Angie's Corner

Feasting Without Adding Fat

by Angie Miller

 Five Tips to Feast Without Adding Fat

Thanksgiving is days away, and while we appreciate the joy of family, friends, and celebration, we want to feast without adding fat. Like most prescriptions for a healthy diet and proper exercise, it’s much simpler than we think. With a little modification, we can avoid packing on the pounds while still enjoying the holiday festivities. Check out these five tips. 

1. Avoid famine before you feast. Many make the mistake of thinking that if they starve themselves up until it’s time to eat, somehow they’re saving calories and shrinking their stomach. Generally, the opposite is true. One day of skipping breakfast and lunch won’t shrink your stomach, but it’s likely to make you feast to curb your famine. As I mentioned in my blog, “Two Tips to Tackle the Urge to Overeat,” the problem with getting too hungry is that when we do eat we often indulge rather than enjoy, meaning that we eat too quickly. According to most research, it takes about twenty minutes for our brain to get the message from our stomach that we’re full. If we eat quickly our brain never gets the message until it’s too late, and by that time we’ve eaten too much.

2. Choose your beverage wisely. Water will make you feel fuller, and in turn help you to eat less. Alcohol on the other hand can make you lose your inhibitions, and along with that your self-control. When we drink alcohol our sense of rational decision-making is impaired at best. While we may normally be in tune with listening to the signals our body sends, alcohol can suppress those signals and cause us to eat more than we normally would. Drink water before, during, and after the meal to keep your stomach satisfied and your hunger at bay.

3. Move away from the table. Once the meal is finished, a great distraction is to move away from temptation and into another room where the focus becomes something other than eating. Getting lost in conversation, connecting with friends and family, and sharing laughter reminds us that Thanksgiving is more than just a feast.

4. Be selective about your sugar. When it comes time for dessert, remember that it’s okay to savor the sweets, but do so in moderation. Pick your favorite pie or other dessert, and by all means dismiss any thoughts of guilt or regret, but make an effort to stop there. If you can’t decide and there’s more than one dessert you want to try, split both of them in half and share them with someone else. Two times the fun, but half the calories.

5. Earn your calories. Fitness has joined the fun when it comes to holiday celebrations. There are turkey trots, holiday master classes, and when all fails there are treadmills. Whether we pound the pavement or pick up a set of weights, when we start our day off with a good sweat we’re more inclined to make our calories count. In the end, it’s Calories In vs. Calories Out, and the goal is to gear up for a big meal by blasting calories before you begin.

Wishing you much joy, laughter, and love this Thanksgiving holiday.

Best in Health~

- Angie

Angie Miller, M.S., is a fitness educator, university instructor, and Licensed Professional Counselor who blends her skills and expertise to empower individuals, mentally and physically, and provide them the tools they need to succeed. A veteran group exercise instructor and personal trainer, Angie is the star of acclaimed exercise DVD’s, including the Bedroom Body™ workout. Her passion for progressive education brought her to Northern Illinois University, where she teaches in the Dept. of Kinesiology & Physical Education. Outside of the university, she presents at fitness conventions worldwide and leads industry trainings as an AFAA Certification Specialist and Kettlebell Concepts Master Instructor. Angie writes for fitness journals and digital communities, and blogs for Collage Video. Connect with Angie at: http://www.angiemillerfitness.com

How to Be Healthy During the Holidays

by Angie Miller

Yes, those two words can be used in the same sentence, even when temptation surrounds us and routines are lost in the flourish of holiday madness. Even when kids are home from school, family is visiting from out of town, and our house feels like an endless hub of activity. I realize that during the holidays time feels like a precious, limited commodity; but I still contend that when it’s most tempting to skip our workout and other healthy habits is when we need it the most. During the holidays we are inundated with sweets, treats, cocktails, and an abundance of situations where our self-control is put to the test. That’s why this week I decided to share four S words to help you stay healthy during the holidays.

Four S Words to Help You Stay Healthy During the Holidays

1. Self-Care- Exercise for self-care, self-preservation, and self-control (you know, the kind you need when your routine is off and everything from kids, visitors, traffic, and long lines test your patience). Even when it’s not the holidays, finding time to exercise can be a challenge (if we don’t schedule it), and some people hesitate to exercise because they say that it takes time away from family when they're already working. My response is this: When you're flying on an airplane and they're going through emergency landing procedures they tell you to put on your mask first, before your child's, right? Because they know that you can't save your child (or any of your loved ones) if you don't save yourself first. That's how I look at exercise. It's part of self-care. How can we care for others if we aren't caring for ourselves? My suggestion is that you put your mask on first. Exercise, eat well, and when you're feeling your best you'll give your best to others. This is especially important during the holidays when our loved ones count on us to provide them with extra love, support, and holiday hugs.

2. Sleep- While this one is an eternal challenge for me, I do read the research and I know the importance of good sleep hygiene for brain health, disease prevention, and even good decision-making. Sleep is a like a cognitive clearinghouse (I just made that up). It sweeps our brain and gives us a fresh outlook, even more important during the holidays (refer to my line about traffic, kids, visitors and long lines if you’re still not convinced).

3. Schedule- While our routine may be off, aka our regular schedule; we can still create a new schedule, a working schedule that accommodates the extra demands we face during the holidays. It may be that our schedule looks and feels different day to day, but that’s okay. Sometimes our body needs new challenges to wake it up and make it pay attention. If you have to replace your kickbox workout at 6 am for a yoga routine at 6 pm, because your visitors prefer to do yoga, why not? (I did remember to suggest that you include your visitors and/or your children in your workout so you don’t have to feel guilty, right?) The key to success is that on Sunday you write out your week, you decide where you need to be and when, and you schedule your workouts the way you schedule everything else. Stick to your schedule and you’ll be good to go. Working out might feel a little different at a different time of day, and you might have to substitute your regular classes or DVD’s for a different workout, but you have everything to gain by being flexible and open to new challenges.

4. Save- Time, energy, and sanity by delegating- I like to get my tree up early, and I do mean early. Especially this year because I will be traveling for two weeks in December, therefore I won’t be able to enjoy my labor of love. In other words, all the hard work and time I spend decorating. That said, this year I also had a large speaking engagement and preparing for it was demanding a lot of my time. Between that and my regular work I was feeling overwhelmed. It just so happens that my husband had some time of, and I dared to make the suggestion that he decorate the tree this year. Guess what? He did decorate the tree, and the house, and though I might have been tempted to rearrange a few things here and there, and “spruce up” some areas that he might have missed, I didn’t. The tree looks great, the house looks great, and I didn’t have to lift a finger. I accepted, I embraced, I relinquished control, and I delegated. I suggest that if you haven’t already you give it shot; whether it’s giving a loved on shopping list, having them decorate, or whatever you need a helping hand with, go for it. You deserve to delegate and you’ll be amazed at how good it feels.

Happy Thanksgiving, Everyone!

Best in Health and Many Hugs~

Angie

Angie Miller, M.S., is a fitness educator, university instructor, and Licensed Professional Counselor who blends her skills and expertise to empower individuals, mentally and physically, and provide them the tools they need to succeed. A veteran group exercise instructor and personal trainer, Angie is the star of acclaimed exercise DVD’s, including the Bedroom Body™ workout. Her passion for progressive education brought her to Northern Illinois University, where she teaches in the Dept. of Kinesiology & Physical Education. Outside of the university, she presents at fitness conventions worldwide and leads industry trainings as an AFAA Certification Specialist and Kettlebell Concepts Master Instructor. Angie writes for fitness journals and digital communities, and blogs for Collage Video. Connect with Angie at: http://www.angiemillerfitness.com