Lite and Joy

I am so excited.  Today is January 5th 2009 and over the holiday’s, which include Halloween, Thanksgiving and Christmas, I never exceeded a 5 pound weight gain at any one time.  I did gain and lose 5 pounds several times, but every time I got close or hit the 5 pound mark, I immediately took care of it.  I didn’t do anything excessively either.  I just cut out unhealthy snacks and replaced them with good nutritious food.  I said NO to a few things for a few days until the pounds disappeared.

Even though Valentines is the next holiday coming up, I think I will be able to not only shed my last 3 pounds of Holiday fun, and lose even more to get to my desired weight.  I have been using the Fat Loss for Idiots program for 10 months now and  I think I can live with it for the rest of my life.

The king of “bad” habits is procrastination.  Procrastination is the “failure to act.” Action is everything.  You can do, be and have practically anything you want in life IF you will just stop procrastinating and DO what it takes to get where you want to go”

So what is it that helps you get motivated.  Maybe the big things in life like money, food, vacation, or a holiday.  But what about the little things like weight loss, exercise, getting a massage or a  Cranio sacral therapy session.  If you suffer from anxiety, panic or depression then procrastination becomes a way of life. This was my life but I am continuing to learn how to improve.

When I began to set goals to be healthy, and I started to really focus and work on it, my procrastination in other areas of my life decreased because I felt good.  Come on, it’s the beginning of a NEW YEAR.  GET HEALTHY with good food so you can accomplish what you want to.  The only way you can get rid of a bad habit is to replace it with a good one.

Snack Smart -lose weight with healthy snacks.  You can help prevent overeating and maintain blood sugar levels by eating about every three hours. Aim for a healthful, satisfying snack, such as an apple and some reduced-fat cheddar cheese.
Eat More Grains and Produce - lose weight eating vegetables.  Whole grains, fruits and vegetables do more than provide nutrients, they can also help you lose weight. They’re naturally low in calories, so you can eat more.

Eat Enough, Often Enough - lose weight eating regularly.  One of the worst ways to lose weight is to skip meals.  Many think  that skipping meals is a great way to cut calories, but in the end they are more likely to overeat or even binge when they do not eat on a regular basis.  As the body goes into “starvation mode” they begin gaining weight rather than losing it.

Drink Plenty of Water - lose weight drinking water.   Water helps you lose weight in several ways:   You shouldn’t wait until you’re feeling thirsty to drink water;  thirst can be mistaken for hunger, causing you to overeat. Proper hydration improves your sense of well-being, which will keep up your motivation to lose weight.

Get Moving - lose weight with exercise.  It is virtually impossible to lose weight and keep it off without exercising regularly.  Start with about 10 minutes of exercise and work up to 30-40 minutes at least 3 times a week.  Exercise helps to boost your metabolism, making it even easier to lose weight.

Practice Portion Control - lose weight by NOT eating until your full.  Eat slowly and STOP eating before you are full.  If you are eating every 2 1/2 hours, this isn’t very hard.  A program that can help you with these suggestions is fat loss for idiots, it really works.

Here are 5 stress relievers for busy people like you: they’re easy, quick, and can fit into your schedule with little fuss.
1. Take Your Vitamins - Taking your vitamins in the morning really can help you feel less stressed throughout the day, and make sure you eat good food that really feeds your body.

2. Listen To Music During Your Regular Activities - Music has been proven to relieve stress which in turn can help improve our immune system.  Busy people can turn on music during their morning routine, commute to and from work, during dinner, or at other times to relieve stress as they go about their daily activities.
3. Practice Breathing Exercises - Breathing exercises are a great way to relieve stress anytime and anywhere.  One very effective exercise is to ‘inhale peace’ and ‘exhale your stress’.
4. Learn To Say No - It’s sometimes hard to say no, especially if you’re concerned about disappointing or offending people.  But you need to prioritize, know what is needed and what isn’t.

5. Develop a Positive Attitude - Optimists and positive thinkers experience better health and less stress in life.  The power of positive thinking can help you overcome anxiety and panic and help you accomplish more in life with less stress.

My favorite form of exercise is walking, but right now the temperatures outside are freezing and the ground is covered with ice.  NOT a good time to walk outdoors.  In the spring and summer I have problems with the pollen in the air when the wind blows, and in the fall I can’t stand all the bugs in the air  when I walk in wooded areas.  Now even though there are times when different things make walking unpleasant, it doesn’t mean that I never talk a walk outside.

But I am so glad that I have an alternative.  I have been going to the gym this past year.  I love the tredmill because I can place a book on it and I get a lot of reading done while I exercise.  Well, for Christmas, my husband bought me a treadmill so now I don’t have to travel somewhere else to exercise, I can even do it in my pajamas.  This is  how to burn body fat in the comfort of your own home.

We are constantly battling against dehydration.  In a typical day, without doing anything, we can lose about 2.5 litres of water that is essential for almost every bodily function, from regulating body temperature to removing waste products.  It’s easy to become dehydrated by simply not drinking enough. You don’t lose water just through urine, but also as vapour from the lungs and from the skin in sweat.

As I work on people everyday, I find that very few of them drink enough water.  They either don’t like the taste of it, or they have forgotten how to listen for that ‘thirsty’ feeling. Even worse than that, they always turn to soda, which actually acts as a diuretic.

Aquasana water filters can assist in making your water taste better by taking the impurities out of it to make it more healthy.  Get a container that holds 2 - 2 1/2 quarts of water, fill it up first thing in the morning and drink all day long until it is empty.  That way you will be assured of drinking enough.

Well, it is the day after Christmas and all through the house, is left over chocolate and desserts strewn about!  Yes, it has been a wonderful Holiday season, and I think my blood vessels are pushing through pure chocolate, with all that I have been eating.  It is definitely time for a change.  I liked this quote by Jack LaLanne and as I follow his advise, it will help me to get OFF of the junkie desserts and back to my health and wellness program of  appropriate eating within the week.

Today it will be enough to eat one piece of fresh fruit instead of ice cream or pie. Try a cookie; there are many cookies on the market sweetened with fruit juice instead of sugar. Try a little grated apple with lemon juice or a mashed banana for dessert. Simply mash a banana with a fork until it looks like a pudding, mix in a little lemon juice, and put it in a dessert dish with a fresh strawberry on top and voila!, you have a gourmet dessert.  Jack LaLanne - Revitalize Your Life After 50

People who have never experienced a panic attack often judge the anxious person harshly.
The outsider has no real comprehension of what is happening to the person experiencing a panic attack, and wonders why they fear the simplest things.   Through my own experiences I know now that anxiety disorders have nothing to do with a persons level of bravery.  The crises originates in the doubting of your ability to handle the sensations that shake your inner confidence, and that continues to fuel your fear.  It is a crisis of confidence in your body and mind’s ability to handle stress.

People with anxiety actually do the bravest of things.  They get up each day and get on with life.  Picking themselves up after each and every setback.  That is true bravery.   To the untrained eye it does not seem like such  a big deal to simply drive out of state, attend church,  or go shopping.  However for the person with anxiety, that experience can be a massive accomplishment, especially if they have tried and failed many times before.  There are many programs and books that give you information on treating anxiety attacks  naturally.  Take some time to search for them.

You can begin right now to feel healthy. You can begin to feel prosperous. You can begin to feel the love that’s surrounding you, even if it’s not there. And what will happen is the universe will correspond to the nature of your song. The universe will correspond to the nature of that inner feeling and manifest, because that’s the way you feel.  Michael Bernard Beckwith - The Secret, Rhonda Byrne

My life was so dismal, at least that is what I thought.  I was sick all of the time, discontent with life and always the pessimist.  About 22 years ago I began looking for a change in life, attitude and health.  I was taught how powerful thoughts are and how they can affect your physical health.  I started on a very tough journey, tough because it is very difficult to learn how to change my thought patterns.  But this tough journey wasn’t nearly as tough as life would have been if I hadn’t chosen to make the change.  Never underestimate the the power of positive thinking.

At this time of year, it is so easy to treat our body with disrespect, as we ingest too many sugars and processed foods in abundance. Here are some common sense suggestions, which you might be tempted to dismiss easily.  But by making a decision now, it may make it easier when you are faced with a decision to make regarding your food choices and you have to take action:

1) Don’t go hungry to an event or party, but eat before you go.

2) At the event or party, take a small plate and choose the best option. Eat (or nibble) away from the food table. If there are no good choices, take just a few bites. (However, if you have sugar cravings, you cannot take even one bite.) Drink water or carbonated water instead of punch.

3) After the event, exercise (although it may not help nearly as much as restraint).

4) Upon receiving a sweet gift, give the appropriate thank you and throw it away, or give it to your best enemy.

5) If you are saving a sweet for a future event, wrap it in aluminum foil and tape it, then hide it (out of sight, out of mind) or put it a distance away (like downstairs or at the very back of the freezer).                            Dr. Stan Gardner

I have been using these suggestions during the Holidays and when I do put on a couple of pounds, I get them off immediately.  I have really enjoyed these holidays and have been able to keep my weight off at the same time.  You can find more weight loss information on the internet.