A new year inspires many to resolve to lose weight, eat better, or sleep more. But when February rolls around, those goals are often left by the wayside. So, how do you avoid resolution failure? Preparation is the key to success, according to several fitness and health experts interviewed by the Washington Post. Here are their tips for achieving resolution staying power:

• Give your goal definition. A vague goal like “get healthy” can be difficult to achieve; instead, choose a specific goal like “lose weight.” Then, pinpoint actions you need to take to reach your goal, like walking for 30 minutes each day. Most importantly, be realistic—don’t expect to lose 50 pounds in a year. Choose a sensible goal, like losing 10 pounds; you can always shoot for another goal after attaining your first one.
• Practice your goal first. Block out time to work on your goal and set a calendar appointment. Maybe you set aside time to prep healthy foods for the week, or schedule trips to the gym every Monday and Wednesday morning. Then, try it out a couple weeks before January 1st to see if it works for your schedule in the real world.
• Get by with a little help from friends. Whether you join an existing one or create your own, finding a community of like-minded people who support your goals can give you a sense of belonging and purpose.
• Discover what your carrot is. If you’re motivated, you're more likely to stick to your goal. Figure out what motivates you before the year starts so you can turn to it if you get in a resolution rut. Do you get excited seeing your stats on a fitness tracker? Love chatting with friends at your run club? Enjoy working out to a favorite playlist? Can’t wait to mix up an experimental smoothie in your blender?
• Plan for the unexpected. Make a plan B for times when things don’t pan out. Find a restaurant offering healthy take-out for times when you can’t cook, or reschedule a missed workout when you can’t get to the gym at your regular time. If you have a recovery plan in place you’ll be more likely to stay on track.

Source: Washington Post

If you are feeling lethargic, adopting certain eating habits could help raise your spirits. To help you do just that, the Washington Post shared these tips:

• Eat on schedule. Ideally, try to eat every three to five hours so you’re providing your body with steady energy by encouraging gentle blood sugar rises. Going without eating for longer than that could leave you feeling famished and drained. An ideal energizing meal or snack includes slow-digesting carbs like whole grains and vegetables, along with some lean protein and healthy fat.
• B energized. Make sure you’re getting adequate amounts of the vitamin B-complex—a combination of eight B vitamins which can aid your body's transfer of energy. Food sources of certain B vitamins include fish, poultry, meat, eggs, and dairy products. Leafy greens, lentils, beans, peas, and whole grains also contain B vitamins.
• Eat to sleep. Of course, the best way to stay energized is to get enough shut-eye. Slumber-supporting nutrients include magnesium, found in whole grains, nuts, leafy greens, and fish; melatonin, found in tart cherry juice; and vitamin B6, found in tuna and bananas, which your body needs to make melatonin.

Source: Washington Post

Research shows that following a diet pattern that includes a variety of fruits, vegetables, and whole grains is a big part of leading a healthier (and longer!) life. But busy schedules, the unavailability of healthy snacks, and self-judgement can wreak havoc on diets and good intentions. Eating well isn’t impossible, though, and it can become a habit with the right strategy. Here are ten healthy eating tips from nutrition experts that may change the way you eat:

• Eat what you love. Do you like eating dessert or the occasional burger? Well, carry on. Don’t deprive yourself of your favorite foods; it only sets you up for failure later. Instead, eat smaller portions of the foods you enjoy.
• Balance your daily intake. If you plan to eat a big dinner, like steak and potatoes at your favorite restaurant, eat a variety of other foods (like whole grains, fruits, veggies, and nuts and seeds) earlier in the day to balance that meal out.
• Don’t count calories. Focus on eating nutritious foods instead of counting calories. Eating fruits, vegetables, and whole grains will help you feel full, minimize cravings, and stabilize blood sugar.
• Don’t bore your taste buds. Vegetables get a bad reputation for being tasteless. But additions like olive oil, garlic, and other seasonings can turn bland-tasting vegetables into a flavor revelation!
• Prep nutritious foods. Prepare roasted vegetables, a batch of quinoa, or carrot sticks in advance and keep them in the fridge. That way, you’ll have an alternative to chips and dip when hunger strikes.
• Go big at lunchtime. Eating a bigger lunch can provide your body with fuel during the most active part of your day. Save smaller meals for breakfast if you’re not hungry in the morning, or for dinner when you’re less likely to be active.
• Get rid of guilt. A recent study in the journal Appetite found that feeling guilty about what you eat can undermine weight loss and might even result in weight gain. In other words, ditch the guilt, enjoy the food you eat, and stay active, so you’ll be more likely to eat well and maintain your weight.
• Eat all colors. Fruits and vegetables come in every color of the rainbow—aim to eat all of them to get a variety of disease-fighting phytonutrients. Bonus: you’ll be full and have less room for junk food.
• Have a healthy snack attack. Keep snacks like Greek yogurt, nuts, dried fruits, or nitrate-free jerky in your office. You’ll be less likely to go for a donut or bag of candy when you have healthy snacks within reach.
• Think 80/20. Eat well 80% of the time, allowing for a little freedom the remaining 20% of the time. You can also use this ratio to avoid overeating—check in with yourself throughout your meal and stop eating when you’re 80% full.

Source: TIME

Energy drinks may boost more than just your energy. Findings from a small pilot study suggested that these liquid pick-me-ups may quickly raise blood pressure and norepinephrine levels (norepinephrine is a “fight or flight” stress hormone). The findings were reported on in the journal JAMA. The study involved 25 healthy men and women who were over 18, non-smokers, and not taking any medications. The participants were assigned to consume a 16-ounce energy drink or a 16-ounce placebo drink over a five-minute period. On a separate day, within two weeks of the first test, every participant consumed the opposite drink and the test was repeated. The placebo drink was similar to the energy drink in its nutritional content, taste, texture, and color, but didn’t contain any stimulants, such as caffeine, taurine, ginseng, or guarana. Prior to each study day, the participants didn’t ingest any caffeine or alcohol for 24 hours. To assess the effects of the drinks, researchers measured the participants’ blood pressure, heart rate, blood sugar, caffeine, and norepinephrine levels before they consumed their drinks and 30 minutes afterwards. Here is what the researchers found:

• After the participants consumed the energy drink, their average blood pressure rose by 6.4%. In contrast, after drinking the placebo, their average blood pressure rose by only 1%.
• After the participants consumed the energy drink, their average norepinephrine levels rose by 73.6%. In contrast, after drinking the placebo, their average norepinephrine levels rose by only 30.9%.
• Caffeine levels were higher after they consumed the energy drink compared with the placebo drink, but their heart rates were similar after the two drinks.

It’s important to note that this pilot study measured only the immediate effects of one commercially available energy drink. Future research will help clarify any dangers associated with these short-term changes and help define safe limits of consumption. In addition, longer and larger studies are needed to establish the long-term effects of regular energy drink consumption and the health implications of their use over time. Since previous research has linked energy drinks with dangerous heart problems in children, this study may be worthy of the buzz.

Source: JAMA

Not getting the results you want from your workout? An alkaloid derived from bitter orange called p-synephrine, also found in Seville oranges, Nova tangerines, Marr's sweet oranges, and as an extract in dietary supplements, may help some people feel (and see!) the burn. A recent study, published in the British Journal of Clinical Pharmacology, found that p-synephrine may increase fat burn during low- to moderate-intensity exercise. For the double-blind study, researchers recruited 18 healthy, physically active participants, aged 18 to 33, to participate in two cycling trials with a three day rest period in between.

Both trials consisted of a ten minute warm-up, followed by a period of cycling in which participants sped up every three minutes until they voluntarily stopped from fatigue. An hour before one of the trials, participants took 3 mg of p-synephrine per kilogram of body mass; and an hour before the other trial, they took a placebo. Researchers measured the participants’ blood pressure, heart rate, oxygen uptake, and carbon dioxide production before the trials (while the participants were resting) and during the trials. They used the oxygen uptake and carbon dioxide production measurements to calculate each participants’ rate of calorie, fat, and carb burning, finding that:

• During exercise, p-synephrine increased the rate at which fat burned by an average of 11% and reduced the rate at which carbs burned (compared with the placebo).
• During exercise, p-synephrine didn’t affect blood pressure, heart rate, or the rate at which calories burned (compared with the placebo).
• While the participants rested, p-synephrine didn’t affect the rate at which calories or fat burned (compared with the placebo).

These findings suggest that, if you’re healthy and active, p-synephrine may help you boost fat burn—without increasing your workout’s intensity; however, it's very important to note that this ingredient is a stimulant, and could therefore have potentially negative side effects. If you're interested in trying a supplement that contains p-synephrine, be sure to consult with your healthcare practitioner first to find out if it’s right for you.

Source: British Journal of Clinical Pharmacology