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The New Year is approaching which means many new diets or workout regiments. If there's one thing that many people struggle with when they're on their fat loss diet plan it's cravings. In most cases, sticking with a healthy diet really isn't that difficult, that is, until hunger sets in. As soon as the hunger demon rears its ugly head however, maintaining your diet seems to fly right out the window. Your cravings get stronger than ever and with your stomach is growling so loudly the person next to you has started to glare at you funny. When this occurs, it's hard to turn down whatever food crosses your path. When this is the situation at hand, it's important that you come up with a few quick strategies that will help you handle this and still maintain your diet. Here are 4 quick ways that you can beat your cravings head on. 1. Drink some water The old saying is true, if you're dehydrated, you may begin to mistake this for actual hunger. It's very important that you're maintaining adequate hydration levels throughout the day so be sure that you're not overlooking this factor. Ideally you should be drinking 8-10 glasses of water or other clear fluids each day in order to keep yourself feeling your best and prevent cravings from setting in. If you do find you're experiencing a craving, first drink a glass of water and then wait ten minutes. After doing so you'll often find that that craving passes almost immediately. 2. Chew Some Gum Second, another quick way to battle those cravings is to chew some gum. Often what's sparking the craving in the first place is that you just need something to chew on so gum is the perfect solution. It's calorie free and since it keeps your mouth busy, you definitely won't be putting other food in there. Some people do find that peppermint flavored gum also helps to take the edge off their appetite (and boost concentration levels as well!) so you may just want to consider this flavor first. 3. Ensure You Don't Go Hours Without Food Another smart move if you're trying to take care of cravings is to make sure that you aren't going hours without food. Whenever you let yourself get too overly hungry, that's when it's going to be that much harder to handle the cravings that are being thrown at you. Instead, keep yourself on a schedule having one meal every three hours or so. In addition to that, make sure that you also include protein within that meal as this is the most satisfying nutrient to consume. You'll easily keep blood sugar levels and hunger under control by doing so. 4. Find Something To Replace It With Finally, the last strategy to beat your cravings is to find another food that you can have in its place. While it may not be a direct replacement as far as taste is concerned, if you can find something that comes fairly close, this often can solve the problem. For example, if it's a pint of ice cream that's calling your name, consider some low-fat, low-sugar vanilla yogurt drizzled with a small amount of chocolate syrup. This should be enough to tame that craving and will also provide you with good nutrition as well. So keep these quick points in mind. If you can implement them into your day, cravings should be a thing of the past for you. I hope you find these quick tips helpful!
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What if I told you that I had a recipe for a creamy, chocolaty, protein- rich treat that would satisfy your sweet tooth while bringing you closer to your fitness goals? While it sounds too good to be true, this recipe delivers in flavor and nutrition! This is a protein packed dessert that the whole family will love. It’s important to enjoy desserts that are low in carbohydrates and sugar, and high in protein in order to shed body fat and develop healthy muscles. This recipe delivers on all fronts, without sacrificing flavor. Servings: 1
Here’s what you need... • 6 oz Greek Yogurt, plain, fat free • 1 scoop high quality chocolate protein powder • Sprinkle of unsweetened cocoa powder Two Easy steps: 1. In a small bowl use a whisk to combine the yogurt and protein powder. Mix until all lumps have disappeared. 2. Garnish with a sprinkle of unsweetened cocoa powder. Nutritional Analysis: One serving equals: 220 calories, 0g fat, 445mg sodium, 11g carbohydrate, 0g fiber, and 42g protein. I hope that you get a chance to give this recipe a try this week. It could be a great treat to bring to a holiday party! Are your joints starting to feel stiff lately? Do they ache more than usual? Have you noticed any clicks and cracks coming from your knees? If you’re struggling to put your finger on it and you’re not sure why it’s happening to you -chances are you’re not alone. Many people just like you are becoming a victim of knee and joint pain. This time of year (every year!) joint pain is one of the most common things we see and treat at Empire Performance PT. It starts with a few clicks of the knees every now and then. But nothing painful, and you think nothing of it. Then as time goes on, when your knees click it’s painful, and they start to ache a bit more (usually around the knee cap, and on the inside of your knee). Sometimes after you’ve walked around the stores for a few hours they begin to ache and feel sore. And getting back up again after relaxing with a cup of coffee on the couch, you notice it takes a few steps for your knees ‘to get going’ again... They can even make it difficult for you to get out of your car with ease. And when the cold weather hits the North East, your joints begin to feel even WORSE. So why does it happen? And why does it happen more to men and women aged 50+? Well there’s a WHOLE bunch of reasons that exist as to why joints in your body become more problematic in the Winter time. But the two most common reasons we see at the clinic are these: The cold weather naturally restricts the warmth of the blood that flows around your body, (which helps keep you warm and mobile). – AND – The fact you’re much less likely to keep as active and mobile in the Winter as you did in the warmer months. Keeping mobile is just like spraying WD40 on the stiff parts of a bike or car. Just like a vehicle needs oil to get you from A to B efficiently – your joints need to keep active so they don’t stiffen up. And here’s the thing that many people don’t realize – the winter months and long periods of inactivity, can be the root cause of many years of what I call – ‘all of a sudden’ life long knee pains. You see, as your muscles get a long rest this winter, there’s a chance they’ll become weaker and slowly get to the point where they won’t be able to support your knees. And worse yet, many people don’t even notice it happening until the pain sets in. But when it does, a chain of events is triggered and when your knees don’t have the support of strong muscles, problems like arthritis can set in. Which is why it’s so important to make the most of every opportunity you have this Winter to keep active, so you can fend off the curse of bad knees creeping up on you. I know it’s easy to think that when the weather begins to warm up you’ll exercise again. Problem is, very few people understand that your muscles need to be strong and stable to exercise safely! And if you go into tough exercise too quick, there’s a chance you’ll injure yourself and make those sore joints feel even worse! So my number one tip for you today to keep the winter aches away is to include some kind of activity in your day, everyday. It doesn’t have to be outdoors! You can go into an exercise class with friends, do low- impact movements that are kind to your joints like Pilates and Yoga from the comfort of your living room, and if you have an exercise bike (or something like that), use it while watching your favorite TV show. There really is something for everyone. What are you going to do to keep active this winter?
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AuthorDr. Tony Tanzi: Physical Therapist, Triathlete, Runner, Performance Coach 
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