We are excited to bring to you a few Words of Wisdom from Christine Palumbo RD, MBA. Christine is a registered dietitian in Naperville, Illinois. Her monthly Good Sense Eating columns run in Chicago Parent, Brooklyn Family, Long Island Family, Queens Family and Bronx Family. She is also a contributing editor for the Environmental Nutrition newsletter. Between 2001 and 2008, her popular Food News column appeared in Allure magazine.
Your Red Carpet Moment
by Christine Palumbo RD, MBA
Many of us live vicariously through our favorite A-list celebrities all year long, but especially during this Red Carpet season of Globes, Grammys and Oscars. Glitzy, glittering awards ceremonies crown the best in music, television and movies with the A-listers on the Red Carpet for all to view.
What about you? Instead of feeling left out, consider your own opportunities to be in the spotlight. Your child’s baptism or other religious ceremony, volunteering in the Home & School Association, or attending a wedding or high school reunion are just a few examples. Do you want to look and feel vibrant, attractive and youthful? By making just a few simple lifestyle changes, you can look and feel your best when it’s your turn for the spotlight.
Eat a nourishing diet. Similar to filling your car with the proper fuel for optimal performance, you should emphasize a balanced mix of lean protein foods, fruits and vegetables, whole grains and vegetable oils for plenty of energy. For example, keeping pre-portioned bags of California Raisins in your carry-all bag for inevitable energy dips will provide a tasty pick-me-up that’s loaded with nutrients. Just ¼ cup of California Raisins counts as a serving of fruit for adults and is a tasty way to help meet recommended daily fruit servings. Plus, they are fat- and cholesterol-free, naturally low in sodium, deliver dietary fiber and potassium, and are packed with antioxidants.
Be physically active. Feeling sluggish? Get moving! Our bodies were designed to move during daylight hours, yet most of us spend our days hunched in front of a computer screen. Get up and walk around as often as possible. And look for ways to incorporate activity whenever you can. For example, eschew drive-thrus (one of my pet peeves). They seldom save you any time, anyway. It’s usually quicker to run into the coffee shop or bank, rather than wait in the long line of vehicles.
Make shut-eye a priority. This is probably the easiest thing to do. Getting enough sleep allows our body to rest and rejuvenate itself, and it even keeps it more youthful due production of certain hormones. The best part of it is that it’s free! Go ahead and turn off the computer screen and get under the covers. Your newsfeed will wait until morning.
Drink plenty of water. Mother Nature intended for us to hydrate ourselves with water, not soft drinks, smoothies, or sweetened coffee or tea drinks. The best – and thriftiest – thirst quencher is pure water. It’s calorie free and helps clear our eyes and complexion.
Have a positive attitude. Have you ever noticed the people we’re most drawn toward tend to smile often and look on the “bright side” of life? Even if everything isn’t going your way, look at what is going well and think positive. You’ll feel better and others will take notice.
As a registered dietitian, I agree there are times when following these tips are easier said than done. Life can be wickedly busy. But I find that when I make the time to actively take care of myself, I actually have more time and energy to do what I want to do. It’s that simple!
Once YOUR Red Carpet Moment arrives, keep up the effort to maintain these lifestyle changes for the long run. Once you realize how much fun it is to experience vitality, it can become addictive.
A note from California Raisins:
For an extra incentive to get red-carpet ready, California Raisins is sponsoring the “What’s Your Red Carpet Moment?” sweepstakes. Just go to the California Raisins’ Facebook page; like the page and enter your upcoming red-carpet moment for a chance to win a trip to the red-carpet capital of the world, Hollywood, California!
