Author: AIPM

Have your New Year’s resolutions to maintain a healthy weight started out strong? Only to fizzle about now?

Get back on track with these points from the University of Houston Texas Obesity Research Center:

*Document the evidence.Write down what and how much you eat of everything. Writing things down helps you to stay in control and remember what you are eating and doing every day.

*Keep on moving.Get at least 30 minutes of physical activity every day. Daily physical activity significantly improves your body functioning, on a cellular level, and your body is better able to lose and avoid gaining weight.

*Preempt the tempt.Avoid situations where you are going to be hungry and at risk for making high-calorie choices. Eat a small snack every 3 hours. The snack should include some protein such as a small piece of reduced calorie cheese or a small handful of nuts.

*Tell a friend.Enlist the help and support of your friends and family. They may serve as a kind ear when you need to vent, or may have similar physical activity and eating goals as you.

*Busy hands.Keep your hands and mind busy. The key is to keep busy and not spend too much time thinking about eating. Try knitting, wood crafts or card games.

*Plan ahead.Anticipate and make a plan for what you will do in high-risk situations. Decide whether you are going to decline the chocolate pecan torte, have a bite or have a piece. If you decide to have a piece, plan in advance to eat a little less of something else.

*Talk yourself into it.You have talked yourself into plenty of things before, why should this be any different? Tell yourself you can do it. Every day, think to yourself, “I am doing great,” “I can stick to my plan,” “I am maintaining a healthy weight,” and “I can stay on track.”

*Practice relaxing.Stress is a prime cause of overeating. Prioritize time to reflect and relax every day.

*Keep it real.Don’t expect dramatic weight loss immediately-not a realistic goal. Stay on track, keep focused and make small sustainable steps toward your goal.

*Don’t despair.If you have fallen off the wagon, forgive yourself. And get back on again.

Anyone who has tried to quit smoking knows it doesn’t always happen on the first try. But what many smokers don’t realize is that they are not alone in their failed quit attempts. A quit attempt is defined as not smoking for at least one day with the intent of not starting again.

A survey from the American Lung Association (ALA) found that 6 out of 10 former smokers were not able to successfully quit on their first try and required many attempts to quit smoking for good.

“The American Lung Association wants every smoker to know that they are not alone in their unsuccessful quit attempts, and that with each quit attempt they become one step closer to becoming smoke-free,” said ALA National President and CEO, Harold P. Wimmer.

The ALA’s Quitter in You campaign (www.QuitterInYou.org) acknowledges that multiple quit attempts are normal and are necessary steps along the way to quitting for good.

The benefits of volunteering or helping other people seem to pay off for the giver and not necessarily the receiver.

Providing tangible help to others protects your health and may lengthen your life, according to a 5-year study by researchers at 3 universities.

The lead researcher Dr. Michael J. Poulin, assistant professor of psychology at the University of Buffalo, says, “Giving assistance to others may offer health benefits to the giver by buffering the negative effects of stress.” The study was published in the American Journal of Public Health.

Here’s why giving works. The study subjects were people from Detroit. They told researchers they had experienced stressful events during the past year such as serious illness, burglary, job loss, financial troubles, or death of a family member. They also reported the amount of time they had spent in the past year helping friends, neighbors or relatives who did not live with them. They did errands, shopping and housework. They also provided transportation, child care and other tasks.

The researchers concluded that helping others reduced the risk of illness and death by protecting the givers, even though they themselves had significant life stress. The social interaction was an important factor.