The month of February is American Heart month and there is no question that the outlook regarding heart disease is a hopeful one. Everyday scientists are discovering more about prevention and cures for some types of heart disease. But there is always more to learn. The Shane Diet & Fitness Resorts team cares about you and your health, so here are some discoveries to keep in mind.

People of any age may have diseases of the heart or blood vessels. As a matter of fact, doctors are finding more cases of heart disease in people in their early 20’s. They say this is because of reduced exercise and increased weight of American kids. Since being overweight is a general health hazard, losing even 5-10 pounds is a way to protect your health. The American Heart Association recommends a nutritionally sound, low fat, reduced calorie, and balanced diet – Just like the meal plans we have at Shane Diet & Fitness Resorts and the recipes found in our new cookbook, Meal Simple – The Camp Shane Cookbook.

High Blood Pressure is one of the most important risk factors in stroke. If you have high blood pressure, give your heart a Valentine’s Day present – an at home blood pressure (BP) monitor and use it regularly. Why? Because BP readings can vary throughout the day based on your diet, mood and the amount of exercise. But monitoring your BP regularly and reporting your readings to your Health Care Provider can offer a window on your heart health. It can also help with adjusting medication to the right dosage.

To get a reliable reading The Heart Association recommends using an automatic cuff-style, bicep (upper arm) BP monitor. Have your health Care Provider double check it to make sure it is working properly and that you know how to get a good reading. Refrain from smoking, avoid caffeine or exercise for 30 minutes prior to testing, and do it at the same time every day.

Adding spices to your meals can hike your metabolism and improve the old ticker! Penn State University Researchers served identical high-fat meals to two groups of volunteers. They added a mix of spices – including rosemary, oregano, turmeric and cinnamon – to meals served to one of the groups. The study discovered that the volunteers eating the spicy meals saw readings of triglycerides and insulin that were 31% and 21% lower, respectively, than those of the group that ate the blander offering. The researchers suspect that the antioxidants in the spices are responsible.

Make a play list of all your favorite songs and get up and move to them. You don’t have to over think how to exercise, just move. Did you know you use 300 muscles just standing still? So move the furniture back in the living room and dance to the songs that inspire you. It will lift you spirits, burn some calories and strengthen your heart. Better yet, grab a partner and dance a few songs together. Having a buddy to encourage you and support you is very important.

Most of all you need to invest in yourself. You need to believe in yourself. You can transform your life; you just need some help to show you how. Learn – Laugh – Lose! It really can be that easy. Shane Diet & Fitness Resorts can be the safe supportive program with people who are your advocates, who will cheer you toward change. You are worth the life you long to live. You are capable of bringing it to pass. It is time for you to bet on yourself to win!

Happy Valentine’s Day.

Question: What has a major impact on weight reduction, better cholesterol levels, lower blood pressure, improved blood sugar control, stronger bones, a healthier heart, and more?

Answer: Exercise, pure and simple.

If that weren’t enough for you to slide on your sneakers, here are some more reasons to get moving, get healthy and lose weight. Every month new studies appear listing more benefits. Here is a sample of some discoveries during 2012.

• Arthritis: Aerobic and aquatic exercises reduce the disability of osteoarthritis in the knees and other forms of arthritis. The study form Annals of Internal Medicine also showed that strength training reduces pain and improves function. Adherence to an exercise program was the key to its success.
• Brain Health: According to a study published in Neurology, older people who are more physically active experience less brain shrinkage (linked to cognitive decline and dementia) then their sedentary counterparts. MRI’s revealed that participating in mental or social activities did not affect brain size.
• Breast Cancer: A large study from the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill reported that women who exercise regularly (both in the past and present), had a reduced risk of developing the disease. Maintaining a healthy weight is also essential, the study found. Weight gain, especially after menopause, nearly wiped out the exercise benefits, so it is important to work out and eat right on a regular basis.
• Dementia: A multi-nation European study reported in the journal Stroke, found that exercise was associated with a 40% reduction in the risk of cognitive impairment and a 60% decrease in vascular-related dementia (such as those resulting from a stroke).
• Fatigue from Cancer: A study involving people with breast or prostate cancer confirmed that exercise like brisk walking or cycling can help reduce fatigue related to cancer and its treatments. This was a review of 56 different studies by the Cochrane Collaboration.
• Longevity: Analysis from the National Cancer Institute in PLOS Medicine used data from 650,000 people in six long-term studies and found that physical activity can add years to people’s lives. Those who exercised moderately (like walking briskly 150 minutes per week) lived about 4 years longer than their sedentary counterparts. Even those who did modest amounts 975 minutes of walking per week) lived about 2 years longer and the benefits were seen in everyone from obese to thin.
• Sense of Well-Being: Two studies from Penn State, published in Health Psychology reported that participants who increased their usual daily exercise by even modest amounts, reported a greater sense of satisfaction with life and positive attitude.

So log off your computer and get moving! Not sure where to start? Search the Shane Diet & Fitness Resorts web site for fitness ideas, or come to one of our resorts to become inspired and to get a jump start on losing weight and getting healthy!

Hey everyone, I am writing my first Shane Diet & Fitness entry of the fall addressed to all guests of the past. Whether you were with us this season, last season or any prior seasons, I’d like to re-emphasize your journey.

For those of you who have been home for some time, you know it can be hard to translate an exercise routine from a structured program like ours to your home life. Well, I would like to remind you that it is never to late to start fresh. If things did not work out quite as planned upon your return home, ask yourself why. What was it that really made it hard? What can you take away as a learning experience from previous attempts at weight loss?

If there is one thing that I know about this, it is that there is no such thing as failure if something can be learned from the experience. Let’s face it, we can always learn something from our mistakes of the past, we just have to look deep. For those of you who may have fallen off the fitness wagon, I challenge you to think about those mistakes of the past and take what you can out of them to make you ahappier and healthier person moving forward. Then, I would like you to use this information to dust yourself off, get back up and get back in the game.

When you joined us, you made a promise to yourself to meet a goal, to get from A to B. We want to help you keep that promise to yourself.

So here I am calling everyone out. Have you been staying true to that promise? It’s ok to be honest with yourself. If you’re one that has been successful at home or that has not been home long enough to know, use these thoughts to prepare you for possible hard times in the future. However, if the transition has not gone as planned, let’s address this. Even if you transitioned smoothly but fell off the wagon recently, how can you change direction and start moving forward again? To better help you at home, we would like to provide you with some tools. The Shane Team and I will be posting regular fitness blogs with topics relevant to fitness, healthy living and motivation. We will also be posting fitness challenges, exercises, inspirational thoughts and quotes. I plan on increasing my own physical fitness over this next year starting with my marathon at the end of this month and continuing afterward. I invite all of you to join me by increasing your own fitness. If you were with us before, it is not too late to dust off the old exercise program, and get started again. Tomorrow is a good day to also start that healthy eating plan , to start incorporating more movement in your day and to build positive thinking into your life.

For those who have not been with us before, visit us at www.shanedietresorts.com and check out our new website. With our new Texas location opening next month, we are available to change your life for the better, year round.

Everywhere we go there is food. Our environment has a tremendous effect on when we eat and what we choose to eat. It is crucial to become aware of your own triggers to eating, other than true hunger, and exploring methods in which to manage them to achieve healthy patterns.

It is equally important to become aware of and control the portion size of meals and snacks. It is helpful to learn what serving sizes are and to select appropriate portion sizes. Eating mindfully incorporates measuring foods (using measuring cups, spoons and a food scale) which trains the eye to learn what healthy serving sizes look like. Most people greatly underestimate the volume of food that they consume. As a matter of fact, reports show that people often eat almost twice as many calories as they think they do.

It is a critical component of weight loss to eat smaller portions of food. Restaurants often serve 2-5 times the recommended portion size and Americans have grown accustomed to what this volume looks like. This “super-sized” portion has become the new norm. By decreasing the size of meals consumed, the stomach will shrink and adapt over time. This smaller amount of food will lead to satiety.

Remember it is one meal at a time. You can do it!

Most baked goods are often high in fat and sugar. Muffins, often assumed as a healthier choice, can even sometimes be a “cupcake” in disguise. You may think it’s impossible to create a lower calorie, healthier baked good that is just as tasty as the original.

Try these simple swaps the next time you’re baking.

The most common excuse I hear about why someone isn’t eating healthy is: “I don’t have time to eat healthy” (of course, there is always the “healthy foods taste like cardboard” excuse, but that’s an entirely different subject).  So why don’t people have time to eat healthy? School, work, and family are the most common healthy-eating deterrents.  However, a busy schedule doesn’t have to mean fatty, high sodium, processed foods.  It can be just as simple to eat healthy on a busy schedule as to eat unhealthy.  It takes the same amount of effort to order a salad than it does a slice of pizza and it takes even less effort to grab an apple than it does to heat up a pop-tart.

So when you wake up tomorrow morning think to yourself: “My eating yesterday didn’t make me feel very healthy. Today I want to make a healthy change.” It is as simple as that. When you start your day with a healthy mindset, making healthy decisions will easily follow.

The first meal of the day is the most important. Breakfast will give you the energy you need to stay on track all day, not to mention that when you start your day with a good food choice you are more likely to make better choices throughout the day.  We all know what a good choice is: oatmeal and other whole grains, fruit, eggs, veggies, and other natural choices.  If you don’t have time in the morning, prep the night before. A good breakfast is an essential part of a healthy day.  Before you leave the house, grab a few pieces of fruit, maybe some nuts or trail mix to have with you as snacks throughout the day.

So this is where the hard part starts; lunch out with friends, family or coworkers.  Whether you order out, eat out or dine in there is always a healthy option, even if it doesn’t seem like there is.  Half the battle in making a healthy decision is knowing what a healthy choice is, such as watch out for heavy dressing, added sodium and highly processed foods. Instead, stick with a protein source, a vegetable and a whole grain.  The other half of making a healthy food choice is having a healthy mindset. “I want to be the best I can be and feed my body what it deserves.”  With that mindset and the knowledge you already have, you are ready to make healthy choices every day.

At Shane Diet & Fitness Resorts, our fitness, nutrition and behavior change coaching classes can assist you in making those healthy food choices, and exploring your old bad habits and creating new ones.   Once you leave our program you will feel confident, look great, have more energy, and have a stronger and healthier mindset!  When you are good to your body, it will be good to you in return.

Each year, I witness the same thing at the gyms; and influx of people signing up for memberships during the month of January and February. These individuals are armed with their New Year’s Resolutions and ready to workout.  They go nice and strong for about a month or two and then suddenly they start to drop off.  I know people who pay for a gym membership but only use it 4 times a year! Why does this occur? These people have all the right intentions, but they don’t have concrete goals.

This January, Shane Diet & Fitness Resorts is running a New Year’s session just in time to help with those fitness and weight goals. With all the latest in fitness classes, nutrition education and cooking classes and behavior change group coaching, we are the perfect way to kick start your new healthy lifestyle.  If you are not able to join us in the New Year, I have put together a short list that will hopefully not only help you set your goals, but also help you stick to them.

Short and long term goals- You may want to lose 50 pounds, but we have to look at the smaller, more attainable number first.  Set smaller goals, say 5 or 10 pounds to start, and each time you achieve it you will feel much more rewarded as you will be achieving your goals right from the start.

Non-weight loss goals- Setting goals that are easily achieved will help keep you motivated and happy. Try something that you have never done before, Zumba, Yoga or maybe Kick boxing. Make the goal not only to try a class, but put a time frame on it to try a class by the end of the month… and then keep going!

Make your goals more specific- Instead of “take a yoga class,” try “take yoga by January 5^th.” Instead of “do some strength training,” try “hire personal trainer for three sessions to teach me strength training.”  The more specific you are about the goal, the more likely you are to do it and the easier it is to track your results.

Some is better than none- Are you the type of person who is of “All or Nothing” attitude?  This is a great time to try and alter that way of thinking. Everyone has an off day.  Even if you can only get to the gym to squeak out a simple 2 mile run or a ½ on the elliptical, it’s better than doing nothing at all. Just pick up your routine tomorrow, without punishing yourself.

Tell everyone- Do you have a hard time holding yourself accountable?  When you set your fitness goals, tell your friends and family.  Social media such as Facebook is a great way to announce what your goals are and your friends will be there to cheer you on. Maybe you can inspire your friends and acquire a workout buddy!

Make an appointment- write your exercise time into your calendar on your phone or computer, and DON’T double book the appointment. This is your time to get healthy and fit!

Reward yourself- Don’t punish yourself for goals you didn’t achieve, rather reward yourself for the goals you DID achieve.  Be careful here, don’t reward yourself with food! Look towards your long term goals for reward ideas such as a new clothing for the new wardrobe you will have to buy after you lose the 50 pounds, or a manicure/pedicure to relax your tired feet from all the running on the treadmill you have been doing.

Try to be as organized as you can when planning you fitness schedule and don’t feel funny about asking a trainer at your local gym for help. The more knowledge your have, the more armed for success you are.  Happy New Year!

Nutritious eating is key to your healthy lifestyle. The key foundation to any healthy diet is moderation.

Many “dieters” believe that pizza is off limits when trying to lose weight. That’s why diets don’t work. Try not to think of food as being “off-limits”.  The second you decide certain foods are off limits, it becomes natural to crave them more.

Think smaller portions. Start small and think about serving sizes in realistic terms. Restaurants typically have 2-3 servings on one plate, which can lead to overeating and weight gain. Split an entrée with someone and order a salad with it. At home, try using smaller plates to encourage a healthy portion for weight loss.

Growing up, my family usually ordered pizza on Friday nights.  Many people on a weight loss diet view foods like pizza as “cheating.” No food should be viewed as cheating because after eating it, a feeling of guilt will occur. You can still enjoy pizza without feeling the guilt.

Tip #1: Enjoy your pizza with a side salad.

Tip #2: Cut your piece of pizza in half. Now you have two pieces to enjoy.

Tip #3: Skip the extra cheese and meat for toppings and swap for vegetables.

Tip #4: If the pizza place offers a whole-wheat crust, choose that.

Tip #5: Try thin crust pizza.

We all know how difficult it can be some days to get the daily recommended amount of vegetables in your weight loss diet.  There are little tricks to sneak in vegetables for your healthy lifestyle and you won’t even realize you are eating them.

Regardless of the season, smoothies are a delicious treat. When ordering a fruit smoothie out, it can be loaded with sugar, fruit juices, ice cream, and often times no real fruit. It can be misleading when you think you are picking a healthier option for weight loss success. For example a popular smoothie chain has a flavor of banana berry flavor which racks up 560 calories and 115 grams of sugar.

By making one at home you can control what goes in and can also sneak in some vegetables with it. Would you ever think that spinach could go into a fruit smoothie? Most people automatically crinkle their nose and question it. Spinach in a smoothie? It may sound like a strange ingredient, but you cannot even taste it and you are able to get a serving of vegetables in for the day. It gives the benefits of nutrition, plus it turns your smoothie into a pretty green color!

Banana Berry Smoothie
(serves 2)

• 1 banana
• ½ cup strawberries
• ½ cup blueberries
• ½ cup low fat vanilla yogurt
• 2 cups of spinach
• 1 cup water
• 1 cup of ice

Combine the banana, strawberries, blueberries, yogurt and water in the blender. Blend until smooth. Then add in the spinach and blend again until smooth. Add ice and blend and then serve.

Each serving is only 152 calories. It’s a perfect treat for any occasion! Fruit smoothies are so versatile you can create your perfect smoothie with your favorite fruit combinations. Try combining some of your own favorite fruits and veggies to see what you like best and feel free to share your new recipes with us here!

Do you ever find yourself eating when you’re not even hungry? Do you need to have a snack at the movies or while watching television? If you said yes to both of these questions, you may be in the habit of overeating. It’s a bad habit, but the good news is, any bad habit can be broken! This was the topic of discussion in a recent article from ABC News.

Research finds that some people have gotten into a habit of eating when engaging in certain activities, such as popcorn at the movies.

Psychologists David Neal and Wendy Wood from the University of Southern California have come up with a simple formula that may help break the habit of overeating, which may lead to weight loss for many people who struggle with this habit. They say that rather than trying to overwhelm the habit with a strong sense of self control, alter the environment that triggers the automatic response, or habit. This conclusion comes from the findings of a very interesting study involving a movie theater and a bag of stale popcorn.

Neal and Wood, along with several colleagues, wanted to find out if people who nearly always eat a bag of popcorn when at the movies would eat it, even if it was old and stale, simply because it has become a habit.

Several hundred participants were recruited, some who really wanted popcorn with a movie, some who sometimes wanted popcorn, and some who really didn’t care either way. Each person attending a showing in a regular theater was quizzed on how much they liked popcorn, how hungry they were, and several other things. They were not allowed to sit near anyone else.

Half of the participants were given a bag of freshly cooked popcorn, and the other half were given a bag that had been sitting around for several days, leaving it stale. After the showing the bags were collected and weighed. Participants who could take it or leave it left the stale popcorn almost untouched. But habitual popcorn eaters ate the whole thing, regardless of whether their bag was new or stale. This goes to show that it isn’t so much about the taste or hunger level for these participants, but rather about the habit.

In the second experiment, new participants sat in a meeting room, as opposed to a movie theater. Again, half the participants were given a fresh bag of popcorn, while the other half received a stale bag. This time, even the habitual popcorn hounds ignored the stale popcorn and the only change was the setting. This goes to show that a small alteration can greatly impact the habit.

In a third experiment with new participants, the setting was back to the movie theater. Again, half the participants received fresh popcorn, while the other half received stale popcorn. This time, however, the participants were instructed to eat only with their “non-dominant” hand. None of the participants cared much for the stale popcorn, even in the movie theater setting. This goes to show that even a small cue can overwhelm a habit because it causes the person to have to think about what they were doing, rather than just going through the motions.

“On average, people have more good habits than bad,” said Neal. But bad habits can be particularly destructive, contributing to the current obesity crisis, he added.

Neal has some simple tips to help you in your weight loss efforts on the path to a healthy lifestyle. Put the cookie jar where you can’t see it. Look only at the salad menu in your favorite restaurant. “Basically, it’s not really a matter of setting the right goals or having enough will power,” he said. “Those things are valuable, but they don’t really get you over the line. The critical thing to focus on is the environment.”

This news should be encouraging to most, because bad habits can be broken. Camp Shane weight loss camps for children and Shane Diet Resorts weight loss program for adults know the importance of getting into good lifestyle habits, while leaving the bad ones behind. If you eat healthy every single day, it will become a habit. If you exercise daily or a few times per week, it will become a habit. If you currently experience bad habits, it is time to make small adjustments in your life!

Do you have any bad habits that you need to break? Or, have you already broken a bad habit? We would love to hear from you.