Friday, September 16, 2011

Weight-Loss Wednesday Week IX: Establish a Healthy Lifestyle

Here we are, week nine of our ten week wellness program. How are things going for you or your team? This event has been phenomenal as the City has lost 318.3 pounds as of last week. Keep up the great work, everybody!!

Next week is the final weigh-in. Please get your final results to me on Wednesday in preparation for our last drawing. Remember: if you are behind on your goal don’t turn to a drastic diet to “catch up.” As I’ve said in previous emails, extreme dieting only leads to getting those lost pounds back…and then some.

If you want to be healthy, you need to establish a healthy lifestyle. The habits we’ve focused on in this and previous wellness activities (such as sleeping more, eating well, making goals, exercising, and tracking progress) are all supposed to become lifetime habits and not something you do for a couple of months.

The benefits of a healthy lifestyle are not just about losing weight. It also helps you feel better, have more energy, and enjoy life to its fullest. A healthy lifestyle is more than making it to the end of the wellness program; it is about making healthy habits to last a lifetime.

I hope everybody reflects and can find at least one habit they have developed in the last nine weeks and sticks with it when this program is over. Your body will thank you!

Thursday, September 8, 2011

Weight-Loss Wednesday Week VIII: Eat Breakfast

Are you eating your breakfast? The old adage that "Breakfast is the Most Important Meal of the Day" is truer than most people believe. Studies have shown a link between obesity and those who skip breakfast.

Why? When your body goes several hours without eating it goes into what is known as starvation mode, where it slows down your metabolism to conserve energy. After a full night's sleep (you are getting a full night's sleep, right?), breakfast prevents your body into going into starvation mode so you burn more calories throughout the day.

Starvation mode not only slows your metabolism, it often causes overeating in future meals and increases your cravings for unhealthy foods. In other words, you burn less yet consume more calories throughout your day, which ultimately leads to an unhealthy lifestyle and obesity.

While eating breakfast, make sure it is healthy and filled with proteins and fiber so you stay comfortably full until your next meal. Breakfast is a great opportunity to get closer to your daily fruit and vegetable eating goals.

Weight management is not the only benefit to eating breakfast, it also makes your day better. Eating breakfast can reduce fatigue, increase cognitive ability, and encourage a good mood.