By Dr. Amanda Magrini
Dang it! It’s summer, which means endless barbecues, camping, vacations, and birthday parties with all the yummy treats and tastiest food ever. So hard to stay on track with whatever your health goals are.
I do absolutely love seeing all the people out there walking, jogging, biking and playing sports in the beautiful weather and long days. Do whatever you love to be active, and never stop. It doesn’t have to be slaying the weight rack at the gym to be good for your mind and body (but do that if you love it!).
And get this: Research shows that even starting some form of physical activity at the age of 75 improves quality and quantity of life. It’s never too late — no excuses!
With the long days, it’s easier to get outside and be active, BUT most unfortunately, you can’t out-exercise a bad diet — lame, I know.
So I am just going to lay out a few things to keep in mind that can help you stay healthy and not totally derail:
- Eat breakfast! In fact, eating small, frequent meals throughout the day can help you not overeat later. And I know that mindset — “I just won’t eat today to save up for my splurge tonight.” Trust me sister, it doesn’t work! You’ll end up eating way more calories than if you had just eaten like a normal person all day. #sushicoma
- Snack on fresh fruits and vegetables, and make sure to add in some protein. It’s really hard to gain weight eating too many of these, and adding the protein helps keep you full longer.
- Moderation truly is key. Read: It’s the morning, you know you want to have a nice dinner and dessert tonight, so maybe skip the pastry or frappe and opt for the espresso and egg bites.
- It is NOT ever “all or nothing.” I know that mindset too, because I have SO been there. “Well, I blew it today with that cookie, looks like it’s three pieces of pizza and ice cream tonight. I’ll start Monday.” Sound familiar? Caved and had a cookie? No big deal! It’s not going to ruin you — just scale your day accordingly.
- Plan for success. With how crazy fast paced our lives are these days, you’ll set yourself up for failure if you don’t have some idea of what you want to eat, or have healthy snacks readily available. When hangry mode is on, you’ll almost always choose the less healthy option.
- When you’re at barbecues/parties, don’t stand by the food. Get a plate, and walk away — which is so hard, I know! You can literally graze on hundreds of calories mindlessly chatting with people (commonly me=17 handfuls of Creme brûlée almonds).
Side note- calories are not necessarily the devil here, but not in the scope of what I am currently talking about.
So I’ll be real and honest here. I very acutely recall a time not so long ago where I thought “I don’t want to have to watch what I eat, plan ahead or sacrifice.” But the bottom line is getting your head in the right space and making healthy decisions to fuel your body will make a big difference in how you feel, and I guarantee it will improve your quality of life.
About Dr. Amanda Magrini
Amanda Magrini, MD, is a board-certified family medicine physician at Northern Nevada Medical Group’s Los Altos location in Sparks. She completed her undergraduate degree at the University of Nevada, Reno and her medical training at the University of Nevada School of Medicine. Dr. Magrini has practiced family medicine for seven years, including residency, and enjoys her specialty, because she likes taking care of the whole family, from newborns to grandparents. She likes preventative medicine, helping people take care of themselves and the relationships she is able to form with her patients. Dr. Magrini grew up in Sparks, NV and likes that it is a safe place to live with great educational opportunities and beautiful scenery. She thinks Northern Nevada is a great place to raise a family and looks forward to raising her own children here. In her spare time, she enjoys outdoor activities such as hiking, biking, camping, boating, running and traveling the world. Dr. Magrini is also very close with her family; she is married to her high school sweetheart and values spending time with him and the rest of her family. Disclosure: “The author is a licensed physician practicing with Northern Nevada Medical Group, but all opinions expressed are solely the opinions of the author and do not necessarily reflect the views of Northern Nevada Medical Group or any other affiliates of Universal Health Services, Inc.”
