| |
| |
|
Weight Loss Information |
|
|
|
How To Improve Your Health In 14 Days: Small Changes For Maximum Health & Weight Loss
Many Americans include health improvement in their New Year's Resolutions. But real life intrudes, and we find ourselves facing the fact that our plans for reshaping our lives and health were a bit too much to manage in the face of the rest of our busy lives. However, small changes can be as effective as large ones - much less intimidating - and result in long-term improvements in your health. Here are two week's worth of small changes and activities that can improve your health. While these are written with people in an office in mind, they can be adapted to outdoor work or full-time parenting. Day 1: Identify your Junk-Food-Hour. Put an index card in wallet or purse. Keep track of times at which you're most likely to hit the candy machine or potato chip stash, that one thing that frustrates your good eating habits. For many of us, it's mid-afternoon, though it may be at 1 a.m.! Track yourself for a week. Day 2: Have a Green Day. Whether you buy lunch out or make it, see if you can include a green veggie each day. If you've got kids, they can have fun picking out new green food (nope, green gelatin doesn't count!) Day 3: Exercise Nibble. Take five minutes of your lunch break to walk. Walk two and a half minutes towards any place (up the street? up the stairs?) and then take the other two and a half minutes getting back. Got kids? Make it a small family ritual and start their good habits early! Day 4: Sneaky Exercise. Sneak in exercise while you watch TV! Every time there's a commercial, stand up and march in place until the commercial's over. If you only watch public TV? Pick a word that characters or announcers are likely to say and march in place for two minutes. Day 5: Start the Smoke-Out. If you smoke, pick up your phone, today, and make an appointment with your healthcare provider to set up a quitting plan. Alternatively, call the National Quitline at 1-800-784-8669, or check out the webpage put out by the Surgeon General (http://www.surgeongeneral.gov/tobacco/conspack.html) for the booklet "You can quit smoking" in both English and Spanish. Day 6: De-stress the Drive. At each red light or stop sign, take a slow deep breath, counting to five as you inhale, count to five as you exhale. This simple habit makes sure you've really stopped at a "STOP" sign , and reducing your stress can keep you focused to prevent an accident. Day 7: Junk Food Begone! Use your index-card record to figure out when you're most vulnerable to a junk-food attack. Put some healthy alternatives (depending on your nutritional needs, this may be whole wheat crackers, dried fruit, nuts) in a bag at your desk or in your purse. Five minutes before your tough time, check to make sure that you're hungry. If you're just bored, take a short walk (even up the stairs, wash your face, or reapply lipstick). If you're hungry and losing energy, make use of the stash of healthy food you've created. Day 8: Check the Pressure. Stop at the drug store and use the automated blood pressure machine. High? Time to see your healthcare provider. Low? Check back each month. Day 9: Life-Saving Self-Exam. For women of all ages: Pick a date and circle it on your calendar in pink. Repeat for the rest of the year. If you menstruate, make sure the dates are unlikely to coincide with PMS. Each "pink" day, do a self-breast exam. Don't know how? Go to www.bigbam.org to download a "how-to" card. Day 10: Medication Weed-Out. Set a timer for 30 minutes and tackle the bathroom cupboards. Medication that are expired? Vitamins that have been sitting there for years? Get rid of them. Make sure that you don't flush these medications; your pharmacy or sanitation company can help you discard these items safely. If it takes more than 30 minutes, repeat on Day 11. Day 12:. "Sleep hygiene." Cleaning up your sleep habits to reduce interrupted or difficult sleep. Things that can help you sleep well: cutting down alcohol or caffeine before bed, not watching TV or looking at the computer for a half hour before bed (the bright light in your eyes can trigger wakefulness) Day 13: Measure Me! If you're engaged in weight loss, put a tape measure by the scale. Waist measurements are a good indicator that exercise and diet are improving your health (below 35 inches is associated with lower heart-disease risk). Day 14: Housework Works. Pick one physical chore that you pay someone to do - mowing the lawn, raking the yard, vacuuming. Do it yourself, and stash the cash. Reward yourself with a healthy, stress-reducing, or "don't I look great!" treat. They seem like small steps, but small steps can add up to a marathon of good health! Gaesser, G.A. Multiple Short-Bouts of Exercise: Fitness Alternative for Those Who "Don't Have Time For Exercise." (Continuing Professional Education article) SCAN's Pulse (Sports, Cardiovascular, and Wellness Nutritionists),Volume 20, issue 3-4, 2001. Proper, K.I. Effect of individual counseling on physical activity fitness and health: a randomized controlled trial in a workplace setting. Am J Prev Med - 01-APR-2003; 24(3): 218-26 USDA, 2005 Dietary Guidelines "Dietary Guidelines for Americans: Nutrition and your Health" Ian Mason, owner of Shoppe.MD, your source for Online Prescription Medications and health news. Ian studies health, weight loss, exercise, and several martial arts; maintaining several websites in an effort to help provide up-to-date and helpful information for other who share his interests in health of body and mind. Contact Ian Mason by e-mail at ian@shoppe.md.
MORE RESOURCES:
Google News |
|
|
|
RELATED ARTICLES
Weightloss Supplements - How Weightloss Patches & Diet Pills Can Control Your Appetite All of us that have had a love-hate relationship with diets know that it is very easy to succumb to the phenomena known as the "yo-yo diet". What is the yo-yo diet, and how can we prevent ourselves from taking that path which can only end in disappointment, unhealthy weight gains and weightlosses, and damaged self esteem?Yo-yo dieting, as it has been termed, is the cycle of losing and gaining weight that seems to be so prevalent in the United States. Atkins Diet -- The Final Verdict Supporters of the Atkins Diet claim that a low carbohydrate diet is a safe and effective method for losing weight. This article evaluates the low carbohydrate diet and specifically the claims made about ketosis. The Jack LaLanne Diet - Are You Tough Enough? There's no way you can separate the Jack LaLanne diet from the Jack LaLanne lifestyle. And anyone who knows anything about this undisputed Godfather of fitness knows that his lifestyle is definitely not for the faint hearted. Healthy and Fast Weight Loss: Ephedra - Why the FDA Couldnt Keep Their Ban On It? Why was the FDA trying to hide the facts about Ephedra from YOU?In April 2004 the FDA removed ephedra from the market claiming that it was responsible for dozens of deaths. The legal battle between the FDA and health officials began when the health officials became unhappy with the FDA's decision to ban ephedra. The Missing Ingredient in Your Diet That is Keeping You Fat and Tired Whenever I hear someone say they just can't lose weight, the first question I ask is if they are eating their fruits and vegetables. Only one person has ever said yes. Hoodia - Its Basic Nature Part 3 Hoodia Gordonii a cactus plant found thousands of miles away in the Cape Town of South Africa, has become incredibly beneficial for people all over the world. Centuries ago, the simple tribal folk of South Africa cultivated the plant so that they could chew it and satiate hunger and thirst for three to four days. What is Your Healthy Body Weight Everywhere we look in the western world we are inundated with pictures, images, icons and inferences of the 'perfect' female shape! The truth is that many of these images are altered or enhanced in some way and do not depict the typical female form. The pressure to lose weight is immense when we are bombarded every day with media selling products based on slimness, sex appeal and fashion. How to Curb Carbohydrate Cravings! As a weight loss mentor it never ceases to amaze me how people inadvertently set themselves up for a huge snack attack mid afternoon. For many, the set up is so complete that it is almost impossible to control! The result is that people think they are weak-willed and lacking in discipline. Record Your Meals To Lose Weight Are you one of the many people who feel frustrated because you think you eat well and exercise regularly, but you just can't seem to lose weight? If so, a food journal is a great tool to help you reach your weight loss goals. It will help to determine any patterns in your eating habits, it will force you to be accountable for what you eat, and it will help you to see where you are consuming your "hidden" calories. Learning How to Become a Good Loser The Quest to Reach Your Ideal WeightIt was late in the day and my next patient I would be meeting for the first time. As the woman entered my office upon introduction I was surprised by her response to my question of how she heard about me. Lasting Weight Loss: No Discipline Required "I'd love to lose weight, but I don't have the discipline."If I had to lose weight the way the diet mongers say we need to, I'd never lose an ounce. Law of Attraction for Weight Loss: Your Secret to Dropping Unwanted Weight Once and for All! Ever notice how your best friend can lose weight on the same diet that you don't? Or how you often reach "plateaus"? The yo-yo dieting trend among frustrated women in this country is practically an epidemic!Want to know the secret of why this happens? And how you can lose unwanted weight once and for all? Of course you do - we all do!Sounds too good to be true, I know. But once you understand this concept, you'll never again wonder why you're not getting results on the latest diet or with your new gym membership. Diet Tips for Weight Loss: Free Diet Tips Which You Cant Afford to Miss! (Part 2) Obesity is a disease that is not caused by a bacteria or virus but a person's own eating habits. It is a disease which is very easy to get rid off just by changing your food habits. Living with Your Diet Recently, I was reading about a diet plan where you throw everything out of your pantry. Although this sounds like great news for the supermarkets, over the short-term, this leaves very few choices for you to actually eat. What are Fats? Fat is fuel. That is basically what it is. Rating the Fad Diets THE 200 POINT SYSTEMWith so many different diets available, how are we to know what works and what is safe? The only way to be sure is to discover the author's background and the research behind the diet's methodology. Every good diet should give a background about the author and his/her credentials and experience in the fields of nutrition and biochemistry. How To Measure Body Fat When it all comes down to losing or gaining weight, most people turn to the scales to determine how much they should lose or gain to have the weight or the shape that they desire.However, health experts said weight alone is not a clear indicator of good health because it does not distinguish between pounds that come from body fat and those that come from lean body mass or muscle. To Be or Not To Be: Low Carb... I get asked all the time, "what do you think about the Atkin's Diet?". Well, as a Nutritional Bio-Chemist, my opinion and answer to that question would have to be a biochemical response. Too Many Calories How many calories do you need? Well, that depends on a lot of things. Your age, sex, type of work, physical activity, all come into play. Weight Loss vs. Fat Loss In order to lose weight, your body must burn more calories than it takes in, but keep in mind that your body needs calories for energy and when you exercise; your body needs even more calories. Before I talk about energy, the first thing you must understand is that losing weight and losing fat is not the same thing.
|
| home | site map |
| ©EmptyNestNow.com 2006 |
