Posted by Stephanie Clarke on Mon, Jan 25, 2010
Have you ever had a friend, significant other, or colleague whom you've spent so much time with, that you start picking up his or her mannerisms? This happened to me with a friend who's now my colleague, back when we were both in graduate school. In fact, other friends and even our families used to say that they couldn’t tell us apart on the phone!
Sometimes the habits we pick up from others are simply small nuances, like tone of voice or expressions. But other times, they're more significant lifestyle habits. This can be a good thing if the people you're emulating are positive, healthy people. Friends like these can make changing your bad behaviors or sticking with your good ones that much easier. On the flip side, it can be extremely detrimental to your goals if the habits that rub off on you are bad—like when staying out a little later becomes a priority over getting that early morning workout session in. Or, when a colleague convinces you that the delicious cupcakes from the new bakery down the street is something not to be missed–on a daily basis.
Indeed, a few years ago, researchers from Harvard and UC San Diego showed that the company you keep, especially your friends, can have a significant influence on your weight. In fact, their research found that if one of your friends becomes obese, your own chances of becoming obese go up 57 percent. And the more obese pals you have, the stronger the effect—having a circle of obese friends increases your odds of becoming obese by 171 percent!
The lesson: Start spending more time with people who live lifestyles similar to the one you want to live–and less with ones who don't. Easier said than done? My challenge for you this week is to start by identifying people who are positive influences on your behavior–and the ones who aren't. Then, make a list of ways that you can spend more time with the positive ones, and less with the negatives ones.
Posted by Michelle Hering on Tue, Sep 01, 2009
Vacation officially ended a week ago, and I came back ready to face the challenge of transitioning my good eating and workout habits that I'd established while away from home into my daily life. It's kind of strange because normally, it's vacation where I seem to get off track, but this time it helped steer me in the right direction.
So, how has my week been? Well, first I took a cue from my vacation packing strategy: I'd brought along a running outfit just in case I found time to get in a run while away. When I got home, I did the same thing: I stashed a set of running clothes in my car so if I have some extra time on the way home, I could stop off at the gym. I also put my tennis shoes in my bag for work, so even when I didn't make it to the gym after work, I could still go for a quick walk at lunch. I even got a chance to use them the other day when I arrived at one of my doctor's appointments early. Instead of going into the waiting room and just sitting around, I strapped on my tennis shoes and went for a 10-minute walk!
I felt great walking into the doctor's office and it helped me stay positive, as she decided our next step was more testing (more blood work, an eye exam and a possible neurologist visit). There were no conclusive findings from the original blood work, so now she is starting to do testing to rule out things like Rheumatoid Arthritis and Sjogren's syndrome. I'm feeling OK this week, although still a bit tired. Fortunately, I think that the symptoms might be subsiding a bit. And with the cooler temperatures, I'm hoping to take my dog Jack on a longer walk than normal to try to increase the intensity of my workout without adding too much pressure to my joints. (I learned this handy tip from one of the articles on TheBestLife.com.) It seems like things might finally be getting back on track!
Posted by Bob Greene on Fri, Jun 19, 2009
Do you ever think that eating healthfully and working out would be easy
if it weren't for your spouse or kids? I hear different versions of the
same problem all the time: My husband is a meat-and-potatoes guy, so I
have to cook two separate meals, and I just don't have the time for it.
Or, my kids won't eat fruit or veggies; I have to keep cookies in the
house for them. Or, I have a young child and have no time to work out.
But there are ways to have a family
and be healthy! Check out these tips on how you can make your diet and exercise routine work with your busy life.
Level with yourself.
It's possible that if your husband or kids didn't give you a reason to
skip the gym or break from your healthy-eating plan, someone or
something else would—the holidays, your schedule, or your job, for
example. Why we undermine our own efforts can be a complex issue, so I
recommend that you try to understand yourself a little better. In other
words, know your motivations and how badly you really want to lose the
weight. Ask yourself a few questions, like are there other reasons
(such as stress or emotions) that cause you to go off your healthy
program? Do you have a need to please other people at your own expense?
Sometimes the answers to these and other self-analytic questions can
tell you if you really want to do what is necessary to permanently lose
the weight.
Be patient.
In the beginning, your family may have a hard time giving up some of
their "unhealthy" favorites, but slowly, you can expose them to
healthier versions of these foods, and they should start to come
around. Your taste buds have to be re-trained, in a sense, and that takes a
little time.
Trick them. Sneak healthy,
low-calorie foods into your family's favorite meals. For example, if
your children like omelets, try using egg whites, such as AllWhites, or cutting back on
the number of yolks you use, and toss in a bunch of veggies, like
tomatoes, red peppers, even broccoli. Or, try making a batch of sweet
potato fries instead of regular fries. That way you get what you
need and they get what they like.
Enlist their help.
Often, getting the kids or your spouse involved in food prep or cooking
can help them take more interest in your efforts to eat more
healthfully. Ask them to go shopping with you, to help cook, or even
let them pick that night's meal. The Best Life Diet Cookbook is loaded with family-friendly meals.
Get an early start.
Exercise first thing in the morning. This will remove many of the
excuses that can come up during the day, like your son's soccer
practice that ran late or your daughter missing the school bus.
Choose child-friendly workouts.
Select an exercise that you know you'll perform regularly. Obviously,
if you have young children, it should be one that allows you to watch
them while working out. For example, walk or jog with your child in a
stroller or baby jogger. Or try aerobic dancing or a fitness DVD. You can
do this at home, and still keep an eye on the little ones.
Schedule family workouts. If your
children are older, or it's just you and your spouse, it should be a
little easier to squeeze in workouts. In fact, you can combine exercise
with some family bonding by setting aside an hour or two each week for
a family activity. Any activity is fair game, from a family bike ride to a trip to
the farm to go apple-picking to a simple game of tag in the yard.
Don't make excuses.
Make healthy-eating and regular exercise non-negotiable. Not only will
this help you stay on track, but it also sets a good example for your
children. They'll learn that taking care of your health is a priority.
Posted by Willow Jarosh on Wed, May 27, 2009
I got made fun of by my friends last weekend—all because of, believe it or not, snacks. It all started when I decided to meet a group of friends out for a drink and/or dinner after work. While moderate drinking can definitely fit into a healthy diet, I know that I'm more likely to go for a second drink or make a not-so-healthy food choice if I start out on an empty stomach. I also know that happy hour can easily turn into dinner and that it can take a long time for everyone to decide on a restaurant—and that usually means arriving at dinner ready to eat the first thing I see. And to top it al off, I wasn't even sure if I'd be having just a drink or dinner.
For all of these reasons, I decided to stash a small bag of trail mix in my purse. Sure enough, happy hour ensued and dinner was in the distant future. So, I took out my trail mix, only to face some gentle mocking from my friends. After all, who would bring a snack to a bar?
The answer to that is that I would—and I was quite glad that I had. In fact, after all the jokes were made, most of my friends actually dug in and had some trail mix, too. The lesson here is that your friends and family aren't always going to agree with what you do, and that's OK. Living your Best Life isn't about convincing everyone in your life to think like you do and adopt the same habits. Instead, it's about living as healthfully as you can and encouraging those around you to do the same. You can set a positive example for them by eating well, trying new foods, taking care of yourself, and yes, even bringing a healthy snack out to the bar. Chances are, your positive habits will catch on!
Posted by Tracy Gensler on Tue, May 26, 2009
At my yearly physical this past week, my doctor gave me a questionnaire with an intriguing question: What type of exercise did you do last week? She didn't ask about typical exercise habits—she asked what I had just done in the past seven days. This is probably a better indicator of regular exercise habits than any other question she could ask, and it's an easy way to get a straight answer—I like that. 
When I privately counsel clients for weight loss, I need to gather some information about typical eating and exercise habits to figure out how many calories they need to eat to reach their goal. And believe me when I say I've heard it all. One client took more than an hour to detail what he ate in one day (it wasn't that he ate a lot, it was that he couldn't remember what he ate!) Many times clients regale me with stories of their high school sports careers, the winning touchdown, the state championship in cross country, yet I'm not getting the answer I need. What regular activities are you doing now that will help me calculate how many calories you need to eat?
Back to the questionnaire, how would you answer the question: What type of exercise did you do last week? If you're satisfied with your answer, that's great! Keep up the good work. If not, figure out what changes you need to make in your day so you can give an answer that you do like.
For more tips on squeezing in fitness and staying motivated, check out TheBestLife.com.