Search: Web        
powered by
Consumed ~

Archive for October, 2008

12 ways to keep from loosening your belt while you tighten it

October 26th, 2008, 1:40 pm by Michelle May, M.D.

You’ll pay a steep price when you respond to eonomic / financial (or any other source of) stress with overeating and inactivity. You’ll likely see a decrease in your energy and productivity and an increase in the cost of healthcare and incidentals like new clothing. But enough doom and gloom. By becoming more aware of your reactions, you can choose to respond in more effective (and economical) ways. 

Here are a dozen ways to keep from having to loosen your belt while you tighten it:

1.      If you’re facing a financial (or any other) challenge, use it as an opportunity to reassess your priorities. Isn’t your health your most valuable asset?

2.      Practice mindful eating; you’ll eat less by enjoying it more. For more on mindful eating, see my article “Leave the Stuffing for the Turkey” http://amihungry.com/pdf/newsletter-11-07.pdf

3.      Treat yourself to small quantities of high quality foods; for example savor one square of imported chocolate instead of scarfing a whole bag of a bargain brand.

4.      Learn to cook or teach someone else how to. It costs less and it’s a great way to spend time with your family passing on valuable skills to your kids. (Shameless Plug: You may be interested in my daughter’s brand new cookbook called Veggie Teens at www.VeggieTeensCookbook.com.)

5.      Try new healthy recipes. Surf the Internet for recipes for ethnic foods, use of new ingredients, or new ways to prepare familiar foods.

6.      Don’t skimp on healthful ingredients.

-      Fruits and Veggies: Buy in season; shop farmer’s markets; join a co-op; grow your own; buy frozen; add plenty to soups, stews and pastas to stretch your meal and your nutrients.

-      Whole Grains: Buy brown rice, oatmeal, cereals and other whole grain products in bulk or economy sizes. Shop for whole grain breads at bakery outlet stores and club stores (bread freezes well).

-      Low Fat Dairy: Buy generic/store brands or buy name brands on sale; buy economy size yogurt and transfer to single portion containers as needed; shred your own cheese.

-      Lean Protein: Experiment with a variety of dried beans and lentils; buy lean cuts of meat on sale and freeze for later.

7.      Take your lunch to work. You’ll save money and calories.

8.      Entertain at home; light candles, put on beautiful music, and use your best dishes. Follow dinner with a long walk, a great DVD, or game night.

9.      When you eat out, share meals or take half home for a second meal. Most restaurant serving sizes are large enough to make every meal two-for-the-price-of-one.

10.  Maintain or start a balanced fitness program. It’s a great stress reliever and will increase your energy and improve your outlook.

11.  Exercise doesn’t have to be expensive. A few ideas: walk with friends, bring your dusty exercise equipment in from the garage, check out fitness DVDs from the library, or take a yoga class at a community center.

12.  Instead of reaching for food, build your inventory of other coping strategies such as journaling, talking, reading, playing music, painting, praying, and meditating.

 

You may not be able to control economic inflation – but you can prevent your own!

 

Copyright 2008 Michelle May MD

Posted in: Head Hunger • Healthy Attitudes • Healthy Families • Mindful Eating • • • | Post a Comment »

A Decrease in Your Bottom Line Can Cause an Increase in Your Waistline

October 23rd, 2008, 6:36 pm by Michelle May, M.D.

These challenging economic times may affect more than just your bottom line. If you’re not mindful about your eating and physical activity, losses in your net worth will translate into gains in your pants size. Here are a dozen ways that tightening your belt could cause you to loosen it.

 

1.      As prices rise, you may be more tempted to go for the bargains, for example:

-      Ordering the super meal deal and saying yes to upsizing.

-      Purchasing the large, economy packages, forgoing the more expensive smaller sizes and portion-controlled packaging.

2.      On a limited budget you may choose quantity over quality, for example:

-      Going to the all-you-can-eat buffet instead of that cute little bistro that serves small portions.

-      Buying mac ‘n cheese on special instead of fresh fruits and veggies.

3.      Compared to many other forms of entertainment, eating is less expensive.

4.      As it becomes more difficult to afford luxuries like a new car, a bigger home or fancy vacations, you may turn to an excess amount of food to experience a sense of abundance.

5.      Being distracted by money worries can lead to mindless munching.

6.      You may turn to food to soothe stress, anxiety and uncertainty.

7.      Your body may store fat more easily when you’re under stress.

8.      Loss of control in one area of your life may cause you to feel out of control in other areas, such as your eating or exercise patterns.

9.      Financial stress may trigger memories of prior food scarcity. For example:

-      Perhaps there was a lot of competition for food in your family when you were a kid.

-      Your family’s lack of money meant you really did need to clean your plate.

10.  Worry can keep you up at night. Inadequate sleep can contribute to weight gain in several ways:

-      Physiological changes occur that lead to more efficient fat storage

-      When you’re tired you may reach for food as a quick pick-me-up

-      You may not handle stress as well, leading to overeating to cope

11.  You may give up exercise time to work a few more hours.

12.  You may give up your gym membership or personal trainer to save a few dollars—a big mistake if exercise was helping you manage stress and your weight.

 

In my next post I’ll give you 12 ways you can keep from having to loosen your belt while you tighten it.

Posted in: Healthy Attitudes • Healthy Families • Mindful Eating • • • | 1 Comment »

Recreation in Phoenix and Maricopa County

October 15th, 2008, 1:23 pm by Michelle May, M.D.

This morning I did a keynote for a Childhood Obesity Conference at the Mesa Convention Center. One of the great thing about it was meeting people that are truly engaged and passionate about addressing the obesity problem in innovative ways in Arizona.

Here’s one innovative resource I think you’ll love: www.SpacesToPlay.org, a great website that provides links to play spaces throughout Maricopa County. Listings include parks, public golf courses, skateparks, dog parks, basketball courts, ball fields, tennis, swimming…well you get the idea.

Each listing includes maps, details, amenities - just about anything you need to know to play in Maricopa County. So what are you sitting around for???

Posted in: Active Lifestyle • Healthy Families • Healthy Travel Tips • | Post a Comment »

Picture This: Positive Visualization to Create the Life You Dream Of

October 8th, 2008, 9:59 am by Michelle May, M.D.

If you watched the Opening Ceremonies of the Olympics, didn’t you marvel at how everyone knew exactly where they were supposed to be and when?

I think I figured it out a few weeks later when my daughter Elyse, a high school freshman, joined the Desert Vista Rolling Thunder Marching Band. Never mind the complicated musical score based on a popular video game. The part that truly amazes me is the drill–the formations we eventually see during half-time.

Each week, she gets an email from her director with ten new “dot” sheets showing everybody’s position on the field. She prints them out and slips them into plastic sheet protectors hooked to a lanyard she’ll wear around her neck during band practice.

I picked up a dot sheet as it came off the printer. There were over a hundred dots, each representing a different student. She pointed to a dot about mid-field on the 40 yard line. “That’s me; P-11.” She pulled the second dot sheet and pointed to her dot ten yards downfield and closer to the sideline. “Now that’s where I’ll be 16 counts later.” I knew it was probably a silly question, but I had to ask: how’d you get there? “Usually in a straight line,” she replied.

Of course! Once you know where you’re going, you just take the most direct route.

Since presumably no one is emailing you dot sheets, you’re responsible for creating the vision for your life. Do you know where you’re going? Do you have your coordinates mapped out? Do you know what it will look like when you arrive at your destination?

I’m all about mindfulness and living fully in the present moment but that doesn’t mean you just stay on one dot.

Instead, when you set a positive intention for what you want your life to be like, you’re able to move forward, free to truly enjoy and appreciate each step of your journey.

This concept can apply to any aspect of living a healthier lifestyle. Whether your goal is to stop yoyo dieting or run a 5K, when you have a clear vision of where you’re headed, your path for getting there will become more obvious. Take a few moments now to try this process for visualization:

Five Steps to Positive Visualization

1. Quiet your mind. Close your eyes and take a few deep breaths.

2. Allow yourself to imagine what’s possible when you release self-doubt, negative thoughts, and perceived limitations.

3. Visualize an outcome that makes you feel content and joyful.

4. Picture all the details as if your next dot is already a reality.

5. Trust and act on your innate wisdom to bring you to that exact spot.

When you’re able to clearly visualize a result that inspires and energizes you, a straight path will emerge. You then can put one foot in front of the other, steadily moving toward your goal.

Happy Visualization!
Michelle May MD
More articles like this: http://amihungry.com/enews.shtml 

Posted in: Healthy Attitudes • • • | Post a Comment »
ADVERTISEMENT