Log it and Lose It!

By: Herbalife
June 01st, 10:34 AM

By: Susan Bowerman, MS, RD, CSSD
Think keeping a food diary is a waste of time?  You might want to think again.  Study after study consistently tells us that self-monitoring - that is, keeping track of what you eat, how much exercise you get, and how much you weigh - is one of the key components to successful weight loss.  In a recent review of 22 studies1 on the subject, the authors concluded that, across the board, there was "a significant association between self-monitoring and weight loss."

What the studies tell us is that when you're accountable to someone - not just to yourself, but also to a healthcare provider, a life partner or a friend - you greatly improve your chances of losing weight and keeping it off.  And, the more often you keep track, the more successful you're likely to be. In one study involving nearly 1700 people2, those who kept food diaries six days a week lost double the weight of those who kept records only once a week or less.

Why does this work?  Because it's one of the best tools around for helping you to monitor - and change - your behavior.  You can't change your behavior until you analyze - and acknowledge what you're currently doing.  Once you've got a clear picture of how much you're eating and  how much (or how little) you're exercising, you're in a much better position to figure out what you need to work on.
And there's more to it than simply writing it down.  What's even better is to record not only what and how much you're eating - it's also good to note why.  Were you hungry?  Or was your eating was triggered by fatigue, boredom, anger or stress?  This honest self-appraisal will help you see where you're eating appropriately - and where a little behavior modification is called for.

There are all sorts of ways to keep track - anything from low tech paper diaries to high tech apps for your phone - but no matter how you keep tabs on yourself, there are a few things that will help ensure your success:

Extend practice by 15 minutes for nutritional repair of muscles

by Robert Portman, Ph.D., and Mark Kovacs, Ph.D., USPTA

Serious tennis players and coaches plan out every practice in great detail. The session usually has specific goals and measuring sticks to evaluate overall progress. So it will probably come as a surprise to many coaches and players that a number of the major improvements in training actually start when players stop hitting tennis balls. To better understand why, let's first look at the state of muscles immediately after a hard practice.

Tennis practice or competition causes muscle damage. But exercise-induced muscle damage actually increases after exercise as a result of free radical formation and inflammation. There is also an increase in cortisol, a hormone responsible for breaking down muscle proteins for fuel. Finally, muscle energy stores are depleted and the athlete is at least somewhat dehydrated. All of these physiological consequences of hard exercise can and must be addressed with nutrition. Failure to take aggressive nutritional measures during this time can negatively impact tennis performance in the next practice up to 16 hours later. That's why the 15 minutes after a practice or match form the most important nutritional interval of the day.

Let’s Be Positive

Let’s Be Positive

Recently I’ve noticed that people seem to be fascinated by the negative.  Reality TV shows are more successful when they pit people against each other, and people like to gossip about sad/unfortunate things that happen to others.

Often when people receive excellent customer service, or really like something they’ve read or watched, they rarely say thank you or let anyone know how much they appreciate their efforts.  However, when people are dissatisfied with something, they go out of their way to loudly criticize, complain and let everyone know how unhappy they are.

Why is this?  I don’t understand why some people seem happier when they are negatively judging and criticizing then when they are acknowledging and appreciating. I wonder if they forget that in doing so they are hurting actual human beings, who have feelings and usually have good intentions.

I believe that most people are positive and find the good, but for some reason don’t say anything.  Maybe they think that others will step up with appreciation, so they don’t need to make the effort. If we all wait for others to give the positive, nobody will do anything, and only the negativity will be heard.

So, this month I’m focusing on finding the good, being appreciative and acknowledging people and their efforts.  Actually speaking up, making the phone call, writing the note, posting on social media, and thanking others for what they do.

It’s all about the positive and the good.

How about you?

Sandra Abell

How to Turn Nothing into Something by Jim Rohn Have you ever wondered how to turn nothing into something? First, in order to turn nothing into something, you’ve got to start with some ideas and imagination. Now, it might be hard to call ideas and imagination nothing; but how tangible are those ideas? That is a bit of a mystery. I don’t believe that ideas that can be turned into a hotel, ideas that can be turned into an enterprise, ideas that can be turned into a new vaccine or ideas that can be turned into some miracle product, should be called nothing. But tangibly, you have nothing. Interesting! Think of it, ideas that become so powerful in your mind and in your consciousness that they seem real to you even before they become tangible. Imagination that is so strong, you can actually see it.

Hit a Plateau? 8 Ways to Get Things Moving Again

Hit a Plateau? 8 Ways to Get Things Moving Again LOS ANGELES--(BUSINESS WIRE)-- Whether you've been on a nutrition or fitness program, at some point you'll hit a plateau where it seems efforts don't equal results. A weight loss plateau can zap your motivation, but understanding the reasons behind it can help you meet your goals. According to Susan Bowerman, MS, RD, CSSD, "When you cut back on your calories, your body reacts as if there's no more food coming its way. So it does what it's programmed to do — it hangs onto stored up calories by slowing down the rate at which you burn them." Further, as your weight drops, your metabolic rate naturally goes down a bit, too. "That means as you lose weight, your calorie needs also drop somewhat. So, to keep losing at the same rate, you need to either cut your intake further, or exercise more — or accept that your rate of weight loss will be slower as you approach your goal." From an exercise perspective, you may be pushing yourself harder and harder but the results seem to be slowing. "Pushing your body to the point of exhaustion can spell disaster for your fitness goals. You've got to build in time for your body to recharge," states former Olympian Samantha Clayton, Herbalife's director, worldwide fitness education. "Then when you start training again, you've got a renewed energy and focus." Here are eight tips to move off the plateau:

When Bad Things Happen On Good Days

The Daily Fix

When Bad Things Happen On Good Days

By Dani Johnson from DaniJohnson.com

Have you ever had one of those days that started out great, but by mid-morning, you just feel like going back to bed? (Or maybe a day that started out that way...) You know, the days when you feel like everything that could go wrong has gone wrong?There's drama in the family. You can't seem to agree with your spouse on anything, and your kids are whining and complaining and they just will not obey.

Maybe you've got deadlines coming up at work, and your boss is demanding more than you feel like you can get done. Maybe you bombed a presentation with a potential client. Maybe you just feel like you've been a few steps behind all day. You're surrounded by negativity, and your emotions are running wild.

I've had those days. We all have. You may be having one today. But I want to make sure you know how to handle these kinds of days, because it could be that breakthrough is waiting on the other side of your 'bad day'.

How does today impact tomorrow’s success?

By John C Maxwell

Everyone wants to have a good day, but not many people know what a good day looks like – much less how to create one. And even fewer people understand how the way you live today impacts your tomorrow.

Have you ever asked someone what he was doing and heard him respond, “Oh, I’m just killing time”? Have you ever really thought about that statement? A person might as well say, “I’m throwing away my life,” because, as Benjamin Franklin asserted, time is “the stuff life is made of.” Today is the only time we have within our grasp, yet many people let it slip through their fingers. They recognize neither today’s value nor its potential.

If we want to do something with our lives, then we must focus on today. That’s where tomorrow’s success lies. But how do you win today? How do you make today a great day instead of one that falls to pieces? Here’s the missing piece: