Five Healthy Tips to Kick Off Spring

Skyterra experts have crafted five helpful tips that you can practice now to kick off a healthy spring. Read the tips below and incorporate as many as you can into your day. You’ll feel better heading into the beautiful spring season.

Tip 1: Incorporate protein at breakfast

Studies support that those who get adequate amounts of protein in the morning have better hunger regulation later in the day. As the day goes on, people tend to struggle with hunger and cravings. Starting from the beginning of the day, eating protein can curb cravings and urges throughout the day. Breakfast is chronically skipped. Many of our guests do not eat breakfast or do not eat breakfast at a consistent time.

It can be hard to schedule a healthy breakfast, but prioritizing it and having protein is vital to fat loss. Protein breaks down slower during the digestion process, so our body takes longer to process it. For example, two eggs are more likely to make you feel full longer than two pieces of toast. Doing all that you can in the morning to set yourself up for success throughout the day will reap great benefits.

Night time snacking is common with our guests as well. The cycle we hear often: no breakfast, eat lunch, afternoon snacking from 4:00 pm - 6:00 pm, then eat dinner. In this cycle, the majority of food intake happens in the last half of the day, which is not good. 

Great protein options for breakfast include:

Taking time to make breakfast each morning can be a daunting task, so it helps to prep breakfast for the week on the weekends so that you can grab it and go. Those who eat breakfast consume more vitamins, minerals and fiber than those who skip breakfast.

 

Tip 2: Increase awareness with accountability

Whether it is through an activity tracker (Garmin, Fitbit, Apple, etc.) or hard-copy journal tracking, various tools for accountability increase your awareness. There are also other options for accountability including online coaching, working with a personal trainer, or having a close friend who is also on a wellness journey. These options are great to keep the weight off as well. They can help you hold fast to the behaviors that you must do to maintain weight loss.

Loss of accountability often leads to weight regain. Humans thrive in community, when we are not having to do things alone. Many guests come to Skyterra not knowing anyone else and end up having strong interactions with each other because they are on the wellness journey together. Experimenting with various forms of accountability is healthy. Finding out what works for you often takes trial and error. Having a gym buddy may work great, but when the gym has to close, you have to shift forms of accountability in order to maintain progress. 

 

Tip 3: Engage in moderate movement

Consistent movement throughout the day is great, but fat loss requires getting your heart rate up for at least 30 minutes, six days per week. This is the standard recommendation from the American College of Sports Medicine. Johns Hopkins recommends moderate levels of physical activity (30 minutes, six days per week) in order to stop the gain of visceral fat. A great place to start is brisk walking or any form of aerobic activity. In the Skyterra LoseSmart program, 30-minute walks are added to guest schedules. 

 

Tip 4: Pair tip 3 with strength training

Strength training three days per week is necessary to see body composition changes. Strength training does not have to be complicated. Using your bodyweight or dumbbells, engage in two exercises for the upper body, two exercises for the lower body, and two exercises for the core. You’ll need to do two or three sets of the six exercises with 12-15 repetitions of each. This strength training session will take around 30 minutes.

Examples:

Equipment recommendations:

 

Tip 5: The Skyterra Plate reflected on your dinner place

The Skyterra Plate incorporates a ¼ section of protein, a ¼ section of carbohydrates, a ½ section of non-starchy vegetables, and is made with healthy fat(s). The Real Food Pantry document is helpful.

Examples:

  • Protein: salmon, chicken, pork, lamb, beef, bison, cod, trout, beans, lentils, tofu, etc.
  • Carbohydrates: potatoes, quinoa, oats, rice, tortillas, pasta, green peas, corn, carrots, etc.
  • Non-starchy vegetables: leafy greens, asparagus, eggplant, sugar snap peas, mushrooms, tomatoes, peppers, etc.
  • Healthy fats: extra virgin olive oil, coconut oil, avocado oil, coconut milk, butter, avocado, etc.

 

If you need help getting started, a LoseSmart stay is a great way to launch into fat loss. With 13+ hours of coaching sessions and a plan for continued progress at home, you receive the tools you need to change your life and lose weight for good. More information about the LoseSmart program can be found here. If you are in need of assistance or accountability virtually, Skyterra Virtual may be the best option. This program has various duration options where you will receive support from Skyterra’s experts.