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.)

Healthy for Life

7:35 AM  , , , , ,  No comments

How many times have you gone to sleep at night, swearing that you will start a diet and exercise program when you get up in the morning? Eight hours later you have changed your mind because you just don’t feel like it.  

While this happens to many of us, it doesn't mean you should just give up and forget about it. What people need to realize is that staying active and eating right are necessary to be healthy for life.

When you eat well, increase your level of physical activity, and exercise at the proper intensity, you are informing your body that you want to burn a substantial amount of fuel. This translates to burning fat more efficiently for energy.

What does this mean for you? It means that proper eating habits plus exercise equals a faster metabolism that gives you more energy throughout the day and allows you to do more physical work with less effort.

The true purpose of exercise is to send a message to the body asking for improvement in metabolism, strength, aerobic capacity and overall fitness and health. Each time you exercise, your body responds by upgrading its capabilities to burn fat throughout the day and night.

A balanced program is the best approach. Engage in regular cardiovascular exercise every other day for 20 minutes, and resistance training the other days for 20 minutes.  This incorporates aerobic exercise to burn fat and resistance training to increase lean body mass and burn more calories.


 BEGINNING FITNESS PROGRAM:

WARM UP - Do light aerobic activity intended to increase blood flow and warm-up your tendons and joints.

RESISTANCE TRAINING - Train all major muscle groups. One to two sets of each exercise. Rest 45 seconds between sets.

AEROBIC EXERCISE - Pick two of your favorite activities like jogging, power walking, skating, biking or cross-country skiing. Perform 15 minutes of the first activity and continue with 10 minutes of the second activity. Cool down during the last five minutes.

STRETCHING - Wrap up your exercise session by stretching, breathing deeply, relaxing and meditating.

When starting an exercise program, it is important to have realistic expectations. Depending on your initial fitness level, you should expect to feel better and have more energy almost immediately. After the first six to eight weeks, you will lose inches, gain muscle, and lose fat.

CHANGE YOUR DIET

Once you make the commitment to exercise several times a week, don't stop there. You should also change your diet and eating habits.

EAT MORE OFTEN - For maximum rate of metabolism eat three to four small meals and a couple of small snacks throughout the day.

BALANCE YOUR MEALS – Each meal should have a small amount of lean protein, a small amount of complex carbohydrates and a healthy serving of fresh or frozen vegetable and fruits.

BEWARE OF FATS - Limit your fat intake. Avoid saturated fats and trans fats. Use olive oil for cooking.

DRINK WATER - Drink at least sixty-four ounces of water throughout the day.

Making these changes in your life will make a huge difference in how you feel, how you look, and your general outlook on life. You will be well on your way to living a healthy, happy life.

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