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 Aging

8:31 AM  , , , , , ,  No comments

It is a fact. We are all aging. As we age our bodies starts to reduce its production of the natural resources that we need. As the body declines, aging symptoms develop including wrinkles, weight gain, weight loss, cellulite, and declining health. To reduce the aging symptoms we must take steps to maintain our health.


EAT HEALTHY

Eating healthy is a great way to live a healthy aging life. When you eat the proper food groups daily, you are building your body by providing it with vitamins, minerals, and other nutrients it requires to live healthy.

*Eat lots of fresh fruits and vegetables. Raw fruits and vegetables are full of enzymes and contain more nutrients than cooked ones. If you can’t eat raw produce, buy it frozen and cook it. Don’t eat canned fruits and vegetables. Most of the nutrients have been cooked out of them in the canning process plus they are usually full of sodium and preservatives.

*Eat lots of fiber. Fiber helps move the toxins out of your body, prevents constipation, and reduces your risk for many diseases and conditions like colon cancer, diverticulitis, weight gain and bloating.
 STAY FIT

The one thing you need to do for your body is to keep it physically fit. The older you get, the more important this is. Unfortunately, for most people, the older they get the less inclined they are to engage in any kind of physical activity.

*Walk! Walking is the single most effective and easiest exercise you can do. It is appropriate for all age groups and requires very little investment, just a good pair of walking shoes! Walk around the block, in the park, on a trail or with a friend.

*Incorporate movement into your daily activities. There are so many easy ways to add movement into your life if you are able. Take the stairs instead of the elevator. Park at the farthest end of the parking lot. Mow the lawn. Throw out your TV remote!
  
GET GOOD SLEEP

Your body must have good restful sleep every night in order to regenerate itself. As we age, good sleep sometimes becomes more and more difficult to attain. Whether it is difficulty with getting to sleep or waking up several times during the night, you need to find healthy ways to get good sleep.

*Try yoga. Depression and stress can keep us from getting a restful night of sleep. Try practicing yoga. Yoga will help you develop meditation skills. Learning to meditate can be a huge help in preparing your body to relax.

*Listen to music. When you go to bed at night, turn on your radio or CD player and listen to some soothing music. Soft instrumentals, new age or light classical music will help to relax you and lessen your depression and stress level.

If you don’t seem to be having any luck with whatever you try and you are still waking up in the morning feeling like you haven’t had any sleep, consult you physician. Perhaps your doctor can provide you with healthy sleeping remedies that allow you to sleep peacefully.
 

0 comments:

Post a Comment