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.)

Self Esteem of Women

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Women are remarkably strong individuals who have the capability to battle with demons and conquer the world, but more often than not, it is their own self confidence that brings them down.  That nagging voice in the back of your head that questions your actions, criticizes your looks, and doubts your self worth can bring any woman—no matter how successful or powerful—to her knees.  Instead of falling prey to low self esteem, do something about it!  Strive to break the cycle of self doubt about yourself, not doing anything about it, and then feeling worse. 


Sadly, a major problem with the self esteem of women is the opinions of other women.  Instead of fully supporting, complimenting, and boosting another women’s spirits, women can be mean spirited.  Back biting, gossiping, and cruel remarks seem to run rampant with women friends, family, and colleagues.  If you find yourself in a situation with another woman that is detrimental to your own sense of self worth and self esteem, find a way to resolve the situation. 

Perhaps all it takes is speaking your feelings to a friend who is saying hurtful things or to a coworker who always points out the negative aspects of your work.  Quite often, these individuals suffer from low self esteem themselves and use a defensive or derisive attitude in order to compensate.  Be mindful of this behavior next time your friends, family, or coworkers are discussing another woman and be careful not to fall into the negative mindset.  By setting a good example, you will influence others in addition to helping your own self esteem.

The majority of women have some sort of issue with their body or physical appearance.  Regardless of how beautiful a woman is, she always feels some kind of dissatisfaction with her looks. Even the women that society deems to be beautiful have issues with their bodies, which is often spotlighted in the media.  World famous models and actresses agonize over their weight, height, or looks just like every other woman.

Instead of looking at yourself in a harsh, negative light, turn your attitude around.  Think about your positive attributes instead of the ones you wish you could change.  Use these positive attributes to your advantage.  Instead of wishing you could wear certain types of clothing, embrace the styles that fit and flatter your body.  Self esteem is one of the best things any woman can possess and it makes her look better in the eyes of everyone else. 



Do not fall into the trap of thinking material items can make you feel better about yourself.  Quite often, women tend to indulge themselves on extravagant or expensive items that they believe will boost their self esteem.  A designer pair of shoes or expensive purse will not fix what is wrong on the inside.  No matter what you purchase, that shopping spree you just indulged in will most likely cause you greater self esteem issues. 

It is a vicious cycle, feeling poorly about yourself, making outrageous purchases, then feeling even worse about yourself due to the mounting bills and needless items.  Instead of heading to your local mall, hit the library and check out the self-help section.  You may find a book that has a great starting point for boosting your self esteem.  Money cannot buy you love or happiness, so why would you think it can buy self esteem?

If you keep a positive outlook on life, you will lead a positive life.  Break away from negative influences and work to surround yourself with positive individuals who will positively influence your life.  You are a great person—every one you know feels that way and it’s time you should as well.

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