it later, improves your physical and mental energy (which will improve your mood and productivity all day), keeps you goal-oriented, and strengthens your self discipline. And it doesn’t have to be two hours of your life. Even 30 to 40 minutes will make all the difference!” —Jessica Shatz, personal trainer and Pilates instructor
Zero in on just one goal
“Use the whole month of January as a reset month. Sit down and think about your overall health goals for the coming year and pick one area to focus on for the month of January. That could mean a booze-free month if the holidays were a little extra buzzy, running or walking a mile every day to refocus on being active, or focusing on mindfulness and meditation to bring more awareness into the way you approach your health. The sky's the limit!” —Lauren Williams, personal trainer and founder of Chisel Club
WATCH THE VIDEO: Jen Widerstrom’s Superset Workout Fast-Tracks Your Toning Goals
Don't overpack your schedule
"Just like with any goal, having a plan is key. After the holidays, set your schedule to return to normal. Try not to pack your planner with more engagements and new goals than you can realistically handle. If you add one new thing to your regimen, take something that has become too routine out. —Kira Stokes, personal trainer and creator of The Stoked Method
Have no regrets about indulging
“Make the transition back to reality as minimally loaded as possible, meaning resist the urge to rehash meals past. Hopefully you enjoyed every morsel you ate, but regardless . . . think onward and upward. The shame and guilt will not do you any favors, in fact, they make it much harder to get back on track.” —Shira Lenchewski, RD, author of The Food Therapist
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Tuesday, January 2, 2018
Friday, December 29, 2017
I Lost 72 Pounds and Now I’m Hooked on Taking Care of My Body
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Wadeana Williams, 40, 5'8", from Holly Springs, North Carolina
Before: 232 lb., size 22
After: 160 lb., size 6
Total lost: 72 lb., 8 sizes
I’d never been the best eater. In fact, Italian and Chinese takeout were my mainstays for years. And when two of my three kids were diagnosed with sickle cell anemia, I focused on their well-being rather than my own. It wasn’t until a 2009 Super Bowl party that I realized I needed to take care of myself, too. At 220 pounds, I was frustrated when my clothes didn’t fit. I felt even more upset when I got to the party and realized I was the biggest one there. I decided then that enough was enough.
Fine-tuning fitness
I started with 30-minute walks daily. I’d been sedentary for years, so even a stroll made me breathless at first. In May 2009, I joined Weight Watchers and learned how to dial back my portions and cook balanced meals, like grilled salmon with steamed broccoli and sweet potatoes. In just three months, I was down to 190 pounds. But soon my weight loss stalled. Feeling discouraged, I left the program and attempted to push past the plateau on my own. I integrated jogging into my walks, first for two minutes, then five, and eventually for a half hour or more. “Empowered” doesn’t even begin to describe how I felt when I ran my first 5K in 2011.
My new normal
I got hooked on taking care of my body when I realized that living healthy makes me feel my happiest. These days I crush 30 minutes of cardio, followed by an hour of weight training, five days a week. Hard-core sweat sessions and a commitment to clean eating helped me reach my goal weight of 165 pounds in August 2016. Getting fit hasn’t just brought me joy; it’s also helped me become a better mother, play buddy, caregiver, and role model for my kids (now ages 10, 13, and 15). And I couldn’t ask for anything more than that.
Wadeana's wellness tips
1. Scale back. I used to get so caught up in the number staring back at me on the scale that I'd forget my main goal: getting stronger. These days I weigh myself monthly, not daily, and focus on how I look and feel.
2. Try extra credit. I always tack on an extra challenge to my workouts. Before, it was walking five more minutes each day. Now I might go for five more reps at the end of a strength session or finish with 10 minutes of stretching. These may seem like small things, but they add up.
3. Speak your truth. My motto is "Get fit and live trying." Even if I don't always get it right, I try to give my best effort for a healthy life every single day.
4. Mind your macros. I track how much protein, carbs, and fat I consume at my meals. I've learned that fueling my body with the right balance keeps me completely satisfied, so I don't overeat.
As told to Anthea Levi
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Monday, December 25, 2017
How Former Athlete Karen Jackson Lost 64 Lbs.—and Got Her Strong Body Back
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Karen Jackson, 45, 5'11" from Roseville, California
Before: 224 lb., dress size 18
After: 160 lb., dress size 6/8
Total lost: 64 lb., 5/6 sizes
I can't remember a time when I wasn't into sports. By 2005, I had played Division I softball in college, competed on a pro team in my 20s, and opened a kids training facility. But a string of medical diagnoses turned my world upside down. I learned I had the BRCA2 gene mutation and later discovered I had rheumatoid arthritis. Five preventive surgeries made exercise impossible, and the steroids I took for my joints upped my weight. By 2015, I was 224 pounds, exhausted, depressed, and looking for a change.
Back in the game
In April 2016, I joined Jenny Craig. The program offered a weekly consultant, plus premade dishes for every meal. As a former athlete, I’m wired to do what coaches tell me, so I thrived on my consultant’s tips, like how to practice portion control. After three weeks, I had shed 15 pounds and was ready to get active again. I started walking for 30 minutes five days a week. I was mortified that I’d gone from pro ballplayer to someone who got breathless from a stroll. My stamina came back quickly, though, and within five months I was at my initial goal weight of 175 pounds and running 35 miles per week! Even better, I was finally starting to feel like myself again.
Me: 1, Scale: 0
I stayed on Jenny Craig for a year, getting down to 160 pounds by last winter. I still pick up their meals to help stay on track when life feels hectic. Despite my crazy schedule, I’ve added in new workouts, like yoga and strength training. It feels surreal to be fitter at 45 than I was as a Division I athlete. Yet it’s knowing that I now practice what I preach to the kids I coach that’s the greatest reward of all. I can confidently call myself a healthy role model, and that feels more empowering than anything.
Karen's pro tips
Eat dinner earlier. I usually eat dinner around 5 p.m.—I find I tend to sleep better if I don’t go to bed stuffed. And I wake up more easily, since I’m hankering for breakfast!
Start the day strong. I try to do something that nurtures me at the start of each day, like go on a run or take a few minutes to stretch. Self-care in the a.m. sets me up for a healthier and happier day.
Experiment with exercise. Trying new activities (or old ones I’ve abandoned) reminds me I’m capable of anything. When I got on a paddleboard for the first time in years, I felt revived from the inside out.
My motto? Move! When I can’t do a standard workout, I still find a way to be active—even if that means I walk around my house doing air punches with two-pound weights. I may look crazy, but it works!
As told to Anthea Levi
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Tuesday, December 19, 2017
How to Control Your Hunger Hormones to Lose Weight and Keep It Off
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A symphony of factors control hunger, fullness, and ultimately our weight, including everything from how well you slept last night to the accounts you follow on Instagram. Also involved in the complex process are hormones, particularly the two that are often referred to as hunger hormones, leptin and ghrelin.
In an ideal world, leptin and ghrelin work together to help keep you at a healthy weight. In the real world, well, 70% of the population ends up overweight or obese. Could out-of-whack hormones be to blame?
To answer that question, you first have to understand how the so-called hunger hormones work.
Leptin is the satiety hormone. Essentially, it tells you when to stop eating. “It makes you feel full, and it blocks appetite,” says James Shoemaker, MD, PhD, associate professor in biochemistry and molecular biology at St. Louis University.
Ghrelin, on the other hand, tells you when you’re hungry and need to eat. Think of it as the gremlin making your stomach grumble. “It’s made in the stomach primarily, and it’s released when you haven’t eaten for a while,” says Michael Schwartz, MD, co-director of the Diabetes Institute at the University of Washington in Seattle. Ghrelin peaks every four hours or so–roughly corresponding to breakfast, lunch, and dinner.
RELATED: How to Reprogram Your Appetite to Crave Healthy Foods
When everything’s running smoothly, the two hormones work in harmony, says Philadelphia-based Marjorie Nolan Cohn, RDN, a spokesperson for the Academy of Nutrition & Dietetics. “As one is rising, the other one is dropping.”
But things can–and do–go wrong.
For starters, leptin levels fluctuate with how much fat you have. When you lose weight, leptin levels drop. With less of that appetite-suppressing hormone, you end up feeling hungrier and eating more, potentially causing you to gain back the weight you had lost. “[Once] you have returned to your baseline weight, leptin will have recovered,” explains Dr. Schwartz.
In fact, a study that looked at 14 former Biggest Loser contestants showed that, indeed, leptin levels declined in those who lost large amounts of weight (they lost an average of almost 130 pounds). That could explain why most of them regained much of the weight over time.
It’s also possible to become desensitized to leptin–called leptin resistance–if you are constantly stuffing yourself with food. “You’d think that if you’re eating a lot you shouldn’t be hungry, but it’s the opposite,” says Cohn, who is also author of The Belly Fat Fix: Taming Ghrelin, Your Hunger Hormone, for Quick, Healthy Weight Loss. “Even though there may be leptin in circulation, it’s not registering,” she says, and you don’t know you’re full.
RELATED: 11 Foods That Make You Hungrier
Hunger-stimulating ghrelin levels also vary with weight loss. After dieting, ghrelin production increases, potentially causing people to eat more and gain weight. “The cravings can be so hard to control,” says Cohn. “Once you’re out of whack, it’s really hard to get back into balance.”
Why our bodies fight back
Understandably, human beings are designed to fight starvation. Part of the body’s response to dieting is a drive to revert to whatever weight we were previously. “As you gain weight, the brain thinks that the new weight is the one that’s supposed to be regulated,” says Dr. Schwartz. “That’s why it’s so hard to lose weight and keep it off.”
That response typically kicks in after you’ve lost around 5% to 7% of your bodyweight, he says. “Once you lose more than 5% of your bodyweight, on average, you’re going to engage these responses that counter-regulate against the weight loss. Whether you do it quickly or slowly, it doesn’t matter very much.”
Interestingly, people who undergo bariatric surgery seem to have lower levels of hunger-promoting ghrelin than people who take pounds off through plain old diet and exercise. This may be why weight loss after gastric bypass surgery tends to last for longer periods of time.
Harnessing your hormones
Barring surgery, is there any way you can control these hormones to your advantage? Luckily, yes.
If you can, stick to a more moderate weight loss of just around 5% of your bodyweight so you don’t trigger that debilitating drop in leptin. Then, readjust mealtime: “Eat on the clock,” says Cohn. That means every two hours if you like to eat smaller portions or every four hours if you eat larger meals. This draws down stomach-grumbling ghrelin levels.
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It’s also important to eat a balance of foods at each meal, particularly protein and complex carbs. “Protein is a major player in suppressing ghrelin,” Cohn says. “It takes more work to digest and keeps you full longer.” Fiber also slows digestion and helps keep you full, she adds. Look for complex carbs like whole grains, veggies, and fruit, especially those containing a type of fiber known as “resistant starch,” like not-quite-ripe bananas.
Exercise may also help control your hunger hormones so you can shed pounds for good. One study found that losing weight on a treadmill resulted in lower ghrelin levels than slimming down by simply eating less.
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