We All Make Mistakes, Words of Wisdom and MORE

In several internet articles about, you guessed it, fitness, dietary habits, I was reading about mistakes people make in their daily lives that contribute to their battle of the bulge. The two that I make are lack of sleep, and overeating healthy foods. What are yours?


So, let's discuss the two i mentioned.

Lack of Sleep: Being who we are: BUSY, MOTIVATED, SELFLESS, Multi-tasking women and mothers, i think we can all relate. I have had very few awesome nights of sleep since my daughter was born 10 years ago. Not only has it given me bags and dark circle under my eyes, but i think it is helping me to keep the one constant in my life: my little paunch aka belly fat. Skimping on sleep decreases leptin, a hormone that squelches appetite, and increases grehlin, a hormone that increases hunger (who knew?) You not only eat more when you are tired (i always do, it's like i need to do something that makes me feel good because the one thing i really need, REST, i can't get!), but you crave high fat, calorie dense foods for energy. Lack of sleep also increases stress hormones, which can decrease your body's efficiency at metabolizing fats and sugars. Most people need between 7-9 hours, i usually get 5 or 6!\

Overeating Healthy Foods: I have to say, i don't eat too much junk: very rarely will you see me eating chips, bacon or other non-healthy foods. I eat lots of bananas, avacados, nuts, olive oil..all great for you, but still high in fat and calories (even if its the good fat). For example, take bananas. Great for you. The potassium helps balance minerals in your body, helps rid your body of excess sodium, and potassium rich food help to prevent muscle breakdown by freeing up more amino acids which help muscles build and repair. We tend to lose muscle mass as we age, and since muscle burns more calories than fat, we need to build and maintain it! BUT Bananas have 17G of SUGAR...as much as a DONUT believe it or not, so limit your intake to one a day. Maybe even to half in the a.m. and keep the other half for a snack later in the day. Olive Oil: Heart Healthy, good saturated fat, 14G of fat per Tablespoon, 120 Calories! Enough said. Portion size matters...be aware.

Quote of the Day: Like it or not, there is always someone better than you. At some point you just have to say, "That's OKAY, I STILL HAVE SOMETHING TO OFFER!" Kathy Davis, successful greeting card designer