I recently ate 21 healthy meals on the road.
Believe it or not, there are plenty of low-cal, low-sugar options found on the freeways, at airports, or fast-food chains.
This week, Health.com detailed numerous healthy eating options for both the road warrior or family vacationer. (I was pleasantly surprised that many of the suggestions were ideas I’ve used for many years.)
All Day Breakfast – A restaurant (at a hotel or close to a freeway) will usually serve an egg breakfast that is healthy. Just be sure to ask for—in advance—no butter on your toast (put on side) and for your scrambled eggs to be cooked dry (this eliminates greasy), and include a few vegetables. As for sides? Instead of potatoes, ask for tomatoes, fruit, or cottage cheese. (One afternoon in Manhattan, I fully enjoyed an avocado, tomato and feta cheese omelet, dry and well done. It was one of my favorite meals of the week.)
Oatmeal on the Run – Even restaurant chains, such as Starbucks, now offer a low-calorie, fiber-friendly snack or breakfast for travelers or businesspersons on the run. It’s a great and healthy alternative to a scone or muffin. It’s an especially healthy quick meal in many airports!
Coffee drinks are rarely calorie-free and often full of sugar. Opt for a non-fat latte or iced-coffee with organic, sugar free sweetener, rather than any combo of sugary coffee drink. Carrying your own organic calorie-free sweetener tabs makes any coffee drink taste great!
Gas station, convenience store or airport counters usually have a few healthy items such as yogurt in a carton, fresh fruit in a basket (apple or banana), or small packages of nuts or raisins. And most importantly, they usually provide a calorie count, which is helpful to know when you are eating out multiple days in a row.
Most fast food chains now offer healthy, salad options. Just hold off on using the pre-packaged dressing; instead ask for vinegar and oil. Avoid salads at Mexican food chains that are often prepared in fried tortilla shells and loaded with cheese (up to 1000 extra calories). Until you are familiar with the healthiest choices at your favorite fast food chains, carry a pocket-guide, such as The Flat Belly Diet to help determine your best options for healthy meals.
Many sandwich shops now offer calorie, sodium and fat counting menus. (In all honesty, I eat at Subway at least once a trip. Why? It’s usually convenient, quick, and I know what I’m ordering so I can enjoy it without feeling guilty. This last trip, I ate 4 out of 21 meals at Subway—on the streets of Manhattan, in a Walmart in Ohio, and in an airport in Chicago.)
You don't have to make big sweeping changes to see big results when you eat on the road. Big results--like not gaining weight after eating 21 meals on the road--can occur when you make little changes, such as planning ahead (calling restaurants or previewing menus online), pre-packaging “carry-along” snacks or meals, and accessing a pocket-guide to your favorite, fast food restaurants.
Be encouraged,
Becky
Sunday, June 27, 2010
Sunday, June 20, 2010
Mr. Moms on the Rise and other Family Facts!
In commemoration of Father’s Day, I found three recent family-focused articles that are interesting and fun, but more importantly, able to positively impact your family life through both inspiration and awareness.
First, a recent CNN story reported that Mr. Moms are on the rise:
“Fathers are the primary caregivers for about a quarter of the nation's 11.2 million preschoolers whose mothers work, according to the U.S. Census Bureau.”
Included in this very informative article, the Bureau of Labor Statistics reported that even though the increase was due to unemployment, it was surprising to read that 2 million more men than women were unemployed in May 2010! Yet the article included more than statistics; it told one father’s personal story, transparently highlighting both the struggles and joys of being an at-home parent.
On a personal note, when I was traveling quite a bit during my son’s teenage years, my husband took a part-time job to be Mr. Mom, (even though he had both a Masters and Doctorate) during those very informative years. Additionally, I kept my office in our home, closing down the phones during lunch hour when boys would come in the door for foosball and tuna melts. Of course, there was a lot of noise made and toys being played--dirt bikes and wakeboard boats--during that five year span, but neither of us regret the sacrifice of money or time spent with our only child. In other words, unemployment doesn’t have to be the only reason parents choose uncommon or untraditional methods for raising their kids!)
Second, I found fascinating research provided in author Miriam Weinstein's book, The Surprising Power of Family Meals and website, Poweroffamilymeals.com:
“In study after study, the beneficial impact of family mealtime has been demonstrated for children of all ages. Better grades, healthier eating habits, closer relationships to parents and siblings, ability to resist negative peer pressure, resilience in the face of life's problems — all these are outcomes of simply sharing dinner on a regular basis."
Of the many findings, none seemed more convincing than the following three:
*More mealtime at home was the single strongest factor in better achievement scores and fewer behavioral problems in children all ages.
*More meals at home also resulted in less obesity.
*More than a decade of research by The National Center on Addiction and Substance Abuse at Columbia University has found that the more often kids eat dinner with their families, the less like they are to smoke, drink or use drugs.
In addition to the benefits found in the studies, Weinstein’s site was especially helpful in sharing an extensive variety of ideas for mealtime menus along with mealtime activities for families of all ages to enjoy.
Finally, RealSimple.com contributor Jancee Dunn, delivered her rendition of a Father’s Day Tribute. Though the fatherly advice was neither new or unusual, it was most appropriately simple and easy for any parent to immediately implement.
Two of my favorite tips included:
(1) Hold hands while you hash it out – Yes, her dad suggests that fighting with someone you love while holding each other’s hands and looking each other in the eyes makes it almost impossible not to…laugh!
(2) Don’t belittle the annual sack race – Even if your kids groan as they get older, don’t give up the goofy family traditions that make great memories while on vacation or during holidays. Those memories of silly games, races or skits will (eventually) make everyone laugh, as well as establish the importance of traditions when your kids have their own families. (By the way, we just got home from the tri-annual reunion and shared in, if not expected, the “after-picnic balloon toss” for everyone 4 to 84!)
What little changes, based on these ideas, will you make even this week that are able to inspire big results in your family life? Let me know--I'd love to hear from you!
Be encouraged,
Becky
First, a recent CNN story reported that Mr. Moms are on the rise:
“Fathers are the primary caregivers for about a quarter of the nation's 11.2 million preschoolers whose mothers work, according to the U.S. Census Bureau.”
Included in this very informative article, the Bureau of Labor Statistics reported that even though the increase was due to unemployment, it was surprising to read that 2 million more men than women were unemployed in May 2010! Yet the article included more than statistics; it told one father’s personal story, transparently highlighting both the struggles and joys of being an at-home parent.
On a personal note, when I was traveling quite a bit during my son’s teenage years, my husband took a part-time job to be Mr. Mom, (even though he had both a Masters and Doctorate) during those very informative years. Additionally, I kept my office in our home, closing down the phones during lunch hour when boys would come in the door for foosball and tuna melts. Of course, there was a lot of noise made and toys being played--dirt bikes and wakeboard boats--during that five year span, but neither of us regret the sacrifice of money or time spent with our only child. In other words, unemployment doesn’t have to be the only reason parents choose uncommon or untraditional methods for raising their kids!)
Second, I found fascinating research provided in author Miriam Weinstein's book, The Surprising Power of Family Meals and website, Poweroffamilymeals.com:
“In study after study, the beneficial impact of family mealtime has been demonstrated for children of all ages. Better grades, healthier eating habits, closer relationships to parents and siblings, ability to resist negative peer pressure, resilience in the face of life's problems — all these are outcomes of simply sharing dinner on a regular basis."
Of the many findings, none seemed more convincing than the following three:
*More mealtime at home was the single strongest factor in better achievement scores and fewer behavioral problems in children all ages.
*More meals at home also resulted in less obesity.
*More than a decade of research by The National Center on Addiction and Substance Abuse at Columbia University has found that the more often kids eat dinner with their families, the less like they are to smoke, drink or use drugs.
In addition to the benefits found in the studies, Weinstein’s site was especially helpful in sharing an extensive variety of ideas for mealtime menus along with mealtime activities for families of all ages to enjoy.
Finally, RealSimple.com contributor Jancee Dunn, delivered her rendition of a Father’s Day Tribute. Though the fatherly advice was neither new or unusual, it was most appropriately simple and easy for any parent to immediately implement.
Two of my favorite tips included:
(1) Hold hands while you hash it out – Yes, her dad suggests that fighting with someone you love while holding each other’s hands and looking each other in the eyes makes it almost impossible not to…laugh!
(2) Don’t belittle the annual sack race – Even if your kids groan as they get older, don’t give up the goofy family traditions that make great memories while on vacation or during holidays. Those memories of silly games, races or skits will (eventually) make everyone laugh, as well as establish the importance of traditions when your kids have their own families. (By the way, we just got home from the tri-annual reunion and shared in, if not expected, the “after-picnic balloon toss” for everyone 4 to 84!)
What little changes, based on these ideas, will you make even this week that are able to inspire big results in your family life? Let me know--I'd love to hear from you!
Be encouraged,
Becky
Sunday, June 13, 2010
Failure is not fatal, but failure to change might be!
One of America’s most legendary college coaches, John Wooden, passed away recently at the age of ninety-nine. He not only was known for his incredible and unsurpassed contribution as a UCLA’s Men’s Basketball coach, but he was equally admired by peers and players alike for his deep love and respect for every individual whom he met.
For those unfamiliar with his legacy, he was best known for the Leadership tool he designed for his players called the Pyramid of Success. But he was just as famous for his simple rules that could instantly translate from sports to business to life such as…
Never be tardy
Never use profanity
Never criticize your teammates.
Though Wooden hadn’t coached a basketball team for decades, an outpouring of honor flooded the news channels from former players and fellow. But it was more than his basketball legacy that was being applauded. It was his willingness to coach generations of young men and women that could not go unnoticed.
At the end of his life, his teaching would come to a wonderfully serendipitous culmination.
The week of his death, the UCLA Women’s Softball Team had made it into the final series of the NCAA Final Women’s College Softball Tournament against their storied rivals, the Arizona Wildcats.
In a calculated attempt to peak as a team during the finals, the UCLA coach had focused her efforts on the final triangle in the Pyramid of Success: Competitive Greatness. Not surprisingly, most of the players had met Coach Wooden and all of them lived by his pyramid and were indebted to his mentorship. They wanted to make him proud.
ESPN reported that everyone—even Arizona Coach Candrea—knew that Wooden’s passing was surely going to impact the UCLA team.
"The Bruins have been open all weekend about how much they feel like they are playing for, and perhaps with, Wooden's spirit. The seniors on this team visited his house as freshmen and most of the Bruins met him at least once or twice.
"His teachings and his philosophies have been a theme of our season this year," Monica Harrison said. "So it's really fitting that he's kind of at the center of what we're doing right now."
In the first extra inning of Game One (in a best of three games series), UCLA came from behind to win the game with a walk-off home run by the pitcher! (She had been pulled from the pitching line-up earlier in the game and had come back in the game as a designated player.) It was an amazing finish to Game One. On the following day, UCLA clinched the series with an amazing show of, not surprisingly, competitive greatness.
The Pyramid, the quotes, and the person, John Wooden are not complicated, but simple. Everyone who interacts with Wooden's teachings has the potential to succeed, but as he warned, it will most likely require some little change—some little adjustment—in ones character to do and be different.
Here is how Wooden felt about change: "Failure is not fatal, but failure to change might be."
Today, print out the pyramid or review the 3 Simple Team Rules with family or co-workers and consider what little change you can make today that is destined to have a big result in your life!
Be encouraged,
Becky
For those unfamiliar with his legacy, he was best known for the Leadership tool he designed for his players called the Pyramid of Success. But he was just as famous for his simple rules that could instantly translate from sports to business to life such as…
Never be tardy
Never use profanity
Never criticize your teammates.
Though Wooden hadn’t coached a basketball team for decades, an outpouring of honor flooded the news channels from former players and fellow. But it was more than his basketball legacy that was being applauded. It was his willingness to coach generations of young men and women that could not go unnoticed.
At the end of his life, his teaching would come to a wonderfully serendipitous culmination.
The week of his death, the UCLA Women’s Softball Team had made it into the final series of the NCAA Final Women’s College Softball Tournament against their storied rivals, the Arizona Wildcats.
In a calculated attempt to peak as a team during the finals, the UCLA coach had focused her efforts on the final triangle in the Pyramid of Success: Competitive Greatness. Not surprisingly, most of the players had met Coach Wooden and all of them lived by his pyramid and were indebted to his mentorship. They wanted to make him proud.
ESPN reported that everyone—even Arizona Coach Candrea—knew that Wooden’s passing was surely going to impact the UCLA team.
"The Bruins have been open all weekend about how much they feel like they are playing for, and perhaps with, Wooden's spirit. The seniors on this team visited his house as freshmen and most of the Bruins met him at least once or twice.
"His teachings and his philosophies have been a theme of our season this year," Monica Harrison said. "So it's really fitting that he's kind of at the center of what we're doing right now."
In the first extra inning of Game One (in a best of three games series), UCLA came from behind to win the game with a walk-off home run by the pitcher! (She had been pulled from the pitching line-up earlier in the game and had come back in the game as a designated player.) It was an amazing finish to Game One. On the following day, UCLA clinched the series with an amazing show of, not surprisingly, competitive greatness.
The Pyramid, the quotes, and the person, John Wooden are not complicated, but simple. Everyone who interacts with Wooden's teachings has the potential to succeed, but as he warned, it will most likely require some little change—some little adjustment—in ones character to do and be different.
Here is how Wooden felt about change: "Failure is not fatal, but failure to change might be."
Today, print out the pyramid or review the 3 Simple Team Rules with family or co-workers and consider what little change you can make today that is destined to have a big result in your life!
Be encouraged,
Becky
Sunday, June 6, 2010
They're not waving, they're drowning...
Each week I intentionally choose a current affair or breaking news story that intersects with health and wellness as the focus my blog. If you’ve followed Little Changes Big Results™ for any length of time you have become aware of, as I have, a terrible and growing trend that is emerging—young men and women are drowning in our culture.
Just this week, an international news story broke about another young woman who didn’t make it home after a night out on the town. Accused in the murder of Stephanie Flores, daughter of a Peruvian racecar driver, is the same young man who was the last person seen with American teenager, Natalee Holloway. Her body still has not been found after a night out on the town in Aruba while on spring break with friends.
I often feel like a frustrated advocate for young men and women, evidenced by the numerous posts in this blog that deal directly with a breaking news story in which a young adult has been assaulted or killed as a direct result of alcohol or sexual abuse (including the following recent posts):
Red Flags of Abuse on College Campuses – Yeardley Love, U VA lacrosse Player is found beaten and dead in her room.
The Dark Side of Alcohol – Current Scripps research and the 2009 NASPA Survey of college students who drink.
Spring Break Heartbreak—a Notre Dame drafted football players falls out of a balcony in front of friends.
Classmates, Really? A young woman is beaten in front of dozens of classmates and no one stops it or call for help.
Another Sexual Assault on a College Campus—includes National Institute of Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism statistics and NYU study results.
So when this recent story broke on June 3rd, I was compelled to reread portions of a groundbreaking NY Times best-selling book, Reviving Ophelia, by Mary Piper PhD in which she challenged Americans to consider the way our culture is developing and protecting the souls of its young men and women.
Written in 1994, Pipher revealed a list of troubling trends in the young women whom she counseled. Unfortunately, they are still common in the 21st century: thinness expectations, sex and violence abuse, depression, drug and alcohol addiction and the effects of divorce.
Pipher concluded that a few core issues were at the root of these problems. Not surprisingly, she suggested that media values and family values were at odds, depicting media as dehumanizing sex and fostering violence. Thus, she implored parents to help students interpret the media. She also encouraged positive peer relationships—suggesting this strategy cannot be overemphasized. And finally, (and remember this was in 1994) she strongly contended that violence had become a way of life in America.
Mary Pipher's most consistent advice to parents and caring adults was to simply listen—to become intentional listeners--to this young generation! Then ONLY after REALLY listening, she requested that each of us make the following little changes which are bound to have big results in the lives of adolescents such as “rebuilding a sense of community in our neighborhoods, fighting addiction, changing our schools, and promoting gender equality and curtailing violence.”
Join me, won't you? Don't allow complacency or lack of communication to steal one more young life. They're not waving, they're drowning.
Be encouraged to make a difference,
Becky
Just this week, an international news story broke about another young woman who didn’t make it home after a night out on the town. Accused in the murder of Stephanie Flores, daughter of a Peruvian racecar driver, is the same young man who was the last person seen with American teenager, Natalee Holloway. Her body still has not been found after a night out on the town in Aruba while on spring break with friends.
I often feel like a frustrated advocate for young men and women, evidenced by the numerous posts in this blog that deal directly with a breaking news story in which a young adult has been assaulted or killed as a direct result of alcohol or sexual abuse (including the following recent posts):
Red Flags of Abuse on College Campuses – Yeardley Love, U VA lacrosse Player is found beaten and dead in her room.
The Dark Side of Alcohol – Current Scripps research and the 2009 NASPA Survey of college students who drink.
Spring Break Heartbreak—a Notre Dame drafted football players falls out of a balcony in front of friends.
Classmates, Really? A young woman is beaten in front of dozens of classmates and no one stops it or call for help.
Another Sexual Assault on a College Campus—includes National Institute of Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism statistics and NYU study results.
So when this recent story broke on June 3rd, I was compelled to reread portions of a groundbreaking NY Times best-selling book, Reviving Ophelia, by Mary Piper PhD in which she challenged Americans to consider the way our culture is developing and protecting the souls of its young men and women.
Written in 1994, Pipher revealed a list of troubling trends in the young women whom she counseled. Unfortunately, they are still common in the 21st century: thinness expectations, sex and violence abuse, depression, drug and alcohol addiction and the effects of divorce.
Pipher concluded that a few core issues were at the root of these problems. Not surprisingly, she suggested that media values and family values were at odds, depicting media as dehumanizing sex and fostering violence. Thus, she implored parents to help students interpret the media. She also encouraged positive peer relationships—suggesting this strategy cannot be overemphasized. And finally, (and remember this was in 1994) she strongly contended that violence had become a way of life in America.
Mary Pipher's most consistent advice to parents and caring adults was to simply listen—to become intentional listeners--to this young generation! Then ONLY after REALLY listening, she requested that each of us make the following little changes which are bound to have big results in the lives of adolescents such as “rebuilding a sense of community in our neighborhoods, fighting addiction, changing our schools, and promoting gender equality and curtailing violence.”
Join me, won't you? Don't allow complacency or lack of communication to steal one more young life. They're not waving, they're drowning.
Be encouraged to make a difference,
Becky
Sunday, May 30, 2010
Maybe this will get you to lose weight?
Michael Ventrella, this year’s “Biggest Loser” winner from NBC's hit TV Show made history by losing over 260 pounds—half of his starting body weight! Citing hard work as the key to his success, he admitted that first he had to change his way of thinking. “As Americans we all want a quick fix,” reports Michael, so overcoming the hopelessness that came with weighing over 500 pounds was the first step. Most admirably, he remains motivated to keep losing weight with the new outlook on life that he acquired on the Biggest Loser Ranch which includes (1) seeing food, not as an occasion but as fuel, (2) incorporating exercise as a way of life—for the rest of his life, and (3) considering friends and family as the people with whom he is going to stay healthy.
If you watched even just a few weeks of effort displayed by the overweight contestants, you quickly realized that losing 50-100 pounds of weight takes a consistent combination of mental tenacity, physical endurance, healthy eating, as well as the constant encouragement of peers and coaches.
In fact, recently The Wall Street Journal reported that a new Stanford University study has similarly concluded that healthy food choices, regular exercise, and mental toughness are not the only ingredients necessary for improving ones health. Even “small amounts of social support, ranging from friends who encourage each other by email to occasional meetings with a fitness counselor, can provide large and lasting gains against one of America’s biggest health problems—physical inactivity.”
The study divided three test groups of exercisers into (1) those who received a phone call from a trained health educator every two weeks, (2) those who also received the phone calls, but theirs were automated, and (3) those who were only offered health education classes but did not receive follow-up calls. After twelve months, participants receiving in-person or computerized calls either exceeded or doubled their beginning exercise levels. Those who received no follow-up calls dipped below the government recommendations of 150 minutes of exercise per week.
WSJ: Abby King, a Stanford professor of medicine and health research and policy who conducted this study, published in 2007 in the journal Health Psychology, and other similar studies, says people trying to change unhealthy behaviors generally need something more than willpower. "Whether it's smoking or alcohol use or physical inactivity, social support helps prevent against relapse," says Dr. King. But the support doesn't have to be constant. "A light touch can have a lasting effect," she says.
This study is good news for the millions of us who struggle to change one or more areas of our lives!
If we will make the one little change that this study supports--becoming accountable to a friend or sponsor for our sobriety, joining a small group of like-minded strugglers or sojourners, paying a counselor or coach or trainer to ask us specific questions on a regular basis, joining a gym where our attendance is recorded and a chart is kept, or attending a weekly weigh-in center—we have a much greater chance of seeing big results in one or more areas of our lives!
Why not ask someone today to be on your “change” team?
Be encouraged,
Becky
If you watched even just a few weeks of effort displayed by the overweight contestants, you quickly realized that losing 50-100 pounds of weight takes a consistent combination of mental tenacity, physical endurance, healthy eating, as well as the constant encouragement of peers and coaches.
In fact, recently The Wall Street Journal reported that a new Stanford University study has similarly concluded that healthy food choices, regular exercise, and mental toughness are not the only ingredients necessary for improving ones health. Even “small amounts of social support, ranging from friends who encourage each other by email to occasional meetings with a fitness counselor, can provide large and lasting gains against one of America’s biggest health problems—physical inactivity.”
The study divided three test groups of exercisers into (1) those who received a phone call from a trained health educator every two weeks, (2) those who also received the phone calls, but theirs were automated, and (3) those who were only offered health education classes but did not receive follow-up calls. After twelve months, participants receiving in-person or computerized calls either exceeded or doubled their beginning exercise levels. Those who received no follow-up calls dipped below the government recommendations of 150 minutes of exercise per week.
WSJ: Abby King, a Stanford professor of medicine and health research and policy who conducted this study, published in 2007 in the journal Health Psychology, and other similar studies, says people trying to change unhealthy behaviors generally need something more than willpower. "Whether it's smoking or alcohol use or physical inactivity, social support helps prevent against relapse," says Dr. King. But the support doesn't have to be constant. "A light touch can have a lasting effect," she says.
This study is good news for the millions of us who struggle to change one or more areas of our lives!
If we will make the one little change that this study supports--becoming accountable to a friend or sponsor for our sobriety, joining a small group of like-minded strugglers or sojourners, paying a counselor or coach or trainer to ask us specific questions on a regular basis, joining a gym where our attendance is recorded and a chart is kept, or attending a weekly weigh-in center—we have a much greater chance of seeing big results in one or more areas of our lives!
Why not ask someone today to be on your “change” team?
Be encouraged,
Becky
Sunday, May 23, 2010
Five Foods that Aren't So Healthy After All...
The Center for Science in the Public Interest, a watchdog site for consumers, has recently reported that five foods, commonly considered “good for you” are not so healthy after all.
The list of “not so great” foods starts with granola---which sounds healthy to the average person, but is often loaded with sugar and calories, especially if you eat more than a ½ cup! Next on the list are smoothies—which can top over 1000 calories per serving. Though healthy ingredients are often in the mix, the syrupy or sugary liquids added to the fresh or frozen fruit will pack on unwanted calories. Not surprising on the list are energy bars that boast of protein but often include calories loaded with a sugar base that glue them together! The fourth culprit on the list was vegetable juice because of the high sodium content it included per serving. And the final food that consumers think are better for you than unhealthy snacks were pita chips—which have almost as much fat as potato chips.
If you have been attempting to eat healthy for any length of time, this list won’t surprise you. But if you have been a trusting, casual consumer who relies only on the manufacturer’s marketing mottos, such as “natural” or “healthy” or “fresh,” you might be getting more sugar, salt, and calories than are healthy for you and your family.
One little change that you can immediately make that is guaranteed to have a big result in improving your health is to read the labels on packaged food that you purchase or review the contents of food served at your favorite restaurants before ordering. (Most fast food or chain restaurants are posting the ingredients and calories on their menus—or they will give this information upon request, including Chick-fil-A, Panera Bread, California Pizza Kitchen, etc.)
What should you look for? Sodium content, calories per serving (noting how many servings are in bag, cup, bar or portion), sugar and fat grams, and how many foods include processed ingredients or chemicals.
Of course, if need to swap the five “not so healthy” foods for healthier ones, try making your own 100-calorie handfuls of raisins and seeds, or snacking on plain yogurt with berries, drinking water spritzed with lemon and ginger and cucumbers, or stocking up on low sodium soups or vegetable juices and dark chocolate covered almonds.
Summer is a perfect time to make these little changes -- reading labels and asking for a list of ingredients to whatever you eat! It will change your life!
Be encouraged,
Becky
The list of “not so great” foods starts with granola---which sounds healthy to the average person, but is often loaded with sugar and calories, especially if you eat more than a ½ cup! Next on the list are smoothies—which can top over 1000 calories per serving. Though healthy ingredients are often in the mix, the syrupy or sugary liquids added to the fresh or frozen fruit will pack on unwanted calories. Not surprising on the list are energy bars that boast of protein but often include calories loaded with a sugar base that glue them together! The fourth culprit on the list was vegetable juice because of the high sodium content it included per serving. And the final food that consumers think are better for you than unhealthy snacks were pita chips—which have almost as much fat as potato chips.
If you have been attempting to eat healthy for any length of time, this list won’t surprise you. But if you have been a trusting, casual consumer who relies only on the manufacturer’s marketing mottos, such as “natural” or “healthy” or “fresh,” you might be getting more sugar, salt, and calories than are healthy for you and your family.
One little change that you can immediately make that is guaranteed to have a big result in improving your health is to read the labels on packaged food that you purchase or review the contents of food served at your favorite restaurants before ordering. (Most fast food or chain restaurants are posting the ingredients and calories on their menus—or they will give this information upon request, including Chick-fil-A, Panera Bread, California Pizza Kitchen, etc.)
What should you look for? Sodium content, calories per serving (noting how many servings are in bag, cup, bar or portion), sugar and fat grams, and how many foods include processed ingredients or chemicals.
Of course, if need to swap the five “not so healthy” foods for healthier ones, try making your own 100-calorie handfuls of raisins and seeds, or snacking on plain yogurt with berries, drinking water spritzed with lemon and ginger and cucumbers, or stocking up on low sodium soups or vegetable juices and dark chocolate covered almonds.
Summer is a perfect time to make these little changes -- reading labels and asking for a list of ingredients to whatever you eat! It will change your life!
Be encouraged,
Becky
Sunday, May 16, 2010
Change Made Easier
On a long plane ride recently, I sat next to a sales manager who suggested that I read a newly released business book by brothers Dan and Chip Heath, SWITCH: HOW TO CHANGE THINGS WHEN CHANGE IS HARD. After a fascinating discussion about the book's contents, I came home and immediately ordered my own copy. Within a few short days, I had no fewer than 50 colored tags flagging the many pages of intriguing stories and great ideas on how to get your (resistant) self to change!
As you might imagine, the Heath brothers’ book was an exciting page-turner for me primarily because its premise is wonderfully in sync with the Little Changes Big Results™ column and brand which is committed to the principle that big change is VERY POSSIBLE if you tackle it in small steps or short spurts of timed tasks. Chip and Dan's research, covering a wide range of genres, proved over and over that when people do very specific things—rather than espouse general or vague concepts—they have a much greater chance of “popping out” of their paralysis and gain or regain powerful momentum toward achieving a goal or solving a problem.
Rather than simply give you a highly favorable book review of SWITCH, which I would be happy to do (though it might spoil the experience of reading the entire book), I would prefer to ask you a few simple questions that have the potential to inspire change in your life where you most need it but can’t seem to make it happen.
Let’s start with physical fitness. Growing numbers of Americans are encountering serious illnesses due to lack of exercise and poor eating habits. Heart disease, high blood pressure, diabetes, and strokes are impacting people at earlier ages because of the way food is both processed and portioned.
ASK: Question One: If you made one little change in your intake of food and beverages that could improve your over health, what would it be? (A few ideas include: reduce or eliminate soda pop, eliminate processed white sugar or flour from your daily intake of calories, return to a weekly weigh-in at Weigh-Watchers, attend a recovery meeting for sobriety, or ___________________________.)
ACT: Identify one little change you will make and do it for just one week.
Next, look at your relationships. Perhaps you tend to be a little self-centered or over-committed and neglect or ignore the people close to you?
ASK: Question Two: If you could do something to improve your relationship with a family member, friend, or coworker, what would it be? (Examples include: answering your emails or phone calls within 24 hours, saying “please” or “thank you” to show appreciation every time they are helpful, asking them if there is one little thing you can do for them this week that is unexpected, or _______________________________________.
ACT: Identify one little change you will make in the way you communicate with one specific person and do it for just one week.
Then, consider a goal that is unfinished or dream that is unfulfilled. We all have them and we all get “stopped in our tracks” when we consider the amount of time it might take to accomplish them. But let’s make the change smaller this week.
ASK: Question Three: If you have an unfulfilled goal or dream, what is one little change you can make that will get you one step closer to achieving it? (Perhaps you can register for a summer school class to continue your education, start saving $3 a day in a piggy bank instead of buying a coffee for a gift you want to buy someone you love, research community organizations that need volunteer help once a month feeding the hungry and homeless, or _______________________________.
ACT: Identify one little change you will make by the end of this week that will move you toward your goal or dream?
Finally, in my own book, Keep the Change I repeatedly remind people that change is made easier when we don't try to change alone: Change begins with awareness, is empowered by admission, is achieved with a daily, written action plan, and is sustained with accountability.
ASK: Question Four: Who could encourage you to make positive changes in your life (as opposed to negative changes—those people are out there too)? _______________________________.
ACT: Call them this week and go over the above questions. Ask him or her if they would be willing to keep you accountable to the little changes you have determined to make and/or ask how or if you can help them change!
I’d love your feedback!
Be encouraged,
Becky
As you might imagine, the Heath brothers’ book was an exciting page-turner for me primarily because its premise is wonderfully in sync with the Little Changes Big Results™ column and brand which is committed to the principle that big change is VERY POSSIBLE if you tackle it in small steps or short spurts of timed tasks. Chip and Dan's research, covering a wide range of genres, proved over and over that when people do very specific things—rather than espouse general or vague concepts—they have a much greater chance of “popping out” of their paralysis and gain or regain powerful momentum toward achieving a goal or solving a problem.
Rather than simply give you a highly favorable book review of SWITCH, which I would be happy to do (though it might spoil the experience of reading the entire book), I would prefer to ask you a few simple questions that have the potential to inspire change in your life where you most need it but can’t seem to make it happen.
Let’s start with physical fitness. Growing numbers of Americans are encountering serious illnesses due to lack of exercise and poor eating habits. Heart disease, high blood pressure, diabetes, and strokes are impacting people at earlier ages because of the way food is both processed and portioned.
ASK: Question One: If you made one little change in your intake of food and beverages that could improve your over health, what would it be? (A few ideas include: reduce or eliminate soda pop, eliminate processed white sugar or flour from your daily intake of calories, return to a weekly weigh-in at Weigh-Watchers, attend a recovery meeting for sobriety, or ___________________________.)
ACT: Identify one little change you will make and do it for just one week.
Next, look at your relationships. Perhaps you tend to be a little self-centered or over-committed and neglect or ignore the people close to you?
ASK: Question Two: If you could do something to improve your relationship with a family member, friend, or coworker, what would it be? (Examples include: answering your emails or phone calls within 24 hours, saying “please” or “thank you” to show appreciation every time they are helpful, asking them if there is one little thing you can do for them this week that is unexpected, or _______________________________________.
ACT: Identify one little change you will make in the way you communicate with one specific person and do it for just one week.
Then, consider a goal that is unfinished or dream that is unfulfilled. We all have them and we all get “stopped in our tracks” when we consider the amount of time it might take to accomplish them. But let’s make the change smaller this week.
ASK: Question Three: If you have an unfulfilled goal or dream, what is one little change you can make that will get you one step closer to achieving it? (Perhaps you can register for a summer school class to continue your education, start saving $3 a day in a piggy bank instead of buying a coffee for a gift you want to buy someone you love, research community organizations that need volunteer help once a month feeding the hungry and homeless, or _______________________________.
ACT: Identify one little change you will make by the end of this week that will move you toward your goal or dream?
Finally, in my own book, Keep the Change I repeatedly remind people that change is made easier when we don't try to change alone: Change begins with awareness, is empowered by admission, is achieved with a daily, written action plan, and is sustained with accountability.
ASK: Question Four: Who could encourage you to make positive changes in your life (as opposed to negative changes—those people are out there too)? _______________________________.
ACT: Call them this week and go over the above questions. Ask him or her if they would be willing to keep you accountable to the little changes you have determined to make and/or ask how or if you can help them change!
I’d love your feedback!
Be encouraged,
Becky
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