www.lynngrieger.com

I’m thrilled to lead a 3-part wellness series with the Green Mountain Academy for Lifelong Learning in Manchester, VT. Join me for one session, or all three! more info

First session February 23rd, 3-4:30pm at the Israel Congregation.
Topic:  Creating Health and Wellness in a Hectic World.
Learn about the individual components of wellness and work toward developing your own personal wellness vision that clearly describes what you want wellness to look and feel like in your life.

Second session March 2nd, 3-4:30pm at the Israel Congregation.
Topic:  Why Do I Eat? How to Choose Healthy Foods in a Toxic Food Environment. We’ll discuss national guidelines for good nutrition and healthy eating, plus talk about how to put these guidelines into practice in your life. Learn simple and effective ways to improve your eating habits without spending hours in the kitchen, and how to manage stress without food.

Third session March 9th, 3-4:30pm at the Israel Congregation
Topic:  Our Bodies are Made for Movement:  Get off the couch! Learn about the national guidelines for exercise, and how to fit movement into your daily life. We’ll also talk about how optimum sleep and a positive outlook set the stage for a healthy, balanced, energetic and vigorous life.

If the thought of parsnips, beets, and kale makes you turn up your nose, think again. Cooking Light just came out with 25 fantastic recipes that utilize winter veggies.

Several of my clients tell me that they just don’t enjoy eating cold vegetable salads during the winter. Who can blame them when it’s freezing outside? The beauty of these vegetable recipes is that they’re hot, nourishing, comforting, delicious - and really easy to prepare. They’re all perfect for leftovers, which helps make healthy eating much easier for busy families.

My personal favorites? Lentil soup and roasted vegetables. Try out some of these recipes or share your personal favorites.

After walking around Washington DC on a cold and windy day recently, my husband and I stopped to enjoy some hot chocolate. The menu board not only listed the sizes (small, medium, large) and cost of the hot chocolate options - it also listed the calories. A small hot chocolate has 350 calories, and the large has 600 calories - I bet you can guess which one I chose!

What size beverage do you typically choose? If you’re drinking something with calories, go for the smaller size. If you’re drinking water - opt for the large, or even supersize. Save calories throughout the day, and they add up. Plus those calories in beverages come from added sugar or added fat, and we can certainly do without either of them.

“Hey Mom, let’s make stew together for dinner!”

These words from our younger son warm my heart, just as the soup will warm all of our bellies come dinner time. Nate loves to cook, and living in an apartment at college this year, he’s developed some new skills. While he was home recently, we made beef stew together, using this awesome recipe from the University of Nebraska-Lincoln extension program.

Things we love about stew:
- you can include a bunch of veggies
- we finish it in the slow-cooker, which makes meal prep a snap
- the leftovers taste even better the second day!
- it fits a college student’s grocery budget
- it’s filling, delicious, and healthy!

Making - and eating - soup together is a wonderful family activity. If you haven’t tried it lately, dust off your favorite family soup recipes or use these seven simple soup recipes Make sure you sit together and enjoy the finished product. You’re not only creating a healthy meal, you’re creating lasting memories.

I love this workout! Designed by the American Council on Exercise (ACE), it provides a complete, 12-week fitness program that you can do at home!

• No more excuses about not having enough money to join the gym - do this workout at home.
• Forget about needing expensive and bulky exercise equipment - you use your own body weight.
• Short on time? Do part of the workout in the morning before you take a shower, another couple of exercises in the evening when you get home from work, and finish up before bed.
• You don’t even need to hire me as your personal trainer to guide you through the exercises, because there are complete directions and tips on the website.

What are you waiting for? Join the discussion on Facebook at http://www.facebook.com/trainingformore#!/pages/Training-for-More/185394604809438 and let me know how great you feel after doing this workout!

Making changes to your eating habits to improve your health and manage your weight is always easier - and more fun - when you are part of a group. Finding the time to actually get TO a group can be daunting, and there may not even be a group available in your area.

Enter the Internet.

There are many online weight management programs, and each of them offers something a bit different. Check out several to find the one that’s the right fit for you. One of the online platforms I work with is Real Living Nutrition Services, who has a great promotion until January 4th. Check them out here

You’re reading my blog, so I know you utilize the Internet! Why not put the Net to work for you, to help you reach your health and fitness goals?

We’re in the middle of a classic Noreaster as I write this:  over one foot of snow (so far!), lots of wind, and temperatures hovering right about 15 degrees. In much of the country this time of year, locally grown fruit and vegetables just aren’t an option. Grocery stores stock a large selection of fresh produce, but in the middle of winter canned or frozen produce is just as nutritious as fresh!

That’s because fruit and vegetables start to lose some of their nutrients as soon as they’e picked. The longer distance they travel from the farm to the grocery store to your table, the more nutrients are lost. Many frozen and canned fruits and vegetables are processed the day they’re picked, preserving most of their nutrients. Plus, canned and frozen produce is often more affordable than fresh.

This short and informative video from the American Dietetic Association tips on canned and frozen produce points out exactly what to look for when you’re at the grocery store.

I routinely stock my freezer with a variety of vegetables and fruit, and always keep cans of veggies and fruit on hand for quick, simple, delicious and healthy meals. Make your cupboards work for you as well!

Do you ever tell yourself that you simply don’t have time to eat healthy? I think we all do - but we’re fooling ourselves. It doesn’t take any more time to make a healthy food choice. All it really takes is the understanding that there are healthier foods available, and the desire to choose them.

Some examples:
- pack a piece of fruit for a snack instead of cookies or a candy bar
- purchase a bottle of plain water instead of soda or other sweetened beverages when you’re thirsty
- opt for a regular size burger at the drive through - and get it without fries
- there are lots of canned soups available that are lower in fat and sodium - and they’re just as quick to prepare as other types of canned soup
- Baby carrots and cherry tomatoes make perfect additions to any meal

Also read the Real Living Nutrition services blog here:  http://www.reallivingnutrition.blogspot.com/ It’s packed with great ideas!

Not only do I love to bake during the holidays, but I also have so many wonderful memories surrounding baking:  making family-favorite cookies with my grandmother, packing up tins of holiday treats for the neighbors with my mom, making gingerbread men with my boys when they were small and decorating cookies with the entire family.

A gift from your kitchen is also a gift from the heart. Why not make it healthy as well as tasty, gorgeous, and just right for the holidays? There are two perfect recipes here:  http://www.fruitsandveggiesmorematters.org/?page_id=15098

Here’s one of my favorites, taken from a Cooking Light recipe a few years ago:  Holiday Granola (but it’s delicious any time of the year!)

Do you ever stop to think about why you’re eating?

I’m betting that most of the time you eat on automatic pilot. But if you stop and really think about why you’re eating, you can learn quite a bit about how you use food in your life - or how food uses you.

For the next 24 hours, every time you reach to put something in your mouth - a meal, a snack, a bite off your child’s lunch plate, a sip of soda, snagging a couple of grapes from the bowl on the counter - write down why you’re eating.

• Are you eating because you’re physically hungry?
• Or are you bored and looking for something to fill the time?
• Celebrating with a friend?
• Tired and using food to help you stay awake?
• Sad and lonely hoping that food will help you feel better?

Another way of phrasing this is to ask yourself:  What is my intention with this meal?
Is my intention to improve my health - so I’m choosing fruit, vegetables and whole grains?
Is my intention to use food to take care of emotions like boredom, stress, or joy?
Is my intention to reward myself with food?

Food plays a variety of roles in our life, and understanding those roles will give you knowledge about your eating habits that you can use to your advantage. Look for the ‘why’ in your food choices and eating habits.