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You probably know by now that there are no quick fixes when it comes to losing weight for the long term while also supporting your health. It is important to understand that real change does not happen overnight, even though we really want it too!
Change is what happens when we decide we no longer want to settle for how we feel or look, and we are truly ready to make a lifestyle shift. No crazy diets, pills, potions, shakes or “tricks”. The bottom line is, you have to DECIDE – not half-heartedly, but with all your being, that you will start today and make your health a priority. Real change happens when you decide that your comfort zone is no longer serving you and you are ready to step out and find the old you – or maybe even the NEW you! The most effective way to lose weight and keep it off is to focus on adding in healthy habits. A healthy lifestyle is not about being on a ‘diet’, it’s about learning how to nourish your body so you can thrive – and not feel deprived. It’s easy to get overwhelmed, impatient and want results NOW, but by making small changes you can live with for the rest of your life, the better your chances are for success. This is also the best way to get off of the diet roller coaster for good. Take action this week by thinking about which simple healthy habit you could be doing now and start implementing it today! Could you be drinking more water? Grab a glass now. Could you be moving more? Walk in place during commercials tonight. Could you be sleeping more? Your To-Do list can wait. Put yourself first and go to bed 30 minutes early tonight. Implementing healthy habits slowly over time is an effective way to create lasting change. Choose just one new habit and start today! Download more healthy habits in my free e-Guide entitled “10 Simple Steps to a Leaner, Healthier You” under the Freebies tab at www.sarawolfsen.com. *** Sara Wolfsen is a Certified Health Coach who specializes in helping people make their own healthy changes by providing private health coaching, nutrition education and wellness classes, and gentle weight-loss guidance and support. Schedule your complimentary coaching session and learn more online at www.sarawolfsen.com.
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Have you ever tried making a drastic diet change in the name of quick weight loss? How long could you sustain it before you surrendered and grabbed the Oreos? The problem with severe dieting is that your body gets forced into starvation mode which eventually leads to storing more fat and calories. So instead of your body burning unwanted fat, it panics and stores anything it can for survival. Then! When it can’t get calories from food, it starts taking calories from lean muscle, resulting in muscle loss. Eventually your body literally starves itself which results in stalled weight loss – and sometimes even weight gain.
Our bodies are very smart. They are like a computer. Consider this: your body knows how to regulate your temperature and breathe properly to accommodate your activity levels. Your heart pumps without thought or effort and your digestive system efficiently processes and eliminates waste from your body. Furthermore, your brain sends messages to signal hunger, danger, fear and relief. So it really is no surprise that our body rebels when we try to fool it into an unhealthy, restrictive diet. Sure it may work for awhile, but eventually the body will stage a revolt, and we often gain back what was lost – plus some! And the emotional toll can be devastating. Doesn’t it make much more sense to follow the timeless, proven adage of proper food and exercise for best, lasting results? I know this approach takes time, planning, determination, energy and patience. But, over and over, this smart option results in the best rate of success. Simply cutting out (or minimizing) processed foods, sugar, and excessive caffeine and replacing them with vegetables, whole grains and lean meats will start you on your own path to sustainable wellness. Not ready to tackle your diet yet – but want to adopt a non-food-related healthy habit? Start with sleep. I am a firm believer that sleep is the foundation to wellness. No kidding. Commit to 7-8 hours of quality sleep each night and every area of your life will seem much more achievable. I promise. Begin tonight. No excuses. You deserve to be well. Want to learn more about healthy habits? Visit my website at www.sarawolfsen.com for free eGuides, a variety of downloadable wellness topics, and individualized support options. *** Sara Wolfsen is a Certified Health Coach who specializes in helping people make their own healthy changes by providing private health coaching, nutrition education and wellness classes, and gentle weight-loss guidance and support. Schedule your complimentary coaching session and learn more online at www.sarawolfsen.com. It doesn’t have to complicated or overwhelming to improve your habits. Last week I shared five healthy eating habits I learned from my personal journey to wellness. Today I will share five important healthy lifestyle habits.
HABIT #1: GET ENOUGH SLEEP. This may seem like a strange place to start, but it’s so important that I’m putting it on the top of the list. Why? Let’s face it, when we’re tired we tend to make fewer healthy choices throughout the day and reach for the quick-fix energy boost we need, often in the form of sugar-filled options and processed snacks. Lack of sleep disrupts circadian rhythms and can lead to inefficient body regulation of energy balance, metabolism and appetite. Abnormal leptin and ghrelin levels – hormones that tell your body it’s full – can go awry when your body isn’t fully rested. To get more sleep, set a goal of what time you need to be in bed each night to get the 7-9 hours you need. Try it this week and see what difference you notice, both in how you feel and your appetite. HABIT #2: REDUCE STRESS. I realize this is not always an easy thing to do. Most of us are juggling way too much and going through the day at warp speed, trying to get more done. Having a high stress level is harmful to your health and your waistline. When you are constantly under stress, hormone levels, like cortisol and insulin are elevated. The elevation of these two hormones can sabotage your weight loss efforts and actually cause weight gain. So, while you may think you can “handle it” as far as your stress level goes, we aren’t meant to be under constant stress and it takes its toll. If you are doing everything right as far as diet and exercise but you’re under stress everyday, you’re not going to see or feel the results you want. What are some ways you can reduce your stress level? Is there something you can start with this week or this month? HABIT #3: GET MOVING. Exercise actually gives us energy! Think about how you feel after sitting for hours, versus how you feel when you’re up moving around. You just feel better when you’re active. You don’t have to spend countless hours at the gym to reap significant benefits from exercise. You can start with something simple like a 20-minute walk if you’re just getting back to an exercise routine. Look at ways you can add more activity into your day – a short walk during lunch, another walk after work perhaps. Maybe two 10-minute walks each day would work better for you, than one 20-minute walk. If you have taken a long break from exercising, don’t set yourself up for disappointment – have realistic expectations and be okay with feeling like a beginner again. Just start where you are right now and build on it. Note: Always check with your doctor before starting a new exercise program. HABIT #4: PREPARE MORE MEALS AT HOME. Cooking meals at home allows you to control the quality, calories and portion sizes, of your food. Do you notice how much food you’re served when you go to a restaurant? It’s ridiculous! When we have more food in front of us, we’ll eat more without realizing it. Preparing meals at home saves money too. Plan your week out in advance and see which nights you can cook at home. On busy nights put your Crockpot to work! HABIT #5: KEEP TRACK. Keeping track of what you eat can be pretty easy thanks to all the handy apps we have available at our fingertips. My favorite food tracking apps are MyFitnessPal and LoseIt. You will be surprised what you discover when you start tracking. Just remember, quality counts and it’s not just about the number of calories. 100 calories of cookies is not the same as 100 calories of veggies as far as nutrients and fueling your body is concerned. For tracking, you also want to track the nutrients (or lack of nutrients) in foods. Reading the nutrition label is key. Our society has become too focused on the calories listed on the food label, but not the ingredients. Look for foods that have the shortest list of ingredients and those that you recognize. If it’s a long list of ingredients with words that are difficult to pronounce or you don’t know what they are, put it back on the shelf and look for something else. Take action this week by starting with the simplest habit first. Don’t get overwhelmed – just start with ONE thing. Write it down somewhere as a reminder. Imagine if you were to incorporate even one new habit each month for a year – amazing things would happen! Download more healthy habits in my free e-Guide entitled “10 Simple Steps to a Leaner, Healthier You” at www.sarawolfsen.com. Check out my new downloadable eCoaching modules on my website to learn more about any of these healthy habits. *** Sara Wolfsen is a Certified Health Coach who specializes in helping people make their own healthy changes by providing private health coaching, nutrition education and wellness classes, and gentle weight-loss guidance and support. Schedule your complimentary coaching session and learn more online at www.sarawolfsen.com. It doesn’t have to complicated or overwhelming to start implementing healthier habits. This week I will share five healthy eating habits I learned from my own personal journey to wellness. Also check out my post on five helpful lifestyle habits.
TIP # 1: DON’T SKIP MEALS. It’s common for people to think that when they skip a meal, they are ‘saving’ calories. This often backfires and by mid afternoon they are starving. Then they feel like they have no ‘will power’. Our body needs fuel in the form of food to function, so when it’s deprived, it screams out for what it needs – food! Willpower is no match and then we end up feeling guilty. Don’t do it! Eat three meals a day and healthy snacks when needed. You will notice you get through the day with more energy and, when you plan your meals out during the day, you can make healthier choices. It’s much easier to make unhealthy choices when you need to eat something now and you grab the closest thing you can find. When you plan ahead and don’t skip meals you will notice a difference in how you feel and will usually end up eating fewer calories during the day. TIP # 2: TRADE OUT YOUR BEVERAGE. A really easy way to improve your health and lose weight is to trade out your soda (regular or diet), flavored coffee drinks or other high-calorie, artificially sweetened beverage. For most of us, it’s just a habit we’ve formed. What is the trigger for you? Is it going by the cafeteria, fast food drive-thru or the stash in your fridge or pantry perhaps? Studies show that even diet soda increases our appetite. So, while the drink itself may be zero calories, you end up eating more food to go along with it. If you are addicted to the caffeine, start by cutting your consumption in half for a week and see how you do. Decide what you can drink instead. You can try unsweetened iced or hot tea, water with fresh fruit or unflavored carbonated water with a splash of fruit juice if you just need some fizz in your drink. By trading out your sugar or chemical-filled beverage for water you’re getting proper hydration – exactly what your body needs! TIP # 3: EAT CARBS THAT FUEL YOUR BODY. Our body needs carbohydrates, but just the right kind. Refined carbs like white bread, pasta, cereal and processed snacks are lacking in nutrients and leave us hungry again a short time later. Complex carbohydrates from natural foods like fruits, vegetables, whole grains, nuts, seeds and beans contain fiber and nutrients that fuel us and help us feel full longer. If you can find it in nature (as opposed to in a package with a long list of ingredients), it’s a good choice. TIP # 4: CHOOSE HEALTHY FATS. The low fat diet craze has caused most Americans to fear all sources of dietary fat, even the ones that we need to thrive. During this time, fat was replaced with sugar and other additives to give foods the flavor and consistency they needed. Unfortunately, this period of time was also when the rates of obesity, diabetes and heart disease skyrocketed in this country. FACT: Our body needs fat in order to function optimally. The body utilizes dietary fat for energy, healthy hair, skin and nails, vitamin absorption and normal, everyday bodily functions. Choose good sources of fat such as nuts, seeds, fish, avocados and extra virgin olive oil. Another good source of healthy fat is coconut oil, which can be used for cooking and baking and it’s also great in smoothies. A little fat goes a long way, so don't over do it. Just include a small portion of fat at each meal to help you stay satisfied longer. TIP # 5: FOCUS ON LEAN PROTEIN. Consuming enough protein is another way to improve your energy and stay satiated (satisfied) longer after your meal. Our bodies require protein for cell renewal, stabilizing our blood sugar, and providing us the energy we need. Many foods contain protein, but some of the best sources include: fish, dairy, meat and eggs, as well as plant sources like seeds, nut and beans. Be aware of your protein consumption and observe how you feel when you have more versus when you have less to determine what works best for you. Take action this week by starting with the simplest habit first. Don’t get overwhelmed – just start with ONE thing. Write it down somewhere as a reminder. Imagine if you were to incorporate even one new habit each month for a year – amazing things would happen! Download more healthy habits in my free e-Guide entitled “10 Simple Steps to a Leaner, Healthier You” at www.sarawolfsen.com. *** Sara Wolfsen is a Certified Health Coach who specializes in helping people make their own healthy changes by providing private health coaching, nutrition education and wellness classes, and gentle weight-loss guidance and support. Schedule your complimentary coaching session and learn more online at www.sarawolfsen.com. Are you repeating bad habits that keep you from being your best? At some point in life, most of us will come to a point where we want to improve something about ourselves or our lives. Maybe we gained a little more weight than we wanted, or the house has become…disheveled. Whatever the cause is, it can lead us to confusion, and often times, we fail to make real changes. Whatever your reason, taking these steps will help give you a road map to success and more awareness of yourself and the decisions you make.
Download my free e-Guide entitled “10 Simple Steps to a Leaner, Healthier You” at www.sarawolfsen.com. *** Sara Wolfsen is a Certified Health Coach who specializes in helping people make their own healthy changes by providing private health coaching, nutrition education and wellness classes, and gentle weight-loss guidance and support. Schedule your complimentary coaching session and learn more online at www.sarawolfsen.com. |
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August 2017
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