Eight fit tips to start off the new year

Crazy fit tips I bet you didn’t know

As the New Year is settling in, it’s time to put your New Year’s resolution into action. A popular common resolutions appears to be to start a healthy diet and get into shape. So here are some tips to help you achieve that goal!

Based off an article on eatthis.com, we found eight simple and crazy ways to be healthier.

Tip 1: Educate yourself before eating out.

Since eating out with friends or family probably doesn’t consist of the healthiest foods, looking up menus and calorie counts of the specific restaurant you’re going to eat at will help you get a good feel for what to steer clear from.

“Before I go out to lunch with friends I’ll look at the menu on my phone to see the calorie count and the nutritional value of the food we’re about to eat,” says Junior Kayla Collins.

Tip 2: Stop reusing your plastic water bottles.

Drinking water is key to a healthy lifestyle, but when reusing the same plastic water bottle, as funny as it may sound it becomes bad for you. Researcher Bruce Blumberg from the University of California performed a study that proves when using the same plastic water bottle the chemicals can cause obesity. Researchers said that BPA is used in plastics to prevent cans from corroding. In the human body, it blocks hormones, altering fat-cell development. So try using a refillable metal water bottle!

“Plastic water bottles are definitely a lot cleaner than they used to be, but still I would recommend a good old fashioned metal water bottle,” says Mary Goldsmith, the school nurse.

Tip 3: Start instagramming your food.

Obviously you’re not going to post your food from McDonald’s on instagram, you’re going to want to post a meal that’s healthy and appealing. According to the American Journal of Clinical Nutrition it’s shown that if people recall their last meal as being filling and satisfying,      

they tend to eat less during their next meal.                                                         

“Yes, my mom does this all the time, she actually has a food blog. She posts her healthy meals with recipes so other people can make them as well. She also has a facebook page of her healthy foods,” says Collins.

Tip 4: Beware of viral FaceBook videos.

As you’re scrolling through social media, steer clear of those mouth watering food videos because they’re most likely unhealthy and will cause you to break your diet. So keep scrolling!

“It’s so satisfying watching those videos even though they’re  unhealthy, I end up craving them and wind up eating unhealthy. I should

probably stop,” says Junior Onica Mooney.

Tip 5: Use your non-dominant hand.

As hard as it may be, eating with your non-dominant hand is said to be an effective weight loss trick because it takes 15 minutes for your brain to realize that you are full. Since it’s so much harder to eat with your non-dominant hand it’s a simple and barley noticeable way to prevent overeating and result in weight loss.

“That’s so hard, eating while using your non-dominant hand but it actually does work. Personally I think most of it is just being active, don’t sit there and doing nothing. Get moving. Drinking water is also really important to stay healthy, I drink a gallon everyday,” says James Hounam, one of Triton’s physical education teachers.

Tip 6: Go easy on the hand sanitizer.

As crazy as it may sound, there’s an ingredient in hand sanitizer that can actually cause weight gain. “Obesogen” is a compound that can lead to potential weight gain by disturbing the body’s hormone system. Studies show that obesogen can negatively affect the thyroid in your body, which is what controls your metabolism, and any hit to organs functionally could cause weight gain. It’s hard not to use hand sanitizer since it’s flu season so stick to soap and water.

“I’ve never heard this one. That’s crazy!” says Donna Anderson, one of Triton’s physical education teachers.

Tip 7: Sleep in a cooler room.

Losing fat can be as simple as turning your heat down. Studies show that people who sleep in cooler rooms around 66 degrees can burn twice as much fat compared to those who sleep in warmer rooms around 75 degrees. So try turning down the thermostat from now on!

Tip 8: Let the sunshine in.

Researches found that people who are exposed to sunshine earlier in the day tend to weigh less than those who don’t get sunshine until later. So let the sunshine in and step outside in the mornings.

“I wake up at 5 o’clock every day and make a smoothie every other day. A lot of people have coffee to wake up but I have apple cider vinegar in my water, that’s my wake up. I get to school at 5:45 and work out. I go with the seasons. I like seasonal type stuff so in the summer I’ll swim, I took surfing lessons, ride my bike, or I’ll walk home from school. I don’t feel old, I mean I’m 60 years old but I feel 22,” says Scott Brennan, Triton’s vice principal.

Goldsmith gave Triton Voice some tips on what teenagers specifically should be doing to stay healthy:

“Getting enough sleep is huge… that’s one good way to really take care of yourself is to get enough sleep and it is hard to do when your a teenager… when you get run down your cells are weakened and your more prone to illness. Another way to strengthen the cells of your body is to eat well and make sure you take vitamins. Hydration is also really really important but you have to eat a lot of different, healthy foods to get all the vitamins that your body needs everyday so one way to get then is through taking vitamins,” says Goldsmith.