Say Yes to Yogurt

It is so key to have one to two servings of dairy per day. The best dairy food is, by far, yogurt, primarily because of its probiotics. The probiotics in plain organic yogurt join up with the bifidobacteria, the "good bugs" that mostly live in your gut, to help fight against infections and protect you from yeast overgrowth. Bifidobacteria also digest the foods we eat, allowing your body to take in critical vitamins, including enzymes that metabolize cholesterol and bile acid. Without these microbes, the whole digestive system would screech to a halt.

Keep It Real

Is your goal completely unrealistic? If "Look like a supermodel" is on your list of goals, right next to "Stop eating potato chips," you need to make an adjustment. There's no such thing as a perfect body, a perfect face, or a perfect life. Your personal best has nothing to do with what's on a magazine cover or a runway. When you make your list of goals, make them about YOU and not an unrealistic or unhealthy fantasy.

Better Your Body

When tension spikes, it can be tempting to put yourself last. But prioritizing healthy eating, physical activity, relationships, and sleep is necessary if you want to avoid making your stress worse.

Pre-Workout Snacks

A small snack that includes protein and carbohydrates is the perfect fuel to keep your energy levels up before a workout. Try a hard-boiled egg and banana, low-fat yogurt with berries, or a sliced apple with peanut butter.

Don't Watch the Clock

When you're working out, how many of you watch the clock? Try something. Next time you're working out, cover up the clock. Instead of focusing on how you have another 10 minutes to go and you feel like killing yourself, focus on the workout, how your body feels, and how great it is that you're getting fit. Use the time and energy to empower yourself. The worst thing that could happen is you end up running a little over!

Carbs Are Nature's Disease Fighters

Without carbs, we'd be sitting ducks for cancer, heart disease, metabolic syndrome, chronic inflammation, and digestive problems. Carbs are the source for many of nature's disease fighters, thanks to the phytochemicals they contain. These compounds are produced by plants and are therefore present in almost all vegetables, fruits, grains, and legumes ― all foods that contain carbs. Also, eating fiber, a carbohydrate we can get only from plant sources, is one of the few ways we can help our bodies flush out the toxins that have built up in our tissues and messed with our endocrine systems for years.

Holiday Temptations

Making it through the holidays with your fitness and diet goals still intact can seem like a miracle in itself, but don't let it stress you out. You can do it. The best way to make it through all those parties and family get-togethers is to plan and decide what's important. Is enjoying a piece of your mother's pie what you look forward to each year? Have a small piece; don't have two, or three, or four slices. Know your limits and watch those portion sizes and you will triumph!

Spoil Your Appetite

Of course we all look forward to Thanksgiving dinner, but make sure you don’t skip breakfast and lunch on holidays like Thanksgiving. Missing out on those meals may make you overcompensate and stuff yourself at dinner.

Tackle Temptation

No matter how much you love brownies, if you don’t keep them around the house or at work, you'll be less likely to eat them when a craving strikes. Instead, keep healthy alternatives handy.

Pair Carb With Protein

One reason whole grains are so much better for you than refined grains is that they still have their fiber, and that fiber helps slow the rate at which the body breaks down the grains' carbohydrates. The overall effects of that slowdown are that your blood glucose levels don't spike severely and you feel satisfied longer. Pairing carbs with protein has a similar effect. Because protein is metabolized more slowly than carbohydrates, it helps stabilize blood sugar and keeps you feeling full longer. Always look for high-fiber carbs, and pair them with a protein source like lean meat or low-fat Greek yogurt.

Frozen Is Fine

Especially in winter months when fresh choices are limited or expensive, try buying a bag of frozen berries or broccoli. Buy frozen produce that has no added sauce and season it yourself.

Just Breathe

If an anxiety-producing situation causes you to start blushing, sweating, or feeling tense, try deep breathing techniques. Breathe in through the nose for four counts, hold it for seven counts, and then breathe out to a count of eight. This can help relax the muscles and provide a distraction from an anxiety trigger.

Act Like a Kid Again

Lots of people complain that they don't have time to work out because they have to take care of their kids. There is no law on the books saying that time with your kids has to be spent indoors, in front of the television. Get your family outside and engage in active play with them! Play some touch football or a game of tag. It's no substitute for a workout, but it will burn extra calories ― and set a great example for your little ones about the value of movement.

Get Some Fresh Air

If you're cooped up inside all day, take a few minutes to get out and get some sunshine. A little time outdoors can improve your mood and help you relax.

Get Rid of Belly Bulge

Want to reduce your belly fat? Don't just drop and give me 20 crunches. Rather than doing strength training abdominal exercises, concentrate on your diet and doing cardio to reduce your overall body fat instead. Try to decrease your daily sodium intake — try to keep it to 1,500 mg or less — boost your water intake, and cut out all the greasy, fattening foods that helped build that bulge in the first place.

A Quick, Healthy Snack

Mix 1/2 cup of low-fat cottage cheese with 1/2 cup of no-sugar-added apple sauce and sprinkle with cinnamon for a tasty dairy and fruit combination.

Earn Weight-loss Extra Credit

Cardio is great weight-loss extra credit, and best of all, it can be done without fancy machines or equipment (beyond a good pair of shoes)! You can only train your muscles so many times in a week without overtraining them, which is counterproductive. Your muscles need adequate rest and recovery time for best results, but you can do as much cardio as you want to earn that extra credit. I mean, don't run a marathon every day, but you can jog, bike, use the elliptical machine, or swim pretty much as often as you want.

Cold Weather Exercise

If you live in an area where the cold weather makes a mess of the streets and sidewalks, you know how important it is to be extra cautious when heading outdoors. If ice and snow have taken over the walkways or trails and forced you onto the road, wear brightly colored clothing to help drivers and bikers spot you. Make sure you have the proper footwear to lessen the chances of slipping and falling ― and no matter where you're headed on foot, always proceed against traffic to be extra safe.

Cover Your Base With a Multivitamin

Ideally, all of our nutrients would come from the foods we eat. But given changes in farming methods, the sad state of our soil, and the lack of biodiversity in this country, even our whole foods are not nearly as nutritious as they once were. Taking a high-quality multivitamin can help ensure that you're getting the nutrients you need. Look for a multi with all the ingredients listed above plus biotin, folic acid, niacin, riboflavin, thiamine, copper, magnesium, selenium, chromium, calcium, and vitamins A, B¹², C, D, E, and K. Premenopausal women should choose a multivitamin that also contains iron.

Managing Stress is Key

Stress can actually contribute to your risk of metabolic syndrome by increasing your body fat. When you're under stress, your body produces the hormone cortisol, which encourages the body to pack on fat, particularly around the abdomen. Manage your stress levels by cutting back on your responsibilities where you can, learning relaxation techniques and healthy ways to blow off steam, and making time for yourself to unwind. Getting at least seven hours of sleep a night will also go a long way toward relieving stress.

Other Sources of Omega-3s

If you hate fish or want to avoid worrying about toxicity, you can find omega-3 fatty acids in flaxseed, walnuts, and pumpkin seeds. Or take a daily fish oil supplement. Like monounsaturated fat, omega-3 fat improves heart health by helping to keep cholesterol levels low. It can also aid in stabilizing an irregular heartbeat and reducing blood pressure, and it acts as a natural blood thinner, reducing the risk of blood clots and stroke. You can't live without omega-3 fat, either ― your brain, which is 60 percent fat, needs it to function properly. So eat it up!

Stopped Losing Weight

When you start a new diet or exercise program, you'll lose a significant amount of water weight at first, and it's likely that in the first month you will lose more weight than you would ordinarily expect because of the caloric deficits you build up from week to week. By the second month, your system will begin to even itself out, and weight loss will continue at whatever rate is compatible with your caloric intake/deficit ratio. Two pounds a week is a reasonable weight-loss goal.

Picking Up Clean Habits

One of the reasons people find it tough to quit smoking is that the habit becomes a comforting ritual ― an excuse to take a break from the hectic day. Just because you're quitting doesn't mean you have to stop taking time out for yourself. At work, get away from your desk a few times a day, even if it's just for a walk around the block. At home, use the time you would spend smoking to do something you enjoy, like reading a few pages of a book or chatting on the phone with a friend. You might be surprised when you realize how much time those smoke breaks were sucking out of your day ― and how many better things there are to do!

Sweat Away Sadness

If you’re feeling down, get on your feet and exercise. Studies have shown that aerobic exercise releases endorphins, which have a beneficial effect on the body and your mood.

Don't Skip Meals

Skipping or missing a meal can cause a dip in your blood sugar, leading to crankiness and lethargy. Maintain your blood sugar levels, and your energy, by eating small amounts of food throughout the day.

Stay Hydrated

Dehydration can make you feel sluggish and lethargic. Be sure to drink water throughout the day, and don’t rely on thirst alone to remind you to have another glass — the average person needs about eight glasses of water per day. Filling up and drinking from a water bottle a few times a day can be a good way to ensure you stay hydrated.

Overeating

What kind of emotional demons are lurking in your closet (or refrigerator)? Not sure? Well, it's time to find out, and to exorcise them once and for all. To succeed where you have failed, sometimes you have to take three steps back to take that first step forward. In terms of reaching your goal weight, "stepping back" means reviewing past and current self-defeating behaviors to identify where you got stuck, discouraged, or overwhelmed.


Here are several of the most common causes of overeating. Grab a journal and list all the excuses that are familiar to you.


Emotion - Do you overeat as a coping mechanism, to numb suffering, allay fears, combat loneliness, and so on?


Reward - Do you indulge in eating to reward yourself when you've done a good job on something?


Seeking acceptance - Do you overeat because you're seeking social acceptance? Do you eat fattening foods at parties so as not to offend the host? If you're out with friends, do you feel the need to have a drink just to fit in? Add to your list any other situations that have derailed your success.


By doing this exercise, you can isolate specific problems and work on finding solutions for them. Find out (and conquer) what has locked you into self-defeating habits, and develop healthy, affirming behaviors instead. Whatever your downfalls might have been in the past, there is a way to deal with them in the present. It's not going to be easy, but if you hang in there, you will succeed!

Take Charge

Instead of feeling guilty or lazy about blowing off something you've been meaning to do, take out that to-do list and stop procrastinating. Do yard work, pay your bills, clean out the attic, purge your unwanted clothes and then take the bags to your favorite charity. You'll feel such relief when you cross those items off your list for good. Bottom line: When you start taking charge of the external things in your life, it will be easier to tackle the internal ones.

Finding Fiber:

Sure, eating more fiber sounds like a great idea, but how do you realistically work it in to your day? First, always choose whole-grain products like whole-wheat bread, whole-wheat pasta, and grains like bulgur and quinoa instead of white rice, white bread, and other refined-grain products. Also, follow these tips:


Start the day with whole-grain cereal.


When appropriate, eat vegetables raw, because cooking can reduce fiber content.


Avoid peeling fruits and vegetables when you can, because the skin contains a lot of fiber. (Just be sure to buy organic fruit so you can avoid nasty pesticides.)


Add beans to soups, stews, and salads.


Keep fresh fruit on hand for snacks.

Choose Complex Carbs

When you're tired, do you grab a caffeinated soda or candy bar to boost your energy? Instead of depending on quick caffeine or sugar fixes, go for healthier complex carbohydrates like whole grains, fruits, or veggies.