Thursday, February 26, 2015

This and That

Hi Everyone,


How is the year going so far?  Don't blink, you might miss the end of February!  Sheesh, where does the time go?


Speaking of time, if you're having a hard time motivating yourself to tackle a nutrition or exercise goal, or both, remember that it will indeed take time to see results.  After all, having good health habits shouldn't be a temporary thing, but instead, a lifelong journey you take.  And, if you are trying hard to improve in those areas, remind yourself that it took time to put on the extra weight, or to get into poor shape, and therefore it will take time to reverse it all as well.  And yet, if indeed you follow through, you'll look back on that journey as something that really wasn't that hard, (once you made up your mind to go for it), and that it didn't really take as much time as you thought it would.  I know, sounds kind of contradicting, but bear with me, please.  Remember when you thought you'd be in school forever?  And now, look back at your high school years. Doesn't it seem like a really short time in your life?


Anyway, as usual, I digress.  Here is what I would like to share, from going through my little notebook where I paste healthful magazine clippings and write notes from Weight Watcher meetings.  Tidbits of information that caught my eye:


*"Life is far too rich, interesting, and short to waste on hating your body."-Author Unknown


*"Change will only happen when the pain of staying the same is greater than the pain to change."-Author Unknown




*Don't say, "I can't".  You'll feel deprived.  Say, "I choose...".




*Try having "reverse leftovers".  If you eat a larger meal in the middle of the day, take the leftovers (maybe adding a soup or salad), and have them for dinner.


*However, some people think if they eat later in the day, they'll gain weight.  This is not true, if you have not yet had the quota of calories that your body requires per day, you can eat those calories whenever you want.


*But, if you want to even out your blood sugar and crank up your metabolism, dole your meals out into 5 or 6 small meals throughout the day--it will keep your body from thinking it's starving.  Having your body think that you're starving is NOT the way to lose weight.  It will throw everything off.


*Do you ever put in an exercise DVD at home?  Try wearing your swimsuit next time--that might keep you motivated!




*As has been in the news lately, we need to limit how much we sit.  Limit "sit time" to about two hours a day, if you can.  One study checked the blood sugar (glucose) of thousands of women and found that for every hour spent watching TV, the blood sugar levels rose.  What happens to excess glucose?  It ends up as stored fat. 


*But what if your job requires a lot of sit time?  I hope you show my post to your boss and beg for 5 minutes off per hour, to walk around the work area.  You'll probably be happier, and more productive.  Also, consider asking for a stand-up station, or some pedals to put below the desk.  Yes, I'm serious. I guess a person could always just pedal her feet without having any pedals, if need be.


*Do you need something to shoot for?  Sign up for a 5K walk in your area, one that helps raise money for a good cause.  Sounds like a win-win situation to me.


*You've heard this before--drink more water. Well, 75% of each muscle is water!  Divide your body weight by 2 to get an approximate of the # of ounces of water you need daily.  And, if you've ever consciously tried drinking more water, you've probably noticed that you start craving it!


*Prolong satisfaction, plus help lower your levels of bad cholesterol (LDL's) by adding good fats to your salads.  Excellent examples are:  avocado, olives and sunflower seeds. 


*Some people worry that if they start lifting weights, they'll gain more muscle.  No, that number is set for life, but you can increase the size of the muscle fibers, which in turn determines how tight and strong you look.


*And finally, the next time you reach for more food or alcohol, remember that your body has to put the excess somewhere.


I don't pretend to follow all of my suggestions, but researching and sharing them always helps me, selfishly, to improve my own efforts towards increased wellness.  I hope one or more of these suggestions has helped you as well.


Take good care,
Mary

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