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3 Factors that Will Make or Break Your Health Goals and More…

In today’s digest we bring you articles on 3 Factors that Will Make or Break Your Health Goals, Hair routine + fave products for healthy hair, How NFL offensive linemen escape the 5,000-calorie lunch and transform in retirement and 37 celebrities who have spoken about their love of running. Hope you enjoy them…

3 Factors that Will Make or Break Your Health Goals

Member Exclusive Become a member to unlock this story and receive other great perks. Generally speaking, most of us know the type of foods we should be eating. We may even have a good idea of the nutrients we need. And we might even be pretty good at avoiding mindlessly noshing. But the reality is, […]

Generally speaking, most of us know the type of foods we should be eating. We may even have a good idea of the nutrients we need. And we might even be pretty good at avoiding mindlessly noshing. But the reality is, our ability to eat a healthy diet and remain active day in and day out, and thus our ability to meet our diet goals, is affected by other facets of our lifestyle. If you get everything right but get these three things wrong, you could easily fall back into mindless eating, plate envy, or choosing the couch over the gym.

So if you want to move confidently toward your diet goals, you have to better manage your support, sleep, and stress. All the time and energy you put into working out and eating well will be leveraged by these three crucial factors.

Factor 1: Support

Let’s be completely honest: Support makes the journey infinitely more enjoyable. You’re going to need someone to pat you on the back, tell you to stay the course, and exclaim that your calves look amazing in those shoes! When you decide to embark upon on a new habit of eating or otherwise choose to create healthier habits, it’s crucial that you get some buy-in from those who matter to you—be it your partner in crime, your family, your coworkers, or whomever. But how to get everyone on board? And how do you follow your own way of eating but balance the requests of others in your household?

Share your goal.

Begin by explaining your why. Your reason for seeking something better. Dig deep for this one, make your “why” compelling and passionate and rock-solid, and then have a conversation. These changes are not selfishly motivated; they are for everyone’s benefit. Remind yourself and others in the room that as you sail toward better, the wake you leave behind makes for smoother sailing for everyone on board. By improving yourself, you improve your attitude, your interactions, and your impact on others’ health and performance. You become a model of what’s possible with better health.

People are aid stations.

At this face-to-face, map out the changes you’d like to make and even the intricacies of your approach. Stop being a one-person show and a martyr and instead be upfront about the help you’ll need and why support is critical. As evidence of this, a study among women undergoing a 12-week weight loss program found that 74 percent of them maintained their weight loss or went on to lose more in the three years after the program ended thanks to having a support system around eating well.

Articulate what it is you need for support. Do you need your partner to handle morning mayhem while you train for your first-ever race? Discuss the help you’ll provide in return. Maybe you’ve identified that you simply cannot have certain trigger foods in the house. Together, identify better choices, the middle ground that will work for everyone.

Take a test run.

Ease everyone into your new way of eating by making a meal that fully meets your needs yet incorporates what they are familiar with too. For example, if you are going on a keto diet, not everyone needs to go full fat. In fact, some lifestyles are not designed to support the needs of everyone in your household. No matter the nutritional lifestyle you choose to follow, there’s a strong likelihood that something on the menu will speak to everyone. In the case of keto, it’s likely bacon, avocado, or sirloin steak. And there’s really no harm in cutting out simple sugars and meals consisting solely of refined grains and empty calories. To help with the transition, include a side dish that they enjoy. This thoughtful act will let your tribe see that even though you are eating differently, you can continue to eat together without anyone feeling ostracized.

Lean into your why.

You’re striving to create a new outlook and a new outcome, and at times that will feel like a lonely road. You might hear complaints that you’re no longer making everyone’s favorite. You might have friends who whine about how you no longer binge-drink or bury your sorrows in sweet indulgences. Don’t let these vibes bring you down. Change the tone or distance yourself where possible.

Patiently continue to share your diet goals or fitness goals and invite others along. Some will join; others will choose to carry on with their lives as usual. Accept that and move on. Channel your energy into being stronger than those who attempt to drag you back into old habits. There’s a reason you want to leave the old you behind—let it drive you forward.

Factor 2: Sleep

Chasing better fitness or a better diet or better health is fruitless if you don’t incorporate better sleep habits as well. Swapping sleep for time in the gym, in the kitchen, or practicing wellness is like trying to get rich by stepping over $100 bills to pick up all the pennies. It’s a futile pursuit. So why do 9 in 10 Americans prioritize just about any other aspect of daily life over precious sleep? Experts, such as those at the National Sleep Foundation, which uncovered this alarming finding, know that the value of sleep can’t be overstated. Reduced sleep can amp up cravings and hunger and rob you of the energy needed to work out.

Research studying the association between self-reported typical sleep duration and subsequent weight gain found that over time, a chronically shorter night’s sleep can lead to weight gain. The data, from the Nurses’ Health Study, included more than 68,000 RNs and a span of 16 years. The subjects who reported sleeping less gained more weight than those who reported sleeping more. In fact, getting even one additional hour of sleep per night made a significant impact: Over the course of the study, women who slept five hours or less a night gained 2.5 pounds more than did those who slept seven hours, while women who slept six hours a night gained 1.5 pounds more. Interestingly, these associations were not affected by amount of time spent working out or by diet, suggesting that shorter sleep durations alone (rather than the fact that you’re too tired to work out or that you’re chronically snacking) impact the rate of weight gain. Other studies have found similar results, going so far as to suggest that adults sleeping less than seven hours per night are more likely to be obese. However, in these studies, it could be a question of the chicken versus the egg—battling excess weight can lead to sleep apnea and arthritis, and these two conditions alone can make it difficult to sleep. While it’s not certain which came first, lack of sleep or excess weight, what you need to know is that it’s crucial that you get your zzz’s.

Maybe your problem is that you can’t sleep even if you make the time. If you’re tracking your sleep and realize that you routinely come up short of seven or eight hours, it’s time to get serious about your bedtime ritual. Here are four tried-and-true strategies for better sleep.

Prioritize sleep.

Just as you would set aside time for a workout or a tour of the health food store, set aside time for sleep. Make it habitual, starting your turndown ritual at the same time each day, and make it a goal to do this Monday through Sunday, especially if you’ve got a huge health or performance goal on your radar. More activity calls for more rest and recovery.

Tired? Make a plan.

Shorter sleep duration can lead to decreased levels of leptin (a protein hormone that signals satiety) and increased levels of ghrelin (a gut peptide associated with the sensation of hunger). Not only will you be hungrier, but you’ll also crave high-calorie, higher-carb choices. There’s no undoing last night’s late night, but you can go into a tired day knowing that you’re more inclined to indulge. Taking a few minutes to set a plan in place can help before too many late nights cause you to you collapse into the office donuts.

Choose your drink wisely.

Caffeine and alcohol can totally ruin a good night’s sleep. Cut off caffeine before one or two in the afternoon; the more sensitive you are to caffeine’s effects, the earlier you should shut it down. And grab a relaxing beverage like chamomile tea or casein-rich warm milk instead of alcohol if you need help getting to bed. Alcohol may make you sleepy, but this dangerous habit produces short-lived effects with poor sleep quality and a lethargic and dehydrated morning to follow. Keep the quantity of any extracurricular beverages reasonable and be sure to use the bathroom before you tuck in for the night.

Shut down your devices.

You hopefully already know that the blue light of the phone and tablet are distracting and that the content can be stressful. Avoid being irked and irritated right before bed, and if you like to unwind by reading something, choose something other than your social feed. Instead, grab a relaxing magazine or novel. And if you simply cannot shut down your system and relax, find yourself an old textbook. Just like in your college days, it’s sure to put you to sleep in no time.

Factor 3: Stress

When it comes to the dynamic of diet and stress, there’s the rare individual who deals with stress by shutting down all intake and not stomaching anything, and there’s the far more common individual who eats to deal with whatever hand they’ve been dealt. And if you seek out food as a coping mechanism, you can thank your physiology. Stress naturally increases the levels of cortisol circulating in your body and simultaneously drives your will to eat. Extended or excessive bouts of stress can lead to accumulation of fat tissue, increased hunger, periods of binge-eating, an inability to make good food choices, and sometimes a loss of control when faced with indulgences.

A large study of 457 individuals resulted in similar findings. The study, involving normal to overweight women between the ages of 20 and 56 years old, assessed the relationship between stress (perceived and chronic), drive to eat, and reported food frequency intake (nutritious food versus tasty but non-nutritious food) and found that greater levels of reported stress were associated with indices of greater drive to eat. This increased drive included feelings of disinhibited eating, binge-eating, hunger, and ineffective attempts to control eating. For those of us battling chronic stress—the feeling of being under the gun and run-down for months at a time—there’s a high probability of seeing higher numbers on the scale if something doesn’t change. But even acute stress can lead us toward a path riddled with excessive intake of poor choices. Research suggests that acute stress alters food preferences toward sugary and fatty foods, increases eating frequency, and impacts the number of calories we consume.

You can’t hide from the stress of life, but you can deal with it…or so I’ve been told. With practice, a relationship with stress can be simplified to you versus your stressor alone, without getting linked to your diet and eating habits. Where to begin? Choose one of these healthy habits. (And then keep track when you implement them! You’ll likely find patterns of which stress-relievers help in which specific circumstances.)

Sweat it out.

Your most powerful ally in the fight against stress is exercise. Exercise has the power to reduce levels of cortisol as well as increase feel-good hormones. You know that runner’s high or those happy vibes you get after a solid workout? The feeling is real. So work out those problems over a few miles or a few reps.

Relax already!

Whether you seek out meditation, a calming series of deep breaths, or repose through yoga, relaxation techniques allow a moment to pause and perhaps find a fresh perspective to bring your stress back into balance.

Talk it out.

Find a friend who’s removed from whatever is ailing you and spill. Explain what you’re going through and ask for help. Whether you need advice, intercession, or a shoulder to cry on, a human being is the best listener.

Sleep it off.

Everything seems more clear and bright in the morning, doesn’t it? That’s because sleep affords you time to relax, reduce your levels of stress hormones, lower your body temperature, and start anew. Sleep provides a way to reflect, relax, and map out a plan for tackling the issue with a clear mind.

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Adapted from Sweat. Eat. Repeat: The 90-Day Playbook to Change Your Food Habits, Improve Your Energy, and Reach Your Goals by Pamela Nisevich Bede with permission from VeloPress.

3 Factors that Will Make or Break Your Health Goals was originally published at LINK

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Hair routine + fave products for healthy hair

Per a couple of requests, I updated this older post with my current hair routine and tips. Hi friends! Happy Monday! I hope you’re enjoying the week so far. I’m looking forward to catching outdoor yoga class tonight – my first group fitness class since March!!- and taking it easy with the fam. For today, […]

Per a couple of requests, I updated this older post with my current hair routine and tips.

Hi friends! Happy Monday! I hope you’re enjoying the week so far. I’m looking forward to catching outdoor yoga class tonight – my first group fitness class since March!!- and taking it easy with the fam.

For today, I thought we could chat about hair. I’ve been asked to share some of my favorite hair products + the latest hair routine and thought it would be a fun kinda different post. My hair has been through so many crazy stages over the past six years. From luxurious pregnancy hair, to postpartum shredding + regrowth (the lovely Frankenstein baby bangs), changes in texture (my hair got super wavy after I had P! We joke that it’s because the reflux and everything stressed me out that much) and environment (beach air, dry desert air, and swampy humidity), and getting rid of anesthesia from my system 3 times (<— which can make you shed and your hair do funky things).

(trying to decide if I should keep my current blond-ish highlights or go dark again for fall!)

Just this past year, my hair started growing like crazy. I feel like I’d hit a growth slump, and would often have to get a trim merely because the ends were shaggy; never because it was “too long.” While I’ve been working hard to take care of it, I also think that getting my implants out a few years ago and decreasing the inflammation in my body has made a positive impact. I’ve been taking a couple of new supplements that I think have helped and I think it’s responded positively to the super low-key approach I’ve had lately.

Here are some of the things I do to keep my hair healthy:

-Supplement. I used to take a prenatal vitamin, but instead, I currently take a mix of different things: a liver supplement (that has Biotin in it), vitamin b12, vitamin C, D3/K2 and an adaptogen blend.

I also have a scoop of collagen either in my [decaf] cup of coffee or smoothie.

Collagen has been hyped up for a long time, but it wasn’t until I took it on a regular basis that I noticed a difference. My skin looks smoother, and my hair and nails are noticeable stronger. It doesn’t taste like anything, so it’s easy to add into hot or cold drinks. You can check out more about collagen and why I love it in this post.

I also take MCT oil (usually in my smoothie or coffee) for a quick dose of healthy fat. You get the the huge bottle at Thrive Market.

-Watch the heat! This one is hard for me because I like showers that literally burn my skin. Like, I want it to feel like burning lava. When I take a super hot shower, I bring the temp down to wash my hair. My mom is a hair stylist and has always told me to rinse my hair with cold water because it closes the hair follicle and makes it more shiny. I’ve actually started listening to this advice. I just turn the water to ice cold before I get out of the shower and lean my head back so the freezing ice water doesn’t touch my body. Bonus: cold showers can help the lymphatic system, too.

When I know I’m going to heat-style my hair, either with a blowdryer or styling wand, I pick 1 thing to use for heat styling. So, if I’m going to round-brush it with a blowdryer, that’s it. If I know I’m going to curl it, I let it air dry first, so I’m not doubling up on hot tools.

-Get regular trims. This one is tricky with the kiddos and with the current situation, but I’ve noticed a difference in my ends since I started getting regular trims. In normal circumstances, I try to go every 4-6 or so. For now, I’ve had one trim since January and am super overdue for a new one.

(When salons re-opened, I masked up for some highlights and a trim just to feel like myself again. This was a couple of months ago.)

 -Don’t wash it a lot. I wash it 2x a week max. If I need to take a shower because I got a sweaty workout or hit up the pool, I’ll rinse my hair with water and just put conditioner or a mask on the ends. I think shampoo can be really abrasive and drying, and if you shampoo every day, it can make things crispy fast.

While I don’t wash my hair a ton, thankfully my hair doesn’t get too greasy – it will get a little dandruff snow if it’s been a while – but dry shampoo comes to the rescue. I’ve tried SO MANY, but this one and this one top the list.

Favorite hair products:

-Moroccan oil: I’ve been using this for years, and it’s the best ever. I’ve tried the light and really like it but prefer the heavier oil. We’ve also been using it on the girls since they were toddlers. We never have to use detangler on their super long hair because Moroccan oil does the trick.

-Hair mask. This is my #1 favorite hair product. It makes SUCH a huge difference in the texture of my hair! My stylist in San Diego first recommended the Kerastase mask to me (the one in the pink jar), and I couldn’t believe how smooth and silky it made my hair. It was pricey but well worth it. Since then, I’ve tried a few different ones and really like the Loreal silicone-free. The only bummer about good hair masks is that you have to get them from a licensed salon for the most part. I’d hop into one (especially if you have a local salon with Kerastase products) and see what they recommend for your hair.

-Heat protectant. This is another huge one. I love the Drybar Hot Toddy and the Kerastase Discipline.

-Hairdryer, styling wand, and Revlon styler. I use the Revlon styler after my hair is about 80% dry if I want straight smooth hair. I’ll finish it off with the Drybar round brush and my regular hairdryer. When I want waves, I’ll let it air dry and fix the crazy pieces with this styling wand.

So, tell me friends: what’s your hair routine like? What are some of your fave products? A friend of mine swears by using apple cider vinegar instead of shampoo, but I’m scared to try it.

Any crazy hair stories? 

I have two:

-When I was little, I would cut off chunks of my hair and hide them in my toy box. My mom quickly noticed what I was doing.

-My friend wanted me to dye her hair blonde in high school. I didn’t know you had to bleach it first, so I just covered her hair in blonde dye. The roots were the only thing that took the color, so she looked like she was wearing a bald cap with hair sticking out. She cried, and I felt like the worst friend ever. Thankfully, madre fixed it.

Have a great day and I’ll see ya soon!

xo

Hair routine + fave products for healthy hair was originally published at LINK







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How NFL offensive linemen escape the 5,000-calorie lunch and transform in retirement

Jul 6, 2020 It’s 3 p.m., and Joe Thomas needs to eat. He’s driving with his family but is getting hungry. Is it really hunger? He doesn’t know. Throughout his entire NFL career as an offensive tackle with the Cleveland Browns, Thomas was conditioned to eat every two hours, because his job literally depended on […]

It’s 3 p.m., and Joe Thomas needs to eat. He’s driving with his family but is getting hungry. Is it really hunger? He doesn’t know. Throughout his entire NFL career as an offensive tackle with the Cleveland Browns, Thomas was conditioned to eat every two hours, because his job literally depended on it.

Thomas finds a McDonald’s on the GPS. It will be quick — just a bit of fuel between lunch and dinner. He orders two double cheeseburgers, two McChickens, a double quarter-pounder with cheese, one large order of fries and a large Dr. Pepper.

“Or another sugary drink,” he said recently. “Just to add 500 calories, the easy way.”

How NFL offensive linemen escape the 5,000-calorie lunch and transform in retirement was originally published at LINK







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37 celebrities who have spoken about their love of running

We runners love to find people in our gang. Whether it’s swapping training plan advice or stalking Strava stats, our running pals are some of our best. But sometimes, we find inspiration in unlikely places – the celebs we follow on Instagram to start. We’ve already rounded up these 49 celebrities you didn’t know were […]

37 celebrities who have spoken about their love of running was originally published at LINK