New Year, New You!!!

Now that all the craziness of the holiday festivities, (and in my family the insane number of birthdays, anniversaries, etc that take place in January!) are over and you are starting to settle back to the pre-holiday routine, don't forget about your goals to be hot and healthy! I know a lot of people that the holidays majorly throw them off course from eating healthy and exercising. There's just so much going on and so much to do that healthy habits fall by the wayside. If that sounds like a familiar story, there's no better time than the present to pick those healthy habits back up and put them to good use.

Now I don't know how many of you made New Year's resolutions, but if you did what were they and how are they going? Personally, I don't really make New Year's resolutions. I have things that I work on on a monthly basis, I CAN'T wait for the New Year to roll around because if I saved them all up I would be totally overwhelmed! I have a couple of personal goals this month and one of them is to bring you a better blog! When I decided to do start this blog back in August, my purpose was to help people reach their health goals and see themselves in a new light, with renewed self confidence. That is what I still WANT to do, but I am having a difficult time knowing what to post about. The topics of health and wellness are so broad it's overwhelming to me every time I sit down to post. I have to think, ok, where should I start??? I guess what I'm asking for is more feedback so I can give you all what you want. Topics can be anything health related, including body image, eating disorders, exercising, nutrition, pregnancy, you name it and I will tell you what I know or research it and post what I find. If you don't feel comfortable leaving a comment about what you want to learn more about feel free to e-mail me (just click on view my profile, and then on Email me) . Thanks everybody, and I hope your holidays were fabulous!

Finding Peace in the Mirror

Loving yourself really is half the battle! It's hard to look in the mirror and see things that you don't like, whether you think you're too skinny or you wish your nose was smaller, there's always something we wish we could change about our physical appearance. It's important to remember that looks aren't everything. Accepting and loving yourself for who you are, flaws and all, is an important part of living a healthy life. If you love yourself enough to take care of yourself, you will naturally make healthier lifestyle choices. I found this article called "Finding Peace in the Mirror: The Quest for a Healthy Body Image" by Pamela H. Hansen and I wanted to share it with you because it really hit home with me. The quote that I posted last week was actually taken from this article in LDSLiving:

A lot of unhappiness results from agonizing over our physical appearance. But if we are able to see the divinity inherent in our wonderful mortal bodies, we can find a serenity and peace that eludes those who are caught up in the world’s obsession with the so-called ideal body.
-Pamela H. Hansen

She also relates being physically healthy to our spiritual well-being. It's a wonderful article and if you want to read it I've posted the link on the side bar or just click the link in the first paragraph.

What shape are you?

Like it or not we all have "predetermined" body shapes, that is to say we all have certain places fat deposits like to settle the best. There are 3 different body types
The apple-shape: people with the apple body type tend to store fat around their midsection (belly). This is the most dangerous place to store fat because it surrounds your vital organs, meaning it is the most likely to lead to heart disease. Apple shaped people need to be or become health conscious to avoid excess fat stored in this area.
The pear-shape: Pear shaped individuals tend to store fat below the belt, that is in the hips and thighs. It is harder to lose than belly fat but it is not so dangerous to your health as belly fat.

The proportioned shape - These people distribute fat evenly throughout their bodies.

Holiday Feasting

So it's that time of year again, people are putting up Christmas tress and lights and there's the hustle and bustle of holiday shoppers everywhere you go, not to mention the Christmas treats in the oven and the parties being thrown with all kinds of yummy not-so figure friendly food! But do not despair you can still enjoy all the things you love and keep the extra pounds at bay! How you ask? Just a simple matter of portion control! I know you've probably grown entirely weary of hearing me blabber on about how portion control is the key, but my friends, it's the truth! ANY food can be a part of a healthy diet as long as it's enjoyed in moderation! That is a wonderful thing, it gives you a free pass to go ahead and have a cookie and not feel guilty about it ! Here are some other tips for all those goodies that are sure to come your way this holiday season!

- If you don't LOVE it, don't eat it! Just because you start to eat something doesn't mean you have to finish it if you don't love it. For example, you're at a Christmas party and you put a cookie on your plate that looks delish, but when you take a bite it's only so-so, DON'T finish it and don't feel bad for not doing so! Put it back on your plate or throw it away, your hips will thank you when the season passes and you can still fit into your fave pair of jeans!

- Have an apple or a light snack BEFORE you go to dinner or a party where you know there will be a lot of unhealthy food and snacks. Doing this keeps you from being famished and loading your plate up with everything that looks edible!

- This one is probably going to be difficult if you're like me and love to bake, especially for the holidays, so take it in stride. Instead of baking cookies and other goodies to give to friends and neighbors (which come on let's be honest, we sample everything that comes out of the oven because we wouldn't want to give away bad cookies...=) why not give away little baskets of Christmas oranges or clementines or any wintery fruit for that matter? Not only are these baskets pretty, but it's ok if you sample the holiday fare!

I have to run the baby's awake, but if I have any more tips I'll be sure to send them your way and as always, if you have any tips of your own please share!

Slacking

Ok, so it's been over a month since my last post, so sorry! My baby's been in the emergency room twice in the past two weeks and sick pretty much all month. Poor thing. Anyway, I'll have some healthy holiday tips coming so don't give up on me yet!

Eating Out

It's a lot easier to make healthy choices when you are the one fixing the meals, but what to do when you go to a restaurant? Should you avoid eating out entirely so you can stick to eating healthy? No! A lot of people who "diet" (I hate that word in relation to losing weight) feel like they need to be social outcasts and refuse all lunch/dinner invitations because "there's no way to eat out and stick to their 'diet.'" That is untrue, you just have to know how to maneuver the menu to choose the healthiest choices. Here are some tips for eating healthy while eating out:

1. Stay away from options described as "creamy"- This means that they are undoubtedly made with heavy cream and/or whole milk which adds mucho calories to that piece of chicken or bowl of pasta.

2. Be salad smart - It's true that salads are definitely a healthy choice while eating out, but what gets people is the salad dressing. When those good for you greens are drowned in ranch, your healthy salad just turned into a fat bomb! If you're like me and still like dressing on your salad, order the dressing on the side and dip your fork in the dressing before you dig in. This way you get the yummy-ness without ALL the fat and calories.

3. Think H2O- Instead of ordering the magically refilling glass of soda, order water with lemon. This will save you hundreds of calories because the waiter refills your soda glass how many times before during and after the meal? I mean who keeps count of how many times the sneaky guy comes by and refills your soda glass anyway? Water is definitely the way to go.

4. Go grilled - Order your food grilled instead of fried. One tablespoon of oil is 100 calories and when foods are fried they practically take a bath in the stuff so that adds a few hundred more calories and, you guessed it, lots of fat to your meal. Even if the menu doesn't have the grilled option you can usually still get it grilled if you ask.

5. Substitute the fries - Ask for fresh fruit or steamed veggies instead of those fried fries, same things applies, even if the menu doesn't have the option, you can substitute for a healthier choice.

6. Ask for a box as soon as your meal comes (or before) - Portions these days are out of control, so ask for a box and place half of your meal in the box before you start eating. This way it's not on your plate tempting you when you are full.

Those are some of my tips. Does anyone else have any other tips or ideas to add?

Of Diet Pills and Food Journals...

Unfortunately there is not a "magic" pill that will make you thin and healthy, if there was everyone would be taking it!!! There are no substitutes for eating healthy and exercising. My take on diet pills/appetite suppressants is if you talk to your doctor about them and he prescribes you one then by all means go for it, but if you just want to shed 10 or 20 pounds, I wouldn't experiment with diet pills. They can seriously mess with your body and not in a good way (remember ephedra?) So to answer your question, there are not any diet pills that I would recommend.

I've found that the thing that works best for people trying to change their eating habits, rather than taking a diet pill, is to keep a food journal. Write down EVERYTHING that passes your lips for a week, then go back andreview it. What you find may surprise you. I've had people, who before I asked them to do this, thought they were eating healthy and then, when we went through their food journal, were taken back by how much food and how many calories they were actually consuming on a daily basis.There are online food journals that can be helpful also. SparkPeople has one that I used to use when I worked at the gym, just click on the link and you can check it out. Just remember when you're keeping a food journal you need to write down EVERYTHING, even if you just eat a couple peanuts or drink a glass of milk, write it down!