Celebration of Thankgiving officially kicks off the holiday season of “Eat, Drink and Be Merry”
Our NEW community partner Lori Lee, founder of The Wellness Center of Northwest Jersey in Randolph, shares expert tips with Looma Spa founder Kristie Kang on how to prevent getting stuffed during Thanksgiving and secrets to keeping slim and merry throughout the Holidays.
Kristie: The Holiday season is all about celebrating around food and drinks. What are top 5 easy ways we can keep slim during parties?
Lori: Tip # 1: Some of the most beneficial tips is to never leave your home hungry! We suggest a 4 hour maximum window between meals so that ones blood sugar is balanced and a snack is spaced about 2-3 hours between meals as necessary. Who hasn’t been out and the meal is served hours after you anticipated and now you are in a state of extreme hunger?
Tip # 2: Put your fork down between bites and pause during the meal to slow down the eating rate and allow your brain to signal to your stomach that you had enough to eat. Simply chewing longer slows each bite and helps your digestion too!
Tip # 3: If you are invited to thanksgiving, offer to bring the fruit or vegetable dish as these are 2 food groups that are often missing.
Tip # 4: At parties, drink “spritzers” instead of full glasses of wine. Also drink a glass of water between every alcoholic drink to avoid over drinking and prevent hangovers.
Tip # 5: Lastly, never weigh yourself after a night out! Your weight is a reflection of many factors (like water weight from salty foods, non-familiar food sensitivities, etc) so establish a day 3 days after an event to obtain a true and realistic weight.
Kristie: What made you start The Wellness Center? What makes it unique?
Lori: The Wellness Center of Northwest Jersey (TWC) was born as a result of my 20+ years in private practice as a Registered Dietitian and Medical Nutrition Therapist and my life’s work of empowering my clients to reach for and achieve optimal wellness. Over the years, healthcare has taken many twists and turns and there are way too many people dying of preventable diseases than ever before in our history. Obesity has become an epidemic among both adults and children and we are a nation in the midst of a crisis regarding our health. We are evolving into a “sick-care” rather than a “well-care” society and my mission is to help others break the cycle of this crisis. So TWC was created with these goals in mind. I asked my husband, Bob, to join me in this endeavor as his passion is in fitness and in healthy cooking as he is a certified personal trainer and personal chef at the center in addition to running his own in-home personal training business. The marriage of comprehensive fitness and nutrition services is what makes the center unique.
We are in the fifth year of our wellness business and have watched hundreds of our clients change their health, empower themselves and reach their goals. Our staff is comprised of the most accomplished and dedicated fitness and healthcare professionals in the industry. For that, we are very blessed. Our clients continually remind us of how important we are to them.
Kristie: What type of clients is nutritional counseling good for? What are the most exciting benefits?
Lori: Nutrition counseling is for everyone! Whether you are just diagnosed with a chronic disease or just want to learn how to improve your eating habits to prevent disease and live a long and healthy life…nutriiton must be the cornerstone to your existence!
Nutrition counseling is often reimbursed by insurance plans if the patient has a medical diagnosis like high cholesterol or obesity which is very helpful to most. Patients of all ages and health status are seen by myself or our nutrition counselor. Our approach is one of lifestyle and education so there are no diets, quick-fixes or pills. What our patients learn in our sessions is for the rest of their lives and can be passed on to future generations to come.
Some of the most exciting benefits is seeing a patient in crisis transform their health by learning how to balance their food chemistry with their body chemistry. Knowledge is power as I always remind my patients. The more you learn, the more you want to learn because you feel so great. The benefits of seeing an RD at our center is that you will have a complete meal plan that meets your needs specifically balanced with any supplements that are only absolutely helpful to improve the quality of ones life. We can even measure our patients level of effectiveness of their current supplement program and provide an antioxidant score of their overall health status (as seen on Dr. Oz this year).
Kristie: Are there any exciting events or offer you would like to share with Looma Spa Clients?
Lori: Yes! We have many events planned for the remainder of 2012 and into 2013. The best thing to do is to go to our website home page which is kept current with our events and to add your email to our e-news. Just go to www.wellnesscenternwj.com or send us your email to: center4wellness@aol.com and we’ll get you connected!
Here are some of the exciting events in 2012:
11/23 and 11/24: our Black Friday/Saturday Gift Card Extravaganza with up to 10% savings
12/2, Sunday, 2-5pm Holiday Boutique and Spa Event with Gift Card Sale…come visit us for all your holiday shopping needs with many local vendors and get a massage from Looma Spa while you shop! There will be a $1000 Gift Basket Drawing for all attendees to enter too!
photo credit- www.simplebites.net