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Alright, we're finished. We have completed the yearly tradition of eating ourselves into an insulin induced coma in front of the football game. We have woken up with a rumble in our stomach asking us why we ate the four pounds of ham, one pound of sweet potato casserole, and half a pound of cranberry sauce that slurps out of a can. This is the time when we make that yearly resolution to lose weight and look good for swim suit season. But I have a different challenge for you. Do not just lose weight for the sake of looking good. Focus on changing the habits that have gotten you into this situation in the first place. Here, I will explain four habits that you can change to achieve your goal of losing weight and to keep you feeling healthier than you have in years. Trade in your coke bottle for a water bottle. An average can of soda contains about 140 calories, most of which come from the sugar that is in the soda. USA Today reported in 2007 that individuals who drink sodas are more likely to gain weight because these individuals do not offset their added calories in the drinks with lower calorie foods. Energy drinks and sport drinks are not much better as they contain the same or even more sugar than sodas do. Sugarstacks.com gives a good visual aid to explain how much sugar is in the most common drinks that we intake. Fix this by replacing your daily soda fix with a tall glass of water. This gives your body the water that it needs without the sugar crash that comes later in the day. Aerobic Exercise is good for you. Too many people see exercise as a task that involves anguish, suffering and generally bad feelings. I always tell my patients that the best form of exercise you can do is one that you enjoy. The Center for Disease Control recommends 2.5 hours of moderate physical activity a week in order to maintain a healthy weight and good blood chemistries. If you are unsure about what exercise to do, try them all. Walking, running, stair climbing, swimming, rowing, elliptical, cycling, Zumba, kickboxing, Tae-bo, stepping, salsa dancing, and yes, even pole dancing, all having aerobic exercise characteristics that can help you reach your weight loss goals. Do the exercise that you enjoy and that you will keep doing. Snack smart. One of the most common excuses that I hear about why someone gains weight is that they eat between meals too often. If that is the case for you, that is OK. Many quality diets are based on a 5 or 6 meal eating plan rather than 3 square meals a day. The key to eating smart throughout your day is smart preparation. Choose low calorie, nutrient dense food (my favorite is vegetables) as a snack for your day. Each time you go grocery shopping, set aside 15 minutes when you get home to wash and cut vegetables and place individual serving sizes into plastic baggies. Having a healthy snack on hand all the time will reduce your trips to the vending machine or pantry to grab whatever calorie full food is available. Turn the television off. Some might consider this last suggestion as sacrilege. A growing concern in our society is inactivity. With the many shows on television, we often plop down in the recliner chair after returning home from a hard day's work and we don't leave the chair until we go to bed. Try choosing a show or two to watch in the evening. When the show goes off, turn the TV off. Get up and do something. Go for a walk. Clean the kitchen. Play with a pet or child. Read a book. Any of these will keep the mind or the body more active than just sitting in front of the television. Changing just a few of the common habits that we have can make a huge difference in how you feel. Inherit in you is the knowledge to be a healthier you. You know that you should not eat a whole bag of potato chips in one sitting. You do it because you place the entire bag in front of you while watching television with a soda on the coffee table. Change the small things that you do and you see big changes in your life. References: http://www.usatoday.com/news/health/2007-03-25-soda-drinkers_N.htm, http://www.cdc.gov/physicalactivity/everyone/guidelines/adults.html Author: Dr Lance Richardson D.C Dr. Lance Richardson, D.C. is a Chiropractor, Acupuncturist and expert in joint and muscle biomechanics in Houston, Texas. More information can be found at his website at http://www.drangelak.com View Count: 94
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