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 Have Healthy Self Esteem

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Do you know someone who is always happy and smiling and wish you could be like them?  The happiest people are those who do not judge others, live in kindness and love themselves. You can achieve this healthy self-esteem. It just takes a little time and effort. 


The following tips can help you to become a happier, healthier YOU.

1.  IDENTIFY
We are not required to live by “I have to” or “I must” – everything we do is a result of a decision or a choice.  Everything is a choice:  to obey or disobey; to study or not study; to eat right or not eat right.  When making these choices, we control everything about our lives including our future and our level of self-awareness. 

When you see a confident, happy person – it’s not luck, it’s choice.  Once you realize and accept this, only then can you begin to become who it is you want to be.  If we pay attention to who we are and what makes us happy, we will make the right choices to set our own future. 

2.  EVALUATE
Who are you?  Look at yourself and be honest.  Write on a piece of paper the things you like (Pros) and don’t like (Cons) about you.  If you are your own best friend, you should be able to take a look at the things you don’t like and develop a plan to begin moving those negatives over to the positive side. 

Likewise, you should take a look at your good points and develop a plan to make sure those positive attributes remain on the positive side and continue to grow on the inside AND the outside of you.  As you work out a plan, try to find people with like personalities who share your same goals. 

3.  CONFIRM
Talk to yourself!  Still using your list of Pros, begin reinforcing the positive attributes of your personality.  I AM…. “I am successful”, “I am pretty”, “I am fun!”... every positive thought should be repeated often – YOU are WHAT you THINK!

4.  FORGIVE
Forgive yourself for screw ups!  They happen to all of us!  We are as imperfect as our bodies!!  Give yourself a break – forgive and move on.  You can’t change the past – but you can live in the present and affect the future!

5.  BE KIND
Treat yourself right.  Be a friend, a good listener, a giver, not a taker – we feel the best about ourselves when we make someone else smile.

6.  BE THANKFUL
Give thanks to your creator.  Be humble in all you have.  Pray for those with cold hearts or sad lives.  Really know what you have; all of the gifts, talents, and things you possess.  If you live your life with gratitude and love, peace will always be in your presence.

7.  ACCEPTANCE
Do not accept your fate dictated by others.  Accept only the fate you give yourself.  Through acts of kindness and focused determination, you can achieve all that is good in this life.  When you believe in kindness and in yourself – you can achieve anything. 

Know yourself.  Like yourself.  Live a life of abundance.

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