Category Archives: Education & Discussion

Sleep 8 and crave less carbohydrates

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Did you know that for every hour under 8 that you do not sleep research shows that you will over eat carbohydrates the next day at 100 calories extra for every hour less than 8 you slept?

So if you sleep 6 hours each night than you are craving 200 calories of quick carb energy just to feed your brain since your brain is starting in a deficit when you wake.  Your brain draws it’s fuel from carbohydrates which is why you are craving quick carb fuel…aka: cake, cupcakes, cookies, etc. So if you’re waking up extra early to “work out” you might just be sabotaging your “burn” by simply not getting a full 8 hours sleep!

And I haven’t even mentioned that since you’re tired throughout the day you’re likely over caffeinating too! We’ll discuss this kind of CRAP in coming posts; however,

The moral of this lesson is get 8 hours each night, every part of your body will benefit!

Health-Diet-Fitness

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“>Health is 30% Fitness & 70% Diet-

I love this image, it is so true!

Treat yourself with more respect, remember that what goes in makes you better or worse physically, mentally, emotionally. Eat well, exercise moderately and for goodness sake, get some sleep! Remember to hydrate! 64oz. each day! Eat a variety of foods that are grown- not modified or engineered & when it comes to remaining physically fit, if your exercise routine hurts, burns or leaves you so tired that you can’t have a conversation after 8:30pm- then it’s too damn hard on your body and that simply is adding stress to your life!

 

Take care & be well also means live well & be happy!

Successful New Year Resolution?

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HNY 2013
Did your New Year’s Resolution look like this? Here are 3 best tips to improve your success rate when it comes to making change!

HNY 2013! Oh yeah…it’s resolution time again.

Have you ever had a successful New Year’s Resolution? A new year commitment that lasted longer than 6 months, made you feel proud and still feels so great that you just never want to go back to the way it was before? We should all have personal examples and continue to be proud of these changes…No one said seeking a better life in forward motion was going to be easy and I know you are here to continue to be encouraged to do so! Good, let’s go forward then.

THREE Best Ever Tips for making change real:

1. The first, best tip for a successful resolution I can give to anyone, and believe me when I say I can be the wimpiest person I know when it comes to “having willpower” is to make the change as positive as possible! Try not to use statements that begin with “I WON’t …”. Make a resolution that begins with the words “I WILL…” Positive statements are better coaching tools.

2. The next best tip is to think “it” through before you commit. Since taking the ‘midnight pledge’ on December 31st just didn’t seem to work, you should now realize the need to reflect on what you want to make happen, the necessary steps it will take to make “it” happen and how the overall change will impact your life for the better. Digest that statement..re-read it!

For example a general statement of ‘weight loss’ or getting organized is simply too broad! Dial it down, zero in for a better understanding of the new commitment.  Again, what WILL you do and how?

For example, “I will lose 15 lbs by June 1st by working out 3-4 times a week, eating a bowl of oatmeal every workday morning and committing to refilling my water bottle 4-5 times each day.”  Or, “I will get organized in two places that will help me feel less stressed more often and keep it that way! I will always keep my work space cleaned off by tiding it at the end of everyday. I will do this by giving myself 10-15 minutes before leaving work each afternoon to clear the space and put things in well marked folders. I will also make a habit of cleaning out the car doors of trash at least two times each week before going into the house. Each Wednesday & Friday, and I will set that in my calendar now.”

This kind of detail allows for the vision to be clear and yet flexible.  By coaching yourself all the way through the how and when of the goal you have real checking points that keep you accountable and set up for successful transitions.

3. The final best tip is to use friends, technology or both to stay on the path of success! By this I mean, take advantage of everything you can to encourage the behaviors that are best for you and help you remain accountable. Using every tool will help you figure out which self-checkpoints work the best for measurable progress.  For example, personally, I am NOT a person who likes to tell other people what I am trying to change about myself (that’s why this blog helps me remain accountable to my own coaching techniques) so I use personal journal, my phone alarms, calendar reminders and then my husband.

Depending on my desired change, I would set the reminders on my alarm for the first couple weeks to repeat at regular intervals each day to say things like “Fill your water bottle NOW” or “take a 10 minute walk NOW” or on repeating alarms for Wednesdays & Fridays with a “Clean up the Car” reminder.  These alarms help the habits remain clear, timely and doable. I use a personal journal to rant or rave about myself to myself- obviously reflective. And finally, I know my husband will check in upon occasion to see how things are going with my “goals”.

After about 2 weeks, examine for yourself how often you need these regular alarms to sustain your new habits. Who knows, you may want them to continue daily if you think you would fall back into your old ways without these reminders or you may want to simply set up for a weekly review time to browse your activity log and reflect on the changes that are making your life better.

NOTE: Always remember, reflection and log-keeping are key actions for busy people who want to be their own best coach!

Let’s get to it! Pick one or two things and work toward your best, full-on, healthful satisfaction!  Set yourself up for success by making positive and thoughtful changes! Define your ultimate achievement with clarity, work the plan to create sustainable change in your life. Celebrate your own good feelings about the changes you are working toward. For example, at the water cooler take a split second to be proud of yourself or better yet, admire your glowing skin in the mirror and recognize that hydration works for all of your body systems!  (or) Keeping that car cleaned?  Look at it, enjoy the chaos-free zone! When you get in the car, look around at it and actually say, “Ahhh, this is nice!” Also, remind those who ride along regularly to pick up after themselves so that your continued goal remains easy!

It’s the little things we do for ourselves that create the biggest difference in our lives! Now is the time to begin the New Year’s Resolution Process for real! You can do it, always remain in forward motion!

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Goals On Track Software to purchase Click Here!

Are you resilient?

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When you begin to understand that moving forward requires learning from the past and making good decisions about your future then you have learned that you are your best advocate!

Is it  tough to wake up each day and practice ALL GOOD things? You bet it is, but it is imperative to make the conscious effort to do just that each day!

Surrounding yourself with positive intelligence, listening to each contributor in your life and learning from every situation helps you to remain in forward motion. It also allows you to take advantage of opportunities that come along creating pivotal moments of resiliency in your life to continue on the path of remaining well and in good health.  Be a good coach to yourself!

Use independent techniques: positive tough-love, facing the facts while staying open to the best sceniero in every situation. These options will have you moving forward & winning your everyday battles!

Techniques for restoring resilience here!

Eating for Health, Not Weight

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This blog was made for personal reference of lifestyle choices and education, it’s not the Bible and not intend to be duplicated or copied.

I often try to explain that eating to lose weight and eating the right foods for your continued good health or to regain good health are not always the same thing.  Counting calories is not the same as making the calories count! Choosing wisely is so important.

In the wake of the Soda Ban in NY City and recent research released about the future of American obesity and diabetes, Dean Ornish published an opinion in the NY Times Sunday Edition, September 12, 2012.  I suggest you and everyone you know take the time to read and understand this point of view.  Being and remaining healthy in our current society takes commitment.  My immediate family is 90% plant based in our nutrition by choice. We are not typical Americans, but we do still struggle with sugar and caffeine moderation like so many others I know.  We thought we were living a “healthful diet” for so many years, until I studied Dean Ornish’s research through the Coronary Health Intervention Program and put some changes into practice about a year and a half ago.

When non-plant based meal portions are selected by our children, my husband and I remind them that the choice is only fine if it is kept to a minimum of their dietary decisions. By minimum I mean FAR LESS than a “daily” or even a weekly indulgence. In the months that followed our proactive lifestyle diet change, my teenager decided, completely on her own, that dairy and milk based products make her sick more than she imagined. This was quite an epiphany for a 17 year old who used to drink a gallon of milk weekly in grade school and eat chocolate any chance she could. I had always thought her milk consumption was the ‘best thing’ in her diet, but as soon as she cut the dairy out, she stopped having reoccurring sinus infections and horrible headaches.  Our other teen age daughter has figured out that her body cannot digest red meat well. This was a kid that loved a good steak once in a while too. She has said although it looks or smells good, “I just don’t feel good, my stomach hurts very badly after I eat it.”  And when we do choose sugary treats, we all recognize that the choice is not “good food,” but should be considered a true treat.

I don’t want to preach, and I am far from perfect…I am the first to admit that fact. But once you read this article, you’ll understand better why this blog even exists for your use.

Eating for Health, Not Weight

Remain in forward motion so that your health risks remain small!

Have you scheduled your ANNUAL WELL VISIT?

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Since your healthcare likely covers well visits and vaccinations- Go make that appointment now!
It is a mission of mine to encourage you to have a good relationship with your doctor- my dad was a doctor and people came from a far and near at his funeral because they had a “wonderful” relationship with him!

The best time to create a relationship is when you’re healthy, I mean, when your sick well that’s when your desparate. So use your well visits and check in with your physician!

Have your blood work done before your appointment making sure that any age appropriate screenings are on the lab request.Once the results are in, have a forward discussion about the results with your primary care physician.Well Check

Women need to schedule and complete their mammograms and annual GYN appointments. Men and women, both, need to make certain to talk about all the issues effecting your daily life. Let your doctor know about muscle issues, vision changes, sleep patterns and additional stresses that may be going on…really, don’t just show up and tell them that all is “good” if you have changes that should be explored or documented. Well visits are about prevention and early detection of disease.

Let your doctor know what’s going on with you and have an in depth discussion!
You are responsible for your healthy future! Create an open communication policy with your doctors, send the blood work results to all the front line physicians of your care, don’t assume they’ll receive them from the “office fairies.” Also, remember to make the follow-up call to let your doctor know if the action plans made with him/her are working.

Suggestion: If you are good to go for 2012 with your appointments then drop what your’re doing and schedule your well visits for 2013 now…just get those appointments on the books before time gets away from you.

Take care and Live well!

You really get “it” & I am so glad that you do

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Hello my friends, I really do apologize for being so long away from the blog!  It has been a summer of maintaining balance for me as there have been some bumpy roads to navigate emotionally and physically…not really an excuse to leave you all hanging out there, wondering where I have been; however, since this blog is really about controllable lifestyle issues, it has been great to know that I could create my own balance & take some personal pressure off by letting “the blog” roll in forward motion without my constant attention.  I really appreciate the fact that YOU GET IT!! THANK YOU!

Below is a quick article post about Gratitude from INC Magazine’s, inc.com author, Geoffrey James.  Funny, it rhymes with Attitude, and it can make or break your vision, your mission of living a better life or your ability to see past the nose on your very own face!

Story, quick reflection: Once a giant tree fell into my (new to me) house while my family & I were inside. Later a friend & neighbor said to me that  I was so ‘unlucky’. Silly, but I thought that it was  strange to think that I could still be standing there and be ‘unlucky’- no one was hurt, and I was so grateful for that!  I appreciated her sympathy for the situation but reminded her that it was “all good.” Things happen, find the good & give thanks for that good! 

Be glad, be thankful and live in forward motion! The post takes less than 5 minutes to read & is the

True Secret to Sucess (It’s Not What You Think)  Enjoy!

If you’re not exercising this emotional muscle, you’re probably setting yourself up for failure.

Box Car Racing

I’m utterly convinced that the key to lifelong success is the regular exercise of a single emotional muscle: gratitude.

People who approach life with a sense of gratitude are constantly aware of what’s wonderful in their life. Because they enjoy the fruits of their successes, they seek out more success. And when things don’t go as planned, people who are grateful can put failure into perspective.

By contrast, people who lack gratitude are never truly happy. If they succeed at a task, they don’t enjoy it. For them, a string of successes is like trying to fill a bucket with a huge leak in the bottom. And failure invariably makes them bitter, angry, and discouraged.

Therefore, if you want to be successful, you need to feel more gratitude. Fortunately, gratitude, like most emotions, is like a muscle: The more you use it, the stronger and more resilient it becomes.

Practice Nightly

The best time to exercise gratitude is just before bed. Take out your tablet (electronic or otherwise) and record the events of the day that created positive emotions, either in you or in those around you.

Did you help somebody solve a problem? Write it down. Did you connect with a colleague or friend? Write it down. Did you make somebody smile? Write it down.

What you’re doing is “programming your brain” to view your day more positively. You’re throwing mental focus on what worked well, and shrugging off what didn’t. As a result, you’ll sleep better, and you’ll wake up more refreshed.

Reprogramming Your Brain

More important, you’re also programming your brain to notice even more reasons to feel gratitude. You’ll quickly discover that even a “bad day” is full of moments that are worthy of gratitude. Success becomes sweeter; failure, less sour.

The more regularly you practice this exercise, the stronger its effects.

Over time, your “gratitude muscle” will become so strong that you’ll attract more success into your life, not to mention greater numbers of successful (i.e., grateful) people. You’ll also find yourself thanking people more often. That’s good for you and for them, too.

This method works. If you don’t believe me, try it for at least a week. You’ll be amazed at what a huge difference it makes.

“True Secret to Success: Gratitude” http://www.inc.com/geoffrey-james/gratitude-true-secret-to-success.html?nav=next

Small, Medium or Large?

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My 5th grader really wanted to stop by McDonald’s for a Frozen Lemonade. She had asked a couple of times over a couple of days if we could get one, so when we were out running errands I said, “Hey, let’s get a treat!” and in we went to McDonald’s.

The server asked her what she wanted and she told him, “Strawberry Lemonade, please.”  His next question was, “What size would you like?”

She looked at me for approval of possibly the biggest size they had, and I simply asked her if she understood that this was a treat…she replied, “Yes!” So my next question was, what size belly do you want from your treats?  The McD server said, “Wow, that’s good,” and so I thought I’d share it with you…

She ordered a small and was thrilled…even the smalls are pretty big.  It was more than enough for her, in fact she didn’t even finish it because it was so sweet!  I ask myself, my children and my clients questions based in reality because that is where we need to focus our restraint when it comes to “treats”. I want my children to understand not only what they’re eating, but why.  Seize the teachable moment, teach enjoyment over quantity. I don’t constantly throw it out there like that, but the moment presented itself well.

So the next time a server asks you about portion size, think: How do I like my belly…small, medium or large?

What’s on the agenda for the day?

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I love when people write books about important theories of exercise as long as they make good, common sense.   Movement is so important, you don’t have to be a marathon runner to feel healthy about your lifestyle, I have always asserted this theory. Just get up and get out each day! Walk, dance, ride, toss a ball or go for a swim…it’s all good. Exercise stirs the spirit, adds great energy to your life and brings on the happy! Sitting around all day, in school, at work or all weekend long just isn’t good for your body.  You can probably feel the kink in your lower back, aching calves and strained computer eyes! You can also feel the aggression in your emotions from pent up energy and the unused natural desire to move about throughout the day.

Thanks to Gretchen Reynolds, author of this great book, The First 20 Minutes: Surprising Science Reveals How We Can Exercise Better, Train Smarter & Live Longer, for putting some simple truths out there for everyone. Exercise does not always have to equal weight loss. Exercise is about movement and pleasure from the innate desire of humans not to be sedentary.  Sitting brings physiological changes that are not good for a body which in turns promotes the chronic diseases plaguing so many of our friends and family!

Maybe I should write a book too? Anyway, here is her link to an interview on NYTimes.com. Ok, enough reading, head outside!

 

 

Food Additives

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I stumbled across this link to a list with explanations of food additives. So if you munch on bagged items or prepackaged goods, here are some of the items you may see on the ingredients list and note what to avoid. It’s from the Center for Science for the Public Interest website.

Remember that shopping for foods without labels, creating your menu from scratch recipes and eating foods with labels where you recognize all the ingredients in the list is the best advise I can give for the best way to feed your body in order for it to digest what you’ve given it and serve you well as you move in forward motion!

Take care. Be well. Fast foward 5 years: Why did Walgreen’s steel this tag line from me?? Just saying, impact is important. To be consulted would be nice.