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FitnessHealthy TipsLifestyle
November 27, 2014By Josephine Fitzpatrick

Be Thankful…

Thanksgiving is my favorite holiday.  It is a time when friends and family come together and enjoy the company of each other. It’s not about gifts or shopping…it’s a stress free holiday that focuses on great food, lots of laughs and the people we love. I believe it’s a time when many people reflect about the past year and think about all the obstacles and challenges they faced.

 

THIS THANKSGIVING I am truly thankful for many things…..My Three Beautiful Boys who are the air that I breath and the joy and happiness that surround me everyday; My Two Beautiful girls, my boys brought into my life. My Husband who is my best friend, who believes in me and stays true to me in the good and bad times of my life, regardless of how difficult things get or how difficult I am – at the end of the day, he is always there for me.  My Job…as it not only gives me the opportunity to do what I love, it also brings the most wonderful people into my life. For the loved ones I lost. The pain is always there, but I have learned to be thankful for the time I was so truly lucky to have with them.

 

I believe that sometimes we experience the really difficult times in life so we don’t lose focus on what we have that is good and great.  How we must realize that many things we go through are not nearly as unfortunate as others. It’s wonderful to be thankful for all we have, but we should also recognize and pray for those less fortunate – who have lost their homes, jobs and people they love. Think about the families that have dissolved from the stresses of life that were placed before them and loved ones that have passed from illnesses, accidents, military and suicides.   Reflect on the sadness and unfortunate events that are happening in the world today. Our neighbors, who this year have lost spouses, children, jobs…and their hope. Pray that God keeps them safe and gets them through this holiday season.   If you don’t believe in God, then just take a moment in your day to think about them, and have hope for them.

 

This Thanksgiving…learn from your mistakes and strive to be a better person.  Don’t lose yourself and your spirit to those who are angry and bitter – instead give yourself and your spirit to help those who are in need. Tell the people around you how much you love them. Appreciate each breath that you take. Be true to yourself. Be a leader not a follower – and always live, love and laugh like there is no tomorrow. Don’t think or worry about what you don’t have, instead take a look around you, and be thankful for all the wonderful you do have. Reflect and Remember that you are the only person who can make the life you want, and be the person you want to be. Leave yesterday behind and begin a great tomorrow.

 

 

WE WISH ALL OF OUR INNOVATION FAMILY 

 

A HAPPY AND HEALTHY THANKSGIVING DAY

 

 
 
MUCH LOVE,
 

 

JOSEPHINE, NORA, JEFF, DEBBIE, LORI, ELYSE, AIMEE, JEANETTE

 

Innovation Weight Loss and Fitness
8031 Jericho Tpke Woodbury, NY 11797
469 7th Ave Manhattan, NY 10018
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FitnessHealthy TipsLifestyle
November 24, 2014By Josephine Fitzpatrick

How To Get Through the Holiday Weekend

The countdown to Thanksgiving is now less than a week! As one of the most highly anticipated meals of the year, it’s good to have a plan to get through the holiday as healthy as possible. Break the cycle of overeating and post-holiday regret with these tips to stay in control.

 

Start with a light and healthy breakfast in the morning. Skipping meals or not eating at all until dinner on Thanksgiving Day will only hurt you. Going hungry all day then stuffing yourself with a big meal will throw your body completely off balance and putting so much pressure on the big meal will make it seem like you have to over indulge because that is what the day is all about. Instead, think of it like any other holiday meal. It’s special, home made, and you only get it once a year, but, like all other holidays, don’t forget that Thanksgiving is about more than just food. Continue eating light throughout the day at lunch or just have snacks.

 

When you do finally sit down for Thanksgiving dinner, go with the tasting approach we have mentioned before. Start with a tablespoon of any dish you want to try or know you love. For the healthier dishes you find such as vegetables or salad, be more generous. That includes turkey! Just be sure to cut away any skin or fat. It can take your brain 20 minutes before it realizes that you’re full, so take your time when you eat. There may be certain dishes that you think you want more of when you sit down to eat, but when you give yourself time to really enjoy the food at a slow pace you may realize that you don’t need seconds after all. Help yourself to another serving of the dishes you really love if you’re still hungry. As long as you go little by little, you can fully enjoy your favorites.

 

Now comes the hard part: getting back to your weight loss plan after the holiday. Mondays can be hard, but the Monday after Thanksgiving can be especially difficult. Make a plan now to get back on track. Prepare a meal, make plans with a friend to exercise or sign up for a class. Don’t just tell yourself you’ll do it, make solid plans so you can’t just let it slide.

 

~Love to Live Healthy with Josephine Fitzpatrick

 

Innovation Weight Loss and Fitness

8031 Jericho Tpke Woodbury, NY 11797

469 7th Ave Manhattan, NY 10018

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FitnessHealthy TipsLifestyle
November 13, 2014By Josephine Fitzpatrick

Two Weeks Until Thanksgiving

 

It’s hard to believe, but Thanksgiving is only two weeks away. The Halloween decorations just came down and now another holiday is already around the corner. This is going to be a very busy time, but you should use these next two weeks to prepare for the four day feast.

 

The best thing you can do in this time is have a really clean two weeks. Be extra vigilant about what you’re eating and drinking, but it’s not about eating less. Don’t end every meal unsatisfied. If you’re consumed with cravings for two weeks, Thanksgiving dinner will throw you completely off balance when you finally satisfy your hunger and over eat. It is never good to go extreme in either direction – it’s all about balance and staying in control. It doesn’t end with one meal or one weekend, it’s about making healthy choices every day.

 

If you can comfortably skip a snack on some days, try it, even if it’s every other day or once a week, it can still help. Pick something easy like switching out your coffee or latte in the morning with a bottle of water, or skip that afternoon snack.

 

Another option is having a cheat meal instead of a whole cheat day. This can work leading up to Thanksgiving and also any day over the holiday. It might take some extra will power but it can help you enjoy the special meals a little more when you know you’ve been really good in the time leading up to the holiday. No matter what you choose to do, it is so important to have the right mindset. Enjoy everything to the fullest but don’t let your guard down. Be sure to keep reading the blog this month for more tips and some healthy recipes for Thanksgiving!

 

~Love to Live Healthy with Josephine Fitzpatrick

 

Innovation Weight Loss and Fitness

8031 Jericho Tpke Woodbury, NY 11730

469 7th Ave Manhattan, NY 10018

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FitnessHealthy TipsLifestyleUncategorized
October 9, 2014By Josephine Fitzpatrick

HALLOWEEN CANDY – DON’T BUY IT!

We’re barely a week into the month of October and already every store is filled with Halloween themed costumes, decorations and candy. While it may only hurt your wallet to give in to the first two, buying Halloween candy so early in the month will cost you more than just money. Even the bite-sized versions are packed with sugars and calories, and offer your body no nutritional value. Just think – If it wasn’t Halloween would you even consider buying this candy?

 

Avoid the “but it’s a holiday” excuse. If you start making excuses to buy it, you’re going to give in to your excuses to eat it. Just because it’s the special Halloween version that only comes out once a year, that doesn’t mean you should get it. Two weeks ago we discussed having tablespoon sized portions of your favorite holiday dishes and desserts on Rosh Hashanah because they only come around once a year. But this is not your family’s special recipe on a meaningful holiday. The Halloween candy is candy in a costume. It’s a great marketing tool that is meant to bring nostalgia. It represents your youth, and the comforts of your youth. A time when it was YOU who was once running around in the Halloween costume. The combination of the approaching Fall weather and the packaged Halloween candy can bring you back to a time when life was easy, fun and stress free. That’s a wonderful feeling, and I agree with the fun of the holiday, but not in the 2nd week of October. Halloween is one day, October 31st. Candy should be purchased the day before and celebrated the day of. Don’t make it longer than it really is.

 

It’s going to be difficult enough because without even buying the candy you will still come across plenty of it. Look around, Halloween candy is everywhere – in a bowl on every desk at the office, every counter at the bank, the nail and hair salon. It’s sitting next to every cash register and everywhere in between. You already work so hard to eat right and exercise, don’t sabotage yourself. The little slip ups add up very quickly. EVERYTHING COUNTS AND EVERYTHING MATTERS. Don’t let all your weight loss efforts go to waste over a candy bar that is dressed up in a Halloween Costume. Because when the costume is off, it’s really just a candy bar you can buy anytime of the year.

 

There are many healthy treats that you can buy and/or make with your family. Check the blog on Monday for some healthier Halloween treat ideas.

 

~Love to Live Healthy with Josephine Fitzpatrick

 

Innovation Weight Loss and Fitness
8031 Jericho Tpke Woodbury, NY 11797
469 7th Ave Manhattan, NY 10018
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FitnessHealthy TipsLifestyle
October 1, 2014By Josephine Fitzpatrick

Tips for A Healthy Fast

This weekend is the Jewish holiday Yom Kippur, or the Day of Atonement, which means atoning for the sins of the past year by refraining from eating and drinking, among other things, for 25 hours. Though it is possible to safely fast for this amount of time physically, mentally it might prove difficult. After our body has finished digesting our last meal, our brain will send out signals of hunger. Dealing with that feeling can get you through the day, but it is the lack of water that can really affect your body. Water can’t be stored like glycogen, a resource that our body gets from food that we use for energy. We are constantly losing water every day, and that is why it is especially important to saturate yourself with water before you fast to help lighten the effects of dehydration such a headaches.

 

Drinking plenty of water is one of a few ways to prepare yourself for the fast. If you are a big coffee or soda drinker, or anything with a lot of caffeine, start cutting down on these drinks now and for the rest of the week. Being dehydrated on top of being deprived of caffeine will only make the head aches worse and can even cause nausea.

 

On the morning of the fast, which begins at sundown, try something high in fiber and protein like fruit and Greek yogurt for breakfast. For lunch, go for something high in protein and low in sodium like an egg white omelette with vegetables or fresh turkey over salad. Throughout the day watch your sodium intake, it will just make you thirstier. So when you have vegetables skip the salt and butter and go easy on the spices. For your final meal, continue with low sodium and high fiber foods. The fiber will help keep you full longer. Some options are roasted chicken, sweet potato, and beans (not from a can, which usually already has salt added – prepare them yourself). It is important to keep this last meal light even though you may want to eat as much as you can. A stuffed stomach will send hunger signals sooner. Also remember to drink plenty of water throughout the day.

 

Once the fast is over, you are going to feel hungry and very, very thirsty but do not over do it. Drinking cup after cup of water right after you break the fast will dilute your blood without giving your body time to adjust and may cause you to feel dizzy. Instead, slowly sip one cup of water then start to snack on something like grapes or an apple. Take it slow, then you can fully enjoy your celebratory meal.

 

Have an easy fast!

 

~Love to Live Healthy with Josephine Fitzpatrick

 

Innovation Weight Loss and Fitness
8031 Jericho Tpke Woodbury, NY 11797
469 7th Ave Manhattan, NY 10018
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FitnessHealthy TipsLifestyle
September 24, 2014By Josephine Fitzpatrick

How to Enjoy Your Favorite Dishes During the Holidays

The first of many Jewish holidays this season begins tonight and with it comes several things to look forward to: family gatherings, celebration and traditional foods. Whether this is apples and honey, challah bread or Grandma’s special kugel, here are some tips to enjoying this holiday feast.

 

Start with tasting. Put one tablespoon of any dish you want to try or know you love on your plate. We all know what a tablespoon sized scoop looks like, so be honest with yourself. It may not look like enough but it’s the right place to start. Be more generous with the healthier options you find. Eat the healthier foods first and then go for the heavy dishes and special treats. Saving the best for last can help you eat more of the right foods and you may even skip the less healthy foods you always tell yourself you have to eat. Think of it as a taste testing – if something wasn’t as good as you always remember, at least you only had a tablespoon. And if there was something you really enjoyed and you won’t see again for another year, help yourself to an extra tablespoon. For many of you this may be a two-night holiday so you have to commit to staying in control on not one but two nights. You are the one who controls what foods – and how much – go on your plate.

 

If you find that you don’t want to finish something, remember that it’s okay to leave food on your plate. Take your time and listen to your stomach. Though you may think your stomach is always telling you “More, more!” you might realize that just a taste of certain dishes is all you need. You have to do what’s right for you. People may notice your small portions and insist you take more, and they may see your half eaten plate and say you should finish, but you can’t give in to the pressure to please other people, even if they’re the ones who cooked it. It is important to stay in control especially in social situations when food becomes personal. Stay strong and stay in control!

 

But like we said in the beginning, the food is just one part of this holiday for you to enjoy. Focus on the time you spend with your family and the significance of this holiday: hope for a sweet future and being thankful for the year that is coming to an end. Whether you are celebrating tonight or not, let this be an opportunity to appreciate how far you have come and recommit to your goals.

 

~Love to Live Healthy with Josephine Fitzpatrick

 

Innovation Weight Loss and Fitness
8031 Jericho Tpke Woodbury, NY 10018
469 7th Ave Manhattan, NY 10018
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