HSHS Good Shepherd Hospital Promotes Health Tips for Super Bowl Sunday

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For Immediate Release – HSHS Good Shepherd Hospital

HSHS Good Shepherd Hospital Promotes Health Tips for Super Bowl Sunday

 SHELBYVILLE, IL — Super Bowl Sunday…the first big “holiday” of the year that can derail your New Year’s diet and exercise resolutions. Your clothes are fitting better and you are eating healthier and exercising more consistently. You feel healthier and maybe you have even lost a few pounds.  Enter: The Super Bowl party.

This single day can threaten your weight loss momentum, but you don’t have to let that happen. Matt McPherson, registered dietitian for HSHS Good Shepherd Hospital, shared “The key is moderation.”

He shared these tips to allow you to enjoy a Super Bowl party, while keeping your New Year’s resolution to make healthier choices:

1. Don’t go hungry. Overeat the healthy stuff (fruits and vegetables) beforehand and you will be less tempted with unhealthy foods come game time. Enjoy the game, but not all those unhealthy calories. The chances of eating healthy will be higher if you’re not feeling hungry.
2. Bring a dish. Offer to bring a fruit salad, veggies and dip, or a prepared dish with a lot of other vegetables. That way you can be certain to have lower-calorie food available to choose from.
3. Limit or eliminate alcoholic drinks. Alcoholic drinks tend to be higher in calories. The more you drink, the less likely you are to stick to your eating plan. Pass on the beer and try drinking a “mocktail” like diet tonic water with lime. It tastes like a mixed drink and the bitter flavor will help quiet your appetite.
4. Be mindful.  Do you really want to eat those chips or pretzels you graze on, or do you just want to crunch? Try carrots and celery instead.
5. Stay active. Try to get a little extra physical activity in on the day before Super Bowl Sunday. Any activity will do, just make sure you MOVE. Grocery shopping for game day, cleaning the house, dancing into the end zone…the goal is to double your exercise for the entire weekend, any way you can do it. You can get your exercise in all at once or in little blocks. Try a 15-minute walk during halftime.

Need extra support to lose weight while learning healthier lifestyle strategies? Contact your primary care doctor at HSHS Good Shepherd Family Health, affiliate of HSHS Medical Group, today at 217-774-4400.

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