Healthy Eating Tips for Runners

Essential advice from runners and readers
by Yishane Lee
image by David Brinley

1. EAT BEFORE
If you're heading out for an hour or more, you need some fuel at least 30 minutes before you run. "I generally go with the three-to-one carbs-to-protein ratio," says Anna Wood of New York City, who likes whole-grain cereal with milk. Carbs provide energy, and protein and just a little fat help it last. "Peanut butter settles well in my stomach, and since it is high in protein and fat, it provides lasting energy throughout long workouts," says Jenny Jensen of Redmond, Washington. Other favorite boosts are honey on toast, oatmeal, bananas and peanut butter, fruit and nuts, granola, and energy bars. "When I run, I plan out the snack I'm going to eat after I'm done." -Liz Lawrence Atasacadero, California

2. OR SIP SOMETHING
If you're rolling out of bed, not starving, and only going for a few miles, you probably don't need anything more than a few sips of whatever gets you going. "As an early morning runner, I rarely eat, but I always have several cups of coffee," says Erik Petersen of Eugene, Oregon. Good choice, since numerous studies have shown that caffeine boosts performance during exercise. Dennis Ang of Hong Kong likes a prerun Red Bull, while Jordan Paxhia of Brookline, Massachusetts, drinks Emergen-C. "If I run in the morning, a Diet Coke is a must!" says Lisa Allison of St. Louis Park, Minnesota.

3. CARRY CANDY
You'll need to refuel on the run if you're going out for longer than 75 minutes. "I carry jelly beans and water for runs over 13 miles," says Lisa Allison of Minnesota. Jane Cullis of Toronto prefers gummy bears, while Sarah Dreier of Appleton, Wisconsin, is a Swedish Fish fanatic. Like candy, GUs, Sport Beans, Shot Bloks, gels, and energy bars all provide easily accessible carbs. "Dried fruits and raw nuts add salt and sugar and they're calorically dense, so I don't have to carry many!" says Kristin Field of Corona, California.

4. DRINK WHILE YOU'RE OUT
For runs less than 45 minutes, water is enough. Hour-long runs require replenishing with carbs as well as electrolytes, and sports drinks do the trick. "I drink half water and half Gatorade," says Wendy Cohen of El Cajon, California. "I sip small amounts every 15 minutes." Eric Bubna of Andover, Minnesota, finds out what drink will be served at his upcoming races and practices with that. "It's important for your body to get used to it," he says. To go hands-free, use a fuelbelt, stash bottles along your route before your run, or map a course that goes by water fountains or convenience stores.

5. RUN TO THE FRIDGE
Postexercise, aim to refuel within the "glycogen recovery window" of 30 to 60 minutes, says Len James of Savannah, Georgia. It's when your body most needs the nutrients in order to repair muscle tissue and replace glycogen stores. "I try to eat immediately after I run, usually a good mix of protein and carbs," says Christian Taylor of New Holland, Pennsylvania. Jack Genovese of Amherst, New York, likes pancakes and a Slim Fast. "I go with what I am craving, which is mostly carbs with a little fat and protein, like a smoothie with banana, berry, honey, and soymilk, and half of a tuna sandwich," says New York's Anna Wood. "Eating properly makes me functional for the remainder of the day," says Ricardo J. Salvador of Battle Creek, Michigan.

6. POUR CHOCOLATE
"After a half-marathon or longer, I can't eat right away," says Bill Kirby. "My wife hands me a cold bottle of chocolate milk that I immediately down." A 2006 Indiana University study found that low-fat chocolate milk, with its optimal carbs to protein ratio, was just as effective as Gatorade at speeding recovery after exercise. And it doesn't have to be cold. Brooklyn, New York, chocolatier Jacques Torres drank his own hot chocolate at mile 20 of the New York City Marathon in 2002. "When people smelled it, they all wanted some," he says. Smoothies and protein shakes are good options, too. "I go for Carnation Instant Breakfast, which has quick carbs, protein, and vitamins," says Chris Mateer of Webster, New York.

7. CARB UP
Any complex carbohydrates you enjoy are a good choice the night (or day) before a race, long run, or hard workout. "My favorite meal the night before a marathon is pizza because it's loaded with carbs and protein. I did this before my first marathon, and it's been a tradition since," says marathoner Bryan Krasovskis of Niagara Falls, Ontario. "I notice a difference when I get quality carbs-complex carbs and nutrient-dense carbs like veggies," says Dreier.

8. BE WARY
Meat, dairy, high-fat foods, and fiber too close to your effort may make you just run to the porta-potty. "When I eat meat before I run, it tries to make its way back up," says Carlo de la Rama of Jersey City, New Jersey. "For afternoon runs, I'll avoid dairy, meat, and fiber, like apples, at lunchtime," says Rosemary Walzer of Milwaukee. "Fiber found in whole wheat makes you have to go to the bathroom," says Michael Borodynko of Sewell, New Jersey. "Too much fatty food of any sort gives me gastric problems for the next few days, so I get most of my fat fromalmonds, avocados, and the occasional chunk of cheese," says Lena Warden of Albuquerque. "Steer clear of burritos," says Megan Lacey of Walla Walla, Washington, who learned the hard way.
"I train hard, so why not enjoy a piece of cake here and there?" -Avery Adams Georgetown, Kentucky

9. BE BORING
"I stick with what I know, and I do not try new food items before a workout or race," says Henry Tong of Union City, New Jersey. "It's all about avoiding cramps while maintaining fuel and minerals," says R.O. Bonacquisti III. If you do try something new, just make sure it's healthy. Olympic marathoner Deena Kastor ate low-fat, high-carb Chinese food the night before winning the 2008 Olympic Marathon Trials in Boston. "My husband got take-out from P.F. Chang's," she says. "I'd never eaten Chinese food the night before a race. And he said, 'Well, you are trying to make the team for Beijing.'"

10. THEN HAVE FUN
"After a torturous long run, the best reward for me is a cheeseburger and an ice-cold beer," says Daniel Guajardo of Austin, Texas. Finishing a marathon means 12 ounces of premium Japanese Wagyu beef for Dennis Ang of Tai Koo Shing, Hong Kong. "I reward myself with a few adult drinks after races. When you train for months, you deserve them," says Josh Boots of Cedar Rapids, Iowa. Julia Weisenborn of Bowling Green, Ohio, goes for ice cream. "Any kind," she says. "Large amounts."

Carb Faves
Pasta 44%
Rice 9%
Bagel 11%
Energy bar 3%
Cereal 17%
Beer 16%
Based on 4,034 respondents.

reprinted from www.runnersworld.com

5 Unusual Ways to Recover Faster

And Make Better Progress in the Gym

By Team FitRX

We all know that proper recovery plays a large role in reaching our fitness goals. Whether you’re over training or have just been hitting the gym harder lately, we can all benefit from better sleep, better nutrition and more stretching/mobility work.

Here are five less known ways that you can help yourself recover faster and make better progress in the gym.

1. Listen to music immediately post-workout

We all know some good tunes, whether rock, rap or house, (or T-Swift of course) can pump us up for a workout. However, did you know that listening to music post-workout can help you recover faster?

A 2010 study showed that listening to “slow” music immediately post-workout can slow your heart rate, help your blood pressure recover and put your body in recovery mode quicker than not listening music. Bottom line: put on some slow jams to get back in the gym faster!

2. Drink tart cherry juice

Nothing like an ice cold glass of fruit juice right? Well, swap that OJ for some tart cherry juice. Not only is it great for heart and digestive health, drinking cold cherry juice regularly can help improve post exercise soreness.

Additional studies indicate that tart cherry juice can also improve sleep quality and duration by boosting levels of melatonin. And since we know that getting adequate sleep is crucial to proper recovery, weight management, and just about everything else, we think it is a no brainer to use regularly.

We love Lakewood Organic tart cherry juice. It’s not too sweet or too tart… just right.

3. Eat protein and carbs pre-workout

Most of us know the importance of post-workout nutrition for maximizing progress in the gym, but did you know that eating protein and carbs before your workout might be just as important to your progress? Studies show that elevated levels of insulin and amino acids in your system from carb and protein intake during your workouts improves muscle performance.

Also, eating protein before your workout can contribute to protein synthesis (muscle growth + recovery) for long after your workout.

So if you follow a nutrition program like IIFYM (Flexible Dieting) make sure to budget your calories for protein and carbs accordingly and grab a snack before you hit the gym.

We recommend eggs and toast, a protein smoothie, oatmeal + a light protein shake, or greek yogurt and fruit about 15-45 minutes before your workout.

4. Reduce alcohol consumption

Okay, so this one’s not that unusual, but studies show that post-exercise alcohol can impede progress in the gym. However, it should be noted that low levels of alcohol consumption should not affect your progress significantly. What does this mean for you?

If you’re planning on going out on the weekend and having several drinks, it’s best to not exercise right before you go out, or even that day if you want your workout to be beneficial. Keep the drinks in moderation when you’re on a strict workout program.

5. Take a nap after working out

We all love naps, so why not use them as part of your recovery plan? Studies show that daytime naps have a potential role as a valuable recovery tool after exercise. Hit the gym hard in the morning or at lunch? Take a quick power nap before you return to work.

In addition to the usual recovery methods we’re all familiar with, try giving some of these a shot and see if they help improve your performance!

Looking for additional ways to boost recovery? Check out some of the packs at PrettyFit to try new supplements, healthy snacks and fitness goodies each month!

Reprinted from FitnessRXWomen.com

5 Tips for Healthy Grocery Shopping

Walk in with a Plan of Action!

By Lauren Jacobsen

Whether you are new to dieting, or have been following a healthy, fit lifestyle for a long time, one of the most challenging tasks you may have is going grocery shopping. Sticking to a healthy diet is challenging enough, and navigating the grocery store can be overwhelming when you are super hungry and super tired, especially if you are in those last few weeks of diet mode before a big show, or are dieting down for vacation or a special event. Walking into the grocery store without a plan of action can result in the wrong food choices and a diet meltdown! If you are challenged by grocery shopping, try these five tips on your next trip.

Tip #1 – Do Not Shop Hungry

Avoid going anywhere near a grocery store when you are hungry, which means do not grocery shop after your workout. If you do, then bring a post-workout meal with you. If you are serious about your results— weight loss and gaining a lean and firm body— then there really is no excuse for not being prepared. It doesn’t have to be a full meal, but proper nutrition within the first hour post-workout will make sure you kickstart the recovery process in that critical time period when your muscles need it most! For ease and convenience, bring a protein shake, combining 1 or 2 scoops of protein powder, with an additional serving of BCAAs, and add 1 or 2 scoops of carb powder. You can find many post-workout powder options that already combine the right proportions of carbs and proteins that are needed post-workout. Consuming this shake is not only convenient, it will also blunt hunger until you get home and are ready to eat your next meal.

Tip #2 – Always Bring a List

Make sure you are prepared when you go to the grocery store by bringing a list of food items on your diet, and don’t deviate. Use your smartphone; there are many apps available that can help you develop your list. Consider a wide range of choices, just in case you cannot find a particular item and will require a substitute. For example, simply make a list of carbohydrate, protein and fat choices that will fit into your diet plan that have similar macronutrient breakdowns. Carbohydrates choices could include: brown rice, oatmeal, sweet potato, or even brown rice pasta. Protein choices could include chicken, egg whites, lean red meat, fish, or cottage cheese, while fat choices could include flax seed oil, almonds, or olive oil.

Tip #3 – Shop Around the Perimeter

Remember, most items that you will need on a healthy diet will be found around the perimeter of the store, with the exception of a few items. Do not venture into the center aisles unless absolutely necessary. For the most part, the center aisles are home to processed, sugary and fattening foods! Avoid the temptation all together!

Most of your cart should be filled with whole and natural foods, including an assortment of vegetables. Keep it interesting by trying new vegetables once in a while. Vegetables are generally low in calories and full of vitamins, minerals, antioxidants and fiber, which are essential when following a healthy diet plan.

Tip #5 – Choose Your Grocery Store Wisely

Nowadays, there are lots of grocery stores out there that offer a better selection of whole and organic foods that perfectly fit into a healthy diet plan. Choose a grocery store that offers a wide range of fresh foods, few processed foods and a selection of all-natural food options. You can also find grocery stores with fantastic salad bars, and even foods that are already prepared, such as plain grilled chicken!

Reprinted from FitnessRXWomen.com

How Dehydration Can Impact Your Performance

By Denis Faye, M.S.


When’s the last time you were reminded of the importance of proper hydration during exercise? Odds are fairly recently. In fact, it’s almost customary, after chugging a mouthful of sports drink, to offer a chirpy “Stay hydrated!” to our fellow exercisers.

So we all know it’s good for us, but why? And even more importantly, did you know that proper hydration has a huge impact on athletic performance? Okay, so maybe it’s a stretch to say that nailing your workout takes priority over not dying of dehydration. But still, knowing that fluid replacement can dial up your workouts—and your results—is a powerful motivator, so let’s take a closer look.

Why proper hydration matters for your health

We’re made up of about 50% or 60% water, so hydration plays all sorts of roles in our bodies. It’s required for several reactions inside cells. It transports materials throughout the body. It acts as a solvent and a lubricant for organs and joints. It’s thermoregulatory. And, it’s crucial for keeping the cardiovascular system operating. Furthermore, we have a bad habit of dying without water, usually in 7 to 10 days—even less if we exercise since the resulting perspiration means increased water loss.

Considering we take in water every day via the beverages and foods in our diet, forgetting to hydrate during your 60-minute workout probably isn’t a death sentence—but before you write off the fitness industry’s constant push for hydration as a ploy to sell sports drinks and fancy bottles, keep in mind that you might survive without focusing on proper performance hydration, you certainly won’t thrive. The amount of water (and electrolytes) you have in your system directly impacts your physical and mental abilities on the playing field, road, track, plyo mat, or wherever else you hit it.

Why proper hydration matters when you work out.

The most obvious role water plays in exercise is to cool you down. The reason you perspire during exercise is the same reason an engine heats up when you drive a car. Generating energy creates heat. When you work out, your metabolism increases to create more energy, raising your core body temperature. To help bring that temperature down, you perspire. How much you sweat depends on your genes, exertion level, and external situation. Generally, people turn over between half a gallon to 2 gallons of water a day—much of which evaporates—but people in extreme heat situations or doing extreme exercise can lose up to 5 or 6 gallons. What’s more, when you sweat, you lose electrolytes, which comes with its own batch of issues—the most obvious of which is cramping.

But water plays a bigger role than just cooling you down when you work out. It’s crucial to keeping your cardiovascular system running smoothly. When the water content in the body drops, so does blood volume. This means the cardiovascular system delivers less blood to muscles; they get less oxygen and are slower to flush waste products. They also get less blood sugar, which means they use up glycogen stores quicker (meaning you’ll bonk faster). And less blood volume also impairs your skin’s ability to sweat, so your core temperature rises. All and all, this means your body has to work harder to achieve less.

There’s no shortage of research supporting this. A number of studies have shown dehydration diminishes muscle strength and power and inhibits high intensity endurance significantly, even when subjects lost as little as 1% of their weight in water.

In one study, fluid loss equaling 2% body appeared to reduce running performance by 5% at both 5,000m and 10,000m—that’s like losing well over a minute on your 3 mile run time. Another study showed that with 8% dehydration, participants walking to exhaustion lasted 55 minutes—as opposed to 121 minutes when hydrated.

Dehydration can also impact your brain, with research showing that losing 2% or more of your body weight in water negatively impacts hand-eye coordination, emotional state, and decision-making—none of which you want to happen when you’re dropping into a 10-foot wave or hammering a single track on your mountain bike at 30 miles per hour.

So next time the guy warming up next to you at the half marathon quips “Stay hydrated!” keep in mind this isn’t just canned advice to be filed next to “Don’t eat 30 minutes before you swim” and “Only cardio burns fat.” He’s actually giving you rock-solid advice that will improve your health, your power, your endurance, and your thinking. He also might be giving you the secret weapon that’ll help you beat him across the finish line.

Reprinted from Beachbody.com

The Fitness Benefits of Working Out with a Friend

From learning new moves to friendly competition, here's how a friend could boost your progressBy Diana Gerstacker

You rely on your friends for everything—from dating advice to support during the toughest times—so when it comes to fitness, why are you going it alone?

Maybe you enjoy an occasional long run by yourself or perhaps you like cycling solo, but that doesn’t mean there’s no room for friends in your routine. In fact, if you’re trying to make exercise a habit or you’re hoping to hit a specific goal, a friend could be a big help.
Friends provide a kind of motivation and competition that you just can’t get when you’re exercising alone. Workout partners keep you accountable by meeting you at the gym after a long day and they push you to work harder so you can match their effort. Having a fit friend helps keep you on track and that means reaching your goals quicker.
If you’ve always been a solo gym-goer, maybe it’s time to find a friend for your workouts. We’ve outlined the fitness benefits of working out with a friend and some of them just might surprise you.

Accountability
You’re far more likely to actually workout when (1) you’re forced to schedule it ahead of timeand (2) cancelling means inconveniencing a friend. Making concrete plans with a friend means you’ll be far less likely to cancel in favor of the couch and after a few weeks of working out together your routine will be second nature.

Motivation
In addition to keeping you accountable, friends can provide an extra boost of motivation when it gets tough. Everyone has those days when they just don’t feel like going to the gym and those times when they want to call it quits, friends can offer encouragement to keep you going. Just be sure to return the favor.

Learn More Moves
Even the most dedicated gym rat doesn’t know it all, there’s always room for improvement. Friends can teach you new exercises or circuits and they can point out things you might be doing wrong. Get into a routine with a friend and finally learn how to crush that pistol squat.

Two-Person Exercises
On top of learning some new solo exercises, a partner can help you broaden the scope of what you can do. In other words, you can do exercises that require two people. Think crunches with a medicine ball pass or partner push-ups with a shoulder tap—the possibilities are practically endless.

Competition
If your workout partner is a bit fitter, faster or stronger than you are, you might be in luck. According to a study by Kansas State University, people who worked out with someone they perceived as better “increased their intensity and workout time by as much as 200 percent.” How’s that for a little friendly competition?

Avoid the Rut
Working out alone can leave you stuck in the same routine with the same moves, but when you partner up there are more options. Not only can a partner point out some new exercises, but they can let you know when a particular routine is getting stale and then help you switch it up.

Affordable Personal Training
Maybe you’ve been thinking about hiring a personal trainer but just don’t have room in your budget for a series of solo sessions; a friend might be able to help. Hiring a personal trainer for the both of you will lighten your individual cost and as long as you and your friend are at similar fitness levels with related goals, the session should be just as beneficial as a one-on-one appointment.

Avoid Injury
Working out with a friend means you have a built in spotter. Your buddy can count reps, check your form and help you make adjustments before they become painful mistakes.

Have More Fun
Those who have hit the gym with friends know that it’s usually more enjoyable than going alone and several studies have reached that conclusion too. One study in particular surveyed 117 people using their phones to ask what they were doing, who they were with, where they were, how they were feeling and more. The results suggest that people enjoy physical activity more when they’re with their friends.

Get Better Results
When you take into account all the listed benefits that friends bring to your workout routine, it’s not hard to see that you’ll be able to reach your goals more quickly. The added accountability, competition and fun that friends bring to exercise will keep you motivated.

Reprinted from http://www.theactivetimes.com/

Why 80 Percent of New Year's Resolutions Fail

Why is it that with such good intentions, getting fit, losing weight and improving our lives seems so elusive?
By Joseph Luciani

Ever hear of holiday remorse? It's the guilt driven-response you have to holiday excess that becomes the catalyst for those New Year's resolutions and intentions. What happens is that we go through the holidays abandoning most – if not all – restraint, while indulging our bacchanalian impulses. Bellies full, we manage to sleep well at night clinging to the rationalization that, come the new year, we're going to lose the weight and get in shape. Yes, and I can show you a holiday road to hell paved with New Year's intentions.

Come the first of January, the hoards of enthusiastic resolutions-ers account for the swelling number of gym, yoga and Pilates memberships as the diet books fly off the book store shelves. By the second week of February, some 80 percent of those resolution-ers are back home with a new kind of remorse staring back at them in the mirror – the remorse of disappointment. Why is it that with such good intentions, getting fit, losing weight and improving our lives seems so elusive?

To answer this question, it's important to recognize that outside-in solutions such as dieting, joining gyms and so on are doomed to fail if, other than your well-intentioned resolve to change, you've done nothing to enhance your capacity to either sustain motivation or handle the inevitable stress and discomfort involved in change. Saying this differently: Unless you first change your mind, don't expect your health goals to materialize. As the saying goes, it's not the horse that draws the cart, it's the oats. It's not the gym, Pilates class or diet that will change you – it's your mind.

The unfortunate truth is that change, all change, entails some degree of emotional friction, which in turn generates a "heated state" we call stress. Whether you're feeling anxious, depressed, frustrated, fatigued, weak and out of control, or simply bored, emotional friction (stress) becomes the high-octane fuel of failure. When it comes to handling the stress involved in change, many well-adjusted, happy, overweight, out-of-shape people share the fundamental problem of self-sabotage.

What exactly is the resistance that sabotages our lives and our intentions? As complex and multifaceted as the answer to this query may be, one way or another it all boils down to self-discipline. Essentially, you build self-discipline by willfully enduring the transient discomfort of changing who and what you are. You're not born with self-discipline; you acquire it. Like a muscle, you need to develop your self-discipline muscle, one challenge at a time. Starting today, instead of reflexively feeling a need to minimize or escape the friction involved in change, recognize instead the need to endure it. Bottom line: Don't bail!

So before you focus on your biceps or belly fat, focus on training your brain with these five tips – and next year, you won't have to make a resolution:

1. Think small. Begin with small successes. Take a look at the habits that are holding you back in life. Find one that's simple, like, "When I finish this meal, I'm going to wash my dish." Make a contract with yourself that that dish must be washed. No ifs, ands or buts! Throughout the day, find simple challenges that you make happen. 

2. Build self-trust. Once you get used to making small things happen, begin to recognize and embrace the truth: What I say to myself is what I do. Remember, to cultivate a capacity for self-trust, you must succeed. In order to guarantee success, don't challenge yourself with a pledge that you're not sure you can handle. If, for example, you're not sure you'll stick with going to the gym five times a week, then don't promise yourself. Better to do the best you can than to fall short and wind up jeopardizing your growing capacity for believing in yourself. When it comes to building trust, it's better to lose the battle than the war. 

3. Invent challenges. Invent various challenges throughout the day to strengthen your ability to believe and to do. Don't allow yourself to procrastinate; make yourself finish your paperwork before turning on the TV; decide not to spend too much at the mall. These are all trust-muscle builders, and you should view them as you would an actual muscle. Just as you would do repetitions at the gym to develop a muscle, so too must you get your reps in each day. Like a muscle, the more you workout, the more your capacity for personal success will grow.

4. Cultivate optimism. No one's life is without negatives. The key is to train yourself to focus on the positives. Don't let insecurity suggest there are no positives. Positives may be eclipsed by a habit of pessimistic negativity, but keep looking: They're there. If you're a whiner or a complainer, make a determination to stop whining and complaining (to yourself and others). Pessimists are so used to being negative that they don't realize it's a habit. And they don't realize it's a choice.

5. Develop critical awareness. Living without self-awareness is like driving your car at night with the headlights off – technically, you can still drive, but you will eventually have a collision. With awareness, you shed light on your destructive, reflexive habits and thinking and on any self-sabotaging mind games at play. When it comes to self-sabotage, mindless capitulation to destructive impulses is your number one enemy.


Reprinted from US News & Health ReportA clinical psychologist in private practice for almost four decades, Joseph J. Luciani, Ph.D., is also the author of the international best-selling Self-Coaching series, which has been translated into 10 different languages. An in-demand speaker and expert, Dr. Joe is featured frequently in major media, including MSNBC, CNBC, Hallmark Channel, Discovery Channel, NPR, USA Today, Cosmopolitan, Redbook, Fitness, Health, Shape, and O, The Oprah Magazine. Dr. Joe resides in New Jersey with his wife of 44 years and, in his spare time, is an amateur paleontologist, astronomer, marathon runner, and practices yoga and meditation. Thin From Within will be released on January 1, 2016, and available in both paperback ($16.95) and e-book ($12.95) formats via Amazon. Learn more about Dr. Joe at Self-coaching.net and connect with him onFacebook, Twitter, LinkedIn and YouTube.

10 Ways to Make Your New Year's Resolutions Stick

10 ways to stay strong in the face of tempting cupcakes, pricey shoes, and the urge to hit the snooze button instead of the gym.

By Sarah Mahoney
There's an inevitable rhythm to January 1 at my house. I take down the tree, vacuum up pine needles, and start making my New Year's resolutions. The list usually looks like this: Lose weight. Swear off TV and saturated fat. Eat salads. Call Dad more. Write that novel. Floss. By midday I'm worn out, intermittently dozing in front of a football game and swiping my husband's million-calorie nachos.

It's not that I totally lack discipline. It's just that I don't sufficiently appreciate what's going on in my brain, explains Joseph Shrand, M.D., an instructor of psychiatry at Harvard Medical School. Self-restraint is a rational desire, which means it lives in the front of the brain, the section that's most recently evolved and most vulnerable to being overruled by survival instincts. Pleasure resides in the brain's most primitive part, which has spent millions of years learning to reward us with a deeply satisfying jolt of dopamine when we give in to these kinds of urges. And while that brain circuitry evolved to encourage life-prolonging desires like eating, says Dr. Shrand, we now get a rush from giving in to anything we want, whether it's an illicit drug, chocolate, or buying expensive purple peep-toe boots, even when the more evolved part of our brain tells us we'll quickly regret it.

So how do you help the rational (i.e., your New Year's resolutions) triumph over the pleasure-seeking? You need to outsmart it with these research-proven strategies.
1. Give It a Workout

I'd always thought of willpower as a steady, steely resolve that made some women triathletes and some (not my real name) couch-nappers. But it's more like a muscle, says Marvin D. Seppala, M.D., chief medical officer at Hazelden, the well-known addiction treatment center. That means the more we use it, the stronger it gets — and quickly. In an experiment at the University at Albany — State University of New York, researchers asked 122 smokers who were trying to quit to exert extra self-control for two weeks, either by avoiding sweets or by squeezing on a grip strengthener for as long as they could twice a day. In the following month, 27 percent of those who were diligent about practicing their self-control exercise successfully kicked their cigarette habit, compared with just 12 percent of volunteers who'd been given a task that didn't call for self-control.
2. Make One Change at a Time

Once you understand that you have only a limited amount of willpower, it's easy to understand why multiple resolutions aren't likely to work, says Ian Newby-Clark, Ph.D., a psychologist at the University of Guelph in Canada. Most resolutions actually require many behavior changes. Sure, some are straightforward, like remembering to take a calcium pill every day — but a successful weight-loss program, for example, calls for more than just a decision to eat less. You have to shop and cook differently, start or ramp up an exercise routine, maybe even ditch certain social or family events. "Thinking through these substrategies boosts success rates," says Newby-Clark. "But it would take too much attention and vigilance to do all that and also decide it's time to brush your teeth for the full two minutes and become better informed about world events."
3. Break It Up

Since your supply of self-control is finite, make resolutions that require small acts of will, not weeks of vigilance. " 'Lose 10 pounds' sounds specific, but it's less likely to work than behavioral goals like 'This week I'll try to go to the gym three times, take the stairs at work at least twice, and bring a healthy lunch every day,' " says Andrea Bonior, Ph.D., a psychologist in private practice in Washington, DC, and author of the "Baggage Check" column for the Washington Post Express. You'll feel good when you accomplish each goal, and your success will help bolster your resolve: The better you are at making small changes, the easier it will be for you to keep going.
4. Lift Your Spirits

Watching funny movies — or doing just about anything that puts you in a good mood — also helps when willpower starts wearing down. In a particularly sneaky study, researchers asked a group of 30 hungry students to sit in a room that smelled like freshly baked cookies. Although a plate of M&Ms and still-warm cookies was placed within reach, participants were told to snack on a bowl of radishes. Then they were left alone for 10 to 12 minutes in order to exhaust their self-restraint.

Next, some of the students watched a film clip of Robin Williams doing stand-up, while another group viewed a film about dolphins. When, in the last part of the experiment, they were asked to perform a complex tracing project that called for lots of self-control, students who'd seen the funny film stuck with the trying task for about 13 minutes. The Flipper crowd hung in for only nine.

5. Have Some OJ

Self-restraint — stifling your disagreement during a politically charged discussion, for example — can reduce blood glucose to less-than-optimal levels, report Florida State University researchers. But a glass of orange juice or lemonade can replenish your self-control. The brain relies almost exclusively on glucose for energy, so it has to be the real thing — artificially sweetened drinks won't deliver the jolt.
6. Outwit Your Inner Rebel

To give your willpower some wiggle room, avoid making 100 percent resolutions. "Absolutes like 'I'm giving up all sweets' or 'I'll never use my credit card again' set you up to try to get around your own overly strict rules," says Connie Stapleton, Ph.D., a psychologist in Augusta, GA. Instead, try drafting more limited restrictions like "I'll have sweets only when I'm in a fancy restaurant."

7. Crank Up Your Greatest Hits

When you feel discouraged, remind yourself how much you've accomplished in the past, suggests Elizabeth Lombardo, Ph.D. "People beat themselves up about still needing to lose the baby weight or no longer going to yoga class. But they overlook the long list of things they have done that required major self-discipline, like building a nest egg or sticking with the computer training they needed in order to get a better job." Lombardo's advice: "Write down 100 things you're proud of, right down to 'I get out of bed when I don't want to.' It'll remind you how much willpower you really have."
8. Be Extra Nice (Or Nasty)

Do unto others, and you'll be doing unto yourself as well. In a Harvard University study, psychologist Kurt Gray, Ph.D., gave 80 participants a dollar, told half the group to keep it and the other half to give it to charity, and then asked all the volunteers to hold a five-pound weight for as long as they could. Those who had donated their buck to a good cause held the weight significantly longer than the "selfish" ones.

But imagining doing something not nice makes us even stronger. In another experiment, Gray asked participants to hold the weight while writing a story that involved their helping someone, harming someone, or doing something neutral. Those who envisioned dastardly deeds held the weight longer than the helpful ones, who in turn beat out the neutrals. Whether we're doing someone a good turn or a bad one, it increases our feeling of personal power, making it easier to stick with something uncomfortable, says Gray.

9. Use Your Senses

The primitive cravings center is highly susceptible to visual cues, explains Tufts University psychologist Christopher Willard, Psy.D. Draw on the strength of images by putting a photo of a thinner you on the fridge, or a picture of a Caribbean beach in your wallet near your credit cards to remind yourself of the vacation that you're saving for.
10. Finally, Get Out of Dodge

The same way a sprinter can tell when she doesn't have another 100 yards in her, "it's important to know when your resistance is tapped out," says Dr. Seppala. "Stress will wear it down. So will being hungry or tired." His advice for those times: Get away from whatever is tempting you until you've eaten and rested, which will give your willpower a fighting chance.

Write Your Ticket to Success

People who put their goals on paper are significantly more likely to achieve them than are those who merely make mental vows, research from Dominican University of California has shown. What's also key: posting your goal in places where you will see it often, says Marvin D. Seppala, M.D., of Hazelden. "Your will matters most the moment you make a resolution — and you'll want to be able to recapture the intensity of that moment again and again." Share what you've written, too: The Dominican study found that those who told friends or family about their goals did better than those who didn't, and people who e-mailed their support team weekly progress updates did best of all. Social approval — as in "You look great!" — gives your brain a surge of soothing oxytocin, explains Joseph Shrand, M.D., of Harvard.

Reprinted from webmd.com