Posts Tagged ‘healthy choices’

by Bob Wright

February 2

4:37 pm

Resolve Dissolves in Sunday Football

Super Bowl Sunday is almost here. It will be a day of intriguing match ups, Brady vs. Eli, Belichick vs. Coughlin and good (the Giants) vs. evil (the Patriots). Just kidding, I actually like both teams. But if you are like me and are attending a Super Bowl party, the most important matchup of the day may be beer, wings and pizza vs. motivation, commitment and resolve. The challenge will be great.

According to the Wall Street Journal, Americans will consume 100 million pounds of chicken wings, 43.2 million pounds of tortilla chips, 45.8 million pounds of potato chips, 13.3 million pounds of pretzels,71.4 million pounds of avocados, 4.4 million pizza pies, and 111 million gallons of beer on Super Bowl Sunday. So, is it possible to go to a Super Bowl party, have a good time and leave with your sense of control in tact? I think so, but it will take some planning. Here are a few things to keep in mind.

Be sure to get some physical activity in on Sunday. Take advantage of the great weather that many of you are experiencing and take a long walk or a bike ride, play some basketball or tennis, or go to the gym. Getting some exercise in lifts your spirits and will increase your commitment to make better choices at the party. Consider slipping away for a brief thermal walk during half time.
Before you go remind yourself how import your health is to you. Thanks to Charlotte, an intern from a couple of years ago, for sharing this quote:

Have a healthy snack before you go. Hunger, along with unlimited access to high calorie snacks is not a great combination for staying in control.
When you get there, survey the scene and check out the choices. There will be plenty of unwise, a few better and possibly a couple best choices available. If you want to even the playing field a bit, bring a couple healthier choices with you, or if you are the host, have a few available. (Refer to h3daily blog post January 25, 2012 for some great Super Bowl Party recipes)
Watch your alcohol consumption. Obviously, alcohol is another source of calories but more important than that is the effect it can have on your motivation and commitment to making better choices. Remember the phrase, “resolve dissolves in alcohol”. While it may not be realistic or necessary to eliminate alcohol, make it goal to have half the amount you might have consumed in the past.
Keep in mind that the whole point of going to a Super Bowl Party is to have fun. While the food has always been an integral part of the big day, don’t let it define the day. Take the opportunity to connect or re-connect with friends, and to even make new ones. Or, and this is a novel idea, actually watch and pay attention to the game.

If, in spite of your efforts to make good choices, you go overboard, remember that it is one day and one day does not determine your chance for long term success. As you might remember from the Staying on Track seminar, when you slip the goal is to “recover quickly”. Don’t try to make up for extra Super Bowl calories by skipping lunch and dinner or exercising fanatically on Monday, simply return to your normal healthy routine.

Have a great time and please share with us any good tips and strategies that worked well for you.

This entry is filed under Healthy Lifestyle.

by Karla Williams

January 28

9:16 am

No Comments

Healthy Gains from Whole Grains

There are a whole lot of whole grains out there! Trying to find just the right one might feel like attempting to find a needle in…. well a stack of whole grains! Whole grains are unrefined grains that haven’t had their bran and germ removed by milling. Grains, especially whole grains, are an essential part of a healthy diet.

The Benefits:

Whole grains are naturally low in fat.
Whole grains are a good source of complex carbohydrates and provide some key vitamins and minerals such as selenium, potassium and magnesium.
Whole grains are full of fiber, keeping you satisfied longer.

Where to Find Whole Grains:

Brown Rice: Swap brown rice for your normal white rice in any dish such as a Vegetable Stir Fry.
Popcorn: Oh yes, that is right popcorn! Choose the “Smart pop”, or the 94% fat-free, watch the butter and sodium content.
Rolled Oats: Have a bowl of oatmeal for breakfast and top it with fresh berries and yogurt. Yum!
Bulgur: Try our H3 Vegetarian Chili recipe. This is a different whole grain to mix up your weekly routine.
Whole Grain Barley: Barley unfortunately, has such a bad rap. Next time you make risotto, use half Arborio rice and half barley, easy yet a delicious swap.

I challenge you to skip all refined grains, and swap them for whole grains in all of your meals this week. Happy Whole Grains!

This entry is filed under Nutrition.

by Bob Wright

January 19

1:26 pm

8 Comments

anna leigh Habits of Successful Weight Managers: A Triggering Event

My granddaughter, Anna Leigh

A triggering event is an event, situation, or may even be a comment that makes you think about something differently. The National Weight Control Registry (NWCR), a study that I refer to often, has been collecting data for the past 15 years about the habits and characteristics of those who have been successful at losing a lot of weight (50 – 70 lbs.), and kept it off for a long time (5 – 7 years). They found that a number of the people in their database had what they referred to as a “triggering event”, an event that made them think about their weight in a different way and made managing their weight, or getting healthy more important to them than it had been before. The triggering event could have been a bad medical report, seeing their reflection in store window or mirror from an angle they hadn’t seen before, being unable to do something because of their weight, seeing a close friend or family member have a serious health problem or anything that made losing and maintaining their weight more important to them than before this event.

One of my favorite examples of this from the NWCR was a young, single father of a 4-year-old daughter. The daughter had some friends over and they were playing and talking and the father over heard one of his daughter’s friends say “your daddy is really nice, but he sure is fat.” While he knew he was overweight, he had never heard anyone say it so bluntly—and he said to himself at that moment, she is right, I am fat, and I am the single father of a 4-year-old daughter. That day he hired a personal trainer, joined weight watchers and now many years later, he is fitter, leaner and much healthier than before. While he always knew he should do something about his weight, it took that comment to motivate him to act.

I had what I consider to be a triggering event on Wednesday January 11, at 12:58 pm. Anna Leigh Fraser came into the world and changed my world forever. Yes, I am now a grandfather (papa) to a healthy baby girl. I am a pretty healthy guy, who has lived a pretty healthy lifestyle, but things are different now. I am already finding myself thinking, I want to be there when she graduates, gets married and has kids herself ( I literally just shed a tear, I am not making this up). I have been a grandfather for about a week and I am already looking ahead to being a great grandparent. So as important as health has always been to me, it’s much more important now. As much as I try to practice what we preach, I have to be a better practitioner. You might have heard me say one of my favorite quotes, “habits are caught not taught,” now I have someone else to “catch” my habits. My favorite phrase,” unwise, better, best,” has new meaning to me. The point is, the stakes have changed, and they changed the minute is saw her for the first time. I know I will be more conscious of my health because of her.

It is important to point out that not all of the successful weight managers in the NWCR had a triggering event—in fact, most didn’t. Having a triggering event is not a requirement for or a prerequisite for success, nor does it make it any easier to succeed. But it does provide a rallying point; helps focus your attention, put perspective on why it’s important to keep working toward and achieving your health goals. If you have had such an event, use it to keep you focused. If you haven’t had one, don’t wait for it—look for other sources of motivation and inspiration; but be on the lookout, you never know when that potentially life changing triggering event will occur.

This entry is filed under Healthy Lifestyle.

by Lisette Volz

January 3

4:33 pm

1 Comment

Just for Today

You’ve been struggling with your weight for as long as you can remember and it’s a new year. This is usually when you head to Target for cute work-out clothes, then to the closest gym to enthusiastically join (of course the initiation fee will be waived). Lastly, you very deliberately find yourself in the grocery store stocking up on all the healthy foods needed for your new diet. All the while, you are filled with a combination of personal resolve and familiar doubt.

Yes, it has to happen. There is no way you can start another year overweight and out of shape. You tell yourself this time, this year, will be different. I’m ready! Or are you? Enter…the familiar doubt. Memories of all your past good intentions slither through your mind as you look down at your body with much dissatisfaction and negative judgment. Why would this time be any different? What if I can’t?

But you can. If I can, you can. I promise! I rang in the New Year with a sense of satisfaction knowing that January 1, 2012 was just another day. True, it might be the beginning of a New Year, but it’s still just another day. And for me, I know I can do almost anything for one day.

That is the way I approach my weight management. I don’t summon up future visions of me running a half marathon or sitting on the beaches of the French Riviera in a string bikini. I decide that just for today I will eat three clean meals and that I will give up desserts. Just for today I will not eat off of other people’s plates or in my car. Just for today I will eat at the kitchen table and not in front of the television. Just for today I won’t help myself to seconds and I will serve myself on an appetizer-sized plate. Just for today I will get on the treadmill for forty minutes. Just for today I will elevate the status of my food, eating it mindfully and with sincere gratitude.

I don’t worry about tomorrow or next month. All I need to do is right in front of me and when I do it for just one day, it leads me to tomorrow. If I concentrate on how much weight I have to lose or how truly out of shape I am, I feel overwhelmed. Even worse, I feel deprived and deprivation drives me back into the food.

One day at a time I take my health back. One day at a time, I live the healthy lifestyle that becomes a way of life. It’s not about forever because I am only guaranteed of today, and today I choose to respect the gift of this body.

This entry is filed under Healthy Lifestyle.

by Alicea Glover

November 23

1:03 pm

No Comments

Load Up On Experiences, Not Stuff

With Black Friday just around the corner, we all have our minds on shopping for our loved ones. This year, consider purchasing something that will last past the latest trend or the upgraded version. This year, give a gift that is meaningful and will leave a lasting impression.

In the blog post “Buy More Experiences and Less Stuff,” the writer poses this question:

Which of these two types of spending do you think makes you happier, purchases that are made with the primary intention of acquiring

A) a life experience: an event or series of events that one lives through, or

B) a material good: a tangible object that is kept in one’s possession.

According to the post, when thousands of Americans were asked this question in a poll, 57% said experiences make them happier. (Carter & Gilovich, 2010).

Sometimes we forget the value of experience and quality time and become overly consumed with “things.” That’s it, they’re just things, which too often become piles of stuff. At Hilton Head Health, we hear people say all the time that this was the best investment they’ve ever made or that their trip was an unforgettable experience. Sometimes we don’t take the time to let these words really resonate and feel the power of an event so significant.

Here are a few reasons why people prefer experiences over tangible objects:

Experiences improve with time because they tend to take on new meanings in our minds, but things just tend to get old.
People mentally revisit their experiences more than things they’ve bought (Van Boven & Gilovich, 2003). So experiences keep providing pleasure long after the event itself.
Experiences resist unfavorable comparisons because each is unique. Things, though, are easy to compare unfavorably because they’re similar to other things.
Also, because experiences tend to be unique, we adapt more slowly to them and adaptation or habituation is the enemy of happiness (Nicolao et al., 2009).
Experiences tend to be social and social events (generally) make us happy. Things are often not that social.

So as you make your list of all the people you need to buy gifts for this year, and even when considering what you’d like to treat yourself with, invest your money in something that will create a lasting experience and skip the material goods.

This entry is filed under Healthy Lifestyle.

by Alicea Glover

October 12

5:26 pm

2 Comments

Vending Machines on a Diet

Healthy vending machines are starting to pop up all over America. With growing concern about increasing obesity rates, these vending machines are attempting to offer healthier options to kids while in school and adults at work who need a quick and in-expensive pick-me-up throughout the day. In this report, you can see there are some mixed reviews about these new healhty vending machines. What are your thoughts? What would you like to see in your healthy vending machine?

This entry is filed under Nutrition.

by Bob Wright

September 22

4:04 pm

No Comments

Get Fooducated

A guest recently made me aware of a new app that sounds pretty interesting. It’s called Fooducate.

Pick a product off the shelf in the store, scan the bar code and Fooducate gives you a nutritional breakdown of the products, assigns it a letter grade ( A would an excellent choice, D not so good) and when available, suggests more nutritious options with in that food’s category. According to the website, Fooducate was created by dieticians and concerned parents. It has a data base of over 200,000 products and more are being added daily. It uses your mobile phone’s camera to scan the UPC barcode and works on the iPhone, iPad, iPod touch, and Android OS version 2.2 and up.

Since I am still in the dark ages of cell phones, I have not used the app myself. I have talked to a couple of people who have used it, however, and they found it helpful. If you have it or get it, I would be interested in in hearing what you think about it.

This entry is filed under Nutrition.

by Jeff Ford

June 26

9:00 am

No Comments

Coaching Corner: Learning from the Best …Yourself

Wellness Coaching It’s always interesting hearing the strategies others come up with to improve their nutrition, fitness, and well-being. Unique, always evolving, there is a new way to execute every healthy habit. Every time I hear a new strategy to overcome an obstacle it becomes that much more enticing to hear how it pans out for that guest. When we strategize and brainstorm, the key component is identifying what will work for us. We all struggle with a different component of our lifestyles and it’s important to remember that not every strategy is a one size fits all approach. The fact of the matter is we learn thru trial and error … Trial and error that has a purpose … Trial and error that must be evaluated in the end.

Sunday is a tremendous day to strategize for your week and who better to learn from than the best … yourself. Evaluate your commitments and progress on a week to week basis, remind yourself that every day requires a new focus and to get you started.

Absorb these top strategies created by the hard working wellness coaching members:

Situation: I can’t seem to get my sweet tooth under control, if it’s in the house I am going to eat.

Strategy: I am going to put the brownies at the back of the freezer until my next get together with my friends on Saturday. I will have my coach email/text message me the question: Are all the brownies all accounted for in the freezer?

Situation: I am a single professional and can’t find the time to prepare healthy foods. It’s no fun cooking for one person.

Strategy: On Sunday, I plan to head to the grocery store and buy frozen vegetables that I can nuke quickly in the microwave. I will cook a 5 day portioned supply of chicken breasts to have for dinner each week night. I will wash the berries, cut the cantaloupe, and make this all happen on Sunday afternoon.

Situation: I am constantly going to social gatherings, parties, and events. I’m surrounded with bread, desserts, and alcohol. I don’t want to feel restricted, but know I need to do something to stick to my plan and not overindulge at these events.

Strategy: I am going to write my intentions down in my journal on the kitchen table right before I leave. I will choose 1 portion of alcohol, dessert, or bread to not feel over restricted. I will head in with a plan.

Situation: I am away traveling on business and have no control over the catered food during our meetings. I can’t be certain there will be an option that falls in line with my goals.

Strategy: I will grab metabo meals at the continental breakfast in the morning. After the accessing the catered food there’s nothing to eat! I keep my control and head out the hotel lobby to the closest healthy option and buy a low calorie sandwich.

Situation: The biggest thing for me is first getting to the gym. I am intimidated and can’t find the motivation to just get through the doors. Once I am there I know I’ll work hard.

Strategy: I will call one of my friends and plan on a class time that we both can attend. I’ll focus only on my moves, repetitions, and how I feel. I could have my closest friend, coach, or sister plan to text me two hours after the time I designated to work out. They could ask: How much fun did you have at the gym?

Take this Sunday to strategize for your week and understand that the best way to learn is from yourself. Find your unique twist and when the strategy proves effective … know that you came up with it yourself!

This entry is filed under Healthy Lifestyle.

by Cheney Maddox

March 18

3:34 pm

No Comments

And if you don’t like green fruits and veggies…

Yesterday, Amber taught us to eat our greens. Today, I will say - Eat 5 a Day the Color Way!

Eating the fruit and veggie rainbow is a ‘nutritional’ pot of gold. We have always known it’s important to eat the daily servings of fruits and veggies – but now nutritionists are placing importance on the variety of colors, as well as recommended servings.

Eating a colorful mix of fruits and vegetables daily provides the variety of vitamins, minerals, fiber and phytochemicals you need to stay healthy and fit. So aim to make your plate a RAINBOW of colors – and you can help each part of your body look and feel better.

BLUE/PURPLE ‘Healthy Aging’

Including these into your diet can: lower risk of some cancers, improve urinary tract health, improve memory function and aid in healthy aging

Examples of BLUE/PURPLE fruits and veggies include: blackberries, blueberries, dried plums, purple grapes, plums, purple cabbage, eggplant, and black beans

WHITE ‘Health-Promoting Phytochemicals’

Including these into your diet can: improve heart health, maintain healthy cholesterol levels, and lower risk of some cancers

Examples of WHITE fruits and veggies include: bananas, dates, white peaches, brown pears, cauliflower, garlic, ginger, mushrooms, onions, potatoes, turnips, soybeans, and white beans (navy, lima)

YELLOW/ORANGE ‘Antioxidants’

Including these into your diet can: lower risk of some cancers, improve heart health, improve vision health, and maintain a healthy immune system

Examples of YELLOW/ORANGE fruits and veggies include: apricots, cantaloupe, grapefruit, lemons, mangoes, nectarines, oranges, peaches, pineapples, butternut squash, carrots, yellow peppers, pumpkin, rutabagas, sweet corn, and sweet potatoes

RED ‘Health-Promoting Benefits’

Including these into your diet can: improve heart health, improve memory function, lower risk of some cancers, and improve urinary tract health

Examples of RED fruits and veggies include: red apples, blood oranges, cherries, cranberries, red grapes, pomegranates, raspberries, strawberries, watermelon, beets, red peppers, radishes, red onions, red potatoes, rhubarb, tomatoes, and kidney beans

So if you are looking to hit the nutritional jackpot – make sure to make it 5 a Day the Color Way!

For more examples and information, visit www.fruitsandveggiesmatter.gov.

This entry is filed under Nutrition.

by Cheney Maddox

December 22

3:36 pm

No Comments

Wright from the Source: Brain Food

By: Bob Wright, H3 Director of Education

What’s good for your heart, is good for your brain.

If that sounds familiar, you probably heard it the last time you visited H3. That’s good news because many people believe that Alzheimer’s and other forms of dementia are caused primarily by bad luck, genetics is just an inevitable consequence of aging.

They are not a normal part of aging, and while bad luck and genetics undoubtedly play a role, lifestyle factors such as diet, exercise, blood pressure and cholesterol among other have a big impact as well.

Take a look at these two short videos from Medline Plus to get some ideas of how you can take steps to lower your risk of Alzheimer’s and other forms of dementia.

Fish and Dementia and High Blood Pressure and the Brain

This entry is filed under Nutrition.

Older Entries