A Little Dehydration Has a Big Impact

If you want to perform at your best in sport or exercise, you've got to keep your body adequately hydrated throughout your activity. Sweating away even just 1 percent of your body weight (a pound and a half for a 150-pound person) can place added stress on your cardiovascular system. Losing 2-3 percent of your weight can impair your physical performance. Dehydration can also affect your mental sharpness and hand-eye coordination putting you at a disadvantage on the court, playing field or other competitive arena. The American College of Sports Medicine recommends the following guidelines for keeping the body hydrated:

• BEFORE PHYSICAL ACTIVITY: Drink at least 16 ounces of fluid about two hours beforehand.
• DURING ACTIVITY: Drink 5 to 10 ounces every 15 to 20 minutes.
  
• AFTER ACTIVITY: Drink 16 ounces for each pound of body weight lost during activity.

Ten ways to keep your healthy New Year’s resolutions

• Start Working Out. Make the action steps of your resolution more specific, like “I will walk on the treadmill for 30 minutes, three to four times a week” or “I will wear a pedometer to work, park farther from the door and take the stairs instead of the elevator to get in more steps per day.”

• Lose Weight. Make your goal more achievable and timely, like”I will lose 5 pounds by the end of the month.” Then come up with action steps involving nutritional changes, exercise, etc.

• Eat Better. Change your thinking from “I’m going on a diet” to “I’m making lifestyle changes to improve my eating habits.” Consider keeping a food journal to find specific areas you can change. Specific action steps to take might include “I will limit eating sweets to twice per week” or “I will reduce my consumption of fast food from three times per week to once per week” or “I will increase my servings of fruits and vegetables to five per day.”

• Quit Smoking. Set a realistic quit date. Make sure you are not setting yourself up for failure by trying to quit during an especially stressful time. If you’re a heavy smoker, talk to your doctor and consider using nicotine replacement therapy such as nicotine patches, gum or medications. Clear your home of all smoking-related paraphernalia (cigarettes, lighters, ashtrays, etc.). Set action steps to reduce your tobacco intake slowly, like “I will cut back by one cigarette per day over the next week.” Also think about a plan to deal with cravings and challenging situations.

• Reduce Stress. Identify and write down your stressors. Identify positive steps you can take when feeling stressed and what sources of support you have. A realistic action step might be something like “During times of stress, I will practice deep breathing techniques, write in a journal or go for a walk to clear my head.”

• Give Up Fast Food. It is not always possible for some people to give up all fast food, so begin by familiarizing yourself with the healthier options on fast food menus. Try using restaurants’ websites to look up nutrition information, or pick up nutrition pamphlets inside restaurants. Work toward planning ahead and packing nutritious meals to take with you.Set a specific, achievable action step like “I will eat at fast food restaurants no more than once a week.”

• Stop Drinking Soda. It may not be realistic to cut out all soda from your diet at once. Think about ways to decrease the amount of soda you are drinking. For example, try mixing diet soda into regular to cut the calories, or try substitutions like flavored water, unsweetened tea or green tea. An example of a measurable action step to set might be “I will decrease the number of sodas I drink from one per day to two per week.”

• Drink More Water. Ask yourself how you can increase your water intake. Set realistic, specific steps you can take, like “I will get a refillable water bottle to carry with me” or “I will replace calorie-laden beverages with water or flavored water.”

• Get More Sleep. Think about ways you can reach this goal. An example of an action step might be “I will go to bed 30 minutes earlier than usual and avoid caffeine late in the day.”Set a specific bedtime, and stick to a consistent schedule to get your body adjusted. Families with children can especially benefit from having a consistent routine for getting to bed at the same time each night.

• Cut Back on Alcohol. Quantify how much alcohol you are drinking now. Decide what might be a realistic amount to cut back to. For example, if you typically go out on the weekend and drink six or eight beers, limiting yourself to two beers might be your goal. If needed, devise a step-by-step plan with action steps like “I will remove alcohol from the home” or “I will avoid situations where alcohol will be served.”Identify supportive people (or join a support group) that can help you keep your resolution.

HOLIDAY EATING TIPS

With the holidays approaching, new and different challenges arise also.  The average person gains 5-7 pounds between Thanksgiving and Christmas.   Here are some tips to help ensure you are “below average” this holiday season. Remember the SMART Goals we discussed earlier?  The A and R stand for “attainable” and “realistic”.   Maybe for the next 6 weeks you want to set a goal of maintaining your weight, instead of losing.  Obviously, this advice is for everyone except Gary!  It’s comparable to breaking even at a casino, if you follow the logic.That said, below are some of the special hurdles related to the holidays, and some ideas on how to get around them.

FOOD PUSHERS - You know the type… they love you with food!  First, talk to them and explain that you are trying very hard to lose weight and become a healthier person.  While you absolutely LOVE their (insert specific specialty) you just can’t justify those excess calories at this time. 

MORE OF THE BEST, AND LESS OF THE REST - Yes, another one of my phrases, but something to think about.  Fill up on the healthy low calorie foods, but allow small tastes of the not so good stuff. 

PERMISSION - Give yourself permission, to a point, which helps alleviate guilt.

EATING BECAUSE IT’S THERE - Many of us load up our plates with everything on the table.  Slow down and think about it.  If it’s a “take it or leave it” type of food –leave it.  Unless it really means something to you, forget it.

EXERCISE – No explanation necessary!!!

CALORIE BANKING – A very common mistake that almost always backfires.  Often times, people try to save calories for a party or big holiday meal by starving all day to make up for the excess later.  Doing this not only prompts your body to store fat, but you eat even more than the planned extras because you are hungry.  Remember, once you get hungry nature takes over.  Plan ahead for the special occasion by eating a little less, low fat, and exercising.

It is possible to enjoy the season without the gain if you are SMART.

1. EXERCISE SMARTER NOT HARDER:
Make sure that you have a plan before going to the gym. Studies have shown that you can get an effective workout in as little as 30 minutes if you choose the correct exercises for your particular goal.

2. WORK OUT BUDDIES:
We are all very good at putting off exercise or coming up with a million excuses why we cannot work out. Studies have shown that people who have workout partners are up to 60% less likely to cancel their plans to workout.

3. MAKING THE CHANGE:
If you typically do cardio before weights, or you lift before spin class, try it the other way around. Sometimes just changing the order of your workout will make a difference. Keep your body guessing!

4. DRINK PLENTY OF WATER:
One of the first signs of dehydration is fatigue. This can make a fairly easy workout feel very hard. Drinking plenty of water before, during and after your workout is a must.

5. START SMALL:
When beginning a new exercise program start small.  If you exercise too hard at the beginning it could lead to injuries that could than set you back even further.

NEW STUDY: Protein-Rich Foods Can Prevent Bone Loss

File this one under “who knew?”: Loading up on protein may prevent bone loss in dieters, reports a study published in The Journal of Nutrition.

People eating less grub overall don’t get enough bone-building, protein-rich foods, so for 12 months, researchers had 130 participants follow either a high-protein diet (including lean meats and low-fat dairy) or a lower-protein, higher-carb diet. Weight loss was equal in both groups, but meat-and-dairy eaters had a bone density 1.6 per­cent higher—thanks to skeleton-strengthening nutrients such as pro­tein, calcium, and vitamin D (which increases calcium absorption), says lead study author Ellen Evans, Ph.D., of the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign.

To en­sure that your battle with the bulge is supported by a strong scaffolding, swap out high-carb snacks such as crackers and bread for high-protein ones. Aim to get at least two servings of lean meat and three servings of low-fat dairy every day.

How to Prevent Overeating:

So much goes on around the table while you’re eating, and so much of it can affect your appetite. Subtle cues—lights, temperature, aromas, the shape of a wine glass, a whiff of espresso—can all tempt you to overindulge.

But a recent analysis of dozens of studies on “food ambience” (those factors around you that tickle the senses) suggests you don’t have to give in. Instead, experts say, you can make the environment work for your waistline.

Here’s how: Look before you eat.
The brighter the lights, the quicker you’ll eat. Physiologically speaking, light intensity revs up the nervous system, and you’ll often respond by eating too fast. Result: You’ll end up stuffing your stomach before your brain can tell you that you’re full. Unfortunately, dim lighting is no solution, because it can hide signals of satiety. “We lose track of what we have eaten,” says Brian Wansink, PhD, a nutrition-science expert at the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign. That’s why people tend to eat more in candlelit restaurants; they linger, picking at their plates even if they’re full.

The antidote: If you have to eat in a brightly lit restaurant like a fast-food joint, Wansink says, remind yourself—repeatedly—to eat slowly. In dimly lit restaurants with more romantic settings, pick one: drink, appetizer, or dessert. And keep yourself attuned to your feelings of fullness. When they come, ask your server to box up what you haven’t finished.