Check out this great article on USA Today about decoding nutrition labels that features NYC dietitian Bonnie Taub-Dix. I don’t think I understood the difference between a serving and a portion until my early 20s! Definitely a great refresher for anyone. Remember: good health begins in the grocery store.
One of my recent lifestyle changes has been to increase my amount of sleep each night. For the past 5 years or so I have been getting somewhere between 6 to 8 hours each night. However, after recent casual observation, I’ve found that I really perform better after 10 hrs. I have more energy, physically and mentally, which lets me perform better in class, in my business and in achieving my wellness goals. So this recent study from the Archives of Pediatrics & Adolescent Medicine that found that a lack of sleep may be linked to childhood obesity really resonated with me. I know just anecdotally from my own experience that when I sleep for a full 10 hours, I make smarter health choices, I have stronger willpower, and I have more energy to exercise, so I’m not surprised to see evidence of this link.
In a recent study from Great Britain, researchers found that regular exercise can reduce a person’s genetic tendency towards obesity up to 40%. How great is that? My morning run isn’t just changing my physical state, it’s actually changing my CHEMICAL state. Add in benefits to sleep, posture, mental alertness, mood….I mean the list goes on and on! If this isn’t motivation to get out there and get moving, I don’t know what is!
In a current study being conducted at Kansas State University, a professor is taking on a calorie-controlled junk food diet in an attempt to lose weight, suggesting that the poor nutritional quality of his diet will not impede weight loss. I wonder what the value of this study is. It has been pretty well documented that weight loss is simply calories in versus calories out. And while choosing nutritionally dense calories is definitely in your best interest for several reasons, weight loss can definitely be achieved on a calorie-controlled diet of Oreos. But is this the best message to be sending out right now? Read More.
