Enjoy Holiday Eating ~ Without Gaining Weight

Tips for Healthy Holiday Eating
When the holidays arrive, many people forget all about their diets and healthy eating. Weight gains of 5 – 12 pounds are common between Halloween and Christmas.  To make the holidays easier, these tips will help you enjoy all the treats of the holidays by maintaining healthy eating and lifestyle habits throughout the holiday season and beyond.

Moderation is the Key

Most traditional foods can be made low fat.  However, in reality,  during this time most foods are prepared with an extremely high fat content.  For example - turkey is very lean without the skin, and gravy can be made without fat.  Potatoes that are served without butter and gravy  are very healthy.  The beloved pumpkin pie is nutritious, although it can be made into a fatty dessert by adding whipped cream.  I dare to say that most of us live in the world of ‘high-fat, high-calorie’ holiday meals.    Rather than give up your favorite treats (even with the added fat and calories),   have them in sensible amounts.  Portion control is a major factor in healthy eating as well as weight control. Check serving sizes and calorie counts on packages to avoid eating more than you should.  Remember, everything in moderation and portion control.

Don’t Forget Exercise

Even though the holidays are here, don't forget about exercise. You can keep weight off during the holiday season by staying active and burning off extra calories.  And please understand, exercise does not have to be some formal program or some gym membership, it can be very simple.   You should plan a walk after meals,   this is great time to un-wind while saying good-bye to those extra calories;  take the stairs at work, park a bit farther from stores when you shop (consider safety when shopping at night and always be aware of your surrounding), and take a few walks around the mall before you begin shopping. 

Plan Ahead

Plan ahead so you can enjoy the holidays with less stress, more energy, and a great mood. During holiday parties and at family dinners, feel free to sample foods although you shouldn't splurge.  Decide on what you plan to eat in advance, then stick to your plan.  Eat plenty of vegetables, fruit, low fat dressings, and slices of lean meats.  Before you go to a party,  eat a small snack to help curb your appetite.

Remember to have alcohol in moderation.  Having too many drinks can cripple your will power, and also add excess calories to your diet.  In the place of alcohol, drink water with lemon. Water can help to limit your appetite and keep you from binging.  Also make sure to avoid or limit  eggnog, as each glass can have up to 300 calories.

Be flexible with your holiday eating, one extreme meal won't ruin your diet, just don't remain off-tract for too long.  Try to balance your calories over a few days and don't let that one extreme meal set you back. 

Plan ahead, eat well, stay flexible, stay active and enjoy the holidays in good health.

Follow this link to create your own Weight Loss/ Weight Management Plan  ~ Eat to Live Don' Live to Eat

Enjoy the Holidays ~~

Miss Julia

JuliaGrayOnLine.com

SURVIVING MENOPAUSE (Who Turned Up the Heat?) Part 3 ~ Practical Ways to Help Your Symptoms

In this article we will discuss ways other than hormone treatment that can help your menopausal symptoms.

OTHER WAYS TO HELP YOUR SYMPTOMS

• Hot Flashes ~ A hot environment, eating or drinking hot or spicy foods, alcohol, or caffeine, and stress can bring on hot flashes. Try to avoid these triggers. Dress in layers and keep a fan in your home or workplace. Regular exercise might also bring relief from hot flashes and other symptoms. Ask your doctor about taking an antidepressant medicine. There is proof that these medicines can be helpful for some women.

• Vaginal Dryness. Use an over-the-counter vaginal lubricant. There are also prescription estrogen replacement creams that your doctor might give you. If you have spotting or bleeding while using estrogen creams, you should see your doctor.

• Problems Sleeping~ One of the best ways to get a good night's sleep is to get at least 30 minutes of physical activity on most days of the week however, avoid a lot of exercise close to bedtime. Also avoid alcohol, caffeine, large meals, and working right before bedtime. You might want to drink something warm, such as herb tea or warm milk. Try to keep your bedroom at a comfortable temperature. Avoid napping during the day and try to go to bed and get up at the same times every day. Natural sleep aids are also available.

• Memory Problems~ Ask your doctor about mental exercises you can do to improve your memory. Try to get enough sleep and be physically active.

• Mood Swings~ Try to get enough sleep and be physically active. Ask your doctor about relaxation exercises you can do. Ask your doctor about taking an antidepressant medicine. There is proof that these can be helpful. Think about going to a support group for women who are going through the same things as you, or consider counseling to talk through your problems and fears. Share with a trusted friend.

These practical methods along with the help and advise of your health care professional should help you through this time.

Stay tuned for Part 4 ~ Healthy Living During Menopause

Part 1 -"What's it All About Anyway"

Part 2- "Treatments for Menopause"

Part 3- "Practical Ways to Help your Symptoms"

Part 4 ~ "Healthy Living During Menopause"

To your Continued Health and Success

Miss Julia

juliagrayonline.com

Menopause Symptoms and Memory Loss

While you may experience the misery of hot flashes and mood swings as you enter menopause, one thing you can't blame on the "change" is memory loss.

In the latest study that exonerates menopause as a cause of impairing the ability to recall, Taiwanese researchers compared the memory of hundreds of women before they had any menopausal symptoms to their memory as they entered menopause.

They found the women who were going through the menopausal process scored as well or nearly as well on five different cognitive function tests. Results of the study are to be presented Oct. 4 at the American Neurological Association annual meeting in Toronto.

"When women go into peri-menopause, they don't need to worry about cognitive decline," said Dr. Jong-Ling Fuh, an attending physician at Taipei Veterans General Hospital and an associate professor of Yang-Ming University School of Medicine.

The researchers said the myth of memory loss during menopause is a perception some women have because as they went through menopause, they felt their memory wasn't as sharp as it had been before. Studies suggesting that hormone replacement therapy might protect against dementia strengthened that belief. However, a large study later found that in older women, hormone replacement therapy not only didn't help protect women from dementia, but could actually increase the risk.

To try to answer the question of whether menopause did have any effect on memory, Fuh and her colleagues studied nearly 700 pre-menopausal women living on a group of rural islands between Taiwan and China. The Taiwanese government restricted access to these islands until the 1990s, so the authors report that the study's population was nearly homogeneous, which would help rule out other potentially causative factors of memory loss.

The women were between the ages of 40 and 54. None of them had had a hysterectomy, and none took hormone replacement therapy during the study.

All took five cognitive tests designed to assess their memory and cognitive skills at the start of the study, and then again 18 months later.

During the study period, 23 percent of the women began to have symptoms of menopause.

The researchers then compared the memory of the women who had entered menopause to those who had not, and found very little difference. In four of the five tests, there were no statistically significant differences in the two groups of women.

Only on one test was the difference statistically significant, and that difference, said Fuh, was very slight. This test was designed to assess verbal memory and involved showing the women 70 nonsensical figures. Some of the figures were repeated during the test, while most were not. The women were asked whether they had seen the figure earlier.

"For women, menopause does not mean you'll develop memory loss," said Dr. Raina Ernstoff, an attending neurologist at William Beaumont Hospital in Royal Oak, Mich. As you're going through peri-menopause and experiencing symptoms like hot flashes, she said, you may feel lousy and have trouble sleeping, which might temporarily affect your cognitive skills.

"I don't think declining estrogen levels are what causes memory loss," said Dr. Steven Goldstein, an obstetrician/gynecologist at New York University Medical Center in New York City. "It's not like your memory is bopping along, doing fine and then takes this big dive during menopause, like bone density can."

Both Ernstoff and Goldstein said they weren't aware of many women who believed that menopause might cause significant memory loss. They also both felt that results from this group of women who were so homogeneous might not apply to different groups of women, such as those living in more industrialized society. And they both said that other factors that weren't studied could play a role in memory loss, such as hypertension, which can contribute to vascular dementia.

Ernstoff also pointed out that the education backgrounds can play a large role in memory loss. Fuh acknowledged the researchers did attempt to control the data for educational differences.

SOURCES: Jong-Ling Fuh, M.D., attending physician, Taipei Veterans General Hospital, and associate professor, Yang-Ming University School of Medicine, Taipei, Taiwan; Steven Goldstein, M.D., obstetrician/gynecologist, New York University Medical Center, and professor, obstetrics/gynecology, New York University School of Medicine, New York City; Raina Ernstoff, M.D., attending neurologist, William Beaumont Hospital, Royal Oak, Mich., and member, Alzheimer's Board of Detroit; Oct. 4, 2004, presentation, American Neurological Association, Toronto.


To Your Continued Health and Success!
Miss Julia



For more information visit: http://yournewlifeat50.com

SURVIVING MENOPAUSE (Who Turned Up the Heat?) Part 1 ~ What's it all about Anyway?

Menopause ~ The Change of Life. Consulting with your physician, educating yourself and staying informed are the best ways to help you through this time. This 4 part series will help y0u understand what is going on, how to understand the symptoms, what treatments are available (both hormonal and natural) and finally, how to survive and get through this very significant 'period' (no pun intended) in our lives.

WHAT'S IT ALL ABOUT ANYWAY?
Changes and Symptoms
Menopause is a normal change in your life (when your period/menstrual cycle stops). This is why this stage is called "the change of life."

During menopause your body will make less of the hormones estrogen and progesterone. This generally happens between the ages of 45 and 55. You may know that you have reached menopause when you have not had a menstrual cycle for 12 consecutive months (providing there are no other reasons for this change).

As you near menopause your body may start to exhibit symptoms from hormonal changes. The majority of these symptoms are normal. Unless you have other underlying health issues, most of these symptoms are natural and normal. However always consult with your physician if things don't feel 'quite right'.

SYMPTOMS OF MENOPAUSE ~ Every women's period/menstrual cycle will stop at menopause. Some women may not have any other symptoms. However, other women may experience any, all or a combination of the following symptoms:

• Changes in your period/menstrual cycle ~ the time between periods and the flow from month to month may be different.
• Spotting or Abnormal Bleeding ~ while this is a common occurrence during menopause, if you have not had a period in 12 months and you experience "spotting" you should report this to your doctor to rule out other significant conditions such as cancer.
• Hot Flashes ~ This is the sensation of getting warm in the face, neck and/or chest.
• Night Sweats and sleeping problems may lead to feeling tired, stressed or tense.
• Vaginal Changes ~ The vagina may become dry and thin, this may cause sex and vaginal exams to be more painful. You also may develop more vaginal infections.
• Thinning of your bones (also known as Osteoporosis) may lead to loss of height and bone fractures.
• Mood Changes ~ mood swings may include depression and irritability.
• Urinary Problems ~ such as leaking, burning or pain when urinating, or leaking when sneezing, coughing, or laughing.
• Problems with concentration or memory.
• Less interest in sex and changes in sexual response.
• Weight gain or increase in body fat around your waist.
• Hair thinning or loss.

Remember, you may have one or a combination of these symptoms. However, the one all of us will have is YOUR PERIOD WILL STOP!!!!! Stay tuned for Part 2 ~ Treatments for Menopause (Hormonal and Natural).

To Your Continued Health and Success,
Miss Julia

JuliaGrayOnLine.com