Corporate Fitness and Active Aging

After the excitement of holiday parties and festivities slows down, we sometimes find ourselves in a funk. Life can seem a bit slow, minimal sunlight and weather keeps us cooped up inside, and we feel a bit sluggish. Get rid of winter blues with these tips to warm the soul.

Warm Your Mind

• Think positively. When you’re feeling drained, it’s important to keep a glass-half-full mindset. Positive thinking starts with taking control and responsibility for your mind and attitude. A bad mood can be flipped simply by taking a slow, deep breath. In that moment you can change your entire day.
• Be nice to yourself. Everyone makes mistakes, so let yourself move forward.
• Smile. A simple smile can do wonders for your mind. How negative can you be if you are smiling?
• Meditate. Meditation is a great way to keep the mind healthy and thinking happy thoughts. It can be as long or short as desired. Meditation forces the mind to focus on the moment, allowing us to leave the world for a while and de-stress. Breathe in, breathe out, repeat.

Warm Your Body

• Move. Moving more throughout the day keeps blood circulating to all parts of the body. This includes blood flow to the brain, increasing alertness and productivity. (Here are some tips for finding motivation for winter fitness.)
• Break a sweat. Working out can provide feelings of accomplishment and happiness. Exercise causes serotonin secretion, the catalyst for a great mood. 
• Practice mindful eating and nutrition. It’s easy to get carried away indulging in favorite comfort foods. The downfall is that they are typically high in carbs and fats. Although you think you want these foods, it’s not what your body needs. Stick to the basic guidelines: half of your plate fruits and veggies, one quarter protein, and one quarter grains.

Warm Your Heart

• Pay it forward. Do something nice for someone without expecting anything in return. We’ve all heard about buying coffee for the person who’s in line behind you. If you’ve experienced this, you understand how great the heart-warming gesture feels and why you might do the same for a stranger the next time. However, paying it forward does not have to be monetary. Simple notions such as opening the door or smiling as you say, “Hello” to someone can go a long way and often creates a ripple effect. One day, I came across an envelope lying on a bench, addressed as “to whoever comes across this.” I opened it to find a card with an incredibly nice and uplifting note written inside. It ended with a request to leave the card in a new place in order to brighten someone else’s day.
• Don’t be alone… all the time. Surround yourself with positive people. Spend time with those who make you laugh, who make you feel good about yourself, with people who motivate and encourage you.
• Play or exercise with puppies. Animals and pets can have a therapeutic effect on us humans. Find a furry friend to give your attention and love to; I prefer puppies. Don’t have any around? Visit a local animal shelter, or better yet, volunteer your time and double up on the fuzzy feelings!

Warm Your Spirit

• Be grateful. Showing gratitude shifts focus away from you and brings mindfulness to a greater purpose in life, helping strengthen the Spiritual Dimension of Wellness. Take a minute to let someone know that you are thankful for them or for something that they did. Writing down what you are grateful for can affect your spiritual side in a similar way.

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It’s no secret that our emotions impact what we eat, when we eat, and how much we eat.
In fact, sometimes it seems that the strongest cravings hit when our emotional and mental
wellbeing is at its weakest. Emotional eating is a way to, in the short term, relieve or suppress
negative feelings, such as sadness, stress, anger/frustration, and/or boredom. However,
emotional eating can also lead us to make poor food choices, such as skipping or forgetting meals, consuming fast food frequently or consuming alcohol and/or caffeine in excess, all which may have health consequences, including unintentional weight gain. To help prevent emotional eating, focus on the following steps:

Identify the difference between emotional hunger and physiological hunger.

• Emotional hunger typically comes on suddenly with an urge to resolve the
  “hunger quickly”, often involves a desire for a specific type of food or food group,
  and usually results in overeating. In contrast, physiological hunger tends to be
  more gradual, allows us to stop eating when we are full, and doesn’t typically
  cause guilt that is experienced with emotional hunger.

Establish a healthy eating routine.

• Aim to eat two to three well rounded meals each day. Meals don’t have to be
  complicated: the easier and quicker = the better. Try pairing a protein source
  (chicken, salmon, ground turkey or lean beef, etc.) with various grilled, roasted, or
  steamed vegetables and seasonings/sauces of your choice for a quick,
  inexpensive and easy meal!
• Ensure you’re consuming enough of the right foods. Consume plenty of fruits,
  vegetables, whole grains, lean proteins, and low-fat dairy products while limiting
  your intake of highly processed foods, added sugars, salt/sodium, and alcohol.
• Talk with a registered dietitian to develop a healthy eating routine that meets your
  individualized needs while helping to manage causes and symptoms of emotional
  

Manage overall stress.

• There is evidence to suggest that increased cortisol, the hormone released
  during stress, may result in an increased appetite, leading to overeating and
  potential weight gain. Rather than turning to food for comfort, be sure to control
  stress by journaling, exercise, practicing mindfulness/meditation, and/or social support.
  
  

Mindful eating is about tuning into your body’s hunger/fullness cues and cravings when eating. One uses mindfulness to acknowledge and honor any physical cues the body is feeling, and eating based off of those signals. So how is mindful eating different from dieting?

Most diets require you to restrict certain foods, food groups, or even a whole macronutrient. They tend to cause a sense of guilt when you do indulge in a particular food that is deemed “off limits,” and often times cause you to binge on those very foods down the road. Mindful eating does not require any restriction. Instead, by listening to your body’s physical cues and cravings, you are allowed to eat what you want, when you want, and stop when fullness is achieved or the craving is satisfied. Many people find that they feel more satisfied, and may even lose weight, when eating mindfully because they are more aware of their body’s signals.

Tips for Mindful Eating:

• Learn to differentiate between hunger and non-hunger cues. Are you hungry or bored?
• Eat when you feel hungry, do so slowly, and put down the fork when you feel full.
• Eat without distractions – turn off the TV, put down social media, and focus on your food.
• Learn to avoid phrases like “guilt” and “guilt-free” when talking about food. Food is not tied to morality, and therefore should not make you feel guilty.
• Appreciate your food – engage your senses by observing smells and flavors.
• Eat to maintain overall well-being – what foods will make you feel good? Eating cake all day every day will taste great at first, but it will get old very fast. You may find that your body begins to crave vegetables or lean proteins instead, as they will make you feel good afterwards.

How are you choosing healthy when it comes to food choices?  Do you find yourself being mindful at meals?

We see it, we eat it. Usually that’s how it goes, right? Of course we eat too much, but is it really our faults? Well, unfortunately for Americans, the portion distortion mania has gotten out of hand—and so has obesity. Over time, we’ve gotten so used to the larger portions being served at restaurants, we’ve come to think this is normal. Then of course that thinking spills over into a food addiction at home, too. More food, more food, more food. The craziness needs to stop now! (Here are some tips for portion control at home.)

Today’s Meal Portions Are Too Big

Just because it is served to you, does not mean you need to eat it all. And once and for all, there is no “clean plate club” (anymore)! We certainly should be able to enjoy our meals without guilt, but my motto is “everything in moderation.” So while I indulge in the never-ending bowl of pasta and bottomless nachos from time to time, I focus on the food and enjoy it, that’s for sure (and here are some other tips for mindful eating). But one thing I’ve mastered over time, and invite you to practice as well, is listening to my body’s cues.

Stop Eating Before You’re Stuffed

When I first do that “sigh,” that’s my sign that it is time to stop. It usually comes when the food is about halfway gone, about 15 minutes into the meal. It’s that “ahh” moment. I sit back, put the fork down, stop, and think to myself, “I’m satisfied; I will stop now.” No, I will not continue until I’m stuffed; I’ll stop when satisfied—move away from the table and move on.

Over time, I’ve learned that our bodies are pretty amazing things. They give you these signs all the time if you take the time to listen and respect it. I love healthy foods, and I love unhealthy foods, too. I eat it all, but with balance. My portions end up smaller than those of the people sitting across from me, but that’s okay. It’s not a race, after all. And I certainly don’t feel like I’m missing out.

Listen to your body! The key to weight control and healthy eating is to eat when you are hungry, stop when you are full, and enjoy all things with balance—which will mean smaller portions every time!  Healthy eating means eating less!

Have you ever wondered how you could benefit from meeting with a nutrition coach?  Click below to check out our quick read to better understand how you can benefit from a one on one session.