Tip of the Day

Prep your produce as soon as you get home from the store.  Having pre-washed and pre-cut fruit and veggies make it much easier for you to choose healthy snacks!

Learning the 'Wright' Way

Here at Hilton Head Health, I have heard Bob Wright say many times that weight loss is 80% diet and 20% exercise.  As many of you already know, Bob is our resident nutrition expert, an H3 veteran who has experienced and played a huge role in lifestyle changes for over 30 years.  Bob is a wealth of information complete with an ever-growing list of phrases we like to call ‘Bob-isms’.  So, long story short, what Bob says goes.

So, when sitting in his Staying on Track session, I heard him say something that for the first time, I questioned.  You are probably already thinking that I was wrong, and don’t worry, you were right.

Sitting in class, a guest asks ‘When trying to lose weight – what is most important diet or exercise?’  Naturally, I expected his answer to be diet – but boy was I surprised when I heard him say – exercise.  ‘When attempting to make your lifestyle change, it’s very important to remain constant with your exercise.  Because when you are exercising regularly, you are more likely to make healthy food choices.’

Hmmm…how could this be if weight loss is 80 % diet and 20% exercise?  Well, thanks to an injury last week, I was able to experience this concept first-hand.

Personally, when I exercise, it’s not really much about weight loss, but more how I feel during and after – the energy it gives me.  Not being able to exercise – whether in the form of a leisurely walk or a more intense circuit class – I was already doing my morale a disservice.  So when feeling crappy – what did I do?  Eat crappy.

Now fully recovered from my injury, I can get back to regular exercise which (SURPRISE) has helped improve my eating habits.  However, gathering enough motivation to get moving after taking time off is tough.  It’s no fun to feel like you are starting at square one and it can really crush any motivation you might have built up.

To get back on track, my go-to method is to set mini-goals.  Going from no exercise to an hour every day is pretty ambitious.  Instead try setting a goal of 30 minutes, 3 days of the week.  Once you have easily achieved the mini-goal – you have the confidence to move forward to the next mini-goal of 5 days per week.  Before you know it, you’ll be back to your normal routine.

How do you balance eating healthy and exercise so you don’t let both go?

Tip of the Day

When you start to have negative thoughts, think or do three positive things.  Approximately three positive moments are needed to counteract one negative one.

H3 Recipe: Cinnamon Ice Cream

 

As the thermometer moves higher and higher, cool off with a scoop of H3 Cinnamon Ice Cream.  A light and refreshing summer treat!  Top your ice cream with fresh, seasonal fruits like diced peaches and plums or fresh berries (like the picture above)!

 

H3 Cinnamon Ice Cream

Ingredients:

2 cups of fat free half and half

1/2 can fat free sweetened condensed milk

1 tablespoon vanilla extract

1 tablespoon ground cinnamon

Preparation:

• Mix ingredients together and chill


• Pour into a prepared ice cream maker


• Process for 20 to 30 minutes


• Transfer to a bowl, cover and freeze until ready to serve

 

Yield: 3 cups

Serving Size: 2 ounces

Calories: 110 (w fruit 120)

Fat Grams: 3

 

Looking for a non-dairy version?  Check out the Member’s Only section for the H3 Non-Dairy Ice Cream recipe.

Tip of the Day

Get at least 8 hours of sleep per night.  When you are sleep-deprived your metabolism slows and you are more likely to overeat.

The Real TV-Dinner

 

How does watching TV influence your eating habits?  I think the findings in a recent study may surprise you. 

 

New research published in the Journal of the American Dietetic Association shows that television ads for food may be skewing our decisions on what we eat in a very powerful way.  The average American watches more than 4 hours of TV each day – included in that 4 hour block is 72 minutes of commercial programming. 

 

After viewing 84 hours of prime-time and 12 hours of Saturday morning television, researchers planned a 2,000 calorie day diet containing ONLY foods that were advertised during that time.  And the results – a diet that exceeded the government recommendations of fat by 20 times and the daily recommendation of sugar intake by 25 times – almost one month’s worth of sugar in one day!  In addition, the diet provided less than half of the recommended servings of fruits, vegetables and dairy.

 

Can you recall the last time you saw a commercial for healthy ‘real’ foods?  (No – KFC ‘Grilled’ chicken doesn’t count!)

 

Last year, food makers in the US spent $11.3 BILLION dollars on marketing efforts, with only 2% of that total going towards nutritional education.  Combine the unhealthy foods with notoriously effective marketing campaigns and you have what the nutrition experts call a toxic environment – one that encourages inactivity and unhealthy food choices.

 

I know that a complete marketing overhaul is a little unrealistic – but on the bright side – the power of persuasion can work in positive ways.  If we promoted fresh fruits, vegetables and non-processed foods the way we did the junk, TV could actually provide a great outlet for encouraging healthy food choices.

 

An interesting closing thought from one of the lead researchers, "It's the perennial question of whether these products are being advertised because we want them or because we want them because they are being advertised.  Where we come down on it is that it's a little bit of both — and it's a reinforcing cycle. But that cycle can be changed."

 

What do you think?  Do you feel that commercials affect your eating habits?

Tip of the Day

Set yourself up to succeed!  Find a fitness routine that you can stick with on most days.