Good nutrition is an important part of a healthy lifestyle. What is ‘healthy’ when it comes to food?

We need to synthesize six essential nutrients from the food we eat: proteins, fat, minerals, vitamins, water, and carbohydrates. When you eat a healthy diet that includes a variety of vegetables, fruits, nuts, and legumes, you get all the nutrients needed for your body to function properly. Follow these suggestions to improve your overall eating habits and healthy food choices:

• Eat a variety of foods. Think about how many colors are on your plate.
• Eat as many fruits and vegetables as you can.
• Lower the amount of processed food that you eat.
• Lower your sodium and sugar intake.
• Reduce animal fat and protein intake; use plant-based substitutions if possible.
• Eat whole grains.
• Drink more water.
• Try plant-based milks.
• Grill, bake or steam instead of frying your food.
• Read food labels. Knowledge is power.

Take good care of your body! You know the saying ”we are what we eat.” 😊

TIP:  Eating Healthy At Work

Many people find it difficult to keep their healthy eating habits while they are at work. You have to plan ahead. Here are some tips (you need access to a refrigerator):

• Always have at work a homemade healthy salad dressing, a salad bowl, and silverware.
• Make sure you have mixed greens, arugula, spinach or kale to have a salad base.
• Bring avocado, tomatoes, mushrooms, peppers, cucumbers, onions, olives, beans, chickpeas, mangoes, apples, nuts, or any other veggie or fruit you enjoy in your salad.
• If you eat tuna you can always have some single-serve tuna pouches handy.
• Have healthy snacks at your office, such as fruits, carrots, celery, almond or peanut butter.

You can do it!

By Lisy Espindola, LCSW, Healthy Leaving Director

February is Heart Health Awareness Month. Heart health should be celebrated daily since it’s one of our vital organs in our body. Our heart’s function is important and we can do so much to keep our heart working well.

Since our heart is a muscle, it gets healthy and strong when we exercise. If you don’t exercise it will get weaker just like any other muscle. Exercising regularly benefits our heart health by lowering blood pressure, reducing LDL or “bad” cholesterol, and increasing HDL or ”good” cholesterol.

What happens to our heart when we perform “cardio” or aerobic exercise? If you go for a run or if you ride a bike, your breathing, your circulation, and your heart rate will change immediately because you are activating your large muscle groups. This requires more oxygen-rich blood for energy. Your heart rate increases because your heart must pump more blood into your bloodstream. Your circulatory system has to send more blood to your muscles and back to the heart because your muscles need more oxygen. Your lungs have to work extra hard during exercise because of the amount of oxygen needed for your bloodstream.

If you work out regularly for at least 30 to 45 minutes, you are making your heart, lungs and circulatory system more efficient. Let’s put it this way; when you are going for a 30-minute run, it is not just your legs receiving the amazing benefits of this workout, your cardiopulmonary system is getting healthier and stronger as well.

Our nutrition impacts our heart health. Eating a more plant-based diet focused on vegetables, fruits, and grains improves our heart. Of course, we all know to reduce those foods that are bad for our heart like sugars, bad fats, and processed foods.

Exercise and good nutrition (and not smoking🚭) will make your heart a very happy camper!

By Lisy Espindola, LCSW, Healthy Leaving Director

I always find it interesting how right after the New Year all classes at the Y are packed with people who decided to lose weight as their New Year’s resolution.  That number will dwindle as the weeks go on and by the beginning of February we get back to our regular number of participants in each class. Why is it that people have such a difficult time sustaining their New Year’s resolution of losing weight and becoming healthier?

There is a billion-dollar industry of miracle diets, diet supplements and pills, and crazy exercise programs that might work fast but yield only temporary results. These companies keep making money with yo-yo diets because people keep buying magical shakes, dangerous diet pills, and DVDs of insane workout programs that can cause injuries. Sadly, the weight loss industry benefits financially from people’s failures.

Here at the YMCA of Montclair, we approach health and fitness in a different way. We understand it as a lifelong journey that requires time and commitment.

Like last year, and the year before, you may be setting new wellness goals for 2020. Maybe you want to lose weight, get more definition, increase your strength, stop eating unhealthy foods or exercise more hours a week. Do you keep setting the same goals year after year? Why can’t you achieve your goals? Perhaps you are approaching it as a temporary goal when it really is a major lifestyle change.

Becoming a healthy individual requires time, dedication, and discipline. At the YMCA, we are here to help you and guide you in this rewarding process. We offer different programs, classes and lectures to support you. Our certified personal trainers are committed to encouraging and motivating you at every step of the way.

So, how do we come to understand that this is a life-changing process that takes time and work? These are a few recommendations to help you FIND THE SOLUTION IN YOUR RESOLUTION:

1. Find help and support. Reach out to friends, family, colleagues, get a workout buddy or sign up for personal training sessions at the YMCA of Montclair. You can also make an appointment for a nutritional consultation. Join our “fit family” at the Y!
2. Learn to find satisfaction and happiness in new and healthier things and activities.
3. Try to surround yourself with people that share similar interests and ideas.
4. Inform yourself. Knowledge is power! Learn as much as you can about nutrition and fitness.
5. Keep moving.
6. Set realistic goals. Set one goal at a time and make it small. Setting multiple goals at the same time is the perfect formula for failure. Do not compare yourself to others and do not try to fix in a month something that was created over years.
7. Keep motivated. Find things that are part of your plan but that are also fun and enjoyable.
8. Learn to enjoy the discipline.
9. Stay committed.
10. Become actively involved in your plan. It will keep you more engaged and responsible with it.
11. Stay persistent. Nothing will happen overnight; no changes come without daily hard work and effort.
12. Reward yourself. Find healthy ways to treat and be kind to yourself. Listen to music, get a massage, buy a nice book, hang out with your friends.

This is your own path. Stay focused on your plan of action but don’t forget to enjoy the journey. When you find your inner strength you will be proud of yourself. On this bumpy road you will discover who you really are; and you might love this new you! Good luck!

By Lisy Espindola, LCSW, Healthy Living Director

1. Stay active.

2. Walk, move, dance!

3. Add physical activity to your holiday tradition.

4. Bring a healthy dish to your parties, plan ahead of time.

5. Drink lots of water.

6. Limit alcohol consumption.

7. Manage stress wisely, meditate, breathe, do yoga.

8. Use health and wellness resources.

· Wellness coach
· Personal Trainer
· Group Classes
· Find support from your friends
· Workout with a partner

Enjoy, be thankful! This is a time to share with your loved ones, friends and family. Take a moment to appreciate all that you have and all the things that make your life special.

Have a safe and fun New Year’s Eve and a healthy, meaningful, happy and prosperous 2020.

Peace & Love to the Y family!

Lisy Espindola
Healthy Living Director

The Holidays are here and even though they may bring joy and happiness, they may also add stress to our lives. Since prevention is the best form of medicine, if we anticipate certain situations or problems, we can prevent or lessen the impact that they could have in our life. We talk all the time about stress and how it affects our lives, but let’s get a little technical and explore the impact of stress in our bodies.

Let’s imagine you are under a stressful situation. A part of your brain called the hypothalamus will produce the message to your body to send the stress hormones cortisol and adrenaline. These stress hormones activate your body’s “flight or fight” response. When this process is activated, your heart rate increases, your muscles are ready for action, your vision and hearing get sharper; your entire body is ready for an emergency.

But just imagine your body going through this process for an extended period and constantly secreting adrenaline and cortisol. This natural body reaction that is part of our survival mechanism should end when the stressor disappears, but it becomes very dangerous for our overall health when we are constantly under stress. The stress hormones in this situation will affect your entire body. They will send the message to the heart to pump more blood to your muscles and other organs and it will also affect your breathing and your digestive system. All this extra tension in your muscles and the constriction to blood vessels and arteries can cause headaches and pain in other parts of your body such as shoulders, neck or back. Also, the rapid heart rate and increased blood pressure can lead to a stroke or a heart attack.

When we have elevated stress levels for longer periods of time we can talk about “chronic stress.” The presentation or symptoms of chronic stress are the following:

· Depression
· Anxiety
· Tiredness
· Fatigue
· Irritability
· Insomnia
· Headaches
· Muscular pain
· Gastric problems

During the holiday season, many people become stressed out. They are busy planning parties, making food, buying presents, and visiting family and friends. The entire month of December can become consumed with spending money, eating cookies and running around in crazy traffic.

We all know that the season of giving should not be about stressing out to the point of feeling overwhelmed. It should be about giving and about taking care and enjoying ourselves and our loved ones.

Now how do you take care of yourself and your loved ones? By eating healthy, reducing stress and exercising. Fitness is one of the best things we can do to keep our bodies functioning to the best of its capacity despite age.

Learning to manage stress is paramount. Since we are all different, we also have different ways to deal with stress. People also do different activities to relax and enjoy their free time. Planning and learning what helps us the most will also prevent us from self-medicating with pills, food or alcohol.

What are the most effective strategies to reduce stress?

· Exercise regularly, at least 3 times a week for one hour
· Eat healthy and nutritious foods
· Learn to breath
· Practice yoga
· Meditate daily
· Stretch your body
· Swim in the pool
· Get enough sleep
· Read a good book
· Listen to music
· Dance
· Hang out friends and family

Life has its moments. It’s about how we approach them. Try always to be optimistic, positive and hopeful. Since this is the time of giving, give love and affection to those around you! Be compassionate, be kind!

The Healthy Living team wishes you and your family a happy and safe holiday season and a very prosperous 2020!

By Lisy Espindola, LCSW, Healthy Living Director