Taking Advantage of the Outdoors

This upcoming 4th of July, declare your Independence from the gym! Start your July with a SPARK of motivation and get OUTSIDE! Studies show there are numerous benefits to exercising outside. Some examples are as follows:

• The best part of exercising outside is it’s free! There are no membership fees to explore what’s in your own backyard. You don't need any special equipment and no matter where you are, it is always available for you to take advantage of.


• The air is cleaner. You may be surprised to hear that the Environmental Protection Agency estimates that indoor air is more than twice as polluted as outdoor air.


• A free daily dose of Vitamin D. Outdoor exercise is a great way to get your daily vitamin D. FYI: This is especially important if you are overweight — a recent study found that people who are overweight are almost twice as likely to be deficient in vitamin D.

Get H3 Inspired: Dale Bornstein

[caption id="attachment_5892" align="alignright" width="420" caption="H3 Roommates! Mary Kruse (right) and Dale (left)"][/caption]

 

I think I truly underestimated what stress can do to one’s mind and body. For the past two years, I was living in what I called “a perfect storm” – the combination of working full time in a senior leadership role at a global public relations firm, raising a pre-schooler with special challenges and heading into my late 40s with hormones dancing in all directions.

In February, I hit bottom. I found myself 35 pounds heavier than my usual adult weight and it was having a serious impact on my ability to function day to day and also manage my chronic health issues.  

No matter what I tried, I couldn’t make change stick. That’s when I realized I needed to get away. I needed to be able to wake up each day and make my health my priority.

Once I made up my mind, I got to work researching the possibilities and that’s when I found H3. 

For me, it was a big decision. If I was going to take precious time away from my family and my work, I needed to make sure that this would be the right place for me. I scoured the website, talked to Michelle and other H3 consultants and even connected with some folks who had just returned from the program. And as they all raved about the program and the people, I kept thinking, “this just can’t be as good as they say.” But everyone was right. This was among the best experiences of my life and the greatest gift I have ever given to myself.

A Meal Planner's Dream: Never Ending Recipes

Looking for some new recipes beyond our website? I’ve recently discovered www.myrecipes.com. You can sign up for their free newsletter called Dinner Tonight.  During the week, each day you will receive an e-mail with a recommended recipe for dinner that night.  The recipes are pulled from Cooking Light, Southern Living, Sunset, Real Simple, and Health.  The nutritional information is provided along with the serving size. 

What I’ve enjoyed about the website is that it has a “recipe file” feature that I can save recipes to. Therefore, it saves me some time in researching new recipes to try. I simply receive an email – if it sounds good, I save it; if I think I would never make it, I delete the email and go about my day.  When I’m ready to try something new, I just go into my saved file and pick something from there. There is also a meal planning feature where you can use their recipes or even add your own.

Remember the guidelines we discuss at H3 – you may have to substitute white rice for brown or decrease the amount of oil used every once in awhile, but all in all, it gives you some more diversity to strive for in your meal planning.

 What other resources or apps do you find helpful with meal planning?  Please share!

H3 Recipe: Avocado Aioli

INGREDIENTS:

1 small Chili pepper (jalapeño)

1 medium Onion

1 small Garlic clove

2 medium Avocados, ripe/soft

¾ teaspoon Salt

1 dash Seasoned salt

1 cup 1% Cottage Cheese

PREPARATION:

• Place all ingredients in food processor or blender and mix until smooth. 


• Taste avocado spread to see if anything else is needed.

Number of Servings: about 15

Serving Size: 2 Tablespoon

Calories: 55

Fat grams: 6

Coaching Corner: Learning from the Best …Yourself

It’s always interesting hearing the strategies others come up with to improve their nutrition, fitness, and well-being. Unique, always evolving, there is a new way to execute every healthy habit. Every time I hear a new strategy to overcome an obstacle it becomes that much more enticing to hear how it pans out for that guest. When we strategize and brainstorm, the key component is identifying what will work for us. We all struggle with a different component of our lifestyles and it’s important to remember that not every strategy is a one size fits all approach. The fact of the matter is we learn thru trial and error … Trial and error that has a purpose … Trial and error that must be evaluated in the end.

Sunday is a tremendous day to strategize for your week and who better to learn from than the best … yourself. Evaluate your commitments and progress on a week to week basis, remind yourself that every day requires a new focus and to get you started.

 

Absorb these top strategies created by the hard working wellness coaching members:

Situation: I can’t seem to get my sweet tooth under control, if it’s in the house I am going to eat.  

Strategy: I am going to put the brownies at the back of the freezer until my next get together with my friends on Saturday. I will have my coach email/text message me the question: Are all the brownies all accounted for in the freezer?

 

Situation: I am a single professional and can’t find the time to prepare healthy foods. It’s no fun cooking for one person.

Strategy: On Sunday, I plan to head to the grocery store and buy frozen vegetables that I can nuke quickly in the microwave. I will cook a 5 day portioned supply of chicken breasts to have for dinner each week night. I will wash the berries, cut the cantaloupe, and make this all happen on Sunday afternoon.

 

Situation: I am constantly going to social gatherings, parties, and events. I’m surrounded with bread, desserts, and alcohol. I don’t want to feel restricted, but know I need to do something to stick to my plan and not overindulge at these events.

Strategy: I am going to write my intentions down in my journal on the kitchen table right before I leave. I will choose 1 portion of alcohol, dessert, or bread to not feel over restricted. I will head in with a plan.

 

Situation: I am away traveling on business and have no control over the catered food during our meetings. I can’t be certain there will be an option that falls in line with my goals.

Strategy: I will grab metabo meals at the continental breakfast in the morning. After the accessing the catered food there’s nothing to eat! I keep my control and head out the hotel lobby to the closest healthy option and buy a low calorie sandwich.

 

 Situation: The biggest thing for me is first getting to the gym. I am intimidated and can’t find the motivation to just get through the doors. Once I am there I know I’ll work hard.

Strategy: I will call one of my friends and plan on a class time that we both can attend. I’ll focus only on my moves, repetitions, and how I feel. I could have my closest friend, coach, or sister plan to text me two hours after the time I designated to work out. They could ask: How much fun did you have at the gym?

 

Take this Sunday to strategize for your week and understand that the best way to learn is from yourself. Find your unique twist and when the strategy proves effective … know that you came up with it yourself!

Emotionally Intelligent Signage

Recently, I watched this “pecha kucha” presentation from Daniel Pink , author of DRIVE: The surprising truth about what motivates us.  Ever since, I have been a huge fan of his archive on “Emotionally Intelligent Signage”.  After seeing some of the examples and how effective they’ve been I realized that this could be a valuable tool in helping people change health habits.  In fact, it might be why the FDA has recently made their cigarette health warnings so graphic.

I decided to try this myself.  I’ve been struggling to drink enough water.  My day consists of very little time spent near my desk where the bottle resides. Therefore, I needed some type of “emotional” trigger that would force me to desperately reach for those 32 ounces of afternoon delight.  First, I had to decide what the message would be.  I knew that I needed to drink more water because it had been affecting my workouts.  I was feeling lightheaded and a bit dizzy after a taxing bout of exercise.  So, I create a reminder that would appear on my cell phone and computer every hour, “I know I’m busy, but drinking water is important to me.”   The message expressed empathy and contained an affirmation.

It has been working like a charm.  In the past two weeks I’ve consumed by 64 ounces of water per day!  What could be an “Emotionally Intelligent Message” that you use to trigger a health habit?

Friday Fitness: "Track" your Training

You don’t need the lengthy expanse of sidewalks and trails on Hilton Head Island in order to be active outside. Head to a local track for your cardio workout!  You can find access to a track either at a high school, college, or recreation center. Most are open to the public in afterschool hours (not a problem during summer vacation!) and on weekends. The track is a great environment to vary up your workout, build up speed, and get fit along with other local exercisers.

Some people are intimidated by the idea of a track workout. Where do I begin? Do I have to wear those funny spiky shoes and jump over hurdles? Nope!

Listed below are a few track workouts, bring them along and attack the track with no fear!

Start with a 5 to 15 min. warm up of light jogging or walking around the track. Remember that one lap around the inside lane is 400 meter.  4 laps = 1 mile. During warm up or if you are walking, move to the outer lanes to allow those doing speed work to have the inside lane. But remember that the outside lanes can be up to 50 meters longer, so plan accordingly!   

400 Meter Repeats

This is a popular track workout to build up speed and stamina. 400 meters is one full lap around the track. Run one lap around the track at you 5K race pace. Recover for 2 minutes with a light jog, and then repeat. Do this activity 8 to 10 times.

Ladder

Ladders are a combination of different distances when put together gradually increase and then decrease. They are great to do on the track because it is easy to measure out the distance. An example of a ladder workout would be to run a 200(a straight and curve), 400(one full lap), 800(two laps), 400, 200. Even though the distances are different, try to keep the same pace for each. Performing this ladder twice will result in 2.5 miles.  This is a great way to split up your distances.  

Potatos: The Cause of Gradual Weight Gain?

“It’s 80% food and 20% exercise”, sound familiar? If so, you probably heard it from H3’s fitness director, Adam Martin, as he explains the impact of caloric intake vs. caloric expenditure on weight management during the Planning Your H3 Fitness Experience seminar. A study by Harvard researchers, published in today’s New England Journal of Medicine, confirms what Adam has been saying for years.

 The researchers tracked the diet and exercise habits of 120,000 health care professionals for at least 12 years. On average the participants in the study gained almost a pound a year. While that may not sound like very much, after several years it starts to add up. Dr. Frank Hu, one of the researchers, said,

“There is no magic bullet for weight control, diet and exercise are important for preventing weight gain, but diet clearly plays a bigger role”.

H3 Tips and Tricks

I have always considered myself a pretty healthy person. In college, while others were eating take out every night or Top Ramen sandwiches, I was attempting vegetable chili or hoisin lettuce wraps. I never realized how much I didn’t know until going through the H3 Healthy Lifestyle Program for two weeks. Yes, you learn a lot of nutrition and fitness tips from the presenters, but the Guests have tricks of their own! Here are a few tips that have really stuck with me as I continue to try to live a healthy lifestyle:

"Legalize" Your Favorite Foods

Do you think certain foods—ice cream, cookies, chips, or pizza—are “bad” foods when you are on a diet? If you designate your favorite, high-calorie foods as forbidden, your desire and cravings for them may increase. Furthermore, if you call yourself “bad” when you slip and eat your favorite, “bad” foods, that downward spiral of shame and guilt may cause you to eat even more. Please give yourself a break, and don’t beat yourself up about your food choices, which are just that—choices, not a sign of a character flaw.

H3 Recipe: THAI PINEAPPLE AND CASHEW FRIED RICE

INGREDIENTS:

2 cups Brown Rice, long grain, cooked

1 each Pineapple, ripe, cut in half and then gutted out. Cut each half into half for four servings. (to serve dish in)

1 cup Pineapple, medium size chunks cut from fresh pineapple (to cook in dish)

1 Tablespoon Sesame oil

1 Tablespoon Garlic, fresh, minced

1 Tablespoon Ginger, fresh, minced

1/4 cup Cashews, unsalted or lightly salted, pieces or chopped

2 Tablespoon Low sodium soy sauce

4 Green Onions, chopped

¼ cup Raisins

¼ teaspoon Green curry paste

¼ cup Cilantro, fresh, chopped

2 cup Sauted shrimp or chicken breasts (optional)

 

Coach's Corner: Increase Your Activity with Behavioral Economics

Behavioral economics is a new and quickly growing field, particularly in the areas of wellness and exercise behavior. It is used to better understand how people allocate their time and why people do what they do.
Every day you get to decide if you want to spend time exercising or performing a reinforcing sedentary behavior. The trick to making the economics work for you is figuring out what makes the sedentary option appealing, and then how to apply it to an action behavior.

For example: a group of friends get together once a week for happy hour and to socialize. They found that what they enjoy most about these weekly meetings is the socialization, not the location. Instead of meeting at a restaurant, these women choose to meet at a local park for an hour of active socializing on the paths and trails. By understanding the factors that appeal to us in different activities, we can apply them to health promoting activities.

Happy Father's Day from H3

Tomorrow is Father's Day and I would like to wish all the dad's, uncles, grandfathers, godfathers and male role models a very special and happy Father's Day!

My Dad used to always tell me that the most important things in life are Health, Family, and Career in that order. I always wondered why family didn't come before health. He said that if you couldn't take care of yourself or you couldn't be strong on your own two feet, how do you expect to take care of your family. Remember, you are not only doing this for you, but also for you family.

This Father's Day try celebrating by doing a healthy activity together. Bike riding, hiking, golf, or even going to the park to throw the ball around are some great ways to bring the family closer together while also showing them that you are serious about your health as well as theirs. It can sometimes be challenging to stick with your program without a strong support system at home. Asking to spend your big day doing some physical activity encourages them to get active with you! So have fun and happy Father's Day from everyone at H3!

Friday Fitness: Every Bit Counts - 10 minute Workout Routine

Are you finding it hard to fit exercise in? Many of us pack so many tasks into our daily routine, there’s not even enough time to relax let alone exercise. If you have attended my Exercise Adherence lecture you know that “lack of time” is one of the most common excuses for not sticking to a regular fitness program. But what you forget to realize is that in the time it might take you to go through your e-mail, or even read this blog post, you could have fit in a workout?!

Let’s face it…your fitness level does not live or die by 60-minute workouts. Short bouts of exercise, when accumulated, have been shown to share similar benefits to longer workouts. (See Adam’s post more information on HIIT (High-Intensity Interval Training)) Think back on your stay here at Hilton Head Health. Just by participating in your daily thermal walks you were averaging around 60 minutes of additional daily physical activity- I bet you didn’t even think of it that way!

Gratitude

As I was driving home last night I found myself frustrated.  I wasn’t mad at anyone in particular, just frustrated.  Since we’ve started our family in the last 3 years my world has done a 180 turn.  I used to have more control over my time.  Aside from my work schedule and church service, I could pretty much decide when I wanted to fit in everything else – cooking, cleaning, exercising, time with friends/family, etc. 

Now, with my 2 year-old and 3 month-old, their schedules completely dictate mine.  If I want (or need) to do anything without them, it requires a lot of effort.  Errands I used to take for granted, I now have a baby strapped to my chest and a toddler singing her ABCs all through the store.  On an evening walk, I used to be able to reflect on the day, or look ahead in what’s to come and sort out ideas, feelings, etc.  Now, my focus is on my toddler who wants to ride her bike for the first 3 minutes, then walk, then push her sister’s stroller, then have me carry her, then it starts all over again.  In these summer months I get a little taste of single motherhood because it’s the busy season for my fiancé’s businesses. 

Well last night when I felt the frustration in lack of control rising, I remembered an activity that Johanna Smith Ellis encourages in the Personal Responsibility workshop that she’s holding next week – a Gratitude list.  Whenever I start to get that feeling that “life’s unfair”, I try to remember how important it is to be grateful for all the wonderful gifts we do have.  This exercise suggests that we right down 5 things we are grateful for each day.  They don’t have to be big things, it could even be your morning cup of coffee, but reflecting on 5 things you are especially grateful for today. 

Sacrificing a few Zzzz's

Today’s post was inspired by a tweet I read earlier today. @erinaleach wrote, “Guess it's true that you never regret a workout.” After reading those words I found myself flashing back to all the times I had to convince myself that I wanted to workout; telling myself that later I would feel so energized, refreshed, and accomplished. Many of you know that I have been waking up before work to go run on the beach. Even knowing that the beautiful Hilton Head beach sunrise is awaiting me every morning, I still find it almost impossible not to re-set my clock for an hour later when I would normally wake for work. On days that I’ve hit snooze 3 or 4 times and am on the verge of pushing back the alarm, I think to myself, “Alicea, there really hasn’t been a workout that you have regretted doing in order to get that extra sleep.” So, I’m going to actually have to agree with @erinaleach’s words.

How to make work-life balance work

I’ve been meaning to write this blog for months, but to be completely honest “work has gotten in the way.”  In February I watched this TED video by Nigel Marsh author of “Fat, Forty and Fired” and “Overworked and Underlaid.”



 

I meet individually each week with about half a dozen new guests who describe to me the obstacles they’ll face when they return home.  Empirically speaking, I’d figure that nine out of ten attribute their health problems to the long unbalanced hours they spend in the workplace.  Most assert that their lives are totally dominated by work.  Yet many believe the solution is simply to find time outside of work hours to exercise.  As Nigel describes, “being a fit ten hour a day office rat isn’t being more balanced.  It’s being more fit.”  Work-Life balance is a healthy combination of intellectual, emotional, spiritual, social and physical wellbeing.

 

H3 Recipe: CHIPOTLE CHICKEN WRAP

INGREDIENTS:

            1 Whole wheat tortilla (about 150 calories/tortilla) 14”

            1/2 Avocado, mashed with lime juice and pinch of salt

            1 Roma tomato

            2 leaves Romaine lettuce

            ½ Red onion, julienned

            ¼ cup Black beans, cooked, drained seasoned with ¼ tsp. of cumin

            ½ cup Corn kernels, frozen, then thawed

            4 Tablespoon 2% Sharp Cheddar cheese, shredded

            1 Tablespoon Cilantro, fine chopped

            8 ounce (raw) Chicken breast, boneless, skinless,

            ¼ teaspoon Salt

           Pinch Pepper

           1 ounce H3 Ranch dressing, with Chipotle sauce (Adobo) (1/2 oz./per person)  Adobo chilies come in a small can with Adobo sauce.

Coaching Corner: Pounding Plateaus

[caption id="attachment_5773" align="alignleft" width="420" caption="H3 Guest Lyle Orr and Jeff Ford"][/caption]

For a triathlete there is no better feel than getting fitter, stronger, and faster with every swim, bike, and run. On the other side of the spectrum, there is no worse feeling than hitting a training plateau. Before you know it you’re training harder than ever, multiple workouts a day, but starting to see less and less positive results. As an athlete, that’s when the inevitable question comes up, “What’s transpired?”

Reality is what has transpired. Just like weight loss, training plateaus are part of the triathlete’s life. A REALITY is a FACT OF LIFE. This is often a sign that you’re doing too much and overloading your system with adaptations. While it’s inevitable that you’ll hit a plateau in your weight loss journey, you needn’t let these plateaus keep you down for long. As in training for a race, all you need is a brief recovery period. Whenever you encounter a plateau this is how you pound thru it:

Go Back To Your Vision – The mind is our strongest tool. Clearly define who you are going to be. All the healthy life promoting behaviors you’ll be doing. What will you look like? Who will you be around? Are you hiking, crossing a finish line, or spending active time with family?

Record Every Fragment of Food You Eat – Head back to the journal. No matter how successful we become at tracking, it is always humbling to go back to the notebook. Become a student of your health, recognize any eating triggers and evidence your food intake to be completely positive and fully aware.

Push the Envelope Past the Plateau – Zoning in and mastering a routine is phenomenal; however the 45 minutes, 4 day Elliptical routine can place your body in a groove. Even after a few months your body can adjust to a set mode of exercise. Constantly varied, functional movements have proven to push past plateaus. Add interval training including a different surface (beaches, trails, pavement), and vary the speed and the inclines.

Generate a New Passion – I started out as a marathoner, but last month it was time to make a transition. Finding a new passion or activity when it comes to breaking a plateau is huge. You discover that invigoration that began your exercise program. It’s like that first Cardio Boxing class with Amber or the first Treading Class when the instructor jumps on the stretch table (really?).The fact of the matter is weight-loss becomes a side benefit when you have fun; A result of a recently unlocked passion.

Don’t Get Discouraged – The easiest way to get to discouraged is solely focusing on the numbers. For the triathlete, no recent PRs (personal records) or improved training workouts – For weight-loss the scale not dropping in a few weeks or no movement in the belt loops. We ask ourselves, what happened?

Again REALITY is what happened. Understand that no matter who we are – we hit plateaus in life. It is not about knock down, it is about how you respond and get back up to push thru a plateau. Remember the reasons; and number one, that sole motivator that sustains your success. Motivation is what keeps us going; habit is what makes weight-loss a reality.

Take a Vacation from the Clock

As you read this, I am getting ready for my eagerly-awaited vacation. Tomorrow I’m heading to the NC mountains for my annual summer getaway with my dogs. My boys and I are excited about cooler weather and some fabulous hiking. Most of all, I’m looking forward to a temporary reprieve from the clock.

My life is dictated by schedules and appointments. When I’m not keeping appointments or trying (usually in vain) not to end my classes more than 10 minutes late, I’m rushing to catch the ferry to my island home. So much of my stress comes from time pressure, that it’s a huge relief not to be glued to my watch for a few days.

Several years ago, on a beach vacation with friends (who are as Type A as I am), I innocently suggested that we put our watches away for the weekend. My friends were appalled. “How will we know when it’s time to eat?” they asked me indignantly. Umm, when we’re hungry? “How will we know when it’s time to go to bed?” Umm, when we’re tired? Finally the group agreed to take a big risk, and we had a “ceremonial removing of the watches.” What a relief! We listened to our bodies, slowed down, and had a very relaxing break.

While I’m away this week, I will enjoy waking up naturally (no alarm clock!), hiking when it’s cool enough (not when it’s “time to go”), eating when I’m hungry, and going to bed when I’m tired. How refreshing that will be …. If you too are ruled by the clock, I challenge you to take a short break from it. Take off your watch and avoid the clock on your phone, computer, and TV. The world won’t grind to a halt ….

Friday Fitness: HOW TO DO LESS AND GET MORE! NO GIMMICKS.

A new frontier in the fitness field is emerging and it’s dispelling years of conventional thought.  For decades we have been trained to pound the pavement for a long duration at a manageable intensity.  As we’ve been taking our sweet time leisurely pedaling or ambling along, a growing collection of individuals are practicing a more effective method. 

High-Intensity Interval Training (HIIT) is an exercise strategy that improves performance with short training sessions that typically last between 10-20 minutes.  HIIT is a repeated combination of short near maximal intensity bouts of activity followed by periods of recovery.  In addition to being time effective, HIIT has been shown to significantly increase cardiovascular efficiency as much, and in some cases more, than moderate aerobic training, decrease body fat percentage and increase resting metabolic rate, and improve insulin action.  Below are three methods; the 1:2 ratio, 1:3 ratio and the Tabata Method.

Keep in mind that HIIT is only effective if you warm-up and cool down—take the prescribed rest—and is not appropriate for individuals that have preexisting cardiovascular issues.  I’d recommend starting with one or two HITT sessions per week and increasing to three or four once you feel your body is ready.  Finally, HIIT training can be used during any modality of exercise whether that’s cycling, running, elliptical, swimming or rowing. 

1:2 Ratio

A 1:2 exercise session consists of 30 seconds of high-intensity aerobic exercise at about 70-80% of your maximum effort. This 30-second session of intense exercise is followed by 60 seconds of low-intensity exercise at about 30% of your maximum (30 seconds followed by 60 seconds is a 1:2 ratio). 

This is a total of 90 seconds and completes one interval.  Repeat this cycle for 6-8 intervals depending on your fitness level.



1:3 Ratio

 For a 1:3 ratio workout start at 90% of your maximum for 30 seconds followed by 90 seconds at 30% effort. Notice that the "rest" period is 3 times as long as the exercise period but the intensity level is higher than in the 1:2 routine. 

Thirty-seconds of high-intensity exercise followed by 90 seconds of "rest" is a two-minute interval.  Repeat 4-5 times, then cool-down.  Exercise time for this workout: 8-10 minutes!



Tabata Method

Dr. Izumi Tabata is a Japanese exercise physiologist at the National Institute of Fitness and Sports in Tokyo, Japan where he has been researching HIIT training in competitive athletes.  When he and his colleagues experimented with the interval ratios they made a startling discovery. 

By changing the ratio from 1:2 to 2:1, he found that the greatest benefits came from exercising at very high-intensity (at or near 100% effort) for very short durations.  A Tabata workout would consist of 20 seconds of all-out effort followed by 10 seconds of rest (a 2:1 interval ratio).  This creates a 30 second interval that is repeated 8 times for a total of 4 minutes!  With warm-up and cool-down, this is a 14 minute workout!

The amazing thing is how well this workout routine seems to work.  The competitive athletes that Tabata tested showed a 28% increase in their aerobic fitness while a control group that did more traditional cardio training showed little increase over the testing period.

Is Technology Killing Our Children?

When you have seen as many statistics about health as I have, it’s hard to be surprised; but I saw one today that was not only surprising, it was stunning! Data collected by the Kaiser Family Foundation indicated that kids under the age of 18 are spending between 8.5 and 13 hours a day using mobile devices, computers, TV’s and other media. Up to 13 hours a DAY! Asian American kids spend the most time, 13 hours and 13 minutes African Americans and Hispanics next at 13 hours and Caucasian kids used media about 8.5 hours a day.

A couple of weeks ago Adam wrote a blog entitled Sitting Comparable to a Slow Death. He pointed out that while lack of exercise is a major health issue, the real plague is general physical inactivity. This new data suggests that is only getting worse. As hard as it is to believe, some kids spend virtually all of their waking hours using media devices. If this continues, the prediction that children born today may be the first in American history to not outlive their parents will almost certainly come true.

As many of you probably know, First Lady Michelle Obama has targeted childhood obesity as one of her major areas of concern. She is the spokesperson for the program entitled “Let’s Move.” The web site has a lot of good information and suggestions to not only get and keep kids moving, but on eating healthier as well.

Speaking of eating well, as you have no doubt heard, the Food Pyramid has been retired. The new icon for healthy eating is a plate. About half the plate should be fruits and vegetables, about 25% grains, and the remaining 25% lean protein. That meal is complemented with a glass of 1% or skim milk. If that sounds familiar, we have been referring to a similar graphic by the American Institute for Cancer Research called the New American Plate for the last few years. Interestingly, the American Diabetes Association recently dropped their food pyramid in favor of a plate as well. For information about the new icon and a wealth of information to help you implement its recommendations, check out the ChooseMyPlate website.

[caption id="attachment_5757" align="alignnone" width="150" caption="H3 Design - from AICR"][/caption]

[caption id="attachment_5760" align="alignnone" width="150" caption="New MyPlate Design"][/caption]

From an Intern's Perspective: A message from Jeff as an Intern

Today, I thought it'd be fun to revisit a post from Jeff Ford from when he was an intern in the "From an Intern's Perspective" series. This post discusses eating from bordem and not from hunger, and how to distinguish between the two. I've found myself in this situation a few times...

 

Boredom strikes … What do you do? Quick! Think! … Are you tying up the tennis shoes to hit the streets for a thermal walk or are you reaching into the freezer for a delicious indulgence?

We’ve all been there – victims of eating when were not hungry, so how can we avoid this appetite ambush? Underneath are 3 of the most common surefire signals to help you recognize when your head is doing the eating and not your stomach.

Sudden: Emotional eating (a.k.a. Head Hunger) always comes on suddenly. One second you’re watching your favorite television show and the next you’re craving something sweet. It’s really a spur of the moment kind of feeling that can be sparked or paired with any emotion.

 

Specific: According to psychologists, emotional eating cravings are usually very specific. People seem to desire that one particular comfort food and won’t be satisfied with just any type of chow, especially not fruits and vegetables.

 

Shameful: If you happened to eat by listening to the head, then there will usually be feelings of guilt and you’ll promise to make up for the eating in some other way. Feelings of guilt should never be left behind after a meal (we eat to live right?). So if you are bumming out and saying to yourself “Oh, I’ll skip a meal tomorrow to make up for it,” your hunger was certainly not physical.



Now that you know how to distinguish between emotional hunger and physical hunger, you may be thinking how can I not only recognize these signals, but overcome them.  The biggest thing for me personally is not keeping these so called “trigger or comfort foods” in the house.  Consequently, I do not keep ice cream in the apartment because I have realized that this is a food I can’t control. 

The good thing is I am not alone, ice cream happens to be the number one comfort food for Americans.  To put it simply, I like to think of the phrase “out of sight, out of stomach.”  By not making the frozen treat readily available and having viable substitutes, I am more apt to reach for an apple or a yogurt when I need a pick me up.

Here at Hilton Head Health, Dr. Beth Leermakers, our Wellness Counselor provides noteworthy lectures on Stress Eating and Overcoming Emotional Eating, which give our Guests a larger scope on this topic. Moreover, the H3 program has been proud to host specialty weeks featuring Johanna Smith-Ellis, a certified psychologist, whose experience has led her to be very knowledgeable on the subject. Since you may have missed them on your last visit, or have not yet stayed at H3, below is a quick glimpse to what I’ve picked up in lectures on how to evade emotional eating.

¨       Write down your trigger foods 

¨       Create a list of alternatives (Use the alphabet!)

¨       Find a comfort food that’s healthy  

¨       Go for a signature H3 thermal walk!   

¨       Call a friend or take a nap

¨       Check out some resources on emotional eating (*)

 

There are a few tricks that work for most people, but strive to find what is ideal for you personally. Remember, we all over eat sometimes and there is no reason to feel guilty about it! I am by no means an expert, thus I’ll leave you with a few resources to peruse at your leisure.

Nevertheless, keep in mind the 3 S’s to recognize head hunger, and think of this quote when the appetite ambush arises:

“If hunger is not the problem, then eating is not the solution.”
~ Anonymous

 

Check it out:

WebMD; http://www.webmd.com/diet/features/emotional-eating-feeding-your-feelings

Mayo Clinic; http://www.mayoclinic.com/health/weight-loss/MH00025

Rethink what you drink

When it comes to weight loss, there's no lack of diets promising fast results. From low-carb diets, high-carb diets, low-fat diets, grapefruit diets, cabbage soup diets, blood type diets, etc., etc., etc. Forget the billions of fad, unpromising, quick fix diets. Simplifiy and recall what H3 taught you. Weight loss is a math equation. In order to lose weight you must take in fewer calories than your body uses: calories in vs. calories out. Most people try to reduce their daily caloric intake by simply just food alone. However, you may be among the many who need to consider “rethinking what you drink”…

H3 Recipe: SPICY THAI CHICKEN PIZZA with THAI PEANUT DRESSING

SPICY THAI CHICKEN PIZZA

INGREDIENTS:

Whole wheat pizza dough or flatbread

1/4 cup duck sauce

1/2 teaspoon crushed red pepper flakes

1 cup shredded 1% mozzarella cheese

1 red or yellow bell pepper, thinly sliced

1 4-oz. chicken breast, trimmed of fat

2 tablespoons H3 Thai Peanut Dressing, plus extra for drizzling

1/2 seedless cucumber*, peeled, cut into matchsticks

1/2 cup bean sprouts

4 scallions, chopped

1/2 bunch cilantro, chopped

Coaching Corner: Change is Healthy

Positioned by the highway on my drive home from college was a billboard that always got my attention. It read “Change is Healthy”. The fact that this billboard was advertising the remodeling of a local hospital is beside the point. That phrase resonated with me.

Growing up, my family joked that “we fear change”. Many people have this reaction: fear, frustration or anxiety.  It is time that we look upon change in a healthy way.

I have experienced many big changes in the last few weeks: graduating from graduate school, beginning a new job, moving to a new place, meeting new people. Below are some ideas and methods to help adapt and work through the big changes in life in a healthy way.

•  Be mindful of your blessings: When things are changing all around you, thinking of the positives will keep you grounded while things are shifting into place.


• Patience: Change can take a while. Don’t become frustrated! Knowing that it will take time will take the pressure off of wanting to have things perfect and working right away.


• Be flexible: One of my favorite quotes is: Things work out best for those who make the best out of how things work out.


• Establish a routine: Even if it is as simple as stopping at the same place each morning for your coffee on the way to work, having a sense of routine and normalcy can be refreshing.


• Exercise: Of course I had to include this one! Physical activity is the best form of stress relief. It invigorates your body and is purposeful.


• Lean on your support system: A good support system can include: parents, friends, spouse, or even your coaches. Reach out and keep them updated on what is going on in your life. It is great to have someone to listen to you who you know will be on your side. 

 Remember that change is all around us. We get to decide how we react to and handle these situations. Positive changes happen everyday at H3 and it is exciting to see. Use these steps or come up with some of your own that will allow you to deal with change healthfully when it enters your life.

Setting... and Achieving Summer Goals

Summer is officially upon us! The days are longer, we can enjoy outdoor and water activities, people are taking time to vacation and everyone seems to be in good spirits! In Jeff Ford’s last blog post he talked about his process of sitting down every week to make a weekly goal. I, on the other hand, am the type to set goals in my head and when I get to them, I get to them… basically, in a lot of cases I’m all talk when it comes to big goals. There are usually two times a year when I put together these big goals in my head: right before the New Year and at the beginning of summer. This year Jeff has inspired me to actually write down these goals, make them realistic, and to write a weekly assessment of what I do each week to get me closer to achieving my goals. This time around I’ll be using the SMART principle when making my summer goals.

Here they are:

1. Every year I have a list of books I want to read over the summer. Last year, I had 3 books on my list. By the end of the summer, I finished ½ of one. This year is different. I have a realistic goal and even more importantly, I have a specific deadline. This year I would like to read The Help, which I have heard is a fantastic book and one of Oprah’s favorites, by the time the movie comes out in August.

2. Now that I am officially an island girl, I would like to take advantage of living on the beach. At least 5 days per week I am going to do some form of exercise (walking, running, bike riding, performing my Yoga Sun Salutation) on the beach.

3. I have never been a runner and I don’t necessarily plan to be. What I would like to be able to do is run an entire 5K. I don't know I find it so difficult to run long distances (yes, 3 miles is long distance to me) outdoors. This year I'm going to do it though. I’ve already looked over my training plan and mapped out my schedule.

As you can see, not all of these goals are fitness oriented. When it comes to making goals, focus on accomplishing something that will make you feel good once you’ve accomplished it or at least tried. Try not to get bogged down on the types of goals think you should be setting for yourself or what others set for you, but instead on something that you know will lift your self esteem and pride. Do it for you. If you’ve always wanted to learn a different language, how to play an instrument, or take up a new sport why not start now? To me, the summer is the perfect time to set goals because the time frame is pretty much blocked off for you. Even if they’re not big goals, take the time to sit down a think about what you would like to accomplish in the next 3 months. Write them down. Place them in areas that will remind you of what you’re working toward. Track your progress. Most importantly, have fun!

Friday Fitness: Transform Tube Time

Sunday has become a planning day, a perfect day to attend church, buy groceries, wash the triathlon bike, and above all a key day to set up my weeks for success. I tend to devote a large portion of time to writing down new weekly goals and planning specific meals and workout times. Recently, I have been working on a weekly goal of decreasing television time and man does it feel good? I am able to accomplish more things and I no longer let my evenings pass me by.

Did you know that the average American television viewer watches 151 hours of television per month? It’s baffling when you think about it, but what’s even scarier is the proven health detriment. In a recent CNN Report, they followed 8,800 people with no history of heart disease for 6 full years. They compared one group, who watched less than two hours of TV per day, to another, who watched four hours or more per day. The people who watched four or more hours were 80% more likely to die from heart disease and 46% more likely to die of other causes. In total, 284 people died during the study. The study went on to prove that for every hour of television a person watches per day, they increase their risk of heart disease by 18% and their overall risk of death by 11%.

Rather incredible numbers. The fact of the matter is TV promotes sitting and studies show that it also leads to eating nutrient-energy dense, snack-type foods. This week’s Friday Fitness focuses on transforming tube time with these strategies:

 

1. Stretch while you watch – Great way to unwind after a long day. Purchase a foam roller or a stretching strap and hit the quadriceps, calves, IT Band, and hamstrings. Plan a series of stretches that you can do lying on the carpet while you’re watching your favorite program.

2. Commercial Strength Training – Challenge yourself during commercial breaks to perform body weight exercises. Do an AMRAP (as many repetitions as possible) each break and record your results. Choose straightforward exercises such as pushups, sit-ups, squats, lunges, chair dips or anything you have access to such as a FitBall and Free Weights. Twenty minutes of commercial time leads to a whole lot of repetitions.

3. Get Courageous – Create a 10 to 15 minute core training routine that you can perform while watching television. Try to hit every abdominal group including plank variations, cross legged crunches, superman’s, and bicycle kicks. Come up with a few different routines to keep it coretastic throughout your week.

4. Walk Before Sitting – There’s more daylight during the summer so hit that post-dinner thermal walk that you’ve been forgetting to include. It will not only take your mind off an evening snack, but it will leave less time for the tube when you get back.

5. Buy an Indoor Bike Trainer – if you enjoy road biking like I do this is the way to go. You can maximize commercial breaks by propping your road bike up in the living room and hopping on for 5 minutes here and there.

 

I’m not saying that you need to take Television time out of your life (I mean we do have to put time aside to sit down and watch events like the Boston Marathon or the Kona Ironman). What I am saying is let’s make it more active. I mean, come on, commercial breaks are built in excuses!

Source: Too Much TV may mean earlier death, Sarah Klein, Jan.11.2010, CNN Report
http://www.cnn.com/2010/HEALTH/01/11/television.tv.death/index.html

Coach's Corner: If You Can See It, You Can Achieve It

We talk a lot at H3 about setting up your environment for success—making sure you have the tools and items around you to facilitate a healthy lifestyle. It is true that if you build up the space around you to be successful then you are more likely to perform the behavior. Convenience is crucial when it comes to diet, exercise or any other health behavior. We are much more likely to work out if our gym is on the way home from work as opposed to going out of our way to get there. We are more likely to eat healthy foods if that is what we stock our pantry with. It’s hard to find the apple if it is hiding behind the bag of potato chips! If you see something, it is easier to choose that as an option. A great way to set up your environment for success is to make the best options easier to see.

Below are some methods that H3 @ Home members have used to set themselves up for success by placing visual reminders in their environment.

• Place vitamins next to the coffee maker. It’s the first thing most of us stumble to in the morning. Having the vitamins there will increase your chances of seeing them and can making them part of your daily routine.


• Lay out your workout clothes the night before. We call is “laying out your body”. Put on your floor all of the clothes you need the next day for your physical activity (this is most effective when arranged in the shape of your body J). Making it easy to throw them on, as well as remind you in the morning that it’s a gym day!


• One former H3 guest uses their H3 water bottle at work to stay hydrated. It’s a great reminder throughout the day to stay active as well as the commitment made here at H3 to “get serious”.


• The sticky note is a powerful method for placing visual reminders around your environment. Use it to place your goals on the fridge to be reminded throughout the day of what you are working to achieve.

Those are some methods that others have used to visually remind themselves of their commitment to living a healthy lifestyle. What are a few that you can use for some of the goals you have set for your life?

“The Photo Diet”: Could Photographing Meals Be More Effective Than A Written Journal?

 

BONUS – Two iPhone Apps That Make It Easy!

Previous studies  have shown that keeping a written food diary can double your weight loss.  But, newer studies  are revealing that a photographic journal of your food consumption can be more effective and it’s becoming increasingly popular.

Researchers have found that written food diaries were often filled in hours after the meal and were not as powerful in creating an impression of how much food had been consumed.  Like traditional journaling, photographic journaling provides accountability to what you put into your mouth, however, many people respond more effectively to visual cues; it isn't surprising that seeing what you've eaten can be more impacting.  The pictures appear to have concentrated the dieter's mind at just the right time, before they were about to eat.  Therefore, the photographs also acted as a powerful reminder of any snacking binges.

Here are two iPhone Apps that make “The Photo Diet” easy.  BEWARE: neither App tracks calories; there are hundreds of other apps that have that capability.

 1.   dietSNAPS

dietSNAPS is simple. You just take a picture of everything that you eat.  dietSNAPS lets you write a note to go along with your picture or write an actual diet journal entry. Beyond the notes and pictures, dietSNAPS allows you to track all of your meals, your snacks, your drinks, your water and even your exercise.  dietSNAPS then gives you the ability to e-mail your day to a nutritionist, personal trainer or other accountability partner.

 2.   Foodish 

Rather than putting the focus on calories or math of any sort, Foodish instead focuses on the healthfulness of your diet. In Foodish, which has a striking interface, you'll hit the plus sign to add a meal, snack or drink. You'll enter in a title — usually just the food name or items on the plate — and mark the item with one of four faces, depending on how healthy you think the meal is. There's no one checking up on you, and there's no right answer — which face you choose is based on your interpretation of what you're eating. Then you'll add a photo, either taken in app or from the library, of your food or drink. That's it. If you want, you can share your meal over Facebook and Twitter.

From an Intern's Perspective: My Story

As many of you know, I was an intern at Hilton Head Health this past spring. One of the best parts of being an intern is having the opportunity to meet people from all over the world and from all walks of life! I met people from Germany, Canada, Barbados; I met someone who used to work for the Carters, a couple that lives on a cruise ship, and a stay at home mom who volunteers at her local library. I learned countless lessons from everyone I met. I feel I learned more from them than they learned from me.

It’s funny because no matter where everyone was from, I was always asked the same three questions while talking over the Sunrise Beach Walk: One, what’s your major? Two, what are your plans after school? And three, do you have a boyfriend. (Yes, this is the honest truth! :-)) I’m not sure if it was my own insecurities, but one question that no one asked during my internship was had I ever struggled with weight loss. The answer to this question is yes, I most certainly have. Today, I’d like to share my story with you.

Growing up I was always the sibling who was more interested in singing and movies than going outside to play. I hit my growth spurt early and was the tallest and heaviest kid in class grades 3 - 5. I had a gap in my teeth and was jealous of all the pretty, thin girls in class who could wear shorts while I would only wear pants. It was this way all the way through middle school, minus the gapped teeth because three years of braces fixed that.

I gained some confidence in high school and started to take better care of myself. I was finally out of those size 20+ jeans but still never considered myself to be one of those pretty, thin girls. My confidence continued to build, however, when I started to take on leadership roles in school organizations. Going into college, I just stopped caring about the numbers on the scale and only focused on school, voluneering and making friends my freshman year. This is when I had my wake up call.