Some Weight-Gain Culprits

If you are trying to lose weight or are plagued by weight loss attempts that fail, you should consider some the following information:

• Low-carb or carb-free liquor labeling can be mislead­ing. Beer and wine contain sugar and that means calories. Watch your calories in regard to the liquor you drink.
• Alcohol consumption can affect weight and liver health. The liver secretes bile and bile breaks down fat molecules. That’s why alcohol consumption can add up to abdominal weight gain.
• Some forms of birth control can cause weight gain. Depo-Provera includes a high dose of progesterone, and that can increase appetite.
• Low-fat food labeling can cause problems. Again, labels can be deceiving, so make sure you check the calorie content. Another problem with low-fat foods is they tend to be less filling and so people eat more-and even then they are not satisfied.
• Drinking a smoothie with your meal. Smoothies can contain a high number of calories. It might be best to think of a smoothie as a healthy meal itself rather than a drink to go with your meal or a snack.
• Eating out/pigging out. Portions in restaurants can be out of control. Eat at restaurants that serve smaller portions or put half your order in a to-go container before you start eating.
• Settling in for a meal or snack in front of the tube. Research has found that television distracts a person from feeling full, which can lead to overeating.

-adapted from O, the Oprah Magazine

Some Tips for Raising Your Healthy Lifestyle Quotient

For improving overall health-try the following tips from Ann Kearney-Cooke, author of Change Your Mind, Change Your Body:

• Follow a good diet. Eating a diet that promotes emo­tional health may help reduce the possibility of back pain and other problems.
• Exercise. Short exercise sessions boost brain chemi­cals that make you feel good. It can help release your anger.
• Appreciate your accomplishments. Don’t forget to take stock of your achievements. Sometimes the world and the people closest to us forget to do this. Doing it for yourself ensures a healthy self-image.
• Allow yourself your emotions, but don’t get stuck in them. If you have a disappointing or frustrating experience, let yourself feel it, but put a time limit on it, so you don’t tread water in the land of frustration.
• Let the small annoyances in life go. Don’t let things like traffic and minor insults control how you feel during your day.
• When you are feeling stressed, connect with a friend and do something distracting.
• Recognize your emotions. If you deny your negative emotions, they often flood the mind with even more power. Recognizing your emotions does not mean acting on them. It is usually helpful to write about your negative emotions, and then try to learn some­thing from them.
• Recognize how your life experiences have colored how you now see the world. If you react inappropri­ately because of some emotional baggage, recogniz­ing it is the first step to being free of it eventually.
• Don’t over commit. When you over schedule yourself, you deplete your inner resources, and it will be more difficult to deal with the everyday stresses that life is sure to throw your way.
• Get enough sleep. A good night’s sleep helps us cope with stressors. If you find yourself going over the edge quickly, you might be sleep deprived.

-adapted from Natural Health

Does the Thought of Starting a New Exercise Program Make You Cringe?

If you’ve been thinking or talking about starting an exercise program but you just can’t get started, you might want to think about exercise in a new way. Some people think that if they don’t exercise at least 30 min­utes or more, they might as well not do anything. But that’s just not true.

Start off by exercising in the morning before you go to work-shoot for 10 or 15 minutes. Once you get into the groove of your routine you can expand it or not, depending on your preference. A lot of people put off starting a program because they feel like they just don’t have the time. But when you’re talking about 10 or 15 minutes it’s a lot easier to get started.
Eventually you can shoot for two 15 minutes ses­sions per day - One before work and one after. You’ll likely be surprised at the results.

-adapted from Self