Zumba Mondays 6-7pm

We had our first class of Zumba last night and I’m amazed at the workout I got. We will be doing Zumba every Monday night from 6-7pm. Invite your friend and join our dance party.

10 Steps to Manage Your Weight

Practice these simple, everyday food and fitness smarts to keep your hard-fought new weight.

You've just lost weight and you don't want to see that number go back up on your scale. With these 10 tricks from dietitians and successful dieters, you'll be able to maintain your weight with ease.

1.Build more lean muscle. Maintain, or even increase, your metabolism by continuing to build lean muscle. "Muscle has a higher metabolism than fat does," explains Emily Banes, RD, clinical dietitian at Houston Northwest Medical Center. If you don't yet train with weights, add this type of exercise to your overall program now. If you do, increase the amount of weight you're working with to keep yourself challenged.

2.Fight off hunger with more filling foods. A three-year University of Pittsburgh study of 284 women between the ages of 25 and 45 found that those who avoided weight gain the best were the ones whose meals kept them feeling full. "Keeping that feeling of fullness can be done with foods high in fiber — think fruits and vegetables, whole grains, and lean protein," says Jenna Anding, PhD, RD, of the department of nutrition and food science at Texas A&M University in College Station, Texas.

3.Avoid temptation. The University of Pittsburgh study also found that women who best controlled their weight were good at resisting the temptation to binge on forbidden treats. This doesn't mean never indulging in a gooey dessert again, but rather picking — and limiting — your moments. There are many ways to avoid daily temptations, including planning ahead when eating out and banning your worst weaknesses from the house.

4.Count calories. Another hallmark of successful weight maintenance, according to the University of Pittsburgh study, is regularly counting calories. Use your calculator to keep a running total throughout the day if that helps you keeps track of calorie consumption. Maintaining weight loss is hard; it's okay to be as careful as you were during the weight- loss phase of your diet.

5.Plan your meals in advance. A maintenance diet has a lot of the same components as a weight-loss diet. Having a meal-by-meal plan that you can stick to, although it has more calories than your diet plan did, can act as a guide to keep you on track.

6.Consider adding minutes to your exercise plan. Experts recommend at least 30 minutes of physical activity five days a week, but emphasize that the more you exercise, the better able you are to maintain a weight loss. You should aim for 60 to 90 minutes of physical activity every day.

7.Measure your portions. According to a Center for Disease Control (CDC) study of more than 4,000 U.S. adults, the biggest factors in success were measuring portions and fats, the most caloric foods, in particular. This doesn't mean you have to carry a food scale everywhere you go, but using it as often as possible at home will teach you how to eyeball portion sizes at restaurants and immediately know how much to eat, and how much to take home in a doggie bag.

8.Weigh yourself daily. The same CDC study reported that people who weigh themselves once a day are twice as successful at keeping off lost weight as those who don't step on the scale as often. Daily weigh-ins, which can be discouraging when you're on a diet, can be a boon during maintenance; they let you see, and stop, any slow creep upward as soon as it happens.

9.Include dairy in your diet. According to a study of 338 adults, those who ate three or more servings of low-fat dairy daily were more likely to keep off the weight than those who ate one serving or less. For women in particular, this has the additional benefit of improving bone health.

10.Let your plate be your guide. When you can't count calories or measure portions accurately, Banes recommends using the "plate method" as a way to control the amount you're eating. A great tip for dieters, it works just as well for people on a maintenance plan. Simply put, when you serve yourself using this method, at least half your plate should be vegetables and the remaining space should be divided evenly between lean protein and whole grains. If you go back for seconds, limit yourself to vegetables, fruit or low-fat dairy.

By Madeline Vann, MPH

Medically reviewed by Pat F. Bass III, MD, MPH

Natural Cures For Depression Anxiety

If you are concerned about taking prescription medications for depression anxiety, either because of how they affect you or because of their side effects, there are natural ways to treat depression anxiety. Believe or not, Apple is one of the best remedies for mental depression. Apples contain helpful chemical substances such as vitamin D, phosphorus and potassium that help the synthesis of glutamic acid. Apple juice should be taken with milk and honey, and can be a very effective tonic and may also recharge your nerves.

Cashew nut for depression anxiety

The cashew nut is rich in vitamins of the B group - especially thiamine -- and is, therefore, another helpful remedy for general depression. Vitamin B can stimulate the appetite and be nervous system. It is also rich in riboflavin which help keeps the body active, cheerful and energetic.

Try rose

Try preparing a drink consisting of 15 gm of rose petals in 250 mL of boiling water. Drink this occasionally, instead of coffee or tea, and it may help treat the condition.

Lemon balm

Lemon balm, the herb, has been used successfully in the treatment of depression.. It can alleviate brain fatigue and help raise your spirits. It is best to take a cold infusion of the balm. Just place about 30 gm of the herb in half a liter of cold water and allow the mixture to stand for 12 hours. Strain this infusion and drink it in small doses throughout the day.

Vitamin B

Did you know that your diet can have a profound effect on your mental health? Eating foods rich in vitamin B., such as whole grains, green vegetables, eggs and fish helps restore vitality. This is because these foods will build up brain chemicals such as Serotonin and Nor epinephrine that you may be lacking and that can affect your mood substantially.

Exercise

Exercise helps ease depression in a number of ways, which may include:

• Releasing feel-good brain chemicals that may ease depression (neurotransmitters and endorphins)
• Reducing immune system chemicals that can worsen depression
• Increasing body temperature, which may have calming effects

Exercise has many psychological and emotional benefits too. It can help you:

• Gain confidence. Meeting exercise goals or challenges, even small ones, can boost your self-confidence. Getting in shape can also make you feel better about your appearance.
• Take your mind off worries. Exercise is a distraction that can get you away from the cycle of negative thoughts that feed anxiety and depression.
• Get more social interaction. Exercise may give you the chance to meet or socialize with others. Just exchanging a friendly smile or greeting as you walk around your neighborhood can help your mood.
• Cope in a healthy way. Doing something positive to manage anxiety or depression is a healthy coping strategy. Trying to feel better by drinking alcohol, dwelling on how badly you feel, or hoping anxiety or depression will go away on their own can lead to worsening symptoms.

Our Fitness Room

 

Yes, It’s small I know. But what it lacks in space it makes up for in character. This room now has 5 bikes, 2 elliptical machines an ab machine and a 200 lb stack weight system. No more excuses. I’ll leave the door open for you. I’d be glad to join you for a workout anytime.

New Session, New Devotional

For the next session beginning on Sept 8th, we will be going through the book Faithfully Fit. As I read through this devotional I knew we needed to start this journey with this book. Here is what the back of the book has to say about its contents.

 

New Food Resources

Check out this new info! 

 

New Session Starting

In a few weeks we will be welcoming new people into our Christ First Weight loss group. If you have someone who has expressed an interest in joining one of our groups please let me know. Kirsten and I would love to share what we have learned through our weight loss journey. If you would like to join one of our groups please E-mail stjohnucc@comcast.net or call the church office at 815-235-2824.