5 Ways to Eat Without Overeating this Holiday Season

5 Ways to Eat Without Overeating this Holiday Season

Moderation

We’ve always the heard the saying to enjoy everything in moderation, and that is definitely true when it comes to holiday foods. Don’t try to deprive yourself during the holidays, it most likely won’t go over well. Having an extra holiday treat here and there won’t kill you. You’re allowed to indulge a bit, just keep portions small when it comes to holiday desserts and make sure you limit how often you eat them. Going the whole season without any treats is cruel and will most likely end in binging later, so have your guilty pleasures, just keep them in moderation.

Watch the alcohol

The holidays are a time for celebration, which most likely means more alcohol. Not only does alcohol add on empty calories, but can also lead you to eating more while drinking. If you are at a gathering, limit yourself to one or two drinks to cut down on the unhealthy cravings you might be feeling afterward.

Focus on the protein

Protein-packed foods are a great way to fill up without adding a lot of sugar and empty carbohydrates. Pack your plate with low-fat meats like turkey and chicken. If you’re vegetarian, eat more of the vegetable based protein than the side dishes that are most likely to be sugar and carbohydrate heavy.

Fill up on the water

Don’t forget about water! The holidays are an easy time to drink more sugary beverages than normal. Substitute drinks for water, and drink a lot of it. Not only is water essential for your health, but drinking a glass before a meal can fill you up more as well, preventing you from overeating.

Take your time

Eating too fast is one of the easiest ways to overeat. When you don’t give your body the chance to digest food and feel full before you stop eating, chances are you’re going to end up eating more than you want. Eat slowly and enjoy each bite to give your body a chance to catch up. This way, you’ll end up getting full faster and eat less.

Most of all don’t forget to enjoy the holidays and the delicious food that comes with it, don’t be afraid to indulge a little!

Give me a call today to schedule a complimentary 15 minute health evaluation.

Bishara Wilson, L.Ac., MSTOM, C.SMA

New York Sports Acupuncture

(888) 375-5444

www.newyorksportsacupuncture.com

7 Steps to Detox After the Holidays

7 Steps to Detox After the Holidays

Get rid of leftovers

The holidays bring delicious homemade food, and along with that come the leftovers. Holiday leftovers can be just as good as when you cook the meal the first time and become a tempting go-to snack. Time to let go. Toss the leftovers, they most likely aren’t the healthiest dishes and it’s time to start fresh.  

Stay hydrated

Most Americans do not drink enough water, and there is no better time to start than now! Fill up your glass at least 8 times a day. Some find it easier to carry a water bottle throughout the day to remind yourself to keep hydrated. Staying hydrated can flush out toxins and detox your body, as well as keeping you feeling good.

Hit the gym

Sweating is another great way to flush out toxins. Exercise has many health benefits long term and short term. Find just 30 minutes a day to get some form of exercise, whether it’s going on a run, yoga or simply going for a walk. Getting your body moving is important for your metabolism as well as overall health.

Ditch the sugar

The holidays are a notorious time that the sugar intake starts ramping up. Now that they are over, it’s time to remove added sugar to your diet. Limit how often you eat dessert and when you do, eat in moderation. Replace sugary foods with natural sweet foods like fruit. Fruit can fix your sweet tooth and also give you a boost of vitamins.

Drink green tea

Green tea is packed with antioxidants and nutrients to help your body get back on track. It is one of the healthiest beverages you could choose, it can act as a replacement for coffee, lower your risk of cancer and protect your brain as you age.

Acupuncture

Acupuncture and Traditional Chinese Medicine believe in addressing the body as a whole when illness arises or the body is run down. Because of this, acupuncture treatment works by returning the body back to balance and restoring its natural energy. Certain acupuncture points can detoxify important organs like the kidneys, colon, lungs, liver and skin.  

Relax

Don’t forget to relax and give yourself some downtime. The holidays are hectic and stressful, which can lead to bad habits and bad eating. Give yourself some time now that they are over to relax. Find activities you enjoy and make sure you make time for them every week. Detoxing is not just for improving your body physically, but mentally as well.

Give me a call today to schedule a complimentary 15 minute health evaluation.

Bishara Wilson, L.Ac., MSTOM, C.SMA

New York Sports Acupuncture

(888) 375-5444

www.newyorksportsacupuncture.com

http://www.modernreflexology.com/acupressure-points-for-body-detoxification/

7 Tips to be Stress-Free During the Holidays

7 Tips to be Stress-Free During the Holidays

Keep a routine

It is especially easy to lose your normal routine during the holidays due to festivities and the special occasions that tend to happen this time of year. Don’t abandon your healthy habits, keep your usual routine of diet and exercise, which is especially important when holiday foods and drinks come around. Try keeping a calendar to keep better track of your schedule.

Prioritize

It is easy to take on too much during this time of year. On top of your normal schedule, there is the obligation to see family, attend gatherings and gift-giving. You can only do so much! Prioritize and don’t be afraid to say no if you simply don’t have enough time to commit to something. The holiday season is busy and overwhelming, but it doesn’t have to be.

Watch the wallet

There is nothing that will stress you out more in the long run than spending too much money during the holidays. Make a budget and stick with it. It is incredibly easy to overspend during this time. Budget and allow yourself to spend a certain amount for the entire season, you’ll thank yourself after the holidays are over.

Make time for yourself

Although it is the season for giving, make sure to make time for yourself too. It can be stressful and overwhelming when you try to constantly please others. It is ok to say no to events that you may feel obligated to go to. One of the most important ways to stay stress-free this season is to give yourself time to relax. Do yoga, read or any other activity you like to do to relax.

Try acupuncture

There is no better time than now to try acupuncture. If you are feeling under the weather, stressed and not at your best health, acupuncture can help. Acupuncture can help lower stress levels, boost your immune system and leave you feeling relaxed. Give it a shot!

Give Back

Volunteer at your local food back or donate to a clothing drive. Giving back to the community is always important, but especially during the holidays. Spending time helping out doesn’t just help others, but can benefit you as well.

Don’t sweat the small things

Holidays are meant for family, friends and for celebration. Don’t sweat the small stuff. This is a time to relax and be thankful for the people in your life. Material objects come and go, but relationships will be there and are the most important thing of all. Put your job and your stress on the backburner for a bit and enjoy the people who mean the most around you.

Give me a call today to schedule a complimentary 15 minute health evaluation.

Bishara Wilson, L.Ac., MSTOM, C.SMA

New York Sports Acupuncture

(888) 375-5444

www.newyorksportsacupuncture.com

http://www.mayoclinic.org/healthy-lifestyle/stress-management/in-depth/stress/art-20047544

Alternative Treatments to Support HIV

Alternative Treatments to Support HIV

Complementary and alternative medicine can have great effects in helping those dealing with HIV. Acupuncture, herbal treatments and other alternative medicines have found to especially help side effects from medication for HIV, as well as feelings of depression and anxiety someone with HIV may be dealing with.

The National Institutes of Health gave almost $520 million to the complementary and alternative medicine field in 2010. Included in government-sponsored trials were potential HIV therapies such as acupuncture, yoga and Reiki.

Yoga & massage to reduce pain

HIV patients deal with chronic pain, sometimes it can be debilitating. It is easy to turn to painkillers to help the pain, but these can lead to even more problems like dependency. Yoga and massage are natural alternatives that can be used to reduce pain. Massage helps relax the muscles and can help decrease joint and muscle pain. Massage is also a great mental relaxer as well.

Yoga can help improve overall health and peace of mind. Yoga positions and stretches can help mobilize the body and at the same time reduce tension areas.

Foods that can help reduce symptoms

• Eat foods rich in B-vitamins, calcium, iron. Common foods that have high amounts of these vitamins and minerals include almonds, beans, whole grains, spinach and kale.

• Antioxidant-rich food such as blueberries, cherries, bell peppers and squash.

• Take fish oil to help reduce inflammation and promote the immune system.

• Consider probiotics, probiotic supplements help support gastrointestinal and immune health.

• Green tea: has antioxidant and immune-strengthening benefits

• Maitake mushroom: Maitake mushroom also has immune and antiviral effects. Another way to take the mushroom is by an extract, which you can find at a local health store.

Acupuncture

Acupuncture is used to help alleviate common symptoms of HIV like fatigue, insomnia and nausea. There are almost no side effects to acupuncture and is completely natural. Acupuncture can also hope pain management and anxiety and stress caused by HIV.

Give me a call today to schedule a complimentary 15 minute health evaluation.

Bishara Wilson, L.Ac., MSTOM, C.SMA

New York Sports Acupuncture

(888) 375-5444

www.newyorksportsacupuncture.com

https://umm.edu/health/medical/altmed/condition/hiv-and-aids

http://www.healthline.com/health/hiv-aids/alternative-treatments#TreatingSymptoms3

http://www.avert.org/alternative-hiv-treatment.htm

Acupuncture and HIV

Acupuncture and HIV

More than 1 million Americans are living with human immunodeficiency virus, known as HIV. There is no official cure for HIV, although many live long lives after being initially infected. HIV destroys the body’s T-cells, which makes it harder to fight off infections and disease.

Acupuncture can help promote immunity, treat side effects of medications, and be a complementary therapy for HIV treatment.  Many patients with HIV/AIDS suffer from pain and anxiety. Acupuncture can help lower stress in patients as well as pain that results from their decreased immune system.

Patients have found that acupuncture can help relieve symptoms of fatigue, chest tightness, flu-like symptoms and digestion issues that are associated with HIV. Acupuncture proves to improve quality of life for those living with HIV and increase their energy level and mood. Treatment can lower stress and anxiety levels, which are usually high in HIV patients due to the nature of such a serious disease.

Because there are not only physical effects of HIV, but mental and emotional as well, acupuncture is a great complementary treatment to help both the body and mind handle the changes that are occurring because of the illness. Being diagnosed with HIV can be traumatizing in itself, acupuncture treatment can help calm the mind and improve overall quality of life. Although HIV is not curable, it can be managed.

“Acupuncture is one additive method of maintenance, which can help improve the quality of life for patients with HIV through balancing the forces through an individualized baseline.” - Claudia Briones

Professionals have concluded that patients who are stressed, anxious and depressed can adversely affect their health. For this reason, acupuncture works well to lower these feelings.

Most people with HIV are taking some sort of medication to help their T-cell count. Because acupuncture treatment is completely natural and involves no drugs, it can be used at the same time as Western medicine to help manage symptoms and side effects.

Acupuncture works by addressing the body as a whole. When the body’s natural energy flow is blocked or stagnated due to illness, an individual does not have optimal health. Treatment works by returning the body back to it’s natural flow and restoring health to organs and the entire body and mind.

A study done at the University of Boston found that acupuncture treatment improved overall quality of life in HIV patients.

It is believed in Traditional Chinese Medicine that HIV, which causes a high susceptibility to infections, are heat toxins in the body and burn the system out, damaging the cooling part of the body. This causes an imbalance between yin and yang in the body. This imbalance is a disruption in the body’s qi, or natural energy flow.

“CAM treatments are supportive rather than curative by nature, which helps an individual with HIV not feel like they are in limbo between life and death, but rather feeling, and truly being, alive.” - Complementary Therapies for the Treatment of HIV: In Search of the Evidence. International Journal of STD and AIDS.  

Contact an acupuncturist today if you or someone you know is living with HIV and wants to consider a natural, safe, complementary treatment.

Give me a call today to schedule a complimentary 15 minute health evaluation.

Bishara Wilson, L.Ac., MSTOM, C.SMA

New York Sports Acupuncture

(888) 375-5444

www.newyorksportsacupuncture.com

http://exploreim.ucla.edu/education/on-using-acupuncture-for-hiv-to-improve-quality-of-life/

https://www.acufinder.com/Acupuncture+Information/Detail/Acupuncture+and+HIV+The+New+Weapon+in+the+Fight+Against+HIV+AIDS