Move It!

I saw one of my former students the other day and she had lost a bunch of weight. I asked her what she did to achieve this amazing feet... her reply, "I got my lazy butt off the couch." Talk about blunt! But it was a bit of a wake up call.


The first thing most people look at when trying to achieve a healthier lifestyle or lose weight is diet... the food going in their mouth. However, there are many more things one can do to achieve her goals.


Exercise is incredibly important to one's healthy living goals. I know I don't have to list all of the reasons why we should exercise... we're all intelligent adults, we know them... the problem is why we don't exercise. So let's address some of the biggest excuses:

• I cannot afford to join a gym. - According to the smartest man I have ever met, my Daddy, as long as you have a pair of shoes and a safe location, the world is your gym. If you really like nature, go walking where there are trees... there are parks around. Since my Dad grew up in the Bronx, so he had the amazing invention of sidewalks... very useful. Is it raining? Walk in place before going to work while watching the morning news... you may feel a little nutty, but the only people that will see you are your family members and they are already aware of the level of your insanity.

• Exercise is boring. - Don't exercise... just move more. Even small steps can help... park further away from your destination, take the stairs everywhere, take multiple trips to and from your car when unloading it instead of trying to carry thirty bags at one time. Every little bit of extra movement is a good thing.

• Who has the time to exercise? - As a teacher, I know I spend a lot of time sitting down researching information, planning my lessons, grading papers, attempting to use the new on-line grade book, the list goes on. At least we don't have any more "Butt Workshops" at RHS thanks to our fearless leader. You know what I'm talking about... those workshops where the only thing you learn is how long it takes to get a sore bottom sitting on a wooden seat. Not to sound like a cheesy motivational speaker... but You're Worth It! Its important to take time for yourself, even if its only twenty minutes a day for stress relieving exercise. We make time for everything else in our life... now its time to take time for ourselves.

Feel free to leave comments on how you "Move More" so we can steal your ideas :)

Say Cheese!

Don't get excited about the title... I'm not suggesting you go out a buy a bunch of Gouda. But you should take a picture... of yourself. If you are trying to lose weight, take a before picture. Then, when you reach your weight loss goal, or even as you are going, you can compare yourself visually with what you used to look like.

There are several good places to put this picture to use as some inspiration:

• You can put it on your fridge or in your cabinets if you find these danger zones calling to you.
• If you're crafty, you could scrap a page featuring your "Before" picture and leaving a place for your "After" picture.
• You could put it on a mirror so you can compare and stay focused.

If you have another idea about "Before" pictures, feel free to leave a comment :)

Reaching Your Goals

While it is very important to make your healthful living goal, it involves a lot of work to achieve it. So here are some tips for you to help reach important goals:

• Make Goals Realistic - Even if you spend all day exercising and watching what you eat, it is impossible to lose twenty pounds in one week. It is healthy and normal to lose 1-2 pounds a week. It is realistic to lose twenty pounds in three months. If you reach it earlier, fabulous!

• Make Mini-Goals - If you have a huge goal, it can be helpful to break down the final goal into smaller ones that you can reach on a regular basis. You may decide to have weekly healthy goals that you can continue to maintain... eat two more vegetables each day, exercise five times a week, take a multi-vitamin daily, have no fast food... attack each problem one week at a time and reward yourself accordingly.

• Reward Yourself - When you reach a goal, celebrate! Pat yourself on the back... give yourself a high five! Do NOT reward yourself with an unhealthy treat. It can be helpful to make a list of rewards for yourself, both small and large. We often do not take time for ourselves in our incredibly busy lives, so you could reward yourself with an activity you do not usually have time for... an uninterrupted hour on the phone with someone you love, time to work on your neglected hobby. If time is not a good reward for you, then you can always pamper yourself... get a pedicure, buy a new pair of shoes, rent a movie. It can be helpful to make a list of rewards, so you can pick and choose as you achieve your goals.

Health Hints: Family History tell the tale—People with a strong family history of certain disease (ex. Breast, colon or prostate cancer) should generally be tested for the ailment earlier and more often. Create a medical family tree, noting especially your relatives’ dates of birth and death and any major disease they’ve had. Try the tool developed by National Institutes of Health, at www.familyhistory.hhs.gov. Then discuss it with your doctor at the next visit.

Why?

Like the child who just learned the word and loves to ask it... its time to ask "why." What are your reasons for wanting to become more healthy?

If you want to lose weight, then ask yourself why. The more answers you provide, the more meaningful your journey will be. Its important to know your personal reasons for striving for health... yes, we all know its necessary to strive for healthful living, but that is not enough of a reason to get up at 5 AM for a morning workout when your bed is soooo incredibly comfortable.

Here are some of the most common reasons I have heard:
*I want to be able to play with my children.
*I'm just not happy with the way I look in the mirror.
*I want to live to be 103!
*I want to be able to get into my favorite outfits that no longer fit.
*I want to prove to myself that I can become more healthy... I'm worth it.

Whatever your reasons are, stay focused... remind yourself of your goals... and you will achieve them!

Health Hint 3/24

Health Hints: A shortage of iron in the body can make a person feel drained. Moderate iron deficiency can be corrected through diet. Consider eating sensible portions of iron-rich foods, such as lean red meat, pork, liver, and dark poultry meat. They contain the kind of iron your body can easily absorb. Consume foods that are high in vitamin C, such as citrus fruits and juices, broccoli, tomatoes, potatoes, and cantaloupe. Vitamin C will help your body absorb iron. Avoid substances that inhibit iron absorption, such as tannic acid in tea.

Steps to a Healthy Life

We all know what it takes to live a healthy life...


Eat our Veggies...



Exercise...

But why is it so hard to get on track?

It takes twenty-eight days to make a habit, so it is important to stay focused until that habit is established.

It is also very important to set attainable goals. No one is going to lose a hundred pounds in a month. A healthy weight-loss is one to two pounds a week. Use this guideline to set a realistic weight-loss goal. If you are focusing on becoming more healthy, then focus on changing one thing each week... replace your chocolaty afternoon snack with some fruit this week... or exercise every other day this week... pick one step and stick to it.

Good luck this week with whatever your healthy living goal happens to be!