The Silver Life - Online community and resource for active Silver Surfers

Online Community & Resource for Active Silver Surfers

The Silver Life

Online Community & Resource for Active Silver Surfers

Staying with those resolutions

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Fighting weight gain over the winter - portion control

Here it is, early in February and now is the time that it’s getting tough to keep the New Year’s resolutions we made to get healthier and lose the holiday weight we put on.

By now many of us have left the health club membership in the desk drawer or molding somewhere in the bottom of our wallet.  If that describes you, here are a few tips to provide simple and quick activities to easily keep us on track to not only keeping those pesky resolutions, but leading to a healthier you.

Just get up off the chair or couch.  Last year my wife received a computer stand that allows her monitor to be lifted up off her desk top.  Hers was made by Varidesk (but there are others and this is not about which is the best) and it has been a wonderful piece of equipment.  It allows her to stand at her computer instead of spending most of the day seated at her desk. This started us to thinking about how much of each day we spend sitting down and if one adds up dinner, television watching, reading, driving, etc. that amount of time really adds up.  Sitting is not good for your back, and it sure can’t be as good for your heart as standing is.  So start by standing up when possible.

Cut back on the junk food and the sugar.  When we go out to the mall to shop or pass through the airport, it is tempting to just have a “little” snack to tide us over until our next meal.  I would recommend checking the calorie count on your favorite fast foods for a wakeup call about how much this indulgence  is adding to our waistlines (try http://www.calorieking.com/foods/calories-in-fast-food-chains-restaurants_c-Y2lkPTIx.html or somewhere else on Google for a quick total on what you are eating).

For instance, the latest issue of Consumer Reports reports that the Cinnabon Classic Roll has 880 calories.  If you find yourself really craving the sweets, have a banana or yogurt instead and beat the sugar cravings. It may be unique to me, but I find that if I floss my teeth or brush them after a meal, this reduces my craving for snacks between meals; I suspect that I just don’t want to undo the cleaning by eating something.

Don’t snack after your evening meal. I had a health problem a year or so ago and part of the regimen I had to follow was not eating after 6:00 or three hours before bed.  Since that time I have stayed with that habit and have found that, while difficult and filled with temptations, I have been able to stop having the popcorn and/or ice cream that was a part of my previous evening routine. I have no idea how many calories I have saved, but I think that I have benefitted much more than I ever imagined. I have found out that my cravings for snacks were tied directly to the commercial breaks of TV programs and not necessarily to actual hunger, so while I still have those urges, I have been able to cut out the fattening snacks.

So, if you can just try these few simple things and you’ll see a big difference in your life and waistline by the time you make the next year’s resolutions.

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About the Author: Dennis F.

Dennis has lived or traveled in Australia, the United States and Asia. He is an Army veteran with a PhD in Child and Developmental Psychology. He currently lives in the mountains of Western North Carolina, USA, with his wife Nancy and two dogs. Dennis is keenly interested in antiques, particularly militaria and coins. He occupies his time researching and writing for The Silver Life and caretaking houses for the summer residents of the mountains. Dennis is a founding member of The Silver Life.

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