Top 5 Things Needed for Healthy Weight

These are the top 5 things you need for healthy weight management and surviving the stress of the holidays. Almost everyone I know gets at least a little moody as December approaches and the New Year brings self-reflection to new heights.

1) SLEEP -- Getting regular and good amounts of sleep is important for the body to repair, unwind, and regulate its hormones and other functions. If you're having trouble sleeping, you should check out my blog post on getting better sleep. If these strategies aren't enough because you're too wired, consider supplementing with L-tryptophan, a natural amino acid in combination with other vitamins to encourage your body to sleep well.

2) STRESS MANAGEMENT -- Do you meditate? Do you practice deep breathing or belly breaths? Are you going through tough times like a divorce or death of a loved one? Perhaps you need to get help from a support group, a coach, or therapist, in addition to scheduling some down-time to take care of you, rather than the usual workaholic schedule? A yoga class with meditation component, or a meditation class, or a web-based meditation video or self-study course can help you! Other ideas: Call a reliable supportive old-time friend. Play with a friend's dog or kid and exercise being "fully present."

3) NUTRITION -- Are you eating nutrient-dense low-glycemic meals and snacks? If you don't know what that means, do a keyword search on this blog and you'll find some good recipes. If you're overweight, and possibly insulin-resistant, that occasional donut might do you more harm than you think.

4) EXERCISE -- Cardio exercise is important but NOT enough for weight loss. You need to include flexibility training to protect your joints and allow for stress relief. But most importantly, STRENGTH TRAINING builds muscle so that you can BOOST YOUR METABOLISM. If you contact us with your request, we'll send you links to some FREE mini-videos of sample exercises you can incorporate into your routine.

5) SUPPLEMENTATION -- It is nearly impossible to eat all the nutrition we need for our high-functioning, demanding modern life. Minimally, you need a good multivitamin that you absorb, omega-3 for mental function and heart health, calcium+magnesium+D supplement. If you have been overweight for a while, have had any heart risks/episodes, or family history of heart issues, diabetes, cancer or other diseases, you will want a more focused individualized approach to address your wellness concerns.

If you want to find out more about healthy science-based weight management, you can read more about the Transitions Lifestyle System and contact us for individual or group holistic health coaching.