Transitioning into fall

With summer coming to an end, you may find your schedule changing. If you are a parent or a teacher, it's for certain. For many others, the shorter days and end of the vacation season mark a change in your daily routine as well.
Why not begin this fall with the best routine possible?

Try to implement the following tips into your day in order to optimize your health and feel your best:

1. Commit to going to bed at a specific time and getting up at a specific time. Most people need 7-9 hours of sleep nightly. Catching up on the weekend and changing your sleeping pattern has been shown to negatively affect food choices.
2. Eat breakfast, or at least something within 2 hours of waking up. If you're not a big breakfast person, at least have a snack to get your body going and then follow it up with another snack a few hours later.
3. Pack your lunch. Food you bring from home tends to have less calories, be more balanced, and be more affordable than meals you buy out.
4. Plan ahead to avoid getting too hungry or too full. Try to eat something at least every 4 hours. For example, if your lunch was a reasonable size and you ate it at noon, you will probably be hungry again by 4:00, so have a snack ready.
5. Keep food at work or bring balanced snacks. Depending on when you eat meals, you may need an additional 1-3 snacks during the work day.
6. Incorporate a high-protein food into your meals and snacks. Foods that are high in protein include yogurt, milk, eggs, cheese, nuts, nut butters, soy products like veggie burgers, beans, meat, seafood, and poultry.
7. Eats lots of vegetables. They are low in calories, high in fiber, and packed with vitamins and minerals. Strive to eat a variety of different colors.
8. Limit sugar. Sugar can spike and drop your blood sugar causing spikes and drops in energy, prematurely age you, and make you crave more food when you don't need it.
9. Drink plenty of fluid, preferably water. Try to stay hydrated by drinking throughout the day. Shoot for drinking half of your body weight in pounds. If you weigh 150#, that's 75 oz or about 9 cups (4 2/3 pints) a day.
10. Take steps to destress. Whether it's meditating, reading, journaling, yoga, knitting, or going for a walk, incorporate time to wind down daily.

For help planning a new eating routine, call 584-2200 to set up an appointment with one of our Registered Dietitians to customize a plan just for you. We will help you brainstorm meals and snacks and reach your health goals. We accept most health insurances, yet coverage varies depending on your specific plan.