Tip #2:

Bite It & Write it!

Studies show that people who keep a food journal have better weight loss results! Making yourself keep a food journal will help keep you on your program which will produce a more successful outcome. It will also give you a record that you can reflect on and change to help you accomplish your goal.

Keeping a journal encourages you to be conscious of all of the foods and drinks that you consume! This is such an important part of healthy digestion and satiety as well! So many people eat without even paying attention to what they are eating and this leads to overeating. Try and eat sitting at a table and paying attention to the fact that you are eating rather than working at your desk or watching TV.

Write down the time that you eat. The timing of meals is so important to stoke your metabolism. Be sure to eat within an hour of waking or you will not burn as many calories throughout the day. Timing your meals will also help with your energy levels.

If you are suffering from some type of symptom that you feel may be food related I would definitely add a symptom column to your journal. The immune system reacts on so many levels that a food journal is really the best way to identify food sensitivities to symptoms.

If emotional eating is something that influences your food intake then add in a column to include how you are feeling when you eat your meal or snack. Tracking your mood and emotions in a food journal can be very informative for emotional eaters.

Keeping a journal is the key to success for many! If you haven't tried it- please bite it and write it...

Tip #4 Lighten the load of your liver!

Having good liver function is integral to healthy weight loss and a balanced body! Our liver is a first class multi-tasker and works tirelessly to filter and detoxify our blood, store vitamins, make proteins, metabolize fructose, store energy, as well as recycle hormones and cholesterol. Most people are aware that alcohol can cause liver damage, but many don’t realize that our day-to-day toxic load can over time affect the functioning of our liver. When our liver filter becomes clogged this slows our metabolism and fat metabolism hindering weight loss.

Some tips to lighten your liver load:

1. Start your morning with a wedge of lemon or lime in some hot water with a dash of hot cayenne pepper or hot pepper sauce. Hot peppers contain capsaicin, which stimulates liver enzymes and lemons and limes are high in vitamin C, which helps to reduce inflammation.

2. Keep hydrated with plenty of water consumption throughout the day. Proper hydration facilitates healthy liver function.

3. Moderate alcohol consumption. Too much alcohol contributes to fatty liver disease.

4. Eat a high fiber diet. Most of the toxins that we come into contact with are fat-soluble which means they are discarded by the liver in bile salts and are often recycled by the body if the diet is low in fiber. Eating a diet high in fiber facilitate detoxification and lightens the load of your liver.

5. Eat your leafy greens and cruciferous vegetables(such as broccoli, cauliflower and Brussels sprouts). They contain many compounds that promote detoxification as well as add in the flow of bile, which helps with fat digestion.

6. Enjoy foods high in sulfur such as garlic and onions that support detoxification.

7. Make sure your diet supplies your body with good sources of protein to supply the essential amino acids needed for protein synthesis and detoxification.

Tip #6 Time your meals!

Stoke your metabolism by eating within an hour of waking. Breakfast eaters burn more calories throughout the day as well as maintain better energy levels! Plan to eat three balanced meals and two snacks throughout the day. The best strategy is to not go longer than 4 hours and no less than 2 hours between meals and snacks. It is best for most people to not eat 2 hours before bedtime.

Tip#8 Prioritize Getting a Good Night Sleep!

Sleep is so important to our health and one of the first things to go when we get busy and stressed out! Making sleep a priority in your life will without a doubt improve your health, energy levels and well-being. Everyone should aim to get between 7 to 9 hours of sleep on most nights. A lack of sleep affects the balance of our hormones and can lead to insulin resistance as well as increased hunger and weight gain. Tired people eat more and have less energy.

We are either asleep or awake based on the levels of chemicals in our brains called neurotransmitters. A chemical called adenosine builds up in our blood during the day and as it reaches certain levels in our brain it makes us feel sleepy. As we sleep our body breaks it down and we wake up to lower levels of adenosine.

Our circadian rhythm is also influenced by cortisol, which is a fight, or flight chemical that is lowest at 2am and rises to highest levels in the morning and then slowly lowers throughout the day so by bedtime we are ready for sleep. Unfortunately stress can raise our cortisol levels during other parts of the day, which can affect our ability to fall asleep and stay asleep. This is one of the reasons that management of stress is so crucial to health and longevity!

The balance of brain chemicals is affected by caffeine, alcohol, nicotine, medications, and stress! Keeping our bodies in balance requires good nutrition, drinking water, exercise and adequate sleep.

Here are some tips to improve your sleep:
1. Try going to bed and waking as close as you can to the same time daily. You will sleep better if you are on a schedule.

2. Keeping your room completely dark can be very important for those who have trouble falling asleep or interrupted sleep. Even the light from a clock radio can be disturbing to your sleep.

3. Keeping your bedroom on the cool side can also be helpful to promote sleep. Studies show that between 60 to 68 degrees Fahrenheit is optimal.

4. Try not to eat or drink at least 2 hours before bed.

5. Try to turn off all electronics at least an hour before bed because the exposure to the light can suppress melatonin, which rises before bed to help you fall asleep. Dim lights are best an hour before bed.

6. If you have trouble sleeping using earplugs, an eye mask or even a white noise machine can be helpful.

7. If sleeping is still difficult, then trying melatonin or herbal sleep extracts may be helpful.

8. If sleeping is still an issue for you and nothing seems to be helpful then please look into having a sleep study done to find out what may be causing your inability to sleep.

A good night sleep is the key to a balanced and healthy body that can perform to it’s potential. So, go ahead and sleep yourself healthy and lean!

Tip #10 Acknowledge Your Stress

Each one of us responds differently to stress in our lives. Some of us react by emoting or fighting back and some of us hold it in and internalize it.

What is so interesting about stress is that humans are hard-wired to have a very basic biochemical reaction to stress. Our bodies react biochemically in the same way when we experience an alarming physical threat such as a tiger chasing us through the woods as it does when we experience a stressful deadline at work or a stressful situation at home. The biochemical reactions that we have when we feel stress puts us into a “fight or flight” reaction which increases our heart rate, blood pressure, mental acuity and weakens our digestive system and immune system.

Our natural response to stress is meant to get us into a safer situation and then subside. It is meant to be self-limiting and our heightened biochemical state is designed to return to baseline once the perceived threat is no longer present. But, unfortunately many of us experience constant stressors and over time this can take an enormous toll on our health and well being and ultimately lead to weight gain, depression, anxiety, insomnia and disease states.

One of the most pro-active health habits that one can adopt is finding a way to acknowledge and manage their stress! Half of the battle is acknowledgement because then it can be addressed!

There are numerous ways to reduce and manage the stress in our lives and each one of us needs to find what will work for us.

Some suggestions include:
• Healthy diet and hydration
• Regular exercise
• Get 7-8 hours of sleep a night
• Meditation and breathing exercises
• Visualization
• Journaling
• Yoga
• Time management