Thursday, July 23, 2009

Top 10 Ways to Begin a New Healthy Lifestyle


Top 10 Ways To Begin A New Healthy Lifestyle - Just 1 Tensie at a Time...

We all know that change is hard, especially when it comes to getting rid of bad habits. But what if you changed just one small thing at a time, practiced that change every day for one week, and then changed one more thing. Eventually, you would have a whole new healthy & happy lifestyle before you know it.

1. Start your day with breakfast.
Breakfast fills your "empty tank" to get you going after a long night without food. And it can help you do better in school. Easy to prepare breakfasts include cold cereal with fruit and low-fat milk, whole-wheat toast with peanut butter, yogurt with fruit, whole-grain waffles or even last night's pizza!

2. Get Moving!
It's easy to fit physical activities into your daily routine. Walk, bike or jog to see friends. Take a 10-minute activity break every hour while you read, do homework or watch TV. Climb stairs instead of taking an escalator or elevator. Try to do these things for a total of 30 minutes every day.

3. Snack Smart.
Snacks are a great way to refuel. Choose snacks from different food groups—a glass of low-fat milk and a few graham crackers, an apple or celery sticks with peanut butter and raisins, or some dry cereal. If you eat smart at other meals, cookies, chips and candy are OK for occasional snacking.

4. Work up a sweat.
Vigorous work-outs—when you're breathing hard and sweating—help your heart pump better, give you more energy and help you look and feel your best. Start with a warm-up that stretches your muscles. Include 20 minutes of aerobic activity, such as running, jogging or dancing. Follow-up with activities that help make you stronger such as push-ups or lifting weights. Then cool-down with more stretching and deep breathing.

5. Balance your food choices—don't eat too much of one thing.
You don't have to give up foods like hamburgers, french fries and ice cream to eat healthfully. You just have to be smart about how often and how much of them you eat. Your body needs nutrients like protein, carbohydrates, fat and many different vitamins and minerals such as vitamins C and A, iron and calcium from a variety of foods. Balancing food choices from the Food Guide Pyramid and checking out the Nutrition Facts Panel on food labels will help you to get all these nutrients. Foods aren't good or bad. A healthy eating style is like a puzzle with many parts. Each part—or food—is different. Some foods may have more fat, sugar or salt while others may have more vitamins or fiber. There is a place for all these foods. What makes a diet good or bad is how foods fit together. Balancing your choices is important. Fit in a higher-fat food, like pepperoni pizza, at dinner by choosing lower-fat foods at other meals. And don't forget about moderation. If two pieces of pizza fill you up, don't eat a third.

6. Get fit with friends or family.
Being active is much more fun with friends or family. Encourage others to join you and plan one special physical activity event, like a bike ride or hiking, with a group each week.

7. Eat more grains, fruits and vegetables.
These foods give you carbohydrates for energy, plus vitamins, minerals and fiber. Besides, they taste good! Try breads such as whole-wheat, bagels and pita. Spaghetti and oatmeal are also in the grain group.

Bananas, strawberries and melons are some great tasting fruits. Try vegetables raw, on a sandwich or in a salad. Get creative and don't be shy with these ingredients!

8. Join in physical activities at school or work.
Whether you take a physical education class or do other physical activities at school or work, such as intramural sports, structured activities are a sure way to feel good, look good and stay physically fit. Getting involved in weekly activities will not only get you in shape and make you feel good, you will most likely build lasting relationships with your co-workers and classmates.

9. Make healthy eating and physical activities fun!
Take advantage of physical activities you and your friends enjoy doing together and eat the foods you like. Be adventurous—try new sports, games and other activities as well as new foods. You'll grow stronger, play longer, and look and feel better! Set realistic goals—don't try changing too much at once. Pick up one activity and do it at least once a week.

10. Get your nervous system checked!
In order to maintain your muscles, digestion, immune system, and every other system in your body you must get you Central Nervous System checked and tuned up by your favorite Chiropractor. Chiropractic is not just for back pain and headaches, it will keep your engine running smoothly and efficiently in order to prevent injuries, illness, and other degenerative disorders that can keep you from doing all these great new activities you've now incorporated into your life. Want to keep yourself healthy, go to www.thespecific.com and find a highly skilled specialist to help keep you on track.

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Monday, July 13, 2009

Top 10 Ways to Bust out of that Baby Weight!



Top 10 Ways to Bust out of that Baby Weight!

Alright ladies! You know it's time to get started. Your baby is almost walking and you still can't seem to get back into your favorite skinny jeans. It just seems that every day something gets in the way - laundry, grocery shopping, chasing around your pride and joy. I get it. Let's start with just one tensie and see if we can't get your butt movin' and shakin' right on down to your perfect size.

1. Drink at least 10-12 glasses of water every day. Replace your high sugar beverages such as sodas and juices with some water and a squeeze of fresh lemon. You could also try flavored seltzer water which has no calories. You can cut out hundreds of calories a day this way. You can get creative and make some delicious water infusions with herbs and fruit. Many people think that by drinking a ton of water they will gain water weight and feel bloated. However, it has been shown that by drinking lots of water you lose weight faster because you curb your appetite, flush out toxins, and aid the liver and kidneys in metabolizing fats. If that wasn't enough you may not only see your tush rise up, but it's like Nature's own facelift by increasing elasticity of the skin and clearing your complexion.

2. Keep healthy snacks handy such as raisins, popcorn, wheat crackers, fruits and nuts. Refuse to buy store-bought baked goods or junk food. Listen, no one is telling you to give up all those goodies. It is simply about moderation. It's fine to have ONE cookie for dessert, it's not fine to have one BOX of cookies for dessert. We all have cravings and the only way to gain control over them is to reward ourselves from time to time. Portion control is the key!

3. Eat lean meats such as boneless chicken and the leanest cuts of beef. Or if you are a pescatarian, like me, indulge in some delicious eco-friendly fish such as mahi-mahi, sole, or salmon. Filled with good fats like Omega-3 it is an essential ingredient in health and wellness. If you are thinking of being a vegetarian or are one you will need to search for protein alternative such as nuts and soy based products, although be cautious of the amount of soy you consume. High levels of phytic acid, trypsin inhibitors, toxic lysinoalanine and highly carcinogenic nitrosamines are all present in soy products. Phytoestrogens that disrupt endocrine function and are potent antithyroid agents are present in vast quantities in soy, including the potentially devastating isoflavone Genistein. Bottom line, read your labels and change it up, there are lots of healthy vegetarian options out there.

4. Eat whole grains (breads, cereals, pastas) instead of the "white" versions. The general rule of thumb is, if it's white it's not good for you. Many people are going through pantry and simply throwing away anything that is white.

5. Don't be fooled by foods that are labeled as nonfat. Some are loaded with calories and can have hydrogenated vegetable oils and/or high fructose corn syrup, neither of which are healthy. Read your labels! A recent study was released showing that people who consumed fat-free or sugar-free foods on a regular basis actually gained weight!

6. Resist the urge to indulge in a fast food meal. Or if you do, order the salad and not the fat-filled burgers and fries. To me this should be a no-brainer. You literally must make that conscious decision to eat this junk. I know, I know - McDonalds has revamped their menus and now have healthy choices - sure. But do you really go there for their healthy salads? Of course not.

7. As soon as you feel ready, start light exercise. Weather-permitting, take a 10 minute walk with the baby every day and slowly increase your time to 20 minutes per day. Babies can be worn in a snugli or sling or you can use a baby jogger or stroller when they get too heavy. Even better, walk at a regular time with a friend. I always suggest getting a personal trainer or take a class with a professional who has experience with women who have recently given birth. By having a professional or a buddy to keep you accountable, entertained, and on track you are setting yourself up for success. Consider joining a gym and trade babysitting hours with a friend so when you each go to do your workout, the other can watch the babies. Some gyms may offer babysitting services as well. It's also important to note that the better shape you are in prior to pregnancy the easier you will have it when it comes time to get back into shape.

8. Find easy ways to increase your exercise like parking farther away or using stairs instead of elevators. By increasing the steps you take each day can help you burn more calories than you think. Did you know you can actually burn roughly 10 calories per flight of stairs? Add a little pep in your step and you might be able to double that. Assume that you don’t change anything else about your diet or exercise routine (and thereby don’t eat more calories by taking the stairs instead of the elevator). If you take the stairs up one flight of stairs instead of using the elevator 10 times throughout the day, you can burn 100 calories. If you do this every day of the year, for a year, you can lose 10 pounds in a year! It really can be that simple!

9. Breastfeeding uses up your fat stores! Breastfeeding burns about 500 calories per day so the longer you breastfeed, the more calories you burn.

10. A healthy functioning Nervous System. Did you know that almost no one thinks about the very thing that keeps us movin' and shakin' every single day? Without our nervous systems our bodies wouldn't know what to do with all that great food or how to build muscle or burn fat. Without the nervous system chaos can quickly ensue leading to dysfunction in our bodies. We can see that manifest as digestive problems (heart burn), chronic fatigue, frequent cold and flu, sleep problems (sleep apnea), headaches, depression, and everything else you can imagine. It's the simplest thing you can do to ensure that all this hard work you are doing will be maximized for greater results and future health and wellness. This is also the very thing that most people have no idea how to get started. Lucky for you I can help with that! Email me with any questions on how to get your lifeGOOD.

Just remember it took 9 months to gain the weight; give yourself at least that long to take it off. I am not a fan of completely avoiding or drastically reducing food groups such as the popular diets of limiting carbs or sugars. I believe the more you deprive yourself of an occasional treat, the more you will crave it. A wise naturopathic doctor once said "Eat food, mostly plants, not too much." If it comes in a box or has a shelf life it's probably not so good for you and should be placed in the "every now and then" category. Come on - take the Tensies Challenge!

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Your First Top 10



So this is your first Top 10. I know it can be scary to make changes in your life, but if you take it one "tensie" at a time you might actually surprise yourself. What I have done is compiled all that overwhelming information that exists from all sorts of sources, broken them down to their simplest factors, and created a short Top 10 list - I call it the "Tensies." If you simply implemented one tensie in your life you could not only make dramatic changes to your life, but also in the lives of all those who surround you. The idea is that once you have incorporated one tensie into your life you add another, then another, then another...you get the idea. Eventually you have created a whole new lifestyle - one tensie at a time. Doesn't sound hard at all right?

Now, not every Top 10 will apply to you, however, they do all apply to someone. So if you see a tensie that you know someone you love needs to have in their life s
hare it with them. Encourage them to make those changes in their lives as well. This is how goodness becomes viral. It's the magic of being human and sharing experiences, knowledge, and love. It is like the concept of pay it forward. If you have created something wonderful in your life from something that was given to you, then pay it forward so the greatness spreads, wellness permeates communities, and happiness engrosses our culture. BE THE CHANGE YOU WANT TO SEE IN THE WORLD...or at least start with one tensie and be that change in yourself.

So whats the first tensie?

1. Subscribe to this blog and check in every week.
2. Share this blog and future Tensies with someone you love.
3. Check in with yourself and your loved ones and encourage them to stay connected - this is called Slipping and Checking - we all do it, but if we are held accountable we tend to st
ay focused.
4. Ask yourself, what is one area of my life I want to work on
?
5. Leave me comments with those areas/topics so that I can do the leg work for you.
6. Create a time of day where you are able to focus on YOU and what YOU need - it doesn't have to be long - 15 to 30 minutes a day is enough to begin to make those changes.

7. Stick with it.
8. Take it slow - you can't quit old habits cold turkey.
9. Post a reminder note somewhere that you look every single day - like your bathroom mirror or your computer screen at work, or your calendar.

10. BE COMMITTED!

So when you look at this first
tensie - all it's really saying, is make time and space in your current life for the changes you've always wanted to make - then find a way to remind yourself every single day, and then share it. That's it. This will be the hardest tensie for you to do.

You can find more information at:

www.lifegood.org

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