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Posts Tagged ‘Nutrition’

3 Easy Strategies to Surviving the WORST Allergy Season Ever

By Roberta Mittman

Ah, spring is here.

While April brings an official welcome to a fresh, new season, experts predict this spring will be one of the most uncomfortable of all time when it comes to allergies.

The reason? We didn’t have much of a winter. The mild conditions most of us experienced have brought forth a lovely display of early budding and blooming of trees and flowers (and shortly, grass)–and also encouraged more pollen to circulate in the air while shortening those freezing periods that normally kill off many mold spores and other allergens.

Nature’s “feast for the eyes” brings an invitation to come out from the winter months and spend more time outdoors. But it also brings a sharp increase in suffering with the symptoms of seasonal allergies: itchy and watery eyes, runny and stuffy nose, scratchy throat, sneezing…you know the list well by now.

I like to arm my patients in the Park Avenue Center for Wellbeing, as well as my coaching clients across the country–and now, YOU–with a few quick and easy steps to win the allergy war with more ease and comfort.

Strategy 1: Don’t let them in!

- Remove your shoes before entering your home to avoid tracking in unwanted allergens. Remember, protecting your home from invasion by pollens and mold spores is the first step in creating a more allergy-free existence.

- Change or empty your home’s HEPA filters, and don’t forget about the filters in your AC and clothes dryer, too. When they’re clear and work well, they will eliminate 90% of airborne allergens.

- Take a warm shower as soon as you get in to remove pollen from your hair and skin. This is especially important before sleeping so irritants don’t get into your pillow. And don’t forget to do the same for your pet, too.

- Wash bedding often, but use the dryer instead of line-drying. Beautiful spring days make it tempting to air dry clothes outdoors, but that’s an invitation to pollens and molds to move in.

- Need an excuse not to work on your yard? Inform your family that I said that someone else–someone not allergy-prone–has to perform mowing, weeding, and gardening tasks during the spring. (You’re welcome–wink.)

Strategy 2: Exercise and get around wisely.

- Avoid going outdoors at the highest pollen times, typically early morning to midafternoon, or when it’s dry and windy.

- Wear sunglasses to shield your eyes from pollen and give them a break from itching.

- Pay attention to weather conditions, such as rain storms (which can lower pollen counts) and heavy downpours (which can hasten pollen release). 
- Pay special attention to your breathing, especially if you are asthma-prone.

- Drink lots of fluids. It’s always a good idea to hydrate during exercise, but in this season, extra H2O also helps keep you more comfortable by thinning congestion.

Strategy 3: Avoid packing your allergies when you travel.

- Look up your destination’s local high pollen counts online before you go. Also get a rundown of allergens common to the area, which may be different from those you encounter at home.

- Bring your own dust-mite pillow covers to use at your hotel. (I do.) 
- Need the AC in the car? Switch to the “recirculate” setting for better pollen control, close the windows, and take fresh air breaks only every few hours.

- Arm against dust mites and molds in hotel carpeting and bedding by asking for an allergy-proof, no-pet, or non-smoking room.

- Ask to switch rooms if yours is near the indoor pool area where higher mold counts are likely.

Keep these tips in mind–better yet, begin putting them to work today. A few changes can go a long way to ease your symptoms. I wish you more than just good luck in tackling one of the worst allergy seasons in history.

 

A Healthy Lifestyle is only a few steps away

Top Exercises When You’re Short on Time

by Brandon Serna

Let’s face it. Exercising takes a lot of time and in the daily grind of work, school, and taking care of kids, time’s a luxury and some people just can’t afford to do tedious and long-winded exercises. Fortunately enough, there are a bevy of quick, efficient exercises that parents, students, and busy workers can do that won’t take longer than half an hour. You owe it to yourself to take care of your body. With these workouts, being short on time is no longer an excuse to not exercise.

Cardio Cardio exercises aren’t just for people who strive to run a marathon. If you push yourself you can squeeze in a fulfilling cardio workout in just 20 minutes. With fast cardio workouts, the goal is to get your heart rate up ashigh as possible and to sustain that rate for as long as you can. Some cardio exercises you can try in your spare time include running at your preferred pace, brisk walking, cycling, jumping jacks, jumping rope, and kickboxing. As you can see, you don’t need to pigeonhole yourself into a certain type of exercise – pick whichever on you like best or mix and match to keep it interesting.

Strength Training
A proper exercise regimen will combine cardio with strength training. Strength training builds muscle mass. Strength training in 10 to 20 minutes a day can be easy but you have to be vigilant in including all your muscle groups so that you do not risk injury or let some muscles in one group atrophy over time. You don’t have to lift heavy weights and train to the point of pain in your quick strength training stints. You also don’t need fancy equipment to do strength training exercises like squats, lunges, pushups, barbell curls, and ab crunches. For starters, pick eight to 10 exercises and do each one continuously for a minute or when you feel you can’t do any more, whichever comes first.

Why Not Both?

 When you have only a short period of time to exercise, water can be your best friend. You can easily combine some cardio with strength training by swimming. When swimming laps you are forced to use your entire body. For a less extreme workout that can still incorporate both exercises is aquatic therapy. The water not only helps to relax your muscles and soothe your joints, but also provides a great source of resistance much like weights.

 

-This article was provided by Brandon Serna on behalf of HydroWorx

A Healthy Lifestyle is only a few steps away.

6 Tips to Boost Mood and Metabolism

What you eat can have an effect on your mood and metabolism. Learn what food you should eat to boost your energy and spirits.


By making a few simple adjustments to your diet, you can elevate your mood and boost your metabolism. The benefits are huge: Maintaining a good mood will help you stick to a healthy diet, be more productive, and increase your self-esteem. Metabolism is the process your bod

y uses to break down food. “Ensuring your metabolism is working most effectively will help you feel your best and energized to get the most out of life,” explains Nicole Berkowitz, RD, a nutrition consultant in Toronto, Canada.
Here are six simple tips to help you optimize your
diet to boost mood and metabolism.

1. Resist Skipping Meals

Skipping or missing a meal can cause a dip in your blood sugar, leading to

crankiness and lethargy. Maintain your blood sugar levels, and your energy, by eating small amounts of food throughout the day. You might even prefer eating six smaller meals rather than three large ones.
bottled-water
2. Stay Hydrated


Dehydration can also make you feel sluggish and lethargic. Be sure to drink throughout the day, and don’t rely on thirst alone to rem

ind you to have another glass of water. The average person needs about eight glasses of water, and that may be hard to drink without reminders.

3. Think Moderation, Especially for Low-Nutrient Foods

Avoid a lot of caffeine, refined carbohydrates (sugar), alcohol, salt, and other food additives. Any of these, especially in large amounts, can decrease your metabolic efficiency. “Eating large quantities of carbohydrates tend to cause an energy rush and then a big crash; this can lead to crankiness and fatigue,” says Heidi McIndoo, MS, RD, a nutrition consultant in Roslindale, Mass. Excess salt can disrupt your fluid balance, changing your daily water needs, not to mention increasing health risks like high bloo

d pressure.

4. Strive for Balance in the Food You Eat

Properly combine protein, carbohydrates, and fat to achieve a balanced energy intake. In genera

l, a healthy diet includes a mix of whole grains, fruits and vegetables, and some protein, but each person has individual needs based on age, sex, physical activity level, body size, and stress factors. To find out the best foods for you, consult a nutritionist who can help you determine the right balance.

5. Get a Boost From “Good Mood” Food

While research about the mood- and metabolism-boosting qualities of certain foods is mixed, foods highin the amino acid tryptophan can increase serotonin levels in the brain, contributing to feelings of optimism and calm. Add some bananas, avocados, dried apricots, walnuts, sunflower seeds, or pumpkin seeds for some extra tryptophan. Polyunsat

 

urated omega-3 fats help elevate mood and reduce anxiety and depression. Look for omega-3-rich fish, like salmon and mackerel; walnuts and pumpkin seeds are also sources of these healthy fatty acids.

6. Keep a Food Diary

Some foods can have the opposite effect of tryptophan and instead trigger negative changes in mood and cause irritability or headaches. If you think a particular food might be affecting your mood, start a food d

iary. Record all the foods you eat each day and how you feel before and after every meal. After two weeks, review your entries to see if any foods line up with specific moods, either good or bad.

In addition to following a healthy diet, regular exercise will keep your body working most effectively and will augment both your mood and metabolism. The key message here is balance. A variety of healthy foods with a dose of exercise will help you maintain your energy, speed up your metabolism, and boost your mood.

A Healthy Lifestyle is only a few steps away. 

Acne vs Rosacea: How Are They Different?

By teen_acne_0915

Because the appearance of rosacea and acne are often similar, often the two conditions are confused for one another. Some believe that they actually refer to the same condition. For this reason, it’s important to understand the differences and similarities between the two. This is especially the case if you or someone you know is experiencing facial redness. While they are commonly mistaken for one another, the truth is they both have a variety of differences.67198_117650861628353_117641301629309_123289_483723_n

For example, one sign ofacneis the appearance of comedones; however, this is not a symptom of rosacea. Comedones form when open hair follicles are clogged with dead skin cells, oil secretions, and occasionally bacteria. Also, blackheads are commonly associated with acne but not with rosacea.

On key difference between the two is that rosacea primarily occurs in adults ages 30-50, while acne is associated more with teenagers and younger adults. This alone can give a strong indication one way or another.

Location is another factor to evaluate when determining whether you are dealing with acne or rosacea. When redness is present mainly in the central region of the face, such as the chin, cheeks, nose, and forehead, it’s likely to be rosacea. Acne tends to be more spread out throughout the face and even the body, including the back, neck, and arms.

Papules and are common symptoms of rosacea and acne. They are small, red bumps that are raised and are a sign of hair follicle infection or inflammation. However, pimples are much more noticeable with acne.

If you look closely enough, you might be able to tell the difference between the two. Rosacea is characterized primarily by redness and facial flushing, which is not the same as acne.

Cysts and nodules develop in acne and result in scars, while scarring is rare in rosacea.

So while the presence of red bumps could signal either condition, the main difference is whether underlying redness is present. If so, then it’s far more likely to be rosacea.

Flushing is generally the first sign of rosacea, followed by persistent redness. Because inflammation is a part of both acne and rosacea, the treatment can be similar. However, some treatment that is used for acne is too strong for rosacea, and could aggravate it even more.

As you can see, there are quite a few differences. If location and age aren’t strong indicators of the condition, then look to see whether it’s redness or pimples that are the distinct characteristic. That should ultimately tell you one way or another whether its acne or rosacea.

What can you do to treat Acne and Rosacea?

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71891_117650894961683_117641301629309_123292_3166581_nTo see real changes in your skin, you must use real medicines. Our product development strategy is to combine OTC (over-the-counter) medicines and active cosmetic ingredients to create safe and effective formulations. We take safety and efficacy very seriously, and we know that it takes the right concentration of an OTC drug or active cosmetic to achieve the desired result without adverse effects. This understanding and expertise comes from Dr. Rodan and Dr. Fields’ years of experience in treating their patients, and they are the inspiration for the products we create.

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Steps To Lasting Weight Loss

by: Abraham Itunnu
One of the greatest mistakes that over weight people make is that of starving themselves by missing meals. What they do not seem to comprehend is that in order to lose weight, it is not necessary to skip meals. On another note, if your system doesn’t get enough nutrition in the form of food, how will it give you the vitality you should perform various physical activities? The best approach would be to eat healthy foods: foods that are highly wholesome but have low calorie content. Such foods will give your body the much needed nutrition without making you fatter. Typically, an adult’s body needs about 2,500 calories in order to survive. If you eat calories on a moderate level then you don’t even have to count calories! In this report I will let you know the basics of a nutritious diet plan.

1. Stop emotional eating: Scores of people have become overweight owing to emotional eating. Often people are gripped by intense feelings like anger, hatred, depression, stress, boredom, loneliness, etc., and this is when they take the assistance of food in order to give themselves relief. You need to understand that food can’t be the reply to each and every problem. Learn to manage how you feel without taking the assistance of food, for if you take the help of food to douse your emotions, you might never anticipate to slim down!

2. Join a competent weight loss program: Your next step is to join an efficient weight loss program. An efficient weight loss program is one which suggest you a nutritious diet and exercise regimen. An inefficient weight loss program is one which recommends a lot of fad diets and prescription drugs to you. By wholesome diet plan, I mean fruits, vegetables, lean chicken meat, fish, reduced fat dairy products, whole grain cereals, along with skinless poultry. Avoid high volumes of fat products like pies, candies and pastries at all costs!

3. Apart from following a healthy diet, regular workouts is also required for lasting weight loss. I would recommend you start with lighter aerobics and then go on to resistance training and cardio when you feel very comfortable with your workout regime. Even though you do only aerobics, you will be in a position to shed weight because aerobic exercises help you burn fat at a high rate by speeding up your metabolic process, and this way gives you a tremendous boost in energy level as well as helps you slim down.

Now you are possibly wondering how to know whether a weight loss program is efficient or not, without burning your pocket. Well, the only way to understand it is to ask for feedback from a customer who has joined the program that you are eying. One other way is to ask your physician or a weight reduction expert; both of whom would be able to give their indifferent opinions.

A Healthy Lifestyle is only a few steps away.

Best Foods for Bones

Your bones need constant help to stay healthy; here are 5 nutrients they can’t survive without

By Gloria McVeigh , Gloria McVeigh is the Prevention Nutrition News Editor.

Healthy bones constantly build up and break down, requiring specific nutrients–beyond calcium and vitamin D–to

brussels-sprouts

maintain that balance, says Prevention advisor and Tufts University bone researcher Katherine Tucker, PhD.

Protein creates the scaffolding around which healthy bones form. Aim for the recommended 46 to 56 g a d

ay: 1% cottage cheese (28 g per cup), ground turkey (22 g per patty), tofu (7 g per 1?4 block).

Magnesium combine

s with calcium to build bone mass on top of the protein foundation. Get the recommended 400 mg from: oat bran (110 mg per ½ cup), pumpkin seeds (151 mg per 1 ounce), artichokes (50 mg per ½ cup, cooked), brown rice (42 mg per ½ cup, cooked).

Potassium keeps your body’s acid level within the narrow range needed to keep healthy bones strong; aim for 4,700 mg per day. Good sources include orange juice (1,435 mg in 6 ounces), raisins (1,086 mg per cup), fish (916 mg in ½ fillet), fat-free milk (850 mg per 8 ounces).

Vitamin K helps make bone’s scaffolding. Just 1 cup of cooked spinach, broccoli, or brussels sprouts provides the required 90 mcg per day.

Vitamin B12 keeps your levels of homocysteine (an amino acid) from rising and weakening bones. Take a multivitamin that contains 100% of the DV (2.4 mcg).

For other great articles from Prevention visit www.prevention.com

Healthy Lifestyle is only a few steps away.

Tips For Going Gluten Free

label-gluten-free_300By Dr. Gary Kaplan
(HealthNewsDigest.com) – MCLEAN, VIRGINIA – (March 28, 2011) – Many products on the store shelves today carry the words “gluten free” on them. But just what does that mean, and why is it there? The label means plenty! But in a nutshell, it means avoiding wheat, spelt, barley and rye, and a variety of other grain-based ingredients. Gluten-free foods are being sought out by many people, including the over 3million people who have celiac disease, as well as millions more who have agluten intolerance or sensitivity. The good news it that while it may seem like going gluten free is a daunting task, it is actually isn’t all that difficult!

“Millions of people have to go gluten free to live healthy lives,” explains Dr. Gary Kaplan, founder of The Kaplan Center for Integrative Medicine (www.kaplanclinic.com), located in McLean, Va. “If you have celiac disease, consuming gluten can lead to many serious health problems; therefore, it needs to be completely eliminated from you diet. Those with gluten intolerances and sensitivities also need to adopt a gluten-free diet so they can alleviate the uncomfortable symptoms, such as joint and abdominal pain, that they may experience.”

Going gluten free sometimes seems like an uphill battle, but that is mainly because it is a new concept. There are a few things to keep in mind to help keep going gluten free easier and more successful, including:

· Change your mindset – it’s about taking charge of your heath. The first thing that needs to change isn’t your diet; it’s your thinking! Getting used to the idea that your dietary habits need to change because they’re making you sick. Recognize that making the necessary changes will greatly improve how you feel.

· Clean out the cupboards. If you live alone, clean out all of the items in your pantry that contains gluten. Either give them away or toss them out! If you share a kitchen with others who are not sensitive to gluten, create a separate place for the ingredients and foods that you can eat. This will help prevent cross-contamination.

· Start reading labels. While becoming gluten free, always take time to read food labels carefully. Once youLapid_photo_of_gluten_free_products know what items are gluten free, your grocery shopping will quicker and easier.

· Prepare ahead. If you are planning to dine out, you’ll need to do some investigating ahead of time. Find out what foods will be served or what gluten-free items are available on the menu. When attending a party, you can always bring a dish of your own. More and more restaurants offer gluten-free menus. The bottom line: Don’t be shy about asking questions about ingredients. Your good health depends upon you vigilantly avoiding gluten!

· Get support. If you’re going gluten free, get the support you need to get started, and see it through. This can be done by working with a dietitian, nutritionist, or even hooking up with others who have gone gluten free. There are support groups, both online and in-person, that can help you navigate the new terrain.

· Be consistent. To reap the benefits of improved health and wellbeing that come withgoing gluten free, you must stick with it. It can take a month or more of consistent gluten-free eating to begin to feel the health benefits. But the longer you stick with being gluten free, the easier and more second nature it willbecome.

“Celiac disease is a diagnosis that is frequently missed for decades and can pose serious health problems,” Dr. Kaplan says. “Going gluten free is critical and in many cases will resolve the symptoms. Frequently, however, a more comprehensive approach is necessary to help individuals with this disease return to optimal health. We work closely with each of our patients to develop an individualized treatment program that helps her or him thrive being gluten free.”

Celiac disease causes an abnormal immune reaction to gluten, which causes inflammation of the small intestines, which in turn can prevent the body from absorbing nutrients as it should. If undiagnosed, it can lead to many other health problems. Those with gluten intolerance suffer from a variety of gastrointestinal symptoms such as bloating, gas, diarrhea, constipation, joint pain, headaches, and depression. Although someone with gluten intolerance may have many of the same symptoms as a person with celiac disease, it is important to note that, unlike celiac disease, gluten intolerance is not an autoimmune disease.

About The Kaplan Center for Integrative Medicine

The Center’s founder and medical director is Dr. Gary Kaplan. Board-certified in Family Medicine, Pain Medicine and Medical Acupuncture, Dr. Kaplan is also a Clinical Associate Professor at Georgetown University School of Medicine, and he has served as a consultant at the National Institutes of Medicine (NIH). The Kaplan Center’s team of physicians, physical therapists, and other health care providers combine the best of conventional medicine with the best alternative practices to address chronic pain and illness and to help individuals attain optimal health for life. To learn more about The Kaplan Center for Integrative Medicine, visit the website at www.kaplanclinic.com.

A HEALTH LIFESTYLE IS ONLY A FEW STEPS A WAY.

Change Your Mood in 5 Easy Steps

mood-foodBy Becky Reese

We all get in a rut, a bad mood, and here are five easy ways when you find that you are caught up in that mood for you to stop, and get out of that mood quickly. Winter Blues in particular are a problem in the Midwest and across the country. However, don’t just think this happens in the winter, people suffer with depression and mood issues all year long.

  • The first and maybe the most difficult for some is to get up and go exercise. I understand that it maybe difficult in the winter to go outside, but if you can even for ten minutes you can how you feel in an instant. If going outside is out of the question, then do 25 lunges each leg and find a bench or step and step up each leg 10 times each. Just working out for ten minutes at a time will give you the start to strength training and give you some health benefits.
  • Second is getting a good night sleep. Stick to a schedule and don’t eat before bed, but if you are having trouble falling asleep sometimes a warm glass of milk will help calm you down to rest easier.
  • Third, try not to drink more alcohol. Many times in the winter people will reach for an extra glass of alcohol, try a cup of tea or sparkling water instead. Besides packing on extra calories, alcohol will not help you sleep any better.
  • Forth, and my favorite, dab a bit of peppermint oil on your pulse points! Aromatherapy can instantly improve your state of mind. You can take a whiff or put a little on for all day relief!
  • Lastly, eat smart. Foods loaded with vitamins may help with stress, but they will certainly help with heart and other organs keeping them healthy. Remember, you only get one set of organs and as of right now, no doctors are “face-lifting” organs per say. Keep them strong and healthy and that will certainly improve your mood!

Healthy Lifestyle is only a few steps away

Have you Fed your ‘Good Bugs’ Today?


probiotics

by: Marjorie Geiser, RD

Most consumers have heard of probiotics and know that they are foods containing live, beneficial bacteria. Foods such as yogurt, buttermilk, miso or kefir are the most recognized foods providing ‘good’ bacteria for the gut.

But are you aware of the health benefits of prebiotics? In a nutshell, prebiotics are the food to help the probiotics grow and multiply. They are the food for your ‘good bugs’.

A quick review of probiotics will help in understanding prebiotics. The advantage of beneficial living organisms in food, particularly lactic acid bacteria, has been known for centuries. In fact, the Roman historian, Plinius, in 76 BC, recommended fermented milk for treating gastroenteritis. In the early 1900’s, a Russian zoologist, Elie Metchnikoff, wrote about the health benefits of “friendly bacteria” and hypothesized that consumption of fermented milk products were responsible for the long, healthy lives that Bulgarian peasants enjoyed.

Probiotics means “pro-life”. The digestive tract is home to over 400 species of microorganisms. Some are ‘good bugs’ and are ‘bad bugs’ or unhealthy bacteria. Probiotics are the ‘good bugs’. Two of the most common strains are lactobacilli and bifidobacteria. It is believed that if a positive balance of good bacteria is maintained, the bad bacteria are less able to cause disease and irritation.

Here are some health benefits to taking probiotics:

inhibits growth of ‘bad bugs’, or bacteria that cause disease

synthesizes vitamins, primarily B vitamins

increase availability of nutrients

decrease lactose intolerance

decrease symptoms of GERD (gastro-esophageal reflux disease)

decrease prevalence of allergies

boosts the immune response

As mentioned earlier, prebiotics are food for probiotics. Consequently, the more you can feed and care for your ‘good bugs’, the healthier you can be!

The Japanese have known the benefits of prebiotics for years. In fact, a commercially prepared prebiotic (“Neosugar”) is currently used inhow-to-make-yogurt-1 over 500 Japanese food products, from infant formulas to health products. The two most common prebiotics are inulin and oligofructose. As a supplement, it will be listed as either inulin or FOS (fructooligosaccharides). Inulin or oligofructose are present in over 36,000 plant foods as plant storage carbohydrates. Excellent food sources are chicory and Jerusalem artichokes. In fact, most commercially prepared inulin comes from chicory, or else synthesized from sucrose. Other food sources include wheat, barley, rye, onions, garlic and leeks.

Because flatulence, bloating and abdominal cramps can be an undesirable consequence of taking prebiotics (and even probiotics), it is recommended that anyone considering taking these in supplement form contact a healthcare professional familiar with such products for individualized recommendations. Those who could benefit from taking probiotic and prebiotic supplements include:

People taking antibiotics which kill off the ‘good bugs’ in the intestinal tract.

People who suffer from diarrhea, constipation, gastrointestinal distress, and/or irritable bowel syndrome.

Women who suffer from chronic yeast and/or Candida infections.

Probiotic supplements are available as freeze-dried, powdered, capsules, wafers and liquids. Doses of Acidophilus and Bifidobacteria are expressed in billions of live organisms and a typical dose, unless otherwise recommended, is between 3 billion to 5 billion live organisms. Because probiotics are living organisms and are fragile, they should always be refrigerated. Products found on a shelf, therefore, are not going to contain live organisms and not be as effective. The product label should guarantee a certain number of live organisms by the expiration date of the product. There should always be an expiration date.

Prebiotics can be found either with a probiotic product or separately, because FOS and inulin are food for the probiotics. If purchased separately, they can be taken together. Some people, because of the high number of ‘bad bugs’ in their gastrointestinal tract, cannot handle the two products taken together in the beginning. This is where an experienced healthcare professional can be beneficial. The suggested intake of FOS is 2-3 grams per day. Products containing vitamin C, whey protein, or cysteine may improve the effectiveness of probiotics.

This information is not intended to substitute for medical advice or care that you would receive from your healthcare professional, so always check with your provider. If you are taking medications, or have health issues, make sure you start these products under the care of a professional. Some people will notice no harmful effects and these products are generally very safe, but individual sensitivity can alter the effects of such products.

If something as simple as providing and feeding your ‘good bugs’ in the intestinal tract can improve subtle or severe health issues, it’s certainly time to start feeding our ‘good bugs’ today!

About the Author:

Marjorie Geiser has been teaching health, fitness and nutrition since 1982. She is a nutritionist, registered dietitian, certified personal trainer and life coach. As the owner of MEG Fitness, Marjorie’s goal for her clients is to help them incorporate healthy eating and fitness into their busy lives. You can learn more about Marjorie from her website, www.megfit.com, or contact her via email to margie@megfit.com.

A Healthy Lifestyle is only a few steps away.

Goal Success – 6 New Year’s Resolutions For Weight Loss Goals!

Is weight loss important to you? If so, now is a GREAT time to get started! When a New Year appears, it naturally seems to be a time of renewal: A New Year — a clean slate — a fresh beginning! If you have desire to lose weight, doing so now could be a natural New Year’s resolution for you.

But let’s say that you have tried before with this goal and either not succeeded, or succeeded beautifully, but then gained weight back again. For many with weight-loss goals, it has seemed to be a venture of frustration and disappointment. Has this been your experience?

If so, it is time for a new outlook — a new approach. Here are 6 practical, effective New Year’s resolutions for weight loss:

1 – Be Positive:
Pay attention to your thoughts. Notice the types of messages that you are giving to yourself about you being a success — both as a person and in regard to weight loss. Notice specifically if you are being negative about this: Think — self-fulfilling prophecy. Respond to any negativity by re-wording the thought into a positive, success-generating affirmation: “I am a powerful, productive person!” “I enjoy success attaining my goals!” “I persevere with my resolution and lose the weight that I desire!”

2 – Be Realistic:
If your goal is to lose 50#, start with the awareness that you do not lose 50# all at once. In essence, you lose 1#, 50 times. So, start with that first pound. Give yourself realistic sub-goals. For example, you might choose the goal of 1# per week. Look where you will be by the end of this year!

3 – Know Yourself:resolutions Are you someone who does better exercising with others? Then, by all means, do NOT assign yourself exercise by yourself on treadmill at home. Yes, it might be cheaper (if you already have the treadmill — you know, the one with all the clothes hanging from it in the family room?). Go to the gym — be around others — have a social outlet and exercise. Better yet, get an exercise buddy and meet each other at a specified time!

4 – Incorporate What You Know about Yourself:
If you feel pressured by others bringing up your efforts at weight loss, don’t announce your intentions to lose weight to the office. Keep it to yourself … and let them notice — and comment — on the results.

5 – Reward Your Success:
Be generous and kind to you. Choose non-food rewards and recognize you for your courage and your perseverance. Others may have NO idea what you have been going through … but YOU know! You are the person in the position to look out for you … to be kind to you … to recognize you as a success!

6 – Persevere:
Losing weight is a huge, important step toward better health. Being successful losing weight takes courage, motivation, diligence and persistence. Make your affirming cry: I Can Do It!

I urge you to use these six weight-loss ideas over and over to create success with your New Year’s Resolution to lose weight.

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This policy is valid from 01 December 2009 This blog is a personal blog written and edited by me. This blog does not accept any form of cash advertising, sponsorship, or paid topic insertions. However, we will and do accept and keep free products, services, travel, event tickets, and other forms of compensation from companies and organizations. This blog abides by word of mouth marketing standards. We believe in honesty of relationship, opinion and identity. The compensation received may influence the advertising content, topics or posts made in this blog. That content, advertising space or post will be clearly identified as paid or sponsored content. The owner(s) of this blog is not compensated to provide opinion on products, services, websites and various other topics. The views and opinions expressed on this blog are purely the blog owners. If we claim or appear to be experts on a certain topic or product or service area, we will only endorse products or services that we believe, based on our expertise, are worthy of such endorsement. Any product claim, statistic, quote or other representation about a product or service should be verified with the manufacturer or provider. This blog does contain content which might present a conflict of interest. This content may not always be identified. To get your own policy, go to http://www.disclosurepolicy.org

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