Posts Tagged ‘Halloween’
Thursday, October 28th, 2010
Hi GBI Team,
Happy Halloween! We thought we’d share some tips and tools to help everyone stay motivated and healthy this Halloween weekend. Since the holiday season is fast approaching, these guidelines can help you all season long.
1. Instead of buying your favorite Halloween candy to hand out to the neighborhood kids, pick something that you don’t normally crave. This will help you steer clear of the candy bowl pre- and post-Halloween!
2. Hand out dark chocolate instead of milk chocolate. Dark chocolate can actually benefit your cardiovascular system, assist in lowering blood presser and cholesterol levels when eaten in moderation. Check out additional benefits of dark chocolate here.
3. Hand out pretzels instead of traditional candy filled with sugar. Pretzels can be helpful in losing weight because are low in calories and they are a tasty treat many children enjoy. Pretzels are also low in saturated and total fat.
4. Be creative and hand out stickers, tattoos, Halloween pencils, Playdough, mini-notepads and even fun spider rings instead of candy. Think outside the box this Halloween!
5. Try not to buy your Halloween candy too far in advance. Instead, buy candy as close to Halloween as possible so you don’t dip into the stash.
6. On Halloween evening, share a nourishing meal with your kids before heading out to trick-or-treat. This will help any late night candy temptations.
7. Clip on your pedometer before you go out with your kids to trick-or-treat. You’ll be surprised how long of a distance you travel on Halloween night in your neighborhood. Be proud when you return home and have incorporated exercise into your Halloween evening!
8. Try making some pumpkin seeds as a healthy treat for your family – they are a good source of zinc and unsaturated fatty acids.
We hope these simple, fun tips help keep you on track this Halloween. If you incorporate any of these tips be sure to share them with us on our blog post-Halloween. We’ll see everyone on Halloween Day for our long-run training!
Spook you later,
Your GBI Team
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Tags: Gastric Band Institute of Las Vegas, Half Marathon Training, Halloween, Las Vegas Half Marathon, Las Vegas Marathon, Las Vegas Rock n' Roll Marathon, Marathon Training Tips
Posted in Half Marathon Training, Nutrition, Physical Activity, Rock n' Roll Las Vegas Marathon |
Friday, November 6th, 2009
“Running is the greatest metaphor for life because you get out of it what you put into it.”
- Oprah Winfrey
For months Team GBI has put forth amazing training efforts that include stretching, cross training, cardio training and distance training. Go Team GBI! However, today I’d like to remind everyone that what you put into your training also includes what you do on your rest days. Rest days are important in order to allow our muscles to relax and rejuvenate as injury is the #1 mistake of beginning marathon runners. Remember that our muscles are resting on these days but our nutritional habits should remain consistent.
The brain is a powerful thing which can help or sometimes hinder us. For some of us when we hear the word “rest” we think “take a break” and sometimes this includes a break from being focused on what you are eating. Keep in mind that rest days are not meant to be rest days with food. You may even need to focus more on nutrition during rest days because while your body is not exercising, beta endorphins are not being produced. The production of beta endorphins causes the “feel good” rush you have after exercise. Another reason you may need additional nutritional focus on rest days is that you may have more down time during rest days. This can create an environment for possible snacking. Remember that mental stamina is an essential part of training.
What to do during rest days:
1. Stay mentally focused by reading motivational books, taking the time to do a meditation, journal your training progress or stretch.
2. If you have injuries or sore muscles do light swimming, biking or stretching. Keeping the body in motion may alleviate the soreness. Remember to be mindful not to overdo it.
3. Continue to stay focused on hydrating yourself and eating foods that will support your goals like complex carbohydrates and healthy proteins. Remember, what you eat on rest days will affect how you run the next day. A perfect example may be our last long run on Sunday. It was our smallest turn out since we started training. Halloween was the day before. I trained that day but I have to say that was the hardest training day for me since we started the training. I ate more candy on Saturday than I usually do which I know affected my run on Sunday.
It’s all about awareness and making choices that will support your intentions as well as creating an environment for enjoying the process of training. Let’s keep up our good work and give it all we’ve got!
Happy and Healthy Running,
Prudence
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Tags: bariatric patient, Bariatric Surgeons, Gastric Band, Gastric Band Institute of Las Vegas, Gastric bypass, Half Marathon Training, Halloween, lap band, lap band surgery, las vegas, Las Vegas Half Marathon, Las Vegas Marathon, Las Vegas Rock n' Roll Marathon, Las Vegas Weight Loss Doctors, Marathon Training Tips, Oprah, rest days, simple carbohydrates, team fitness, Weight Loss Surgery
Posted in Gastric Band, Gastric Sleeve, Gastric bypass, Half Marathon Training, Rock n' Roll Las Vegas Marathon, Weight Loss Support, Weight Loss Surgery |
Wednesday, October 28th, 2009
Halloween marks the first major event of the year’s holiday season. This Halloween let’s remember to be mindful of our holiday celebration customs in relation to our training. With the carnivals, office potlucks and trick-or-treating, comes candy. Many of you may be wondering if candy is totally off limits this year or will hinder your training. You may be thinking, “How can Halloween pass me by without one bite of a delicious chocolate treat?”
Remember, Halloween or not, candy is not off limits. You can have 1 oz. of candy 3 times per day with your meals, if you choose to. This holds true throughout the year, but we need to be more aware of our choices around the holidays. Often when we think of Halloween (or any holiday) as a once a year opportunity or as a special occasion, I find that it gives us permission to overdo it. Keep in mind, Halloween is not just about the candy. Instead of focusing on treats alone, get caught up in the fun of decorating your house or office, buying and carving pumpkins and eating pumpkin seeds (One serving of pumpkin seeds has 20 grams of protein). If you usually enjoy giving out candy at your desk, hand out plastic spider rings instead. Center your celebration around dressing up or creating a new costume. After all, dressing up in a goofy or scary costume really IS a once a year opportunity!
Now, you may wonder, “Do the simple sugars in candy hinder our trainings?” If you want to save your candy for our long run, you can use candy instead of using your gels, sports beans, etc. However, be mindful of whether or not this really allows you to enjoy the treat. “Simple sugar” means that the sugar breaks down faster into your blood stream. In regards to your body, simple sugars tend to make you feel tired, slow, sluggish – I think you get the point. For training you want to focus on complex carbohydrates, which I discussed last week, to stay alert and energized.
Remember we are walking/running 8 miles the day after Halloween - I know you guys want to feel your best! Enjoy your Halloween candy but don’t go over 1 oz at any meal you choose.
Happy Halloween and Happy Training,
Prudence
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Tags: bariatric patient, Bariatric Surgeons, candy and exercise, carbohydrates, complex carbohydrates, Gastric Band, Gastric Band Institute of Las Vegas, Gastric bypass, Half Marathon Training, Halloween, holiday season eating, holiday season exercise, lap band, lap band surgery, las vegas, Las Vegas Half Marathon, Las Vegas Marathon, Las Vegas Rock n' Roll Marathon, Las Vegas Weight Loss Doctors, Marathon Training Tips, simple carbohydrates, simple sugars, team fitness, Weight Loss Surgeons, Weight Loss Surgery
Posted in Eating, Gastric Band, Gastric Band Institute Events, Gastric Sleeve, Gastric bypass, Half Marathon Training, Las Vegas Weight Loss Surgeons, Rock n' Roll Las Vegas Marathon, Weight Loss Support, Weight Loss Surgery, lap band |
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