Are You Healthy?

Reflect for a moment on your daily healthy habits.

• Do you exercise at least 4 times a week for 30 minutes or more?
• Do you avoid eating white sugar and flour on a regular basis?
• Are you eating at least 3 servings of vegetables a day? Are you eating 2 servings of fruit a day?
• Is your stress level low? Do you have an effective stress reduction plan to help deal with your stress?
• Are you getting enough sleep?

After answering these questions are you happy with your current health status? I suppose the better question is are you living a healthy life? Many individuals may be happy with there current health status but they may be unhealthy. If you answered no to any of these questions, you have room for improving your health. What are you going to change in your life to be happy with your health?

Make small changes when forming new healthy habits, you are more likely to stick with these changes. Strive to do something every day to move yourself toward better health.

Where Extra Calories May Be Hiding!

I am not an advocate of calorie counting because it is a very tedious task and we usually underestimate the amount of calories we consume. Try estimating your caloric consumption by eating one serving; instead of two or three. This is especially important with snack foods such as chips or candy. Single serve portions will help keep you on track. You should be aware of common culprits that add extra calories to your meals and snacks. Extra dressing on your salad adds extra calories. Ask for your dressing on the side when you eat out. Adding sauces, oil, or mayonnaise to your sandwich quickly adds up the calories as well. When you are cooking vegetables adding oil or butter can make a healthy choice unhealthy. Steam your veggies and add a very small amount of extra virgin olive oil before serving for flavor. Avoid fried foods because they are loaded with calories and fat. Baked options are always best. Beverages can add extra calories to our diet daily. Limit sugary drinks, watch your alcohol consumption, and be cautious when adding sugar and cream to your coffee and tea. Water contains no calories; therefore, making it a great choice to hydrate your body. You should be aware of your calorie consumption without having to count each calorie you consume.

Vacations are good for your health

I was on vacation last week in Florida, although the weather was not very warm I had a great time with my family. On the ride home I was so relaxed and refreshed. Vacations help us clear our minds, rest, and spend time with the ones we love. Stress relief is another great benefit of vacations. So if you are finding yourself overly worked, stressed to the max, or just in need of some relaxation, take a vacation. Even if you cannot go away, plan a day trip somewhere, or just take a day off to do something you enjoy. Everyone needs a vacation for their mental health.

Health Hint #9 Read the Labels and Ingredients on Your Food

How many people actually know what they are eating? Most of us don't take the time while grocery shopping to read nutrition and food labels. Reading the labels and ingredients in your food will give you valuable health information. Pay attention to the amount of sugar and fat, more specifically, the saturated and trans fat content in your food. A healthy diet is low in saturated fat and sugar. If you are at risk for type 2 diabetes, heart disease, or stroke must pay close attention to their saturated fat and sugar intake.
When you are reading the ingredients look out for high fructose corn syrup and partially hydrogenated oils. High fructose corn syrup is a sweetener often added to processed foods and sweetened drinks. Partially hydrogenated oils contain trans fat. Avoid foods that contain these unhealthy ingredients because frequent consumption is detrimental to your health. Is it coincidental that the obesity and type 2 diabetes is on the rise in our society as well as increased consumption of high fructose corn syrup and partially hydrogenated oils.
Next time you are grocery shopping invest the extra time in your health by reading the labels. You will be glad you did.

Health Hint #8 Don't Focus on Your Weight; Worry About Your Body Fat Percentage

Most people are obsessed with their weight. When they are trying to lose weight they will often weigh themselves several times a week to measure their progress. Focus more on lowering your body fat percentage than your weight. The lower your body fat percentage is, the higher your muscle mass. Why should you care about your muscle mass? The more muscular you are, the more fat you will burn. Fat is the primary fuel source of muscle. So don't obsess over your weight. Building muscle mass is a better way to lose fat and maintain that loss long-term.
Adding resistance training to your exercise routine will build more muscle. Other benefits of weight training include osteoporosis prevention, reduce your risk for muscular injuries, you will look and feel better too.
If you are a beginner start out slow and add exercises as you feel comfortable. Proper form is important so you do not hurt yourself. It is a great idea to find a personal trainer to get you started the right way. You will be glad you did.

Health Hint #7 Eat More Salads

Salads are a healthy choice for lunch or dinner. You can make it your entree or a side. Vary the ingredients you use in your salad so you don't get bored.
Here are some easy and tasty salad recipes:

• Spring mix with olives, artichoke hearts, and feta cheese tossed with lemon vinaigrette
• Spinach with apples, raisins, and cheddar cheese tossed with balsamic vinaigrette
• Romaine lettuce with grape tomatoes, cucumbers, carrots, green peppers, and grilled chicken breast tossed with your favorite dressing

Remember to go easy on the dressing, extra dressing adds calories. Eating a salad a day is an easy way to ensure you are getting your daily allowance of vegetables and is a great weight loss strategy.

Health Hint #5 Healthy Snacks

Healthy snacking during the day is beneficial and aids in weight loss. Good choices include an apple with natural peanut butter, low fat cheese with a couple whole grain crackers, low fat yogurt, nuts, or carrot sticks. Two small snacks during the day helps to fight hunger and maintains your metabolism. Avoid snacking on cookies, candy, chips, and ice cream because of their high calorie and fat content. Excessive snacking during the day or night can lead to weight gain.

Health Hint #4 Eat at Least 2 Servings of Friut a Day

Fruit is also an important part of your daily diet. You need to eat at least two servings of fruit each day. Fruit contains essential vitamins for optimal health. Apples, oranges, berries, kiwi, and mango are delicious fruit choices. Fresh is best choice. Avoid canned fruit because it is often packed in syrup, which contains extra sugar. Berries are a good source of antioxidants, which are important for fighting free radicals that cause cell damage. It is easy to fit fruit in your diet by snacking on an apple, adding blueberries to your cereal, or making a fresh fruit salad for dessert.

Health Hint #2 Manage Your Stress

Many individuals are stressed. Stress can be detrimental to your health; especially if you experience stress for a prolonged period of time. Some symptoms of stress include headaches, neck and back pain. Stress may lead to overeating and consequently weight gain. We tend to consume foods high in refined sugar and fat when we are stressed. Finding an effective stress management plan is crucial to achieving and maintaining a healthy weight. Exercise, meditation, and massage therapy are great ways to reduce your stress. It is also important to identify the stressors in your life and know your limits. Eliminate unnecessary stress in your life by learning to say no and do not over extend yourself. When you decrease your stress levels you will notice that you do not consume as many unhealthy foods.

Health Hint #1 Eat Your Breakfast

Eating your breakfast is a great way to start your day. Skipping this important meal is counter productive to losing weight. You will also feel more energetic when you consume a healthy breakfast. Good choices include whole grain cereals, oatmeal, yogurt, fruit, and eggs. Donuts, cookies, and pastries are poor choices because they are loaded with fat and sugar. An easy way to improve your health is to eat a healthy breakfast daily.

Do You Want to Lose Weight?

Weight loss is the most common health goal people set. The majority of us have said at one point in our lives “I want to lose weight” or “I need to lose weight.” Everyone can relate to managing their weight. We are flooded daily with diets that promise quick weight loss or diet pills that are the solution to your weight problem. Diets are not the answer. Stop associating diets with weight loss. Correlate weight loss and weight management with adjusting your habits toward a healthier life.
Why is weight management a struggle for most individuals? It isn’t always easy to make the right food choices or to find the necessary time to exercise. We have so many food choices today. Foods that seem “healthy” often are not because there is hidden fat or sugar. Buyers need to be aware of foods that bear a label of “low fat” or “fat free.” These foods often contain added sugar for flavor. Reading labels and understanding nutritional information on the food you consume is essential.
“I don’t have time to exercise.” I hear this frequently from my patients. When our schedules are filled with working, taking care of a family, cooking, and cleaning; little time is left for exercise. What is the solution? Time management skills are necessary to ensure we have the time in our schedule for important tasks. Schedule exercise just as you do any other appointment.
The healthy approach way to approach weight loss or healthy weight management is to think about it as modifying your eating and exercising habits for life. Weight loss should be secondary to maintaining a healthy lifestyle. Learning how to improve your health will undoubtedly lead to a healthy weight.
For many, these are habits you have adopted for years. Major changes do not happen over night. I challenge you to set a small health goal daily. Small changes are easier to make and you are more likely to stick with these changes. Maintaining a healthy weight is a crucial component to healthy living.
Starting February 8, 2010 my daily post will give you a health hint to allow you to modify your habits toward a healthier life.

My Health Goal for 2010

I hope my last post inspired your to set a health goal and create an action plan! The key is to be excited about your goal and stay motivated to achieve it.
My health goal for this year is to run a half marathon. I already registered for the Lehigh Valley Half Marathon, which takes place on Sunday April 25. I am really excited. My husband has also signed up to run with me. This is our first half marathon. I love to run; it is my favorite work out. I feel great when I complete a run and training for the race is great motivation.

I would like to hear about your health goals. Please post your goal in the comment section.

3 Steps to Setting Your Health Goal

1. First define your health goal and a time frame for completion. Take the time to write down your goal. Place your written goal somewhere that you will review it every day.

2. Define an action plan that will allow you successful completion of your goal.

3. Now you must adhere to your plan. If you feel passionate about the goal you have set; you have a better chance of achieving it. Staying motivated is essential. Imagine how you will feel when you reach the goal you desire. When you get off track; think about how you will feel when your goal is attained.