Health tips of the week 8

Lifestyle tips of the week


Stop weighing yourself. Not only will you become obsessed and preoccupied with weight alone, but your weight fluctuates throughout the day and you won't get an accurate reading if you weigh yourself all the time. You also may forget that muscle weighs more than fat, so if you're losing body fat but gaining muscle, you will actually weigh more. If you insist on keeping tabs on your weight, weigh yourself once a week on the same day as soon as you wake up.

Stay active. Even on these cold days, you need to get up and get out. If you don't want to leave the house, try a fun work-out video on youtube or play an interactive zumba fitness game on the wii. Do chores that involve physical exertion such as vacuuming or cleaning, take the stairs whenever you can in public buildings, and park your car far from where you're going when you run errands. Make sure you never go a full day without exercise.

Cut the sodium. I am obsessed with salt and because of it, I tend to have a hard time losing weight. Sodium makes you look bloated, feel bloated and actually weigh more. Stop adding salt to your food when it isn't really necessary and check ingredient labels for grams of sodium... you may be surprised at how much is in everything. Opt for low sodium foods when you can.

Get your B12. Take a B12 vitamin daily to help boost your metabolism and get energy from everything you eat. I used to be tired all the time, and taking B12 helped. Vegetarians may not get enough B vitamins from the food they eat so a supplement can help. Opt for the sublingual tablets (under the tongue) to make sure it's going directly into your bloodstream... (or you could even go for injections if you want... Madonna does it and it's supposedly her excuse for looking so young), otherwise your body won't adequately process it if it's only going in through your digestive system in the form of a pill.

Check ingredients in EVERYTHING.. even your supplements! We found out last week that our protein powder has sucralose in it.. which is the same thing as Splenda. Chemical and artificial sweeteners are bad news because they can't be processed by your body.. as they build up they are toxic and are known to cause cancer. Even health foods may have hidden ingredients that are bad for you, so make sure everything you are putting in your body is 100% natural and since advertising can be false, you only know by reading the ingredient label yourself. This includes the B12 tablets you may try from my last suggestion.. many of them contain sucralose to make them taste good!


Healthy snack ideas of the week

Low fat cottage cheese: cottage cheese is incredible.. with 13 g of protein in each serving and only 80 calories and 1 g of fat, you can't beat that!! Try adding fresh fruit for a tasty kick. Great fuel-booster right after a workout.

Hearty veggie soup: Whether it's from the can or homemade, veggies and beans in vegetable broth is low in calories, the beans make it high in protein and the fiber makes it filling. Great snack during this cold weather! Try: Trader Joe's minestrone soup

Cauliflower crust pizza: This one involves some cooking time but is a delicious, gluten free and low carb alternative to bread pizza. Check out my recipe here.