Posts Tagged ‘Health’

Monday Motivation

“Your body is the baggage you must carry through life.  The more excess the baggage, the shorter the trip.”

This quote is attributed to humorist Arnold H. Glasgow and, although he says it in a humorous manner, the thought is very true and sobering.

Forcing your body to support extra weight can cause a host of health ailments ranging from joint problems all the way to diabetes, heart disease, and cancer.  And any of these conditions will certainly diminish the quality of the life you do have.

I know that, for most people, maintaining a healthy weight is not easy; I struggle with it daily.  But I want to be around  not only to see my grandchildren but to be able to do things with them.  When I think of it that way, it’s easier to say no to that bowl of ice cream or extra dollop of salad dressing!

Monday Motivation

I have often heard that it takes 21 – 30 days to form a habit.  For instance, if you’re trying to add a daily walk to your schedule and you can make yourself do it every day for 3 – 4 weeks, it will become a habit; you’ll just do it without thinking about it!  Or maybe you’re trying to get into the habit of packing your lunch for work every day rather than going out.  If you do it every day for about a month, it will become automatic!

The same applies to a habit you already have that you’d like to change.  If you resist the mid-morning muffin or the after-dinner ice cream for 21 – 30 days, you will have developed a new, healthy habit!

The following video provides a little more inspiration to form good habits:

If you need more motivation to get fit and healthy, how about your bank account?  Here are 5 things you can do to save money while improving your fitness!

1. Decrease your alcohol intake. I love wine with dinner but if I have 2 glasses every evening, you can practically watch my waistline inflate!   Cut back to 1 glass per evening and you’ll not only cut your calorie intake but you’ll only need to buy half as many bottles of wine!
2. Cook meals at home. Home-cooked meals are generally healthier, allow you to control your portion size, and cost less than eating out.
3. Exercise (part 1) Exercise releases endorphins (feel-good chemicals) into your body.  This could lower the possibility that you’ll need to spend money on antidepressants.
4. Exercise (part 2) Women over a certain age (you know who you are!)  tend to gain pounds and inches annually.  Keep up your regular regimen of aerobics and strength training and you won’t have to continually be buying new, larger clothing every year!
5. Stop smoking. In this day and age when everyone knows the dangers of smoking I shouldn’t even have to mention it!  But if endangering yourself and those around you is not enough motivation, just think about how much money you’ll save by quitting.

Are you a work at home mom?  Do you have a room in your house that serves as your home office, or even just a dedicated corner of another room?  Then no more excuses – you have plenty of room to exercise!

If you hate the “E” word, you’re not alone.  Everyone knows that exercise keeps your body and mind healthy but the majority of people would rather not be bothered by actually DOING it.  However, it is essential that you keep moving throughout your lifetime.  Remember the old saying, “use it or lose it!”

You probably chose to be a work at home mom because you could be your own boss while being available to your family.  But working at home requires hours spent sitting in a chair.  Do you fault others for being couch potatoes?  Well you could be on your way to becoming a chair spud! Have you checked out your bootie in the “rear view” mirror lately?!

Does the following scenes sound familiar?  You’ve been working at your computer for a couple of hours and you realize you’ve read the same paragraph 3 times but still don’t know what it says.  Or you’ve been trying to compose an email but can’t think of a thing to write.  Those are not signs that you need a nap.  Nope, it’s time for the “E” word!  Get up and move!

You don’t need to go to a gym or even to another room in your house.  You don’t need lots of equipment.  Actually, you carry some of the best equipment with you all the time: your own body weight.  And any excess body weight you’re tired of carrying around serves as motivation to get moving!

I have found an online site that is a great fitness resource for work at home moms – and dads!  It is called Fat Loss Quickie. (I love that name!)  The man who developed this program, Scott Tousignant, is a certified personal trainer who runs an online business from the home he shares with his wife and two children.  He knows first hand what the work at home parent lifestyle is all about.

Scott understands that working at home doesn’t mean working every single minute.  Sometimes you just need a break but you can’t afford to be away from your desk for hours at a time.  Fat Loss Quickie. provides cardio activities to keep your heart and lungs healthy, and strength training workouts to build muscle and burn fat.  But the best thing is each routine only takes 10 minutes!  The man is a genius!

When you feel sluggish or foggy, rather than reaching for a snack or your pillow, try a 10 or 20-minute exercise break.  You’ll return to your work and your family feeling energized!

Happy Heart Month!  The American Heart Association has designated February as American Heart Month.  The idea is to remind people to maintain heart health by paying attention to their diet and exercise habits.

Years ago heart attacks were much more common in men but these days heart disease is an equal opportunity problem!  It is the leading cause of death for both men and women in the United States.

There are many conditions that can affect the health of your heart such as high cholesterol, high blood pressure, peripheral artery disease, obesity, tobacco use, second hand smoke, and diabetes.

Below are the healthy lifestyle dietary guidelines recommended by the CDC:

1. Choose lean meats and poultry without skin and prepare without added saturated and trans fat.
2. Select fat-free, 1%, and low fat dairy products.
3. Cut back on foods containing partially hydrogenated vegetable oils to reduce trans fats in your diet.
4. Cut back on foods high in dietary cholesterol.  Aim to eat less than 300 mg of cholesterol each day.
5. Cut back on beverages and foods with added sugars.
6. Choose and prepare foods with little or no salt.  Aim to eat less than 2,300 mg. of sodium per day.  All persons who have hypertension, all middle-aged and older adults, and all African Americans should consume no more than 1,500 mg of sodium per day.
7. If you drink alcohol, drink in moderation.  That means no more than one drink per day for women and two drinks per day for men.
8. Keep an eye of your portion sizes.

As far as exercise goes, try to add more physical activity to your usual daily routine and include 20 – 30 minutes of sustained cardio activity (walking, dance, etc.) a minimum of 3 days per week.

February 5, 2010 is National Wear Red Day.  Show your support for the fight against heart disease – wear red this Friday!

Monday Motivation

“Your life can be amazing, but the only one who’s going to make that happen is you.”

Just before the new year started, I read this quote over at one of my favorite sites, Get Rich Slowly.  This idea can be applied to any part of your life but today I want to relate it to fitness.

Getting started with a new fitness program is easier said than done.  You can’t decide which activity to start with, when is the best time, where you’re going to work out.  What if you choose a DVD with a routine that’s too difficult?  What if you’re self-conscious at the gym?  What if your aerobics instructor is a perfect goddess and you hate her?!

Guess what?  The choices you make today are not written in stone.  You aren’t stuck with any of them.  The point is to just do something.  Promise yourself that you will do some activity related to improving your fitness and take the first step, even if it is a baby step.   I will take a 5 minute walk before my shower today.  I will do the first 10 minutes of my new workout video.  Don’t enjoy those activities?  Pick something else for tomorrow.  Stop thinking about it, stop procrastinating, stop making excuses.  Just do something and do it today!