Do One Thing: Come Prepared!

Do you ever find yourself heading into a busy day, a long meeting or class, or a car trip through unfamiliar territory and that uncomfortable feeling starts to creep up inside you? The fear that you will find yourself hungry with no good snack options around and no good way to excuse yourself to find some? This happens to me a lot. Just a couple months ago I attended two long back-to-back seminars in a hotel. Even though I was enjoying myself, when lunchtime came around I realized that: (1) I was unhappy with the lunch options available and (2) I was suddenly struck with the fear of finding myself hungry again during the long second session. That day I was lucky enough to have a car, a GPS and a large grocery store nearby (where I went crazy stocking up on strawberries, nuts & dark chocolate in case I got hungry later) but I could have avoided the whole mess by coming prepared! I usually don't leave the house without at least tossing an apple in my bag but there are plenty of other ways to have healthy options waiting for you when hunger strikes, no matter where you are.

Do you ever find yourself heading into a busy day, a long meeting or class, or a car trip through unfamiliar territory and that uncomfortable feeling starts to creep up inside you? The fear that you will find yourself hungry with no good snack options around and no good way to excuse yourself to find some? This happens to me a lot. Just a couple months ago I attended two long back-to-back seminars in a hotel. Even though I was enjoying myself, when lunchtime came around I realized that: (1) I was unhappy with the lunch options available and (2) I was suddenly struck with the fear of finding myself hungry again during the long second session. That day I was lucky enough to have a car, a GPS and a large grocery store nearby (where I went crazy stocking up on strawberries, nuts & dark chocolate in case I got hungry later) but I could have avoided the whole mess by coming prepared! I usually don't leave the house without at least tossing an apple in my bag but there are plenty of other ways to have healthy options waiting for you when hunger strikes, no matter where you are.

Piece o' Cheesecake: Run Free!

Last week we discussed The Secrets to Resolutions You Can Actually Keep. If your new year's resolution includes getting more exercise or running more, or if you are a regular runner, then this week's blog may be for you. This week features my latest post in the Piece o' Cheesecake series, New York-specific blog posts for the best in healthy eating and free, cheap & unique workouts around New York City. And today we are talking about the many free run clubs offered around Brooklyn and Manhattan (as well as nationwide). Check it out: 

Last week we discussed The Secrets to Resolutions You Can Actually Keep. If your new year's resolution includes getting more exercise or running more, or if you are a regular runner, then this week's blog may be for you. This week features my latest post in the Piece o' Cheesecake series, New York-specific blog posts for the best in healthy eating and free, cheap & unique workouts around New York City. And today we are talking about the many free run clubs offered around Brooklyn and Manhattan (as well as nationwide). Check it out: 

The Secrets to Resolutions You Can Actually Keep!

Happy New Year!

Have you made a resolution? Whether or not you have, you probably know that they are notoriously hard to keep.

Resolutions are often made very loosely or spontaneously, without much thought. Sometimes we even tell ourselves we are making them "as a joke," but when we start breaking our resolutions in the first days or weeks of the new year, it can be tough to take. We are so hard on ourselves for not being able to stick to our goals. We fear we will never be able to change our bad habits or get good ones to stick. That said, the start of a new year can be a great time to start fresh.

The key to having any chance at keeping your new year's resolution is to START SMALL and BE SPECIFIC!

Happy New Year!

Have you made a resolution? Whether or not you have, you probably know that they are notoriously hard to keep.

Resolutions are often made very loosely or spontaneously, without much thought. Sometimes we even tell ourselves we are making them "as a joke," but when we start breaking our resolutions in the first days or weeks of the new year, it can be tough to take. We are so hard on ourselves for not being able to stick to our goals. We fear we will never be able to change our bad habits or get good ones to stick. That said, the start of a new year can be a great time to start fresh.

The key to having any chance at keeping your new year's resolution is to START SMALL and BE SPECIFIC!

Stay safe! Prevent foodborne illness from crashing your holiday dinner.

Christmas is nearly here. Many of us will soon be celebrating with friends and family and sitting down to big delicious meals on Christmas Eve and Christmas Day. Big meals usually involve a lot of prep work done in advance, organizing the kitchen to accommodate all the food and giant serving dishes, coordinating the oven schedule, thawing and reheating, and packing leftovers. This provides many opportunities for bacteria and other organisms to grow, travel & contaminate food and makes it an excellent time to talk about food safety. Don't be fooled though: Food safety should be practiced year-round, on a daily basis. 

FoodSafety.gov provides a thorough, easy to read, and easy to navigate checklist of food safety tips broken down into four steps: clean, separate, cook & chill.

Here are the basics of food safety but please check out FoodSafety.gov!

Christmas is nearly here. Many of us will soon be celebrating with friends and family and sitting down to big delicious meals on Christmas Eve and Christmas Day. Big meals usually involve a lot of prep work done in advance, organizing the kitchen to accommodate all the food and giant serving dishes, coordinating the oven schedule, thawing and reheating, and packing leftovers. This provides many opportunities for bacteria and other organisms to grow, travel & contaminate food and makes it an excellent time to talk about food safety. Don't be fooled though: Food safety should be practiced year-round, on a daily basis. 

FoodSafety.gov provides a thorough, easy to read, and easy to navigate checklist of food safety tips broken down into four steps: clean, separate, cook & chill.

Here are the basics of food safety but please check out FoodSafety.gov!

Don't Settle for Less Than the Total Package: 12 delicious snacks that do more than just hold you over until mealtime

We all do it. Whether we are working, studying, sad, bored, celebrating, wallowing, killing time or just plain hungry between meals, snacking is something most of us do at least on occasion.

Why not then choose a snack that packs a punch?: One that is not only delicious and satisfying but will also keep you full longer and on fewer calories than the salty, sugary, fatty fare that can be found in your office vending machine or at the corner store. 

A well-rounded snack contains both protein and fiber (check out my earlier blog post, Did you know?: Fiber can help you control your weight - May 24, 2010). This "total package" snack is more likely to keep you satisfied until your next meal. Fiber slows stomach emptying and helps us to feel full longer, which may assist in weight maintenance or weight loss. Protein also promotes a feeling of fullness, promotes the growth and maintenance of lean muscle mass and may help us to feel more energized between meals and snacks. 

A "total package" snack should be no more than about 200-250 calories. High-fiber foods tend to be lower in calories and choosing plant-based proteins or proteins from low-fat dairy can also help control the number of calories in your snack.

Use this definition of a snack to help you make mindful decisions about what to nibble on between meals. Chips, cookies and candies are "treats" and should be limited, whereas a snack can be a regular and beneficial part of a healthy diet. 

Here then are 12 Total Package Snacks to keep you happy, full, strong & energized!

We all do it. Whether we are working, studying, sad, bored, celebrating, wallowing, killing time or just plain hungry between meals, snacking is something most of us do at least on occasion.

Why not then choose a snack that packs a punch?: One that is not only delicious and satisfying but will also keep you full longer and on fewer calories than the salty, sugary, fatty fare that can be found in your office vending machine or at the corner store. 

A well-rounded snack contains both protein and fiber (check out my earlier blog post, Did you know?: Fiber can help you control your weight - May 24, 2010). This "total package" snack is more likely to keep you satisfied until your next meal. Fiber slows stomach emptying and helps us to feel full longer, which may assist in weight maintenance or weight loss. Protein also promotes a feeling of fullness, promotes the growth and maintenance of lean muscle mass and may help us to feel more energized between meals and snacks. 

A "total package" snack should be no more than about 200-250 calories. High-fiber foods tend to be lower in calories and choosing plant-based proteins or proteins from low-fat dairy can also help control the number of calories in your snack.

Use this definition of a snack to help you make mindful decisions about what to nibble on between meals. Chips, cookies and candies are "treats" and should be limited, whereas a snack can be a regular and beneficial part of a healthy diet. 

Here then are 12 Total Package Snacks to keep you happy, full, strong & energized!

Make a Fitness Tradition

The holiday season is probably the biggest time of year for traditions. Just yesterday, my family and I gathered together for the traditional Christmas-time assembling of the pasteles (a Latin American dish typically comprised of a soft, savory green banana mixture wrapped around a meat filling). We make enough for all the households to split, store in our freezers and eat throughout the year. 

Traditions can be very hard to resist. Once we get in the habit of doing something at the same special recurring moments, those habits come to represent the moment and we may come to view them as inseparable from the time. While long-held traditions play an important role in our histories, families & memories, my favorite kind are the new traditions. The ones we are inspired to create somewhere along the way, as we move through life.

Today I'm inspired to share a tip with you for making fitness easy and fun by harnessing the irresistible power of traditions. Traditions can be about anything. They can be made for any reason, at any time. So then, why not make a fitness tradition?

The holiday season is probably the biggest time of year for traditions. Just yesterday, my family and I gathered together for the traditional Christmas-time assembling of the pasteles (a Latin American dish typically comprised of a soft, savory green banana mixture wrapped around a meat filling). We make enough for all the households to split, store in our freezers and eat throughout the year. 

Traditions can be very hard to resist. Once we get in the habit of doing something at the same special recurring moments, those habits come to represent the moment and we may come to view them as inseparable from the time. While long-held traditions play an important role in our histories, families & memories, my favorite kind are the new traditions. The ones we are inspired to create somewhere along the way, as we move through life.

Today I'm inspired to share a tip with you for making fitness easy and fun by harnessing the irresistible power of traditions. Traditions can be about anything. They can be made for any reason, at any time. So then, why not make a fitness tradition?

Season of Giving: Everyone Wins!

With the passing of Thanksgiving and the start of December, the Season of Giving has officially begun. This year, with the holiday season in full swing, in the wake of Hurricane Sandy and on my second year of cancer-versaries, I feel that Giving Feeling in the air, now more than ever. 

Every year around this time we see, hear and read countless messages proclaiming the importance of giving back and urging us to give. This year, for example, the 92nd Street Y in New York launched its nationwide, social media-based, philanthropic movement, #GivingTuesday, in which more than 2,000 organizations participated. Lately it's gone a step further, with theories and research studies suggesting physical, mental & emotional health benefits of giving (as illustrated by this 2009 Forbes.com article). 

Whether or not there are health benefits to giving is completely beside the point. Giving a little of your self every now and then may not necessarily make you a happier or healthier person overall but at the very least, it certainly helps the person or organization you are giving to and most likely will make you pause just long enough to put your own life and problems into perspective. Not to mention, giving can be contagious and inspiring or at least just make others smile (by now you must have seen the story of the police officer who bought the shoeless homeless man all-weather boots on a cold November night). 

There are a number of ways you can give.

With the passing of Thanksgiving and the start of December, the Season of Giving has officially begun. This year, with the holiday season in full swing, in the wake of Hurricane Sandy and on my second year of cancer-versaries, I feel that Giving Feeling in the air, now more than ever. 

Every year around this time we see, hear and read countless messages proclaiming the importance of giving back and urging us to give. This year, for example, the 92nd Street Y in New York launched its nationwide, social media-based, philanthropic movement, #GivingTuesday, in which more than 2,000 organizations participated. Lately it's gone a step further, with theories and research studies suggesting physical, mental & emotional health benefits of giving (as illustrated by this 2009 Forbes.com article). 

Whether or not there are health benefits to giving is completely beside the point. Giving a little of your self every now and then may not necessarily make you a happier or healthier person overall but at the very least, it certainly helps the person or organization you are giving to and most likely will make you pause just long enough to put your own life and problems into perspective. Not to mention, giving can be contagious and inspiring or at least just make others smile (by now you must have seen the story of the police officer who bought the shoeless homeless man all-weather boots on a cold November night). 

There are a number of ways you can give.