10 Tips to help you Maintain Doing the Holiday Season

Tis the season to gain 10-15bs with all the eating and family and friends, holiday parties and going out to eat...its what happens doing the holiday season. But it really doesn’t have to be that way, there are several things that we can do to void gaining thoughs holiday pounds.

1.)    Avoid the Big Eyes Syndrome: Make sure that you are aware of what you are eating. As a matter of fact try eating before you go to the holiday party. This way you are full and you don’t feel tempted to eat everything in site.

2.)    Write down what you eat: It is holiday party season and you can start picking up random office treats, party snacks and office candy throughout the day. Give yourself a limit of what you are willing to eat or try to say no. Write down what you are eating throughout the day, so if you are gaining weight you know why.

3.)    Stay Active: Don’t stop working out because it’s the season to relax. Make sure that you are doing some type of full body workout 5-6 days a week! If you are going shopping power walk throughout the mall. Could be fun!

4.)    Don’t be a taster: If you are cooking or watching someone else cook, don’t taste everything in site. Popping random food can account for up to 300 calories in a single set. Be mindful of how often and what you are tasting.

5.)     Avoid the all or nothing trap that we fall into...Just because you indulged in a piece of cake pie or fried chicken does not mean you have to completely give up for the day. Just because you overindulged one night does not mean you have to give up the whole weekend. Get up the next day exercise and still eat right.

6.)    Find a partner: You all can hold each other accountable and challenge each other to reach your full potential with eating right and exercising.

7.)    It is the season for alcohol: Avoid the beverages loaded with cream, milk, soda; these beverages are loaded with simple sugars and extra calories. Reach for A skinny margarita or light beer; your best choice will always be a glass of wine or alcohol with no mixer. But the best choice is no alcohol at all…(but who are we kidding?)

8.)    Don’t Skip Meals: Eating anything at the last minute just means you are grabbing for the wrong foods. Your blood sugar can get low making you want to grab anything in site to feel your hunger pains. So eat 5-6 small meals a day.

9.)    Drink Water: This never gets old if you are drinking your 8-10 glasses of water a day you are staying hydrating. Drinking water before each meal tends to help you get full faster.

10.) One simple Treat: Make sure that you do have the treat that you want. It is the holiday season and you don’t want to not be able to enjoy the good foods. Just don’t over indulge and one small portion of your favorite treat will not hurt your diet. But also make sure you keep up with your exercise plan as well.

Enjoy your holiday season with friends and family and remember to keep your beachbody in tact with great exercise and a diet that is suitable to your lifestyle. Exercising should be fun; it should be a party you just have to find out what works best for you. Your diet should be something that you can live with on the daily basis not something that is draining your energy, has you over thinking and just upset with food.  So tis the season to enjoy but not overindulge!

Yours Truly,

Dione Stlhealthnut Neal

For more information on great fitness programs please visit:

 http://www.stlhealthnut.com/ or www.myshakeology.com/stlhealthnut

For questions email me at stlhealthnut@gmail.com

Yes! I’m moving but I am stressed.

OMG you are moving! I am so excited for you and at the same time I offer you my deepest sympathies. Moving is a very thrilling time but it also can be very stressful. The packing, finding boxes, taping, de-cluttering your life and lets not forget that infamous give away piles. But what keeps you going is the excitement of moving into a new home and possibly for some into a new city.

If you are like me, moving can be very stressful and takes you off track from your normal life including your workout routine. Even though you feel as if time will not permit you to workout, like any other thing that’s important to you, you want to make sure you schedule your workout into your life and stick to that schedule.  

Physical activity for anybody helps take control of the stress in your life. According to mayoclinic.com any form of exercise, from aerobics to weightlifting, kickboxing to tennis or racket ball can act as a stress reliever. It doesn’t matter how physically fit you are any form of exercise minimum 3-4 days a week is great for the body. What type of exercises are you doing? Are you thinking to hard when you go to the gym? Are you getting a full body workout in?

My favorite form of exercise is a kickboxing exercise called Turbo Fire. I am married to this workout routine and have found something that relieves my stress, and I can have fun while doing it.  I find it hard to go to the gym and then figure out what workout will work best in a short period of time so that I won’t spend 2-3 hours in the gym. If you have the luxury to be able to afford a personal trainer to do the thinking for you that is awesome and I say go for it. But at home workouts are great as well. You can throw in a DVD, pump of those endorphins, your brains feel good neurotransmitters and get in a great workout without even thinking about it and guess what you have calmed your mind your body and have relieved some of the stresses that go along with moving.

So in the middle of unpacking stop what you are doing throw in a workout DVD to relieve some of the stress. It will energize your body and put you into a better mood which will allow you to get more done with a clear mindset. Happy Moving!!!

For questions about workouts or gyms please email me at

stlhealthnut@gmail.com or visit www.stlhealthnut.com

Friend or Foe - Energy Drinks

Its been a long day and you are fatigued what do you reach for to get your energy levels back up??? Most people go for soda or coffee. But, since 2006 their has been an increase in energy drink consumption. Imagine picking up an energy drink and consuming more then 3 per day. To some people this may sound excessive but to some young adults and college students this is normal. Most of the boost in energy drinks comes from two things — sugar and caffeine — and the effect is short-term. Then you experience the "downer" were your energy level falls rapidly and you are fatigued even more then before you consumed the drink. Some people become addicted to them because they receive a high off of that increase in energy.

The problem with energy drinks is they are categorized as nutritional supplements and because of this factor they actually avoid the limit of 71 mg caffeine per 12 fluid ounces that the US Food and Drug Administration has set for soda. Consequently the energy drinks can contain as much as 75 to 400 mg caffeine per container, with additional caffeine not included in the listed total often coming from additives( guarana, kola nut, yerba mate, and cocoa).

According to Emma Hitt, PHD and author on medscape.com the maximum daily intake for adolescents is 100mg and up to 300mg for adults. The average adult consumes up to 3 cups of coffee per day and the average adolescents can have as many as 2 -3 energy drinks per day on top of the other drinks they are consuming.

Now what if a different option existed other then coffee, soda or energy drinks. What if you could have a drink that replaced your meal, allowed you to feel energized, helped you loose weight and improved your digestion and regularity. Many people would prefer to reach for an energy drink because they are cheap and easily accessible even if its not healthy and is only causing health issues amongst those that consumer them more often then they should. They are loaded with simple sugars and can be linked to increase in weight and the rapid increase of type 2 diabetes. The sugar in energy drinks causes insulin spikes which later result in a “crash like” feeling so even if you are trying to loose weight the sugar in the drinks can prevent you from reaching your weight loss or fitness goals.

As a substitute for energy drinks I recommend Shakeology. Not only will it energize you but it will also help you loose weight, improve your digestion and regularity and some have reported a decrease in blood pressure, stabilized blood sugar and an improvement in there overall health. Take back your life and control your energy levels and cravings as well. This meal replacement is filled with Protein, Digestive Enzymes, Vitamins, Minerals, Phytonutriens, Prebiotics and it has no gluten. The video below is more information about The Healthiest Meal of the Day - Shakeology.

Shakeology

Yours Truely,

For more information about Shakeology please email me!
STLHEALTHNUT@GMAIL.COM