Posted on

8 TIPS FOR STAYING HEALTHY AND HAPPY DURING THE HOLIDAYS

Christmas, Hanukkah, New Year’s – these are supposed to be times of celebration, togetherness, and happiness. Yet, they can bring challenges to our physical and emotional health.

New Life Wellness & Weight Loss in Watchung provides 8 tips for staying healthy and happy during this season of joy.

1. Eat well. It’s common to pack on 5-10 pounds during the holiday season, but there are ways you can eat both healthy and well! Know which foods are high in caloric content and low in nutrition. Don’t deprive yourself of such treats, but indulge in moderation. Eat smaller meals instead of “saving yourself” for one huge buffet. Opt for healthy options at home, and when visiting others, bring a healthy dish to share. Be careful of liquid calories, including alcoholic beverages.

2. Stay active. Exercise is just as important during the holidays as any other time of the year. You should be active at least four to five times a week, preferably with some aerobic exercise every day. The weather may be cold outside, but the winter offers additional fun, too! Ice skating, sledding, snow sprints – all of these can be great exercise. Enlist your loved ones to join you for quality bonding time.

3. Prevent illness and injuries. Colds and the flu are most prevalent in the winter in Watchung. Prevent them by washing your hands regularly and urging others to do the same. Stay warm by dressing in layers. Sprinkle sand or salt on icy patches. Watch young ones and assist the elderly, who are at increased risk of falls and other injuries during this time.

4. Check your heating system. Making sure your heating works and is safe. Carbon monoxide is a silent killer. Install a carbon monoxide detector and test it once a month. Keep grills and generators out of the house, and don’t run your car for long periods of time in the garage. Most residential fires also occur in the winter; never leave fireplaces, stoves, and candles unattended.

5. Travel safely. Whether you are going down the block or halfway across the world, follow extra precautions. Give yourself plenty of time in the additional holiday traffic. Never drink and drive. Be on the lookout for reports of extreme weather and heed warnings. If you’re traveling away from home, make sure to pack and take your medications. Know how to contact your doctor when you are away and have a medical problem, and where the local ER is.

6. De-stress. Holidays can be a stressful time. You may be working, and feel the stress of managing your work duties along with additional commitments to your friends and family. You may feel the financial stress of gifts and the interpersonal stress of conflicts. Try to anticipate sources of stress and develop a plan to manage them. This may involve committing to fewer get-togethers or setting a tighter budget. Don’t feel guilty; you have to take care of yourself before you can take of others.

7. Help others. Depression and suicidality increase during the holidays. Watch for signs of depression among your friends and family. Take an active role to support those in need. Invite those colleagues or friends who are alone over the holidays to spend them with you. Volunteer and give to those less fortunate.

8. Treat yourself. The holiday spirit is about helping others around you, but you also have to make time to take care of yourself. So treat yourself with something over the holidays. It may be something as simple as sleep. Wake up late and enjoy a day of rest; you need it. How about reading that book you’ve been meaning to for a long time, or getting a manicure or massage? Take the time to do the things that really make you happy.

I hope these Holiday tips have been helpful! From our team here at New Life Wellness & Weight Loss, have a wonderful Holiday with your family and friends!

Posted on

5 WAYS TO SHIFT YOUR THINKING TO ENCOURAGE WEIGHT LOSS

If you are obese or struggle with your weight loss in Watchung, you probably want to punch anyone who says it’s all in your mind or to modify your thoughts for successful weight loss. This type of vague “help” isn’t really helpful at all, and it only serves to confuse and alienate people.

However, shifting your thinking in a few critical areas can make a big difference. Here are 5 specific ways that changing your thought process can help you lose that excess weight.

  1. Stop the Negative Self-Talk

Before you buy a new pair of sneakers or even think of creating a diet plan, you must stop speaking negatively about your weight and your body. It may seem a little new age or fluffy to some, but it is very difficult to get excited about losing weight and following through, if you consistently tell yourself you can’t lose weight or will never lose weight. Even if you aren’t prepared to start heaping praise on yourself and speaking positively, at least stop the negative, self-sabotaging talk.

  1. Change Your Focus

Most of the time, when someone makes the decision to lose weight, they focus on things like how much weight they will lose or what percentage of body fat they want. Sometimes, focusing on hard numbers like this makes it more difficult to stay motivated and makes it more upsetting if these numbers aren’t reached. If you change your focus a little to real-world benefits like having more energy, getting sick less often or fitting your clothes better, it may help you to stay on track.

  1. Never Say Never

One big mistake many people make when starting a weight loss journey is proclaiming they will never eat certain bad foods again or never miss a workout. When you use the word never, and then inevitably stray or have a lapse, it only promotes feelings of guilt. Stay realistic with your weight loss and realize you will fall off the wagon every so often. That doesn’t mean you shouldn’t be disciplined, just don’t say never.

  1. Give Yourself a Break

If you are serious about losing weight, it’s easy to beat yourself up when you eat a bad meal or gain a couple pounds. Keep in mind that a slip up every so often doesn’t mean your entire plan is derailed. Perfection is not the ultimate goal and giving yourself a break during occasional transgressions will keep you motivated more than feeling bad.

  1. Focus on Good Instead of “Not Bad”

One thing you’ll hear a lot when someone is trying to lose weight is, “this food isn’t that bad” or “that drink isn’t so bad.” Instead of this approach, try focusing on what is good. Rather than looking for foods that aren’t that bad for you, look for foods that are good for you. Do this, and you’ll find yourself eating a lot healthier and meeting your weight loss goals sooner.

For help achieving you weight loss goals contact our team at New Life Wellness & Weight Loss today.

Posted on

GET HAPPY QUICK WITH A SIP OF THIS

New research suggests that drinking this sky-high-in-antioxidants green brew may help ensure that you never feel down in the dumps.

Amino Acids Have the Edge
In the study, coffee and other types of teas didn’t seem to have the same emotional benefit as green tea. So what gives? It’s not entirely clear yet, but researchers suspect a type of amino acid — called theanine — found in high levels in green tea might play a role. In animal research this compound seems to help increase the brain’s supply of two mood-boosting chemicals: serotonin and dopamine. And as a refresher, here are a few more reasons that drinking green tea is so great for you:

Amazing Tea Trend
In a study involving more than a thousand elderly adults in Japan, those who reported drinking 4 or more cups of green tea a day were also 44 percent less likely to experience depression — mild or severe. More research is needed to confirm a causal effect, but we already know that green tea is tops for many other health reasons. So you have every reason to sip away while the jury deliberates.

It can lead to comfier knees.
It calms you down.
It can give you a healthier mouth by protecting against plaque and inflammation.
Here’s Another Great Reason to Drink Green Tea:
A Smaller Waist.
Research shows that the wonder duo of green tea and exercise may target belly fat better, so it shrinks more easily than with exercise alone.

The Power of Green
Researchers think that catechins in green tea might blast tummy fat by acting on enzymes that influence the body’s calorie- and fat-burning mechanisms. And catechins and caffeine together may boost the body’s metabolism.