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.)

Stress and Our Senses

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It may begin with an eyestrain-related headache brought on by hours of staring at a computer screen.  Or you might experience pain after spending an hour or more with a telephone receiver cradled in your neck.  After nearly eight hours standing up, your feet might be throbbing. Your pains, however, appear to be exacerbated by stress.

Stress can manifest itself in a number of physical ways.  Headaches, earaches, abdominal pain, a tingling in our arms and legs, and nausea can all be signs of stress.  In other words, the pressures that we are under can make us physically ill.  As a result, it’s not surprising that we would seek a physical relief from stress.

One of the best ways to deal with stress is to indulge your senses.  Our senses are like our personal radar detectors, letting us know when we are nearing something that is inherently good.  Therefore, it is important that we surround ourselves with things that will appeal to our senses.

Sight.  Make sure that you arise early enough to see the sun rise on a summer day.  The joy and peace you feel gazing at the magnificent colors can greatly reduce the amount of stress you feel during the course of your day.  You might also watch a videotape that features an excursion to some exotic locale.  Drinking in the palm trees and the ocean waves can calm your nerves considerably. 

Sound. Retreat to your backyard, sit in the grass, close your eyes, and listen.  It’s best to do this early in the morning or late at night, when there is not a great deal of activity around.  You may hear the songs of robins or the hum of the cicadas.  Such nature sounds are incredibly soothing. Keep a CD of nature sounds that you can play when you feel as if you’re at the breaking point.

Smell. Aromatherapy is a favorite relaxation technique.  This involves treating your nose to exquisite scents.  Scented candles, incense, or scented oils can help to “calm down” your living space, creating a soothing atmosphere.  Consider cooking with ingredients that have incredible scents and allowing the aroma to overpower your kitchen.  There is nothing quite so comforting as the smell of fresh bread baking.

 Taste. When trying to de-stress, don’t forget to indulge your sense of taste.  Enjoying a few taste sensations can be good for both stomach and soul.  Add some fresh mint to your iced tea or a lime wedge to your cola drink.  A sliver of chocolate or a taste of vanilla has also been known to help soothe frayed nerves.  Don’t be afraid to experiment with different tastes until you settle upon those that are true stress-relievers.

Touch. Many people combat stress by engaging their sense of touch.  Consider taking up knitting, crocheting, needlepoint, or pottery-making.  Such activities have the added bonus of allowing you to show off your artistic flair and you can fill your home with the beautiful art objects you are able to create.  You’ll feel a sense of pride that will lift your spirits—and will make you better able to deal with stressful situations.

Every day, stress tries our senses.  It can blur our vision, disrupt our hearing, and dull our sense of taste.  The obvious antidote to this is to introduce things into our lives that engage our senses in a positive way, that brighten our day.  Such things can seem minor, but they can make a huge difference in how we are able to handle stress.   

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