8 Tips for Keeping the Family Healthy

By Carole Cousineau

1. Plan Healthy Meals Ahead
 – When you know the week will be hectic: take a day to plan a few healthy meals that can be put in the freezer. Then during the week add salad and serve. Make larger portions so you have leftovers and pack them up for lunches.
2. Make Healthy Snacks More Convenient – As soon as you come home with groceries spend some time to make healthy foods easy to grab. Cut up and wash your strawberries and leave them in a bowl so your family can eat them instead of popcorn. Pre-portion and package a mix of vegetables so when you’re planning the kids lunches you have a quick and healthy grab. We all want munchy snacks so keep the chocolates in an area out of reach and away from the kitchen so it is a weekly treat rather than a daily afternoon snack.
3. Don’t Force Dinners
 – Give your family choices when you are cooking. Children hate having broccoli on their plate with no notification. So ask them if they would like broccoli or celery, this gives them a few healthy options and then they wont feel like they have to eat the worst food ever.
4. Be Careful of Portion Sizes – Since 1975 child obesity has tripled. So please don’t starve the kids but watch the portion you are feeding them. Consider the age and sex of your children, these are factors that determine how much your children should be eating. If you find that your family gets very hungry make sure they are getting snacks between meals. This will speed up their metabolism and large portion sizes will be easier to downsize.
5. Watch Out for “Healthy” Versions 
- Most of these options that are sugar free or fat free or sodium free usually have another substance that can often times be just as bad for you.  Instead, splurge on tiny portions of the real thing. Don’t drink a bottle of Coke Zero, split a can of Coke with someone as a treat instead of a drink with lunch.
6. Offer a Challenge 
- Instead of the usual post-dinner leap to the TV room suggest an active game of charades, go for a bike ride, or play in the park. Trade in the high-calorie dessert for a fun and healthy alternative, like dipping fruit in yogurt or making fruit smoothies.
7. Use Your Feet
 - Walk with your kids to the store, or if you have to drive, park at the back of the lot. In those extra steps, you’ll unlearn lazy habits and learn more about your kids.
8. Plan a Family Fitness Activity – This can include an outdoor adventure, playing soccer, or trying a group fitness class together; you’ll be surprised how much fun fitness can be.

Flavonoids and the Risk of Diabetes

New research shows that anthocyanin consumption may be associated with a decreased risk of type-2 diabetes.

Flavonoids are found in plants and serve as pigments to help attract pollinators, filter out UV light, help in nitrogen fixation, and several other roles. An important class of flavonoids is anthocyanins. Anthocyanins are powerful antioxidants and can be found in blueberries, bilberries, raspberries, grapes, and many other plants. In addition to their antioxidant capacity, data also supports a beneficial effect of anthocyanins on insulin sensitivity. However few studies have looked at their effect on type-2 diabetes.

3 Tips for Clean Eating and Staying Motivated

The following post is an excerpt from The Balance of Diet and Exercise, written by lululemon ambassador: Errick McAdams.

Every day is a new day
Start each day with the plan to eat clean, drink water and work out. Play every day like it’s the Superbowl. If you play hard you’ll stay ahead of temptation. If you don’t make it, start again the next day and do better.

Pay attention to what you eat
If certain food is making you tired, eat less or cut it out of your diet completely. Your metabolism works like a paper shredder. With a paper shredder you can only put a certain amount of sheets through at one time. If you put more than that, the shredder runs funny, and if you continue to feed paper through it, the shredder will overheat and shut down. Sound familiar? If you eat more than what your body can handle at one time (everyone is different but the base-rule is 500 calories per meal), you will start to run funny too.

Abs are made in the kitchen not the gym
Keep good food in your house and you’ll eat good food. Stock your fridge with Greek yogurt, fresh fruit, lean meats, salads, and lots of cold water.

5 Tips to Help You Lose Fat Quickly

One of the main reasons people fail to lose weight when on a diet is lack of motivation. It is so easy for us to just fall back into our old routines rather than follow a consistent steady plan of action to achieve real fat loss success. If we can make our ROUTINE something that is healthy and promotes weight loss, then we can stop worrying about being motivated and simply do our “normal routine” and lose all the weight we want.

Below are 5 simple tips that you can begin implementing as part of your daily routine to help you lose all the fat you want.

Always East Breakfast: Many times, those on a diet choose to skip breakfast thinking that the lack of calories will lead to weight loss. The fact is, when you DON’T eat, your body goes into survival mode and it tries to store the calories you eventually eat as fat. So, your plan actually ends up backfiring and you gain weight, not lose it.

Steam your veggies: When you sauté your vegetables in butter, you allow them to soak up all the bad fat making your once healthy veggies little piece of fat stuffed junk. Instead, just steam them and top with a dash of salt and pepper. All the flavor of the vegetables will be there without the fat.

Stop Late night snacking: If you are going to sleep, you DON’T need extra calories. Fight off those late night cravings by having a glass of warm tea before bed instead of those cookies or pie. Doing so can help you get rid of thousands of worthless calories from your diet each and every month and help you lose fat quickly.

Eat healthy when you are hungry, then stop: Your body is designed to tell you when it is full. Most of the time, it is our cravings and overindulgence that allows us to keep eating long after our bodies tell us we are full. Listen to what your body is telling you and just eat to the point that you are satiated. This amount will be the perfect amount for your body to have the energy it needs without excess calories that will be stored as fat. It is ok to eat multiple times during the day as long as the food is healthy. This helps to keep your metabolism working.

Move as much as you can: Yes, this means EXERCISE! If you can walk versus ride, do it! Park further away from the front to the building. Jog wherever you go. The more steps you can include in your daily routing, the more calories you will burn. Add to this a regular program of vigorous exercise such as jumping rope, running, or weight training and you can burn thousands of extra calories per week. In addition, and muscle you build will act to burn calories even when you are not working out.

The above represent just a few fat loss suggestions, but if followed consistently, they can be your answer to quick and significant fat loss.

Fatigue: 4 Tips to Help You Recharge Your Batteries

Are you feeling drained and low on energy this time of year?  Fatigue can mean feeling tired, lethargic, sleepy or lacking energy.  Fatigue can also be a symptom of stress, anxiety, grief or depression.  Chances are, you know what’s causing your fatigue. With a few simple lifestyle changes, it’s likely that you have the power to put the vitality back in your life. Consider these different ways you can boost your energy levels.

Eat properly. Nutritious meals are number one in the battle against fatigue. Make sure to eat high-protein foods, such as meat, cheese, eggs and whole-grain breads with each meal. Munch on fruit when you need a snack. Avoid too much caffeine. You may also want to try perking yourself up with a high potency vitamin B complex, 50 mg. of B15 with each meal can help. Cayenne pepper is another natural stimulant. You can mix a teaspoon in hot water or take it in capsule form.

Get your proper rest. If you are not getting enough sleep at night, take a break and nap during the day. Or perhaps before you head out at night if you happen to be a late-night partygoer.

Keep in shape with exercise. A good daily walk or taking a regular fitness class will get those tired muscles moving!  Need motivation?  Hiring a personal trainer will help you “break the ice” and stay on-track with a routine by holding you accountable.

Meditate. Any form of meditation can be a real, natural healer. Just sit quietly, breathe deeply, and let your mind forget your daily hassles. Think of pleasant things.  Above all, you can fight fatigue best by keeping a positive mental attitude. A little effort and a positive attitude will perk you up in a flash.

Re-energizing your dead batteries will help you put fatigue to rest for good.  Try the tips mentioned, and take care of yourself; and don’t forget to take a break from the “hustle and bustle” from the “daily grind” when you need it…