watchamakalit: Eating Nutritional Foods vs. Dieting

watchamakalit: Eating Nutritional Foods vs. Dieting: There are several ways to work up a sweat. Some ways are more useful than others. There are several ways to lose weight by controlling w...

Eating Nutritional Foods vs. Dieting

There are several ways to work up a sweat. Some ways are more useful than others.

There are several ways to lose weight by controlling what we eat. As with sweating, some ways are more useful than others.

We can compare dieting to sweating by sitting in a sauna. Just as sitting in a sauna does not require movement, so does a lack of eating. Both ways will allow you to lose weight, but they aren’t the healthiest way of doing so. That’s because a lack of expended energy and a lack of nutrition can cause a body to hold onto fats and eventually shut down some critical life-maintaining systems in our bodies.

We can also compare eating nutritional foods to running a half marathon, swimming 3 miles, or biking 50 miles. Eating healthy requires action – it involves putting valuable nutrients into our bodies that feed it the vitamins and minerals it needs to perform at an optimal level. Running, swimming, and biking make us sweat, but unlike in a sauna, they require action – movement from several parts of our bodies. This movement keeps a body fit through a combination of stretches, repetitive actions and various intervals of high and low exercise.

When we starve the body, whether through lack of motion or lack of nutrition, we are not giving it the opportunity to remain healthy. Even if weight loss should occur through dieting and sauna-like sweating, the lack of nutrients and lack of movement means that the weight loss is unhealthy.

Eating various healthy foods often (in moderate portions) and exercising often (in moderation) allow our bodies to slim down and remain healthy naturally. Instead of dieting, why not just add healthy foods?  Instead of feeling pressure to exercise, find an activity you enjoy.  Start with the changes that you know you can make and stick with. Start small and keep adding.  Eventually, you will find yourself wanting to exercise more and more and you will crave healthy foods.

watchamakalit: Tanya Teaches How to Overcome Cravings

watchamakalit: Tanya Teaches How to Overcome Cravings: Everyone experiences cravings at one time or another.   The most common and well known sugar cravings are signals from the body telling y...

Tanya Teaches How to Overcome Cravings

Everyone experiences cravings at one time or another.  The most common and well known sugar cravings are signals from the body telling you that you need energy.  Other cravings can be caused by dehydration, a lack of nutrients, hormone changes and even your lifestyle.  Being bored, being dissatisfied with work or a relationship can also cause you to eat to fill a void.    Learning to be aware of your body's signals and making sense of your cravings can help you  make healthier choices.

Here are a few tips from physical therapist and health coach Tanya Langis on how to overcome cravings:

1.                   Start with a hearty breakfast. A piece of white toast with jam on it won’t give you the nutrition you need to get your day going. Your breakfast should be your biggest meal of the day and it should include lots of fiber and protein. Although there is considerable debate over the amount of protein a person needs to consume per day, the current recommended daily intake (RDI) of protein is 46 grams for women aged 19-70 and 56 grams for men aged 19-70. Here is some high protein items that you should consider eating with your breakfast: eggs, greek yogurt, almond butter.  If you like eating toast in the morning, buy whole grain bread which has a higher amount of fiber, and spread almond butter on it.  Have a bowl of greek yogurt with fresh berries and flaxseed.

2.                   Plan eating three meals and two healthy snacks each day to maintain blood sugar level. Fruit and vegetable slices make great snacks, although try to make sure you have protein with every meal or snack.  Protein will help slow the break down of your food, help keep your blood sugar stable and make you feel fuller longer.  

3.                   Drink plenty of water throughout the day.  Most people are dehydrated and don't even realize it.  Their body sends them signals, although they are often misread.  Hunger, cravings, headaches and fatigue are all signs and symptoms that may be caused by dehydration. If you are craving something, first try to drink a full glass of water.  

4.                   Limit or avoid eating sugary foods (cakes and cookies), sugary drinks (soda pop and lemonade). Some good suggestions for improving our attitudes and levels of energy include eating apples, nuts like cashews, almonds, and hazelnuts. A citrus-filled salad has been tested to improve energy and decrease levels of depression. Sometimes we think we need sugar, but all we need is to give our body the foods and exercise we need to sustain our energy.  Being bored, feeling stressed or dissatisfied can also contribute to eating emotionally.  If this is the case, be prepared and try to plan for these moments.  Have healthy snacks on hand and stick with your 3 meals and 2 snacks per day.

5.                   Eat healthy fats. Nuts, salmon, avocado and olive oil are good examples of healthy fats. Your body needs these healthy fats to function properly.  If you have cravings for processed or fatty foods,  adding healthy fats to your daily nutrition and lowering your daily consumption of trans fats and saturated fats can help tremendously in keeping cravings for unhealthy fatty processed foods at bay.   

The key here isn’t just being aware of what we need to do to remain healthy. The key is to eat foods that will assist us in our goal to achieving a healthier body and living a happy, fulfilled life.

watchamakalit: Your Health Depends on You!

watchamakalit: Your Health Depends on You!: Take a step back and look at your physical health and well-being. How do you feel? What do you eat? What are your exercise habits? How do...

Your Health Depends on You!

Take a step back and look at your physical health and well-being. How do you feel? What do you eat? What are your exercise habits? How do you feel about your short term and long term health goals? What motivates you to become a healthier, happier and better person?

Think about your lifestyle and the choices you make each day that determine what you do and who you are. What choices are you making that you must change in order to create a happier, healthier you?

Achieving the physical health and well-being you want takes concentrated effort. It takes perseverance, determination, courage and strength. But you can do it! Have confidence in yourself! Align your mind with your body. Improve the consistency of your workout. Continue to push yourself harder. Celebrate your achievements.  

Eat foods that have high nutritional value. Don’t overeat. Be happy with yourself and others. Take time to communicate and connect with others.  In time, you will improve your physical health and well-being.  Your determined actions to improve your health will also have a positive influence on your loved ones and those around you.  

For most of us, attaining our optimum health is not easy. There are a several different puzzle pieces that need to be put together to give us the body and physical health we want. Tanya Langis is a health coach in southern California. She can give you the support and encouragement you need to help you breakthrough to a healthier you!

http://www.proactionwellness.com

You Are What You Do!

Take a step back and look at your life. How do you eat? What do you eat? What are your exercise habits? How do you feel about your short term and long term goals? What motivates you to become a better person?

Think about your lifestyle and the choices you make each day that determine what you do and who you are. What choices are you making that you must change in order to create a slimmer, healthier body?

Achieving your dream body takes concentrated effort. It takes perseverance, determination, courage and strength. But you can do it! Have confidence in yourself! Align your mind with your body. Improve the consistency of your workout. Continue to push yourself harder. Eat foods that have high nutritional value. Don’t overeat. Be happy with yourself and others. In time, you will achieve the slimmer, healthier body you desire.

Sometimes we rationalize inactivity or laziness with the idea that spending so much time and effort on ourselves is self-serving, prideful, and vain. But the truth is that our determined actions to improve our health have a positive influence our loved ones and those around us. The old saying ‘birds of a feather flock together’ still holds true.

Do you want to carry out the remainder of your life on the couch with your family and friends? Or would you rather hike, visit new places, experience the thrill of achieving your goals and by default enjoy the achievements of those around you. 

I think my seventy-nine year old mother felt lazy for sitting in her recliner while I came home from work, changed clothes and went straight to the gym. Whatever the reason, she decided to get up and start moving! Now we go for a walk almost every night together. We communicate. We hold hands. We feel connected in a way that we would simply never connect if we were just sitting in front of the TV. 

For most of us, attaining our optimum health is not easy. There are a several different puzzle pieces that need to be put together to give us the body and physical health we want. Tanya Langis is a personal trainer in southern California. She can give you the support and encouragement you need to help you breakthrough to a slimmer, healthier you! 

http://www.proactionwellness.com