The holidays are here and with them comes the endless array of edible goodies! Everything from the holiday parties, baked goods, fudges and candies to hot chocolate, cider, lattes and home cooked meals are waiting for you to enjoy. You may be wondering how you can have it all and still keep off the pounds and stay healthy. Here are 11 tips to surviving the holidays:
1. Do not expect to lose weight during the holidays. Instead, set a goal of maintaining your weight and/or size.
2. Stay hydrated by drinking at least 8 glasses of water a day. Drinking water will keep you feeling full longer and staying healthier during the holidays.
3. Eat a healthy breakfast. By starting your day off with a wisely chosen breakfast, you will be less likely to fill up on holiday treats later. Also, you can balance out what you plan on eating later and indulge in moderation on things you would like later in the day. Some breakfast ideas include: smoothies (100% or green), fruit and nut-butter, yogurt and granola, fruit, eggs, and whole grain toast or cereals.
4. When going to a holiday party, plan what you are going to eat ahead of time. By preparing yourself for this event, you will be less likely to see all the food and eat everything in sight. Start by limiting yourself to only one plate of food. Also, try eating a small healthy meal or snack before you go, so you won’t be as hungry at the party.
5. If you can, take a dish or snack. Not only can you contribute to the spread, but you can bring your favorite “healthy version” of the treats, share the goodness and ensure you will have at least one nutritious option.
6. Get up and get active. It doesn’t mean you have to start training for a marathon, but this a perfect time of year to connect with friends and family and play games outside, go walking or jogging, look at lights, ice skate, join a gym, or even start home workout videos.
7. Take time for yourself! The holidays are a busy time of year and can be very stressful. Take at least 5 minutes every day. Sit or lay down, clear your mind, relax and just breathe and enjoy the real meaning of the season.
8. Watch your intake of calories in beverages. During this time many will be drinking lattes, hot chocolate, hot cider, and alcohol. All are loaded with empty calories which mean they don’t have a whole lot of nutritional value. Empty calories can lead to weight gain, especially when paired with all the other holiday goodies.
9. Freeze cookies that you get as gifts. Cookie platters and exchanges seem to make great gifts, but they also tempt you to nibble continuously. Instead of keeping them out on the counter, place a few in zip lock baggies to freeze so you can enjoy them all year round.
10. When you are eating the holiday treats, enjoy them. When you decide you want a piece of pumpkin pie or a couple ginger bread cookies, choose a reasonable portion, sit down and eat them, enjoying every bite and don’t feel guilty. It is the holidays and they only come once a year!
11. Celebrate with Innocent Indulgence! With so many yummy choices, you, your family and friends can enjoy all of the goodness of the season, nourish your body, and feel good after!
Written by Rachel P. – ASU Nutrition Intern
Tea is one of the most common beverages enjoyed around the world, second only to water. Not only does it taste delicious, it has many benefits for living a healthy lifestyle. Iced tea and black tea are the most common among Americans, however, the world offers four true teas: white, green, oolong and black tea. “True teas” come from the Camellia sinensis plant. Herbal tea and rooibus tea, are technically not “true teas,” even though they are enjoyed just as much. Drinking tea gives many healthy benefits, but also requires about 8 tea servings a day in order to truly see tea-healing results. You may think, “Wow, that’s a lot of tea! I can’t drink 8 cups of tea a day I will be up all night!” One cup of coffee has about 135mg of caffeine, while a true tea has anywhere from 5mg per cup in white tea to the highest of 45 mg per cup in black tea. Herbal and rooibus are caffeine free and still have numerous, healthy benefits. Here’s a closer look at the teas and the benefits you may experience:
White Tea:
Benefits: detoxifying the body, losing weight, improving cardiovascular health and preventing heart disease
White tea is the purest form of tea making it very delicate. Brew around 150° for 1-2 minutes.
Green Tea:
Benefits: improves heart health, reduces cancer risk, aids in weight loss, lowers cholesterol, improves bone density and oral health, helps with fat oxidation in the body and has anti-aging properties
Green tea has been slightly oxidized during production. Japanese green tea has been steamed and Chinese green tea has been pan seared. Brew around 170° for 1-2 minutes.
Oolong Tea:
Benefits: supports weight loss, relieves eczema, strengthens heart health, reduces blood pressure, stabilizes blood sugar levels & diabetes, relieves physical and mental stress.
Oolong teas are slightly more oxidized than green but not as much as black tea. They can be fermented anywhere from 8% to 85%. Brew around 185° for 2-3 minutes.
Black Tea:
Benfits: can improve cardiovascular health, by increasing artery elasticity and reducing blood pressure!
Black teas are more oxidized than white, green and oolong teas. Brew around 210° for 3-4 minutes.
Herbal Tea:
Benefits: relax and sooth the body. Sip a cup in the evening to wind down from the day
Herbal teas are not made from actual tea leaves it is made from a combination of dried fruits, herbs and flowers. Brew around 210° for 4-5 minutes.
Rooibus Tea:
Benefits: It is known to help improve skin problems such as acne and is rich in antioxidants.
Rooibus tea also knows as red bush tea in the most popular drink in South Africa. This tea can be enjoyed as just the red bush tea or have different herbal blends added to it for different flavors. Rooibus is more durable and can be enjoyed like a breakfast black tea with added milk (substitute) and natural sweeteners. Brew about 210° for 4-5 minutes.
Now that you know about the choices and health benefits of tea…it’s time for a cup! Go out and try some! You have nothing to lose but weight, high blood pressure, high cholesterol, aging, cardio vascular disease and much, much more!
We continue the Valentine’s theme with a unique and different perspective on relationships and love and how it relates to our health!
It seems too easy, but its true! Hugs affect all of us and at every stages of life. We need social, physical contact, that includes touch in any context…from friendship…to family…to the context of intimacy. Look at some of this incredible research that shows the power of touch:
- Skin-to-skin contact between mom and baby has shown such benefit for the baby’s physical and emotional development that placing a diaper-clad infant skin-to-skin on the mother is an practice used for premature infants in neonatal ICUs used worldwide.
- Hugs increase oxytocin and cortisol (especially in women) producing a protective effect on the heart and lowering blood pressure and risk of disease compared to those without hugs who had higher pulse rates and significantly higher blood pressure.
- Lower cortisol levels from hugs also means increased metabolism (helping to regulate weight) from a UNC study.
- Touch therapy from NYU research shows that touch from others stimulates the hemoglobin levels, raising the levels in our tissues and carrying more oxygen throughout our body, leaving us feeling invigorated
- Gentle touch has been shown to help reduce stress, relieve pain, increase coping ability, and general health ratings
- Therapeutic touch as a treatment for pain management in fibromyalgia has shown that participants experienced a significant decrease in pain and reported a significant improvement in overall quality of life than those without.
- Alzheimer’s nursing home residents showed that intervention consisting of therapeutic touch significantly reduces behavioral symptoms (dementia, such as restlessness, searching and wandering, tapping and banging, pacing and walking, and vocalization.) Impressive since the therapeutic touch used in the study was only provided twice daily, for three days, lasting only 5-7 minutes.
- Infants in an orphanage who received an extra 15 minutes of a female voice, massage and eye-to-eye contact, five days for a month, gained more weight and had greater increases in body length and head circumferences for the next 6 months than children without the extra contact.
The power of touch is truly amazing. Although we live in a deeply ingrained society of “individuality,” we truly need each other! So, don’t let a day go by without offering your touch of love!
Posted 1 year, 12 months ago. Add a comment
During Valentine’s month, how about a unique and different perspective on relationships and love and how it relates to our health!
According to the Field of Touch Research Institute at the University of Miami Medical School, the US is not a very “touchy” culture, compared to Europe. Touch plays an important role in the release of the “feel good” brain chemicals, serotonin and dopamine, along with numerous other benefits to our health and well-being. Are we missing out? Simply put:
- Hugs feel good
- Hugs help dispel loneliness
- Hugs open doors to feelings
- Hugs help us overcome fears
- Hugs help build self-esteem
- Hugs curb our appetite
- Hugs ease tension
- Hugs help fight insomnia
- Hugs increase hemoglobin blood count
- Hugs impart feelings of belonging
- Hug effects keep on working, even after the hug is over
- Hugs help relieve physical pain
- Hugs heal
- Hugs are for everyone
Seems too easy, but its true! Hugs affect all of us…and at every stage of life. Remember though, hug responsibly!
University of Arkansas Co-Op Extension – http://www.docstoc.com/docs/3411112/Hugs-for-Healing-and-Health
