weight loss

Quit Smoking Tip of The Week: Keep the weight off! Part 3

Standard

So far we have covered nutrition and exercise as tools for a healthy weight and lifestyle. Now, third but definitely still just as important as the former two, is sleep! We often disregard or forget about this oh so important factor altogether, in the go-go-go lifestyle that comes along with our society. Sleep is one of the most crucial ingredients for health and well-being. Sleep is what regulates your hormones, repairs your body, promotes a healthy mental state, and so much more.

orange cat sleeping on white bed

If weight loss is your goal and you’re eating healthy foods and working out but not seeing much progress, it is time to evaluate your sleep. Not only will your “gains” from working out be lost if you are deprived of sleep, but your body will crave more food to help fuel your body as it goes into “overtime,” and usually the foods we crave are not the foods we need for proper nutrition. Let’s dig a little deeper, here, and see what else is effected by sleep and HOW to get the most out of your sleep!

photo of person holding alarm clock

In addition to getting enough sleep (a recommended 6-8 hours for adults), the timing of your sleep is also crucial. Research shows that your body starts to release melatonin in the evening as it starts to get dark out, then begins to release cortisol as the sun begins to rise. Melatonin is the sleep hormone responsible for putting your body at rest and cortisol is the sleep hormone responsible for waking your body up. An optimal sleep schedule is to sleep from 10pm to 6am (8 hours), as 10pm-2am is the time in which your body reaches its peak hormone balance to promote optimal restoration for your cells. When you stay up too late, or sleep in too late, your body is thrown off by hormone dysregulation. This can explain why you may still feel tired even after getting a solid 7-8 hours of sleep, because getting 8 hours of sleep from 12am-8am, is not the same as a 10pm-6am schedule. When you go to sleep at 12am you have already missed the first two hours of REM sleep. Dr. Oz has a great article going deeper into the science behind the 10pm-2am cycle of restorative sleep here if you’re interested in learning more.

baby blanket child clothes

What happens to your body when you get a good night’s sleep? A ton of great things, such as:

  • Blood sugar regulation, important for preventing type 2 diabetes
  • Your muscles rebuild themselves, utilizing essential amino acids that you have digested throughout the day (making your workout actually worth it!)
  • Your body repairs itself from internal and external stressors (inflammation reduces, mood regulates, free-radicals that cause disease are removed, all thanks to the antioxidant properties of melatonin)
  • Long-term memory is reinforced, helping you perform cognitive tasks more efficiently

All of the above (expect for the last point, which should still be an important factor for people) aid in weight loss. When you don’t get a quality amount of sleep, the above either will not happen or will occur at a much less efficient rate.

So, get those ZZZ’s because they’re a lot more important than you think!

macbook pro turned on displaying schedule on table

Setting a routine for better sleep

Now, let’s address HOW to get this restorative, restful sleep, because as we all know, insomnia can be a withdrawal for many smokers who begin their quit journey.

family of three lying on bed showing feet while covered with yellow blanket

  • Only use your bed for sleep and sex. When you do other activities in your bed (such as reading, watching tv or eating) your brain does not associate your bed with sleep as strongly, and your bed should only be associated with relaxation.
  • When you can’t fall asleep, get out of bed. This might sound like bad advice, but it goes along with the first tip. If it is taking you up to an hour to try to fall asleep, get out of bed and read on the couch or stretch until you feel sleepy, then hop back in bed. When you can’t sleep and stay in bed, feeling anxious or upset that you can’t fall asleep, you are unintentionally associating your bed with negative emotions.

person holding barbell

  • Exercise early in the day, if possible. It is proven that moderate exercise (try for 30 minutes a day, even if it’s just walking) will help adults get a better night’s sleep. Even further, if you exercise before 3pm you will be getting the most from this benefit as it is also proven that exercising after 3pm can cause your sleep hormone production (melatonin and cortisol) to get post-poned, potentially making it harder to initially fall asleep.
  • Consistency is key. Try to go to sleep at the same time each night, and wake up around the same time each morning. Building a consistent routine around your sleep schedule helps keep your hormones in check and makes it easier to fall asleep (and stay asleep) at night.

semi opened laptop computer turned on on table

  • Unplug! This one is so important in our busy, always accessible society. At least an hour before going to bed, stay away from your cell phone, computer, tv, or any other electronic device. Read a book, stretch or find another relaxing activity that you can participate in each night as part of your routine to help your body unwind and relax. This will help you rid yourself of your racing thoughts, as well as give your brain a rest by intentionally reducing the blue-light that you are exposed to. Blue-light interferes with our internal clock, which controls our sleep hormone (melatonin), causing hormone imbalance, anxiety and stress.
  • Ditch the late night snacks (or meals). Eating later in the evening and at night is tough on our digestive system. Historically speaking, when the sun goes down, so does our body. And with it, our bodily systems, such as digestion. Remember earlier when I said that our body repairs itself when we sleep? Well, when you eat a meal less than three hours before going to sleep, your digestive system is still doing a lot of work while your body is trying to rest! This might be why you wake up multiple times in the night to pee, can’t seem to get a deep sleep, or even have trouble falling asleep. Do yourself and your digestive system a favor and try to abstain from eating at least three hours before sleeping, four if you’re able to eat dinner earlier.
  • Dim your lights. Our sleep hormone, melatonin, is produced by our pineal gland which gets triggered to release or not release melatonin based on the light we receive. Similar to the idea of unplugging from technology, you should try to reduce the overall amount of light received as soon as the sun starts to set. In this way, you are mimicking the way nature intended and helping produce melatonin naturally in order to induce a restful sleep by 10pm.

espresso machine dispensing on two mugs

  • Reduce or eliminate your caffeine intake altogether. Caffeine is a stimulant and it has been proven that even having caffeine in the morning can effect your sleep at night. Try cutting down from 2 cups of coffee to 1, or switch to decaf if you really enjoy the taste. Be aware that a lot of teas have a ton of caffeine in them, so opt for the de-caffinated ones or something light like a white tea.

white bed comforter

Coming from someone who has personally had a bad relationship with sleep from my adolescence through my early 20’s, if you try all of these tips, you will be successful in helping to reset your sleep pattern. I never thought that I would have a “normal” sleep schedule, but the fact is most American’s are not getting a restful sleep due to the rise in technology and just lack of knowledge about how our sleep hormones are regulated and what environmental cues can throw them way off. Give it a try for a week, and be amazed that you will not need a sleep aid or other substances to help you sleep anymore! If you suffer from racing thoughts at night, as a lot of us do, and stretching or meditating is not working for you, you can try getting a magnesium supplement to help relax your mind (it also relieves muscle cramps!) or look into ashwaganda root to take mid-afternoon and in the evening for stress relief and relaxation. Always ask your doctor before adding any supplements to your daily regimen as some can interfere with medications.

Quit Smoking Tip of The Week: Keep the weight off! Part 2

Standard

agility balance beautiful girl dancer

Last time we discussed the basics of weight loss and maintaining a healthy and active lifestyle. This week, I want to go a little deeper into exercise.

As mentioned before, doing cardio is good for your body as well as getting a jump start on weight loss. The real key to fat loss though, is to build lean muscle. I’m not talking body builder muscle, but a decent amount of muscle that is strong and appropriate for your body type to support your metabolism as well as your daily activities. Muscle is what promotes a faster resting metabolism (meaning, it helps you burn calories even while you are not doing any physical activity). So… how do we build muscle? There are a few different ways to build muscle that I am going to cover.

man in red and black shorts

First, there are body resistance training exercises. These are my favorite, because they require essentially no workout equipment due to you using your body to build upon itself.

Body resistance training 101:

  • Push-ups (Click here for a guide with different push-up variations)
  • Squats (Click here for a guide with different squat variations)
  • Ab sets (Click here for a beginners guide)
  • Lunges (Click here for a guide with different lunge variations)
  • Pull-ups (Click here for a step-by-step guide)

adult athlete body exercise

 

Secondly, there are machine resistance training exercises. The amount of equipment required can vary here. From using resistance bands, to exercise machines that hyper-isolate one muscle group and build on contractions (pushing your muscles out, then stretching, and back again). Here is a guide that shows you variations with resistance bands.

woman in black sleeveless crop top and white leggings using a butterfly machine in front of a mirror

And lastly, another one of my favorite, are the free weight exercises. These are basically resistance training but I like to include them in their own category because they do such a great job at helping improve stability and target certain muscle groups while helping tone other areas of your body through stabilization. Here is a beginners guide for utilizing weight machines as well as free-weights.

women having exercise using dumbbells

I recognize that a lot of people who might be reading this may be thinking at this point, “but what if I can’t do any of these exercises due to an injury, or general immobility?” Don’t worry, you can still build muscle! It may take a little longer, but there are some great ways to modify workouts so that anyone can participate.

My guide for limited mobility:

Items Needed:

  • 2-5lb (or heavier) Dumbbells *can substitute for 16oz water bottles or any similarly heavy set of objects
  • Medicine Ball *can substitute for a sturdy medium sized ball, such as a basketball or soccer ball
  • Resistance Bands *optional
  • Chair
  • Paper plates *or socks that allow for easy sliding

Instructions: It is advised that adults get approx. 30 minutes of exercise each day. Find which exercises below work best for you or are the most enjoyable and rotate between them as needed for 30 minute intervals. Be sure to include at least one rest day in your routine if you are new to exercise.

 

Legs: Seated Slides Back and Fourth

Sit tall and place paper plates under each foot. Push onto the right plate and slide the foot forward.  Slide the foot back, pressing onto the plate to activate the hamstrings while sliding the left foot forward.  Continue alternating for 16 reps (one rep includes both right and left slides).

 

Legs: Seated Outer Thigh

Sit tall in the chair and tie a band around the mid-thighs.  Step the right foot out to the side, touch lightly and then bring it back in, focusing on the outer thigh.  Repeat, stepping out with the left foot and repeat for a total of 16 reps (one rep includes both the right and left taps).

 

Leg Extensions

Sit tall with feet flat on the floor and knees together.  Squeeze the quads (upper thigh) to straighten the right leg, foot flexed. Bend the knee to lower the foot, lightly touching the floor. Repeat for 20 reps and switch sides. Add ankle weights for more intensity if desired.

 

Legs: Seated Ball Taps

Place a medicine ball (or a medium sized ball of choice) in front of you and sit tall with the abs engaged. Lift the right foot and tap the toes on top of the medicine ball. Take it back down and tap with the left foot. Continue tapping the ball, alternating feet, as fast as you can repeating for 16-20 reps.

 

Legs: Inner Thigh Squeeze

While seated with tall posture, place a ball between your knees. Squeeze the ball by contracting (pulling in) the inner thighs and release slightly–don’t release all the way–and repeat for 16 reps.

 

Arms: Seated Lateral Pull With Band

While sitting tall, hold a medium-tension band in both hands up above and slightly in front of your head. The distance between your hands will determine the intensity of the exercise (closer together is harder, further apart is easier). Contract the back and pull the right elbow down toward the ribcage.  Release and repeat for 16 reps before switching sides.

 

Upper Body: Chest Squeeze With Medicine Ball

Sit on a chair, back straight and abs in. Hold a medicine ball (or any other type of medium sized ball) at chest level and squeeze the ball to contract the chest. While continuing to squeeze the ball, slowly push the ball out in front of you at chest level until elbows are almost straight. Continuing the pressure with your hands, bend the elbows and pull the ball back to chest. Repeat for 16 reps.

 

Upper Body: Seated Lateral Raise

Sit with a tall posture holding 2-5lb dumbbells (or 16oz water bottles) at your sides. Keeping the elbows slightly bent and wrists straight, lift the arms up to shoulder level (palms face the floor). Lower back down and repeat for 16 reps.

 

Upper Body, Shoulders: Overhead Press

Sit with tall posture holding 2-5lb dumbbells (or 16oz water bottles) in both hands. Begin the move with arms bent to 90 degrees, weights next to the ears (arms should look like a goal post). Press the weights overhead and lower back down, repeating for 16 reps.

 

Arms: Biceps Curls

Sit and hold 2-5lb dumbbells (or 16oz water bottles). Curl the weight up toward your shoulder and release. Avoid swinging the weights and keep the abs engaged. Repeat for 16 reps.

 

Core: Seated Rotation for Abs

Sit tall, holding a 5-8lb dumbbell (or an equally heavy object) in front of your chest. Keeping the abs contracted, rotate the torso to the right while keeping the hips and legs facing forward. Contract abs to bring the weight back to center and then rotate to the left. Repeat for 12 reps.

woman girl silhouette jogger

Hopefully after reading this, you have been able to think of a few ways that you will be able to implement strength training into your daily routine. Play around with these guides and even create your own fun way to get active, while building muscle, by exploring different sports or activities such as hiking. The most important part of exercise, is that you are enjoying it and doing it to better your body and mind rather than seeing as a chore because you “need” to lose weight. Rethinking physical activity is the start to a healthier, happier life.

Quit Smoking Tip of The Week: Keep The Weight Off! Part 1

Standard

appetite apple close up delicious

Post cessation weight gain can cause a lot of stress for most people. You don’t want to put on 10-15 extra pounds, especially if that will put you in the overweight or obese category. That’s completely understandable, and there are small changes you can make in order to achieve and maintain a healthy weight but most importantly a healthy and active lifestyle.

First, I do want to address the fear of gaining weight while quitting smoking. If you are concerned about the health implications of gaining weight, know that putting on a temporary 10-15 pounds is far healthier than continuing to smoke or use tobacco. This is something I touch on with my clients who bring up weight as a major concern or trigger in their reduction/quit journey. I also like to let clients know that the upside to quitting is that even when you do gain a few pounds, your body is continuing to detox and rebuild its cellular processes post smoking cessation. This means that you will be able to more efficiently burn fat and put on healthy amounts of muscle because you are no longer doing continuous damage to your organs (which must function optimally to lose the RIGHT kind of weight).

silhouette of women on lake against sky

With my background in nutrition and weight loss coaching, I understand that this can feel like an uphill battle oftentimes, but rest assured that all you need is patience and dedication and there is no reason that you won’t be able to prevent or remedy weight gain after quitting. The best thing you are doing for your physical health and appearance is quitting smoking. Let’s face it, it’s hard to be fit and also a smoker- something to keep in mind.

Okay, so HOW exactly do you manage your weight?

Now let’s get into the details: how do you lose weight or even prevent the weight gain altogether? This is going to be a multi-part blog series, because there is no one magic secret that is going to do the trick. Tons of things factor into weight and how you gain and lose it, and it takes a long time for both to happen. In America especially, we get so caught up in the “immediate results, immediate gratification” mindset that we don’t step back and take a look at the whole picture.

Two Major Components: Exercise and Nutrition

These are the most well-known components to a healthy weight and lifestyle, yet most people are still not eating the right types of foods and either not exercising enough or exercising too much.

vegetables and tomatoes on cutting board

A healthy diet includes a diet consisting of healthy fats, proteins and vegetables and a moderate amount of complex carbohydrates, such as the Mediterranean diet. The Mayo Clinic offers a great, easy to follow guide here.  One of the most important things that you can do for yourself regarding weight loss or maintaining a healthy weight is to eliminate as much processed food from your diet as possible. This includes chips, donuts, cereal, etc. This doesn’t mean that you can never eat these types of foods, but it’s encouraged to limit these to a “once in a blue moon” snack and not a daily (or even weekly) item to have.

bodybuilding close up dumbbells equipment

Now it’s time to touch on physical activity. You should strive to get 20-30 minutes of exercise each day at minimum. These guidelines are from the American Heart Association. This includes walking, so don’t let yourself get discouraged if you don’t have time (or the strength) to hit the weights every day. If you work, try to get up every hour or so to do a lap around your building. Take the long way to the restroom. Even park farther away (or, if you utilize public transportation and live in a safe area, try walking to your destinations as much as possible). Walking and more intense forms of cardio can be wonderful for jump starting a weight loss journey. But if you stick to JUST cardio, it will be just that and only that: weight loss. Not fat loss. Excessive cardio eats away your muscle, so you want to be careful to not overdo it. Muscle is what you want to keep, and build, in order to actually loose fat. The more muscle you have on your body, the higher your resting metabolism. It’s important to mix up your routine if you’re looking to lose fat rather than maintain your weight. Work on building strength, and the weight will come off (as long as you stick to a healthy diet—trust me, I have personal experience from years of learning that you can never out train a bad diet! Fat loss starts in the kitchen). Next week, we will go a little deeper in proper exercise and nutrition as well as touch on another important, but often neglected factor in healthy weight and lifestyle.