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.)

Tips for Better Health

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Empower Yourself. You, and only you, have the power to give yourself better health. That means you must learn what is healthy and be willing to do whatever it takes to achieve better health.  If you want to feel better and reduce your risk for many diseases and health conditions, follow the steps below:


EAT THE RIGHT WAY. Rather than feeling dejected at the weight you keep putting on because of a junk food eating habit, develop the habit of eating healthy foods. What you put into your body determines how well your body functions.

If you don’ know much about nutrition, educate yourself. Learn what foods to eat and what foods to avoid. Use common sense. Obviously, foods made with sugar, processed foods, and preservatives, are not going to be good for your body.

Your body thrives on plant-based foods, whole fruits and vegetables. Drink lots of water, eat high fiber foods, reduce your intake of saturated fats, and avoid “white” foods like sugar and white flour. They have no nutritional value.

GET PHYSICALLY FIT. Being fit and healthy is the greatest energy and confidence booster you can give yourself. Instead of blaming yourself for not eating right, cultivate some positive addictions like going for a daily walk or a workout at the gym.

Any aerobic movement is incredibly good for your body. Walking, bicycling, skating, cross-country skiing, playing sports or dancing are all ways to get your body moving. Play tag with your kids, mow your lawn or walk your dog.

FEEL GOOD ABOUT YOURSELF. Learn to love yourself and the life you lead. Yes, it could be better and you can make it so. But if you don’t like how things are going, that is no reason to waste what you already have in hand.

There will always be those extra pounds to shed, those qualities you wish your partner had, that car you wish to buy, or the house you wish to own. Be grateful for what you have and give thanks every day.

REMAIN CALM. This is indeed a rare quality and if you were to successfully cultivate it more than half of your life’s worries would be over. Stress, tension and anxiety are the major causes of many diseases. Fatigue and irritability are also caused by stress.

Learn ways to help you reduce your stress level. Read a good book, listen to your favorite music, watch movies, take a long bath, or get a massage. Do whatever it takes to make you feel  more relaxed and in tune with the world.

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