The Pleasures of Sharing Information

Copyright 2005 Sheri Zampelli

Do you find yourself struggling to stay on track with your
eating and weight loss goals? Give these 10 simple strategies a
try:

1. Forgive Yourself

Get off the “I already blew it so I might as well eat everything
in the kitchen” mentality. Let go of judgment. Regardless of how
much you ate, eating more is not the solution. Put down the
food. Walk away, take a deep breath. Tell yourself, “I always do
the best I can. I forgive myself and let go.”

2. Eat small meals every 3-5 hours

Eating regularly helps prevent low blood sugar or severe drops
in your energy level. It also decreases temptation to choose
quick, “pick me up” foods and keeps your metabolism revved up.

3. Drink Something or Chew Gum First

Sometimes habitual eaters mistake feelings of hunger for the
need to drink something or chew something. If you take a pause
to drink or chew gum, it could help save you from unnecessary
eating and the resulting fat storage.

4. No More Fad Diets or Starvation!

Fad diets and starvation lead to the Deprivation Response which
means you want more and more of whatever if is you’re not
supposed to have. Take all foods out of jail and allow yourself
a wide variety. This will help insure long-term, stress-free
success and a healthy, active metabolism.

5. Surrender to Your Cravings from Time to Time

No really, you can do it. It’s not reasonable to expect yourself
to NEVER eat sweets or fats. Moderation is the key to long-term
success. Occasionally check in with yourself and ask, “what do I
REALLY want?” Fully enjoy your favorites. Eat slowly, chew
throughly, savor the flavor and the freedom of allowing yourself
to eat a variety of foods.

6. Focus on Quality, Not Quantity

Settle for nothing less than the best when possible. A
high-quality, fresh, homemade meal is satisfying on more levels
than a frozen meal you heat in the microwave. The increased
satisfaction you experience will help curb your tendency to want
more, more, more.

7. Slow Down …Come Up for Air

Chew slowly, put your utensil down between bites. Swallow
completely before taking your next bite. Have a slow contest. .
Count to 10. Read something or say the following affirmation
between bites: “I love to linger over every bite. I savor the
flavor.”

8. Don’t Forget the Rest of Your Physical Needs

Some of us use food as a all-in-one cure for exhaustion,
sadness, anger, thirst, boredom and more. Your body needs more
than food. It also needs sleep (at least 6-8 hours a day) and
exercise. Don’t forget to indulge your other senses besides
taste such as sight, sound, smell and touch. Look at art or
nature, listen to music, light a scented candle or get a
massage. Your craving to eat when you’re not hungry may be
related to deprivation in other areas of your life.

9. Reclaim Your “Me” Time

Is there a hobby you left in the garage? Dust off your tools and
dig in the dirt. A little time alone or engaged in your favorite
pastime can be so fulfilling that you actually forget about
food. It’s almost impossible to engage in hobbies like
gardening, crocheting, graphic design, sewing or writing and eat
at the same time because your hands are too busy and you
wouldn’t want to get dirt on your food or put your greasy
fingers all over your project…would you?

10. Stay Away From the Scale

The metal monster called the scale has incited many a food
frenzy. Be it the celebratory “I lost weight, I’m going to treat
myself” or the perfectionistic punishment of “I didn’t lose (or
I gained) so what’s the point?” Most of us can rarely remain
neutral or objective when it comes to those numbers on the
scale. Take your power away from the scale. Throw it out the
window or sell it at a garage sale. It’s not your friend!

Comments Off

With our busy lives these days we are more apt to dine out, pick
up take out food, or have food delivered to us. The problem is
we are not aware of the calories and fat we are consuming when
we continually eat food other than what we, ourselves have
prepared.

The average dinner meal at a restaurant is 1200 calories, and 60
grams of fat. Men should not have more than 70 grams of fat a
day, and women 40 grams of fat a day. One meal alone can make up
one whole days worth of fat, or two, in the case of women’s
diets. If you do find a meal that is low in fat, make sure you
do not consume such a large serving that you eat more calories
than you should.

There are restaurants out there that do have meals considered
lower in fat and calories. If you do not see it on the menu ask
your server for the information. Remember low carb is not
low-fat. When you are eating a low -carb meal out at a
restaurant you are usually eating high-fat. Make sure you do not
take in more than 20 grams of fat in a meal. Below is a list of
restaurants that offer low-fat meals.

RESTAURANTS

APPLEBEE’S CALIFORNIA PIZZA KITCHEN CLAIM JUMPER CHILI’S
MACARONI GRILL TGIF FRIDAY’S MIMI’S CAF OUTBACK STEAKHOUSE TONY
ROMA’S

FAST FOOD

ARBY’S BURGER KING CARLS JR. CHICK-FIL-A JACK IN THE BOX MC
DONALDS SUBWAY WENDY’S KFC

We use food as an important part of our cultural and social
lives to connect with one another. We also use it as a comfort
when we have had a bad day, a bad week, a bad month, or a bad
year. Reducing the foods we do not need helps us stay healthy in
mind and body.

Remember, even though we are overwhelmed, stressed out and
tired, we must make healthy decisions when it comes to what we
eat. Trans fat, found in most cooking oils in restaurants- is
the worst kind of fat you can put in your body. It increases the
level of blood fat called triglycerides, and has even been found
to contribute to insulin resistance, which raises the risk of
Type 2 diabetes. Children as young as 10 years old are
developing heart disease and diabetes. Set an example for your
children and ensure you both will live long, healthy lives.

Comments Off

Hamstring muscles begin form the top i.e. the pelvis and extend
upto the lower leg on the back of the human body. Injury to this
muscle can vary from being a small strain to a major muscle
rupture. Hamstring injury is normally caused during exercise or
running motion and is evidenced by a sudden, sharp pain on the
back of the thigh that stops all movement then and there. Sever
pain and swelling is evident.

The hamstring injury usually results in locking your leg knee
down and bending may be rendered impossible beyond 40 degrees.
Make sure that the athlete or sports person has a medical
‘all-clear’ before carrying out the exercises. This exercise is
meant to relieve your hamstring injury and strengthen the muscle
to its past glory.

Causes: A Hamstring injury can be caused due to

* Poor flexibility

* Shortage of strength in the muscle

* Muscular imbalance

* Differences in lengths of legs OR

* Poor warm up procedures

Treatments: Hamstring injuries generally need rest. In serious
cases, a rest of 2-3 weeks is advised with cold ice compression
and leg elevation. After the pain and swelling caused due to the
hamstring injury subsides, a stretching regimen is recommended
to rebuild damaged muscle. Make sure you consult a therapist or
a doctor before you embark on any exercise.

Recommended Exercise (Bicycle leg swing): Bicycle leg swing is a
very good exercise to overcome a hamstring injury and strengthen
the hamstring muscle. To do this:

* Stand on your left leg with the total weight on it (you could
take support with your right hand by placing it against a wall
or any fixed structure).

* Slowly raise your right leg from your hip to the knee, so that
it becomes perpendicular to your body (90 degree lift). * Once
your thigh is parallel to the ground, begin extending your knee
until your leg is straight.

* Now start swinging your right leg in a slow arc downwards and
to the back of your body and back again. Once this movement is
coordinated slowly, it will simulate the slow stride action.

* Once you can do this at the rate of 75-80 swings per minute,
do it in sets of two with 20-25 repetitions each for each leg.

* Fasten the pace with time. After you become comfortable with
the exercise, try to do the exercise by restraining your ankle
with rubber tubing at knee level in front of you. This will
facilitate in strengthening your leg. Tighten the restraint over
a period of time to build strength.

Always perform this exercise after a little warm up by jogging
or cycling.

Prevention of Hamstring Injury:

To prevent a hamstring injury, one needs to take certain
precautions:

Warm up: Always warm up thoroughly. Hamstring is the most
important muscle that needs warm up prior to heavy exercise.

Stretching: Once you finish the exercise or work outs always
remember to stretch out to prevent any possible hamstring injury.

Hurry: Never try to do too much in too little time.

Comments Off