Tanya earned her dietetics degree, completed a dietetic internship and served as a clinical dietitian in several Cincinnati hospitals. With more than 20 years of nutrition education experience, she is also a member of the American Association of Diabetes Educators.
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Christian Workout Music: 100 Uplifting Songs
Music is important to many people. It can pick you up when you're feeling down, motivate you when you need a little push, and inspire you to go the extra mile during a workout. We love to share our favoriate workout music list suggestions here on dailySpark, and we frequently receive requests for Christian exercise music. So I've compiled a list of my top 100 Christian workout songs.
There are many genres of Christian music, and even if you don't consider yourself to be religious or spiritual, you may discover that in addition to "clean lyrics," many of these songs are uplifting and encouraging in both their titles and words, making them motivational for just about anyone.
Listening to uplifting music can help anyone feel better and more positive about life. It can provide motivation to move forward with your healthy lifestyle goals, too. So whether you are feeling depressed, stressed, discouraged, or angry, this list of songs with positive messages can turn your focus back on all that is good in your life.
Posted 5/22/2013 6:00:00 AM By: : 314 comments 890,195 views
Rate Your Commitment to Weight Loss
For some of us, visualizing a goal is easy. For others, goal setting comes more naturally. Thomas Edison visualized the light bulb long before he succeeded in its invention.
Visualizing and goal setting are important steps to success, especially when it comes to weight loss. Preparing for a journey that lasts a lifetime also helps keep everything in perspective. Using available tools, reading articles, and connecting with others for support, keeps us going when we want to give up. Even with all this, the journey is still long, hard, and frustrating.
Sometimes all the resources and accountability in the world can't make up for one of the most important keys to success – commitment to your weight loss and health goals. You can have the vision, a plan, resource tools, and support but without heart-felt commitment to ignite the passion to go the distance, success may be fleeting.
Here is a scale to help you rate your commitment to reaching your weight loss and health goals.
Posted 3/21/2013 12:00:00 PM By: : 504 comments 138,332 views
Stay Motivated When the Scale Isn’t Moving
It is very easy to get frustrated when the scale isn’t moving. It doesn’t matter whether we have hit a plateau or are trying to deal with medical issues. Sometimes it feels like it isn’t worth the effort to keep making healthy lifestyle choices. Everyone tells us to stay motivated. Our friends, our co-workers, our relatives say to keep going, don’t quit. Sometimes, though, you ask, "Why? Why try my hardest when it ends in disappointment? Why go through something when it’s going to hurt? Why?"
Because it’s going to be different this time! Because you can’t accomplish anything if you give up! Disappointments and failures happen to everyone. The difference between those who reach their goals and those who don’t is staying motivated. If you’re motivated, you’ll keep going. If you keep going, eventually you’ll reach your goal. Need more motivation? Here are some motivational quotes shared by our members to help keep the fire burning inside you.
Posted 3/13/2013 12:00:00 PM By: : 142 comments 257,588 views
11 Hidden Signs You Might Have a Thyroid Problem
An estimated 27 million Americans (including myself) are living with a thyroid condition. Fortunately, thyroid conditions are treatable; however, they can be tricky to diagnose since the symptoms tend to be subtle and can easily be mistaken for symptoms of other health issues. Here are some of the most common red flags to watch out for.
Posted 3/7/2013 10:00:00 AM By: : 133 comments 783,404 views
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Smart Strategies to Bust Big Cravings
There's more to healthy eating and weight loss than simply tracking your food. The way you think about food, respond to hunger, and deal with cravings also affects your diet and overall health. Look up ''crave'' in the dictionary and you will find that it means ''to long for; want greatly; desire eagerly.'' So, it makes sense that you don’t usually crave specific foods due to physical hunger; cravings are often complex and happen for a variety of reasons, both physical and emotional. There is a big difference between a craving and actual hunger.
But cravings are not necessarily ''bad.'' They are normal and can have a place in any healthy lifestyle. However, constantly giving in to your cravings can lead to overeating and an unbalanced diet. Learning to satisfy your cravings in a controlled manner will keep your relationship with food in balance. Here are some common scenarios when cravings tend to strike—and how to bust them in a healthy way.
Posted 2/21/2013 12:00:00 PM By: : 78 comments 71,773 views
7 Healthy Swaps that Add Up
At SparkPeople, we strongly believe that the small, everyday choices you make can add up to something amazing. Healthy living isn't about making drastic changes all at once; it's about adding small pieces to the puzzle to end up with fantastic and sustainable results over time. No healthy choice is too small, either: See how these seemingly tiny changes can add up to better your health BIG time in the long run! Try adding some of them to your routine and see where they take you.
Posted 2/7/2013 12:00:00 PM By: : 65 comments 65,591 views
Shocking Restaurant Meals to Avoid This Year
The Center for Science in the Public Interest (CSPI) has recently released their Xtreme Eating 2013 report. This yearly publication highlights the most shocking levels of calories, saturated fat, sugar and sodium in restaurant dishes across the country.
We've seen some noteworthy diet-friendly dining choices over the past several years, but restaurants still have a lot of work to do in the nutrition department—and this list is proof of that! Check out some of these outrageous meals from CSPI's ''no-no'' list, plus smarter alternatives. Have you tried any on the list?
Posted 1/24/2013 6:00:00 PM By: : 49 comments 53,054 views
7 Tools for Your Weight-Loss Survival Kit
Happy New Year!
If you're reading this, you're probably gearing up to make 2013 your healthiest, fittest year yet. Although weight loss takes a lot of old-fashioned hard work and basic knowledge, it never hurts to have a few extra tools in the box to help you out along your journey. Here are seven essential items for your ''weight-loss survival kit'' that will help you build a healthier life this year, one goal at a time.
Posted 1/1/2013 12:00:00 PM By: : 30 comments 31,801 views
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The 10 Healthiest Restaurant Dishes of 2012
We hear in the media all the time about the calorie-laden fare that’s regularly served up at fast-food chains and casual-dining restaurants. But what about the sensible options? Are there any truly healthy choices at restaurants anymore? There sure are—and we’ve got a whole list of them! Here are some of the best restaurant meal options of the year to help make your dining-out decisions a little easier. See if any of your favorites made the cut!
Posted 12/27/2012 6:00:00 PM By: : 66 comments 110,034 views
30 Workout-Worthy Christmas Songs
Many exercisers agree that uplifting music helps increase energy and motivation while working out. This is especially important during the holiday season, when ''to-do'' lists are long and the temptation to skip workouts is high.
Making fitness a priority is a key to holiday weight-loss success. Use these festive songs of the season to help you create a perfect holiday workout playlist that will keep you moving and in the holiday spirit at the same time!
Posted 12/13/2012 10:00:00 AM By: : 42 comments 249,098 views
18 Ways to Stay on Track over the Holidays
Congratulations on making it through all of those Thanksgiving temptations! Now, it's time to face the upcoming barrage of holiday parties over the next month. Between the office buffets, neighborhood open houses, family gatherings, religious festivities, and community get-togethers, sticking to a healthy eating plan can become difficult, to say the least.
While there are a variety of excuses to overindulge during the holidays, the best defense against holiday eating disasters is a good plan of action. There is no better way to formulate a plan for holiday survival than to learn from how others stay healthy during this time of joy and celebration. Use these helpful SparkPeople member tips to stay on track into the New Year.
Posted 11/29/2012 10:00:00 AM By: : 36 comments 61,738 views
Quick Tips for a Trimmer Thanksgiving
Thanksgiving is a time for family, gratitude, and, of course, food. According to the Calorie Control Council, the average American eats more than 4,500 calories and 229 grams of fat on Thanksgiving Day. This includes nearly 1,500 calories consumed from appetizers, chips and dip, and drinks before sitting down to the dinner table for the annual feast.
If you're trying to lead a healthier lifestyle during this time of year, those statistics can be a little hard to swallow. But don't panic! We have plenty of holiday survival strategies to keep you on track with your health goals. Here are some useful tips and ideas to help you enjoy a full Thanksgiving that's trim--but not missing any of the trimmings.
Posted 11/15/2012 10:00:00 AM By: : 7 comments 28,575 views
Tips for Making Breakfast a Daily Habit
If you’ve heard it once, you’ve heard it 937 times: Breakfast is the most important meal of the day. Why? You just spent eight hours without food or water while your body continued to use energy. You’re dehydrated, your blood sugar is low and you have little energy. And now it’s time to start a hectic day.
Breakfast eaters typically cruise until lunch, while beaming with energy compared to those who skip the meal and tend to snack before lunch and throughout the day, and tend to be drawn to unhealthy, high-calorie options. While quick and healthy breakfast ideas help with meal selection, they don’t help make breakfast a habit. If breakfast isn’t part of your morning routine, use these three tips to help you develop a new daily habit.
Posted 10/29/2012 10:00:00 AM By: : 34 comments 49,527 views
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Tips to Help Young Athletes Eat Healthy
Back in the 1980s when I was playing high school and college sports, there weren’t a lot of healthy options when my teams would travel to tournaments or meets. Standard options at concession stands included hot dogs, chips, candy, and soda. Back then, bottled water was nowhere in sight. McDonald’s was the typical bus stop choice on the way home because they were the only fast food chain coaches could count on. Meals were burgers that came with fries and a soda. To substitute milk for the soda would cost you extra and courtesy cups for water were the size of three ounce Dixie bathroom cups. Many times my mother would send me off with a snack of nuts and raisins or orange segments to try and balance things out.
My college volleyball coach selected Wendy’s as her restaurant of choice when we were on the road each weekend because they were the only fast food option back then with a salad bar. Coach didn’t pay for soda, fries or desserts like a Frosty out of the team budget, which helped a little. However, it was still a choice of a hamburger or the salad bar as our meal option. Today we know that not every salad bar is diet-friendly but back then only the nutrition majors like me knew the strategies for salad bar survival.
Unfortunately not that much has changed today. Busy lives continue to make healthy eating a challenge for a young athlete. Weekday practice schedules cause families to grab Food on the Run on their way to the next event. Parents spend weekends sitting at soccer and football fields or ball diamonds causing children options like “walking tacos,” candy or chips from the concession stand or the after game snack provided by a team parent.
With snack food and hectic schedules continuing to influence young athletes for several decades, it isn’t any surprise that an article published online in April for the Journal of Nutrition Education and Behavior found that parents tend to be dissatisfied with the healthfulness of food offerings at youth sport settings. Here are some tips to help keep your young athletes active and healthy at the same time.
Posted 10/8/2012 10:00:00 AM By: : 4 comments 19,730 views
McDonald's Posting Nutrition Info in All Restaurants
Our daughter spent this past summer serving customers at our local McDonald's. She observed many patrons trying to make healthier choices by selecting oatmeal for breakfast or skipping the fries at dinner. During her work, she helped McDonald's highlight lower calories options as she promoted options from their new Favorites Under 400 menu.
To demonstrate their commitment to improved nutrition, McDonald's has published a nutrition progress report for the first time. Now McDonald's has taken another step in information sharing. Learn about important tidbits of information that can help make nutrient wise selections even easier next time you are selecting Food on the Run.
Posted 10/1/2012 10:00:00 AM By: : 41 comments 17,998 views
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