Healthy Lifestyles

As you know, high blood pressure can become a dangerous condition. Your doctor might have already warned you that you should begin taking measures to lower your blood pressure, such as with dietary changes or a a weight loss plan. But it turns out that a simple breathing exercise can also be effective when performed regularly. Read more

We all know that going for a daily walk is good for us, and that walking supports a weight loss plan. But most of us don’t think about all of the general benefits. Here’s a breakdown of what happens to your body as you walk. Read more

When you’re following a weight loss plan, meal planning becomes a central part of your life. Don’t worry; it will get easier as time goes on and you learn how to eat healthfully! But in the meantime, you need a structured plan for meals and shopping. Use these six tips at the grocery store to help support your goals. Read more

We all have that fit friend who gets up every morning at 6 am to hit the gym before work. Or you notice your neighbor energetically jogging by your window as you yawn and desperately start the coffee machine. Do you ever wish you could be one of those “morning workout people”? Read more

For those pursuing a weight loss plan, or for those who simply want to eat more healthfully, our patients often report the same few problems over and over: Read more

For many of us, the longer, hotter days of July and August bring a bit of disruption to our schedules. But you definitely don’t want to disrupt your weight loss plan. So as the weather heats up outside, watch out for these common pitfalls of summer. Read more

Ask yourself why we eat, and the answer seems obvious at first: Because we’re hungry, of course. But we all know there’s more to it than that. If we only consumed food as an answer to hunger, and then stopped eating when we were full, most of us wouldn’t struggle so much with weight gain. We probably wouldn’t ever need a weight loss plan, either. Yet, most of us need assistance with nutrition and weight loss at some point.

Why? Because human beings eat for many reasons other than hunger. We eat for social reasons, emotional reasons, or even boredom. Sometimes sleep deprivation triggers cravings. So if you’re following a weight loss plan, one of your first tasks should be to learn about the different reasons you eat, and how to identify and manage those situations.

A hunger scale can help you with this task. On the hunger scale, 0 means you’re absolutely starving and 10 means you’re uncomfortably full. At most times you should fall somewhere in between those two extremes. Nevertheless, using the scale to identify emotions and then eat in a conscious manner can prevent you from overindulging in unhealthy or unnecessary snacks. Here’s how to use the hunger scale.

Before eating… Rate your hunger on a scale of 0 to 10. Obviously, you shouldn’t even eat if you’re feeling above a 5 or 6. But if you rate yourself 0-2, remember to eat mindfully. When you’re starving it can be easy to eat too quickly, and become overstuffed without meaning to.

Stop eating halfway through, and rank yourself again. You should stop eating once you begin to feel full (a 6 to 8) so that you don’t reach a 9 or 10 (uncomfortably stuffed). This step is especially important to those of us who were raised to “clean our plates”, so that you can learn to recognize your own fullness signals.

Rank yourself again when you finish. If you do continue to eat after the halfway point, rank your feelings again when you finish the meal. On the occasions that you find yourself overly full (a 9 or 10), refrain from judgement but do use the situation as a learning opportunity. Why did you continue to eat past your comfortable fullness point? What can you do differently next time?

This strategy might sound a bit unnecessary, but it can be a helpful tool early in your weight loss plan. By learning to recognize hunger and satiety, as well as other emotions regarding your eating habits, you can start to eat more mindfully and break old habits. Call our office to schedule an appointment, and we will discuss your weight loss plan in more detail.

Most of us know that a healthy eating plan and exercise are vital to our health, but we tend to forget the importance of sleep. Yet if you don’t get enough sleep, you probably won’t feel like exercising (or doing anything at all). You might also experience cravings for sugary or fatty “comfort foods” due to the hormonal disruption. So if you want to be successful with your weight loss plan, paying attention to quality sleep can be a crucial step. Read more

You’ve probably noticed that the news never can make up its mind about foods and drinks. One day the experts are touting the health benefits of something, and then the next day someone else is saying the complete opposite! Read more