Come away to a quiet place
where you can just be.....
be your best...
Living, losing and loving it!
As you can see on the healthy living page, our family has been working as a group to get healthier. It's not just about losing weight, but about living a long, healthy and abundant life.
The secret, is not to make huge changes, denying yourself the things you love and losing a load of weight over night. It is about finding a lifestyle that works for you. Often, tiny changes and a little thinking ahead makes a world of difference.
1. The first step is to get moving.
You don't have to run a marathon right off the bat, but pick an exercise and a time that works for you and start doing it. I am walking about 80-90 minutes a day (five miles), for now because that fits into my schedule if I do it first thing in the morning. Nothing has to last forever. Being flexible means, do what works for you today. If it doesn't work for you tomorrow, change it. But don't let apathy and indecision keep you from starting today.
2. Another important step is to increase your plant intake!
That means, lots of fruits and vegetables, whole grains, beans, legumes and nuts. Most experts agree that most of your calorie intake should be from these sources. They are readily available and pretty inexpensive.
3. Next, plan ahead.
Plan to eat healthy meals. Think, before you go shopping, what your plan will be for the week. If you buy lots of fresh fruits and veggies and keep them cut up and easily accessible, you don't have to panic when you come in the house starving and grab a donut or candy bar, but rather, you can grab and apple or peach or cut up vegetable sticks (which you have in a container in the fridge!) and hummus. As a matter of fact, if you are really planning ahead, you won't buy the junk. I find it a whole lot easier not to eat it if it's not there!! It's also helpful to make healthy soups or other dishes that you can keep for a few days in the refrigerator as staples, that you can easily and quickly pack for your lunch.
4. Make small changes in how much you eat and drink.
Is there a way a sparkling water can replace one of your glasses of wine? (Most alcoholic drinks are around 150 calories, depending on the size.) A black coffee or tea instead of a cappuccino or chai latte? Can you ask for a doggy bag before you start your dinner, saving half to take home and have for lunch tomorrow? Can you order just one appetizer when you are out and if you are still hungry order another later? Many times I find that I am satisfied with much less than I initially thought when I am really hungry. Technically after a couple of bites, your stomach is no longer empty!
5. And here's a radical thought!
Eat only when you are hungry and stop when you are full! It may take a bit of fasting (Maybe 24 hours, maybe less) until your stomach clearly sends you a message that says, "Feed me NOW!" Many times we don't recognize the message because we are grazing all the time and really don't know what it's like to feel hungry. If you use this approach, nothing has to be off limits. Have your chocolate cake, but stop after a couple of bites. There really is no evil food; but the amounts can derail you, if you are not paying attention. If you eat slowly and thoughtfully, you will be able to recognize being full before the food on your plate is gone. AND if you have filled up mostly on veggies (point number 2), what is the harm of having a couple of bites of cake?
6. And finally, meditate daily. Why is this a diet tip? Because you and I both know that MUCH of our out of control eating is emotionally based. We eat to fill a void. We DON'T eat to fill a void. We comfort ourselves with food and other addictions such as alcohol or medicines. If we take time to quiet ourselves and connect to the source that supplies all our needs--spirit, soul and body, we will soon find out that we are calmer, self soothing, more peaceful, with fewer outstanding needs and more energy. Maybe you will even notice that you are healthier and don't have all the symptoms that you have been masking with medications. You will sleep better, feel better and look better.
Cont'd. in next column
As you can see on the healthy living page, our family has been working as a group to get healthier. It's not just about losing weight, but about living a long, healthy and abundant life.
The secret, is not to make huge changes, denying yourself the things you love and losing a load of weight over night. It is about finding a lifestyle that works for you. Often, tiny changes and a little thinking ahead makes a world of difference.
1. The first step is to get moving.
You don't have to run a marathon right off the bat, but pick an exercise and a time that works for you and start doing it. I am walking about 80-90 minutes a day (five miles), for now because that fits into my schedule if I do it first thing in the morning. Nothing has to last forever. Being flexible means, do what works for you today. If it doesn't work for you tomorrow, change it. But don't let apathy and indecision keep you from starting today.
2. Another important step is to increase your plant intake!
That means, lots of fruits and vegetables, whole grains, beans, legumes and nuts. Most experts agree that most of your calorie intake should be from these sources. They are readily available and pretty inexpensive.
3. Next, plan ahead.
Plan to eat healthy meals. Think, before you go shopping, what your plan will be for the week. If you buy lots of fresh fruits and veggies and keep them cut up and easily accessible, you don't have to panic when you come in the house starving and grab a donut or candy bar, but rather, you can grab and apple or peach or cut up vegetable sticks (which you have in a container in the fridge!) and hummus. As a matter of fact, if you are really planning ahead, you won't buy the junk. I find it a whole lot easier not to eat it if it's not there!! It's also helpful to make healthy soups or other dishes that you can keep for a few days in the refrigerator as staples, that you can easily and quickly pack for your lunch.
4. Make small changes in how much you eat and drink.
Is there a way a sparkling water can replace one of your glasses of wine? (Most alcoholic drinks are around 150 calories, depending on the size.) A black coffee or tea instead of a cappuccino or chai latte? Can you ask for a doggy bag before you start your dinner, saving half to take home and have for lunch tomorrow? Can you order just one appetizer when you are out and if you are still hungry order another later? Many times I find that I am satisfied with much less than I initially thought when I am really hungry. Technically after a couple of bites, your stomach is no longer empty!
5. And here's a radical thought!
Eat only when you are hungry and stop when you are full! It may take a bit of fasting (Maybe 24 hours, maybe less) until your stomach clearly sends you a message that says, "Feed me NOW!" Many times we don't recognize the message because we are grazing all the time and really don't know what it's like to feel hungry. If you use this approach, nothing has to be off limits. Have your chocolate cake, but stop after a couple of bites. There really is no evil food; but the amounts can derail you, if you are not paying attention. If you eat slowly and thoughtfully, you will be able to recognize being full before the food on your plate is gone. AND if you have filled up mostly on veggies (point number 2), what is the harm of having a couple of bites of cake?
6. And finally, meditate daily. Why is this a diet tip? Because you and I both know that MUCH of our out of control eating is emotionally based. We eat to fill a void. We DON'T eat to fill a void. We comfort ourselves with food and other addictions such as alcohol or medicines. If we take time to quiet ourselves and connect to the source that supplies all our needs--spirit, soul and body, we will soon find out that we are calmer, self soothing, more peaceful, with fewer outstanding needs and more energy. Maybe you will even notice that you are healthier and don't have all the symptoms that you have been masking with medications. You will sleep better, feel better and look better.
Cont'd. in next column
Check out my interesting tidbits about staying healthy from my trainer and masseuse.
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Cont'd.
One way that I can stay healthy without thinking about it too much is to prepare easy, healthy things that are readily accessible. At the beginning of this week, I made pumpkin (kabocha) soup, black bean salad, and cut up veggies and hummus. A cup of this kind of pumkpin is only 30 calories, so the soup is hot, hearty and satisfying and guilt free! The bean salad is flexible. I can eat it plain; I can eat it with a few tortilla chips (homemade ovenbaked are even better!), I can chop up some lettuce and put a cup of the bean mixture on it; I can serve it as a salsa on a baked chicken breast or fish. Of course the cut up veggies speak for themselves, but I can also use them to quickly stir fry for variety.
More recipes for healthy eating here and at Awesome Recipes!
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
If you had ever known me before, you would know this about me: I DO NOT run! Well, here I am finishing my first full marathon at the ripe old age of 54! Yikes! I did not even start running until a couple of years before when, at the suggestion of a friend, I trained a ran a 10 miler. As anyone who is over 30 knows (ok, over 39) that those dozen Krispy Kremes have a different effect as you age. I decided that for my own well being, physically and mentally, I needed to be doing something else for myself beyond the occasional walk. SO, I hired a very skilled and knowledgeable trainer and a lovely and wise masseuse to get this old body through my new training schedule without injury. As you learn to eat right and exercise well, here's to a long fruitful life!!
One way that I can stay healthy without thinking about it too much is to prepare easy, healthy things that are readily accessible. At the beginning of this week, I made pumpkin (kabocha) soup, black bean salad, and cut up veggies and hummus. A cup of this kind of pumkpin is only 30 calories, so the soup is hot, hearty and satisfying and guilt free! The bean salad is flexible. I can eat it plain; I can eat it with a few tortilla chips (homemade ovenbaked are even better!), I can chop up some lettuce and put a cup of the bean mixture on it; I can serve it as a salsa on a baked chicken breast or fish. Of course the cut up veggies speak for themselves, but I can also use them to quickly stir fry for variety.
More recipes for healthy eating here and at Awesome Recipes!
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
If you had ever known me before, you would know this about me: I DO NOT run! Well, here I am finishing my first full marathon at the ripe old age of 54! Yikes! I did not even start running until a couple of years before when, at the suggestion of a friend, I trained a ran a 10 miler. As anyone who is over 30 knows (ok, over 39) that those dozen Krispy Kremes have a different effect as you age. I decided that for my own well being, physically and mentally, I needed to be doing something else for myself beyond the occasional walk. SO, I hired a very skilled and knowledgeable trainer and a lovely and wise masseuse to get this old body through my new training schedule without injury. As you learn to eat right and exercise well, here's to a long fruitful life!!
At the peak of Mt. Fuji, Japan with my friends! See the rainbow!!! This was a grueling climb, but we are so glad we did it!!
You can lose 35 pounds in a year! No kidding.
This isn't one of those hyped up ads, it's simple mathematics.
Walking briskly for one hour burns about 400 calories. To lose a pound, you need to burn about 3,500 calories. SO, if you walk 6 days a week for an hour for a about 52 weeks, you will burn enough calories to lose over 35 pounds! I figured out that for me, jogging (my speed is about 5 mph) for about 40-45 minutes does the same thing. Maybe you want to only do half that. For you, it may be tennis, or hiking, or weight training. Here is a website to help you figure it out: http://www.dietandfitnesstoday.com/caloriesBurnedInfo.php.
The point is to get moving and keep moving, starting today!