I would love to drink more water. I have every intention of doing so. I know all the information that says that if I would drink more water, I would be healthier. Sometimes I do really well. Days when I am not working or days when I am exercising alot I do really well. However, days when I am busy and my schedule is hectic I seem to really struggle. Does that sound like you? Let's look at some reasons why we all should be drinking more water and then a couple strategies to make it happen.
Benefits of increased water consumption:
1.) Better bodily cleansing. Water cleanses the body of toxins, dead blood cells and many other bad things. When you are well-hydrated this function can perform at top level and you will have a clean body. I have never had kidney stones (they sound awful) but they are a major motivator for me to keep drinking water instead of tea and soda.
2.) Better Digestive and Elimination of solids. Water is essential to digestion and processing of solids. Water will keep things moving regularly and even help to eliminate some of that stuff that has been stored up in your colon and intestines for quite a while. Good hydration can keep you feeling comfortable down below and help clean things out properly.
3.) Skin tone and clarity. Again the theme continues. When you drink plenty of water your body is cleaner. One place that clean look really shows up is your skin. Your face will be cleaner and less oily which will improve its overall look. One of the tests for dehydration involves how your skin functions. Water is very important to skin health and appearance.
4.) Avoid that 2:30 feeling. It seems like at about 2:30 every afternoon I start to drag and get hungry. This feeling may be dehydration instead of fatigue or hunger. Many times a hungry feeling can indicate a lack of water instead of a lack of food. Also that sluggish feeling is typically related to hydration. A good flow of water in the afternoon can help relieve these symptoms and keep you energetic all the way through the afternoon.
5.) When you up the amount of water you are drinking you will usually have to reduce the amount of soda/tea/sugary drinks you can consume. Drinking a cup of water before your meal will reduce the amount of room in your stomach and you will feel full faster. Less Calories! Here's some basic math. If you can reduce your calories from soda/tea/sugary drinks by 350 per day (typical amount of calories in a gas station soda) and save the money you spend (my local convenience store is selling any size drink for $1) from now till Christmas you could cut about 7 pounds of weight and save around $100. You can use that money to buy a new Christmas outfit since you will be a few sizes smaller.
A few strategies to help you drink more water:
-Carry a water bottle. You tend to drink whatever is near and handy. Fill it/Drain it three to four times a day to see a major difference in your health and well being.
-Put yourself on a once a week soda purchase plan. Cutting soda out completely is tough to do, but by getting our habit under control we can save thousands of calories a week. Make it a money issue in addition to health. If you are normally spending $15 (in gas stations, at machines, groccery stores and at restaurants) per week, cut that back to $3 per week and bank the other $12. As you see your bank account growing you should also see your waist slimming.
Today is a Monday and tomorrow is a new month. Beginning of weeks and months are a great time to begin new habits. Good Luck!
Monday, August 31, 2015
Friday, August 28, 2015
Healthy Benefits of Reading
I have a natural love of reading. I love to read all kinds of books. I make it a habit to read about 15
non-fiction books every year. I also read plenty of fiction books as well. Reading was instilled in me early by
my Kindergarten teaching mom. That has been one of the best gifts she has given me. Reading has
opened so many doors in my life and helped me to become a much better, and well-rounded person.
Reading has its intellectual benefits, but it also has numerous benefits to your physical health as well. Here
are just a few that I came up with. Check out the link at the bottom of the post for an interesting article
on the same topic from Readers Digest.
1.) Reading before bed-time helps to put your body in a better state for sleep than watching TV. You will
sleep better and get more sleep when you read before going to bed. it has to do with the light coming off the
screen. It is very bad for your sleep cycles.
2.) You will snack less when you are reading late at night instead of watching TV. It is hard to eat potato
chips and ice cream when you are reading a book.
3.) I have heard from multiple sources that you burn more calories when you are reading than when you are
watching TV.
4.) Reading a book late at night takes discipline. It is much easier to turn on the TV and mentally and
physically shut down. By choosing to read you are building discipline. That "discipline muscle" you are
flexing and growing will help you out in other areas of your health.
5.) Reading this blog is hopefully encouraging to become healthier. Imagine all the great ideas you could
be getting if you were to check out 2 or 3 blogs per week.
Check out the link from RD.com for even more benefits to your health that come from reading. Oh Yeah,
Thank-you for reading this blog online. Now turn off your computer/device and go read a book or magazine.
www.rd.com/slideshows/benefits-of-reading/
non-fiction books every year. I also read plenty of fiction books as well. Reading was instilled in me early by
my Kindergarten teaching mom. That has been one of the best gifts she has given me. Reading has
opened so many doors in my life and helped me to become a much better, and well-rounded person.
Reading has its intellectual benefits, but it also has numerous benefits to your physical health as well. Here
are just a few that I came up with. Check out the link at the bottom of the post for an interesting article
on the same topic from Readers Digest.
1.) Reading before bed-time helps to put your body in a better state for sleep than watching TV. You will
sleep better and get more sleep when you read before going to bed. it has to do with the light coming off the
screen. It is very bad for your sleep cycles.
2.) You will snack less when you are reading late at night instead of watching TV. It is hard to eat potato
chips and ice cream when you are reading a book.
3.) I have heard from multiple sources that you burn more calories when you are reading than when you are
watching TV.
4.) Reading a book late at night takes discipline. It is much easier to turn on the TV and mentally and
physically shut down. By choosing to read you are building discipline. That "discipline muscle" you are
flexing and growing will help you out in other areas of your health.
5.) Reading this blog is hopefully encouraging to become healthier. Imagine all the great ideas you could
be getting if you were to check out 2 or 3 blogs per week.
Check out the link from RD.com for even more benefits to your health that come from reading. Oh Yeah,
Thank-you for reading this blog online. Now turn off your computer/device and go read a book or magazine.
www.rd.com/slideshows/benefits-of-reading/
Tuesday, August 25, 2015
Bad Information
Be Aware (or Beware) of the information you are getting and where you are getting it from. When you start to get healthier and really feel the effects of many small choices, you may be want to start making more lifestyle and activity choices. Be careful where you are getting your information from. The internet has some very valuable and reliable info (like this blog) and some terrible advice as well. Your friends and loved ones also are great sources of information and they will also be terrible sources of information.
Let me illustrate this point with the story of some research I did last year about this time. I was interested in learning more about eating seeds and the health benefits that they provide. There is a wide variety of opinions about eating fruit seeds. The opinions range from the medical community's stance that if you swallow a Apple seed you will likely survive, but should consider calling Poison Control to what I will call the "Hippy" position that seeds are very beneficial to overall health. One belief is that Apricot seeds can cure cancer and on the other end of the spectrum I found that medical doctors called this belief foolishness. One post said that if you eat a cup (8oz) of Apple seeds you will likely die. I wholeheartedly agree with that, but if you eat a cup (8 oz) of tylenol you will also die. Does that mean we should never take tylenol?
You will need to use some common sense and try things out for yourself. I am not taking a position on the eating of seeds (I do regularly eat Apple seeds as part of my normal diet). I am just using this example to illustrate the spectrum of information that you will receive when you begin to research on the internet and with friends and family.
If you have heard of a healthy habit or practice that seems a little odd, but it is something you would like to try, by all means give it a shot in moderation. I have added coconut oil into my diet. I really went at it this winter because it was supposed to fight infection and kill cold germs. I didn't experience those benefits in a major way, but the whole jar only cost me about 15 bucks. Experiment and learn what works for you. Do it cheaply at first before making a major money commitment. I am sure that some of the information you receive will be great, some will need to be discarded.
I would love to hear your stories about some things you have tried and that worked, or even that failed, as you try to make healthy decisions. Have a great day, I am off to brew my green tea.
Let me illustrate this point with the story of some research I did last year about this time. I was interested in learning more about eating seeds and the health benefits that they provide. There is a wide variety of opinions about eating fruit seeds. The opinions range from the medical community's stance that if you swallow a Apple seed you will likely survive, but should consider calling Poison Control to what I will call the "Hippy" position that seeds are very beneficial to overall health. One belief is that Apricot seeds can cure cancer and on the other end of the spectrum I found that medical doctors called this belief foolishness. One post said that if you eat a cup (8oz) of Apple seeds you will likely die. I wholeheartedly agree with that, but if you eat a cup (8 oz) of tylenol you will also die. Does that mean we should never take tylenol?
You will need to use some common sense and try things out for yourself. I am not taking a position on the eating of seeds (I do regularly eat Apple seeds as part of my normal diet). I am just using this example to illustrate the spectrum of information that you will receive when you begin to research on the internet and with friends and family.
If you have heard of a healthy habit or practice that seems a little odd, but it is something you would like to try, by all means give it a shot in moderation. I have added coconut oil into my diet. I really went at it this winter because it was supposed to fight infection and kill cold germs. I didn't experience those benefits in a major way, but the whole jar only cost me about 15 bucks. Experiment and learn what works for you. Do it cheaply at first before making a major money commitment. I am sure that some of the information you receive will be great, some will need to be discarded.
I would love to hear your stories about some things you have tried and that worked, or even that failed, as you try to make healthy decisions. Have a great day, I am off to brew my green tea.
Sunday, August 23, 2015
Calories are not Enemies
Calories are not the enemy of healthy eating. Calories are units of energy. They are much maligned and misunderstood. Can you imagine getting upset and worrying about "gallons" of gasoline or "watts" in a light bulb. A better understanding of calories and how they affect your life should help you make better food choices.
Here are some basics:
-Calories are a unit of energy
-The more calories a food contains, the more energy you get from that food.
-A healthy diet typically can include around 2,000 calories per day.
-The number of needed calories depends on many factors including: Metabolism (how fast your body burns the energy/calories it has), your activity level (a professional soccer player needs more calories than a high school science teacher to function during a typical workday), weight and gender.
-1 Pound of body weight equates to 3,500 calories
-In order to lose 1 pound you must burn 3,500 more calories than you eat.
-A typical 1 hour cardio workout can burn up to 700 calories while you are exercising. However, your metabolism will remain higher following exercise so you can continue to burn extra calories even at rest following a workout.
-Muscle tissue requires more calories than fat. A person who is muscular will burn more calories while at rest than a person who is leaner.
-Drinks (except for water) contain calories. Some drinks at Starbucks contain up to 800 calories (about 40% of your total calories for the day). A typical fountain coke (20+ oz.) will contain over 10% of your total calories for the day.
Some tips to maximize your calories:
1.) The type of Calories you ingest are not important to weight loss or gain. However, the type of calories you eat are very important when it comes to overall health.
2.) You should be getting about 65% of your calories from Carbohydrates. There are 2 types of Carbs, Simple (basic sugar found in cookies, cake and soda) and complex (fruit, veggies and whole grains). Make wise carb choices and go with complex carbs for the vast majority of your 65% (1300) calories per day.
3.) Protein should be about 10% of your calories and Fat should be around 25%.
4.) Don't drink your calories. Most people don't mentally compute the calories that they are drinking. But a soda, ice tea or lemonade at lunch at dinner can really add up quickly. Make water your beverage for at least one meal a day.
I hope that wasn't too technical or confusing. Quit treating calories like an unwanted relative. Gain a good understanding of them and how they affect your health. Make wise calorie choices.
Here are some basics:
-Calories are a unit of energy
-The more calories a food contains, the more energy you get from that food.
-A healthy diet typically can include around 2,000 calories per day.
-The number of needed calories depends on many factors including: Metabolism (how fast your body burns the energy/calories it has), your activity level (a professional soccer player needs more calories than a high school science teacher to function during a typical workday), weight and gender.
-1 Pound of body weight equates to 3,500 calories
-In order to lose 1 pound you must burn 3,500 more calories than you eat.
-A typical 1 hour cardio workout can burn up to 700 calories while you are exercising. However, your metabolism will remain higher following exercise so you can continue to burn extra calories even at rest following a workout.
-Muscle tissue requires more calories than fat. A person who is muscular will burn more calories while at rest than a person who is leaner.
-Drinks (except for water) contain calories. Some drinks at Starbucks contain up to 800 calories (about 40% of your total calories for the day). A typical fountain coke (20+ oz.) will contain over 10% of your total calories for the day.
Some tips to maximize your calories:
1.) The type of Calories you ingest are not important to weight loss or gain. However, the type of calories you eat are very important when it comes to overall health.
2.) You should be getting about 65% of your calories from Carbohydrates. There are 2 types of Carbs, Simple (basic sugar found in cookies, cake and soda) and complex (fruit, veggies and whole grains). Make wise carb choices and go with complex carbs for the vast majority of your 65% (1300) calories per day.
3.) Protein should be about 10% of your calories and Fat should be around 25%.
4.) Don't drink your calories. Most people don't mentally compute the calories that they are drinking. But a soda, ice tea or lemonade at lunch at dinner can really add up quickly. Make water your beverage for at least one meal a day.
I hope that wasn't too technical or confusing. Quit treating calories like an unwanted relative. Gain a good understanding of them and how they affect your health. Make wise calorie choices.
Friday, August 21, 2015
Crossover Benefits
SALE!!! 2 for 1!!!! These signs always grab my attention. My wife is currently at a restaurant picking up our dinner with a Buy One, Get One Free coupon. These deals can be really beneficial. If you are already planning to buy something, it can be awesome to get a bonus to go along with it. Sales like these can be a real time saver and budget helper.
Your health also can come with Buy One, Get One Free type activities. When you go out for a jog/run/walk you get the added benefit of fresh air for your lungs. It's a 2 for 1 special. Jog/Run/Walk also gives you the added bonus of craving additional water which helps to flush out toxins and cleanse your body overall.
A few of the other Buy One, Get One (or two or three or four) benefits are:
-Exercise lowers stress
-Going outdoors for fresh air exposes you to the sun (which in moderation, usually about 15-20 minutes per day is extremely healthy) which will provide needed vitamin D.
-Losing a few pounds reduces the weight and workload on your body which provides extra energy to go for a walk/jog which in turn provides an opportunity for more weight loss.
Health is a Spiral. You are either on an upward spiral where one healthy choice feeds another healthy choice which allows for another healthy choice or on a downward spiral which works in the opposite direction. That is why this plan can/will work for you. Make one good choice this week (less soda, more fiber, more exercise, a salad instead of burger, etc.) and it will feed your desire to continue making good choices. Put a stop to the downward spiral and start an upward cycle today.
Your health also can come with Buy One, Get One Free type activities. When you go out for a jog/run/walk you get the added benefit of fresh air for your lungs. It's a 2 for 1 special. Jog/Run/Walk also gives you the added bonus of craving additional water which helps to flush out toxins and cleanse your body overall.
A few of the other Buy One, Get One (or two or three or four) benefits are:
-Exercise lowers stress
-Going outdoors for fresh air exposes you to the sun (which in moderation, usually about 15-20 minutes per day is extremely healthy) which will provide needed vitamin D.
-Losing a few pounds reduces the weight and workload on your body which provides extra energy to go for a walk/jog which in turn provides an opportunity for more weight loss.
Health is a Spiral. You are either on an upward spiral where one healthy choice feeds another healthy choice which allows for another healthy choice or on a downward spiral which works in the opposite direction. That is why this plan can/will work for you. Make one good choice this week (less soda, more fiber, more exercise, a salad instead of burger, etc.) and it will feed your desire to continue making good choices. Put a stop to the downward spiral and start an upward cycle today.
Wednesday, August 19, 2015
Look Around!
Take a look around at your surroundings. Notice the people at the places you go the most. Become especially vigilant at watching the people in your favorite restaurants. In general, you become the people you associate with, you start to look like them, act like them and think like them.
Every time I go to a buffet for dinner (almost exclusively when travelling with my basketball team or soccer team as a coach) I look around at the people in the restaurant. I typically do not like what I see. It seems to me that at a buffet the vast majority of people are overweight. By watching you can usually tell who the "regulars" are. They are the ones who know the servers by name, ask about their families and share a sense of familiarity. These are the customers to really hone in on. Does their body type match your vision for what you want your body type to be?
I do not want to be "anti-Golden Corral" with this post. You can eat a wonderfully healthy meal at a buffet restaurant if you make wise choices. They have a large selection of fresh veggies and fruits to make a salad. You can opt for a plate of fish and steamed broccoli. You can eat healthy, even at unhealthy places, but seriously, who does? I do not have the willpower to walk away from the chocolate fountain and the trappings of "All-YOU-CAN-EAT." Have you ever wondered how a buffet can serve you plate after plate of food for only $12 but other restaurants charge you around $13-15 for just one plate? It's because the ingredients in buffet food are cheap, highly processed and very unhealthy. Not something I want to put into my body.
Take a look around the house. Do you like what you see? Are you, your spouse and kids practicing the kind of lifestyle that supports health? Do you support each other as you strive for excellence or do you drag each other down into poor choices? If you can turn your family into your "health buddies" that can go a long way in helping you achieve your health goals. You will have support and encouragement. You will have accountability at a time when you need it most.
Every time I go to a buffet for dinner (almost exclusively when travelling with my basketball team or soccer team as a coach) I look around at the people in the restaurant. I typically do not like what I see. It seems to me that at a buffet the vast majority of people are overweight. By watching you can usually tell who the "regulars" are. They are the ones who know the servers by name, ask about their families and share a sense of familiarity. These are the customers to really hone in on. Does their body type match your vision for what you want your body type to be?
I do not want to be "anti-Golden Corral" with this post. You can eat a wonderfully healthy meal at a buffet restaurant if you make wise choices. They have a large selection of fresh veggies and fruits to make a salad. You can opt for a plate of fish and steamed broccoli. You can eat healthy, even at unhealthy places, but seriously, who does? I do not have the willpower to walk away from the chocolate fountain and the trappings of "All-YOU-CAN-EAT." Have you ever wondered how a buffet can serve you plate after plate of food for only $12 but other restaurants charge you around $13-15 for just one plate? It's because the ingredients in buffet food are cheap, highly processed and very unhealthy. Not something I want to put into my body.
Take a look around the house. Do you like what you see? Are you, your spouse and kids practicing the kind of lifestyle that supports health? Do you support each other as you strive for excellence or do you drag each other down into poor choices? If you can turn your family into your "health buddies" that can go a long way in helping you achieve your health goals. You will have support and encouragement. You will have accountability at a time when you need it most.
Monday, August 17, 2015
Eat Colorful Foods
A simple, tasty and healthy way to increase the nutritional value of the foods you eat is to Eat Colorful Foods. Eat foods that are rich in dark color (think fruits that stain your fingers like cherries). Mostly the colorful foods are found in the category of fruits and veggies.
The average American diet is pretty rich in Brown, White and Yellowish foods. We eat a ton of potatoes (white originally, brown now that we consume them primarily in fried form), Apples and Bananas (white, skin color doesn't count, just the color of the fruit inside the skin), Cheese (White or Yellowish, the orange cheese is dyed, so that doesn't count), meats (typically brown or white, especially when fried). Rice (brown or white). Take a look at your food choices today. Are they bland (Brown, White and Yellow) or are they colorful? You may be surprised by what you find.
Generally speaking the more colorful a fruit or veggie is the higher it is in antioxidants. Antioxidants are highly critical in maintaining and growing a healthy lifestyle. I won't bore myself (or you) with a science lesson here, but you can do research on the importance of eating a diet high in antioxidants. Basically, your body is oxidizing (just sounds not good, it simply means aging or wearing out) and these antioxidants provide a defense against this process. Vitamins and minerals are also much more likely to be found in higher concentrations in darker, more colorful foods.
Typically the more color the foods have the more antioxidants they provide. It can be very beneficial to look at some swaps and upgrades when it comes to adding antioxidants into your diet. Here a few that I try to take advantage of when picking out foods:
Green Tea instead of Black Tea
Spinach or Garden Lettuce instead of Ice Berg Lettuce
Whole Wheat/Grain Bread instead of White Bread
Berries (which are all packed with antioxidants) instead of a Banana
Pomegranate Juice instead of Apple or Orange
Red or Yellow Peppers instead of Green Peppers
These are just a few of the possibilities that I have tried to incorporate in my overall, healthier eating plan. You can pick just one or two to start and see how it goes. Be aware that almost every swap above comes with a higher price tag. These swaps will cost you more money in the short term, but will likely have very positive long-term effects on your health and therefore your wallet.
***Disclaimer - Before you get too excited and carried away with the colorful food, please remember to consider that this rule only applies to natural, undyed and unprocessed foods. Skittles, Reese's Pieces, Lucky Charms and Starburst Candies DO NOT count towards eating a more colorful diet.
The average American diet is pretty rich in Brown, White and Yellowish foods. We eat a ton of potatoes (white originally, brown now that we consume them primarily in fried form), Apples and Bananas (white, skin color doesn't count, just the color of the fruit inside the skin), Cheese (White or Yellowish, the orange cheese is dyed, so that doesn't count), meats (typically brown or white, especially when fried). Rice (brown or white). Take a look at your food choices today. Are they bland (Brown, White and Yellow) or are they colorful? You may be surprised by what you find.
Generally speaking the more colorful a fruit or veggie is the higher it is in antioxidants. Antioxidants are highly critical in maintaining and growing a healthy lifestyle. I won't bore myself (or you) with a science lesson here, but you can do research on the importance of eating a diet high in antioxidants. Basically, your body is oxidizing (just sounds not good, it simply means aging or wearing out) and these antioxidants provide a defense against this process. Vitamins and minerals are also much more likely to be found in higher concentrations in darker, more colorful foods.
Typically the more color the foods have the more antioxidants they provide. It can be very beneficial to look at some swaps and upgrades when it comes to adding antioxidants into your diet. Here a few that I try to take advantage of when picking out foods:
Green Tea instead of Black Tea
Spinach or Garden Lettuce instead of Ice Berg Lettuce
Whole Wheat/Grain Bread instead of White Bread
Berries (which are all packed with antioxidants) instead of a Banana
Pomegranate Juice instead of Apple or Orange
Red or Yellow Peppers instead of Green Peppers
These are just a few of the possibilities that I have tried to incorporate in my overall, healthier eating plan. You can pick just one or two to start and see how it goes. Be aware that almost every swap above comes with a higher price tag. These swaps will cost you more money in the short term, but will likely have very positive long-term effects on your health and therefore your wallet.
***Disclaimer - Before you get too excited and carried away with the colorful food, please remember to consider that this rule only applies to natural, undyed and unprocessed foods. Skittles, Reese's Pieces, Lucky Charms and Starburst Candies DO NOT count towards eating a more colorful diet.
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