Small goals BIG changes... here we goooo!!!

It has been proven that only by making small changes over long periods of time, can we achieve permanent success.

I challenge you to make a change per week, or choose one with which you feel comfortable and make it part of your daily life.

I propose:

This week try to serve all you're going to eat before sitting down to the table.

Let's see what happens...

3 little secrets BIG results.

Frequently, we receive information about new fantastic diets, magical and wonderful food, stories of people who lost weight with the least effort, devices which with only 5 minutes a day give you the body of a model, etc.  

Unfortunately, lies disguised as acts of magic abuse our desire to live better and sometimes fail, badly educate and confuse those who want to reach a healthy weight, have a balanced life or just feel better.

This time I chose the most common lies that have prevented us in our attempts to improve our quality of life:

• The Green Lie

How many times have we been sold the idea that if we replace one meal (lunch or dinner) for a delicious salad, the path to thinness is granted?.  We prepare our salad and eat in hopes of looser pants in a few days and we run into a horrible feeling: hungry a few minutes later and the torture of waiting until dinner to eat whatever we want.  As the days pass, we realize that our weight stays the same (or higher), we have been hungry for days and expected results never come.  

The thing about the salad is that it doesn’t have the correct ingredients to make us feel satisfied: protein or fat, so we will be "starving" just a few minutes after we have finished eating and "biting" snacks until the next meal where we will eat even more. 

Another mistake is the dressing: we prepare a lettuce salad with lemon and add several tablespoons of that delicious dressing that gives us 300 calories and we end up eating the same amount of energy of a hamburger. Our effort was lost…

Tip: Include salads in your diet but add some protein like tofu, chicken, fresh cheese and a little olive oil or your favorite dressing (1 tsp).

• Activity Lies

Our generation has grown up with the belief that the harder and longer we work out, the healthier and thinner we will be.  Time magazine recently published that excessive exercise (more than 45 minutes a day), can be counterproductive as it increases your hunger, so you end up eating more calories than the ones you burned at the gym. 

Tip: Find an activity you like and practice it 3-5 times a week for 30 minutes, it doesn’t have to be cardio to be effective, there are other options such as dance, yoga, pilates or walking that will give very good results without much effort. Nor is it necessary to join a gym, there are many free online options that can be tailored to your schedule, abilities and tastes.

• Tired Lies

And finally, rest. This is an essential ingredient for achieving a good quality of life and often we ignore it.  We think that staying in bed an extra hour on Sundays will make up for the 6 days we spent working instead of sleeping. If we do not learn to recover, the body will eventually charge us the bill.  Rest is a habit that includes the mind and body: It is better to sleep 30 extra minutes a day than staying in bed 3 hours on a Sunday.

Tips: Try to go to bed 30 minutes earlier than you are used to and read a book or just relax.  Meditation is a very useful tool for resting the mind and you don’t have to be a spiritual person to get a benefit.

Remember that a new habit is established after 6 months of practice; choose comfortable and easy changes so they stay for good.

Eating HEALTHY and delicious in restaurants.

You are facing the menu. Over 20 delicious dishes call your attention. You have every intention to eat healthy and not gain weight but ...WHAT TO CHOOSE ?!

 What would be the best dish? Vegetarian? Beef? chicken? Will I end up choosing the same boring salad AGAIN?!

Choosing at a restaurant can be torture and enjoying food without guilt, a challenge ... this time I share with you the tips that I use to choose healthy food in order to eat delicious and guilt-free:

• Avoid eating from the bread basket or snacks at the center of the table.
• If portions are very large, check the children's menu, sometimes the same dishes are offered in smaller portions.
• Entrées are not the best choice, I recommend you choose the ones that include vegetables and have no cheese or added fats.
• Soups can be good allies, helping you to feel satiated faster.  Choose those that include broth with vegetables, avoid cream soups or soups with cheese.
• Salads are not always the best option as we risk not feeling full and end up eating more.  If you're going to choose a salad as your main course, choose those that have some protein (cheese, meat or egg). Ask to have the dressing on the side and choose a low-fat dressing.
• Try to choose a main dish that has a lot of vegetables, avoid deep fried, breaded and gratin.  If you include some bread or tortillas, they will make you feel full faster.
• Always choose natural water. You can add a few slices of lemon, orange, watermelon or cucumber to add flavor.  If you like sodas, choose those that are low in sugar.  In the case of alcohol, remember that the less alcohol %, the less calories.
  
• If you intend to order dessert ALWAYS share and choose those that include fruit.
• Try to eat at least in 30-45 minutes. The more time you take, the easier you will feel full.

¡See you next week!

BAD night, good morning?

Goood morning!

If last week’s recommendations left you sleepless, try the following.  

Remember that it takes time to correct your "biological clock", with time you will get deeper, longer periods of sleep.

• Sleep and Sex

Experts say sleep and sex should be the only pastimes pursued in the bedroom.  Don't balance the checkbook, talk on the phone, or watch TV.  Everything about the room should be associated with rest and relaxation.

Tip: The best sleep temperature for most people is on the cool side--below 76 degrees.

• Body Clock

Go to sleep and wake up at about the same time every day -- including weekends. This routine will put your brain and body on a healthy sleep-wake cycle. In time, you'll be able to fall asleep quickly and sleep soundly through the night.

Tip: Get out in bright light for 5 to 30 minutes as soon as you rise. Light is the most powerful regulator of the biological clock.

• Lower the Lights

Starting two to three hours before bedtime, dim the lights around the house and put aside any work, arguments, or complicated decisions.  It takes time to turn off the emotional and intellectual "noise" of the day. Lowering the lights signals your brain to produce melatonin, the hormone that brings on sleep.

Tip: Use a 15-watt bulb when reading in the last hour before bed.

• Blue Light

Insomnia feeds on the minor details of modern life, like the soft blue glow from a cell phone, PDA, or digital clock resting on your bedside table. The short waves of blue light may interfere with sleep.

Tip: Turn off TVs, computers, and other blue light producers an hour before sleep. Cover any blue displays you can't shut off.

Sweet dreams…