Thank You For Visiting Our Blog, FEEL BETTER AND LIVE LONGER!

The purpose of our blog is to share what we have learned about nutrition, weight loss, fitness, and health, in order to help you find ways to feel better and live longer. It is amazing how much our diet and lifestyle affect our health and well-being.

Did you know that you can reduce your risk and even prevent many diseases and health conditions simply by making some changes to your diet? Check back often for valuable tips and information.

HOW TO LOSE WEIGHT & KEEP IT OFF:

For the first time in my life I have found weight loss success. During my adult life I have tried dozens and dozens of so-called "diets" and none of them worked over the long-haul. Oh, I was able to lose weight with some of them, but once I went off of the "diet" I quickly gained back all of my weight (plus some).

I have finally learned that losing weight has to be a lifestyle change, not a temporary fix. Crash diets and all the other crazy diets will not only cause you to fail, they are harmful to your health. To lose weight and keep it off you must NOT go on a "diet." What? Why? Because we all consider a "diet" a temporary thing. For example, how many times have you said, "Oh, I will go on this low-fat diet until I lose 20 pounds." Okay, what happens after you lose the 20 pounds? Or you simply give up? You go back to your old habits and gain that 20 pounds back.

The only way you will ever be successful at losing weight, with the added benefit of improving your health, is to make healthy changes that you can live with for the rest of your life. Period. Not for a week, a month or 3 months, but for life. For me, my initial goal was to lower my cholesterol level. I had to have a blood test for my insurance coverage and my cholesterol level had to be lower than the previous year's levels or I would have to pay a much higher premium. Well, that was a pretty good incentive for me make some positive changes.

I sat down and figured out what I needed to do. I knew I had to change the way I ate and I knew I had to exercise in some form or other every day. So, I made a list and I stuck to it. It was difficult at first. To make matters worse, I am a compulsive eater. However, as the days went by, it became much easier because my body stopped craving sweets and processed foods. For the first time in my life, I was never tempted to binge because I never felt deprived.

Use the list below and make whatever changes you need to make in order for it to work for you. FYI, my cholesterol level dropped 65 points after 7 weeks, and my triglycerides dropped 70 points! Another benefit that I hadn't planned on was that after being an insomniac since my teen-age years, I now sleep like a baby every night!

MY LIST FOR WEIGHT LOSS SUCESS:

1. Avoid "white" Foods & Processed Foods. These foods have no nutritional value and are "empty" calories. Sweets, anything made with white flour,and anything that comes in a package with a long list of ingredients. Always read the food labels. Stay away from those long lists of ingredients. The longer the list, the more chemicals and additives are present. These are extremely toxic to your body.

2. Drink Lots of Water. Water keeps your body's organs hydrated and flushes out unhealthy toxins. It helps to fill you up and reduces your urge to over-eat.

3. Eat a Healthy Breakfast. Instead of coffee and donuts, try fruit, yogurt, grains like oatmeal or whole grain toast, and lean protein. NEVER skip breakfast. By eating a large, healthy meal when you get up in the morning, your metabolism will "rev up" and you will not be hungry by mid-morning. If you skip breakfast, your body will go into starvation mode and store calories in your body as FAT, yes FAT! So do yourself a big favor and eat breakfast.

4. Reduce Your Stress Level. So many of us live with too much stress. Stress lowers your immune system, making it easier to get sick. It also makes us lethargic, tired, and depressed. There are a lot of simple things you can do and a lot of ways to feel better about yourself and your life. Take a long, hot bath, read a book, listen to music, get a massage. Do something nice for yourself. Giving yourself something to look forward to is a tremendous mental incentive.

5. Move! Oh my gosh! There are so many ways to incorporate movement into your day, even at work. Take the stairs instead of the elevator. Get up every hour and walk around your floor, your hallway or your desk. Park your car in the farthest space from where you need to be. Walk or bike to work. Skate, dance, golf, jump rope, clean house, play tag. The best exercise you can do is to walk. Try to take a walk every day! The more you move, the more your metabolism will be your friend. (I walk 3 miles every day whether it is raining, snowing or freezing.)

How to Reduce Your Risk for Disease

7:17 AM  , , ,  1 comment


To live a long, healthy life is a goal that most of us aspire to. In order to attain that goal, it is important to realize that we must make certain changes to our eating habits and lifestyle. Yes, it is possible for you to reduce your risk for disease and illness.

Where do you start? The first thing to do is take a good, long look at what you eat. By making some changes to your eating habits, you create a healthier body and immune system that is more able to fight off disease and sickness.

NUTRITION

*EAT A BALANCED DIET. Include a variety of foods that include grains, fruits, vegetables, nuts, healthy oils and lean meats.

*DRINK PURE WATER. Whether you use a filtration pitcher or drink bottled water, switch to water that has fewer impurities such as pesticides, lead, and dangerous bacteria.

*EAT ORGANIC. Regular food is full of unnecessary chemicals like pesticides, herbicides and artificial colorings and flavorings. Organic food is free from chemicals.

*EAT ANTIOXIDANTS. Antioxidants are substances in our foods that prevent the oxidative damage to our body. Our body cells produce free radicals that cause damage. Antioxidants counteract the damage done by these free radicals. Antioxidants are found in beans, grain products, and brightly colored fruits and vegetables.

*REDUCE YOUR MEAT INTAKE. If you must eat meat, choose organic meat. These meats do not have chemically-laden hormones in them.

*ELIMINATE OR REDUCE FAST FOODS. They are full of fat, preservatives and other chemicals that make them very unhealthy for your body. This one change can make a huge difference in your nutrition.

*MAINTAIN A HEALTHY WEIGHT. Being too heavy or too thin or fluctuating wildly puts your body at risk for many health problems. Get to a healthy weight gradually and stick with it.

EXERCISE

The second thing to do is take a good, long look at how much exercise you get. Incorporating some daily physical movement into your busy schedule will help create a stronger, healthier body that is more able to fight off disease and sickness. Be sure to check with your doctor before starting any new exercise routine.

*WALK! Walking if the one of the easiest, healthiest ways to fit fitness into your life. You don’t need any special equipment (except some good walking shoes) and you can do it anywhere. Walk through the park, on a trail, around a track, to the mall, to work or around your house. Walk alone or with someone else. Walking is an aerobic exercise that makes you feel good all over, revs up your metabolism, and tones up your body.

*RIDE YOUR BIKE. Did you ride your bike when you were a kid? Remember how much fun it was? Riding a bike, like walking, is a great way to work your body and rev up your metabolism. Ride it to work, to school, on a trail or around the block.

*TAKE THE STAIRS. If you live or work in a building with an elevator, always opt for the stairs (unless you are carrying bags of groceries). If there are too many steps, alternate between steps and elevator. For an extra heavy workout, run up and down the stairs.

*WHERE DO YOU PARK YOUR CAR? Always park your car as far away as possible from where you need to go. The extra walking can really add up. Parking far away also eliminates the traffic jams and makes it a lot easier to get out when you leave.

*HOME WORKOUTS. If you have the money, invest in a treadmill or elliptical. Being able to work out in the comfort of your home can make it a lot easier to fit exercise into your daily routine. If exercise equipment is too expensive, buy an exercise video. You can put it in your VCR and sweat away in the privacy of your living room.

*DO YARD WORK. If you have a yard, there are lots of opportunities for getting some exercise in. Mow the lawn, rake leaves, plant flowers, and work in the garden.

Once you get into the routine of moving your body more, you will find yourself coming up with creative ways to incorporate more movement into your daily schedule.

LIFESTYLE

What changes can you make in addition to what you eat and how much exercise you get? There are some very basic changes you can make to your lifestyle that will help you reduce your risk of disease and illness.

*STOP SMOKING. This is one of the most important things you can do for your health. Smoking increases your risk of cancer, lung disease, heart attack, and stroke. If you need help with quitting, there are a number of resources available. Call your local American Cancer Society for more information.

*REDUCE YOUR STRESS LEVEL. Living with stress weakens your body’s immune system making it more vulnerable to disease and illness. If you can reduce or eliminate your stress, you will reduce your health risks. There are many ideas you can use to help lower your stress level. Read, take a walk, listen to music, play games with your kids, take a long luxurious bubble bath, find some good joke sites online, volunteer at your local animal shelter, retirement center, nursing home or hospital. There are so many ways you can help yourself while helping others.

*DRIVE SAFELY. You cannot prevent accidents but you can reduce the risk for accidents when you are a defensive driver. Always buckle up.

*GET ENOUGH SLEEP. Sleeping long enough and well reduces your stress level and makes you feel better all over. 

*HAVE FUN!

1 comments:

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