Almost everyone overeats and under exercises at Christmas. Yes, thin people do it too. So don’t feel you are a failure if you have put on a few pounds. And if you want to change your shape, starting off a new regime in midwinter is not easy.

If you are in Australia, no excuses, I know it is your summer! For the rest of us, a better time to transform your life is the spring when the days start getting longer, the sap is rising and the buds are bursting etc. It’s much easier then to be energetic about change.

But it’s a good idea after the holiday to do a mental ‘detox’ and decide what you are going to do differently this year. Perhaps you did that at New Year but somehow when you got back to work in January you lost the plot a bit.

So here are some pointers to keep you going in this year.

* Resolve now to get back to healthy eating. Smaller portions, not too much stodge, plenty of water, plenty of salads, veg and fruit. Starting today, give way or throw away your unhealthy food. Better off going to waste than going to waist.

* Watch what you drink too - fruit juices may be high is sugar, fruit drinks (fruit juice diluted with water and sugar) are even worse… and alcohol may add unnecessary calories. If you can stick to just one glass of wine, fine, otherwise stick to water.

* Get some exercise. Find a safe way of exercising for the weather in your locality. Aim to do several days a week, not just when the mood hits you. Set yourself a realistic starting target and stick to your plan. Exercise only works when you do it - sitting thinking about it is less successful! Exercising in ice and snow can be dangerous so you may have to work out in the gym or dig out the exercise video. This is better than nothing - and when the weather improves you will not have lost your fitness, so go to it!

* Set a goal to build up your health and fitness level, not just to lose weight. Between January and March if you eat sensibly and exercise regularly you’ll be building up your muscles and getting your metabolism going. When the spring sunshine does arrive you’ll have shaken off the winter sludge and be ready to zoom into summer!

Doing the weighing and measuring will give you the motivation you need to get you started. Get on the scales, get out the tape measure and know just where you are. Now build on that and determine to be fitter and healthier by spring.

It helps if you can be accountable for the changes you are making. Tell your best friend, find a weight loss buddy or be accountable to your personal trainer or weight loss coach. One of my clients is running in the London marathon so she has made a decision to be accountable for her fitness - what are your goals for this year?

As a Nutrition Coach Liz Copeland shows people who find healthy eating difficult how to change their beliefs and behaviours around food so they can eat well, look good and feel great. Receive her 5-lesson mini ecourse “Conquer Emotional Eating Forever” and a complimentary subscription to her newsletter No More Rabbit Food - weight loss tips for people who love food at http://www.ConquerEmotionalEatingForever.com

Article Source: ArticleSpan

Healthy eaters know that easily the best way to please someone dear to you is to make him a Romantic Dinner. We’ve gone one better and prepared a special collection of Romantic Dinners.

See pictures of delicious recipes and other details at:

Romantic Recipes They Love

I recently wrote that Younger Son was on the Ark Royal. Well he survived it - and more importantly the Ark Royal survived him!

He was a bit peeved that as they left the ship at Liverpool the crew were putting tables and chairs out for a party. Younger Son felt he was missing out on a feast and after five days at sea he finally felt he could eat again. I pointed out to him that the event was probably a reception for the bigwigs of Liverpool and was never intended for a bunch of by-now-quite-whiffy sea cadets.

I did sympathise, though. How disappointing to see a potential feast in preparation and know it is not intended for you.

Which is how many of us feel when we go out with friends or are eating in public. Overweight people often feel guilty when they have to eat in public.

Particularly if you are the largest person there (or feel you are) you may feel that everybody is looking at your plate of food. They also feel obliged to comment - ‘Oh you’re not eating that, are you?’ or ‘Can you have that on your diet?’ or, as you look at the calorific puddings, ‘Go on, one won’t hurt you.’

The people who do this fall into one of these categories:

a) They are naturally slim and are secretly pleased that they can eat what they like.

b) They are self-conscious about their own body shape and secretly pleased you are bigger than them.

c) They are self-conscious about their own body shape and secretly annoyed that you are starting to take care of your food intake when they are not.

d) They are sociopaths who will do anything to undermine you.

Moral of the story? This talk is all about them, not about you, so don’t take any notice of them. When you choose to eat, you eat to feed your body not theirs. When you choose to eat healthy foods you are choosing for your greatest good, not theirs. When you choose to eat less-than-healthy foods make that a conscious choice for you (unconscious eating has a habit of being unhealthy) at that time.

If you make conscious food choices and enjoy the food you eat, that’s a better strategy than not inviting yourself to the feast. Eating nothing in front of other people or toying with a plate of lettuce in an effort to look ‘healthy’ will only make you go home feeling deprived. And then it’s easy to justify lots of late night ’snacks’ or a whole tub of frozen comfort food!

Don’t leave the ship feeling you are missing out - eat consciously, eat up and enjoy.

As a Nutrition Coach Liz Copeland shows people who find healthy eating difficult how to change their beliefs and behaviours around food so they can eat well, look good and feel great. Receive her 5-lesson mini ecourse “Conquer Emotional Eating Forever” and a complimentary subscription to her newsletter No More Rabbit Food - weight loss tips for people who love food at http://www.ConquerEmotionalEatingForever.com

Article Source: ArticleSpan

Easily the best way to please someone dear to you is to make him a Romantic Dinner. We’ve gone one better and prepared a special collection of Romantic Dinners.

See pictures of recipes, along with user comments and more details at

Recipes They Love

If you have ever spent any time in the company of a toddler, then you know they can be very picky about what they eat. Encouraging healthy eating when your child is young helps foster healthy habits that will last a lifetime. Even the pickiest eaters can be tempted with healthy food choices ‘just don’t be surprised if they want the same snack for days in a row!

The best thing you can do to encourage your toddler to eat a healthy diet is to offer a wide range of choices. Toddlers tend to be very fickle— and just because they refused a particular food today, doesn’t mean they won’t absolutely love it when you offer it next week.

When your toddler is used to the flavors and textures of things like vegetables and naturally sweet foods like fruit, they will turn to these items first when they are hungry, instead of filling up on greasy chips or candy.

One of the best ways to encourage your toddler to eat a healthy diet is to do so yourself. It is hard to convince a child of any age to eat apples and grapes if you fill your own diet with fast food and sweets. Children are natural born mimics, and they to be just like their parents and the “big kids” in the family. Toddlers want to eat what they see the rest of the family enjoying, so take the opportunity to set a great example, and let your toddler watch you enjoy a healthy variety of snacks.

When you are choosing snacks for your toddler, try to avoid anything containing refined sugar. Stick to things like applesauce, yogurts, and diced fresh fruits. Babies are not born with a need for sugary snacks, but can quickly develop the taste for refined sugar as they get older. Fresh fruits have the ability to meet that sweet craving without having the harmful effects of large amounts of refined sugar. Fruits also provide your little one with a daily dose of vitamins and fiber as well. Look for snacks that provide some calcium, low-fat milk, low-fat yogurt, low fat cheese and calcium fortified juices.

As your child grows from an infant to a toddler they need lots of calcium to ensure healthy bones and growth. Consider offering real ice cream or frozen yogurt in place of sugary popsicles or frozen treats, both of these items are rich in calcium, and have some protein as well.

Toddlers also need a good supply of iron to be healthy, so consider serving snacks or meals rich in iron. You can add broccoli to macaroni and cheese, or sneak some iron rich meats into pizza sauce. Don’t forget beans, dried fruits and iron-fortified cereals—you can serve these on their own, or use as ingredients for making other foods.

In a hurry? Forget fast food–there are some great prepackaged products that offer completely organic options for your child. While these may e a little more expensive, they do ensure that your child gets the nutrients they need. You can combine these premade items with fresh fruit and milk for a well rounded but quickly made meal.

By planning ahead and knowing what nutrients your child needs most, you can be sure that your toddler is eating a well rounded, healthy diet.

Denise Sanger is the owner of http://NewCoolToysOnline.com which carries an extensive catalog of outdoor toys, pool toys, toddler toys and more. She also owns USAPoolToy.com which is a wholesaler distributor of toys and gifts. She may be reached at 877/950-7665.

Article Source: ArticleSpan

Easily the best way to please someone dear to you is to make him a Romantic Dinner. We’ve gone one better and prepared a special collection of Romantic Dinners.

See pictures of recipes, along with user comments and more details at

Recipes They Love

Healthy eating is important for proper growth in kids. Parents want to give their children a variety of nutrient-enriched food and drinks to help them to grow stronger and healthier. Usually, life patterns are set in childhood and early puberty. Following a healthy diet routine and using healthy recipes will give them the benefit of enjoying a strong body for the rest of their adult lives.

Healthy recipes for kids can be prepared by knowing facts about the food we eat. There is high-protein, high-fiber food that works for kids, and nutrient-empty, processed junk food that works against them. Studies show that on average, kids receive around thirty-eight percent of their daily calories from fats. The bad fat is responsible for creating free radicals in the body, which harm our good cells—including the brain cells. This fat negatively contributes towards obesity, heart disease, allergies, and other harmful conditions.

Sensible diets make sure that your kids are well, prevent the risk of developing dangerous diseases, and keep the foundation for solid mental as well as physical health. Junk food and unhealthy food can leave your child open to food hazards and infection, especially during rapid growth periods.

Statistics show that the obesity rate in kids is four times higher than it was in 1960s.This leaves children more susceptible to problems like diabetes, growth disorders, and sometimes even cancer.

Good food doesn’t mean bland taste. Kids can easily be lured to eat healthy food by presenting it in a colorful and decorative manner. The carrot will look enticing if it is shaped like a cartoon figure, spinach can taste yummy if combined with a dash of cheese, and cereals will be wiped clean from the dish if presented in attractive serving plates. The trick is to educate them about the food, list the benefits, and make kids feel that they are eating something special and different each day.

Healthy Recipes provides detailed information on Healthy Recipes, Healthy Chicken Recipes, Healthy Smoothie Recipes, Healthy Recipes For Kids and more. Healthy Recipes is affiliated with Gourmet Food Gift Baskets.

See pictures of recipes, along with user comments and more details at

Healthy Recipes For Kids