Be honest, we are already to March so I wanna know how your New Year’s resolutions are working out? I for one have been hanging tough. I still hit up the gym 4+ days a week but my real weakness is food and snacking and that is where Extra Gum comes in. They are trying to help you stay on track with your goals.
They have a Extra gum’s Simple Swaps Challenge, which entails making five small and sustainable lifestyle changes, such as trading a higher-calorie snack for a stick of Extra gum or swapping in air-popped popcorn for potato chips.
part of the initiative, Extra Gum has partnered with Melissa Rycroft, recent
Dancing With the Stars: All Stars winner, to host a panel of health
& wellness experts on behalf of Extra gum. I encourage
you to check out the?five-part video series with content from this
event, including a few of Melissa’s Simple Swaps. Videos are available
to watch on the Extra gum’s?YouTube channel.
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Here are some of Melissa’s favorite swaps:
1. Dish it ? ?An easy way to control portion sizes when cooking at home
is to use a medium-sized plate instead of a large one. My eyes can be
bigger than my stomach and I find myself piling on too much food if my
plate has room for it.?
2. Get physical ? ?My schedule can be stressful. In order to avoid
stress eating, I make sure to have other outlets to relieve the stress.
I?ll throw on my running shoes and take my daughter Ava for a walk
outdoors or call up a girlfriend and have her come over for a dance
session. Ava gets a kick out of watching us and will even try to join
in!?
3. Stick to it ? ?Choosing a stick of Extra? gum over a higher-calorie
snack is a small, easy change that helps me keep my resolutions. At 5
calories per stick, I can feel good about enjoying the delicious
flavor.?
4. Dress down ? ?Instead of creamy salad dressings, I use olive oil and
aged balsamic vinegar. Not only is it healthier, the simplicity of the
dressing lets me enjoy the taste of the fresh ingredients.?
To help encourage you and to help me stay on track of mine I offer up some of the simple swaps I am trying to do in my daily life.
This one is the most
important to me. I am trying to switch out from my beloved Diet Coke to
water. It is truly what runs through my veins! Nothing is more
satisfying to me than a Diet Coke. So of course that was the first thing
to go! I have been doing fairly well on this swap.??
Next up I had to re-evaluate my snacking habits. No unhealthy snacking! This is where Extra Gum really comes in handy. Instead of cookies and chips I now just pop in a piece of gum. Surprisingly this really did satisfy my cravings. This switch was fairly easy since I did not really want those snacks to begin with! To make it even better Extra has some delicous new dessert gum flavors!
With only 5 calories per piece they really do help you stick to those resolutions!?
As a family we have swapped afternoon cartoon time to play outside even if it means in the pile of rocks we have in the front yard. So far the girls have not even asked about the TV. Looks like it was more of an addiction for Mommy. This keeps us from sitting around and snacking! As soon as the kids are asleep all bets are off because I lounge in front of my TV! I have been good though and have kept to my bottled water and gum!
Here might be my biggest swap yet. The most difficult. Possibly the one I am most guilty of and I am setting a horrible example for my girls. NO MORE SNACKING IN THE CAR. Just writing it out makes it feel more real. I drive 20 minutes each way to the gym most days. That does not include trips for swim class or to the grocery store. In all those day to day trips snacks are no longer allowed in the car. Big Sis even has her own small water bottle she keeps in the car. Lil Sis gets to keep her milk but she is a toddler after all. To make this swap I just don’t bring snacks with us and no stops for snacks from fast food.
Do you have any simple swaps to share? I love reading about other people’s swaps so that it helps us encourage each other.
Connect: You can connect with Extra Gum on their website, facebook and their YouTube channel.
