Sunday, May 6, 2012

Late Night Snacks to Avoid


I know that I always enjoy having a little snack before bed. Lately I've been trying to curb that habit by eating a few hours ahead of the time I actually have to go to sleep. But occasionally, I'm still going to want a little late night snack before I curl up in my bed. Some snacks are going to be better then others as something to have right before your body goes into a restful sleep state. Here are a few food groups to avoid as your late night snack.

  1. High-carb foods. A high carbohydrate snack like a bagel or crackers will cause a rapid spike in your blood sugar because of the quick release of energy the carbohydrates provide. This energy spike will make it difficult for you to fall asleep shortly after eating.
  2. Greasy food. Avoiding late night fast foods or other greasy options is important because these greasy, mostly fatty foods take a long time for your body to properly digest. Thus your body is going to have to work in overdrive all night to digest these foods, and this can keep you tossing and turning. 
  3. Sugary treats. This is a personal late night favorite of mine, and I've been working on getting better about having my sugar fix earlier in the day. The sugar works much like  a high carb snack because it will spike your blood sugar and give you a burst of energy which can keep you from getting to bed. Avoiding all the sugary treats like ice cream, cookies, and cakes will keep you from being restless in bed.
  4. Red meat. This one was surprising to me because it seemed a little out of step with the others, but when I actually looked into the reasoning behind it, the thought made a lot of sense. Red meat is one of the foods that takes the body the longest to digest. So when you eat red meat right before bed it will essentially sit in your stomach most of the night because it takes a lot of energy for your body to work to digest it.
What are your healthy late night snacks?

Friday, May 4, 2012

3 Healthy Television Habits


Many people when they come home from a day of work just want to sit down and relax for a little while. But fifteen minutes of relaxation can easily turn into hours glued to the couch when you're watching television. Here are a few things to get you off the couch and moving while still enjoying a little TV.







  1. Stretch. Just getting a little bit of basic stretching in can help you unwind both physically and mentally. This is a good practice to integrate into your routine, especially if most of your TV watching occurs before you go to bed. Try doing very basic moves like stretching out the hamstrings or shoulders. But you could also integrate something a bit more challenging like sun salutations to mix up your routine.
  2. Short intervals. If you are looking for something a bit more challenging, try incorporating some short interval work into your commercial breaks or the show itself. Things like crunches, jumping jacks, jumping rope, and pushups all make great little bursts of exertion. 
  3. Plan your week. If you're not looking to get physical during your downtime, try organizing your healthy activities for the week. Keep your to-do list going by scheduling your meals and workouts, making a grocery list, or organizing those recipes you've been meaning to try!

Wednesday, May 2, 2012

Stopping Stress Eating


Whether you are emotionally upset or simply stressed because of a busy schedule, digging into some comfort food can be a quick and easy way to temporary alleviate stress and make yourself feel better. But in reality we're harming our bodies and making ourselves feel guilty later when we take a step back and realize how unnecessary it all was and how you probably still have stress in your life. Food is a bandage for an issue, not a solution. Treating it as anything else when eating for comfort just leads to guilt and overeating. Here are a few tips to curb stress eating before it happens.

  1. Keep a food journal. Keeping a food journal will help keep you accountable for everything that you put into your body. It may not be a permanent solution but at least keeping one temporarily can help you recognize your patterns when it comes to stress eating and more effectively put a stop to them.
  2. Give yourself ten minutes, always. When you feel yourself gravitating toward the fridge or cupboard and you know you shouldn't, distract yourself for about ten minutes. Call someone, read a book, or look around online. Giving yourself a little breather from your cravings can help to get rid of them without touching a bite of food. If after a little while you still find yourself wanting something, try placing a single serving on a nice plate to enjoy.
  3. Make your meals and snacks a plan. This can go along with keeping a food journal, but make your meals happen at about the same time every day so you know when you're next opportunity to eat is. If you know that you're not going to have to wait all day for your next meal then you'll be less likely to overindulge at the one before it.
  4. Keep small servings. If there is a food you consistently find yourself eating too much of, only keep a small serving around the house at a time, or none at all so that you would have to go out if it was something you really wanted. We are much less likely to leave the house when a late night craving hits, and keeping a small amount instead of the bulk size is built in portion control.
  5. Recognize your own power. A lot of the time when you begin to stress eat you can feel like you've lost control of yourself. But in any situation, no matter how upsetting or stressful, you are still in control of your body. Recognizing that control is important because it can help you to assess where you are in a situation and take a step back when you are feeling emotional.
How do you deal with stress eating?

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