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Life can be very hectic, especially as we usher in the New Year with our resolutions that often focus on being healthier and losing weight. Well one of our recommendations from the Extension Office is not to make long-term resolutions, because they often are unrealistic and short-lived. Therefore, if you wish to make resolutions, we suggest you focus on making SMART short-term goals. These are specific, measurable, achievable, relevant, and timely goals. An example would be I am going to exercise 20 minutes 3 days a week on Thursday, Saturday and Monday of this next week. Your goal should be an action plan, listing some type of action that you are going to take and achieve within the next week. Your weekly action plans are what will get you closer to your long-term goals of losing weight. Your action plans can focus on drinking more water, exercising a specific amount, eating more fruits and vegetables, taking your diabetes medication as prescribed, or even something that helps with stress management like journaling every day. These small, yet seemingly unimportant weekly steps can get you to leaving a healthier life this New Year.

Dont forget that our first Lunch N Learn of 2020 will focus on how to have Healthy Soups. We will discuss some ways to enjoy your winter with delicious soups, stews, and other recipes to keep you warm and healthy. It will be held at 12 p.m. Tuesday, Jan. 14 at the Person County Auditorium. It is only $5 to attend, and your registration fee must be received by Friday, January 10th.

Try the following recipe courtesy of the Eating Well magazine at https://eatingwell.com/recipe where the recipes are approved by registered dietitians. For more information on Food for Thought programs, activities and recipes, check us out online at http://facebook.com/persongranvillefcs, or email jennifer_grable@ncsu.edu

Spaghetti Squash Shrimp Scampi

Serves 4

1 2 1/2 - 3 lb. spaghetti squash, halved lengthwise and seeded

2 tablespoons olive oil

1 tablespoon. minced garlic

1/2 teaspoon salt, divided

1/3 cup dry white wine

1 lb. peeled and deveined raw shrimp (16-20/lb.)

1 tablespoon lemon juice

1/4 cup chopped fresh parsley

2 tablespoons unsalted butter

1/4 teaspoon ground pepper

1/4 cup shredded parmesan cheese

Place squash halves, cut-side down, in a microwave-safe dish; add 2 tablespoons water. Microwave, uncovered on high until the flesh is tender; about 10 minutes. Heat oil in a large skillet over medium-high heat. Add garlic and 1/4 teaspoon salt; cook, stirring for 30 seconds. Carefully add wine and bring to a simmer. Add shrimp and cook, stirring, until the shrimp are pink and just cooked through, 3-4 minutes. Remove from heat and stir in lemon juice. Use a fork to scrape the squash flesh from the shells into a medium bowl. Add parsley, butter, pepper and the remaining 1/4 teaspoon salt; stir to combine. Serve the shrimp over the spaghetti squash. Sprinkle with parmesan cheese and serve.

Nutrition Information: 350 calories, 17.1g fat, 591mg sodium, 26.7g protein, 17.9g carbohydrates

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Wellness tips for the New Year - The Courier=Times

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The CrossFit shoulder, commonly seen in CrossFit athletes, was a real problem in the past. And while it seems to be getting better, more people need to know how to fix the problem or prevent it right off the bat. The three most important muscles that get neglected in *most* CrossFit programs are the Pecs, Lats, and Rear Delts. First off, many athletes spend a majority of the shoulder work either moving weights up, or moving themselves up, and neglecting pressing or pulling weight forward almost completely.

Even ring dips became kipping dips at some point so the chest got neglected there, and during push-ups everyone is told to keep their elbows in close, so it becomes a very tricep-dominant exercise. The other problem is the frequent lack of strict pull-ups and lack of pulling weight towards you. This means that the midback is almost completely underdeveloped.

So, if you dont have Pecs or Lats, probably dont have Biceps because CrossFit athletes dont do curls, and dont have Rear Delts or a Mid-Back, whats there to support your shoulders? Upper Traps and Front Delts maybe? That doesnt sound safe to be supporting weight overhead when you are literally not training 80% of the muscles around your shoulders.

Where to start? Ive found the best way to begin incorporating these exercises is in the warm up. This way you know everyone in class is doing it and the work they are putting in is quality work, whereas if its accessory work, 75% of the class skips it and theyre already exhausted from the workout, so the quality isnt going to be there. Start with the largest muscles: Chest and Lats.

My favorite exercise for the chest is whats called a Pec-Walk. This is incredibly simple and I do this before almost every overhead workout. Take a medicine ball or two 5lb plates, and squeeze the sides by your fists, not open hands, hold it at sternum level and walk 200m. By the end your pecs should be burning like never before.

A great chest exercise to use as the strength portion of the workout is the decline bench press for a few reasons. Ive found that the ROM is easier on most peoples shoulders; its a little easier to isolate the chest, and its also new to a lot of people in a CrossFit gym, so it can be refreshing to those long-time members. My absolute favorite workout with this is to work up in 5 challenging sets of 6 close grip+6 normal grip+6 wide grip decline bench. The goal is to find a max and hit failure somewhere during the wide grip presses on the last round.

These can be an easy thing to fix. My first recommendation is to do Dumbbell Rows or Landmine rows if your gym doesnt have dumbbells. Test out a 5RM on each side and see what the difference is arm to arm. 10% is normal, but anything more than that needs to be addressed. When doing these, its important to make sure the shoulder isnt rolling forward or shrugging up. Leave the ego at the door and really focus on keeping the form very strict.

Another great exercise is the ring row. Everyone knows these are a great scaling option for pull-ups, but the more experienced you get in CrossFit, the more youll need to do these. My favorite workout to do with these is 50 reps in as few sets as possible. Every break, perform 5-8 push ups. You can also incorporate them in the warm up by having the class split into two groups, 1 group does an isometric hold at the top of a row for 15 sec, while the other half does an isometric hold at the top of a lat pull (sometimes called a scap pull) for three sets of each. This will give the coach a chance to move around and ensure people are engaging lats, not traps, and give people time to create some mind body awareness.

Most of CrossFit has a ton of front delt work, as most pressing will do that, and the side delts get some work if you are doing overhead squats. The Rear Delts, however, do not typically get work unless they are isolated. These are probably the least sexy exercise to work on in group classes, but they play a large part in stabilizing weight overhead front to back. So when doing overhead squats, if the weight is hard to keep in one spot overhead, stronger rear delts may help.

This is how I like to train them!

Hope you find something useful for you here, and keep an eye out on this series, upcoming common imbalances cover lower back and hips!

Tried something in the article, want to learn more, or have questions I may be able to answer? Drop a comment below and Ill get back to you ASAP!

You can follow me @coachbchambers on Instagram, and my gym @bigbendstrengthandconditioning on Instagram, Facebook, and Youtube, and subscribe to our podcast Big Bend StrongCast on Itunes and Spotify.

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Common Imbalances in the Shoulder and How to Fix Them - BOXROX

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Century House is a great place to head in the new year to help with your New Years resolutions.

Whether you want to get more active, make new friends, get more tech savvy or take up a new hobby, theres no shortage of offerings at Century House. Along with clubs for everything from darts to low vision to crafts and pickleball, Century House offers a variety of programs.

Here are some of the upcoming programs you may want to consider to kick off 2020:

BYOD (Bring Your Own Device) Party and Computer Lab open house is on Wednesday, Jan. 22 from 11 a.m. to noon. This new offering is a chance to discuss your digital questions, issues or challenges as part of Seniors Embracing Technology, whose tech trainers will be available to work with Century House members. You can sign up for the computer lab at the front office.

Sirvivor BC: Prostate Cancer Exercise program, a new group-based program for men living with prostate cancer. The 12-week program, which runs twice a week, will focus on resistance training, flexibility, balance and aerobic exercises. It runs Wednesday and Saturday from 11:15 a.m. to 12:15 p.m. from Jan. 15 to April 4. Its $120 for 24 classes (registration code 35327).

Exploring with pencil crayons features lessons on layering, hatching, shading and form, colour and more. Eight classes will take place on Saturdays from 12:30 to 2:30 p.m. from Jan. 18 to March 7. A supply list is available upon registration, and the program costs $74.25. Registration code 34504. (Other art classes starting in January include creative drawing, beginner cartooning and acrylic painting.)

Night in Scotland celebrates poet Robbie Burns. It includes a happy hour (5 p.m.), piping, an address to the haggis, Scottish dance and music by the New Vintage Band, as well as a roast beef dinner with all the trimmings. Dinner is at 6 p.m. Its taking place on Friday, Jan. 31 and costs $20 for members and $24 for non-members. Registration code is 36594.

Century House, located at 620 Eighth St. in Moody Park, is open Monday to Friday from 9 a.m. to 9 p.m., Saturday from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m., and Sunday from noon to 4 p.m. For more information or to register for programs call 604-519-1066 or pop by the office.

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What's happening at Century House in January? - The Record (New Westminster)

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With the booze-filled holidays here, many Americans are already thinking about how they'll counteract all the eggnog, wine and other spirits with Dry January, a 31-day break from all alcohol.

The practice gained popularity after a British nonprofit promoted it in 2013. The next year, it becamea government-backed public health campaignaimed at improving health, trimming waistlines and fattening wallets.

A 2018 study by the the University of Sussexfound that Dry January not only improved health for the month but also set up healthier drinking behavior for the future disputing the "Wet February" myth.

Dr. Michael Fingerhood, associate professor of Medicine and Public Health at Johns Hopkins who was not associated with the study, saidpeople can learn valuable lessons about alcohol during Dry January.

Is it a positive? I think it is, he said. Theres going to be people that say I feel better, I sleep better, I lost weight and Im more motivated to exercise.

Some people can quit cold turkey. But for others, quitting alcohol for an entire month is easier said than done.

Dr. Timothy Wilens, co-director for the Center for Addiction Medicineat Massachusetts General Hospital, recommends these people take the following extra steps before participating in Dry January.

Some peoplemay need a planto increase their odds at being successful during Dry January.

Wilens said many people who experience a substance abuse disorder use this technique when they do sobriety sampling, which is when someone decides to be sober for a certain period of time.

"When you're walking in and say 'I want to stop using' add something to it," hesaid. "What are you going to replace it with? How are you going to fill the time?"

Wilens suggests filling the time with physical activities such as exercise or walking.

However, he says that a structured plan shouldn't include avoiding social events where there might be drinking, becausethat can be isolating. Instead, Willens suggests having plan of what to drink before going out withfriends like soda or a non-alcoholic beer.

"Structure is creating more than just, 'Im just going tostop,''' he said. Instead it's more like, "Im going tomake my likelihood of not using much better because Im going to dothe the following things.

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Wilens also says it's important to have a social network to supportyou through the process, such as friends or family.

It's easier to get through Dry January when someone in your life is aware of your plan and keeps you accountable. However, Wilens says that it's important to discuss expectations with that friend or family member before sobering up.

"You want to predetermine what those rules are," he said. "Do you want the person to be honest with you?Do you want them to ask them how much you're drinking?"

Often times many people want to be held accountable during Dry January but then become angry when confronted and Wilens says the experiment is not worth burning a friendship.

"They experience shame and thats a very hard emotion to process or metabolize," Wilens said.

Is your city on the list?: The cities where people spend the most on alcohol

Life hacks: How to make mulled wine in an Instant Pot

Finally, it's important to get into a certain mindset before sobering up for Dry January, especially during relapses.

"Youre going tohave slip-ups, and slip-ups are part of the condition," Wilens said. "Its managing them, not seeing them as a failure."

If you end up having a glass of wine during a dinner party, don't throw the entire month of sobriety out the window. Wilens saidDry January, like most sobriety programs, is about taking one day at time instead of looking too far into the future.

"It's like people being on a diet," he said. "It doesnt mean you should trash your diet, it just means you had a cookie."

Instead of feeling shame and regret,take that moment to review what steps led todrinkingand then readjust, he continued.

Dry January is about curbing heavy drinking and establishing healthy habits for the future. However, it can be dangerous for those who are physically dependent on drinking and who may go through withdrawal symptoms.If this is the case, Wilens advises these people seek professional help in an inpatient setting.

The 2015-2020 Dietary Guidelines for Americans defines heavy drinking as fiveor more drinks in one setting for men and fouror more drinks in one setting for women.

Contributing: Josh Hafner,USA TODAY. Follow Adrianna Rodriguez on Twitter: @AdriannaUSAT.

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Swearing off alcohol for Dry January? Here are a few helpful tips to get through the month - USA TODAY

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By Dayna Walls on December 27, 2019.

Growing up, I always enjoyed my time at school. It was where I could fill my days with new and exciting things to learn and create. While I was one of those kids that actually enjoyed homework (for the most part), I understand that not every part of school is always enjoyable for every child. Like many, sometimes my favorite part of school, was time off from school! With our PD Days we try to get the best of both worlds, combining the fun and more relaxed pace of a day off with guided learning and creative exploration opportunities. My favourite thing about our PD Days is that we are able to worry less about the clock and more about providing your child with the necessary tools to develop their self-expression and creativity.

As a working parent, I can now see a different side to those much-anticipated days off from school finding childcare or getting time off can be tough! At the Esplanade, we recognize this struggle. Our education team saw PD Days as a natural extension of our services. By offering arts programming to the community on both SD76 and MHCBE PD Days, we hope to help parents with the struggle of finding safe, affordable, quality childcare, and kids a fun day off with a chance to be creative.

So what does a PD Day with us look like? With our unique PD Day offering, children get the benefit of multiple community based learning resources in one program. In the morning, children will explore the Esplanade Art Gallery and take part in play-based projects where they can exercise their imaginations, while developing their creative thinking and problem-solving skills. In the afternoon, we walk kids across the street to the Hive Artists Hub where they have the opportunity to learn directly from professional practicing artists and create art works of their own in the studio!

While our projects and spaces make this program special, our arts instructor Julie Downey-Hogland will ensure that each child has a positive experience. Equipped with a post-secondary education in both social work and fine art, she is passionate about inspiring children to achieve their full potential and to have fun while doing it! Julie has extensive experience working with children and youth of all ages and abilities. She has been creating a warm and inclusive learning space as an arts instructor at the Esplanade since June 2018 and we are very lucky to have her!

For more information on our PD Day programs, please visit http://esplanade.ca/education/education-current-upcoming/2019/08/2019-20-pd-days/.

Dayna Walls is education coordinator at the Esplanade.

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Eye on the Esplanade: Exercising imaginations on PD Days - Medicine Hat News

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When Lisa Wallace wanted to get healthier, she turned to her church.

The church has always saved souls.

Now it was time to save bodies.

Wallace, a director of analytics for a financial services company, participated in a program at Atlantas Salem Bible Church called The Journey, which seeks to get people on a healthier path for mind, body and spirit. It includes lessons on healing, transformation, empowerment and growth.

Wallace was prehypertensive. Her mother, father, sister and aunt were all on medication for high blood pressure.

She was worried that would be her likely fate as well and was determined to reverse that trend.

She lost 10 pounds in six weeks, and her blood pressure was lowered.

Im a living testimony, said Wallace, who said she also grew in her faith. I think that the mind, body and spirit are all aligned. You cant just pray everything away. Were instructed to take care of our temple. We only have one.

>> RELATED |Some Georgia counties are a bright patch in black health disparities

Whats going on at Salem is being repeated more and more in African American sanctuaries around metro Atlanta. Its not a new trend, but its growing and some churches have established ministries specifically dedicated to physical and mental health.

Its particularly important in the black community, which typically has higher rates of hypertension, cardiovascular disease and diabetes.

Since an intensive holistic program, The Journey, began in 2012, participants have lost an estimated 14,000 pounds, said Joseph L. Williams, senior pastor at Salem, which has 10,000 members in Atlanta and Lithonia. Those involved in The Journey include members of Salem and other congregations. The program includes diet, and exercise is encouraged, but not required.

The Journey is a holistic transformation of mind, body and spirit.

People form teams and work on individual goals. There is meditation, reflective journaling, diet, prayer and reading of the Word.

The program is free, but when individuals complete it, they are asked to make an optional donation to the ministry.

One person lost 55 pounds. The average blood pressure reading among participants dropped 7%.

The church is still a great institution in our community, Williams said. And the local pastor has equity in his parishioners that others do not have. As pastor, I want to positively motivate people.

From 2016 to 2019, a companion program, the 40-Day Turn Up, which is focused mostly on weight loss and weight management, has resulted in more than 16,000 pounds lost among more than 1,200 participants.

>> RELATED |Study finds correlation between diabetes and obesity rates within black churches

More faith communities are offering programs that address the well-being of their members from partnering with health advocacy groups, to holding health screenings and HIV/AIDS testing, to promoting healthy eating by stocking fresh fruit and vegetables in their food pantries.

Some, like New Birth Missionary Baptist Church in Stonecrest, have gyms on their campuses.

Ebenezer Baptist Church has a Faith & Fitness group, which meets on Saturday mornings to walk, run and jog around the city. The church rents gym space at a site owned by the city of Atlanta. It has a health ministry led by doctors and nurses who are also members of the church.

Pretty much every month, we have a different health focus mental and physical, said the Rev. Bronson Elliott Woods, assistant pastor, Young Adults and Outreach.

During the month of December, for instance, the church focused on HIV/AIDS awareness.

Were trying to take care of what God has given us, he said. Thats our mind, body and soul. We have to do more than preach about it. We have to live it, we have to walk it and we have to run it.

Recently, the American Heart Association and WW International (Weight Watchers Reimagined) launched the EmPOWERED & Well Healthier Church Challenge, which is designed to support and expand ongoing health and wellness activities of black women and their faith-based communities.

According to the American Heart Association, a recent study found that black women have three times the risk of sudden cardiac death compared to white women.

Women are the chief medical decision-makers in their homes and community, said Kimberly Wright, vice president of the American Heart Associations Health Strategies-Metro Atlanta. The value of this program allows women to focus on themselves to be healthy and in turn improve the health of their family members and community.

>> RELATED |How the Center for Black Womens Wellness is helping Atlanta women thrive

The challenge will kick off the week of Jan. 19 in Atlanta, Charlotte, North Carolina, Dallas, Los Angeles, New York and Washington, D.C. The 12-week pilot program will help participants with weekly coaching and science-based health education. Ten of the 54 churches selected to participate are in metro Atlanta.

They include Elizabeth Baptist Church, Greater Springfield Baptist Church and World Changers Church International. Two winning churches will each receive $5,000 and a wellness celebration at their church.

According to the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services Office of Minority Health, African Americans are nearly twice as likely to be diagnosed with diabetes as non-Hispanic whites. They are more likely to suffer complications from diabetes, such as end-stage renal disease and lower extremity amputations.

Lakeview Seventh-day Adventist Church in Powder Springs has also made good health a priority.

MaYa Thornton, co-director of the health ministry, said the church recently held a health fair that included fitness information, a Hula Hoop contest, a program on natural remedies, preventive health, food demonstrations and speakers. The church plans to hold another in 2020.

It also started an eight-week series on ways to prevent and reverse diabetes.

Thornton also leads a seminar on plant-based foods.

Earlier this year, the church provided the congregation with a snapshot of what is plaguing the community: glaucoma, heart disease and mental health issues. This forum gave participants a chance to hear updates from leading experts on prevention and control activities in the U.S. and globally involving HIV/AIDS, tuberculosis, diabetes and heart disease, as well as ways to address mental health issues.

In fact, according to a study published earlier this year in the American Journal of Public Health, researchers reported that black churches have a long history of caring for disadvantaged communities.

It also outlines how faith-based organizations can lead the way to removing the stigma from some illnesses adversely affecting the African American community with programs for substance abuse, mental health and suicide prevention.

The black church could use its inuence to transform negative beliefs toward those struggling with mental illness to supportive attitudes and initiatives that promote psychological well-being as a part of spiritual well-being, according to the article. Mental health could easily be integrated into church-based health interventions focused on health.

It makes sense, said Ellen Idler, the Samuel Candler Dobbs Chair of Sociology and director of the Religion and Public Health Collaborative at Emory Universitys Rollins School of Public Health.

The social capital of congregations is that congregations know how to organize and mobilize, she said. Faith-based organizations are able to use their networks, and they have the space, facilities and resources that can be put to use. People know that this is a safe space and not some scam. It makes so much sense for public health to collaborate with faith-based organizations because they reach into every community regardless of race, ethnicity and religion, especially among immigrant communities.

Williams, Salems senior pastor, knows the health battles well.

In his late 20s, Williams tipped the scales at 330 pounds. He had issues with his knees and back. He moved slower, was prediabetic and had high cholesterol and hypertension.

I was tired of that lifestyle and wanted to do something about it, he said.

Hes now about 200 pounds.

I never saw myself getting into the space of health and fitness, said Williams. But when I saw the needs of the congregation and other people, I felt it was my responsibility to speak out.

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Faith-based organizations have vital role to play in health of congregations - Atlanta Journal Constitution

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In a bustling kitchen at a Toronto-area community health centre,Hayfa Mousa pauses as she reflects on the last seven years of her life.

Her eyes fill as she recalls the stress and isolation she felt before finally findingcommunity andcalm. Originally from Iraq, the 56-year-oldcares for an adult daughter who underwent a heart transplant.

"It changed my life," says Mousaof the facility in suburban Etobicoke in Toronto as she glances around the kitchen. Its countertops are stacked with bright fruit and vegetables, and people samplefresh guacamole and spicy tacos.

The Stonegate Community Health Centre is one of 11 sites across Ontario taking part in a pilot project to testsocial prescribing encouraging patients to enhance their well-being with healthier food, more physical activityand greater social contact.

It's not quite a new idea.

For years, doctors have encouraged patients struggling with loneliness and isolation to exercise, eat better, and socialize.

"It's not a replacement for the clinical care that you need, but it can really help," says Kate Mulligan, director of policy and communications with the Alliance for Healthier Communities, a network of community-based health-care organizations, who says other provinces have also shown interest in the pilot project.

"What's new about social prescribing is that it helps connectmore people to those services. The kinds of people that maybe need a bit more of a nudge."

That nudge comes in the form of a prescription for activities like cooking classes and tai chi.

For Gina Caradonna, 63, it was enough to get her out of the housesomething she admits wasn't always easy.

"Because I'm disabled, just even getting up in the morning ," she says, shaking her head. "This has been a real challenge."

The jewelry maker was skeptical when her doctor first brought up the idea. But she was willing to give it a try.

She signed onto the FoodFit program, a 12-week healthy eating and exercise regimenfor people living on low incomes.

Caradonna says she hasn't missed a sessionand she's usually the first to arrive.

"Coming here every week has given me a purpose and something to look forward to," she saysas she dices up tomatoes for salsa.

"It doesn't matter who you are, what youlook like.There's no judgment."

One in three patients isdealing with chronic stress, chronic anxietyand depression, according to Dr. Shannon Cohane, who practises at the community health centre.

And it can be anyone, of any age, from seniors to new Canadians.

"This is an epidemic, especially in our city where we have lots of very poor individuals living alone. They don't have community, they don't have extended family around," she says.

"It's critical to bring people together so they know they are not alone. It really helps their mental health."

Nurse practitioner Cristina Hermenegildo says having social programming almost all of it free under the same roof atthe clinic makes all the difference. She'll often walk patients over, and introduce them to class instructors and other participants.

"We are trying to prevent illness and not only treat it when it's a big problem."

And the improvements are often obvious and long-lasting.

"Their mood is better," she says. "Theyfeel they are connected to something, and it's that connection or feeling [that] improves their health."

Mousa says her stress has lessenedso much that she stopped taking antidepressants. She now not only participates in programs, butalso volunteers.

"You forget about your problems and the stress in your life at least for two, three hours," she says.

"You are not thinking about your problems. You are here, you are taking care of yourself."

Mulligan says a final report on the social prescription pilot project is expected in March.

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'It changed my life': New pilot project tests health benefits of social prescribing - CBC.ca

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If theres a diet trend youve heard buzzing around the most this year, its probably this one. A typical keto diet consists of roughly 60 to 80 percent fat, 20 to 25 percent protein, and 5 to 10 percent carbs. By consuming such a high intake of fats, youre trying to induce ketosis, which is when your body has gone through its source of carbs and starts burning fat instead. Your body produces ketones and uses them as sources of energy for your brain and central nervous system.

A couple of pros to this diet are the high percentage of protein and, like paleo, the concentration on whole foods. The cons are the high percentage of fat and insufficient amount of carbs. Theres a reason why many endurance athletes lean on simple sugars, such as gummies or GUs, during long ridesthey provide energy in the form of carbs that break down quickly. Fats, on the other hand, take a lot longer to digest.

Its very inefficient, Rizzo says. It takes a lot more work for the body to break down fat and use it as fuel. Youre almost putting more work on your body than you need to because youre just not storing as much carbs in the muscle and the liver, which is known as glycogen.

The lack of carbs in the keto diet also forces you to cut back on fruits and vegetables, which are full of naturally-occurring carbs. This means youre depriving your body of nutrients it needs.

Generally speaking, youre not getting a lot of vitamins, minerals, fiber, or antioxidants, Rizzo says. That can lead to deficiencies in basic nutrients such as vitamin C or Athings that should be part of any persons diet.

These are nutrients you not only need for your everyday life, but also fuel you need in trainingespecially for the last leg of a ride or race when you need to finish strong. In those anaerobic exercises, your body cant actually burn fat because oxygen has to be present in order to do that. Therefore, fat cant give you proper fuel to help propel you across the finish line as fast as you want during a hard and fast effort.

For people who might be trying to get faster or PR in a race, its going to be a rough day for you, because your body was running on a fuel source that it wasnt really designed to, says Amy Goodson, M.S., R.D., C.S.S.D., a dietitian in the Dallas-Fort Worth area.

If youre already fat-adapted and prefer to simply ride your bike at a mellow, steady state for yours, then a keto diet might work well for you. But if you plan on any HIIT workouts, charging up hills during rides, or sprinting for town lines or finish lines, then you want to avoid.

The Verdict: If youve got big goals for the bike in 2020, then keto is not for youyou just wont make it. The diet lacks carbs and fiber, thus depriving you of required nutrients, energy, and mental sharpness you need to ride your best.

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Fad Diets | Diets to Ditch in 2020 - Bicycling

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Its that time of year again. Youve reveled your way through December and now youre feeling guilty about your excesses and upset that your jeans feel too snug. Its January 2020, a new day, a new year, a new you, and this timeno more junk food! Or so you promise yourself.

According to a digital poll conducted by the Insider at the end of 2018[1],nearly 50% of New Years resolutions are about dieting or healthier eating, yet the evidence shows that by the secondweek of February 80-90%[2], of these resolutions have failed. Why do we keep making well-intentioned resolutions about restricting our intake of fatty, sugary foods, and then consistently relapse? Are we stupid to continuously make such futile promises?

Sisyphean attempts to change our eating behaviors suggests that were not very good at learning. But that nod to our foolishness would be to gloss over the problems underlying why we push that rock up the dieting hill eating every January only to have it roll down on our thighs by Valentines Day. There are three main reasons for our repeated dieting failures: 1) habits, 2) the food environment, 3) our biology, and theyre all extremely hard to alter.

Firstour well-learned habits. Do you make a daily stop for a pastry or milk-shake latt on your way to work? Do you mindlessly snack at your desk? Do you automatically say yes to fries with that sandwich? In order to change our eating behavior we first have to figure out what our bad eating habits are, which is not so easy. Then we have to break the mold on all those automatic routines. This means crushing habits from breakfast to our midnight snack, at home, work and play. Put this in the face of the fact that a central reason why changing behaviors so often fails is that people try to change too much at once. For best success, we need to make a list and slowly tackle one bad habit at a time. This itself is a tedious task, which only adds to the burden of restricting our eating. Eating is among the greatest pleasures of existence and we have to do it fairly constantly. This means that if we make eating unpleasant we wont give up eating, well give up making it unpleasant.

Next, is our perilous food environment. Even if you dont have much money (in fact its worse if you dont have much money), unhealthy food is more accessible than fresh fruit, vegetables, and fish. Our Western eating environment offers a plethora of relatively inexpensive, high calorie, delicious options with very minimal effort involved in getting any of it. You dont even need to leave your couch except to answer the doorbell for that UberEats delivery. There is a large scholarly literature on everything from portion size, to fast food availability, to how we eat (constant snacking, eating on the run or in your car), and how much we eat (a lot), and you will find many studies demonstrating the ways in which the modern eating environment undermines our health and waistlines. But you already know that. The point is that the new normal food environment makes changing our eating patterns, portions, and passions very difficult to thwart.

Finally, there is our innate biology.We did not evolve in a landscape of Starbucks and MacDonalds. Rather, until relatively recently having enough food to eat was a rare luxury, and there are still societies where famine is a real and present danger. Because we may have to go for days or more without sufficient sustenance, when we encounter calorie-dense foodsthe best kinds are fatty, and carbohydrates-- the best form of easy energy, our biology dictates that we eat as much as we can so that we can survive to find the next meal. We are programmed to love fatty, high carbohydrate foods. To counteract these impulses is to work against millions of years of evolution.

Our food habits rewire our neural circuits for pleasure and reward, our food environment reinforces our food habits, and our innate biological motivations shape our enabling food environments. So, yes, we are stupid to think that intoning a promise to eat less rich, alluring food when faced with such huge obstacles will be successful. But we are not stupid to keep on trying, because each attempt teaches us about ourselves and potentially one step closer to a better relationship with food. The key is to realize that atthe heart of both our good and bad eating behaviors is the motivation to survive and experience pleasure, which is smart indeed.

Originally posted here:
Are We Stupid to Make Dieting a New Years Resolution? - Psychology Today

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My number one tip would be to make sure that youre including some plant-based protein in your diet each week. So, instead of having meat or chicken at every meal, replace it with some plant-based alternatives like legumes or tofu two or three times a week, she says.

Several studies have shown people who eat a diet high in plant-based foods and low in animal-based foods have a lower body mass index (BMI) and lower rates of obesity than those who eat meat. In fact, one recent study found even moderate adherence to a vegetarian diet could prevent obesity in middle age.

Meanwhile, a small 2018 study found a plant-based diet was highly effective in treating obesity. In the study, researchers put 75 people who were overweight or obese on either a vegan diet or a controlled diet, which contained meat. After 16 weeks, only the vegan group showed significant weight loss (6.5 kilograms). The plant-based group also lost more fat mass.

While Ms McGrice is not suggesting we should all become vegans, replacing some of your meat-based meals with plant-based ones is an achievable weight loss strategy.

Many have dubbed this approach the flexitarian diet, or a semi-vegetarian diet, with a focus on eating healthy plant-based foods while still enjoying meat products in moderation.

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While there are many benefits to substituting meat-based protein with plant-based proteins, from a weight loss perspective, plant-based proteins contain far less calories. So, for example, a serving of a 100 gram fillet steak is 745 kilojoules, compared to say the same quantity of lentils, which is only 323 kilojoules," Ms McGrice explains.

"So, by making a pretty simple change, people can start seeing some good results."

Sydney personal trainer Ricardo Riskalla says medium intensity workouts with a variety of cardio and body weight exercises are key to losing weight.

The days of boot camps with people vomiting on the side has gone, he says. Rather, the most effective exercise routine, is one that includes variety, rest days and doesnt make you push your yourself to the maximum limit to avoid creating more stress in the body.

While recent studies have highlighted the benefits of high-intensity interval training (HIIT) for weight loss, these studies look at the short-term benefits, not the long-term results.

Mr Riskalla argues a gentler approach to exercise means you are more likely to stick to it.

At the end of day we must think about the longevity of the fitness routine and when pleasure is involved I guarantee you will stick to it for a long time, he says.

The best routine for weight loss is medium intensity, long duration which involves body weight exercises (strength training exercises that use the individual's own weight to provide resistance against gravity) performed in a high number of repetitions.

In my experience hardcore routines are dropped after a few weeks. Also, the variety of body weight exercises are endless, giving people great variation, which doesnt happen when exercising on machines. In terms of aesthetics, I also see more harmonious bodies with body weight exercises, and they are my go-to when working with actors and models.

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When it comes to how often people should exercise, Mr Riskalla recommends following a progressive routine.

For example, if you never exercised and want to lose weight, start with walking once a week for one hour, then in the second week go twice a week and so on.

Exercises should also follow what we call periodisation, he says: some weeks must be harder than others in order to allow muscles to recover and to not create a burn-out situation.

"Above all, my recommendation is to never push yourself to a ridiculous number of hours daily. The old belief of 'the more, the better' is not applicable."

Associate Professor Kieron Rooney, a metabolic biochemistry researcher from the University of Sydney, says removing the junk sources of carbohydrates from your diet can be life-changing for those wanting to lose weight in 2020.

"[Carbohydrates] are the most potent stimulator of insulin which stimulates the synthesis of fat and the storage of fat," he says.

However, not everyone should jump on the ultra-low-carb keto (ketogenic) diet that restricts carbohydrate intake to no more than 20 or 50 grams per day (compared with the average daily intake of about 300 to 400 grams).

You dont have to go that far, he says. I was part of a research group that had people down to 140 grams (of carbohydrates a day), which was a diet that still included bread and potatoes and a bit of pasta and people still lost weight.

A more moderate approach to cutting carbohydrates, particularly from ultra-processed sources is more achievable and maintainable in the long term.

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What you want to do is look for the junk sources of carbohydrates. So you can have a little bit of toast. Im ok with that. And you can have a little bit of pasta even, and rice, most certainly. But to get away with that, youve got to make sure that youre not also having the cake at morning tea or the muffin on the way home from work or the biscuits that are floating around your workspace because when you put that stuff in on top, thats when you start overloading your system."

Associate Professor Rooney adds that reducing your carbohydrate intake will also help you burn more fat when you exercise.

We can put people on a bike in the lab and if youre eating over 200 grams of carbs a day you are burning far less fat up to half the amount than an individual who is eating less than 200 grams of carbs a day for the same amount of exercise.

Associate Professor Rooney advises people to look at the NOVA food classification system, which categorises foods according to how processed they are, to help remove unnecessary carbohydrates from their diet.

You should be aiming to remove as much of the processed and ultra-processed foods as possible as well as liquid sugars, such as juice and cordial and soft drinks which are particularly bad, he says.

He says a moderate approach to reducing your carbohydrate intake by eliminating processed and ultra-processed foods and drinks is more likely to ensure that you not only lose the weight but keep it off in the long term.

Rachel covers general and breaking news for The Age.

Excerpt from:
If you really must lose weight in 2020 these experts' strategies may help - Sydney Morning Herald

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