5 Exercises You Can Do At Work

Just because you're stuck at work doesn't mean you have to neglect fitness.

Fitness starts with a solid core. Just ask Bicycle magazine's writier, Selene Yeager. The "Fit Chick" columnist is an American Council on Exercise certified trainer, the author of "Ride Your Way Lean," and incredibly active by most standards. However, like many of us, Yeager also spends considerable time behind a desk. And it's there, working on the computer or talking on the phone with clients and colleagues that we fall into a serious fitness trap: inertia.

"That's a huge problem right now. A lot of people think that, in itself, is what's causing so much of the obesity, health and metabolic problems we have," she said. "Say, you go to the gym in the morning, and run for 30 minutes, and then yousit for nine hours. That one burstof activity doesn't undo the damage of such a prolonged stretch of being sedentary."

Avoiding inactivity is especially inportant for you core. If you sit up straight in your chair, with your feet flat on the floor, you're more likely to engage your abdominal muscles. But if you slouch -- and let your skeletal system support your body weight -- you can go the entire workday without firing up your metabolism. Here are five great ways to get a quick core workout while at work, recommended by active people, including Yeager.

1. Core Leg Lift
Office work often resembles Sir Isaac Newton's First Law of Motion: An object at rest will remain at rest until acted upon by an external force.
One of Yeager's favorite office exercises is the core leg lift, which works the deep abdominal muscles, the quadriceps and the hip flexors. To try it:

• Sit up tall in your seat. Contract your abs and lift one foot off the floor aboutsix inches, so the knee comes straight up with the foot directly underneath (maintaining a 90-degree bend in the knee).
• Hold for 10 seconds and slowly lower it while relaxing your abs.
• Repeat with the opposite leg.
• Alternate throughout the exercise.

2. Chair Suitcase
The chair suitcase exercise targets all the main abdominal muscles except the obliques. You'll need to:

• Sit on the edge of the chair seat and lean back until your upper back touches the back of the chair. Tuck your tailbone under, and hold onto the arms of the chair for support.
• Bring your knees up -- with yourshins parallel to the floor -- so that your torso and thighs make an "open suitcase."
• Close the "suitcase" by bringing your chest and knees toward one another.
• Open and close for 10 to 20 repetitions, two to three sets.

The sole caveat, is to maintain good posture and keep yourback straight, supporting your upper body on the arm rests.

You never want to arch your back, as soon as your back begins to arch, it means you need to take a break.

3. Wall Push-ups
Forget expensive exercise equipment and fussy props. a Wall is all you need for thisexercise. Doing a push-up against the wall is notas hard as a regular push-up, but it still gives your biceps, triceps and pectorals alittle workout. Contracting your abdominals and back muscles during the exercise helps strengthen your core muscles.

To make the push-ups harder, move your feet farther away from the wall, or do them on the edge of your desk.

1. Stand facing the wall, feet shoulder-width apart and about one foot (0.3 meter) from the wall.
2. Place your palms on the wall at about shoulder height.
3. Keeping your legs and back straight, bend your elbows and lean toward the wall as far as possible.
4. Push yourself away from thewall to the starting position.
5. Repeat 10 to 20 times.

4. Ab Curls
Having strong abdominal muscles isn't just about looking good at the beach. There's a reason why your abs are referred to as "core" muscles. They're the fulcrum around which your body works. they help you sit up, bend over, liftyour legs and twist your body.

At the office, all these functions are crucial. Without them, you couldn't bend over to pick up a paper clip from the floor or twist in your chair to pull a file from the drawer. Most importantly, your abs hold you upright in a sitting position. Without them, you'd have to be strapped into your chair or you'd slump over onto your desk. So take good care of them by doing these ab curls once a day.

1. Sit up straight in a stable chair without wheels. Contract your abdominal muscles.
2. Cross your arms over your chest and curl forward.
3. Hold for 3 seconds.
4. Repeat 10 to 20 times.

5. Lift the Weight Off Your Shoulders
The shoulders are the part of the body where most people holdall their tension. For some reason, we think that the tighter we hold these muscles, the faster we'll work. Unfortunately, holding the shoulders in one position for a long time can compress nerves and impair circulation.

This exercise strengthens and loosens these muscles, all the better to hold up that hard-working noggin. Add some weight by holding a full water bottle in each hand, or use small hand weights. This exercise works best in a chair that has no armrests.

1. Sit up in your chair, back straight and abdominal muscles contracted.
2. Lift your arms out to the sides until they're parallel to the floor. Hold for 3 seconds. Lower arms.
3. Lift your arms out to the front until they're parallel to the floor. Hold for 3 seconds. Lower arms.
4. Repeat eight to 10 times.

Zucchini, Black Bean and Rice Skillet

Ingredients

 

1 tablespoon canola oil
1-1/2 cups quartered lengthwise, sliced zucchini
1/2 cup diced green bell pepper
1 can (15 oz each) whole black beans, drained, rinsed
1 can (14.5 oz each) Hunt's® Fire Roasted Diced Tomatoes with Garlic, undrained

3/4 cup water

1 cup instant white rice
1/2 cup shredded Cheddar and Monterey Jack cheese blend

Directions

 

1. Heat oil in large skillet over medium heat. Add zucchini and bell pepper; cook 5 minutes, stirring occasionally. Add beans, undrained tomatoes and water. Increase heat and bring to a boil.
2. Add rice; stir well. Cover; remove from heat and let stand 7 minutes or until liquid is absorbed. Sprinkle with cheese.

Southwestern Quinoa Wrap

Yields 3-4 wraps
Recipe adapted from Epicurean Mom

For Chipotle Dressing:

Ingredients
6 oz Fage 0% yogurt (greek yogurt)
1 teaspoon adobo sauce
1/2 chipotle chili, seeded and chopped
1/4 teaspoon garlic, minced
1/2 Mexican lime, (key lime) juiced, although lime would do just fine.
pinch of salt

Combine all ingredients together. Mix until well incorporated, set aside.

For Quinoa Wraps:

Ingredients
1 cup quinoa, rinsed well
2- 2 1/2 cup veggie broth
pinch of salt
1 can organic black beans, warmed or cold
1 medium onion, coarsely chopped
2 tablespoons olive oil
1 avocado, sliced
2 ears of corn, shucked
2 bell peppers, grilled and sliced into strips (Any color pepper works. I used all the colors)
4 whole wheat tortillas
hot sauce, garnish

Heat veggie broth and quinoa in a small saucepan until just boiling. Turn to low-medium and simmer for 25 minutes, or until just tender. Fluff with a fork and set aside.

Heat olive oil in a small skillet over medium heat, add the onion. Cook until browned and caramelized, about 10 minutes. Set aside.

Preheat oven to 375 degrees. Place shucked corn on a baking sheet, drizzle with olive oil and toss to coat. Bake until just browning, about 7-10 minutes, stirring occasionally.

To Assemble:
Slather chipotle sauce over the middle of tortilla. Scoop a heaping spoonful of black beans, quinoa, caramelized onions and corn. Place bell pepper strips over the top and finish with avocado slices. Roll, serve with hot sauce and Enjoy!

Harvest Better Health

Crisp air. Colorful foliage. Autumn is a beautiful time to get outdoors and get in shape. So why wait for January to start your New Year's resolutions? Fall into better health today.

Here are eight great ways to get in shape during the fall season:

1. Crunch leaves, not food. With cooler temperatures and beautiful fall foliage, this is a great time to get outdoors and exercise. Try walking, hiking, cycling, playing in the park or raking those red and golden leaves off your lawn.

2. Fall out of your regular routine. Ditch your regular exercise routine and try something new and different. Sign up for a dance class. Join a walking group at your local mall. Buy a jump rope and s how long you can go without stopping.

3. Tune in and work out. Who says watching TV is just for couch potatoes? Turn on your favorite fall premiere show and get moving. Do sit-ups during commercials or push ups in between shows. It'll keep you fit and help you avoid mindless munching while you sit on the couch.

4. Exercise your options. There are lots of easy ways to work exercise into many of your regular activities. Kids have a soccer game? Try walking around the field while you watch. Hour-long meeting with a coworker? See if he or she is willing to make it a meeting-on-the-move so you can walk while you talk.

 

5. Harvest relaxation. Making time to relax is a big part of being healthy. Try taking 20 minutes each day to be quiet and let your mind relax. Take a hot bath, get a massage, or even go to an art class to get a few minutes of quiet reflection.

6. Take 30. It takes about a month for a regular activity to become a habit. So be patient and remember that it takes time for change to happen. Even as the temperature continues to drop and it gets darker earlier, try to stick with your new, healthier lifestyle. It'll be worth the wait!

7. Shed a light on safety. If you have to exercise at night when it's dark, just make sure you're being safe. Wear a reflective vest if you're walking or jogging outside. Bring a flashlight to light your way. And put a light on your helmet if you're riding your bike. Also, it's always best to exercise with a buddy for extra safety.

8. Bundle up. If you're exercising outside during the crisp fall months, it may take your body some extra time to warm up. Try wearing layers. Your first layer should help wick away moisture. The next layer should be about warmth - Try a long sleeve shirt or sweatshirt. Your outer layer should help protect you from the elements, like a windbreaker.

What Happens to Our Brains During Exercise (and Why it Makes Us Happier)

What triggers happiness in our brain when we exercise?

"Yes, yes, I know all about it, that's the thing with the endorphins, that makes you feel good and why we should exercise and stuff, right?" is what I can hear myself say to someone bringing this up. I would pick up things here and there, yet really digging into the connection of exercise and how it effects us has never been something I've done. The line around our "endorphins are released" is more something I throw around to sound smart, without really knowing what it means.
Here is what actually happens:
If you start exercising, your brain recognizes this as a moment of stress. As your heart pressure increases, the brain thinks you are either fighting the enemy or fleeing from it. To protect yourself and your brain from stress, you release a protein called BDNF (Brain-Derived Neurotrophic Factor). This BDNF has a protective and also reparative element to your memory neurons and acts as a reset switch. That's why we often feel so at ease and like things are clear after exercising.
At the same time, endorphins, another chemical to fight stress, are released in your brain. Your endorphins main purpose are this, writes researcher MK McGovern:

"These endorphins tend to minimize the discomfort of exercise, block the feeling of pain, and are even associated with a feeling of euphoria."

There is a lot going on inside our brain and it is oftentimes a lot more active than when we are just sitting down or actually concentrating mentally:

So, BDNF and endorphins are the reasons exercise makes us feel so good. The somewhat scary part is that they have a very similar and addictive behavior like morphine, heroin, or nicotine. The only difference? Well, it's actually good for us.

Don't do more, but focus on when

Now here is where it all gets interesting. We know the basic foundations of why exercising makes us happy and what happens inside our brain cells. The most important part to uncover now is, of how we can trigger this in an optimal and longer lasting way?
A recent study from Penn State shed some light on the matter and the results are more than surprising. They found that to be more productive and happier on a given work day, it doesn't matter so much, if you work-out regularly, that you haven't worked out on that particular day:

"Those who had exercised during the preceding month but not on the day of testing generally did better on the memory test than those who had been sedentary, but did not perform nearly as well as those who had worked out that morning."

New York Times bestselling author Gretchen Reynolds wrote a whole book about the subject matter called The First 20 Minutes. To get the highest level of happiness and benefits for health, the key is not to become a professional athlete. On the contrary, a much smaller amount is needed to reach the level where happiness and productivity in every day life peaks:

"The first 20 minutes of moving around, if someone has been really sedentary, provide most of the health benefits. You get prolonged life, reduced disease risk - all of those things come in in the first 20 minutes of being active."

So really, you can relax and don't have to be on the lookout for the next killer work out. All you have to do is get a focused 20 minutes in to get the full happiness boost every day:

"On exercise days, people's mood significantly improved after exercising. Mood stayed about the same on days they didn't, with the exception of people's sense of calm which deteriorated."(University of Bristol)

Make it a habit

Starting to exercise regularly or even daily is still easier said than done. At end of the day, there is quite a lot of focus required to get into the habit of exercising daily. The most important part to note is that exercise is a keystone habit. This means that daily exercise can pave the way not only for happiness, but also growth in all other areas of your life.
In a recent post from my colleague Joel, he wrote about the power of daily exercise for his every day life. Coincidentally, he follows the above rules very accurately and exercises daily before doing anything else. He writes:

"By 9:30am, I've done an hour of coding on the most important task I have right now on Buffer, I've been to the gym and had a great session, and I've done 30 minutes of emails. It's only 9:30am and I've already succeeded, and I feel fantastic."

I've spoken lots to Joel about his habit of exercising and here are some of the most important things to do in order to set yourself up for success and make your daily exercise fun:

• Put your gym clothes right over your alarm clock or phone when you go to bed: This technique sounds rather simple, but has been one of the most powerful ones. If you put everything the way you want it for the gym before you go to sleep and put your alarm under your gym clothes, you will have a much easier time to convince yourself to put your gym clothes on.
• Track your exercises and log them at the same time after every exercise: When you try to exercise regularly, the key is to make it a habit. One way to achieve this is to create a so called "reward", that will remind you of the good feelings you get from exercising. In our big list of top web apps, we have a full section on fitness apps that might be handy. Try out Fitocracy or RunKeeper to log your work outs. Try to have a very clear logging process in place. Log your work out just before you go into the shower or exactly when you walk out of the gym.
• Think about starting small and then start even smaller: Here is a little secret. When I first started exercising, I did it with 5 minutes per day, 3 times a week. Can you imagine that? 5 minutes of timed exercise, 3 times a week? That's nothing you might be thinking. And you are right, because the task is so easy and anyone can succeed with it, you can really start to make a habit out of it. Try no more than 5 or 10 minutes if you are getting started.

The highest level of happiness happens at the beginning

As a quick last fact, exercise, the increase of the BDNF proteins in your brain acts as a mood enhancer. The effects are similar to drug addiction one study found. So when you start exercising, the feeling of euphoria is the highest:

"The release of endorphins has an addictive effect, and more exercise is needed to achieve the same level of euphoria over time." (McGovern)

So, if you have never exercised before (or not for a long time), your happiness gains will be the highest if you start now.

10 Sneaky Spots Teeming With Germs

We come in contact with millions of germs every day (gross, we know). While most are harmless, some bacteria such as E.coli and Salmonella can cause serious infections. The good news? Hand washing, sanitizing lotions and disinfecting communal areas can reduce the chances of infection by 50 percent, according to Charles Gerba, a microbiologist at the University of Arizona, who has been studying germs in our everyday lives for more than three decades.

Check out our tips on how to protect yourself against germs in unexpected places.

Toothbrushes

Germs thrive in moist environments such as your toothbrush, notes Gerba. Add that to the fact that research in the 1970s discovered toilets spew fecal bacteria into the air every time they are flushed, so chances are, your toothbrush is teeming with microbes. To protect your mouth, replace your toothbrush every three to four months and close the toilet lid when flushing. If you want to be extra safe, the Philips Sonicare FlexCare electric toothbrush has a UV sanitizer that kills germs.

Jewelry

There is a reason that doctors and nurses are required to remove jewelry in the operating room. A 1997 study found that health care professionals wearing rings carry significantly more germs even after hand washing than those who don’t. Those nooks and crannies in our favorite pieces of bling can harbor germs and are tough to clean. However, silver is antimicrobial, so smooth jewelry made from this metal should stay relatively germ-free.

Yoga Mats

Sure, nearly all gyms have antibacterial spray handy, but have you ever seen it used to clean the yoga mats that come in contact with sweat and bare feet all day? While scientists haven’t officially studied the mats, there have been several reports of antibiotic-resistant bacteria thriving on them. Play it safe by bringing your own mat, such as antimicrobial one like Clean Yoga Mat by YOGAaccessories, or using a germ-killing spray, such as Manduka Mat Restore spray, if you need to borrow a mat.

Pillows

Chances are, you wash your sheets and pillowcases frequently, but when was the last time you threw your actual pillow in the laundry machine? Pillows contain mold, bacteria and dust mites, which can cause allergies. And several studies have demonstrated that they are one of the biggest sources of infection in hospitals. At least there is an easy solution: Wash your pillows often.

Desktops

In some cases, desktops have been found to have higher levels of bacteria than toilet seats. Workers spend hours a day touching, eating and heck, even sneezing on them. Custodians don’t clean them as they sweep through the office because they are considered private areas, so take up the charge yourself by regularly cleaning your desk with an antibacterial wipe.

Purses

When they aren’t on our shoulders, most purses are resting on the floors of restaurants, restrooms, movie theaters, cars, buses and sidewalks. A joint ABC News and University of Arizona investigation of 50 women’s handbags found that the outside bottom of the purses were teeming with bacteria, including fecal germs and those that can cause skin infections. The researchers found 6.7 million bacteria on one purse alone. Remember to wipe purses down from time to time with antibacterial cloths.

Gas Pumps

A 2011 study by Gerba and Kimberly-Clark Professional, the makers of products such as Kleenex and Scott, found that 71 percent of gas pump handles hosted bacteria in high enough concentrations to cause illness. And you thought rest stop bathrooms were bad. After spending time at the pump, wash your hands or use a hand sanitizer, such as CleanWell natural antibacterial spray.

Communal Buttons

The Kimberly-Clark study also found that 41 percent of ATMs, 40 percent of parking meters and 35 percent of vending machines contained dangerous levels of bacteria. Gerba’s other research also indicates that debit card touchscreens, elevator buttons and grocery shopping carts also have alarmingly high germ counts.

Reusable Grocery Bags

Give yourself a pat on the back for using reusable grocery bags—and then go wash your hands. Not only can these bags contain bits of food from your shopping trip, more than half of people use these bags to haul more than just groceries—namely, things like shoes, dirty laundry and sweaty gym clothes. But only about three percent of people wash their reusable bags. “In some cases, we’ve found more E. coli in these bags than in people’s underpants,” says Gerba.

Kitchen Sponges

The warm, wet inside of a sponge is prime habitat for bacteria to grow, so you may think you’re cleaning those dishes and countertops when you’re actually spreading bacteria around. Luckily, there’s an easy fix: The National Sanitation Foundation at the University of Michigan suggests microwaving your sponge for two minutes every day to kill germs growing inside. Also, replace your sponges once every two weeks.

3 Reasons Why Yogurt Rocks — Plus 1 Kind To Avoid

It's no secret that yogurt is good for your body — which explains why there's been a veritable explosion of new brands and products hitting stores. Remember when all we had was either drippy Dannon or plain Pinkberry? No more, our yogurt-loving friends. It’s a new era for yogurt. Not only are there tons of not-so-sugary, mousse-like "Greek" kinds on the block (Chobani and Fage, that’s you), there are DIY yogurt bars and froyo joints popping up like crazy, too.

“The benefit of eating yogurt is not only its calcium and protein content, but its bacteria content,” says Lana Masor, M.S., R.Y.T., a nutritionist in New York City. “Yogurt gets its consistency and tangy taste from the probiotic bacteria that is added to ferment the milk — and probiotics are helpful in supporting a healthy digestive system, as well as fighting off those nasty yeast infections that us ladies would rather not chat about.”

We are assuming you’ve jumped on the Greek bandwagon because, well, who hasn’t? (Sales of Greek yogurt are projected to be $1.2 billion by the end of this year, according to Mintel). But in case you are late to the party — or you love it but don’t know why it’s good for you — here’s how your yummy yogurt of choice stands up to the old school stuff.

It's Got More Protein And Calcium
“Greek yogurt has almost double the amount of protein that regular yogurt has, which is important for building and maintaining good muscle tone, as well as helping to increase satiety or having that sensation of feeling full,” says Masor. Plain yogurt is still a great source for the big C (as in calcium), but Greek kinds typically have three times the amount as regular versions. So, essentially, reach for one every a.m., and you’ve got one less supplement to worry about (strong, healthy bones coming right up).

It's Got Less Carbs, Sodium, And Sugar
So, it’s like hitting the stay-slim lottery of delicious snacks. “For diabetics and those individuals that are concerned with their carbohydrate intake, Greek yogurt weighs in at roughly half the carbs,” says Masor. It also has half the amount of sodium and way less sugar, too. “Greek yogurt is thicker because of the additional straining the product undergoes, which removes much of the liquid whey, sugar, and lactose,” explains Masor. But obviously those laced with sugary fruit on the bottom (or honey for that matter) is going to make the calorie count go up quite a bit. “It is definitely best to stick with the plain, low-fat variety of Greek yogurt,” she says. “Those that have the added fruit, honey, vanilla, etc., are just a lot of added sugar and unnecessary food processing.”

Plain For Plain, It's Got The Same Calories
Pretty much, the numbers are the same whichever kind you choose — when it’s kept bare, as in just yogurt. Which means, stay away from the parfait. “Brightly striped cups look that way because they’re loaded with extra calories and fat from all of the granola and sometimes added syrup,” says Masor. If you want to add something sweet to your yogurt, simply mix in some fresh blueberries or strawberries. “To get that nice nutty texture and flavor, chop up some walnuts, almonds, or pecans, and add that to your yogurt, and even some flax seed to get extra omega-3,” suggests Masor.

Sadly, there is one type of yogurt that doesn't stand up to that good-for-you claim: froyo, or should we say faux-yo. Frozen "yogurt" is not the same as regular yogurt. “It is just a name given to a dessert that is an alternative to regular ice cream,” explains Masor. “You can just as easily say that ice cream is good for you because it is a dairy product and provides you with calcium and protein, but there are obvious reasons why there are better choices out there to get a healthy dose of both.”

In order for the two to match up nutritionally, you’d basically have to freeze your Fage (yes, we mean your yogurt cup). So, how does froyo stack up to ice cream in terms of fat and sugar? “In the super-sweet flavors of frozen yogurt, there is going to be less fat but not necessarily less sugar than regular ice cream,” says Masor. “And then if the frozen yogurt is sugar-free, then you can bet it is filled with artificial sweeteners amongst other chemicals.” As in, all the flavors we ooh and aah over: cookies and cream, red velvet, and cheesecake. “There are two things in this world that make food taste really good — fat and sugar — so if something claims to be fat-free but it tastes delicious, you can bet that it is loaded with sugar,” says Masor. “Even worse, low in fat and sugar means lots of ingredients that do not occur in nature.”

But you could walk right on past that Pinkberry and into one of the new yogurt pop-up stores that are popping up allover. Dannon (who we must say has its own Greek versions now, too) has Yogurt Culture Company and Chobani (currently the number-one seller in the U.S.) opened its namesake "yogurt bar" last month, both in NYC. But that doesn’t mean you should turn your yo into a full-on sundae. “All the toppings and flavorings make it not so healthy — for example, it is like taking a nice green salad made with kale, fresh bell peppers, and tomatoes, and drowning it in ranch dressing,” says Masor. What options you should opt for: the fresh fruit, of course; go ahead and pile them on. The crushed up chocolate bars? Look. The. Other. Way.

Butter vs. Margarine: Which is better for me to eat?

Let's look at why butter and margarine both get a bad rap. First let's look at butter. The problem with butter is that it contains two cholesterol-raising ingredients: dietary cholesterol and saturated fat. Dietary cholesterol is found only in animal products so you won't find any cholesterol in a plant-based food or food product (such as margarine). Some of us are more affected by cholesterol in the diet than others, meaning some people can consume a diet high in cholesterol without blood cholesterol levels being affected; but others need only eat a little dietary cholesterol and their cholesterol levels soar. Overall, it is recommended that healthy persons consume no more than 200 milligrams cholesterol each day. Butter has 33 milligrams of cholesterol in one tablespoon alone!

Cholesterol aside, butter's biggest trouble is its saturated fat content. Saturated fats are solid at room temperature and are found largely in red meat, high-fat dairy products (like butter) as well as coconut and palm oils. When eaten in excess, saturated fats increase the "bad" cholesterol (LDL) as well as the "good" cholesterol (HDL). Despite the fact that saturated fats raise good cholesterol, they don't raise it enough for us to warrant you eating it. Saturated fat intakes are associated with increases in heart-disease risk. A healthy range of saturated fat is 10 – 15 grams each day. Just one tablespoon of butter contains over 7 grams of saturated fat!

Margarine is by no means void of artery clogging fat. The controversy with margarine lies with its level of trans fat, largely a man-made fat. Trans fats are formed when hydrogen is added to vegetable oils, making the oil more solid and less likely to spoil. This process is called hydrogenation or partial hydrogenation and allows stick margarine to be firm at room temperature. Trans fats have been shown to increase the "bad" cholesterol (LDL) similarly to saturated fats, and they tend to lower the "healthy" (HDL) cholesterol when eaten in large amounts. What's more – trans fats may make our blood platelets stickier. While no standard intakes of trans fat have been set, one tablespoon of stick margarine packs a whopping 3 grams of trans fat and 2 grams saturated fat.

But a little margarine "know-how" will help you reduce the amount of trans fat you eat. The more solid a margarine is at room temperature, the more trans fat it contains. For example, stick margarine contains the most trans fat, 3 grams in one tablespoon. Switch to tub or liquid margarine and you've cut that by almost 2/3, from 1–2 grams trans fat. And the good news is margarine manufacturers are now cutting their trans fat levels even further, to less than 0.5 grams per serving! This low level is allowed to carry the claim "trans fat free or zero-trans fat". How do they do it? They switched their first ingredient from partially hydrogenated vegetable oil to water or liquid vegetable oil. It's best to keep the total trans fat as close to zero as possible and saturated fat under 2 grams per serving.

Now you have some choices and your answer: margarine (the trans-free tub or liquid kinds) is still recommended over butter. For those of you who choose to have a "little" butter once in a while (for example, 1 teaspoon a couple times a month) you shouldn't have to worry, but it's better to be safe than sorry. On a regular basis, aim for the growing number of tub and liquid trans-free margarines available on the market today and rest-assured that you are eating in a more heart-healthy manner. Keep in mind, margarines contain greater amounts of polyunsaturated and monounsaturated oils which helps reduce bad cholesterol when used to replace saturated and trans fats.
Retrieved from my.clevelandclinic.org

Sleep Facts

Do we really need 8 hours of sleep?
Most of us need 7 to 8 hours - not only to be sharp, but to also fend off mood disorders and even metabolic problems. Most folks who don't snooze long enough just get used to feeling sleepy and preforming suboptimally. Is that where you want to be?

When is it too late to go back to sleep?
If you need to be up in less than 90 minutes, it's better to just get up. We usually wake up during the lightest stage of sleep which occurs about every 90 minutes. So if you can't get an additional 90 minutes, you'll likely wake up from a deeper sleep stage feeling groggy.

Carbs Are Killing You!

http://blog.massivehealth.com/infographics/Carbs_are_killing_you/ 

What to Drink During Your Workout

By Benjamin Plackett

As much as 60% of your body is made up of water and when you work out, you can lose quite a bit.

The American College of Sports Medicine notes that drinking water helps functioning of the joints and body tissues, the regulation of body temperature, and the transportation of nutrients. But some of us don’t drink enough, says Nancy Clark, R.D., a sports nutritionist and author of Nancy Clark’s Sports Nutrition Guide Book. Here's how to get it right.

Choose the right beverage

Sometimes the simplest solution is the best, and that’s true when it comes to choosing a workout beverage. “If you’re an average person, then water after a workout is just fine,” says Clark. But if your workout is more intense and you spend more than three hours at a time doing it, then Clark recommends chocolate milk. "It’s got sodium and calcium, which we lose when we sweat. It’s also got carbs to refuel and give energy, and the protein also helps to repair any damage.” If milk or water isn’t your thing, sports drinks, coconut water, or other beverages are fine. Don't worry too much about electrolytes; Clark says food can provide those lost in sweat.

Consume the right amount

Clark says there isn’t a set amount of water that you should consume during exercise, rather, she recommends you “drink to thirst.” But there are ways to calculate your sweat rate, which involve weighing yourself before and after you run, and doing a few calculations. Clark says that if you lose a quart of sweat in an hour then you should be drinking about eight ounces of water every 15 minutes. If you want to skip the math and you tend to sweat a lot, 4 to 6 ounces every 15 to 20 minutes during your workout is a good rule of thumb.

Don’t drink too much

It’s actually possible to drink too much fluid, although this is uncommon. More of a risk during marathons and triathlons, athletes who consume a lot of fluid (even sports drinks), but not enough sodium can develop a potentially life-threatening condition called Hyponatremia. (A woman died of it during the 2002 Boston Marathon.) Symptoms include bloating, nausea, confusion, disorientation, and seizures. But really, over hydration is “rare,” says Clark. “Most people don’t drink enough.

Pack in some protein and carbs

While exercising is good for you, it’s common to incur some minor cell or tissue damage after a workout. Proteins can help repair any damage, so Clark recommends rehydrating with a protein-rich drink after an especially intense workout. But it’s not just about protein, she says. Because you expend substantial amounts of energy when exercising, “you want about three times more carbohydrates than protein,” which is why she recommends flavored milk as fluid replacement.

Know the risks of dehydration

Any number of problems can result from not drinking enough water; perhaps one of the most common is fatigue. If you don’t drink enough water then “your blood gets thicker from lower water content and your heart has to work harder, which means you get tired,” says Clark. “A dehydrated person will get fatigued.”

Drink before and during exercise

Clark recommends drinking fluids before you even begin to exercise, especially if you’re doing something that requires a lot of stamina. "You need to start drinking about one and a one half to two hours before running a marathon," she says. Also, drinking fluids during a workout isn’t a bad idea either. "We don’t drink enough during exercise and that puts you in a hole when you finish and then you have to rehydrate," says Clark. "It’s better if you don’t put yourself in that hole in the first place." While it might be cumbersome to carry water with you on a run, it’s worth it, she says.

8 Times You Shouldn’t Pick the Fat-Free Option

By Woman's Day

By Lexi PetronisWhen to Buy Full-Fat

When you're at the grocery store and two options are staring you down-one that says "reduced fat" and one that's unapologetically full-fat-choosing the less fattening option is a no-brainer, right? Not so fast! "Just because a product is labeled 'fat-free' or 'lowfat' doesn't mean it's healthier or even lower in calories," says Jared Koch, a nutritionist in New York and the founder of Clean Plates. "In fact, most lowfat or fat-free foods will have sugar and chemicals to make up for the loss in taste, which renders them poor nutritional choices."

Plus, our bodies need healthy fat in our food to keep our cell walls strong, absorb important vitamins and regulate our hormones. Taking away that fat and adding in chemicals can have another unexpected result: Franken-foods that don't cook the way they should, or crumble up when they shouldn't. Here are eight full-fat foods that are actually better for you than their reduced-fat or nonfat relatives. 

Salad Dressing

You might think that a salad filled with low-calorie, lowfat veggies would find its match in a low-calorie, lowfat dressing. The opposite is true, though. Researchers from Purdue University found that while fat-free dressings are lower in calories than fat-based dressings, they block absorption of fruits' and veggies' nutrients, like carotenoids which protect your body's cells. According to the study, dressings with monounsaturated fats (from canola and olive oil, for instance) boosted the absorption of the veggies' carotenoids. Dressings made with polyunsaturated fat (from soybean oil) and saturated fat (from plain old butter) helped absorption, too, but it takes more dressing to reap the rewards. Don't use this info as an excuse to smother your salad in high-fat dressing-just 1/5 tablespoon of extra-virgin olive oil drizzled onto a salad is enough to get the best out of veggies.

Peanut Butter

Sure, peanut butter is high in fat and calories-a two-tablespoon serving can pack about 190 calories and 16 grams of fat. But is it nuts to buy the reduced-fat version? "The fat in peanut butter is healthy monounsaturated fat, which has been shown to decrease inflammation, raise healthy cholesterol levels, promote weight loss and possibly fight belly fat," says Erin Palinski, RD, CDE, LDN, CPT, author of the forthcoming Belly Fat Diet for Dummies. "Reduced-fat peanut butter takes away some of this healthy fat and replaces it with sugar." To make the most of your PB, buy a natural version with no added sugar. 

Milk

If milk does a body good, then nonfat milk probably does a body better, no? "Milk is fortified with vitamins A and D, which are fat-soluble vitamins-essential vitamins that are stored in your liver and necessary for the absorption of other important nutrients," says Palinski. "When you take all the fat out of milk, you don't properly absorb these essential vitamins." (This is why you'll often see skim milks with added vitamins A and D.) Instead of nonfat or skim milk, try one percent-it's still low in saturated fat, but it has just enough fat to up vitamin absorption. And there's a bonus: "One-percent milk contains higher levels than fat-free milk of conjugated lineolic acid, which may help reduce body fat," says Palinski. But if you're looking for an extra calcium kick from your milk, a glass of skim could be your best bet. 

Cookies

"Salt, sugar and fat are the three primary vehicles to deliver taste," says Koch. "Whenever you remove one, one of the others replaces it to ensure a food is still yummy. So lowfat or fat-free cookies have a lot of extra sugar or high-fructose corn syrup to make up for the missing ingredient." And too much sugar can lead to higher triglyceride levels, which increases your risk of developing coronary artery disease and gaining weight. Another problem with fat-free or lowfat cookies: the crumble factor. Because they're made with chemicals, they tend to turn into dust at the bottom of the box more quickly than cookies made with natural ingredients.

Potato and Tortilla Chips

OK, there aren't a lot of health benefits to be found in full-fat chips, but certain lowfat and nonfat chips could be even worse. That's because some brands contain fat-mimicking chemicals that can cause intestinal cramps, gas and diarrhea. On the label, look for the words "Olean" and "Olestra"-they're synthetic fats added to foods that have been found to cause these symptoms-and they may also result in weight gain. Stick to small serving sizes of regular chips-or better yet, try baked versions, which don't contain fake fats at all.

Ice Cream

It sure sounds like a good idea-take the fat out of ice cream and create a magical food you can eat all day, every day. Beware: "Fat helps you feel full. Without that fat, you keep eating," says Palinski. And even though fat-free ice cream might not pack in the fat grams, it still packs in the calories. A ½ cup of full-fat vanilla is about 230 calories and a ½ cup of reduced-fat vanilla is about 170, which can add up fast. 

Frozen Meals

We've all nuked a lowfat frozen meal and called it lunch-and why not? It's easy, low-effort and relatively low-cal. The only problem? "They have much more sodium than their full-fat counterparts," says Julie McGinnis, MS, RD, a dietitian in Boulder, CO, who also owns The Gluten Free Bistro. The U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) recommends that adults eat no more than 2,300 mg of sodium per day. Processed foods are salt-filled wonderlands-lowfat frozen meals can have half your daily allowance in one lunch. To lick the salt once and for all, make your own frozen meals; all you need are fresh foods and a freezer.

 

Yogurt

Sweet, cool and creamy, yogurt is a popular go-to snack. Full-fat versions contain about 8 grams of fat per serving; lowfat versions clock in somewhere around 4 grams of fat per serving. "But some lowfat yogurt brands make up for a lack of fat with artificial sweeteners," says McGinnis. And studies have shown that sugar substitutes may overstimulate your taste buds, leading you to crave more sweet foods and upping your risk of weight gain. Also, some experts are concerned that sugar substitutes are addictive. If you want a lowfat yogurt, make it Greek-many brands have no added sweeteners, artificial or otherwise.

5 Stages of Change Model: Which Stage Are You In?

The 5 Stages of Change Model is a very useful framework that describes the series of stages we go through to change our lifestyle habits. The critical assumption that underpins this model is that behavioral changes do not happen in one step, but through a series of distinct, predicable stages. Just realizing the stage of change you’re in may be helpful for you to succeed.
While this model was originally developed in the 1970′s to better understand how smokers are able to give up their addiction to cigarettes, it has since been used to understand changing just about any type of behavior. For the purposes of this article, eating unhealthy foods, or not exercising are the habits we are trying to change.
1) Precontemplation
People in this stage don’t want to make any change to their habits and don’t recognize that they have a problem. They may be pessimistic about their ability to make change, or even deny the negative effects of their existing lifestyle habits. They selectively filter information that helps confirm their decision not to exercise, or eat better. This stage is many times referred to as the “denial” stage.
Unfortunately, it’s difficult to reach, or help people in the precontemplation stage. It may take an emotional trigger, or event of some kind that can snap people out of their denial. It’s highly likely if you are taking the time to read this article, you are not in this stage.
2) Contemplation
During this stage, you are weighing the costs (i.e. effort, time, finances) and benefits of lifestyle modification. You are contemplating whether it’s something that will be worth it. People can remain in this stage for years without preparing to take action.
I think setting very powerful, motivating goals and visualizing your results can be very helpful for someone in the contemplative stage (See: 7 Ways to Increase Your Motivation to Exercise). If you can identify new ways that making a change will benefit you, the benefits will begin to outweigh the costs. We tend to seek pleasure and avoid pain, so the more pleasure you can ascribe to making a change, the more likely you will take action and succeed.
3) Preparation
People in the preparation stage have decided to change their negative habits within one month. Congratulations if you’re in this category! You may have just set up an appointment with a personal trainer, nutritionist, or other fitness professional, purchased a fitness program, or started a gym membership.
4) Action
The action stage is the process of changing your lifestyle, whether you are exercising more consistently, or eating healthier. Individuals in this stage are at the greatest risk of relapse, so it’s key to leverage any techniques you can to stay motivated (See: 7 Ways to Increase Your Motivation to Exercise).
5) Maintenance
This is the stage of successful, sustained lifestyle modification. If you have been exercising for years consistently and have blended positive habits into your lifestyle, then you are in the maintenance stage.
In my experiences, people tend to bounce between the contemplation, preparation, and action stages, in other words, most people are “yoyo” dieters and exercisers. I think one way to prevent this yoyo effect from happening is to make small changes in your habits that over time create something meaningful.
In addition, yoyo dieters and exercisers should understand that maintaining physical fitness and changing fitness are two totally different paths that require different approaches. It’s not that difficult to maintain a given level of physical fitness just by remaining consistent (unless you are at a very high level). It’s very difficult, however, to prepare and take action to change your body. Our bodies are resistant to change, so trying to change them takes a MASSIVE effort that requires a substantial commitment, both mental and physical. Once you’ve changed your body, you can coast without losing that fitness level. It’s a lot better to cut back on exercise and maintain what you’ve gained then to stop completely. Stopping exercise should not be an option.

The Lazy Person's Guide to Exercise

We’ve all heard the common (and sometimes conflicting) prescriptions when it comes to getting exercise: Get into a routine, do it with a friend, mix it up, keep it the same, make it convenient, take the stairs, bike to work! But only some 30 percent percent of us are actually getting to the gym or pounding the pavement with any regularity.
That’s a problem, and here’s why: Not only are we suffering from a growing obesity epidemic in this country, exercise also helps you sleep better, stress less, and feel happier. But the truth is, we all know this—and yet we still find it hard to fit exercise into our routines. So instead of offering up the usual yawn-worthy tips, we’re going to suggest some tricks instead. Below are 6 ways for you to be more active without really noticing.

1. Stand while you work. Standing up requires two times the energy as sitting down, but calories are not the only reason to consider this unusual method of working. Standing desks are gaining in popularity for other reasons too. Being upright may help you get ideas out, help alleviate back problems associated with long hours at the computer, and burn fat.
2. Pace while you talk. High-strung people tend to this anyways—have you ever noticed how thin they are despite what they may eat? Every time your cell rings, pop up from your desk (or couch) like you have somewhere important to go and take that conversation on the road. Not only is that less annoying for co-workers, it’s a mindless way to get activity in. Pace up and down the halls of your office, or up and down your front street. Pacing burns about 90 calories an hour, which adds up if you spend half your day on conference calls.
3. Meet halfway. Tie exercise to an activity that you’d rather be doing, like going for a drink. Think of this as the buddy system for lazy people: Make a pact with a friend whom you hang out with frequently to always meet at some walkable halfway point, rather than taking turns going to each other’s neighborhoods. There’s just something about having a destination that takes the boredom out of exercise.
4. Do two-minute exercise spurts. For some of us, even 20 minutes of exercise can feel like a lifetime. But two minutes? Anybody can do that. Here’s what you do: Set your phone alarm every hour on the hour and as soon as it goes off, do jumping jacks for two whole minutes. If you stick to that plan between 8am and 6pm you will have added 20 minutes of high-intensity cardio to your day, which is pretty darn good for your health. It will also likely up your productivity and burn an additional 200 calories.
5. Play music while you clean. You may have already heard that doing housework can burn all sorts of calories, but we’re going to bet that adding music to the mix will put even more bounce in your scrub. Listening to upbeat tunes can also boost your mood and distract you from unpleasant thoughts—just like your cleaner home can—making chore time pass more easily.
6. Make it a date. Not an exercise date per se, just a regular date that involves movement. If you’ve recently started seeing someone that you like, just about anything you do together will be fun. So instead of another dinner date, try an evening walk through the city, an afternoon picnic with a game, or some other sport you both like. The same goes for longstanding couples: Couples who play together stay together, so adding a little variety to the routine that gets you both moving is a great way to spice things up.

Pepper-Jack Chicken With Succotash

Total Time: 40 min

Prep15 min

Cook 25 min

Yield: 4 servings

Level: Easy

Ingredients

• 4 ounces pepper-jack cheese, shredded
• 2 cups baby arugula, roughly chopped
• 2 large skinless, boneless chicken breasts (12 ounces each)
• 1 tablespoon olive oil, plus more for brushing
• Kosher salt
• 1 1/2 to 2 tablespoons Cajun spice blend
• Vegetable oil, for the grill
• 1 cup frozen lima beans, thawed
• 1 medium yellow summer squash, diced
• 2 cups corn kernels
• 1 cup grape tomatoes, halved
• Juice of 1 lime

Directions

Combine the cheese and arugula in a bowl. Cut a deep 2-inch-wide pocket in the thickest part of each chicken breast with a paring knife. Stuff with the arugula mixture. Brush with olive oil and season with salt and the Cajun spice blend.

Preheat a grill to high and brush the grates with vegetable oil. Grill the chicken until blackened and a thermometer inserted into the thickest part registers 155 degrees F, 8 to 10 minutes per side. Transfer to a cutting board.

Meanwhile, heat 1 tablespoon olive oil in a skillet over high heat. Add the lima beans, squash and corn, season with salt and cook until the squash is just tender, 2 to 3 minutes. Add the tomatoes and cook 2 more minutes. Remove from the heat and stir in the lime juice. Slice the chicken and serve with the succotash.

Emotional Eating

How to Recognize and Stop Emotional Eating

Understanding Emotional Eating

If you’ve ever make room for dessert even though you’re already full or dove into a pint of ice cream when you’re feeling down, you’ve experienced emotional eating. Emotional eating is using food to make yourself feel better—eating to fill emotional needs, rather than to fill your stomach.

Using food from time to time as a pick me up, a reward, or to celebrate isn’t necessarily a bad thing. But when eating is your primary emotional coping mechanism—when your first impulse is to open the refrigerator whenever you’re upset, angry, lonely, stressed, exhausted, or bored—you get stuck in an unhealthy cycle where the real feeling or problem is never addressed.

Emotional hunger can’t be filled with food. Eating may feel good in the moment, but the feelings that triggered the eating are still there. And you often feel worse than you did before because of the unnecessary calories you consumed. You beat yourself for messing up and not having more willpower. Compounding the problem, you stop learning healthier ways to deal with your emotions, you have a harder and harder time controlling your weight, and you feel increasingly powerless over both food and your feelings.

The Difference Between Emotional Hunger and Physical Hunger

Before you can break free from the cycle of emotional eating, you first need to learn how to distinguish between emotional and physical hunger. This can be trickier than it sounds, especially if you regularly use food to deal with your feelings.

Emotional hunger can be powerful. As a result, it’s easy to mistake it for physical hunger. But there are clues you can look for that can help you tell physical and emotional hunger apart.

• Emotional hunger comes on suddenly. It hits you in an instant and feels overwhelming and urgent. Physical hunger, on the other hand, comes on more gradually. The urge to eat doesn’t feel as dire or demand instant satisfaction (unless you haven’t eaten for a very long time).
• Emotional hunger craves specific comfort foods. When you’re physically hungry, almost anything sounds good—including healthy stuff like vegetables. But emotional hunger craves fatty foods or sugary snacks that provide an instant rush. You feel like you need cheesecake or pizza, and nothing else will do.
• Emotional hunger often leads to mindless eating. Before you know it, you’ve eaten a whole bag of chips or an entire pint of ice cream without really paying attention or fully enjoying it. When you’re eating in response to physical hunger, you’re typically more aware of what you’re doing.
• Emotional hunger isn’t satisfied once you’re full. You keep wanting more and more, often eating until you’re uncomfortably stuffed. Physical hunger, on the other hand, doesn't need to be stuffed. You feel satisfied when your stomach is full.
• Emotional hunger isn’t located in the stomach. Rather than a growling belly or a pang in your stomach, you feel your hunger as a craving you can’t get out of your head. You’re focused on specific textures, tastes, and smells.
• Emotional hunger often leads to regret, guilt, or shame. When you eat to satisfy physical hunger, you’re unlikely to feel guilty or ashamed because you’re simply giving your body what it needs. If you feel guilty after you eat, it's likely because you know deep down that you’re not eating for nutritional reasons.

Tip 1: Identify Your Triggers

People eat for many different reasons. The first step in putting a stop to emotional eating is identifying your personal triggers. What situations, places, or feelings make you reach for the comfort of food?

Keep in mind that while most emotional eating is linked to unpleasant feelings, it can also be triggered by positive emotions, such as rewarding yourself for achieving a goal or celebrating a holiday or happy event.

Common causes of emotional eating

• Stress – Ever notice how stress makes you hungry? It’s not just in your mind. When stress is chronic, as it so often is in our chaotic, fast-paced world, it leads to high levels of the stress hormone, cortisol. Cortisol triggers cravings for salty, sweet, and high-fat foods—foods that give you a burst of energy and pleasure. The more uncontrolled stress in your life, the more likely you are to turn to food for emotional relief.
• Stuffing emotions – Eating can be a way to temporarily silence or “stuff down” uncomfortable emotions, including anger, fear, sadness, anxiety, loneliness, resentment, and shame. While you’re numbing yourself with food, you can avoid the emotions you’d rather not feel.
• Boredom or feelings of emptiness. Do you ever eat simply to give yourself something to do, to relieve boredom, or as a way to fill a void in your life? You feel unfulfilled and empty, and food is a way to occupy your mouth and your time. In the moment, it fills you up and distracts you from underlying feelings of purposelessness and dissatisfaction with your life.
• Childhood habits – Think back to your childhood memories of food. Did your parents reward good behavior with ice cream, take you out for pizza when you got a good report card, or serve you sweets when you were feeling sad? These emotionally-based childhood eating habits often carry over into adulthood. Or perhaps some of your eating is driven by nostalgia—for cherishes memories of grilling burgers in the backyard with your dad, baking and eating cookies with your mom, or gathering around the table with your extended family for a home-cooked pasta dinner.
• Social influences – Getting together with other people for a meal is a great way to relieve stress, but it can also lead to overeating. It’s easy to overindulge simply because the food is there or because everyone else is eating. You may also overeat in social situations out of nervousness. Or perhaps your family or circle of friends encourages you to overeat, and it’s easier to go along with the group.

Keep an Emotional Eating Diary

You probably recognized yourself in at least a few of the previous descriptions. But even so, you’ll want to get even more specific. One of the best ways to identify the patterns behind your emotional eating is to keep track with a food and mood diary.

Every time you overeat or feel compelled to reach for your version of comfort food Kryptonite, take a moment to figure out what triggered the urge. If you backtrack, you’ll usually find an upsetting event that kicked of the emotional eating cycle. Write it all down in your food and mood diary: what you ate (or wanted to eat), what happened to upset you, how you felt before you ate, what you felt as you were eating, and how you felt afterward.

Over time, you’ll see a pattern emerge. Maybe you always end up gorging yourself after spending time with a critical friend. Or perhaps you stress eat whenever you’re on a deadline or when you attend family functions. Once you identify your emotional eating triggers, the next step is identifying healthier ways to feed your feelings.

Tip 2: Find Other Ways to Feed Your Feelings

If you don’t know how to manage your emotions in a way that doesn’t involve food, you won’t be able to control your eating habits for very long. Diets so often fail because they offer logical nutritional advice, as if the only thing keeping you from eating right is knowledge. But that kind of advice only works if you have conscious control over your eating habits. It doesn’t work when emotions hijack the process, demanding an immediate payoff with food.

In order to stop emotional eating, you have to find other ways to fulfill yourself emotionally. It’s not enough to understand the cycle of emotional eating or even to understand your triggers, although that’s a huge first step. You need alternatives to food that you can turn to for emotional fulfillment.

Alternatives to Emotional Eating

• If you’re depressed or lonely, call someone who always makes you feel better, play with your dog or cat, or look at a favorite photo or cherished memento.
• If you’re anxious, expend your nervous energy by dancing to your favorite song, squeezing a stress ball, or taking a brisk walk.
• If you’re exhausted, treat yourself with a hot cup of tea, take a bath, light some scented candles, or wrap yourself in a warm blanket.
• If you’re bored, read a good book, watch a comedy show, explore the outdoors, or turn to an activity you enjoy (woodworking, playing the guitar, shooting hoops, scrapbooking, etc.).

Tip 3: Pause When Cravings Hit

Most emotional eaters feel powerless over their food cravings. When the urge to eat hits, it’s all you can think about. You feel an almost unbearable tension that demands to be fed, right now! Because you’ve tried to resist in the past and failed, you believe that your willpower just isn’t up to snuff. But the truth is that you have more power over your cravings than you think.

Take 5 Before You Give in to a Craving

As mentioned earlier, emotional eating tends to be automatic and virtually mindless. Before you even realize what you’re doing, you’ve reached for a tub of ice cream and polished off half of it. But if you can take a moment to pause and reflect when you’re hit with a craving, you give yourself the opportunity to make a different decision.

All you have to do is put off eating for five minutes, or if five minutes seems unmanageable, start with one minute. Don’t tell yourself you can’t give in to the craving; remember, the forbidden is extremely tempting. Just tell yourself to wait. While you’re waiting, check in with yourself. How are you feeling? What’s going on emotionally? Even if you end up eating, you’ll have a better understanding of why you did it. This can help you set yourself up for a different response next time.

Learn to Accept Your Feelings—Even the Bad Ones

While it may seem that the core problem is that you’re powerless over food, emotional eating actually stems from feeling powerless over your emotions. You don’t feel capable of dealing with your feelings head on, so you avoid them with food.

Allowing yourself to feel uncomfortable emotions can be scary. You may fear that, like Pandora’s box, once you open the door you won’t be able to shut it. But the truth is that when we don’t obsess over or suppress our emotions, even the most painful and difficult feelings subside relatively quickly and lose their power to control our attention. To do this you need to become mindful – and there is a lot of real evidence to support the fact that mindfulness is effective – I think we should reference ride the wild horse mindfulness meditation and the toolkit because it not only helps people learn how to be mindful but helps them remain mindful at times of stress and emotional overwhelm.

What’s more, your life will be richer when you open yourself up emotionally. Our feelings are a window into our interior world. They help us understand and discover our deepest desires and fears, our current frustrations, and the things that will make us happy.

Tip 4: Support Yourself with Healthy Lifestyle Habits

When you’re physically strong, relaxed, and well rested, you’re better able to handle the curveballs that life inevitably throws your way. But when you’re already exhausted and overwhelmed, any little hiccup has the potential to send you off the rails and straight toward the refrigerator. Exercise, sleep, and other healthy lifestyle habits will help you get through difficult times without emotional eating.

Make daily exercise a priority. Physical activity does wonders for your mood and your energy levels, and it’s also a powerful stress reducer.

• Aim for 8 hours of sleep every night. When you don’t get the sleep you need, your body craves sugary foods that will give you a quick energy boost. Getting plenty of rest will help with appetite control and reduce food cravings.
• Make time for relaxation. Give yourself permission to take at least 30 minutes every day to relax, decompress, and unwind. This is your time to take a break from your responsibilities and recharge your batteries.
• Connect with others. Don’t underestimate the importance of close relationships and social activities. Spending time with positive people who enhance your life will help protect you from the negative effects of stress.

Authors: Melinda Smith, M.A. and Jeanne Segal Ph. D. Last updated: June 2012.

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