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 to Relieve Emotional Health Problems

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The stresses and strains of everyday life, especially during the holidays, can bring with it a variety of emotional health problems. These can include depression, anxiety, insomnia, and irritability.

Depression and Anxiety

We all become depressed at different times of our life, I certainly do. We let things and people get us down. We feel sorry for ourselves and think that the world is working against us.

We can also become very anxious about our future or current situation. Worrying never helps anything.  It only makes things worse. You must learn and practice ways to relax your mind and body.

*Get out of your house and be with people. Volunteer at your local animal shelter, nursing home, hospital or soup kitchen. Volunteering can be a very humble and eye-opening experience making you realize just how fortunate you are.

*Call up a friend and go out to eat. Sometimes just sharing your feelings can help a great deal with lifting your mood.

* Listen to uplifting and happy music or watch a good comedy movie.

* Let go of your sadness by praying or meditating.

*Take a daily walk. Walking provides amazing health benefits for both your mind and your body.
You are getting exercise and working your heart and muscles. Because walking is an aerobic exercise, it releases “feel good” endorphins making you feel better all over.

*Get regular massages. A good massage will “unkink” your tight muscles and relax your mind and your body.
Insomnia

Having trouble with sleeping at night can happen for a number of reasons, the main one being stress. Other causes are snoring, an intake of too much caffeine, a noisy environment or depression.

*Cut down on your coffee intake. Never drink coffee after 3 p.m.

*Try reading before attempting to get to sleep. Reading helps get your mind off of your anxieties, relaxes your body and tires your eyes. 

*Keep your bedroom as dark as possible. If you have a clock radio that has a bright time display, turn it toward the wall.

*If your mind works overtime when you go to bed, try taking long, deep breaths for a minute or two and picture each part of your body relaxing as you breathe. This can work wonders.

Irritability

When people lose sleep or work too hard they can become overly tired and irritable. This can lead to anxiety and always feeling tired.

*You must set limits on the amount of hours you work per week. There is no compromise on this. Your health is far more important than trying to work a 60-hour a week job.

*If you are irritable due to the demands of your family, you must set boundaries for yourself and them. Sit them down and explain exactly what you can do and what you cannot do. They must step up and do their share so you can all work together as a unit.

*Try to get at least 7 hours of sleep every night.

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