Losing weight and keeping it off is becoming increasingly difficult for many people who come to our weight loss clinic. You can work out regularly, drink lots of water and get plenty of sleep, but the weight still creeps on. One of the reasons that this happens may be the abundance of processed foods out there. Processed foods have become one of the main villains in the weight loss wars, and for good reason.
Weight-Promoting Ingredients
Processed foods typically refer to all the packaged and pre-made foods that are in the middle of your grocery store. These may include full meals, ingredients for meals, snacks foods or side dishes. The problem with many of them is they contain ingredients that promote weight gain. Some of the worst culprits include:
• Trans Fats • Refined Grains • High Fructose Corn Syrup and other sweeteners
In the case of refined grains and carbohydrates, they are broken down in your digestive tract very quickly, which will spike your blood sugar levels and insulin levels. This causes carb craving shortly after you’ve eaten, starting the process all over again.
These foods also include the phenomenon known as “vanishing calorie density” which refers to foods that melt in your mouth and can make your brain think you’ve just consumed something with very few calories, which isn’t the case. In all likelihood, you’ll keep eating until you’ve taken in far too many calories. It also takes less energy and time to process these foods, which enables you to eat more.
Low Nutrient Levels
Most processed foods have low levels of nutrients that are essential for optimum human health. If the original version had nutrients in it, they may end up being processed out and then added back through synthetic means. Of course, it isn’t possible to add back all the vitamins, minerals, phytochemicals and trace nutrients, not to mention the fact that you don’t know if the chemicals contain any harmful qualities. Since your body craves whole, unprocessed foods, you will often keep eating in a search to find what you need.
Low in Fiber
Fiber is another element that is often missing from processed foods. Fiber is available in fresh fruits and vegetables, whole grains, legumes, nuts and seeds. When you eat it in whole foods, you will feel full faster and will stay full for longer. If you focus on processed foods, you’ll miss all of the health benefits from fiber, and you’ll miss a golden opportunity to feel full and eat less.
Our weight loss team at New Life Wellness & Weight Loss can help you make sense of madness. Contact us today to learn more about out outstanding programs.
No experience? No problem. Here are some tricks to help you get moving.
Exercise should be part of almost everyone’s weekly routine. It can help you maintain a healthy weight, lower your risk of injury and health conditions like heart disease and diabetes-and it makes you feel good. In fact, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention recommends all adults get 150 minutes of moderate aerobic activity or 75 minutes of vigorous aerobic activity per week.
But what if you despise the treadmill? Or, what if you hate lifting weights? It’s okay-not everyone is going to run marathons or become bodybuilders. But most people can find an exercise right for them, even to do just casually.
So here are eight ways to jump-start your workout routine, no matter what your fitness level.
Get Real About the Benefits
Even if you despise sweating, it’s likely you want to tone up and lower your risk of chronic conditions like heart disease, diabetes and obesity. Exercise can help you do all of those things! A strong, lean body is more resilient and exercise can reduce the amount of body fat you have, improve cardiovascular endurance and strengthen your bones, which helps prevent osteoporosis. Here are some of the other benefits:
Helps you maintain good joint health Improves the health of your spine and back Lowers your risk of injury Increases flexibility and stability Releases endorphins, which improves your overall sense of well-being Increases HDL (good) cholesterol levels Reduces stress Lowers blood pressure Helps you get more sleep Improves brain function Encourages alertness and focus What’s not to love?
Here’s how to get started, even if you’re not sure where your sneakers are.
Schedule Your Workouts
The first step to making exercise a regular habit is setting aside time to work out-especially if you’re not too keen on it to begin with. Use schedules and calendars to prioritize your workouts. Mark off your calendar anywhere from 30 minutes to an hour each day. And it doesn’t all have to be at the same time. If it’s on your schedule-and coworkers and family members see that time blocked off-you’re less likely to be pulled into a meeting or pick-up duty. Not sure if morning or afternoon is best for you? Try both and see which time jives with your schedule best.
Remember: there will be times when long exercise sessions won’t be possible. On those days, try squeezing in a walk or set of stretches between meetings and activities. And keep in mind, when you make exercise a priority, you may have to push other things like straightening up the house to the backburner to stay committed. Don’t worry-that’s okay!
No matter when you’re planning to work out, prep yourself for success the night before. Pack your gym bag for work or lay out your clothes if you’re an early-morning exerciser.
Kick Off an Exercise Group at Work
A sedentary lifestyle can be detrimental to your health, raising your risk of heart disease, diabetes, anxiety, depression, cancer and obesity. That’s why it’s important to get moving, even at the office.
Start by moving more throughout the workday. Often you can find there are walking and fitness groups at your place of employment.
You can also set up walking meetings or lunch groups, and if there are fitness gurus in your office, have them lead a 30-minute exercise class once a week. If you’re a manager, encourage your direct reports to move. If you’re able, make it easy for your workforce to be engaged in exercise, fitness and wellness.
Start With an Exercise in Your Wheelhouse
If you haven’t been very active in the past, creating a workout routine may be pretty daunting. You have to spend some time thinking about the exercises that will be fun, engaging and energizing before you jump into them.
The easiest way to find exercises that are both doable and exciting is to uncover something in your wheelhouse. Find exercises that you enjoy and that you are capable of. If you know you have problems with your back, hips or knees, running isn’t a good option, but swimming is. Try lots of different workouts until you find the one that’s the most fun.
There are also free online resources that can help you learn new moves and techniques to spice up your workouts. A lot of health experts and bloggers offer no-charge workout videos and in-depth how-to instructional guides. And of course, fitness websites and magazines are great resources, too.
Get Outta Your Head
One of the most common reasons people stop working out, or are afraid to start exercising, is because they’ve had a negative experience in the past. Whether you’ve had an injury, you’ve worked out too hard and it took forever to recover or you didn’t get the results you were hoping to achieve after a strict fitness plan, it may be easy for you to come up with excuses not to work out.
If you’re easing back into exercise after a chronic or ongoing injury, remember to take it slow-5 to 10 minutes is all you need-and turn the intensity down a notch. Walking and swimming are great low-impact workouts that are easy on the joints. And physical therapists are good resources-they can help you understand your condition and learn exercises to get back in the game.
When starting a new workout routine, think about what may have stopped you from continuing last time:
Did you feel sore or get hurt? Did you have fun? Were you discouraged by your fitness level? Did you feel self-conscious at the gym? Did you get the results you were hoping for? Create Accountability
When it comes to your sweat sessions, a workout buddy, coach or personal trainer helps you define goals, stay motivated and share successes. They can encourage you to push yourself or try a new exercise you fear is too difficult. They can also hold you accountable: Even just texting or emailing a close friend about the days of the week you’re planning to work out will help you keep your word.
Workout classes are another option that can help you stick to your plan. Once you sign up, you’re probably not going to skip if you’re meeting a friend there, or if you’ve already paid for it.
Use Social Media and Technology
Though Instagram and Facebook can keep you on your butt for hours scrolling through your feeds, there are lots of pros to social media when it comes to fitness. Being connected to a larger community is helpful for establishing that accountability and creating a social environment where you are working out with others toward common goals and interests. Here’s how to use a few of the most popular resources:
Facebook: If you’re taking part in local events like 5k fundraisers or walks, chat with other participants about how you’re preparing on the group’s page.
Twitter: Search hashtags #health, #workouts and #fitness for workout routines and tips.
Other apps and devices: In addition to wearable fitness trackers, phone apps like MapMyRide or MapMyRun will help you plan out your routes and talk with other exercisers about your favorites.
Don’t forget: fitness gurus and online magazines will post free workout ideas to their social media pages, complete with how-to videos and instructional guides. Use these to spice up your current workout routines and to discover new moves that will tone other areas of your body.
Don’t Disregard Walking
All walking requires is a pair of supportive sneakers and a great place to get moving. The exercise can boost your energy levels, improve oxygen flow through the body and strengthen your heart-and that’s just for starters.
I recommend getting outside and into the sunshine to do your walking. Working out outdoors can be more strenuous thanks to hilly terrains, and the fresh air can boost your mood, too. Your neighborhood or the high school track are great places to start. To make your walks more interesting, listen to your favorite tunes or a podcast-you won’t even realize you’re exercising!
To motivate you, set a daily step goal on a wearable fitness tracker or on your phone. If you’re just starting out, shoot for 5,000 and increase your goal every two weeks until you hit 10,000. And, get competitive! Create contests with family and friends to see who can take the most steps each day.
While quitting smoking and eating right are certainly important to your health, they aren’t the only habits to consider.
There are many seemingly harmless things you do every day that could be bad for you — so bad that they could up your cancer risk.
Sitting Too Much
A desk job, a long commute or binge watching your favorite show: They may seem benign, but don’t be fooled. They all keep you on your tush for too long, and prolonged sitting has been linked to an increased risk of cancer.
Researchers from the American Cancer Society (ACS) found that women who spent more than six hours a day of their leisure time sitting had a 10% greater risk of cancer than women who spent three hours of their free time sitting. Some studies have found that sitting for long periods of time ups your chances of developing colorectal, ovarian and endometrial cancer, as well as non-Hodgkin’s lymphoma.
Working the Night Shift
While you may not be able to change your working hours, it’s important to know that shift work may be increasing your cancer risk. In fact, the World Health Organization (WHO) calls it a “probable carcinogen.”
One study found that women who spent more than 30 years working the night shift were more than twice as likely to develop breast cancer as those who didn’t. Research has also shown a link between men who work the graveyard shift and increased prostate cancer risk.
Researchers suspect that irregular sleep patterns could affect melatonin production, a hormone that regulates sleep, and one that may also prevent tumor growth. Other factors may also play a role.
Worrying Too Much
We’re all victims of an occasional nagging worry, but chronic stress and anxiety could indirectly up your cancer risk.
The theory is that people who are chronically over-stressed may also engage in other unhealthy habits, such as overeating, not exercising, smoking or drinking too much alcohol, all of which have been linked to different types of cancer.
Stress also lowers your overall immunity, leaving you susceptible to many different diseases, including certain cancers.
Drinking Beverages Loaded with Sugar
Too much added sugar is bad for you for many reasons. Not only can it make you gain weight, it also increases your risk for a slew of health problems, including cancer.
One study found that women who drank more than four sugary drinks per week increased their risk of endometrial cancer by 78% compared to those who didn’t drink them at all, possibly due to sugar’s impact on estrogen and insulin levels.
One easy way to cut back on added sugar is to stop drinking sugar-loaded beverages. A 20oz bottle of regular cola alone contains 65 grams of sugar (16+ tsps. of sugar), which means trading it in for water or unsweetened tea could go a long way in improving your health and lowering your cancer risk.
It’s long been a favorite of midnight moviegoers, and research now shows that it could give your gastrointestinal (GI) tract the red-carpet treatment, too. It’s popcorn.
An 18-year study suggests that eating a couple of servings of the stuff each week could do nice things for your colon, like reduce the risk of diverticulitis by 28 percent.
Popcorn Not a Problem?
For years, doctors have warned patients with diverticulitis to avoid popcorn, thinking that the undigestible bits could cause serious complications. This new study has many wondering if that thinking could be a little off track. But don’t make any changes to your diet without talking to your doctor first.
For people who do not have diverticular disease, a couple of servings of popcorn a week could be just the ticket to avoiding the painful condition down the road. Nuts also seemed to lower diverticulitis risk in the study.
More Popcorn Pros
Some of popcorn’s good GI deeds may come from the inflammation-fighting lutein in the kernels, as well as the magnesium content. And eating popcorn is a great way to bump up your fiber and whole-grain intake — two more things your GI tract loves.
Many patients recently have been asking me the importance of probiotics and prebiotics to a healthy diet and gastrointestinal system.
For a healthy body, we need bacteria. Sounds strange! But it’s true-some of the microorganisms that live in our gut help us with vital functions. Without these untold millions of microbial species, we’d have trouble digesting foods as well as facing or dealing with immune challenges. It’s also true that some of our gut hitchhikers don’t help us and could challenge our gut as well.
Indeed, one way to promote gut balance is through the use of probiotics and prebiotics. These are products that work with your body to keep the gut environment healthy.
Probiotics – “Good” Bugs
Probiotics are live beneficial bacteria that help support normal balance in the intestinal tract. By adding these bacteria to the digestive tract, there are a number of ways they would improve the gut environment:
They could take up space in the gut, leaving less “free” space for other bacteria.
Interfere with the growth or activity of other bacteria.
Help change the pH of the gut so that it is less hospitable to other types of bacteria.
Support the cells and mucus of the gut.
Attached to other bacteria as they can’t attach to the gut wall.
Probiotic bacteria can be found at a range of products. But when deciding which product is best for you it’s important to determine whether it contains research-supported strains. By using probiotic strains with the research behind them, you can trust that the product is effective and high quality.
Prebiotic – Food for the “Good” Bugs
These are indigestible carbohydrates, used by beneficial bacteria as food. They support a favorable gut environment by selectively stimulating the growth of your unique beneficial bacteria (including Bifidobacteria and Lactobacillus). Different bugs prefer different prebiotics -for example Bifidobacteria (found primarily in the colon) seem to prefer GOS, a natural prebiotic originally found in breast milk.
In addition, prebiotics promote gut colonization by desirable bacteria, energize colon cells, improve immune system function and mineral absorption, and help intestinal gene expression and cell differentiation (the process that allows cells to become more specialized).
So, without a doubt, if you’re not taking any probiotics or prebiotics to help promote a healthy gastrointestinal tract then you should be!
Maybe you’re spending more time enjoying the warm weather and exercising outdoors or eyeing all that great produce and preparing more healthy salads at home. This is also a good time to review your weight loss program, gauge just where you are at and step it up a notch.
Here are some tips to guide you:
Be a Summer Track Star.
Whether or not you’ve tried tracking your diet in the past, it’s always good to engage in a tracking refresher course. Each time you track, you end up paying more attention to something new about your diet. Growing portion sizes at breakfast, snacking on too many chips or drinking too much wine may become apparent. I challenge you to track your diet for 1 full week and then journal about what you have learned.
Supplement Exercise. You can supplement your summer exercise program with a brisk walking program. Studies have shown that if you wear a simple pedometer (step counter), you’ll be more motivated to walk more during the course of your normal day’s routine. For 1 week, I challenge you to track your daily steps taken. A long-term goal is to take 10,000 steps per day. See where you are and commit to increase those steps taken week to week. Even when not wearing a pedometer you’ll be more aware of what you need to do to boost your activity level both at work and at home.
Eat Less Sugar. For 1 week, I challenge you to forego sweet treats. People typically say that this exercise helps them to change their taste buds, so they actually crave fewer sweets. Who said every meal has to end with a sweet treat? Maybe a sweet treat should be an occasional (not daily) indulgence? You don’t have to be a bride-to-be or a Hollywood starlet to ban sweets from your diet for 1 solid week. Try it and see what you can learn.
Cutdown on Meat. When you go more meatless, you will naturally be filling your stomach with more low-calorie fruits and vegetables as you seek more vegetarian type meals. Try new recipes like vegetarian chili, vegetable and bean fajitas, an occasional vegetable pasta dish, or even one of the newest veggie burgers. Pair with a side salad and you’ll see how easy it is to maximize your daily vegetables servings.
I surely hope these challenges will help you to think differently through the summer time.
If you need more help with weight loss or healthy living during the summer give us a call at 908-279-7740 to find out about our discounted summer specials.
Remember, we at NewLife Are in the business of transforming lives to transform the world!
While quitting smoking and eating right are certainly important to your health, they aren’t the only habits to consider.
There are many seemingly harmless things you do every day that could be bad for you — so bad that they could up your cancer risk.
Sitting Too Much
A desk job, a long commute or binge watching your favorite show: They may seem benign, but don’t be fooled. They all keep you on your tush for too long, and prolonged sitting has been linked to an increased risk of cancer.
Researchers from the American Cancer Society (ACS) found that women who spent more than six hours a day of their leisure time sitting had a 10% greater risk of cancer than women who spent three hours of their free time sitting. Some studies have found that sitting for long periods of time ups your chances of developing colorectal, ovarian and endometrial cancer, as well as non-Hodgkin’s lymphoma.
Working the Night Shift
While you may not be able to change your working hours, it’s important to know that shift work may be increasing your cancer risk. In fact, the World Health Organization (WHO) calls it a “probable carcinogen.”
One study found that women who spent more than 30 years working the night shift were more than twice as likely to develop breast cancer as those who didn’t. Research has also shown a link between men who work the graveyard shift and increased prostate cancer risk.
Researchers suspect that irregular sleep patterns could affect melatonin production, a hormone that regulates sleep, and one that may also prevent tumor growth. Other factors may also play a role.
Worrying Too Much
We’re all victims of an occasional nagging worry, but chronic stress and anxiety could indirectly up your cancer risk.
The theory is that people who are chronically over-stressed may also engage in other unhealthy habits, such as overeating, not exercising, smoking or drinking too much alcohol, all of which have been linked to different types of cancer.
Stress also lowers your overall immunity, leaving you susceptible to many different diseases, including certain cancers.
Drinking Beverages Loaded with Sugar
Too much added sugar is bad for you for many reasons. Not only can it make you gain weight, it also increases your risk for a slew of health problems, including cancer.
One study found that women who drank more than four sugary drinks per week increased their risk of endometrial cancer by 78% compared to those who didn’t drink them at all, possibly due to sugar’s impact on estrogen and insulin levels.
One easy way to cut back on added sugar is to stop drinking sugar-loaded beverages. A 20oz bottle of regular cola alone contains 65 grams of sugar (16+ tsps. of sugar), which means trading it in for water or unsweetened tea could go a long way in improving your health and lowering your cancer risk.
Inflammation is a proven killer but there are simple things you can do to reduce it.
Inflammation is more than a buzzword; it’s one of the ways your body protects itself. Inflammation is a general response to some kind of stress that’s being placed on the body. White blood cells and other chemicals are mobilized to an area to combat whatever injury there is.
The problem comes when the immune response continues after the damage is cleared up, or if there is no damage in the first place.
If inflammation goes too far, or goes on for too long, it can contribute to serious health problems, from cancer to heart disease to depression.
So, what can you do about inflammation? Here are seven natural ways to fight back.
Get Up and Move
You know that soreness you feel after a workout? That’s inflammation, but a temporary, non-harmful kind. Studies show that exercising regularly actually reduces the other kind-the bad inflammation in your blood vessels that leads to heart disease and various problems. In fact, a small March 2017 study found that even one moderate 20-minute cardio session helped reduce this bad inflammation.
Researchers think that some of the chemicals released during exercise counteract the effects of the chemicals that increase inflammation. Plus, you secrete hormones and neurotransmitters that can cause you to experience a sense of well-being. If you’re new to exercise or have been out of the game for a while, start with a brisk walk and go from there.
Butt Out!
Add inflammation to the long list of health risks from smoking. Smoking affects every cell in your body. The tobacco burning itself and the byproducts are both hugely inflammatory.
Quitting is hard-the US Surgeon General’s office declared nicotine to be as addictive as heroin and cocaine. Still, it’s one of the best things you can do to cut your chances of disease-and reduce inflammation. In fact, one small study of women at risk for heart disease found that signs of inflammation were lower in the weeks after quitting. Setting a quit date can help you put the smokes down for good.
Get Enough Shuteye
Sleep is restorative. It allows your body to rebuild and repair itself. Research suggests that not getting enough sleep can raise inflammatory markers. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) recommends adults get at least seven hours of sleep per night.
But be careful-it may not be as simple as the more sleep, the better. A 2016 meta-analysis published in Biological Psychiatry suggests that sleeping for a very long time was also associated with more signs of inflammation.
Cut Your Stress Levels
In the distant past, stress helped our ancestors fight off or flee from hungry predators. It’s still a trigger of thatimportant fight-or-flight response, but times have changed. Now, while there are still plenty of serious things to worry about, some stressors are more like: Did I pay the electric bill on time? Will I be late to work? Can I get the kids to soccer practice?
What you have is this chronic low-grade stress. But the body’s still interpreting it with the fight-or-flight mechanism. Though there’s evidence the stress hormone cortisol helps keep inflammation at bay, when stress levels are chronically high, cells develop a tolerance, cortisol can’t do its job as well-and inflammation goes unchecked. This constant tension can harm your physical and mental health, leading to conditions like heart disease and depression.
Eat Antioxidants
Free radicals are nasty little molecules that harm cells on a subatomic level. If there are too many around and they do enough damage, free radicals can even kill cells, leading to chronic inflammation.
But free radicals have natural predators known as antioxidants, which can stop the cell death process and help prevent inflammation. What’s the best way to get antioxidants? Food! Eating a diet rich in fresh, plant-based products will provide you with enough nutrition and antioxidants to combat those cellular stresses. Antioxidant-rich nibbles include berries, nuts, tea, coffee and high-cocoa chocolate.
Another great source of antioxidants is molecular hydrogen which is our featured product of the week. Check out the multiple benefits of this miraculous supplement.
Avoid Certain Carbs (Especially Added Sugar)
Anybody dealing with or who wants to prevent chronic inflammation should get sugar out of their diets as much as they can. Added sugar and refined grains may trigger the release of chemicals that cause inflammation, and also limit anti-inflammation molecules. The American Heart Association recommends no more than 36 grams of added sugar a day for men and 25 grams for women. Consider reducing the amount of sugar in your diet.
Pop an Aspirin
Certain powerful prescription drugs can lower inflammation, but plain old aspirin can also do the trick. A healthcare provider might recommend a daily regimen of aspirin for someone between the ages of 45 and 75. Aspirin blocks some of the chemicals, known as prostaglandins, that cause inflammation. However, it has the potential for side effects such as stomach bleeding and allergic reactions, so it’s important to talk to a healthcare provider before taking it regularly.
