Saturday, March 21, 2020
Tea before bed? Catching up on sleep on weekends? If you want to lose weight and boost your energy, these activities might seem like good ideas, but they can actually be sabotaging your healthy living goals. We asked nutritionists and fitness experts to reveal the so-called healthy habits that you should ditch ASAP.
You've vowed to run three times a week. You've loaded your fridge with all the green juice. Heck, you've even memorized what 100 calories looks like. Especially with the new year coming, it's common to juggle a laundry list of good-for-you resolutions.
But sometimes, even when you're seemingly taking all of the right steps towards getting "healthy," you can be unknowingly committing innocent missteps that sabotage your healthy efforts. We reached out to top nutritionists and fitness experts and asked them to share the common mistakes they see clients make, and the simple tweaks you can make to boost your energy, lose weight, and feel amazing stat.
1. REPLACING BREAKFAST WITH A SMOOTHIE.
You may think it's an exemplary act, but nutritionists warn against the common weight-loss practice (and ditto for swapping a smoothie for any meal as part of a get-fit kick). "While well-rounded smoothie recipes absolutely exist, many 'weight loss' smoothies out there contain nothing more than fruit, and water or nut milk," advises Kayleen St. John, RD, Executive Director of Nutrition and Strategic Development of Euphebe. "Some even contain upwards of two cups of fruit. While fruit is certainly healthy, consuming large amounts at once may still raise blood sugar and lead to an insulin spike(think: potential weight gain)." If you're on-the-go and have to replace a shake for a proper meal, don't include more than one cup of fruit and make sure you have a healthy fat — like peanut butter or avocado — and protein in there as well.
2. TAKING A POWER YOGA CLASS WHEN YOU'RE NEW TO YOGA.
You've bookmarked that YouTube yoga channel that your PTA friend mentioned for your daily morning flow, and it's great. That pretty much means you're a yogi, right? Not quite. "Generally, a yoga class that is more active or strength-building is going to use repetition of poses, a faster pace and sometimes more advanced poses. If you're not familiar with the poses and how to do them correctly, you will not be getting the same strengthening benefits," explains Rebecca Weible, Director and Founder of Yo Yoga! in New York City. "While the teacher may offer assistance and adjustments, they won't be able to coach you through the whole class. If you're new to yoga, a beginner's class will feel plenty challenging and teach you to do the poses correctly." Also seek out yin and restorative classes, which are good options for people just starting out.
3. KEEPING FLAVORED YOGURT IN YOUR FRIDGE.
This grocery store staple isn't the righteous choice you may think you're spooning up: "Flavored yogurts are, by and large, thawed ice cream. They deliver significant amounts of added sugar," says Andy Bellatti, MS, RD, a Las Vegas-based dietitian. "Opt for unsweetened yogurts and add flavor by using fresh or dried fruits, vanilla extract, cinnamon, seeds, or cacao nibs." Or, to get really fancy, try one of these seven popular superfoods that are brimming with nutrient-packed goodness as an indulgent topping.
4. OPTING FOR A SALAD EVERY DAY.
Before you give yourself a pat on the back for hitting up the salad bar, know this: "Many people think that eating a salad is the low-calorie, healthy option. It can be, if you do it right. But most get excited by the mix-ins, and end up creating a salad that would be more calorically-dense than a sandwich," explains Lisa Hayim, MS, RD, founder of The Well Necessities and TWN Collection. "Plus, the dressings that bring no nutritional value to the meal usually contain sugar and trans fats." P.S. Fat-free dressings aren't exactly a boon, either. Many contain additives and a lot of sugar to compensate for not having any fat. Instead, squeeze some lemon juice on your salad, along with olive oil and a splash of vinegar, and season things up with fresh herbs and dried spices like red chile pepper flakes, oregano, and freshly ground pepper.
5. ALWAYS EATING YOUR VEGGIES.
Wait, what? Yes, really. Scritchfield explains: "If they aren't appealing to you, but you force yourself to eat them, you're setting up a bad experience with healthy eating. Sometimes veggies aren't in the cards and that's OK," This is especially true if you're just starting to shift your diet to healthier eating patterns. "Or maybe you need a little flavor — like a bit of butter or hummus to boost their appeal," Scritchfield adds. When in doubt: embrace cheese. Also, try marinara sauce and any kind of creative disguise your taste buds enjoy to help slip more veggies into your diet.
6. SLASHING ALL SWEETS AND TREATS FROM YOUR DIET.
"Before someone makes an extreme dietary change, I encourage them to ask themselves if it is something they could do for the rest of their life. If the answer is 'no,' they may want to reconsider. This is because if you completely cut out a food you love, you will inevitably break and binge on it at some point," warns Bedwell. "Instead of cutting things like sweets and indulgences out completely, I encourage people to have a small portion (about 150-200 calories worth) of something they really love everyday. This helps you stay on track while never feeling deprived." Chocolate chip...everything? Don't mind if we do.
7. NOT EATING BEFORE WORKING OUT.
If you think this is the virtuous way to be a gym, pilates or yoga rock star, you may want to take a step back and pause. "Of course you don't want to feel sluggish or weighed down before working out, but being starving can make you feel like you have less energy or even make you feel lightheaded or sick while working out, thus affecting the intensity of your workout," offers Weible. "Grab a green juice, nuts, or a small nutrition bar of some kind to give your body a little fuel so you can go as hard as you want!"
8. DOING YOUR OWN THING IN A GROUP FITNESS OR YOGA CLASS.
Sometimes, we stray from the teacher's directions to boost calorie-burn or give ourselves a tougher challenge. But it's not necessarily a wise idea, and you risk injuring yourself: "There may be a reason the instructor is not offering a specific pose or variation. For instance, it could be you haven't yet warmed up your muscles thoroughly enough," comments Weible. "Forcing your body into something it's not ready for is a fast way to injure yourself." Bottom line: with the teacher focused on properly explaining how to do something to the rest of the class, you don't want to be that student teetering in a wobbly headstand or straining a muscle when you raise your weights improperly.
9. BEING LURED IN BY "HEALTHY" FOOD LABELS.
Falling for marketing ploys is easier than ever with food packaging touting its alleged power as a cure-all, super-slimmer, and disease-fighting champion rolled into one. Be wary: "Claims that cover the label on foods at the market, such as 'natural,' 'low-carb,' and 'heart-healthy' are pure manipulation," says Hever. "The only thing that is relevant and helpful on a label is the ingredient list. When selecting products to avoid highly-processed foods, focus on what you see on this list. Make sure you recognize all of the ingredients and that it's a relatively short list."
10. KEEPING A BAG OR TWO OF "WISH" CLOTHES ON HAND.
Here's why you should ditch the donation bags (and baggage): "Most of my clients have at least one bag or box of skinny clothes they used to wear five years ago and it makes them miserable. Clothes fit people, not the other way around," advises Scritchfield. "Fashion changes and so do bodies. If you're on a budget, see if you can do a clothing swap with a friend. Even sprucing up your wardrobe with a few different pieces makes it feel new. But don't hang on to old clothes that make you feel inadequate."
11. RELYING ON A VITAMINS TO GET IMPORTANT NUTRIENTS.
No kale? No problem. But before you reach for the bottle in your medicine cabinet, read on: "This mistake is very common — you assume you've got your bases covered since you take a multivitamin. The truth is that scientists are only beginning to identify the thousands of phytonutrients (plant nutrients) that work in synergy and are responsible for giving veggies their good name in preventing cancer, heart disease, and diabetes, so they can't possibly isolate them and pull them out to put them in a pill," say The Nutrition Twins. "Rely on vitamins for nutrients and skip out on eating veggies, and you miss out on the fiber as well as the health-promoting, anti-aging nutrients, and more." If you're not the biggest fan of veggies, start with marinated tomato pasta salad. Or a mushroom frittata.