Ward Off Holiday Weight Gain, Part 2. By Dan & Jennifer Polimino. http://ping.fm/TdERF

Ward Off Holiday Weight Gain, Part 2. By Dan & Jennifer Polimino.

Clothes feeling a little tight? You’ve come to the right place. Last week we began exploring 10 ways to avoid holiday weight gain, and this week we’ll finish them up. If you joined us last time, you’ll recall that the holiday spread is a real problem with the average American gaining between three and five pounds. What’s worse is that this extra weight is rarely lost.

But never fear—here’s a rundown of our first five tips in case you missed them: (1) It’s not too late. You can still lose six pounds in the next three weeks with exercise and proper diet; (2) Eat a small healthy meal before going to parties so you’ll be less tempted by high-calorie foods; (3) Drink more water to feel full before meals; (4) Taste everything but make portions small; and (5) Fill your plate with fruits and vegetables first, leaving less space for higher calorie foods.

And now, here are our final five tips for battling the bulge this merry season.

• Drink less alcohol. Did you know alcohol has no healthy nutrients and seven calories per gram? That’s almost as much as fat!
• Bring a holiday dish to the party but prepare it using less fat and sugar.
• Don’t allow others to seduce you into eating or drinking more than you should. We don’t drink alcohol so when people try to offer us some we just tell them we can’t because we’re on medication. Works like a charm.
• Weigh yourself every morning (just through the holiday season). If you see you’re gaining weight, deal with it now! Watch your food choices, portions and increase your activity level.
• Look for opportunities over the holidays to be more active. For example, park your car farther away from the mall door so you’ll walk more.

Remember the holidays are meant to be fun, and depriving yourself of holiday treats will only make you miserable. Try these strategies instead. If you still outgrow your favorite jeans, just call us on January 1st.

Book Dan Polimino to speak at your next meeting or event today. For program information contact us at info@BookDan.com, visit www.BookDan.com or call 303-683-4795.

How To Ward Off Holiday Weight Gain, Part 1. By Dan & Jennifer Polimino. http://ping.fm/QHLtz

How To Ward Off Holiday Weight Gain, Part 1. By Dan & Jennifer Polimino.

The average American gains three to five pounds over the holidays, and to make matters worse studies show that those holiday pounds are rarely lost. In fact, most people put on an additional two to three pounds by year’s end. That’s around eight pounds in one year.

Let’s face it—holiday celebrations include seriously good food. So instead of depriving yourself, why not head into the holidays down a few pounds. Then if you gain some weight it won’t be such a big deal. Let’s say you’re comfortable at 175 pounds. Come January 180 might not feel so good, but what if you went into the holidays weighing 167 pounds? Now let’s say you gained five pounds due to a few splurges and indulgences. You might hit January at 172 pounds, but that’s still three pounds under your norm of 175!

Even though it’s already December it’s not too late to develop a good nutritional game plan for the holidays using this or any of a few other strategies we have up our sleeves. Below are the first five of 10 tips that will get you though the holidays feeling great, enjoying your favorite foods and still slipping into your favorite jeans come January.

1) Start exercising and eating right now. The average person following a good nutrition and exercise plan can lose up to two pounds per week. By Christmas, that’s six pounds.

2) Plan in advance how you’ll deal with parties and other potential pitfalls. Simply robbing yourself of your favorite foods isn’t going to work. Instead, try eating a small healthy meal before the party so you can sample your favorites without overindulging.

3) Drink adequate amounts of water before social events. Two to three glasses of water before eating will help you feel full.

4) Taste everything, but keep portions small.

5) In the buffet line fill your plate with fruits and vegetables first, leaving less space for the higher calorie foods.

Next week we’ll take a look at the final five tips to help you avoid holiday heftiness.

Book Dan Polimino to speak at your next meeting or event today. For program information contact us at info@BookDan.com, visit www.BookDan.com or call 303-683-4795.

Holidays Are Meant to Celebrate, Not Diet! By Dan & Jennifer Polimino. http://ping.fm/9p5cA

Holidays Are Meant to Celebrate, Not Diet! By Dan & Jennifer Polimino.

Thanksgiving is this week and here’s our advice if you’re worried about sticking to your diet: Relax and enjoy. When it comes to holidays, take a break from the nutrition plan and don’t beat yourself up if you have a piece of pie or too much candied yams.

Holidays are meant to be celebrated. That means family, friends, food and fun. Too many people obsess about what they eat and it ruins the fun not only for themselves, but for their family and friends too.  In our society food is part of the very fabric of socializing and the holidays, so if you try to avoid it you’ll be depriving yourself. And deprivation leads to bitterness, anger and feelings of loss. Is that how you want to feel about the holidays every time they roll around?

We think the six-and-one program is a much better idea. Here’s how it works: Stick to your healthy plan six days of the week and on the seventh day you can eat whatever you want—it’s your cheat day. The six days of good eating must include healthy non-processed foods, and you’ve got to have a good balance of wholesome carbohydrates, proteins and fats. But then if you want to start day seven with chocolate chip cookies and ice cream, go for it. It’s not going to hurt to get off the nutrition plan for one day. And no, you won’t gain weight from cheating one day a week.

So go ahead and enjoy Thanksgiving, Christmas, and even New Year’s. You’ll notice, however, we did not say it’s fine to fall off the wagon from Thanksgiving through New Year’s! A month and a half straight of holiday eating will pack on the pounds. One day a week will not.

Book Dan Polimino to speak at your next meeting or event today. For program information contact us at info@BookDan.com, visit www.BookDan.com or call 303-683-4795.

Help Us Help The Homeless Of Denver

For the past ten years I (Dan) and my wife Jennifer have been gathering bags full of clothes, food, and other necessities to give to the homeless. Right around this time of year we ask our clients, staff, business associates, friends and family to help us by donating items that we can pack into Christmas bags. Then on the first Saturday of December our family plus the staff from our two businesses go to the rescue mission in Denver to hand out the bags. This year we will again be giving to the homeless although we have changed our format somewhat. Instead of gathering items and giving out bags we decided to accept donations and turn that into MacDonald’s gift certificates. We want to see how many people we can feed this year giving each person a $10 gift certificate. We believe the homeless will be much happier with the gift of getting $10 dollars worth of food. If you want to donate as always I can provide you a donation receipt for your tax records which is deductible since we conduct this event through our 501c3 charity Agape Ranch, Inc. Please let me know if you would like to participate before December 4th. On December 5th will be visiting the homeless outside the rescue mission down town. Finally if you believe in this event and want to share the news with friends, colleagues or family please feel free to copy and paste this information into an email to pass along. Thank you for your consideration and generosity in the past we sincerely appreciate it.

Sincerely,

Dan Polimino

Drink Less, Weigh Less. By Dan & Jennifer Polimino.

Most people want to be in great shape, but when push comes to shove they have a hard time giving up their favorite foods. What if you gave up some of your favorite drinks instead? It’s not uncommon to add more than 2,000 calories to your daily diet with refreshments alone. Let take a look at a sample 24-hour period. Stay with us and you’re in for a big surprise.

It’s 8:00 a.m. and time for a glass of OJ (a typical 8-ounce glass equals 112 calories). Off to work you go and Starbucks calls your name on the way. You snag a 16-ounce Vanilla Bean Frappuccino Blended Crème for a total of 500 calories. Lunchtime rolls around an 8-ounce Arizona RX Energy Tea really hits the spot (120 calories). The all-too-common energy slump takes its toll while you’re on a 3:00 p.m. sales call, but never fear, Jamba Juice is here to provide a quick energy boost. You order a large Caribbean Passion smoothie for a whopping 580 calories. Following a terrific workout around 6:00 p.m., your body needs some nutrients for recovery so you down a 310-calorie chocolate protein shake. Finally, you and your main squeeze meet for dinner and a 6-ounce martini (408 calories) helps you pass the time while waiting for your table.

That’s a total of six beverages for the day, not out of the ordinary for the average person. But brace yourself for the grand total: 2,030 calories. Yikes!

Keep in mind that most people can maintain a healthy weight on around 2,000 calories, but that’s 2,000 food calories. Combining food with a sample day of drinks like this one gives you around 4,030 calories for the day! Unless you’re a really large person or training for triathlon you’ll be packing on pounds in a hurry with that kind of intake.

Take an honest look at your beverage habits and see if you can’t ditch at least some high-calorie blends. You’ll be amazed at how much easier it is to achieve your fitness goals.

Book Dan Polimino to speak at your next meeting or event today. For program information contact us at info@BookDan.com, visit www.BookDan.com or call 303-683-4795.

SuperFoods. By Dan & Jennifer Polimino.

Not all food is created equal. In fact, there are some foods that are simply awesome. In sports these foods would be considered “The Most Valuable Players” because they mean so much to the team and they do so many things well. Some foods we eat serve mainly one purpose, but these special foods satisfy more than one goal for healthy bodily function. For that reason we call them superfoods. What are they? Fruits and vegetables, fish and nuts.

Let’s take a look at fruits and vegetables first. This group not only provides needed carbohydrates to fuel your body, but they also contribute a terrific source of fiber for digestion and elimination. And if that’s not enough, fruits and veggies are also excellent sources of vitamins, minerals and phytochemicals. If you’re counting, that’s five benefits in one food. All these payoffs are important, but phytochemicals are exceptionally so. As the fruit’s internal immune system, they fight off bacteria, pests and other invaders that might try to kill the plant. When we eat the fruit, we reap the benefits of the plant’s immune system and those phytochemicals then do the same thing for us.

Fish is another multipurpose superfood. It serves as a terrific heart-healthy protein, and protein is what enables your body to build and repair muscle tissue. Omega-3 fatty acids in fish offer an additional advantage of helping to prevent abnormal blood clotting that can otherwise lead to strokes.

Nuts make the list because they contain protein, fiber, healthy fat, and vitamins and minerals. Some nuts have a higher fat content than others, but it’s a monounsaturated fat which helps lower bad cholesterol (LDL) while raising good cholesterol (HDL). Don’t go overboard, but some unsalted nuts like a hand full a day, are good for you.

These are just a few superfoods. To learn more about stocking your body with the best nature has to offer, contact us at GreatShapeUp.com.

Book Dan Polimino to speak at your next meeting or event today. For program information contact us at info@BookDan.com, visit www.BookDan.com or call 303-683-4795.

It’s All About The Pants. By Dan & Jennifer Polimino.

You’ve probably heard fitness experts say not to watch the scale when you’re trying to lose weight. And there’s a simple reason for that … it’s not giving you the whole story. A scale only tells you about weight lost and weight gained, but what type of weight you lost or gained is more important than the number.

During a weight-loss program you may lose fat; you may lose muscle; you may lose a combination of fat and muscle. The outcome depends on the kind of program you follow. Last month we wrote about restrictive diets that prompt weight loss through diet alone, no exercise. This type of calorie restriction over a long time period usually results in excessive muscle loss. With this kind of program you might step on the scale and see a lower number, but it could be more muscle loss than fat. This happens too often when you leave exercise out of the equation.

How your clothes fit is a much better indicator of fat loss than the scale. It really is all about the pants. Most of us carry fat around our midsection, and women often carry fat in their hips and thighs—all affecting how your pants feel. Lose fat and your pants feel looser. Period.

Let’s say you’ve followed a healthy nutrition and exercise plan for a month. The scale says no weight loss, but your pants fit a good two inches looser. That’s fat loss, not muscle. In fact, you probably gained muscle, which is why the scale doesn’t register a number difference.

No other article of clothing motivates people more than pants. Think about it. Try on your favorite pair of pants for a party, realize they’re too tight to wear, and not only are you bummed out but you start an exercise program the next day. Put on those same pair of pants after a month of diet and exercise and they fit loosely. Next thing you know there’s a smile on your face and spring in your step. It’s the power of pants.

Book Dan Polimino to speak at your next meeting or event today. For program information contact us at info@BookDan.com, visit www.BookDan.com or call 303-683-4795.