New Year's Resolutions - Eating Healthy and Getting in Shape

Happy New Year!!! So another year is in the books and here we are, as we do each year about this time, wondering how it is possible that yet another 365 days has already gone by. The fact remains that yes, another 365 days have come and gone and here you are left to decide what it is about this year, 2012, that will make it better than the last...Perhaps even the best ever??

You can't really even say "New Year" without concurrently thinking about "resolutions". With the New Year comes new beginnings and often times those beginnings are initiated by the well known, and oft anxiously awaited, New Year's resolutions. Year after year the masses proclaim those things that they will start doing or stop doing that will, in turn, make their lives improved. Interesting then that, according to WikiAnswers, "only 8% of Americans achieve their New Year's resolutions". Pretty sad isn't it? All the fuss about our impending resolutions, yet only 8% of us (if you are American...I don't readily have statistics for other places throughout the world) successfully achieve them.

I have a number of suggestions for achieving your resolutions and some of my previous posts can hopefully lend themselves to make doing so more reasonable:

• Create a healthy grocery list and put it to use! Surround yourself with good, nutritious food options.
• Create SMART goals. It is pointless setting goals that are unrealistic - Use this guide to help!
• Begin following a weightlifting routine. While diet / nutrition are key aspects to getting and staying in shape, a solid workout regimen is hugely important for facilitating a successful "flab to fab" transition.
• Be consistent! To create a new habit, it is said that one needs to repeatedly perform whatever it is they are looking to start or stop for 21 days straight. That is not to say one should be in the gym 21 days in a row, but that does mean one should strive to be consistent in their diet and mindset for as long (and longer).
• Follow my Top Five Nutrition Tips.

As we enter yet another new year, many of us will turn to the gym in an attempt to achieve are New Year's resolutions. I wish you all the best in making this the best year of your lives!

Top Five Nutrition Tips

When it comes to living healthy and getting in shape, nutrition is king. Establishing a consistent exercise regimen is extremely important. As is getting enough rest. However, if one doesn't eat the right variety of foods in appropriate quantities, the unfortunate result is a whole bunch of wheel-spinning.

There is all kinds of good information throughout the web that can provide one with some great ideas as to how they can begin to eat right. So much information as a matter of fact, that it can often times get overwhelming to try and determine which advice to follow and which advice to ignore. The following are my Top Five Nutrition Tips that, if nothing else, should get you headed in the right direction.

5. Let "Loose" on Occasion - This is great right? One tip in to our list and already I am saying to let loose! Not so fast...What I mean by this is that from time to time it is perfectly OK (and I would even encourage it) to eat fast food, eat ice cream, eat pizza, and so on and so on. Not only does doing so enable one to maintain their sanity (at least as it pertains to eating), but it also is a great reward system for yourself. Had a good week's worth of exercise and eating right? Reward yourself with some pizza on the weekend! If you are eating healthy 90% of the time, the 10% of the time that you indulge in a little treat is not going to hinder your progress all that much. Just don't get carried away.

4. Read the Nutrition Facts - Seemingly everything now days has a nutrition information panel stamped on it. That cheeseburger? Yep! That piece of gum? You bet. While not all food items are required by law to include a nutrition information panel, with so much attention being placed on the obesity problem in the United States (and other areas of the world), there is indeed pressure placed on manufacturers to do so. When reviewing the nutrition information panel, be sure to notice the number of servings in the item you are consuming. Take your average 20 ounce bottle of soda for example. While the panel may list 80 calories, if you notice, that is per serving and that bottle contains 2.5 servings. As a result, rather than consuming the 80 calories you thought you were (much of which is sugar in the case of soda), you are actually consuming 200 calories. Quite the difference right?

3. Eat a Variety of Foods - Not only is variety good for keeping your meals interesting, but, more importantly, eating a variety of foods improves the likelihood that you are covering all (or most of) your bases as it pertains to calorie, vitamin and mineral requirements. As you know, balance is critical for health and wellness success and that absolutely includes the foods that you eat. If one neglects certain food groups such as vegetables or fruits for example, they are also neglecting all of the beneficial vitamins contained in them. A puzzle can not be completed with all of the pieces, nor can a well-rounded, healthy mind and body. If there are certain foods that you just can't get yourself to eat and are concerned that you are missing out (and you are), I suggest that you purchase a good multivitamin (NOW Foods makes one of my personal favorites).

2. Plan and Prepare Meals - The majority of us live our lives on the go which isn't necessarily conducive to always making the right eating choices. If you are rushing around to get ready for work in the morning and time allows for either a shower or making your lunch and packing some snacks, my guess is that (and really my hope...at least if I am working with you) you will opt for the shower. As a result, you will likely eat out for lunch or make a "meal" out of vending machine snacks. Not only are these choices costly (seriously, if you routinely eat out for lunch, take a few minutes to calculate how much you spend on it each week, month and year), but they are often times rather unhealthy. Make preparing your meals and snacks the night before a habit and you will never go back! Sure the occasional lunch out is just fine (see Tip #5 above), but by planning and preparing your meals ahead of time, not only are you going to save yourself some money, you are also going to ensure that your healthy eating efforts aren't derailed as a result of "not having enough time" to pack food from home.

1. Keep a Food Diary - I can just hear many of you now: "Really? A food diary? Well THAT should be convenient...Not to mention the looks it should surely draw from bystanders, family and friends". To that I say: "So what!" Those who give you grief for maintaining a food diary are, in all honesty, also probably people who have failed in their efforts to get in shape, were blessed with great genes and can seemingly stay physically fit regardless of how many cookies they eat (lucky folks!), or do not have the self-discipline to do something similar themselves. By keeping a food diary, not only do you actually know what you are putting into your body and how many calories, sugars, etc. that it all contains, you will also know how and where to adjust your eating depending on your goals (i.e. to drop fat one needs to reduce their caloric intake slightly, to gain muscle, assuming a solid workout regimen, one needs to increase their caloric intake slightly). I suggest that you track the number of calories, grams of protein, grams of carbohydrates and grams of fat that you eat for beginners. With that you will have a great idea of what you are eating.

If paper and pen isn't your style, let technology be your friend! Calorie Counter by FatSecret is an application available for Android and BlackBerry users. This app has a very large food/drink database built-in, so whenever you eat something or plan out a day's worth of meals, you simply plug in what you will be eating and Calorie Counter does the rest totalling up calories, protein, carbohydrates, fats, and so on. Don't have a BlackBerry or Android phone? No worries, there are plenty of great tools all over the web as well. My personal favorite is FitDay which essentially does the same, but keeps all of your information online instead.

There they are: My Top Five Nutrition Tips. Give them a try and let me know what you think. What other nutrition tips do you have? Please share!

Healthy Grocery List Ideas

 What do you have on your list?

Grocery shopping can be a confusing, even intimidating experience for those who are looking to eat healthier, but have little experience in buying the correct foods in order to do so. I do want to acknowledge that while it is true that some healthy food choices are a bit more expensive than other, not-quite-as-healthy options, this is not always the case. That being said, only you can be the judge of what is going to work for you from a cost perspective.

The following is a list of items which I deem to be healthy food choices. I will organize them by macronutrient (proteins, carbohydrates, fats) to make tailoring your list to your specific dietary needs a bit easier. Many of the items listed are those that I frequently purchase (noted with a "*"), while some are those that I usually only pick up if I am looking for a change of pace. Hopefully this list will give you some ideas for the next time you visit the grocery store!

Proteins

• Milk* - Loaded with vitamins and minerals
• Chicken* (sliced, breast, etc.) - Lean protein source that can often be found at good prices
• Eggs* - In addition to the protein they provide, eggs are a great source of healthy fats, vitamins and minerals - If restricting calories or eating reduced fats, try Egg Beaters of egg whites
• Cottage cheese* - Contains a slower-digesting protein called casein - Good any time
• Greek yogurt* - Packed with probiotics and protein, Greek yogurt is a great snack that mixes well with your favorite fruits, cinnamon, etc.
• Beef (steak, patty, ground*) - While some beef can be a bit high in saturated fat, it is loaded with protein (eat in moderation or, if ground, find something like 93/7)
• Pork loin/chop - "The other white meat" is another good protein source and offers a change of pace
• Fish (tuna*, salmon, tilapia, etc.) - Omega fatty acids and protein are the name of the game with fish - Limit intake to 2-3 servings per week to avoid any mercury-related concerns
• Turkey (deli meat* or ground) - Another change of pace meat that is lean and versatile
• Bison - Extremely lean meat that is loaded with protein - "Gamier" flavor than beef
• Cheese/String cheese* - A great add-on to other foods and makes a great, portable snack.

Carbohydrates

• Grains* (breads, cereals/oats, pastas, quinoa) - Whole wheat variations - Make sure ingredients listed state "whole grain" or "whole wheat" and not something like "enriched, bleached..."
• Sweet potatoes/Yams - Packed with vitamins and minerals, great source of energy and makes a nice side dish
• Vegetables* (broccoli, asparagus, lettuce, carrots, peppers, etc.) - Vitamins, minerals, antioxidants - Great side dish or snacker
• Fruits* (apples, bananas, berries, etc.) - Loaded with vitamins and minerals, good source of energy
• Legumes (red kidney beans, black beans, lentils, etc.) - Nutritionally balanced food containing proteins, carbohydrates and fats and is a great source of fiber - Be cautious of sugar content in canned beans.

Fats

• Nut butters/Nuts* (peanuts, almonds, etc.) - Great source of unsaturated fats and pairs wonderfully with grains, fruits and even vegetables - Look for a "natural" butter that includes little more than the variation of nut and possibly some salt on the ingredients panel
• Extra virgin olive oil - Mixes well with vegetables, in salads, or as a topper for meats
• Avocado - Source of healthy fats that can be eaten on its own, as part of a healthy snack like guacamole, or chopped up in salad
• Cream - In moderation, cream is a nice thickening agent to use in shakes, coffees, etc.
• Protein foods* (meats, eggs, fish, cheeses, etc.) - Often saturated fats which, while not inherently bad, should be consumed in moderation.

Please share - What do you have on your list?