How-To | Health & Wellness

Gloss How-To: Shed Those Holiday Pounds

scale 300x200 Gloss How To: Shed Those Holiday Pounds So, we’re a few days into the New Year and maybe also indulged a bit too much over the holidays and have a few extra pounds you’d like to shed.

We talked to celebrity fitness trainer Valerie Waters — she’s helped Jennifer Garner, Jessica Biel, Cindy Crawford and others maintain their fab figures — and got her best tips & tricks on how to recover from holiday weight gain and achieve your best body in 2011:

How To Shed Those Holiday Pounds…and Keep Them Off!

SET A DEADLINE

It’s easy for me to get clients in shape because usually, when they call me, they have a hard fast deadline to meet. It may be the Golden Globes, a bikini photo shoot, or a sexy scene in a movie that has lit a fire under them, but the bottom line is: everyone does better with a deadline! Even if you don’t have your own Red Carpet moment coming up, you can still pick a date – ideally about 6 weeks out – and circle it on the calendar. Plan a photo shoot or a special night out for that date, and then commit to doing your very best between now and then. You will be amazed at how much you can accomplish.

MOTIVATION FOLLOWS ACTION – SO TAKE ACTION

You think you lack motivation to start an exercise program, but it’s hard to get motivated while sitting on the couch. Sign up for a 6-week bootcamp, get a friend to meet you for a spin or yoga class, or join a new gym. The point is to take some action and then build on that. Once you start to see results, your motivation will soar.

STRENGTH CIRCUITS RULE

If you want to lose weight, shape your body, tone your arms and/or get stronger, you need to strength train. If you do it in a circuit, not only will you burn tons of calories, you will be in and out of the gym in no time flat! I like big circuits. My most popular Red Carpet Ready Workouts typically have 3 circuits that you complete 2 to 3 times.

EXAMPLE OF A RED CARPET READY CIRCUIT:

- Sumo Squat 15 x 15 lbs

- 2 Arm Row 15 x 5-8 lbs

- Valslide Reverse Lunge 12-15 each leg

- Dumbbell Chest Press 12 x 12 lbs

- Straight Leg Cross & Touch 20 each

- Valslide 1 Arm Slide 10 each

LEARN TO COOK AND CONTROL THE SOURCE

You can lose weight and eat healthy if you don’t cook but it is so much easier if you learn to cook a few simple things. Even if you try really hard to order healthy while eating out, restaurant portions are often too big and have lots of added fat or sugar. By learning a few simple recipes, you eat healthy but delicious meals! You will also have a greater sense of how much fat, sugar and salt you are consuming. My Red Carpet Ready program comes with a bunch of healthy, easy to prepare recipes, but you can also find some for free on my blog at www.ValerieWaters.com

Also check out: www.livewell360.com , www.thehealthytippingpoint.com , www.ohsheglows.com for amazing, healthy recipes.

GET SOMETHING NEW

There’s nothing like a new fitness tool or gadget to pump up your workouts again.

My favorites are:

VALSLIDE: This revolutionary new exercise tool creates mild instability, turning every exercise into a core exercise. The smooth, sliding motion makes exercises seem easier, while the continuous tension on the muscles makes each move more effective. To see Jennifer Garner demonstrate the Valslide on The Ellen DeGeneres Show, go HERE

GYMBOSS TIMER: This interval timer will give your workout the structure and discipline you need to go to the next level. Plus, it makes your workout fun!

VALBAND: This mini band looks innocent, but it will work your hips and glutes like nothing else – an absolute must for glute activation.

TRX: TRX is a type of training that uses your own body weight and gravity, to build strength, balance, coordination, flexibility, core and joint stability, all while preventing injuries.

KETTLEBELLS: kettlebells offer users a wider range of motion than dumbbells that sit in the palm of the hand, and they also better simulate the way we carry things in our daily lives. If you’ve been using dumbbells, kettlebells are a great way to switch things up and introduce a new tool into your workouts.

DRINK MORE WATER

If you are feeling bloated, chances are you’re not drinking enough water. Water is vital to your digestion, your organs and your metabolism. If you are consistently not drinking enough water, your body will hold on to water to protect itself. Drinking more water allows your body to release the bloat.

Gloss How-To: Overcome the Holiday Blues

depressedwoman 300x211 Gloss How To: Overcome the Holiday Blues Tis the season to be jolly! Or is it? For many people, the holidays are anything but jolly. Depression, loneliness and overwhelm can turn what is supposed to be an upbeat, joyous time of year into a dreadful period that some would rather skip completely. The blues brought on by the holidays are as varied as ornaments on a tree. If you experience dread thinking about the upcoming holiday season, it may help you to determine the biggest culprit, so that you take steps to alleviate the blues, even a little. Here are some of the most common clues (or indications) of the holiday blues followed by the cues (or problem solving stimulus) to minimize the blues:

Unrealistic expectations

Clues – Many people struggle to live up to the glorious images that bombard us from every direction, including television, movie theaters, store windows, magazines and billboards. A mild brainwashing occurs and we hypnotically buy in to the fact that without the perfect decorations, holiday attire, latest recipes, and trendy gift ideas, that we just don’t measure up. We set ourselves up for failure, because it is the rare person that can achieve that state of perfection!

Cues – Limit your exposure to these images and remember that most of them are used to sell products more than to paint a realistic picture. Set up realistic holiday goals that fulfill your holiday needs but don’t overwhelm you. Remember “less is more” and for those around you, they won’t remember how wonderful you looked, how great you decorated, or how much you spent…but they will remember how you made them feel.

Financial pressure

Clues – There’s no doubt that an economy like this one will fill more seats on the “holiday blues bus”. If you have had a recent financial setback, it can be especially difficult facing the fact that there is less money to spend on the holiday season then there was before.

Cues – Keep in mind that you are not alone. Many people are in the same boat and spending far less on the holidays then they did in years past. But the gift of “time” is far more valuable to the average person than a gift of monetary value, meaning this could turn out to be the most heartfelt holiday you’ve ever experienced. Consider homemade gifts, photographs, meals or poetry. How about giving someone on your list a scalp massage or organizing their kitchen cabinets? These types of gifts are treasured more than your retailers want you to know!

Physical and emotional fatigue

Clues – Shopping, wrapping, baking, visiting; not to mention all the other things we normally do in a given day, can absolutely turn holiday joy into dread. Add to the mix all the high calorie, low energy calories we consume over the holidays and it’s no wonder we feel exhausted!

Cues – Don’t overdo it and repeat after me, “Focus, Delegate, and Let Go”. Focus on a few of the most important aspects of the holiday season, things you just can’t do without. Delegate tasks to family members and friends; it makes them feel valued! Let go of the rest, especially the unrealistic expectations and the need to provide everyone with a picture perfect holiday. Don’t get caught up in the mad rush. Your good health is the greatest gift you can give anyone.

Strained family dynamics

Clues – The holidays seem to focus on the family unit more than anything else. And if the family unit has changed through death, divorce, discord or disease, it can be especially devastating around the holiday.

Cues – Just as families change, holiday get-togethers can too. If family tension begins to rise to the surface, have tension-diffusers ready; a funny video, an interesting game that captures everyone’s attention, an article of clothing for everyone to put on (like a goofy hat, or a boa). Consider having everyone bring an instrument along (there are always pots and spoons for those who don’t have an instruments, or keep a couple kazoos around). Or consider asking everyone to bring their sneakers so that once the meal is over and before the tension has a chance to begin, everyone can take a walk together.

Outdated traditions

Clues: Financial situations change, families dynamics change, and trends change. But traditions are an inherited, established pattern, and the fact is, they can be as uncomfortable as an ill fitting shoe!

Cues: There is no law against letting go of outdated traditions! It may be time for you to ditch traditions that augment your blues, and create new traditions that better suit your personality. Be bold and consider some of these ideas: Take the family to a movie. Visit a nursing home. Go out dancing. Volunteer at a soup kitchen. Round up some people who celebrate alone and bring them to your house to mingle. Go to the beach and play football in the sand. Go on a vacation. Visit a city battered by a hurricane and hug people. Leave your environment for a few days. Whatever it takes to keep your spirits up and keep your blues at bay.

My traditional family unit changed through my own divorce several years ago. Therefore our traditional holiday celebrations needed an overhaul. With three children, their spouses, and five grandchildren one of my favorite new traditions is building gingerbread houses with five sets of little fingers. The dining room is covered with icing and crumbs and gummy candy and lots of love and laughter and lifelong memories. What are your favorite moments?

Carol Kivler, MS, CSP, is a passionate consumer advocate, speaker, author and the founder of Courageous Recovery. She speaks to consumers, their loved ones and healthcare professionals to raise awareness, instill hope and combat stigma surrounding mental health diagnoses and treatments. Carol shares her journey of recovery from four bouts of medication-resistant depression and her positive experience with the life-saving treatment ECT through keynotes, breakouts and Grand Rounds.

Gloss How-To: Get Killer Calves

calves 300x199 Gloss How To: Get Killer Calves Whoever said men were God’s gift to women obviously never slipped into a pair of Louboutins. Seriously, what were they thinking? Stilettos can do wonders in shaping our legs – from lengthening to making them appear even more toned than they are.

Toned calf muscles are super sexy. Here are some tips on how to get yours in shape so they look even more fierce in your favorite heels:

- Hold a free-weight in each hand down along your side (the amount of weight you choose is at your discretion, but keep it light) and keep your feet slightly apart

- Keeping your back straight raise up onto the balls of your feet and lower down. Do this twelve times in a row and take a 30 second break before repeating for two more sets.

- Turn out your toes so your heels are touching and do the same exercise. This works the outer part of your calf muscle and will ensure better definition.

If you’re looking for more of a challenge, place a block underneath your heels and never fully come down onto a flat foot.

Gloss How-To: Give Your Sandwich a Makeover

healthysandwiches 300x200 Gloss How To: Give Your Sandwich a Makeover Do you brown bag your lunch? Making your own lunch is not only cost effective, it also gives you full control over the nutrients, cooking methods and calories. But the same old same old turkey sandwich can get pretty darn boring after a while. Cooking Light has some great ideas for six simple sandwich makeovers that will enliven your taste buds and boost the nutritional quality of your lunch.

- Pesto packs a powerful flavor punch. Though some of pesto’s ingredients can be high calorie, used as a thin spread on a sandwich it’s actually quite calorie friendly. (Only about 58 calories per tablespoon.) And the healthy fats from the olive oil and nuts are a health perk.

- Roasted red pepper adds a new texture, flavor and color to wraps and sandwiches. It also provides plenty of vitamins C and A.

- Avocado is rich in monounsaturated fat, vitamin E, potassium, and heart healthy plant sterols. Add slices to a sandwich or puree into a spread.

- Pears are a mildly flavored addition to a sandwich and add an unexpected crunch. They’re also a great source of fiber.

- Dried fruit is a perfect mix in for chicken salad. It adds a natural sweetness and delivers a healthy dose of nutrients.

- Almond butter is a refreshing alternative for peanut butter. It’s rich in calcium and magnesium.

5 Tips to Avoid Thanksgiving Weight Gain

Holiday season is about to be in full swing and starting with Thanksgiving and through the New Year, we’ll be tempted with lots of food, desserts and cocktails. While we’re not recommending at all to begin a diet during this will-power challenging season, we have put together a few tips to help keep the holiday weight-gain at bay while still enjoying everything on the brunch, dinner and party buffet tables.

Tip #1: If you’re cooking, look for substitutes to lighten up family favorites. Trim the fat and calories from mashed potatoes by using low-fat cream cheese or buttermilk instead of lots of heavy cream and butter, opt for whole grain breads in your stuffing and in the bread basket, and include a fresh fruit salad on the dessert table.

Tip #2: Stick with white meat. Go for turkey breast on your plate — with less than a gram of fat per ounce compared to 3 grams of fat per ounce for dark meat. Also try to keep the fatty turkey skin away — the skin can add up to 5 additional grams of fat per ounce!

Tip #3: Load your plate up with greens. Fibrous, flavorful vegetables are satisfying, filling and low in calories and fat.

Tip #4: Don’t skip dessert! A slice of pie is the perfect way to end a holiday meal so we’re not suggesting you miss out on the sweet stuff — just don’t over indulge.

Tip #5: Stay away from empty calorie cocktails. Instead of indulging in heavy egg nog and other fruit and syrup blend cocktails, stick with a glass of wine or light beer. And make sure to drink plenty of water and stay hydrated!

Gloss How-To: Stay Fired Up About Fitness This Winter

winterworkout 300x200 Gloss How To: Stay Fired Up About Fitness This Winter As winter creeps up on us and the temperatures creep downwards, staying motivated to workout can be tough. Combine the colder weather with our increasingly busy schedules — thanks to holiday parties, holiday shopping, and endless events at our kids’ schools — and you’ve got more than enough excuses to slack off on your workouts.

“Winter is one of the most difficult seasons to stay committed to an active, healthy lifestyle,” advises Dr. Lavinia Rodriguez, author of Mind Over Fat Matters:: Conquering Psychological Barriers to Weight Management. “But just because it is cold outside is not a valid excuse to stop exercising. The key is to infuse exercise into your day-to-day activities.”

So, although it may be easier to stay in the nice and cozy indoors, Dr. Rodriguez says you have to find the right motivation to keep up a healthier lifestyle.

Here are her best tips for staying motivated:

Hibernating is just for the bears. When we’re cold, we tend to want to just curl up with a blanket and relax. The season is filled with some of the best-tasting snacks, from eggnog and chili to cookies and chocolate. But these comfort foods can quickly result in a bit of a winter bulge. As soon as the winter coats and sweaters come off, you’ll wish you had showed more restraint.

“Exercising in the cold weather not only burns fat while you’re exercising,” encourages Dr. Rodriguez, “it also motivates you to be active instead of being a couch potato. Keep in mind that every opportunity to move should be capitalized on. Even something as simple as going to the mall to shop for gifts can be exercise. Finding ways to fit exercise into your daily life is key!”

Turn up your internal heater. The long (well, not really so long) walk from the car to the gym seems almost unbearable in the blustery winter winds. And the thought of changing clothes in the chilly gym locker room, accompanied by the presence of running shorts, is almost too much to stomach.

“Don’t forget that exercise actually warms you up,” explains Dr. Rodriguez. ”Think of your red cheeks and glistening forehead as an indicator that your body temperature is rising. Being inactive will only perpetuate the chilliness of the season.”

Maintain a glass-half-full mentality. In the dead of winter, the sunny days of summer may seem ages away. But soon enough you’ll be packing shorts and bathing suits for long, hot vacations. Just think about how much slimmer you’ll be when the weather warms up if you maintain a healthy lifestyle all year long. You’ll be beach body-ready long before Memorial Day.

“Summer is a big motivator for slimming down,” says Dr. Rodriguez, “but don’t wait to start slimming down in the summer months! Winter is actually a great time to experiment at the gym with new workout routines. Most people tend to quit working out in the cold weather, so take advantage of all the classes and equipment that’s usually reserved.”

Walk it out (snow boots optional!). If you take a trip to the mall or even a brisk walk around the neighborhood, don’t forget that every step counts. Yes, while going to the gym and engaging in rigorous exercise is great, it’s not always feasible. Start keeping count of your steps with a pedometer and challenge yourself to be more active. Ask for a pedometer this holiday season or even sneak and buy one for yourself!

“Wearing a pedometer motivates you to take more steps daily,” says Dr. Rodriguez. “Set a goal and gradually increase your steps to 10,000 per day if possible. Turning exercise into an enjoyable part of your day will greatly increase your odds of living a healthy lifestyle all year long.”

Welcome the winter wonderland. Think of all the fun winter activities you used to do as a kid—sledding, skiing, and ice skating, just to name a few. Who says you have to stop enjoying winter just because you’re an adult? Plan a weekend ski trip with your girlfriends or go caroling in your neighborhood. The options are endless for winter fun.

“Winter has a lot of special activities that you’re not able to do year-round,” says Dr. Rodriguez. ”Think of all the winter traditions you can start or continue with your family and friends just by finding ways to have fun outside. If you’re having fun, it’s like you’re not exercising.”

“Motivating yourself in the winter is as simple as embracing the colder temperatures and using them to your advantage,” advises Dr. Rodriguez. “The key is to find fun and easy ways to stop the weather and shorter days of the season from being a deterrent to your healthy lifestyle.”

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Gloss How-To: 1-Minute Stress Reliever

stress 300x199 Gloss How To: 1 Minute Stress Reliever In today’s fast-paced world, who isn’t anxious once in a while? Unfortunately, stress is very damaging to our entire system and is the culprit of over 75% of our health problems. When we fail to manage stress, our body’s defense mechanism begins to break down, making us more susceptible to illness and disease. Recently, a study published in The Journal of Alternative and Complementary Medicine proves that massage does more than just soothe muscle tension but, in fact, causes biological changes that relieve stress.

Researchers at Cedars-Sinai Medical Center in Los Angeles recruited 53 healthy adults and randomly assigned 29 of them to a 45-minute session of deep-tissue Swedish massage and the other 24 to a session of light massage. All of the subjects were fitted with intravenous catheters so blood samples could be taken immediately before the massage and up to an hour afterward. To their surprise, the researchers, sponsored by the National Center for Complementary and Alternative Medicine, a division of the National Institutes of Health, found that a single session of massage caused biological changes.

Volunteers who received Swedish massage experienced significant decreases in levels of the stress hormone ‘arginine vasopressin’, a hormone that can lead to increases in cortisol. They also had increases in the number of lymphocytes, white blood cells that are part of the immune system.

Volunteers who had the light massage experienced greater increases in oxytocin, a hormone associated with contentment, than the Swedish massage group, and bigger decreases in adrenal corticotropin hormone, which stimulates the adrenal glands to release cortisol.

The lead author, Dr. Mark Hyman Rapaport, chairman of psychiatry and behavioral neurosciences at Cedars-Sinai, said the findings were “very, very intriguing and very, very exciting — and I’m a skeptic.”

While not everyone can afford to get a 45-minute deep-tissue or Swedish massage, there are many massage techniques that you can do at home. Reflexology is extremely effective for calming and balancing the nervous system.

Here’s a reflexology technique that everyone can do at-home to bring about some much needed stress relief:

For a quick route to stress relief, stimulate the reflex area to the SOLAR PLEXUS, which is considered the “nerve switchboard of the body.” This area is located on both feet, in the center of the foot just beneath the diaphragm line. This is a great starting point to relax yourself or your partner. Press the solar plexus point for twenty to thirty seconds to balance your nervous system and begin the process of reestablishing inner calm. Repeat this several times on each foot. Stimulating the solar plexus can relax the entire body and bring overall stress relief.

What is it?

The SOLAR PLEXUS is a network of nerves, located behind the stomach and in front of the diaphragm, which sends energy impulses to the upper middle part of the abdomen. Its purpose is to help balance the sympathetic nervous system, regulate the functions of the organs, and restore calm. The solar plexus has been called the abdominal brain because it influences the nerves in the abdomen. It’s often affected by stress, anger, and depression.

The solar plexus reflex point is also the center of the third chakra, the Solar Plexus chakra, which relates to your personal power. This chakra is where the personality is formed. Stimulate this area to better express your individuality and strength.

About the Author

Michelle Ebbinis the creator of Sexy Love Sox™ — one-size-fits-all, unisex socks, showing the actual reflexology areas to the body’s erogenous zones, that are guaranteed to boost sex drive, improve sexual performance and enhance intimacy in relationships.

Find out more and read more amazing tips from Michelle at MichelleEbbin.com

Gloss How-To: Stop Yourself from Raiding Your Kids’ Halloween Loot!

halloween candy 199x300 Gloss How To: Stop Yourself from Raiding Your Kids Halloween Loot! Halloween candy showed up in August (as though we needed to get a jump on our holiday shopping!) and will still be on sale in November. What is the trick to eating what you love when it is everywhere?

Scaring Away the Cravings

Halloween can be a scary time of year for those trapped in an eat-repent-repeat cycle. You seem to be haunted by all that candy in the house, leading to a full-blown candy binge, chocolate hangover, and vows to do better tomorrow.

The tricky part is that labeling the foods you love as evil actually increases their power over you. When what you really crave is “bad,” you feel guilty for even wanting it and deprived because you can’t have it.

The result: You find yourself foraging treats from the pumpkin basket and burying the candy wrappers at the bottom of the garbage can so your kids won’t find out. And what does this say to your kids when they inevitably find out that you’ve been sneaking and stealing their candy? Talk about guilt!

How to stop raiding your kid’s trick-or-treat loot

Minimize your exposure. Wait until the last minute to buy Halloween candy then buy only what you really think you’ll need for the big night. Get the stuff kids love rather than bags and bags of your favorites.
Remember, it’s not your food. All too often we eat whatever shows up–Halloween candy, donuts in the break room, or samples in the grocery store. But you didn’t choose to put it there so stop mindlessly putting it in your mouth!
Get your own. You’ll be less tempted to get into the kid’s holiday candy if stop depriving yourself the rest of the year. Scary, I know.
Share! If you really want some candy, ask your child to share a few pieces with you. Through observation, they learn that it is possible to balance eating for nourishment with eating for enjoyment.
Eat what you love. Skip the sugary kid candy (unless that’s what you love) and instead choose a few that you really love. Set them aside to eat when you really want them (I like to keep mine in a plastic bag in the freezer).
Save room for dessert. If you’re going to eat Halloween candy (you know you are!), then adjust for it. After all, does it really make sense to eat all your dinner to earn dessert?
If you love it that much, act like it! Enjoy those M one at a time, mindfully without distractions.
Just right! The fun-sized treats are the perfect size for a few mindful bites of heaven. And those first few bites are always the best, so think before you dive in for more.
Eat fearlessly without guilt. We all know that guilt leads to more eating, not less, so let it go.
Don’t torture yourself with exercise. Being physically active feels good and provides numerous benefits for your health; don’t turn it into punishment for eating.
Pass it on. Halloween is a great time to teach your kids how to enjoy a little candy as part of a healthy and active lifestyle.

About the Author:

Michelle May, M.D., author of Eat What You Love, Love What You Eat: How to Break Your Eat-Repent-Repeat Cycle.