Megan Nechanicky

When running a few weeks ago, my friend and follow training partner shared his 2012 resolution. He wanted to start taking lunch to work to not only save money but to eat healthier. An average a lunch out costs about $10, so by the end of the work week that’s $50 and by the end of the year that’s $2,600. What a GREAT resolution… not only saves money but most likely calories (considering most people eat more when eating out). Here are some ideas to get you started:

 
Plan Ahead: You have to think ahead and plan so you don’t get to noon and end up calling out for Chinese. Think through the following questions: What would you like to bring to eat for lunch? When will you buy these items? When will you pack these items?

 
Grocery Shop: Go to the grocery store at least once per week. Think about what you’d like to have for lunch for an entire week. The only way to prevent eating out is to have food on hand to pack.

 
Stock the Work Frig: Having food already at work will prevent you from using that excuse “I have no food to eat” (especially by the end of the week). Keep foods in the work frig or freezer. You can also keep non-perishable foods in your desk drawer (nuts, granola, dried fruit)

 
Healthy Brown Bags Ideas:
1. Greek Goddess- Hummus, whole wheat pita bread, carrots and peppers

2. Athlete- Peanut butter on whole wheat bagel, yogurt and banana

3. San Diego Surfer- Bean burrito (buy frozen), tortilla chips and guacamole

4. Trailblazer- Granola, yogurt, and fresh fruit

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

This past week I took part in an employee health fair at the hospital. Being so close to the New Year, it was the perfect time to have your cholesterol checked or sign-up for the hospital gym. I happened to be stationed right next to the Tanita scale which measures body fat. As people walked by the station, they’d be asked if they wanted their body fat tested. Since this health fair was only days after the holiday vacation most people declined with a chuckle.

What I realized was the only people that said “yes” were those that felt they had improved their percentage from the last time they stepped on. It dawned on me that most people know if they’ve gained or lost weight and the dreaded scale is not an 8 ball that you shake, cross your fingers and wish for the best future.

My advice on weigh-ins, reminded me of the great Special K Times Square ad. Don’t step on the scale each day and let it change your mood from happy to hopeless. You know if your pants are tighter, you stopped working out or you now regularly eat an entire box of cookies. If you need a starting point, step on the scale, get the number, step off and then get to work.

Stepping on the scale daily will drive you crazy especially since weight fluctuates based on the time of day you weigh yourself, when you ate last and hydration status. If you want to monitor your weight, step on the scale weekly or even better bi-weekly or monthly. If you know your weight hasn’t changed, don’t bother letting the scale change your mood. Make it a goal to do something differently (move more, eat less, both!), smile and check your weight on a “good” day.

 

As we ring in the New Year, countless people embark on resolutions to get healthier, lose weight and start working out. These aspirations are wonderful and if maintained will help achieve a healthier life. However, most people unknowingly set themselves up to fail before they even begin. To maintain your health resolution beyond just the first week of January, try to avoid these common health mistakes:

1. Setting Unachievable Goals- Setting goals similar to the ones you hear about in popular weight loss plans: “Six-pack abs in 6 weeks” or “Lose10 pounds in 10 days”, set you up to fail. When establishing a health goal think about what is actually achievable and work each day to meet that goal.
2. The Starvation Diet- Cutting too many calories at once will leave you starving and obsessing over food. This way of eating is extremely hard and unhealthy to maintain. Instead reduce 250-500 calories (small snack) each day and work toward lasting weight loss.
3. Hitting the Ground Running- For some, hitting the ground walking in better than running. Beginning a fitness routine too fast can leave you sore and unmotivated to do another day. Build slowly and gradually progress to reaching your fitness goal.
4. Expecting Immediate Results- Don’t fool yourself into believing health results occur overnight. Stepping on the bathroom scale daily to see if you have lost a pound since that day prior or thinking you could run 10 miles after working out one week is unrealistic. Expecting fast results is setting yourself up for disappointment; give yourself appropriate time to reach your goals.

 

With Christmas just one week way, it’s hard to avoid the added holiday calories and easy to push off exercising until 2012. This past week alone I had 3 office parties and countless boxes of beautiful and delicious Christmas cookies arrive at my house.   So here are a few last minute holiday health tips:

Get Outdoors-The weather is perfect for outside activities—throw on a great fleece, hat and gloves and take a hike, run, ski or skate. Even if you have only 30 minutes, you will feel so much better and your body will thank you.

Freeze the Sweets- Great holiday treats can always be saved until next year. Have one or two and put the rest in a Ziploc and freeze until you really want something sweet. Removing cookies from plain sight will make you less likely to eat them and save you the extra calories.

Start Your New Year Today- Who said you need to make a life change the 1^st of every year? If you want to start living a healthier life, don’t wait, do it now! Make simple changes these last two weeks of December such as eating more colorful in-season fruits and vegetables, drinking more water or eating meals on smaller plates. These small changes can add up to big results in 2012.

Can you imagine a day when you go to a restaurant and they automatically give you a side of fruit or salad instead of french fries? Last week I joined First Lady Michelle Obama at the Partnership for a Healthier America’s Building a Healthier Future Summit. The theme throughout the two days was creating solutions to make living healthy lives easier for Americans. The default choice should ALWAYS be the healthier choice. I think about the default choice as the one that automatically fills in the box when you’re completing something online or it’s automatically given to you without requesting a substitution. What if a bottle of water was automatically given to you with a meal instead of a soda? What if your kids were automatically given fat free or low-fat milk instead of juice or soda? What if every employer gave their employees 30 minutes per day for exercise?

What healthy choice would you like to see become the default choice?