Emotional Eating

We’ve all done it… You had a bad day and before you know it, you’re reaching for a pint of ice cream or bag of chips. We’ve been raised to react to emotions this way, from the first time your mom gave you a cookie when you fell down or earned an A on a spelling quiz. It’s so common that I have never met a single client, student, or friend who does not emotionally eat sometimes! So, how do we combat it? The best way is to resolve the problem. Why are you sad? Why are you stressed? Some things we can’t correct, such as a death or divorce, but we can solve how we respond. If you can’t resolve the problem, the solution is how you respond to the urge to binge. The best methods may be talking Continue reading

Thanks-Living

The holidays are here, possibly the happiest and unhealthiest time of year. On Thanksgiving when we’re giving thanks and celebrating friends and family, we seem to put health last. Start a new tradition and make health a priority this year! Why not start the holiday with a Turkey Trot or family fun run/walk in your neighborhood? And eat breakfast, even though you may plan to eat a large meal later. Studies show that exercise and breakfast keep us from eating too much throughout the day. For breakfast try fiber and protein-rich foods to keep you satisfied, maybe a veggie omelet with a side of fruit. And, for the big meal, keep two or three of your family’s favorite traditional holiday foods and scrap the least favorites for fresh veggies and fruit salad. Research from the Cornell Food and Brand Lab Continue reading

This is the Year!

Why do we always have to start a new health kick on a Monday, the first day of the month, or first of the year? It’s a mind trick, because January 1 is no different from any other day of the year. (And this year it fell on a Tuesday!) But we have it stuck in our heads that each year we need to resolve to be healthier, eat better, or exercise more. Instead of making resolutions that undoubtedly fail us because they aren’t lifestyle changes, how about we make small steps to reach a simple goal?   If you haven’t met your resolutions in the past, start 2013 with the goal of doing better than you did in 2012. That’s it! Just take a little bit better care of yourself than you have been. Studies suggest that small changes Continue reading