John Aaron Wellness

It’s been said that if you want to lose weight, you need to move more and eat less. For some, however, the eating less part is the most dreaded. Yet, cutting calories from your diet doesn’t have to be a struggle and you don’t need to go on some fad or trendy diet to do it. Making small, simple changes can make a huge difference. To prove this point, I’ve outlined 4 simple steps that you can take toward cutting calories today. Step One: Stop drinking soda Whether you drink regular soda or diet soda, it’s a good thing to remove from your diet. It’s a lot of empty calories and replacement sugars that you don’t need in your body, and don’t even get me started on the subject of “corn syrup” or artificial sweeteners. If you want to kick your addiction to sodas then cutting them out completely is the best way to do that. You will save yourself money and a lot of unneeded calories by cutting out just this one item. Step Two: Portion properly It’s very important to learn what prop...

Houston is hot. You can’t live here without breaking a sweat. And when you add exercise to the humidity, you can be in for a tough time, but the results can be worth it – as long as you stay hydrated. Just so you know, the challenge of transforming your body is not a onetime event.  It doesn't happen magically in 6 weeks or less because you chose to purchase the latest gadget you found on TV in the middle of the night.  You can't buy it in a special box of food or in a program that doesn't include the three pillars you need for success - strength training, cardiovascular exercise, and supportive nutrition. The change comes through your constant pursuit of making yourself into a better, fitter, healthier and more balanced person every day.  Each change you make, and every positive decision you choose, brings you a step closer to your goal and your vision. Here is a great example of this universal truth... Two studies published in the Journal of Clinical Endocrino...

A lot of people want to change for the better. We've all been there. We take a vow to lose weight, exercise more or spend more time with our family. We start the year with great intentions, but then we quickly relapse into old habits. Well, no more! Here are some ways you can grow stronger as a person and make your positive intentions a concrete reality: 1. Write down your intentions and keep them in a visible place, like taped to your bedroom mirror or the dashboard of your car. 2. Get to the source of whatever is keeping you in a rut. Are you in a stressful relationship that causes you to eat a pint of Ben & Jerry’s every night? Are you stressed at your job and feel too tired to exercise after work? If you don’t tackle the root of the behavior, it will be much harder to accomplish your goal. 3. Be clear about what your life would look like once you achieve your goal. If you resolve to go to the gym more, how will this benefit you? Get connected to the result of yo...

The challenge of transforming your body is not a onetime event.  It doesn't happen magically in 6 weeks or less because you chose to purchase the latest gadget you found on TV in the middle of the night.  You can't buy it in a special box of food or in a program that doesn't include the three pillars you need for success - strength training, cardiovascular exercise, and supportive nutrition. The change comes through your constant pursuit of making yourself into a better, fitter, healthier and more balanced person every day. Each change you make, and every positive decision you choose, brings you a step closer to your goal and your vision. Here is a great example of this universal truth... Two recent studies published in the Journal of Clinical Endocrinology and Metabolism found that within 10 minutes of drinking about a pint of water, the metabolic rates of both men and women increased by as much as 24 to 30 percent.  Other drinks did not have the same effect. ...

I’m sure I am not the only one to have ever taken their stress, anxiety, or depression out on a nice big bowl of ice cream or potato chips. Hey, when you hurt, you need comfort – right? Unfortunately, sometimes we forget why we have certain cravings and tend to go on auto-pilot when it comes to self-medicating with food. There are two basic thoughts about why we ‘crave’ certain foods: One is that our body is lacking in specific nutrients, the other is that we have triggers that activate our cravings such as habit, or emotional events. Whatever the cause, cravings are important to pay attention to and address. So what can you do to stop stuffing down your feelings with food? Well, there is the usual “fight the feeling” theory that holds some merit. But, just fighting the urge can be tough. However, I discovered that the brain can misinterpret the body’s need for water as a craving for food. Weird, huh? Try this, when you feel a craving, drink a full glass of water. Then “figh...

It’s a known fact that as we age we tend to have an increase in muscular and joint pain. It slowly creeps up on us because the actions that lead up to the symptoms are gradual, unassuming and thought to be a “normal” progression of aging. Take the few extra pounds we gain during mid life as an example. Left unchecked and you could be a candidate for obesity in no time. The Institute for Preventative Foot Health discovered that obese people have a 40% increase in lower body joint pain. This makes sense because walking can place up to three times your body weight on your feet, knees and hips. Every step can wear joint cartilage and compress nerves which can lead to a life of chronic pain. What’s the solution? Unfortunately, because pain is considered a “normal” symptom of aging, lifestyle solutions are often ignored in favor of treatment through medication. Let’s face it; when joints cause you pain, it’s much easier to just pop a pill to make the hurt go away. However, in this scen...

Starting a new exercise routine can be tough. I know. I’ve been there, too. The biggest obstacle I faced was fear. I was never athletic as a kid. Always told I was too skinny or weak, I found myself believing that. Maybe you have a similar story. What I can tell you is this: you are more than you think (in every way). I got over those fears with a friends encouragement and a plan. First, and this is important, if you haven’t already been told to exercise by your physician, it would be wise to make an appointment to get approval before you begin. You never know what you may have done to yourself in the years of neglecting your body… When I first began exercising, I wasn’t aware of pacing myself. I was so out of shape that I literally got nauseous after only a few minutes of exercise. So it is from experience that I encourage you to begin your exercise program slowly and with thought. There is truth to the cliché “Rome wasn’t built in a day.” My body had years to learn it’s seden...

If you’re a fan of my Facebook page, you would have read a recent question I posted regarding protein shakes. A few of you even commented on it (thanks, btw). Personally, I am a fan of these supplements because of their simplicity and ability to provide the body with quick nutrition. And for me, the most versatile and generally useful kind of protein shake may be the whey-based one. This is because whey protein contains numerous essential amino acids packed into it. And whether you are a body builder or an over 40-something person looking for a way to improve your diet, keeping a steady flow of nutrients is vitally important. Another benefit of using whey-based protein shakes is that you will generally find little fat within these dietary supplements. Thereby giving you some room to enjoy fats in something else; perhaps a greasy “cheat” food you love? Variety is also a benefit. I like to blend frozen organic fruits such as blueberries, cherries or mango into my shakes to vary t...

It’s the weekend and I must first apologize if the title to this posting set your heart aflutter. The truth of the matter is; easy weight loss is a myth. Sorry… Unfortunately, many diet and weight loss gimmicks have preyed upon the American obsession with thinness. It is the very promise of FAST results that has spawned a grand multibillion dollar industry and a plethora of fat-fighting strategies. The question is, “Do they work?” Well, yes…, and, well, no. Take for example, Liposuction. It is t he process of suctioning fat out of specific areas of the body. This procedure requires t ubes to be inserted in half-inch long incisions in areas such as the thighs, buttocks, upper arms, abdomen or hips, in order to “vacuum” out the fat cells. It’s a brutal procedure leaving the patient bruised, sore and in support bandages upwards of six weeks after surgery, and contrary to popular belief, liposuction is not recommended for obese individuals. In fact, many docto...

I hope that you had an excellent new year celebration and that you are ready for a great new year. I know that I am! While I discourage New Year’s Resolutions, I still indirectly get asked for advice on how to make them stick. For example, a person I met said their New Year's resolution was to start eating better at work. She vowed to no longer visiting the doughnut box in the break room or pig out at any of the company birthday parties. Yet she still needed to entertain clients and liked eating out with coworkers every now and again. Did I know what she could do to eat healthy at restaurants? My advice was to try eating a few walnuts (about 6-8) or a small fistful of almonds (about 12-15) before leaving for the restaurant. The idea is to not arrive in starvation mode. In fact, eating a little healthy fat before a meal will trigger a chain reaction that will slow the rate at which your stomach empties. The end result is a satiated feeling, but unfortunately it takes the bra...

It’s true; you really can fight fat with food. All you need to do is to make the right food choices. And, the best way to do that is to focus on the best foods to eat. The foods that help promote fat loss. Take carbohydrates for example. I know, recent diet lore would tell you that carbohydrates are enemy #1 but that’s wrong. Carbohydrates are the primary source of fuel for the body throughout evolution. However, the carb problem is two-fold; we choose the “wrong kind” and we “over indulge” in that choice. The carbohydrates that should be off your list are the ones that come from things like candies, or cake. The processed snack crackers, cereals and chips. These will get you fat. Instead, choose carbohydrates like whole-grain pasta, brown rice, oats, sweet potatoes, peas, & corn. While you may think these are vegetables, they are actually categorized as starchy carbohydrates. The less they are processed, the better. Choosing the right proteins is also important...

There's no doubt about it; your body and mind are directly linked. What you think about has a clear effect on your health and vice versa. In fact, there’s a fascinating study that suggests that the mind-body connection is quite powerful. Publishing their findings in the online journal Health Psychology, researchers at Yale University focused on ghrelin levels in the body to determine how thoughts affect the body's response to food. Ghrelin is also known as the "hunger" hormone. It sends a signal to your brain that makes you want to eat. If your body's ghrelin levels are high, you'll tend to overeat... even if you are already feeling full. Likewise, low ghrelin levels are associated with feelings of satiety and not needing to eat more. Typically, ghrelin levels increase before meals and decrease after eating. The researchers recruited volunteers and divided them into two groups: Group 1 - received a milkshake that they were told was a 620-calorie ...

So most fitness trainers believe that the only way to make certain you were eating the "right amount" of food was to count calories. And, in some respects (like competitive bodybuilding) this is true. However, it is not just the quantity of calories that is important, it's the quality of those calories consumed that really matters for overall health. The old adage "a calorie is a calorie" isn't true. A gram of fat yields more than twice as many calories as a gram of carbohydrates or protein - that's not new. What is new is that studies now indicate that calorie for calorie, fat is more fattening (duh). In one study, two groups of people were fed the same number of calories per day but with different amounts of fat. After several months, the group that was fed a larger percent-age of the calories from fat gained more weight than the group on the lower fat diet. The explanation has to do with metabolic efficiency. Since dietary fat is already fat, i...