HOW TO SURVIVE YOUR 4TH OF JULY BBQ?

The 4th of July is all about friends, family and food. Can you still have fun without sacrificing your healthy habits or beach body? Yes YOU can if you follow a few simple tips i listed below.

• Use whole wheat buns: Filling up on high glycemic index foods like potato chips, ice cream, sodas and full-calorie beers spikes insulin and opens the floodgates for fat storage, “Most people don’t realize that insulin, not testosterone, is the key hormone in the body. It determines your rate of aging, level of inflammation and whether your body is in a fat storage or burning mode,” says Andersen. “Carbohydrates cause a spike in your insulin and make your body store fat. Reducing carbs can keep the fat at bay and help control insulin.”
• Grill Fatty meats: Most people would think choosing lean meat is the way to go. I totally disagree with reducing dietary fat. Increasing your dietary fat will replace the calories you lose when you decrease your carbohydrates. Fat is also a great way to decrease your cravings for carbs. “Fewer carbs equals less BBQ- Beer belly. Eating grilled meats, like the ones your buddies serve at cookouts, is O.K. as long as you avoid sweet sauces and carbs. Most cookouts offer a variety of meats, so choose the fattier cuts of beef, chicken and pork.
• Practice portion control: There are a variety of strategies for cutting back at A BBQ. For example, eat less food overall by using smaller plates. Reduce bread, potato, pasta and rice to approximately one tablespoon.
• Load up on grilled veggies: “Fill half your plate with veggies so you avoid overdoing it on the higher-calorie carb options. The fiber will help to fill you and if you want seconds, be sure to fill your plate the same way, veggies first.
• Don’t skip meals to try to “save” calories for later: This will lead to overeating and making poor choices due to hunger and low blood sugar.

How to stay fit on the Fourth:

It’s 4th of July, but that doesn’t mean you get a pass on working out or eating healthy. “Get physical activity so that you can balance the extra calories consumed. You can make it fun by organizing a relay race in a local park or in a backyard BBQ; going swimming if you are at the beach or a pool; or taking a walk or bike ride instead of driving to see local fireworks.

It’s important to be wary of the heat. Stay hydrated and avoids exercising outside at peak temperatures.

Here are some easy ways to burn calories without overheating:

• Dancing: dance-like movements that are extensions of your body’s natural movements, is a fun way to burn calories. You can burn as much as 150 calories a day. Dance during your Independence Day celebration.
• Standing: The potential to burn 120 additional calories a day is possible by simply standing. Standing instead of sitting on the sofa with friends can easily increase caloric burn.
• Walking: This refers to walking anytime you’re not expressly walking for exercise. For example, you can walk around the house while you’re on the phone instead of sitting and talking. Same goes at work: get up and go talk to a co-worker rather than using e-mail, walk around the office every so often, make a habit of using the farthest restroom. You could potentially burn as many as 10 to 300 extra calories a day.

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