Night-time snacking can destroy the gains… rather… losses that you make during a day of being “good”. This week I’ll share some tips to help you stay on course and skip the desert course. So here goes.
Clean your teeth. Yes good oral hygiene is essential. Bad teeth can lead to all sorts of health problems. So this tip will help you in two ways. Right after dinner brush your teeth with mint toothpaste or swish some sweet cinnamon mouthwash. It will tell your brain you are done eating for the day while satisfying a sweet craving. If you want to insure that you won’t go ahead and eat again anyway, FLOSS. You won’t be tempted to hassle with it and you’ll really impress your hygienist the next time you get your teeth cleaned. As a plus you’ll have a really nice smile when you step on the scale!
TODAY: BUY A NEW TOOTHBRUSH.
It gets tough to make it through evenings without snacking. You’re watching TV and it’s constantly tempting us with commercials for food. I think you get more aware of those when you’re dieting. But remember, we’re not really “dieting” we’re changing our eating habits. If you give in and go for high calorie low value foods in the evening you’re on a slippery slope. Go for some veggies if you really must eat something, but don’t just bring a tub of the ones you’ve cut up earlier. Measure out how many you eat. That way you’re not mindlessly putting it in your mouth.
Remember you may not actually be hungry. The brain can confuse thirst with hunger. Try a glass of water first. If you can avoid eating anything and suppress the cravings, you will have achieved a small victory. After all if you can push through and not eat anything, you’ll be going to bed soon anyway. You’re never hungry when you sleep. I know when I do that, I actually feel slimmer in the morning. Even if it’s only a little bit.
TODAY: AVOID EATING A SNACK IN THE EVENING.
A common problem when you are carrying some extra weight is knee pain. I know you understand that carrying extra weight around takes more work, but your knees really suffer. Even a little extra weight triples your chances of developing arthritis. Here’s why. Every extra pound puts five pounds of stress on your knees. So being just 10 pounds overweight is like 50 pounds to your joints. Also, research shows that losing 11 pounds may cut the risk of osteoarthritis of the knee by half.
Losing weight may be a pain but it will eventually reduce even more pain in your knees. Otherwise you don’t have a prayer.
TODAY: REMEMBER TO DO STRETCHING EXERCISES BEFORE YOUR WALKS TO LIMBER UP THOSE MUSCLES AND JOINTS.
Today try to get out of a “diet” mindset. Though you are technically dieting, you are really changing your lifestyle to reduce your food intake while still eating what you like. Change your habits, reach your goals and live a healthy lifestyle for life.
TODAY: SHORT AND SWEET. ENJOY YOUR FOOD, JUST LESS OF IT THAN YOU USED TO EAT.
Yesterday I introduced you to the idea of doing your exercise in short manageable chunks during your day. Just 30 minutes in ten minute sessions. Well there is one more trick to making it work for you. Since the exercise is in brief intervals, it’s important that you do it at fairly high intensity to get the most benefit from it. You need to raise your heart and respiration rates. It’s not just a leisurely stroll. Push yourself to a good brisk pace, long stride and good deep breathing. You should “feel the burn” when you finish. That way it keeps your metabolism up for a while after you’re done and keeps burning calories faster. Okay you might sweat a little. That’s okay, you’ll get the recognition for your efforts that way. Of course the slimming effects will show up later.
TODAY: DON’T FORGET TO DRINK YOUR 8 GLASSES OF WATER. HAVE A BIG GLASS BEFORE EACH WALK. IT MAY SPEED UP THE END OF YOUR WALK IF YOU NEED TO GO TO THE BATHROOM.
Even 10 minute exercises need to be enjoyable to keep you on track. You should find that walking time is a great time to let your brain churn and come up with ideas. That happens to me when I walk alone, ride my bike or even while mowing the lawn. But if you can’t seem to get motivated to start just add walking to your routine chores. Do you need to go down to the market? Walk instead of hopping in the car.
If the exercise bike or stepper seem boring. Do something else when you exercise. Some people say they can read when they are doing it. I never could, but I did move it to in front of the TV. You’ll find that the time really moves along faster. You can even use the commercial breaks as a convenient timer. Start during one set of commercials and finish during the next. Or maybe decide to keep going.
The main thing is to think of those 10 minutes as being YOUR time. It’s also paying you back with more time living a healthy life.
TODAY: DECIDE ON SOME FUN WAYS TO EXERCISE.
In our quest for exercise to offset calories I encouraged you to start a small 10 minute exercise schedule. Remember it all adds up so try and get at least 30 minutes a day. Well, getting some of that time in the first thing in your morning will also give your energy level a boost. I used to catch up on the news while watching the Today Show and using a stepper, till the stepper wore out. (The Today Show is still my favorite, but I don’t care for Meredith Vieira) Now I just walk or ride my bike. I’ve actually noticed that that sluggish feeling in the afternoon goes away when I get started with some good exercise in the morning. I know it seems like ot should make you tired, but the exact opposite happens. I guess burning those calories just stokes your boiler so you keep up a good head of steam.
TODAY: START YOUR DAY WITH A GOOD EXERCISE SESSION.
Daily Nag, Tips & Tricks | Diet Nag | 
February 1, 2011 6:10 am | 
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