To Eat or Not to Eat

That is the question. And the attached picture is proof of what we all face. So, when it comes to desserts its a good idea to decide ahead of time one meal where you might try skipping a sweet treat. Seriously, who needs to eat dessert after EVERY meal over the Holidays?? What else works for you when it comes to skipping high calorie items on occasion?

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Cookies for Santa

So, if you had to put out your favorite cookies for the imaginary man we call Santa, what would it be?  I would guess that since the man is apparently 400+ years old, he would be a very classic (i.e., old fashioned) type of guy.  I mean, he drinks Coca-Cola from a glass bottle.  He gives toys to little children like wooden trucks, baby dolls, and jack-in-the-boxes.  A man like this has GOT to eat good old chocolate chip cookies.  Right?

And looking at his figure, that belly that shakes like a bowl full of jelly has seen some serious cookie action over the last 400 years.

Jedi Eating Tricks

I'm thinking we should all take a few moments and have a conversation with the little voices inside our heads.  If Master Yoda can do it, so can I.  I think mine will go something like this:

"Self, I've noticed that during the last few days leading up to Christmas & New Years you've seemed to have limited self control regarding your food intake.  Food, and especially sweets, are everywhere.  Whenever you see food at the office, at friends houses, and at home, you act like a 12 years old school girls at a Justin Bieber concert.  Maybe for the next few days you could actually practice some SELF CONTROL.  This would include, but not limited to; having a single piece of pie for desert instead of three; defining meal times to 3 meals a day and not one continuous eating session; portion control is NOT spelled 's-e-c-o-n-d-s & t-h-i-r-d-s'; and lastly remember that each calorie you take in, no matter how good it looks and tastes, will be much harder to get rid of than it was to consume."

Have a little pep talk with yourself before the holidays.  Remember to enjoy yourself, but just keep in mind that you are what you eat...or something like that. And may the force be with you this week!

Late night eating

What is it that makes you raid the refrigerator late into the evening?  The last meal of the day has worn off and you are jonesing for something salty or sweet.  You do the ritualistic dance by opening the pantry door, refrigerator door & ending by peeking in your spouses favorite hiding place for sweet treats.  You might even be one to get up mid-sleep to see if something has magically appeared in the afore mentioned places.  So how do you resist the temptation to continue to eat late into the evening?  It would seem that is just the solution; resist the temptation.  Give yourself boundaries that sound something like, "I won't snack after xx time." or, "I will only eat a certain amount of food after the last meal of the day."  Helping regulate either your quantity of intake or when the cutoff can help you from consuming extra calories at the end of what might have been a very healthy day!

What other ideas have worked for you to help cut off late night eating habits?

The effects of STRESS!

No one is a stranger to stress.  If you've lived long enough you've faced your fair share.  So how does stress impact us on a daily basis?  How does it effect us physically & emotionally?  Well, unfortunately (or maybe fortunately) I'm not a medical expert so I can't tell you the actual effects on your body, but I can surmise a bit and would love your input too.

The first thing I think of with stress is a racing mind.  No time to slow down. No time to stop and think.  Just going 100 miles per hour!!!  Imagine what happens to a mind that is always engaged.  It could lead to loss of appetite & loss of sleep which we all know can have a detrimental impact on us physically.

Stress can also leave us without a sense of direction.  Because we are pulled in several directions, we are never able to focus on one specific task.  When my stress levels seem to be high, I tend to be less organized than I would like.  Lack of organization isn't terrible, but it can lead us to quick food (i.e., unhealthy) solutions when we have failed to plan ahead.

So, how does stress effect you?

When to exercise?

This seems to be a timeless question.  Is it more appropriate to workout first thing in the morning or potentially later in the day?  Let's look at a few thoughts:

Late afternoon / early evening workouts are at a point in the day when you may have had a hard day and going to the gym or jumping on your treadmill aren't top priority.  The advantage, however with a later workout is you are already out of bed, your body has been somewhat active which means you are stretched and your blood is flowing.  

Compare this to an early morning workout.  First thing in the morning is when your core body temperature is at its lowest and you would also naturally have the lowest energy level.  Advantages to an early morning workout can be that it is early before distractions enter the day.  Also, raising your heart rate early in the morning can kick start your metabolism and get your body off to a good start potentially burning extra calories through the day.

So, when is the best time of day for your workout?  It would seem that for most the easiest time to schedule a workout would be early morning, however there are some potential trade-offs.  Based on the information I was able to find combined with the experience of working out regularly both early morning and later afternoon, it would see the optimal time to workout would be sometime mid-afternoon.  Unfortunately, how many of us can actually take a break mid-day to work out.

What are your thoughts on when is the best time of day to workout?  What pros and cons do you run into with your workout routines?