New Year, New You

Along with the New Year, most people make resolutions to eat healthier, lose weight, or just become more active. Unfortunately, these efforts frequently remain efforts rather than evolving into results. So why do most efforts fail?Here are some tips and tricks to help you with your diet and exercise goals.

Diet

Let’s start by talking about the major two things to avoid during this time. Then, check out the additional pointers to help you change your diet and avoid falling off the wagon!

AVOID PROCESSED FOODS

These foods include canned foods, foods with a laundry list of ingredients that you cannot pronounce, anything with high fructose corn syrup, and anything with bleached flour. Some might call these all the stuff that tastes good. The reason we try to avoid these foods is because they are composed of harmful ingredients that can create inflammation in your gastrointestinal tract which increases inflammation throughout the body. The other reason is because they are usually simple carbs and empty calories. This means you’re taking in a lot more calories than you can use, so the body stores these calories into the fat cells.

DECREASE OR ELIMINATE SUGARS

One of the best things you can do when trying to lose weight is by just eliminating sugar intake. I know some of you are saying, hey, shouldn’t that be considered processed foods? I wanted to separate it to talk about how just eliminating excess sugars can help you LOSE WEIGHT. This is the same premise as the processed foods, which are chock full of sugars and simple carbs. Some condiments have sugars added to them. Generally, if it has less than 5g of sugar per serving, you should be okay to use it. If you want to lose weight, eliminate excess sugar. After about two weeks you will notice you’re not craving it anymore and you will notice an increase in energy and mood!

Some additional pointers:

Small changes go the distance– when trying to remodel your diet, small changes make the biggest impressions and last longer.

Keep a diet diary– just by writing down everything that enters your mouth, you can easily see that you may not be eating as healthy as you thought!

Fruits are naturally sweet desserts– having a craving for something sweet? Try fruits as a snack. They are made up of complex carbs that don’t digest as easily and are naturally sweet. This helps curb the sweet tooth.

Still hungry? Add more veggies, protein, or good fats– fiber in veggies and complex macromolecules like proteins and fats can help you feel full longer.

If you have any additional questions or concerns, feel free to contact me.

Exercise:

So what things will help you meet your exercise goals and prevent you from falling off of the wagon?

PREVENT INJURY

This may seem like a no-brainer, but, without fail, many people cut their resolutions short because of injury. We tend to fall into a sedentary lifestyle, especially, around the holidays. Muscles tighten, joints get achy, and our bodies adapt to these changes. Then we make a resolution and the next day we’re out there training for a marathon or training to lift a bus. We forget that before you can run, you need to (re)learn how to walk. Some keys to injury prevention are warming up before work outs, working on mobility and stretching, and a progressive workout regimen.

See your chiropractor

We spend 4 years (after college) studying movement patterns, injury prevention, and treatment methods to improve function and pain. Chiropractors are the biomechanical specialists in the medical world and can make sure the joints are moving properly, muscles aren’t inhibiting your efforts or at risk of injury, and your movement patterns aren’t altered. Pain is often the last indicator your body gives when something is wrong. Ignoring that is like ignoring your smoke detector even after you smell smoke – it doesn’t make sense!

Some additional pointers:

Set minor goals and major goals for the future – I love to sign up for 5K races for the spring, summer, and fall because it helps me train. Setting minor goals gives you something to work towards and keep you on track.

Don’t forget to lift weights – Compound movements mimic our natural movements so it makes sense to train that way. Furthermore, muscles burn calories. By lifting weights, you won’t get bulky or big (unless you train that way and intake huge amounts of calories), but you will look and feel better.

Mobility!– Don’t forget to stretch and warm-up. This is key for injury prevention. I prefer to use a foam roller to work out my tight muscles, especially on my rest days.

Pain alters movement -Soaking in Epsom salts can help reduce muscle tension and relieve delayed onset muscle soreness. Biofreeze is also a great product for pain relief. When topically applied, it helps create a cool sensation over the area which helps you reduce pain and prevent altered movement patterns.

If you have any additional questions or concerns, feel free to contact me.